Dr. Ted Butryn's

Documentary Movie Recommendations

Movies are in no particular order!

1. Roger & Me (1989) (Sometimes the first time is the best time...not sure it applies to Michael Moore's first effort, but it certainly set the stage, and style, for his future work...regardless of your politics, The Big One, Bowling for Columbine, & Farenheit 9/11 are worth your time...try to see the message even if you dislike the messenger)

2. Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control (1998?) (Quirky, but ultimately compelling, film by the great Errol Morris...a must see!)

3. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) (Perhaps as potent as the original film, this "making of" film shows Coppola's impossible task of shooting the movie...the scenes with a whacked out Dennis Hopper and a losing it Martin Sheen are incredible)

4. The Panama Deception (1990?) (Not sure you can even find this anymore, but i saw it in college...pretty damning evidence that we sort of screwed up lots of civilians during the invasion of panama...sound familiar?)

5. Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997) (This is a surreal portrayal of the events leading up to the assault on the David Koresh compound)

6. Welcome to Death Row (2001) (Really interesting take on the rise and fall of Death Row ercords...as fascinating as Biggie & Tupac, I thought, which you should also check out)

7. Crumb (1994) (Not sure if this is on my other list, but it is worthy of mention...a sad film in a way, as Crumb comes off as a somewhat demented, perverted, often problematic,and definitely unique artistic genius)

8. Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003) (There was good reason the Errol Morris film won the Oscar (not that an Academy Award means that much)...if you are a 20-something or 30-something, you must see this to fill in your gaps in history, and more importantly because this film puts current conflicts in historical and political context...above all, after watching this you will wonder how we didn't blow the world up)

9. Race: The Power of Illusion (2002) (This is a bit academic, but it is an important 3-part series on the social and historical construction of race...You can find it at your library, hopefully, or on PBS.org I assume)

10. Capturing the Friedmans (2003) (OK, I know, enough of the recent stuff...but this is a really creepy story of a "normal" family that outright disintegrated upon revelations/accusations of child molestation...you judge who is telling the truth!)

11. When We Were Kings (1996) (I saw this in the theatre when it came out...no offense, but this was so good i couldn't bring myself to see "Ali"...when you've seen the "real" thing, all else pales...)

12. Beyond the Mat (1999) & Wrestling with Manhood: Boys, Bullying & Battering (2002 (These two both deal critically with pro wrestling, specifically the WWE...The former is more popular in nature, and the latter is more academic, but both will change the way you view the spectacle of the WWE.

13.Koyaanisqatsi (1983)/Powaqqatsi (1988)/Naqoyqatsi (2002) (Indescribable series of films dealing with human life and its relationship to the earth...full of wonderful images, spectacular landscapes, and overall a powerful message related to "progress." The first two are recently on dvd, and they are definitely a brilliant improvement over the old vhs copies i had seen...a must see)

14. Woodstock (1970)/Gimme Shelter (1970)/The Kids are Alright (1979) From the classic "summer of love" deal, to the chaos of the Rolling Stones' 1969 concert at Altamot, to an overview of The Who...these are all required viewing for any rock fan...or consumer of American and British pop culture.

15. Keep the River on your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale (2000) Odd story I caught on IFC a couple weeks ago...about an eccentric, retired, gay anthropologist is convinced by filmmakers to revisit an indigenous culture he 'studied" early in his life...some good critique of ethnocentrisism and the supposed neutrality of ethnographic methods, but mainly a character study of a really interesting, intelligent, and talented man...oh yeah, and he did partake in cannibalism while he lived there years ago as well.