I'm a sucker for documentaries. Ones I've found on Netflix and have enjoyed (in no particular order):
- Kim Peek: The Real Rainman
It looks like Netflix took it off streaming, but it's a wonderful documentary of Kim Peek, the real life inspiration for the movie Rainman. It can still be streamed in parts from youtube, it looks like. It's a very moving documentary about Kim and his life with autism, how he views the world, and how the movie has had an impact on his life (for the better).
- Indie Game
This talks about the folks behind the indie games you find on steam and XBOX live. Two games in particular were under development and being followed during the making of this movie: Super Meat Boy and Fez (and if you've never heard of them, I'd recommend waiting on Googling them until after you've watched
).- Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
A documentary about Kevin Clash, the man behind the muppet.
- Pulling John
This one's about world champion arm wrestler John Brzenk who has remained a world champion for over 20 years and him deciding on whether he should retire or not. I enjoyed this documentary far more than I expected to. As a side note, apparently he also lives in my area and I am familiar with the gym he frequents.
- Best Worst Movie
A documentary by the man who played the young boy in Troll 2. The documentary is about that very movie, it's cult following, and what all the principal actors are doing. What's really funny is how deluded the director is, and how he completely believes this movie's script was the greatest thing ever put to print, and that if the movie's success was a failure it was because he didn't have good enough actors to fully portray the brilliance of the script and his direction.
- The American Scream
From the man who brought you "Best Worst Movie," this one is about a small town where a few folks spend thousands of dollars and hours decorating their house and yard for just one night: Halloween.
- Air Guitar Nation
This one follows several people around the globe as they vie for Air Guitar World Champion (apparently that is a thing). Another one I enjoyed far more than I expected to.
- Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story
This documentary follows several people competing in the world championship Monopoly tournament (yes, apparently that is also a thing). This is more about the tournament and less about the history of the game (though it does have a bit of it).
- King of Kong: A fistful of Quarters
This movie documents an out-of-work teacher and his hope to be ranked as the number one Donkey Kong player. What really intrigued me is how seedy an underworld competitive classic gaming has, and how deluded some of the "champions" can get about their lives.
- Exit Through the Gift Shop
We had a thread on this here a couple years ago, but it bears mentioning again. Great documentary about street art (graffiti) and has a rather bizarre twist.
- Fat Head
A great, great documentary that is a direct response to Super Size Me. The person making the documentary spends 30 days eating nothing but fast food, and loses weight (and his cholesterol improves). Complete with food log (something never provided by Morgan Spurlock)!
- Nirvana: Nevermind
A documentary about the making of Nirvana's classic album. Useless factoid that I know: Butch Vigg, the producer of this album, is also the drummer for Garbage.