Browse Movies : 2013 : Documentary (Page #5)

Follows the influential 1970s band Big Star. The band was formed in 1971 in Memphis by former Box Tops lead singer Alex Chilton and Chris Bell. Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel filled out the original lineup. While the band never achieved mainstream success, it became a big influence on the likes of REM, the Flaming Lips and more.

The documentary feature chronicling the creation of the legit musical version of Green Day album “American Idiot”.

This star studded documentary takes us on a thought provoking and humorous journey to explore the evolution of disability portrayals in film and television. From the early days of silent films to present day, from Chaplin to X-Men, disability portrayals are ever changing. This dynamic documentary takes a detailed look at the evolution of "disability" in entertainment.

Follows the real life rock-n-roll fairy tale story of Filipino Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the front man for iconic American rock band, Journey, thereby becoming the latest performer to go from the Internet to real life celebrity. Having already overcome a life full of painful obstacles and now saddled with the immense pressures of leading a world renowned band and replacing a legendary singer, the film follows Arnel on this personal journey.

Enzo Avitabile, renowned Neapolitan saxophonist and singer/songwriter, is here filmed by Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, a longtime admirer of Avitabile’s music. This work represents an incredible opportunity as one of the world’s great directors tells us not just about the music of a singular artist in its fusion of Neapolitan, world music (and especially Arab with performances by Naseer Shamma and Palestinian singer Amal Murkus) and jazz but also of a city, Naples, with all of its treasures and contradictions, as Enzo creates amazing new music with collaborators from all over the world, including Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club, Naseer Shamma, Daby Touré and Trilok Gurtu. Music and a movie you will never forget!

Combines traditional documentary storytelling with original animation culled from seven decades worth of art from the renegade children’s book author and illustrator Tomi Ungerer.

Story centers on Walter L. Shaw, a prolific inventor in the telecommunications field who turned to the mob, whose bookies used his "black box" to run their gambling operations and wound up destitute before passing away in 1996. His son, embittered by his father's destruction, turned to organized crime in the 1970s and 1980s before attempting to set the record straight about his father.

Freda Kelly was just a shy Liverpudlian teenager when she was asked to work for a local band hoping to make it big. Though she had no concept of how far they would go, Freda had faith in The Beatles from the beginning, and The Beatles had faith in her.

History notes that The Beatles were together for 10 years, but Freda worked for them for 11. Many people came in and out of the band's circle as they grew to international stardom, but Freda remained a staple because of her unfaltering loyalty and dedication. As the Beatles' devoted secretary and friend, Freda was there as history unfolded; she was witness to the evolution – advances and setbacks, breakthroughs and challenges – of the greatest band in history.

In Good Ol' Freda, Freda tells her stories for the first time in 50 years. One of few films with the support of the living Beatles and featuring original Beatles music, the film offers an insider perspective on the beloved band that changed the music industry.

The film examines the life of the notorious pimp and author of seven ground-breaking books. It includes insightful interviews with well-known artists, scholars, friends and family members that create a riveting tapestry as colorful as the subject himself. The autobiographical work of Iceberg Slim is considered to be the genesis of blaxploitation films and gangster rap and it continues to influence artists today.

An animated documentary on the life of controversial MIT professor, philosopher, linguist, anti-war activist and political firebrand Noam Chomsky.

Starting in the early 1930s, home movies were made by private individuals documenting their personal and family lives alongside historic events in Palestine/Israel. Each amateur cinematographer had a camera of his own, but each saw something different.

A restored version of Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme's 1963 film Le Joli Mai. The film probes the mood in the streets of Paris in May of 1962. “The first springtime of peace” that followed the March ceasefire between France and Algeria after seven years of war.

Murph: The Protector is a feature-length documentary based on LT Michael Murphy's life of honor, courage and commitment, as told by his friends, family and teammates. Michael was raised in Patchogue, New York, attended Penn State University and then joined the U.S. Navy to serve in the SEAL Teams. Well-known for his selflessness, Michael gave his life for his men in 2005 and was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2007. His legacy now lives on in this moving portrait of a real American hero.

Follows Mexican drug cartels' influence on life and popular culture on both sides of the border.

Follows Snoop Dogg on a spiritual journey as he immerses himself in Rastafari, explores musical and religious histories deeply rooted in Jamaica, and reemerges from his experience as "Snoop Lion."

In the 30 years since The Shining's film release, a considerable cult of Shining devotees has emerged, fans who claim to have decoded the film’s secret messages addressing everything from the genocide of Native Americans to a range of government conspiracies. Rodney Ascher’s Room 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with cultists and scholars, creating a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of Kubrick’s still-controversial classic.

Sam Shepard and Johnny Dark met in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s and, despite leading very different lives, remained close friends ever since. Shepard became a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright (Buried Child) and an Academy Award-nominated actor (The Right Stuff), while Dark was a homebody who supported himself with odd jobs. Through the decades, they stayed bonded by family ties. Dark married an older woman named Scarlett and Shepard married her daughter. For years, the two couples lived together, until Shepard broke away for a relationship with Jessica Lange in 1983, leaving Johnny to help father his first son. Nevertheless, he and Dark continued writing to each other, amassing hundreds of letters.

Director Treva Wurmfeld began filming the two friends in 2010 during a period of transition and reflection for Shepard. At the time, he had quietly ended his relationship with Lange and agreed to publish his correspondence with Dark. The task required them to meet and sift through years of their shared history, stirring memories both good and bad. Wurmfeld observes the two men over a period of 18 months and captures an indelible portrait of a complex male friendship rarely depicted on screen.

This film tells the story of the Pink Panthers, the world's most successful diamond thieves. With exclusive access to gang members as well as those tasked with catching them, the film combines animation and archive to explain their background in the history of Balkans and bring to life their gripping exploits.

In 2009, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched a plan to demonstrate that his people were deserving of statehood, inspiring them to change their destiny and seek UN membership. Since then, they’ve made remarkable progress, but the political quagmire threatens to destroy the most promising opportunity for peace in years.