Comments on: Fistful of....fun documentaries?

Question: Fistful of....fun documentaries?

hiptobesquare — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:24:46 -0800

I just watched King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters and loved it. Any other pop culture type documentaries out there I might like? I'm really looking for more upbeat/humorous type documentaries as opposed to say, Jesus Camp, which would most likely just make me angry. Is this a one off? Or are there more fun documentaries out there?

By: Gary

Gary — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:28:03 -0800

Wordplay was really fun. Spellbound was also good.

By: LiquidKarma

LiquidKarma — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:32:47 -0800

I believe that they're making a sequel to King of Kong. Billy Mitchell is setting up something BIG according to the last rumors on Twin Galaxies.

Rumor has it he's going to set up multiple arcade machines and kill multiple records in one shot.

By: Naberius

Naberius — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:43:22 -0800

Word Wars, about competitive... make that obsessive Scrabble players, is a lot of fun.

By: pinksoftsoap

pinksoftsoap — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:51:05 -0800

2nd-ing Wordplay and Word Wars- loved BOTH. Also check out Mad Hot Ballroom.

By: pinksoftsoap

pinksoftsoap — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:53:11 -0800

Sorry, link: Mad Hot Ballroom

By: pupdog

pupdog — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:59:58 -0800

For some folks it may be fan-servicey, but 'Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns' about They Might Be Giants is pretty entertaining...

By: thinds66

thinds66 — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:10:54 -0800

Maybe I'm nerdier than you, but these two suggestions touched on my pop culture...

Try American Movie about these guys who had been making low budget horror movies since they were teens.

Last week I caught Darkon on IFC about Live Action Role Players.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:17:56 -0800

nthing Word Wars.

By: doublesix

doublesix — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:18:10 -0800

By: Karlos the Jackal

Karlos the Jackal — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:18:24 -0800

Hands on a Hard Body is about a contest where a couple of dozen people put their hands on a fully-loaded brand-new truck -- last person standing keeps the truck!

Off the Charts is about the people that actually record the songs for those "we'll set your poems to music" ads from the back of magazines.

American Movie is about a very determined wannabe-horror-film-director beset by his own limitations.

Also, check out Errol Morris -- particularly Fast, Cheap and Out of Control and Vernon, Florida.

By: Karlos the Jackal

Karlos the Jackal — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:22:49 -0800

Oh, and Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? and Super Size Me.

By: doublesix

doublesix — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:24:37 -0800

B.I.K.E | Bingo! The Documentary | Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea | Genuine Nerd

that's to make up for thind66 beating me to Darkon

By: Camel of Space

Camel of Space — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:28:02 -0800

Project Grizzly.

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:48:10 -0800

Not sure if its the same one Camel of Space is thinking of, but Grizzly Man is an interesting film. Just not a lot of fun at the end.

By: burnmp3s

burnmp3s — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:59:48 -0800

As far as being similar to King of Kong, I would second Word Wars, Air Guitar Nation, and American Movie. If you want to go really weird you can also check out Crumb, but that one has some very dark aspects and its definitely not for everyone.

By far the funniest most upbeat and quirkiest documentary I've ever seen is Sherman's March: A Mediation to the Possibility of Romantic Love in the South During an Era of Nuclear Weapons Proliferation. It was originally intended to be a straight documentary about the Civil War, but it quickly devolved into a study of the director's attempts at finding a girlfriend. It has the most laugh-out-loud moments of any documentary I've seen, and as far as pop culture references, the director has an unlikely feud with Burt Reynolds.

By: Camel of Space

Camel of Space — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:03:17 -0800

Project Grizzly

By: kitty teeth

kitty teeth — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:10:47 -0800

I really enjoyed Trekkies.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 21:22:13 -0800

2nd Hands on a Hard Body. Great little slice of American pop culture.

By: brujita

brujita — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:27:20 -0800

So Wrong They're Right about people who collect 8-track tapes.

By: JABof72

JABof72 — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:27:11 -0800

Kevin Kelly's True Films site will have many films you may find interesting.

By: krautland

krautland — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:46:17 -0800

my kid could paint that is brutal, this just as a warning.

good but brutal.

By: bienbiensuper

bienbiensuper — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:54:53 -0800

I actually prefer "Chasing Ghosts" to "King of Kong" - it seems to be a more accurate, all-encompassing and thorough documentary (it's more focused on the arcade game subculture as a whole, rather than just Donkey Kong/Billy Mitchell). I highly recommend it.

Otherwise, two docs by Ron Mann that are great: "Comic Book Confidential" (about, well, comic books) and "Twist" (a really excellent look at old rock-n-roll/soul dancing).

I also really enjoyed "Sci Fi Boys" - has some great footage of the old special effects guys, like Ray Harrhausen. Totally inspiring.

By: Giant luck

Giant luck — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:18:28 -0800

Gehghis Blues,a documentary about Paul Pena, a blind bluesman who taught himself how to throat sing and traveled to Tuva Previously

Also Alone in the Wilderness the story of Dick Proenneke who, in the late 1960s, built his own cabin in the wilderness at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula

By: otio

otio — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:19:04 -0800

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession was fascinating (also a little sad).

By: minimal

minimal — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 05:29:59 -0800

A League of Ordinary Gentlemen is about the fall and rise (?) of professional bowling. The personal focus on a few different bowlers reminds me of King of Kong.

By: MsMolly

MsMolly — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:28:03 -0800

Murderball

By: kookywon

kookywon — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 07:41:41 -0800

I would recommend 'The Home Movie'. I believe that's what it's called, but imdb is blocked from work. Its about maybe 4-5 people who live in unique homes. Its upbeat and entertaining.

By: Onanist

Onanist — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 07:43:28 -0800

"Rize chronicles a dance movement that rises out of South Central Los Angeles with roots in clowning and street youth culture." Really enjoyed this one.

By: subajestad

subajestad — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:22:25 -0800

The Eyes of Tammy Faye -- Tammy Faye Bakker's journey from traveling evangelist to weepy, scandal-scarred cult icon is chronicled in this tongue-in-cheek documentary from Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. The film (which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival) details the affair that ended the PTL Ministry of Tammy and husband Jimmy Bakker as well as Tammy's emergence as a hero to alternative-lifestyle communities. RuPaul Charles narrates.

The Cruise -- A double-deck bus tour guide with the heart of an urban poet, Timothy "Speed" Levitch doles out a fascinating overview of New York City history that's nearly impossible to forget -- due mostly to his passionate asides about life, love and the pursuit of "the cruise." Denouncing the rigidity of New York's grid plan through a rambling story about a woman in "sexual slacks," Levitch reveals as much about himself as he does about the city he loves.

Okie Noodling -- Noodling, a type of fishing activity that uses hands as bait, rod and reel (and that's banned everywhere but four states in America) is the subject of this engrossing documentary by Brad Beasley. With a healthy dose of humor and panache, Beasley captures noodling in all its eccentric glory, presenting it not merely as folly but as a true sport in Oklahoma, where he trails a band of men (and their sons) who've taken to "extreme" fishing.

Devil's Playground -- When Amish teens turn 16, they have the opportunity to venture out in the "Devil's Playground" (the Amish's term for the outside world) and indulge in 21st century vices such as drinking and smoking. At the end of this period, called "Rumspringa," they can choose to commit to the church for good. Or not. This documentary tracks 18-year-old Faron's struggle to reconcile his drug addiction with his deeply ingrained desire to live the Amish life.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill -- This documentary tells the true story of a Bohemian St. Francis of Assisi and his amazing relationship with a flock of wild parrots. Mark Bittner, a homeless street musician in San Francisco, adopts the flock as he searches for meaning in his life. The weird thing is, he's unaware that the wild parrots will bring him everything he needs. The film celebrates urban wildness (human and avian) and links the parrots' antics to human & antics.

And seconding Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control

By: monarch75

monarch75 — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 09:45:28 -0800

Super Size Me? (I thought it was funny)

By: Neilopolis

Neilopolis — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:45:04 -0800

Heavy Metal Parking Lot - painfully short but awfully funny.