Top Rated Documentary Movies on Plex - Page 17

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex

2015

Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex

2015
7.3
The Frankenstein Complex takes a historical as well as a creative perspective, with a mix of fascinating scenes behind the camera, film clips, and dozens of interviews with all the big names in the industry. In addition to the many wonderful anecdotes, the film also offers a wealth of beautiful test material, while along the way showing how the art of filmmaking has changed over the years. An affectionate ode to monster makers throughout history.
Teenage

2013

Teenage

2013
6.2
Teenagers did not exist before the 20th century. Not until the early 1950s did the term gain widespread recognition, but "Teenage" offers compelling evidence that teenagers had a tumultuous effect on the previous half-decade.
The Dark Glow of the Mountain

1985

The Dark Glow of the Mountain

1985
7.6
Werner Herzog follows mountaineers Hans Kammerlander and Reinhold Messner during their expedition into climbing the Gasherbrum mountains, which has some of the most difficult peaks to be conquered, and they'll do it without the use of oxygen tanks. Herzog also takes some time to hear about their past experiences with other mountains, their personal tragedies and the reasons why they are so involved with such activity.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream

2007

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream

2007
7.6
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich and packed with rare concert footage and home movies, this documentary explores the history of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, including Petty's famous collaborations and notorious clashes with the record industry. Interviews with musical luminaries including Jackson Browne, George Harrison, Eddie Vedder, Roger McGuinn, Jeff Lynne, Dave Stewart and Petty himself shed some revelatory vision.
Jimi Plays Monterey

1987

Jimi Plays Monterey

1987
7.4
Jimi Hendrix's debut American set at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival is generally considered one of the most radical and legendary live shows ever. Virtually unknown to American audiences at the time, even though he was already an established entity in the UK, Hendrix and his two-piece Experience explode on stage, ripping through blues classics "Rock Me Baby" and Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," interpreting and electrifying Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," debuting songs from his yet-to-be-released first album and closing with the now historic sacrificing/burning of his guitar during an unhinged version of "Wild Thing" that even its writer Chip Taylor would never have imagined. Hendrix uses feedback and distortion to enhance the songs in whisper-to-scream intensity, blazing territory that had not been previously explored with as much soul-frazzled power.
White Riot

2020

White Riot

2020
7
Exploring how punk influenced politics in late-1970s Britain, when a group of artists united to take on the National Front, armed only with a fanzine and a love of music.
Spitfire

2018

Spitfire

2018
7.1
A feature documentary about the people and the planes that helped win World War War II. Through people personally connected to the events, the film investigates the story of how the Spitfire, its stable-mate, the Hawker Hurricane and its great adversary, the Messerschmitt 109 came into being during the huge advances in aviation in the interwar period—and then how the pilots fared in combat, three miles up in the skies over Europe, Africa and Asia.
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

2018

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

2018
6.3
An immersive film essay on tennis legend John McEnroe at the height of his career as the world champion, documenting his strive for perfection, frustrations, and the hardest loss of his career at the 1984 Roland-Garros French Open.
Monty Python: The Meaning of Live

2014

Monty Python: The Meaning of Live

2014
7.5
With unprecedented access, this program reveals the humour, chaos and passion that went into bringing the Flying Circus to the stage cumulating in the legendary One Down, Five To Go.
Fresh Dressed

2015

Fresh Dressed

2015
6.4
The history of Hip-Hop / Urban fashion and its rise from southern cotton plantations to the gangs of 1970s in the South Bronx, to corporate America, and everywhere in-between. Supported by rich archival materials and in-depth interviews with individuals crucial to the evolution of a way of life--and the outsiders who studied and admired them – Fresh Dressed goes to the core of where style was born on the black and brown side of town.
Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys

2014

Plastic Galaxy: The Story of Star Wars Toys

2014
6.7
Plastic Galaxy explores the ground breaking and breathtaking world of 'Star Wars' toys. Through interviews with former Kenner employees, experts, authors, and collectors, the documentary looks at the toys' history, influence, and the passions they elicit today.
B.B. King: The Life of Riley

2012

B.B. King: The Life of Riley

2012
6.9
Documentary charting the life of blues guitarist B.B. King, with contributions from fellow musicians.
Flamenco Flamenco

2010

Flamenco Flamenco

2010
7
A look at the history and traditions of flamenco music and dance.
Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike

1943

Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike

1943
6.3
The second film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series. It introduces Germany as a nation whose aggressive ambitions began in 1863 with Otto von Bismarck and the Nazis as its latest incarnation.
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

2011

Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure

2011
5.2
In 1987, Eddie Lee Sausage and Mitch Deprey recorded the nightly squabbles of their over-the-top neighbors, homophobic Raymond Huffman and proudly gay Peter Haskett, and the chronicle of the pair's bizarre existence soon took on a life of its own. This darkly funny documentary checks in with former punks Eddie and Mitch, who detail their late-'80s Lower Haight surroundings, and surveys the tapes' influence on an array of underground artists.
No Impact Man

2009

No Impact Man

2009
6.2
Follow the Manhattan-based Beavan family as they abandon their high consumption 5th Avenue lifestyle and try to live a year while making no net environmental impact.
Beautiful Losers

2008

Beautiful Losers

2008
6.4
This documentary follows the lives and careers of a collective group of do-it-yourself artists and designers who inadvertently affected the art world.
The James Dean Story

1957

The James Dean Story

1957
5.4
Released two years after James Dean's death, this documentary chronicles his short life and career via black-and-white still photographs, interviews with the aunt and uncle who raised him, his paternal grandparents, a New York City cabdriver friend, the owner of his favorite Los Angeles restaurant, outtakes from East of Eden, footage of the opening night of Giant, and Dean's ironic PSA for safe driving.
Missing 411: The Hunted

2019

Missing 411: The Hunted

2019
6.6
Hunters have disappeared from wildlands without a trace for hundreds of years. David Paulides presents the haunting true stories of hunters experiencing the unexplainable in the woods of North America.
Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders

2015

Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders

2015
7.1
Two of the most notorious unsolved cases in the history of American crime – the murders of renowned rap stars Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls – have been the subject of exhaustive investigations, relentless speculation, and a web of conspiracy theories and dark secrets. Now, for the first time, the true story behind these sensational cases is laid bare in "Murder Rap: Inside the Biggie and Tupac Murders". Using information sourced from hundreds of police case files, taped confessions never shown before, and interviews with the lead detective and witnesses, this is the riveting account of the task force that finally exposed the shocking truth behind the deaths of these two rap music icons.