Current tv (the channel) just wrapped up their five-part miniseries 50 Documentaries to See Before You Die.
I can't pinpoint the day I became a fan of documentaries. I recall seeing Hoop Dreams when I was younger. That might've been my first exposure to a non-educational documentary. Nevertheless, I love them. There are wonderful subjects and different parts of culture that I am now exposed to because of the intimacy and sincerity of these films.
I like this list a lot. I've seen more than half of them. My favorites that I can view multiple times are Supersize Me, Murderball, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, King of Kong, March of the Penguins, etc.
There are independent documentaries I've had the pleasure of viewing that aren't well known and haven't made this list.
Wiener Takes All: A Dogumentary - the film explores wiener dog races and the owners who love them.
Song Sung Blue - NFL Films Director followed a Neil Diamond impersonator and his family over the course of a few years.
Wesley Willis's Wild Joy Ride - Chicago musician who had his talents and his demons. A staple in the local music industry
Vincent: A Life in Color - Another story of a Chicagoan with an interesting life. I was lucky enough to meet Vincent and the director Jennifer when I introduced the film at a festival.
Indestructible - Ben Byer, the director and subject of his film on living with ALS. This film moved me in so many ways. I saw this at a film festival and I recall being so thankful the room was as dark as it was cause I couldn't stop myself from crying. This film is so powerful, yet so difficult to watch as Ben lays everything out for the viewers.
the list for those of you who are curious
50. Spellbound (2002)
49. Truth or Dare (1991)
48. The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
47. One Day in September (1999)
46. Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1998)
45. The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
44. Burma VJ (2008)
43. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006)
42. Catfish (2010)
41. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
40. When We Were Kings (1996)
39. Biggie & Tupac (2002)
38. March of the Penguins (2005)
37. Inside Job (2010)
36. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
35. Paragraph 175 (2000)
34. Brother’s Keeper (1992)
33. Tongues Untied (1989)
32. Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
31. Jesus Camp (2006)
30. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
29. Man on Wire (2008)
28. Gasland (2010)
27. Tarnation (2003)
26. Murderball (2005)
25. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
24. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
23. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)
22. Shut Up & Sing (2006)
21. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
20. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
19. Touching the Void (2003)
18. Food, Inc. (2008)
17. Street Fight (2005)
16. Bus 174 (2002)
15. Crumb (1994)
14. Dark Days (2000)
13. The Fog of War (2003)
12. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
11. Paris Is Burning (1991)
10. Grizzly Man (2005)
9. Trouble the Water (2008)
8. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
7. The Celluloid Closet (1995)
6. The War Room (1993)
5. Supersize Me (2004)
4. Waltz With Bashir (2008)
3. Roger & Me (1989)
2. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
1. Hoop Dreams (1994)
