Movies

10 Must Stream Documentaries on Netflix! Part 4

January 21, 2018Shelley LaiLeave a comment

Hello! Time for a new list of Netflix documentary recs. Here’s parts 1, 2, and 3 if you’d like to check out the others. No particular order but I highly recommend them all. I’ve included the trailer instead of the movie poster this time to make it easier to get a glimpse of what the doc is like. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

1. Incarus
An American filmmaker and cyclist unwittingly wades into a global scandal when a Russian scientist leaks shocking details of a vast doping conspiracy.

2. Voyeur
Legendary journalist Gay Talese unmasks a motel owner who spied on his guests for decades. But his bombshell story soon becomes a scandal of its own.

3. Losing Sight of Shore
This documentary recounts the feats of the Coxless Crew, a team of four women who rowed from San Francisco to Australia in support of two charities.

4. Night School
Three high school dropouts face a host of challenges when they come back to earn their diplomas at a school with low graduation rates.

5. Finding Traction
Ultra-marathoner Nikki Kimball tests her body and spirit in this documentary tracing her quest to break the record on Vermont’s 273-mile Long Trail.

6. The Birth of Sake
This film offers a rare peek at the daily life of the artisans of Yoshida Brewery, where devotion and skill combine in the ancient art of saké making.

7. Inspired to Ride
Cyclists race along the breathtaking but arduous 4,233-mile TransAmerica Trail, without support, prize money or any perks, aside from joy and pride.

8. Queen Mimi
This heartwarming documentary profiles Marie Haist, a formerly homeless Los Angeles woman who lives in a laundromat and has befriended celebrities.

9. Amanda Knox
She was twice convicted and acquitted of murder. Amanda Knox and the people closest to her case speak out in this illuminating documentary.

9. The Keepers

This docuseries examines the decades-old murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik and its suspected link to a priest accused of abuse. WARNING: This one’s quite disturbing, but if you like murder mystery, this one’s for you.

10 Must Stream Documentaries on Netflix! Part 3

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016Shelley Lai1 Comment

It’s been way to long since my last post on documentary recommendations so it is! Some of these aren’t as main stream, but they are worth watching. In case you missed the first two posts. Here they are: Part 1 Part 2

1. Desert Runners
Facing some of the world’s harshest conditions, a diverse group of ultra-marathon runners attempt to successfully complete a series of four 250k runs in a year.

2. Maidentrip
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage to be the youngest person to sail around the world alone.

3. I Know That Voice
Hear what it’s like to be a voice actor and what it takes to be one.

4. The Propaganda Game
With controlled access, Filmmaker Álvaro Longoria documents his visit to North Korea and compares it to the Western view of the country.

5. Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom
A peaceful student demonstration turns into a violent revolution and civil rights movement over the course of 93 days.

6. Antarctica: A Year On Ice
Follow the daily lives of workers maintaining research facilities in the most remote and coldest place on Earth.

7. On The Way To School
This documentary really makes you appreciate being able to go to school. See the daily challenges four children from different parts of the world have to overcome to make it to school.

8. Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Serbian performance artist prepares for her unique exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Spectators take turns sitting opposite of her while she looks into their eyes in silence with no food or bathroom breaks for 30 days.

9. Marmato
Living on a huge gold mine, The Colombian townspeople of Marmato must confront foreigners who want to destroy their homes to get to the gold.

10. Twinsters
Identical twin sisters separated at birth and adopted from South Korean discover each other through social media.

15 Must Stream Documentaries on Netflix! Part 2

December 22, 2012February 22, 2013Shelley Lai2 Comments

It’s been a while since my first post about Must Stream Docs on Netflix so it’s time for a new one! Also in no particular order — definitely watch them all if you can! Plus, it’s the holidays! What do you have to do that’s more important than watching documentaries all day long??? JK! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

1. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
This compelling documentary explores three years in the life of celebrated Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who uses social media and his art to inspire protests against the state… more

2. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
This delectable documentary profiles sushi chef Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old master whose 10-seat, $300-a-plate restaurant is legendary among Tokyo foodies… more

3. Mansome
From director Morgan Spurlock and producers Will Arnett and Jason Bateman comes a raucous but thoughtful documentary examining what defines masculinity… more

4. Children Underground
This Oscar-nominated documentary explores the tragic policy decision by Romanian dictator Nicolei Ceaucescu to outlaw the use of contraceptives and encourage his impoverished populace to have more children… more

5. Grizzly Man
Renowned nonfiction director Werner Herzog chronicles the tragic and untimely death of outdoorsman Timothy Treadwell, who devoted his life to studying grizzly bears… more

6. The Invention of Dr. NakaMats
This hilarious documentary from director Kaspar Astrup Schroder profiles prolific Japanese inventor Yoshiro Nakamatsu… more

7. A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt
Sally Rowe’s documentary dishes a rare glimpse into the heated world of haute cuisine, with brilliant and controversial chef Paul Liebrandt… more

8. Indie Game: The Movie

This captivating documentary follows several independent game designers as they painstakingly develop their games and hope for breakthrough success… more

9. Only When I Dance

To achieve their shared dream of becoming ballet superstars, two young black dancers from the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, must overcome poverty, prejudice and incredible odds… more

10. Man on Wire

Philippe Petit captured the world’s attention in 1974 when he walked across a high wire between New York’s Twin Towers… more

11. Dark Days

Documentarian Marc Singer trains his camera on a group of homeless people who live in an abandoned New York City railroad tunnel… more

12. The Great Happiness Space

This compelling film explores the rarely seen world of Japanese host boys, men who are paid to entertain wealthy women in exclusive nightclubs… more

13. America the Beautiful

Director Darryl Roberts’ provocative documentary examines America’s fixation with outward appearance and the unrealistic standards of beauty… more

14. Without the King

In this provocative documentary about Swaziland’s ruling family — the last absolute monarchy on the African continent — King Mswati III faces myriad challenges as he governs a troubled, poverty- and AIDS-stricken country… more

15. First Position

Follow dancers training for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions… more

11 Must Stream Documentaries on Netflix!

October 14, 2011December 22, 2012Shelley Lai5 Comments

I wouldn’t say top 10, but they are definitely worth watching. In no particular order — they are all good and you won’t be disappointed! Enjoy! There’s a part 2 to this list here!

1. Waste Land

Renowned artist Vik Muniz embarks on one of the most inspired collaborations of his career, joining creative forces with Brazilian catadores — garbage pickers… more

2. Please Vote For Me
Though China’s government is Communist, the third grade election for the prestigious position of Class Monitor at the Evergreen Primary School in Wuhan is being decided by a democratic vote… more

3. I Think We’re Alone Now

This documentary focuses on two individuals obsessed with 1980s pop star Tiffany: Jeff, a 50-year-old man with Asperger’s syndrome, and Kelly, an “intersexual” who claims to have had an inspirational… more

4. I Like Killing Flies

In this quirky documentary, filmmaker Matt Mahurin peers into Shopsin’s, a hole-in-the-wall Greenwich Village restaurant that’s been dutifully serving comfort food to satisfied customers for more than… more

5. Pressure Cooker

Three Philadelphia high school students negotiate the challenges of the inner city and the demands of their tough-minded culinary arts teacher, Wilma Stephenson, to become contenders in a citywide… more

6. Kings of Pastry

Acclaimed documentarians D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus venture inside the deliciously cutthroat Meilleur Ouvrier de France, the legendary French pastry competition, to capture this fascinating… more

7. The Parking Lot Movie

Over the course of three years, filmmaker Meghan Eckman tracked the comings and goings of a solitary parking lot in Charlottesville, Va., chronicling the lives of the attendants who were working… more

8. Last Train Home

Documentarian Lixin Fan follows a couple who, like 130 million other Chinese peasants, left their rural village for work in the city, leaving their children to be raised by grandparents. The husband… more

9. Mad Hot Ballroom

Ballroom dancing goes from lame to cool for a group of New York City students in this insightful documentary, which follows a group of 11-year-olds as they learn to dance old-school styles including… more

10. Picture Me

Go behind the scenes and experience both the glamour and the darker side of the high fashion industry as filmmaker Ole Schell documents girlfriend Sara Ziff’s rise to international model status in… more

11. Exit Through The Gift Shop

Amateur filmmaker Thierry Guetta’s project to chronicle the underground world of street art takes a fascinating twist when he meets Banksy, an elusive British stencil artist, in this Independent… more