Top Rated Documentary Movies on The Roku Channel - Page 17

Flight of the Butterflies

2012

Flight of the Butterflies

2012
6.2
It takes two or three generations for the monarch butterfly to reach the Canadian breeding grounds, but it is one "supergeneration" that makes the 2,000 mile return trip back south into central Mexico. The documentary film covers Dr Fred Urquhart's interest in monarch butterflies, with perspectives of Urquhart as a child wondering where the butterflies went, his years of research and study into their life and migration, to his time decades-later as a senior scientist looking back at his investigations and discoveries about the insect's life pattern.
The Last Reef: Cities Beneath the Sea

2012

The Last Reef: Cities Beneath the Sea

2012
7.4
From the Academy-Award nominated creators of the Broadway show STOMP and the award-winning film Wild Ocean, The Last Reef is an uplifting, inspirational large-format and 3D cinema experience capturing one of nature's more vibrant and diverse wonderlands. Exotic coral reefs, vibrant sea walls in the sub-arctic pulsating with anemones and crustaceans: these biodiversity hot spots are as vital to our lives as the rainforests. Shot on location in Palau, Vancouver Island, French Polynesia, Mexico, and The Bahamas using groundbreaking 3D cinematography, The Last Reef takes us on a global journey to explore the connection of our cities on land with the ocean's complex, parallel world of the coral reefs beneath the sea.
D.O.A.

1980

D.O.A.

1980
5.6
Documentary chronicling the rise and fall of the punk movement with rare interview footage of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. Also concert and news footage.
Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan

2020

Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan

2020
8.1
A celebration of the Irish punk/poet Shane MacGowan, lead singer and songwriter of The Pogues, that combines unseen archive footage from the band and MacGowan’s family with original animations.
The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel

2020

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel

2020
6.9
Two decades after the initial exposé of the corporation, this follow-up unveils a world now fully remade in its image and perilously close to fascism.
Closed for Storm

2020

Closed for Storm

2020
6.2
The story of Six Flags New Orleans, a theme park devastated by Hurricane Katrina that has become a holy grail of sorts for urban exploration and the efforts to restore the park to its former glory.
Fat Fiction

2020

Fat Fiction

2020
6.5
Leading health experts examine the history of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and question decades of dietary advice insisting that saturated fats are bad for us.
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind

2019

Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind

2019
6.7
The untold story of Charles Manson's obsession to become a rock star, his rise in the LA music scene, the celebrities who championed his music, his tragic friendship with The Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson and his descent into violence and chaos once his dreams fell apart.
Master of Dark Shadows

2019

Master of Dark Shadows

2019
9.1
Revealing the fascinating impact of the ground-breaking Gothic drama Dark Shadows with a compelling blend of rare footage and behind-the-scenes stories exploring the diverse talents of creator-producer-director Dan Curtis.
Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality

2018

Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality

2018
7.1
The documentary proposes an exhaustive journey through the life and work of Salvador Dalí, and also of Gala, his muse and collaborator. It starts in 1929, a crucial year in Dalí's career and life, as he joined the surrealist group and met Gala, and advances until the year of the artist's death in 1989.
Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes

2018

Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes

2018
6.7
Alexis Bloom charts the rise and fall of the late Republican Party booster and controversial Fox News mogul who went down in flames amid multiple sexual harassment allegations.
Social Animals

2018

Social Animals

2018
5.9
A daredevil photographer, an aspiring swimsuit model, and a midwest girl next door are all looking for the same things from their Instagram accounts––a little love, acceptance and, of course, fame––and they’ll do just about anything to get it.
Santoalla

2016

Santoalla

2016
7.1
A Dutch couple, Martin and Margo Verfondern, move to a remote Spanish village of Santoalla to start a new life. There is conflict with the Spanish residents resulting in the disappearance of Martin.
Chicken People

2016

Chicken People

2016
7.1
The trials and tribulations of those who breed exotic birds in the world of competitive poultry; three remarkably rich and diverse personalities who come together to compete in their shared passion to raise the perfect chicken. The film will follow the struggles and triumphs of these characters, along with a wide array of competitors-both human and chicken-from the Ohio National Poultry Show, considered the Westminster of Chickens, to the Dixie Classic in Tennessee.
Dying Laughing

2017

Dying Laughing

2017
6.4
The craft, creative process and complicated lives of Stand-up Comedians.
Women He's Undressed

2015

Women He's Undressed

2015
5.4
Hollywood stars, historical footage and stylized reenactments tell the story of costume designer Orry-Kelly, who ruled Tinseltown fashion for decades.
Danny Says

2015

Danny Says

2015
6.9
DANNY SAYS is a documentary unveiling the amazing journey of Danny Fields. Fields has played a pivotal role in music and culture with seminal acts including: the Doors, the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, MC5, Nico, the Ramones and beyond.
The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies

2013

The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies

2013
5.9
A love story about the legendary sexploitation director Joe Sarno and his loyal wife and business partner Peggy. The film relates their part in the history of sex film, their lives between New York and Sweden, and their struggle to produce one last erotic film.
Echoes from a Sombre Empire

1990

Echoes from a Sombre Empire

1990
7.1
Documentary examining Bokassa's rule in the Central African Republic using the testimony of witnesses and visits to key sites.
Brooklyn Castle

2012

Brooklyn Castle

2012
6.8
Brooklyn Castle is a documentary about I.S. 318 – an inner-city school where more than 65 percent of students are from homes with incomes below the federal poverty level – that also happens to have the best, most winning junior high school chess team in the country. (If Albert Einstein, who was rated 1800, were to join the team, he’d only rank fifth best.) Chess has transformed the school from one cited in 2003 as a “school in need of improvement” to one of New York City’s best. But a series of recession-driven public school budget cuts now threaten to undermine those hard-won successes.