Virgos Groove Posted July 21 Posted July 21 (edited) I'm bored and I need something to watch. Doesn't have to be capital-P politics. Documentaries that touch on social movements, issues, etc. also count. I'll start: 13th: about slavery, Jim Crow, the War on Drugs and how all of that coalesced into the prison-industrial complex. Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy: touches on the crack epidemic, the dicriminatory policies of the War on Drugs and the effects it had on mostly Black and Latino communities. China - A Century of Revolution: one of the few Western documentaries about China that actually *gasp* talks to Chinese people. Instead of going "1 BAZILLION DEAD!!! CCPEE!!", it offers (what seemed to me, at least) a pretty balanced take on the fall of the Qing dynasty, WW2 and the rise of Communist Party. Fahrenheit 11/9: one of the few Trump-era, Trump-focused artifacts that didn't age like complete milk. Instead of going "Drumpf!!1" for two hours, Michael Moore actually examines how Reagan-era neoliberal politics and the complacency of Democratic Party set the stage for what hapenned in 2016, drawing a parallel between Trump and the rise of Hitler in Germany. Definitely suffers from some Michael Moore-isms, but when it's good, it's really good. The Occupation of the American Mind: about Israeli lobbying and the PR push to rehabilitate the country's image after the 1982 Lebanon war. Labour: the Wilderness Years: Take this one with a grain of salt since it's very much a New Labour-friendly piece. Still, it's a good intro to the 1979-96 period of the British Labour party, its various factions and how the party went from a leftist socdem party to introducing Third Way politics to Europe. Edited July 21 by Virgos Groove
makeawish Posted July 21 Posted July 21 (edited) i have not seen the film version of naomi klein's "the shock doctrine" for years (directed by 24 hrs party people director michael winterbottom) but it's on youtube and very good "margaret thatcher - a very british revolution" (a bbc thing) is also well worth watching. i mean, nothing good happens but it's hard to understand how terrifying she was until you actually see her talking at length adam curtis is not entirely a reliable source and has become a bit of a joke in certain ways ("but that was just a fantasy..." etc) but his earlier series esp were never less than entertaining, my fave is probably "all watched over by machines of loving grace" also, as a curveball "fight the power: how hip hop changed the world" is very good on the interaction between hip hop and politics (these are all things i saw on tv, idk if they're all or at all easy to find online) Edited July 21 by makeawish 1
Virgos Groove Posted August 9 Author Posted August 9 On 7/21/2024 at 8:25 PM, makeawish said: i have not seen the film version of naomi klein's "the shock doctrine" for years (directed by 24 hrs party people director michael winterbottom) but it's on youtube and very good Watched this today and it's so good. Naomi Klein is such a queen. I haven't read the book yet, but from what I've skimmed through, they didn't portray some chapters in the documentary (South Africa, Asian Crisis). 1
Virgos Groove Posted August 9 Author Posted August 9 This one is one of my favs too. Really captures the claustrophobia of UK government formation.
jesus del rey Posted August 10 Posted August 10 (edited) A Syrian Love Story and Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. are my favorites Edited August 10 by jesus del rey
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