Documentary - Movies

Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies

Documentary

LADDIE: The Man Behind the Movies is the story of one daughter's journey to see her father not just as "Dad" - the man whose success and endless hours devoted to work loomed large over her childhood - but the way his collaborators do - as a doyen of modern American cinema. Through interviews with George Lucas, Ridley Scott, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Affleck, Ron Howard, Morgan Freeman, Mel Brooks, Richard Donner, and more, Amanda Ladd-Jones endeavors to better understand her father, Alan Ladd, Jr. Known to all as Laddie, he is the understated studio chief and Oscar-winning producer behind such films as Star Wars, Alien, Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire, Police Academy, Braveheart, The Omen, Thelma and Louise, Young Frankenstein and Gone Baby Gone. His intelligence, kindness, and unflagging faith in the people he hired turned him into one of the most successful movie moguls in Hollywood history.

The King

Documentary

Forty years after the death of Elvis Presley, two-time Sundance Grand Jury winner Eugene Jarecki’s new film takes the King’s 1963 Rolls-Royce on a musical road trip across America. From Memphis to New York, Las Vegas, and beyond, the journey traces the rise and fall of Elvis as a metaphor for the country he left behind. In this groundbreaking film, Jarecki paints a visionary portrait of the state of the American dream and a penetrating look at how the hell we got here. A diverse cast of Americans, both famous and not, join the journey, including Alec Baldwin, Rosanne Cash, Chuck D, Emmylou Harris, Ethan Hawke, Van Jones, Mike Myers, and Dan Rather, among many others.

New World Order

Documentary

New World Order is a behind-the-scenes look at anti-conspiracy activists and the growing underground anti-globalist movement. Filmmakers Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel explore this anti-New World Order movement’s alleged global conspiracy, which focuses on the secretive Bilderberg conference and the 9/11 terror attacks. At the film’s center is Alex Jones (Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly), an impassioned celebrity radio host and underground cult hero, on his ceaseless quest around the country and abroad to expose what he believes is a massive global conspiracy that is threatening the future of humanity. New World Order does not try to prove or disprove conspiracy theories, instead it offers a rare and poignant glimpse into the lives of ordinary people and activists whose lives and actions have been dramatically changed and defined by the power of ideas.

Spielberg

Documentary

From 'Jaws' and 'E.T.' to 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan,' Steven Spielberg is arguably the greatest living director in the film business. In this documentary, Spielberg steps out from behind the camera to open up about his directorial influences and motivations, while sharing little-known stories behind some of his most iconic films. Produced and directed by Susan Lacy, the film was culled from more than 30 hours of interviews with Spielberg, along with personal photos, home movies, behind-the-scenes footage and an impressive array of interviews, including J.J. Abrams, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Francis Ford Coppola, Daniel Day-Lewis, Brian de Palma, Leonardo DiCaprio, Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Oprah Winfrey and many others.

Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love

Documentary

A composer, conductor, musical genius like no other, Marvin Hamlisch is the artist responsible for some of the most iconic music of our time. Hits like the Broadway sensation A Chorus Line and Oscar winning scores for "The Way We Were" and "The Sting" cemented his place in music history. At the extraordinary age of 31 he became one of two PEGOT winners ever, having won a total of 4 Grammys, 3 Oscars, an Emmy, Tony and a Pulitzer prize. Featuring new interviews with close friends including: Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen, Carly Simon, Steven Soderbergh, Quincy Jones and many more, Director Dori Berinstein's documentary is a moving, deeply personal testament to a talent broadway, cinema and music has never seen before.

Tromatized: Meet Lloyd Kaufman

Documentary

A portrait of legendary American filmmaker Lloyd Kaufman, president of Troma Entertainement, an independent New York-based production house that has specialized in Z-films for over 35 years, and creator of the Toxic Avenger.

Citizenfour

Documentary

CITIZENFOUR is a real life thriller, unfolding by the minute, giving unprecedented access to Edward Snowden as he hands over classified documents providing evidence of mass indiscriminate and illegal invasions of privacy by the NSA.

The Greatest Adult Stars of All-Time

Documentary

They’ve entertained us, enthralled us, aroused us and amazed us. Who are the 30 greatest stars in the history of the adult film business? This documentary, a sequel to the popular Greatest Adult Movies of All-Time, brings the viewer up close and personal into the lives of legendary porn stars who’ve survived the test of time. How these personalities have impacted pop culture while shaping the skin business makes for an in-depth and entertaining film. Hosted by the notorious Mr. Skin, featuring Jenna Jameson, Ron Jeremy, Sasha Grey, Belladonna, Marilyn Chambers and many more, blends rare interviews with the industry's biggest stars, clips of their greatest performances and a peek into their mainstream careers, takes us on a journey of historical and sexual discovery. Additional appearances by Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Soderbergh, Rob Zombie and a host of adult stars, directors and trend-setters.

Steve McQueen: American Icon

Documentary

Steve McQueen is one of America's most endearing and intriguing movie stars. On the surface, McQueen had everything he could want—fame, cars, homes, and more money than he could spend in a lifetime. Follow an avid fan of the actor, Pastor Greg Laurie, as he hits the road in his mint Mustang (replica of McQueen's car in the classic film Bullitt), traveling the country in search of the true, untold story of McQueen's redemption-filled final chapters. Discover this amazing, true faith journey narrated by Gary Sinise.

Fantastic Fungi

Documentary

When so many are struggling for connection, inspiration and hope, Fantastic Fungi brings us together as interconnected creators of our world. Fantastic Fungi, directed by Louie Schwartzberg, is a consciousness-shifting film that takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet, an underground network that can heal and save our planet. Through the eyes of renowned scientists and mycologists like Paul Stamets, best-selling authors Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, Andrew Weil and others, we become aware of the beauty, intelligence and solutions the fungi kingdom offers us in response to some of our most pressing medical, therapeutic, and environmental challenges.

Life Itself

Documentary

Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and executive producers Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball) present LIFE ITSELF, a documentary film that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert – a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent. Based on his bestselling memoir of the same name, LIFE ITSELF explores the legacy of Roger Ebert’s life, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times to becoming one of the most influential cultural voices in America.

Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon

Documentary

From his hardscrabble Arkansas upbringing to the heights of musical success, Johnny Cash – JR to his friends – was as unshakeable in his devotion as he was unsparing in his songwriting. This moving documentary, rooted in Cash’s faith, tells the story of a man who knew tragedy from the earliest age, stared down the demons of addiction…and never lost sight of the light. Insightful commentary by Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, John Carter Cash, Johnny’s sister Joanne Cash Yates, and more add depth and color to this uniquely American icon, who once said of himself, "Johnny’s a nice guy, but sometimes Cash gets into trouble."

Film: The Living Record of Our Memory

Documentary

Why preserve film in a world where audiovisual materials seem so readily available online? That is the key question posed in 'Film: The Living Record of Our Memory', which features interviews with film archivists, curators, technicians, and filmmakers including Costa-Gavras, Jonas Mekas, Patricio Guzmán, Ken Loach, Bill Morrison, Fernando Trueba, Wim Wenders, and appearances by Martin Scorsese, Barbara Rubin, Idrissa Ouédraogo, Ridley Scott, and Ousmane Sembene. Together, they explore what film preservation is and why it is still so important to preserve celluloid, even in an increasingly digital world. Thanks to the tireless work of these film professionals, many of whom work unrecognized behind the scenes, we are still able to watch films that are more than 125 years old. This film pays tribute to their conviction that film holds our collective memory, and that access to film as it was meant to be seen may one day change a life. 'Film: The Living Record of Our Memory' highlights the unique challenges of maintaining film, the cultural and political barriers to preservation, and the surprising risks of digital preservation. This work is critical because, as the film explains, so much of this heritage has already been lost forever.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey - Part 1

Documentary

Chapters 1-3: Birth Of The Cinema, The Hollywood Dream, and The Golden Age of World Cinema. The opening of THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY shows the birth of a great new art form: the movies. We see how Hollywood became a glittering entertainment industry and how star directors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton emerged in the roaring twenties. Then we visit Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Shanghai and Tokyo to discover the places where movie makers were pushing the boundaries of the medium.

The Insufferable Groo

Documentary

The film follows eccentric, indie filmmaker, Stephen Groo as he tries and succeeds to cast super-fan Jack Black (SCHOOL OF ROCK) as the sheriff in his original elf/human romance film, THE UNEXPECTED RACE. With little money, volunteer actors, and daily obstacles that threaten the production, Groo spends a year filming his masterpiece but finds himself still seeking distribution and his chance to make it big.

Heath Ledger: A Tragic Tale

Documentary

Heath Ledger was the golden-haired, soft-spoken Australian heartthrob who starred in the late 90s/early 00s hits like Ten Things I Hate About You and A Knight's Tale. Then he moved on to more serious roles, like his Academy Award-nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain, a breakthrough moment for LGBTQ+ representation in cinema, and his Oscar-winning performance as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's sequel to Batman Begins, 2008's The Dark Knight. But by the time 2009's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was released, Ledger had already passed away of an accidental overdose, leaving behind his girlfriend, fellow actor Michelle Williams, and their young daughter Matilda. The tragedy of Ledger's shockingly untimely death has led to endless rumours and speculation over the years about depression, hard-partying, and madness brought on by his portrayal of Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime in The Dark Knight. But the real story of Heath Ledger's life is far more human than those sordid stories could ever suggest. From his parents' divorce to his breakthrough as a talent to watch, his legendary turns in some of the mid to late aught's most acclaimed movies, and his depression, crippling insomnia, and resulting dependency on drugs, this is the tragic real-life story of Heath Ledger.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey - Part 4

Documentary

Chapters 10-12: Movies To Change The World, The Arrival of Multiplexes and the Asian Mainstream, and Protest in Film. This is the story of the movies that tried to change the world in the 70s. We start in Germany, head to Britain, travel to Italy, see the birth of new Australian cinema, and then arrive in Japan. We see how Star Wars, Jaws and The Exorcist created the multiplexes and then travel to India to show how Bollywood was doing new things. Then American director John Sayles talks about how filmmakers spoke truth to power in the 1980s.

Always At The Carlyle

Documentary

While the walls at The Carlyle Hotel don’t talk, they definitely whisper. Always At The Carlyle brings to life the untold stories of the legendary hotel from its own employees and top guests George Clooney, Jeff Goldblum, Wes Anderson, Jon Hamm & more.

Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out

Documentary

Following her Emmy-winning documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, director Marina Zenovich explores the legal battle centered around extraditing Roman Polanski back to the US after his arrest in Zurich in 2009. Playing out over two continents and touching the highest levels of government in the United States and Europe, Odd Man Out provides more detail in this controversial case.

A Butler's Guide to Etiquette: Receiving a Royal Invitation

Documentary

Have you ever dreamt of having afternoon tea with a royal? Do you know how to hold your cup, and what you shall eat first? Would you know what to do, and what not to do, if you ever met King Charles III? Have you discovered the secret message behind the late Queen moving her handbag from one arm to the other? Are you completely up to date on what to wear to a ball at Buckingham Palace, or the King’s summer garden party? Do you know which piece of cutlery to use and how to correctly use your napkin, and where to place it once done? Not to worry, because Grant Harrold, former butler to King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort reveals the secrets of royal protocol, and the life in the upstairs downstairs world of royal etiquette, tradition and customs. Soon you will be ready to float down the spiral staircase and waltz away with a royal, should you be invited to the ball…!

Documentary Movies