Documentary Films

Benji

ImageBenji is a new ESPN documentary covering the legendary rise and fall of high school basketball star Benjamin Wilson. In 1984 Benjamin “Benji” Wilson was ranked as the number one high school basketball player for that year. There seemed to be no doubt about his ability to succeed as one of the greatest basketball players of that time.

Having grown up on the tough streets of Chicago’s south side, Wilson faced formidable challenges such gang violence, drugs and poverty. Despite it all, it was rumored that Bob Knight had traveled to Illinois to recruit the teen for Indiana University. As you could imagine there were many other competitive offers. All seemed well as Wilson was set to go to college and perhaps end up in the NBA but all the changed on November 20th, 1984.

This is a documentary takes you on a trip down memory lane as you go back in time to the 1960’s. If you love basketball and its rich history, then you’ll love this documentary. The ending is both sad and hopeful. The library has one copy of Benji available for check-out.

Posted by Burl C. on Feb 20, 2013
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Best Worst Movie

ISBN: 
767685230329

In 1989 Italian film director Claudio Fragasso directed a movie that achieved an honor of dubious distinction; it was hailed as one of the worst movies ever made. The film was Troll 2. My personal feeling about the film is that from what I've seen, it just might win the title of the worst movie ever made. I can't say this with certainty because my sensibilities  which can usually handle bad films with very little cringing, forced me to turn it off after only about ten minutes. I wouldn't recommend it; this is good because the library doesn't own the title. I do however strongly recommend the documentary about Troll 2's rising cult status the Best Worst Movie. Read more »

Posted by Keith C. on Jul 12, 2012
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Brain Games

National Geographic has produced three television episodes on the biology, psychology and other interesting parts of the human brain. Each episode has several tests to follow along with on the screen. After completing each test the viewer learns why the human brain behaves in the way that it does. There is no need to feel embarrassed about what we don’t know since this is a characteristic of all human beings. It seems that we all have blinds spots and things that we miss in our every day interactions. It turns out that the reality that we construct is an illusion and is filled with many gaps and misunderstanding. Each fifty minute episode focuses on a different aspect of reality and how our brains work to construct them. Towards the end of the program there are a few suggestions to help you improve your long term memory. The library has one copy on DVD.

 

Posted by Burl C. on May 1, 2012
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My Life as a Turkey

ISBN: 
9781608835690

What would you do if someone left a puppy or a kitten on your doorstep? I imagine most people would adopt it, put it up for adoption or take to the nearest humane society for safe shelter. Now consider what you would do if someone left a bowl full of (fertilized) wild turkey eggs on your doorstep. This happened to a Florida man named Joe Hutto.

This is the unexpected but fascinating documentary story about Joe Hutto’s experience of raising sixteen turkeys from birth to adulthood. Joe allows himself to be imprinted upon and thus become the full-time mother of all sixteen turkeys. As is the case with all nature documentaries, some of them survive and some of them don't. Some of them are friendlier than others and they all have very different personalities. The ending will leave you a little shocked and sad but don't let that frighten you.

This is a one hour PBS nature-film presentation. This film is rated PG. The library has one copy on DVD.

Posted by Burl C. on Apr 17, 2012
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Buck

Buck is a documentary about legendary horse trainer Dan “Buck” Brannaman, the modern day horse whisperer and inspiration for both the book and film alike. His horsemanship skills are legendary because he can train a horse to do just about anything in nearly ten minutes without touching the horse.

 

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Posted by Burl C. on Oct 24, 2011
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Nature: A Murder of Crows

You can always count on the PBS Nature series to be interesting and have beautiful videography. But I was especially captivated when I recently watched A Murder of Crows. It didn't sound that interesting- a documentary about crows, but when I read the description of crows as "apes with feathers" I was intrigued. I had no idea how intellligent these birds are.
 
 
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Posted by Elizabeth G. on Oct 22, 2011
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Post Mortem: The death investigation crisis in America.

Everything is not what it seems. I guess I watch too much tv. I've always been under the impression that forensic investigations and death investigations were done in a highly scientific and professional manner. As it turns out, the reality is that throughout most of America the position of Coroner is an elected position. This means that the person doing the investigation could have little to no experience at all which could then lead to a Read more »

Posted by Burl C. on Sep 27, 2011
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Sweetgrass

Last weekend I watched a “reality” documentary called Sweet Grass. It represents the name of Sweet Grass County in Montana. The film features a family of ranchers that take several hundred sheep out on a long and arduous cattle drive to graze for fresh grass in the mountains before returning home. Read more »

Posted by Burl C. on Sep 20, 2011
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Forbidden Lie$

Here’s another “WOW!” alert. Talk about a web of lies, deceit and confusion; they most certainly exist in this new documentary called, Forbidden Lie$. There are as many twists and turns as there are in just about any action-packed thriller. First though, you need to understand the background information.

In 2003, a Jordanian woman known as Norma Khouri published a book called, “Honor Lost: Love and Death in Modern Day Jordan.” Read more »

Posted by Burl C. on Aug 16, 2011
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Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State

Image
This six part documentary produced by the BBC looks not only at the horrors that took place in Auschwitz; but at the developments, both political and technological that resulted in what many consider the worst of all the Nazi internment camps – Auschwitz, along with its immediate aftereffects. I can’t say that this documentary was a pleasure to watch but it was educational, important, and horrific. Read more »

Posted by Keith C. on Jun 26, 2011
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