Top Rated Documentary Movies on Plex - Page 31

When Jews Were Funny

2013

When Jews Were Funny

2013
6.5
From the 1930's to the 1970's, pretty well every comedian or comic you might see on TV or the movies was Jewish. Jews came to dominate the world of western‐society comedy on radio, stage and screen alike.Why did Jews dominate comedy in this period? And why did that domination end? Were Jews just funnier back then? And if so, did that extend to your average Jew on the street? In this 90 minute documentary acclaimed director Alan Zweig will examine these questions and many others in this exploration of 20th century humour, cultural decay, and a search for a missing heritage.
Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers

2013

Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers

2013
5.6
The Pink Panthers have stolen over £270m in diamonds in more than 241 robberies in cities from Paris to Tokyo. The film explores the rise of the group during the 1990s Balkan conflict when economic sanctions imposed on Serbia fueled illegal activities. The criminals reveal an underworld driven by fast wealth and paranoia, while the detectives and inspectors, who are working with Interpol, are on a mission to stop their crime spree with growing success.
Stolen Seas

2013

Stolen Seas

2013
7.4
A chilling exploration of the Somali pirate phenomenon through audio recordings and found video, right into the middle of the real-life hostage negotiation of a Danish shipping vessel, the CEC Future.
Forgetting Dad

2008

Forgetting Dad

2008
6.2
A man suffers a minor car accident, and a week later constructs a new identity, claiming he can't "remember" being a father. Nearly twenty years later, his amnesia persists, yet no brain damage or physical cause are ever found. Enthralling and thought-provoking, "Forgetting Dad" offers an award-winning case study of dissociation, parental abandonment, and family enmenshment in mental illness.
Future My Love

2012

Future My Love

2012
5.1
Directed and narrated by Maja Borg, Future My Love is a unique love story challenging our collective and personal utopias in search of freedom.
Hooligan

2012

Hooligan

2012
6.5
Aiming to be an in-depth study of hooliganism (both in act and in what it is to be one), director Donal MacIntyre, a former undercover journalist who was once under assignment as a hooligan himself, asks why hooliganism came to be and also why, of all sports, it’s so closely associated with football (http://moviefarm.co.uk).
Sky Above and Mud Beneath

1961

Sky Above and Mud Beneath

1961
5.5
In September, 1959, six Europeans leave Cook's Bay on the southern coast of Dutch New Guinea, now West Papua or Irian Jaya, to trek north to the far side of the island. The journey (450 miles, as a crow flies) across unmapped territory took seven months; three Muyu porters died. Near both coasts, the expedition met villagers who invited them to observe rituals and live with them. In the interior, all villagers kept them at bay, and they depended on air lifts from Hollandia for food and supplies. They climbed above 10,000 feet, built 14 bridges, and fought leeches and malaria. The narrator focuses on describing Stone Age savages, headhunters, and cannibals.
Waiting for Lightning

2012

Waiting for Lightning

2012
5.8
Documentary about the life of skateboarder Danny Way and his attempt at jumping over the Great Wall of China on a skateboard.
The Island President

2012

The Island President

2012
6.1
Follows the globe-trotting journey of President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, who, after bringing democracy to his country, takes up the fight to keep it from disappearing under the sea.
Vine of the Soul: Encounters with Ayahuasca

2010

Vine of the Soul: Encounters with Ayahuasca

2010
4.8
On a quest for emotional healing and spiritual awakening, a naturopathic doctor and an accountant join others in the Peruvian Amazon to drink a psychedelic brew called ayahuasca.
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen

2004

A League of Ordinary Gentlemen

2004
6.3
Filmmaker Christopher Browne documents the mission of a group of middle-aged bowlers as they attempt to revitalize the sport and get the television-watching public interested in it again.
Bazaar Bizarre: The Strange Case of Serial Killer Bob Berdella

2004

Bazaar Bizarre: The Strange Case of Serial Killer Bob Berdella

2004
3.5
In 1988, Chris Bryson was found running down a Kansas City street naked, beaten, and bloody wearing nothing but a dog collar and a leash. He told police about Bob Berdella, a local business man and how Berdella had caputed him, held him hostage, raped him, tortured him and photographed him over several days. Police later arrested Berdella and searched his home where they found several hundred polaroid photographs, a detailed torture log, envelopes of human teeth and a human skull. It was soon discovered that Berdella had murdered 6 young men in his home after drugging them and performing his sick acts of sexual torture. Some lived the horrors for only a few days, one for 6 weeks. After death Berdella would cut up the bodies with an electric chain saw and a bone knife, place the body parts in empty dog food bags for trash collection on Monday. Although he denied this, it is believed that Berdella used organs of the victims as in food dishes he would serve at his shop.
My Enemy's Enemy

2007

My Enemy's Enemy

2007
7.1
Reveals an alternate history of the post-war world. This is a version of history where, in contrast to what we are all told, fascist ideology prevailed. The story of Klaus Barbie, Nazi torturer, American spy, tool of repressive right-wing regimes, is symbolic of the real relationship that the "Western" governments had with fascism and makes us see the world as it is today - and the politicians that inhabit it - in a different way.
Classic Albums: Steely Dan - Aja

1999

Classic Albums: Steely Dan - Aja

1999
6.5
Aja was the biggest selling album of Steely Dan's illustrious career. It was the first album by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker as a duo. Fagen and Becker recall the history of the album, along with Peg, Deacon Blues and Josie. Michael McDonald, later of the Doobie Brothers did guest backing vocals on Aja, the late British musician Ian Dury, record producer Gary Katz and the legendary session musicians who worked on Aja also contribute. This is a vivd portrait of a 70's record that is still as fresh and as memorable more than two decades after its release.
Welcome to Death Row

2001

Welcome to Death Row

2001
7.7
The record label Death Row Records has, since its creation in 1993, been synonymous with the American hip-hop climate. Formed by ex-bodyguard Suge Knight, the label has released seminal rap albums from luminaries including Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, and the famous hip-hop martyr Tupac Shakur. WELCOME TO DEATH ROW is a fascinating, well-researched documentary which explores the history of this intriguing and incredibly significant company.
Chevolution

2008

Chevolution

2008
5.8
Examines the history and legacy of the photo Guerrillero Heroico taken by famous Cuban photographer Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez. This image has thrived for the decades since Che Guevara's death and has evolved into an iconic image, which represents a multitude of ideals. The documentary film explores the story of how the photo came to be, its adoption of multiple interpretations and meanings, as well as the commercialization of the image of Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Her Name Is Sabine

2008

Her Name Is Sabine

2008
5.3
A sensitive portrait of Sabine Bonnaire, the autistic sister of the french actress Sandrine Bonnaire.
Gunnin' for That #1 Spot

2008

Gunnin' for That #1 Spot

2008
6.2
The film follows 8 of the top high school basketball players in the US at the time of filming, in 2006. The plot centers around the first annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic game at the legendary Rucker Park in Harlem.
All Star Comedy Jam

2009

All Star Comedy Jam

2009
6.3
Cedric delivers on stage and has hand-picked some of the industry s most talented and sought after comedians, Kevin Hart, Tommy Davidson, Aries Spears and DeRay Davis, to follow his act. No topic is off limits with these comedians, everything from politics and religion to current events, and even a few jabs are thrown at the host, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
Jurassic Punk

2022

Jurassic Punk

2022
6.3
Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams is a pioneer in computer animation. His digital dinosaurs of Jurassic Park transformed Hollywood in 1993, but an appetite for anarchy and reckless disregard for authority may have cost him the recognition he deserved.