Kicking off our year-end lists, the five best documentaries I watched this year:
1. Bigger Stronger Faster
Who knew the steroids “epidemic” could inspire such a profound meditation on identity, righteousness, strength, addiction, masculinity, hypocrisy, politics and family?! Seriously, as an unflinching yet entertaining look at the human condition, this one just cannot be beat. Bigger Stronger Faster not only makes a very convincing case for bodybuilding as a Religion, but more than any other film I’ve seen this year, it deserves its own Mockingbird breakout session (it sort of is its own Mbird breakout session). BSF also comes recommended by our resident Documentary King, The StampDawg himself.
Note: the trailer doesn’t even come close to doing the film justice.
2. Public Speaking
This is a brand-new one, directed by Martin Scorsese, and only available on HBO for the time being. Essentially a feature-length soapbox for writer-humorist Fran Lebowitz, it’s jam-packed with wit and wisdom of the utterly non-PC variety. Her thoughts on audience, forgiveness, race, technology, gender, sexuality, self-esteem are all fascinating, wildly entertaining and believe it or not, surprisingly sympathetic. Lebowitz is a treasure.
3. Winebago Man
Another brilliant StampDoc rec, this one looks into the legend of Jack Rebney, the so-called “angriest man on Earth” (if you haven’t already seen the videos which form the basis of his fame, odds are you might not be the target audience – i.e. severe severe warning for Kenny Powers-levels of profanity. Very NSFW). But if you can get past the swearing, the documentary is a powerful depiction of love-for-the-loveless-shown: Rebney thinks what he needs is a pulpit for his political views – what he actually needs (and finds) is one-way love. The final twenty minutes, in which he is totally undone, are pure Gospel transformation.
4. Good Hair
Courtesy of Chris Rock, a very funny window into a totally foreign world, that of Black female hair maintenance, is another steady meditation on identity, race and beauty. The closing competition must be seen to be believed!
5. Surfwise
A final StampDoc rec, this one unpacks the history of the very eccentric Paskowitz family. Doubles as an unintentional primer on how Grace can morph into Law, i.e. how the nonconformist impulse can be just as confining as the conformist one. Also a convicting study of Father-Child dynamics.
COMMENTS
7 responses to “Five Favorite Documentaries of 2010”
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Thank you for these recs! As someone who doesn't often have the time to watch anything, it's nice to know where I can go for some good entertainment and education.
Loved Good Hair! Winn Man was watched by us last night and was very moving in the end. Really enjoyed B, F, S. Not so into Surfwise; the Vhristian Hosoi doc covers similar material and was much more compelling to me , though I appreciated surfwise. now eager to see Pub Speak and the Success one. Thanks M'bird.
JZ-
I totally forgot about the Hosoi doc. That one definitely knocks Surfwise off the list.
DZ
I did a search for Vhristian Hosoi and couldn't find anything.
Are you guys talking about the movie "Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi"?
Hey Christopher, always nice to see you on here. There will be quite a few more movie articles on MB this month (and in Jan/Feb as well, I imagine).
Yes, that's the one Stampdawg. It's great! I did a post on it a few months ago.
I totally forgot you wrote about this, John. I'll watch this for sure now! Just added it to my queue.
I'm a bit baffled though by how you and Dave see Surfwise as basically a retread of Rising Son. Surfwise is most crucially about how law and grace play out in a family; and over a period of 30 years (from children being babies through well into adulthood). Relationships between siblings and parents and the length of time are key to what is going on in the movie. Rising Son doesn't look like it is about that at all (though certainly about law and grace).
Christian's relationship with his father and their "pursuits" reminded me of surfwise, as did the california/hawaii factor. skating vs. surfing contests are similar. the pioneering aspect too. the two stories have tremendous overlaps, but with Christian not destroyed by the father's misguidedness in the way that the kids in surfwise were. Yes the effects of law are especially apparent in surfwise, but with little resolution. In the hosoi doc, the child's redemption saves the father who helped bring about his son's demise. I just prefer the resolution/redemptive themes found in hosoi's story to the open-ended lost devastation of the lives in surfwise. Their little family gathering seemed trite in comparison, though it was nice that the son with the autistic children made it. What a sweet guy/victim he was!