I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Fat Girl! And only one person said Man Bites Dog, plus I have to go with Irreversible also. Plus the documentary Stevie, whoa, that ain’t right.
Man, I love Herzog! I am a huge fan of his documentaries and no he doesn’t like the term documentary. He believes that fabrication reveals a deeper more ecstatic truth while cinema verite reveals only the account’s truth. I have to say, I am not bothered at all when people fabricate documentaries. They are artists, not journalists. If you think that truth exists in documentary, you are mistaken. All ‘truth’ in documentary is necessarily mediated, because the director decides where to point the camera and how to edit the story together. Documentary started out being all reenactment and fabrication, with the early actualities of the Lumiere brothers, NANOOK OF THE NORTH
and the films of John Grierson. (sorry, didn’t mean to press enter!) No one had a problem with truth in doc until the observational filmmakers of the 70s asserted that they captured the truth of the situation by staying out of the way. Even Fred Wiseman said that his films were the creative treatment of actuality, Grierson original definition for doc. The fact that people believe that docs should be as truthful as possible seems problematic to me, because you have to realize how easy it is to fake doc codes and conventions. Everything you see in a doc, you should take with a grain of salt. That being said, I love MY BEST FIEND, LITTLE DIETER (especially!), LESSONS OF DARKNESS, GRIZZLY MAN, and I love BURDEN OF DREAMS and WERNER HERZOG EATS HIS SHOE by Les Blanks. It shows how absolutely madmadmad Herzog is! (hope this isn’t overly opinionated and snotty!!)
Randyman – I love Xanadu! I also really liked Marie Anoinette. I’m obsessed with Grey Gardens…I know that tere is a serious cult following for this film, but I also know a lot of people who cannot sit through the first 15 minutes. On the so bad it’s good front, I lovelovelove Showgirls!!!
I don’t think Dancer in the Dark is ‘disturbing’ so much as it is horrifically sad. I wept for the last 40 minutes of that movie straight. Happiness is wonderfully twisted though!
I love this film! Clifford Irving happened to become a huge faker after the footage was shot! What does he say, “everything I’ve said for the last 20 minutes was a lie”?! What do you think this film is? Documentary, mockumentary, a little bit of both?
This is hard, so I’m just going to stick to my very very favorites.
Errol Morris’s A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME
Herzog’s LITTLE DIETER
The Drew Assoc. CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s PARADISE LOST I & II
AMERICAN MOVIE, MY KID COULD PAINT THAT, KING OF KONG: FIST FULL OF QUARTERS, LOST IN LA MANCHE, BURDEN OF DREAMS
Disturbing Movies that You Love... over 3 years ago
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned Fat Girl! And only one person said Man Bites Dog, plus I have to go with Irreversible also. Plus the documentary Stevie, whoa, that ain’t right.
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Favorite Werner Herzog Film over 3 years ago
Man, I love Herzog! I am a huge fan of his documentaries and no he doesn’t like the term documentary. He believes that fabrication reveals a deeper more ecstatic truth while cinema verite reveals only the account’s truth. I have to say, I am not bothered at all when people fabricate documentaries. They are artists, not journalists. If you think that truth exists in documentary, you are mistaken. All ‘truth’ in documentary is necessarily mediated, because the director decides where to point the camera and how to edit the story together. Documentary started out being all reenactment and fabrication, with the early actualities of the Lumiere brothers, NANOOK OF THE NORTH
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Favorite Werner Herzog Film over 3 years ago
and the films of John Grierson. (sorry, didn’t mean to press enter!) No one had a problem with truth in doc until the observational filmmakers of the 70s asserted that they captured the truth of the situation by staying out of the way. Even Fred Wiseman said that his films were the creative treatment of actuality, Grierson original definition for doc. The fact that people believe that docs should be as truthful as possible seems problematic to me, because you have to realize how easy it is to fake doc codes and conventions. Everything you see in a doc, you should take with a grain of salt. That being said, I love MY BEST FIEND, LITTLE DIETER (especially!), LESSONS OF DARKNESS, GRIZZLY MAN, and I love BURDEN OF DREAMS and WERNER HERZOG EATS HIS SHOE by Les Blanks. It shows how absolutely madmadmad Herzog is! (hope this isn’t overly opinionated and snotty!!)
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Films you love but most people hate. over 3 years ago
Randyman – I love Xanadu! I also really liked Marie Anoinette. I’m obsessed with Grey Gardens…I know that tere is a serious cult following for this film, but I also know a lot of people who cannot sit through the first 15 minutes. On the so bad it’s good front, I lovelovelove Showgirls!!!
Go to Comment
Disturbing Movies that You Love... over 3 years ago
I don’t think Dancer in the Dark is ‘disturbing’ so much as it is horrifically sad. I wept for the last 40 minutes of that movie straight. Happiness is wonderfully twisted though!
Go to Comment
F for Fake over 3 years ago
I love this film! Clifford Irving happened to become a huge faker after the footage was shot! What does he say, “everything I’ve said for the last 20 minutes was a lie”?! What do you think this film is? Documentary, mockumentary, a little bit of both?
Go to Comment
Documentaries over 3 years ago
This is hard, so I’m just going to stick to my very very favorites.
Errol Morris’s A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME
Herzog’s LITTLE DIETER
The Drew Assoc. CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s PARADISE LOST I & II
AMERICAN MOVIE, MY KID COULD PAINT THAT, KING OF KONG: FIST FULL OF QUARTERS, LOST IN LA MANCHE, BURDEN OF DREAMS
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