Documentary DVD & Blu-rays 2004 List

In the summer of 1970, a chartered train crossed Canada carrying some of the world's greatest rock bands. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, and others lived together for five days, stopping in major cities along the way to play live concerts. Their journey was filmed.

A chronicle of presidential candidate John Kerry's career, from his Navy duty in Vietnam followed by the years of peace advocacy that shaped his political life.

This documentary is an intimate portrayal of several months at a one-room elementary schoolhouse in a small village (Saint-Etienne Sur Usson) in rural France, where a single teacher, Georges Lopez, gives his small class of thirteen students, ages 3-10, the sort of attention that is dwindling in many other schools in France (and elsehwere), where crowded classrooms are the norm.

This documentary is aimed at refuting the content of Michael Moore's 2004 feature, "Fahrenheit 9/11" while providing a full deconstruction of Senator John Kerry, the Democrat presidential nominee.

The story of the life of artist Ray Johnson is cloaked in mystery not only at the moment of his death, but also throughout a career that was difficult to know and understand. As one of the seminal figures of the Pop Art era, he is known as "the founding father of mail art" and as a "collagist extraordinaire." But, overshadowed by those like Warhol who manipulated the world in a very dissimilar manner, he was also a reclusive and sometimes enigmatic figure who has been called "New York's most famous unknown artist" that challenged the commercial and critical establishment.

An exploration of a sustained and well-funded effort to discredit and defeat Bill Clinton, dating from his gubernatorial days in Arkansas and eventually leading to his impeachment trial.

Why are Americans so fat? Find out in "Super Size Me", a tongue in-cheek—and burger in hand—look at the legal, financial and physical costs of America's hunger for fast food. Ominously, 37% of American children and adolescents are carrying too much fat and 2 out of every three adults are overweight or obese. Is it our fault for lacking self-control, or are the fast-food corporations to blame? Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock hit the road and interviewed experts in 20 U.S. cities, including Houston, the "Fattest City" in America. From Surgeon Generals to gym teachers, cooks to kids, lawmakers to legislators, these authorities shared their research, opinions and "gut feelings" on our ever-expanding girth. During the journey, Spurlock also put his own body on the line, living on nothing but McDonald's for an entire month with three simple rules: 1) No options: he could only eat what was available over the counter (water included!); 2) No supersizing unless offered; 3) No excuses: he had to eat every item on the menu at least once. It all adds up to a fat food bill, harrowing visits to the doctor, and compelling viewing for anyone who's ever wondered if man could live on fast food alone. The film explores the horror of school lunch programs, declining health and physical education classes, food addictions and the extreme measures people take to lose weight and regain their health. "Super Size Me" is a satirical jab in the stomach, overstuffed with fat and facts about the billion-dollar industry besieged by doctors, lawyers and nutritionists alike. "Would you like fries with that?" will never sound the same!

Melding biography and social history with a cultural analysis of our Society's obsession with fame and celebrity, "Mayor of the Sunset Strip chronicles the picaresque life of pop impresario Rodney Bingenheimer, beloved figure on the Los Angeles music scene since the early 1960s, and a friend, confidant, and lifelong admirer of countless luminaries from all walks of public life. Rodney has helped define the sounds that have dominated over three decades of music by giving dozens of major artists their first airplay. A partial list of bands he helped to break includes the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Ramones, X, the Go-Go's, Blondie, Devo, Van Halen, Nirvana, Oasis, No Doubt, and, more recently, Coldplay and the Strokes. Featuring interviews with such stars as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Cher, Brooke Shields, Brian Wilson, Debbie Harry, Gwen Stefani, Courtney Love, Nancy Sinatra, Coldplay's Chris Martin, and many others, "Mayor of the Sunset Strip" is a fascinating look at a life defined by a fascination with, and a Zelig-like knack for getting close to, the most famous names in music, movies, television, and beyond.

This documentary examines the short life of Australian-born Leigh Bowery (1961-1994) whose resume included being a famous fashion designer, a 1980s gay nightclub icon in London (as host of the Taboo nightclub), outrageous performance artist, lead singer of the art rock group Minty and the costume designer for the Michael Clarke Dance Company.

This documentary captures what happened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 12th, 2000 when Bus 174 was highjacked by an armed young man, Sandro do Nascimento, with a dozen passengers. Nascimento threatened to kill all of the passengers, but eventuallly agreed to surrender, as TV cameras were rolling and an entire nation was glued to their screens watching the event take place. Then, a police officer decided to fire at Nascimento anyway, accidentally killing one of the female passengers instead. What followed was a revolt among the city's population, enraged at police brutality. The film intertwines the story of the standoff with biographical information about Sandro do Nascimento, including his childhood as a survivor of the "Candelaria" child mass murders in the early 1990s, and the trauma of seeing his mother stabbed to death in front of him.

In 1992, Nick Broomfield made his first documentary about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, and this follow-up comes a year after Wuornos' execution for killing six men during her years as a Florida prostitute. Wuornos gave Broomfield the last interview of her life, and this film includes scenes of Broomfield testifying about his experiences with her.

"The Kid Stays in the Picture" traces the meteoric rise, fall, and rise again of legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans. Adapted from Mr. Evans's tell-all autobiography, the movie takes the audience on an intimate journey into the mind of this Hollywood legend.

This documentary explores the lives and worlds of women who explore their masculine sides as "drag kings," using a legendary Drag King Night in New York as a starting point to follow some of the women into their lives, whether their drag persona be an identity they assume part or full-time. Drag kings in London and Zurich are also interviewed, including some who are experimenting with hormones to accelerate their masculinity.

A documentary about the pivotal hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur that is narrated entirely in the words of the deceased artist himself. Through a variety of interviews, journal readings, poetry performances, private home movies, and never-before-seen concert footage, the film serves as a "self-portrait" of a cultural icon whose career and persona, both, continue to grow from beyond the grave.

Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense during the JFK and LBJ administrations, was one of the key figures in the Vietnam War. This documentary is built around 20 hours of interviews and additional archival footage of Mr. Namara, who later became president of the World Bank and broadened his global influence.

"Step Into Liquid" is a personal glimpse into the world of surfing from the original family of surf films. It's a film for surfers as well as non-surfers alike because it is a film about people with a passion for life. "Step Into Liquid" is a collection of stories about people who live for surfing. The cross-section of characters featured in this film come from many walks of life, but share one thing in common, the need to surf. For many of them, surfing is merely a hobby. For others, surfing is an identity and maybe even a lifestyle. For a fortunate and talented few, it is a profession. And, for one, it is a salvation.

This documentary examines the careers of the 1950s-1970s Stax Records and Motown soul and R&B singers who "kept on keeping on" right through (and after) the disco scene into today, through the use of interviews with and performance footage by such Motown luminaries as Isaac Hayes, the Chi-Lites, Sam Moore (of Sam and Dave), Mary Wilson (of the Supremes) and others. The focus of the film is how these performers managed to keep thriving through the 30 years of change in the music industry since the heydays of classic R&B.

This documentary, filmed over six years (1996-2002), is about Mark "Gator" Rogowski, a pro skateboarding star in the '80s currently serving a life sentence for the rape and murder of a woman he barely knew. The film mixes old footage of Gator skating and carousing with recent interviews with such skateboarding icons as Tony Hawk and Stacey Peralta. It examines what drove a charming, rich, and famous bad-boy skater to kill.

This documentary follows eight children of various ages as they compete their ways through regional finals, with their eyes on going to the 1999 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., and hopefully, winning. Nine million kids try each year, but only 250 make it to the Nationals. The kids seen in this movie come from vastly different backgrounds, from families ranging from the affluent to the struggling (and some in-between).

The most ambitious surfing movie ever undertaken — the "Billabong Odyssey", is based on a three-year global expedition to seek out and ride the biggest waves in the world. Shot primarily in 24-frames-per-second, progressive-scan 1080 HD format as well as 35mm, the film combines the talents of the world's best big-wave surfers, jet-powered watercraft tow vehicles, and cutting-edge weather-tracking technology to create an unprecedented cinematic experience. The Billabong Odyssey calls for three expeditions each year. Two, which will take place between October and March, will unfold in the Northern Hemisphere, including the entire West Coast of North America, the Hawaiian chain, Canada, and Mexico, as well as France and Spain. A third will occur in the Southern Hemisphere during its winter months of June through August. Although specific destinations remain secret, the maiden expedition took to the seas last October, focusing on key locations in the Pacific Northwest between San Francisco and Canada's Vancouver Island. Preparations are under way for future excursions to coastlines rich with high-surf potential, including Chile, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and the South Pacific isles.