Documentary
Black Coffee
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Black Coffee

2005
Director Irene Lilienheim Angelico steers this documentary series about a simple subject -- coffee -- into compelling territory by chronicling its long and often complicated history throughout the world. Beginning with the bean's discovery in Ethiopia, Angelico traces how coffee came to be one of the most craved beverages in the world, boosting economies, sparking revolutions and spreading the love of caffeine everywhere.

Directed by:

  • Irene Lilienheim Angelico
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Derrida
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    Derrida

    2002
    The master of deconstruction -- French philosopher Jacques Derrida -- is himself deconstructed in this documentary directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Kofman. Witty and knowing, Derrida is just as fascinating a film subject as he is an intellectual. The world never got to watch great minds such as Plato and Socrates in action, but thanks to modern technology, this film captures one of the brilliant thinkers of the 20th century.

    Directed by:

  • Kirby Dick
  • Amy Ziering Kofman
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Around the World in 72 Days: The Audacious Adventures of Nellie Bly
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    Around the World in 72 Days: The Audacious Adventures of Nellie Bly

    1997
    Enterprising reporter Nellie Bly (the nom de plume of Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman) etched her name in history's annals when she journeyed around the world via train and steamboat to best fictitious literary hero Phileas Fogg's 80-day odyssey. This episode of "The American Experience" chronicles the life and times of Bly, a pioneering newshound who took huge risks -- including committing herself to a mental hospital to uncover patient abuse.

    Directed by:

  • Christine Lesiak
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Too Hot Not to Handle
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    Too Hot Not to Handle

    2006
    A hundred years in the making, civilization's demand for fossil fuel has contributed to a global warming crisis, and this warning documentary reveals evidence of the damage in the United States. Heat waves, devastating storms, liquefying glaciers, the rise of sea level and circulation of disease are just some of the signs of impending disaster. This cautionary film examines the environmental dangers and the measures needed to reverse the trend.

    Directed by:

  • Maryann DeLeo
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Born Without
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    Born Without

    2007
    Three feet tall and armless, Mexican actor and musician José Flores emerges as a far from pitiable figure in this documentary that instead paints a fascinating portrait of a capable and complex man who embraces life to the fullest. A talented and knowledgeable harmonica player, Flores supports his large (and growing) family by working as a street musician and actor -- all the while carrying on a complicated (and to some, controversial) love life.

    Directed by:

  • Eva Norvind
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Rockin' at the Red Dog
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    Rockin' at the Red Dog

    1996
    A small Western frontier town, Virginia City, Nev., is widely acknowledged by counterculture historians to be, if not the birthplace, then the conceiving ground of the psychedelic 1960s. And the Red Dog Saloon served as the centerpiece for the movement, showcasing artists such as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane long before they were famous. In this documentary, filmmaker Mary Works captures the heyday of this revolutionary nightspot.

    Directed by:

  • Mary Works
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Facing Arthur
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    Facing Arthur

    2002
    This documentary chronicles the relationship between Holocaust survivor Arthur Lederman and 20-year-old Christoph, a German descendent of a Nazi soldier. Despite differences in their cultures and generations, they discover a common bond in music.

    Directed by:

  • Michael Rey
  • Stefan Knerrich
  • Amy Rubin
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Split Decision
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    Split Decision

    2000
    Jesus "El Matador" Chavez was a gifted boxer poised to become a force to be reckoned with in the American boxing world. That is, before a prior criminal conviction forced his deportation to his native Mexico. As Jesus struggles to return to his former life in America, he must come to terms with the country of his birth. Documentarian Marcy Garriott's film presents a complex character study of a true victim of circumstance.

    Directed by:

  • Marcy Garriott
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Miracle on the Hudson
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    Miracle on the Hudson

    2009
    On Jan. 15, 2009, US Airways pilot Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger successfully "landed" flight 1549 in the middle of New York's Hudson River after the plane's engines were lost due to a birdstrike, saving the lives of all 155 on board. Featuring news footage, expert analysis and firsthand accounts from several of the passengers, crewmembers and rescue workers, this compelling documentary recounts the events of that memorable day.

    Directed by:

  • Christina Bavetta
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    The Powder and the Glory
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    The Powder and the Glory

    2007
    This documentary celebrates the courageous stories of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, immigrant women who founded competing cosmetics empires in an age when business was dominated by men and makeup was considered vulgar. Though intense rivals, together Arden and Rubinstein literally changed the face of America -- and amassed impressive personal wealth and power along the way. Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman direct.

    Directed by:

  • Ann Carol Grossman
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    Wade in the Water, Children
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    Wade in the Water, Children

    2007
    Through a passionate mixture of private videos, uncensored interviews and school-day adventures, the children of New Orleans's violent Central City neighborhood have created a riveting portrait of childhood at the heart of an ongoing American crisis. The result of a documentary-film class at Singleton Charter School, Wade in the Water, Children offers a poetic and devastating look at life in the Crescent City through the eyes of its youngest citizens.

    Directed by:

  • Elizabeth Wood
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story
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    An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story

    2008
    Filmmaker Susan Morgan takes a provocative look at the wide-ranging career of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams, best known for his photo of the summary execution of a Vietcong guerilla fighter in the streets of Saigon in 1968. Cooper reveals the many sides of Adams's work, including his 1977 visual essay of Vietnamese "boat people" refugees, his later commercial gigs snapping glamour shots of celebrities and more.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Morgan
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    60 Spins Around the Sun
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    60 Spins Around the Sun

    2003
    Helmed by "Saturday Night Live" alumna Laura Kightlinger, this hourlong exposé chronicles -- warts and all -- the life of comedian turned activist Randy Credico, an up-and-coming funnyman whose candor tanked his career. But the end of his showbiz days didn't stop him: He switched gears and became a mouthpiece for various causes, including the fight against New York's draconian drug laws. Credico's peers and ex-girlfriends weigh in with insights.

    Directed by:

  • Laura Kightlinger
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    A Pug's Life: A Dogumentary
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    A Pug's Life: A Dogumentary

    2003
    Award-winning filmmakers Marilyn and Chuck Braverman turn their lens on the small dog of ancient breed that's won the hearts of millions with its friendly personality, snub nose, googly eyes and wrinkly mug in this documentary that originally aired on PBS. Following pugs and their owners from New York to London, A Pug's Life reveals the coddled canines in all their glory -- from show pugs to working pugs to pugs that love to party!

    Directed by:

  • Marilyn Braverman
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    Invisibles
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    Invisibles

    2006
    Filmed in several languages by five acclaimed directors, this collection of shorts honors the humanitarian efforts of unsung heroes all over the world and sheds light on once-invisible crises that plague underdeveloped regions. Selections include "Letters to Nora," which documents the horrors of Chagas' disease in Latin America, and "Night Commuters," which shadows small groups of Ugandan youths on the run from violent kidnappers and murderers.

    Directed by:

  • Mariano Barroso
  • Isabel Coixet
  • Javier Corcuera
  • Fernando Leon de Aranoa
  • Wim Wenders
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


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    When Clouds Clear
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    When Clouds Clear

    2008
    Anne Slick and Danielle Bernstein's inspirational documentary details the battle over land between an international mining conglomerate and the residents of the small Ecuadorian community of Junin. Dissuaded by big-money offers and menacing threats, the people of Junin remain resilient in their efforts to protect the land their forebears settled from the threats of commercial development and extraction.

    Directed by:

  • Anne Slick
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    Now and Then
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    Now and Then

    1995
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
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