4 ms·

I've recently enjoyed several episodes of the Vanguard series. There are full episodes of the first 3 seasons available on YouTube: http://current.com/shows/va

by bobds 15y ago

I've recently enjoyed several episodes of the Vanguard series. There are full episodes of the first 3 seasons available on YouTube: http://current.com/shows/vanguard/ http://current.com/shows/vanguard/ http://www.youtube.com/show?p=8NtSYAZY9Y8&s=3 http://www.youtube.com/show?p=8NtSYAZY9Y8&s=3 On a similar note, The Vice Guide to Travel: http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel Adam Curtis is the creator of various interesting pieces. Some of his documentaries are mentioned in this thread: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curtis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curtis I've also enjoyed many of Werner Herzog's films. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Herzog#Filmography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Herzog#Filmography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_Wo... The Yes Men are quite entertaining. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/ http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/ Man on Wire. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire Cocaine Cowboys. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine_cowboys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine_cowboys

marcf 15y ago
+1 Adam Curtis. Even his old works are interesting, even if they seem dated politically.
- wahnfrieden 15y ago
  After watching some short pieces of his, he came off much too much like a British and slightly cleverer version of Michael Moore -- entertaining to watch, the editing is great, but the documentarian techniques are wholly deceptive. He'll link unrelated things with a sleight of hand, then sneak in several ideas during the shock that follows. Do I have the wrong impression?
  - gruseom 15y ago
    Based on one thing I saw, I think you may be right. One of Curtis' documentaries linked the Scottish (anti-)psychiatrist R.D. Laing to the cold war game theorists of RAND as if they were collaborators in social control. You don't have to know much about Laing to know this is spurious. It's a pity, because I've learned things from watching Curtis. The Bernays-Freud material at the start of Century of the Self is riveting.
    - wahnfrieden 15y ago
      Ah, that's too bad. The editing and sound and done so well, he really knows how to make an engaging docu. One of his latest ones, "It Felt Like a Kiss" is a new direction for him and pretty interesting from what I saw of it. It's almost mocking his own style in some ways -- it uses the techniques of typical TV news media to show a series of absurd and shocking material, with the context switching rapidly enough that there's no chance to reflect on what you've just seen. I suppose it's a meta-criticism of the TV news medium, mimicking it in an extreme way to show how ridiculous and harmful it is. It's an exciting trip to watch, though the content is nonsense and it doesn't have a whole lot to say -- it's more just a way to get you to reconsider the usual media you might consume.
      - pauldelany 15y ago
        You should check out his latest 'All watched over by machines of loving grace' -- probably his best yet.
        wahnfrieden 15y ago
        Thanks. Can you tell me if my impression of his older stuff ("Felt Like a Kiss" aside) still applies to to this one though? Or has he changed his approach now?
        marcf 15y ago
        I guess it depends on why you consider Michael Moore to be a bad film maker. Quite a few of Michael Moore's critics dislike his films because of his political positions, not because of his film making techniques. If you believe his political positions have no merit, one will disagree with the presentation of them. Adam Curtis does have political opinions about society. If opinionated films bother you, and particularly ones that lean left or are not decidedly right leaning, it may be worth skipping Adam Curtis' work.
edge17 15y ago
+1 on Cocaine Cowboys. That was a pretty ridiculous doc. It's on netflix. I suggest watching it with someone from miami.
smcl 15y ago
Great list, The Vice Guide to North Korea was what I was going to recommend
jgranby 15y ago
+1 Herzog. His latest 'documentary', Cave of Forgotten Dreams, is wonderful.
- bobds 15y ago
  For those that don't know Werner, he's the kind of guy that says "It's not a significant bullet" after getting shot with a pellet gun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXqc8TQ15w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXqc8TQ15w
- blendergasket 15y ago
  I saw that in 3d in the theater. It absolutely blew my mind. It was so beautiful. It was the first (new) 3d movie I've seen. Seeing mammoth skulls covered in blankets of crystals jutting out in 3d was almost an orgasmic experience.
wahnfrieden 15y ago
Les Blank did a great documentary about Herzog filming Fitzcarraldo, as well. A very interesting pair of films to watch -- it's titled "Burden of Dreams." Herzog has several short docus worth seeing too. I know the one is on youtube where he goes to an evacuated town and up a volcano that's set to blow, to find a man who has refused to leave his home on the volcano's side.

by bobds 15y ago

marcf 15y ago

+1 Adam Curtis. Even his old works are interesting, even if they seem dated politically.

wahnfrieden 15y ago
After watching some short pieces of his, he came off much too much like a British and slightly cleverer version of Michael Moore -- entertaining to watch, the editing is great, but the documentarian techniques are wholly deceptive. He'll link unrelated things with a sleight of hand, then sneak in several ideas during the shock that follows. Do I have the wrong impression?
- gruseom 15y ago
  Based on one thing I saw, I think you may be right. One of Curtis' documentaries linked the Scottish (anti-)psychiatrist R.D. Laing to the cold war game theorists of RAND as if they were collaborators in social control. You don't have to know much about Laing to know this is spurious. It's a pity, because I've learned things from watching Curtis. The Bernays-Freud material at the start of Century of the Self is riveting.
  - wahnfrieden 15y ago
    Ah, that's too bad. The editing and sound and done so well, he really knows how to make an engaging docu. One of his latest ones, "It Felt Like a Kiss" is a new direction for him and pretty interesting from what I saw of it. It's almost mocking his own style in some ways -- it uses the techniques of typical TV news media to show a series of absurd and shocking material, with the context switching rapidly enough that there's no chance to reflect on what you've just seen. I suppose it's a meta-criticism of the TV news medium, mimicking it in an extreme way to show how ridiculous and harmful it is. It's an exciting trip to watch, though the content is nonsense and it doesn't have a whole lot to say -- it's more just a way to get you to reconsider the usual media you might consume.
    - pauldelany 15y ago
      You should check out his latest 'All watched over by machines of loving grace' -- probably his best yet.
      - wahnfrieden 15y ago
        Thanks. Can you tell me if my impression of his older stuff ("Felt Like a Kiss" aside) still applies to to this one though? Or has he changed his approach now?
        marcf 15y ago
        I guess it depends on why you consider Michael Moore to be a bad film maker. Quite a few of Michael Moore's critics dislike his films because of his political positions, not because of his film making techniques. If you believe his political positions have no merit, one will disagree with the presentation of them. Adam Curtis does have political opinions about society. If opinionated films bother you, and particularly ones that lean left or are not decidedly right leaning, it may be worth skipping Adam Curtis' work.

edge17 15y ago

+1 on Cocaine Cowboys. That was a pretty ridiculous doc. It's on netflix. I suggest watching it with someone from miami.

smcl 15y ago

Great list, The Vice Guide to North Korea was what I was going to recommend

jgranby 15y ago

+1 Herzog. His latest 'documentary', Cave of Forgotten Dreams, is wonderful.

bobds 15y ago
For those that don't know Werner, he's the kind of guy that says "It's not a significant bullet" after getting shot with a pellet gun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXqc8TQ15w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXqc8TQ15w
blendergasket 15y ago
I saw that in 3d in the theater. It absolutely blew my mind. It was so beautiful. It was the first (new) 3d movie I've seen. Seeing mammoth skulls covered in blankets of crystals jutting out in 3d was almost an orgasmic experience.

wahnfrieden 15y ago

Les Blank did a great documentary about Herzog filming Fitzcarraldo, as well. A very interesting pair of films to watch -- it's titled "Burden of Dreams." Herzog has several short docus worth seeing too. I know the one is on youtube where he goes to an evacuated town and up a volcano that's set to blow, to find a man who has refused to leave his home on the volcano's side.