Best Documentary Movies of 1984

Portrays the lives of nine desperate teenagers. Thrown too young into a seedy grown up world, these runaways and castaways survive, but just barely. Rat, the dumpster diver. Tiny, the teen prostitute. Shellie, the baby-faced blonde. DeWayne, the hustler. All old beyond their years. All underage survivors fighting for life and love on the streets of downtown Seattle.

George Carlin hits the boards with the former Hippie-Dippie Weatherman's take on Brooklynese pronunciations of the names of sexually transmitted disease ("hoipes"), plus a prayer for the separation of church and state, feuds between breakfast foods, and the absurdity of wearing jungle camouflage in a desert.

In 1984, Duran Duran toured Canada and America. It was their first major tour as headliners in these two countries. Over 79 days, they travelled approximately 18,000 miles and played 51 shows in 43 cities to over 550,000 fans. The entire tour was filmed for this behind the scenes documentary which offers some fascinating and intriguing glimpses into the fun, glamour, agony, ecstasy and ultimate glory of three months on the road. The band is shown thriving on the pressures, psyching themselves up pre-stage and then delivering their all to a thunderous response. The production manager, tour manager, road crew are frequently caught fraught with last minute panics and touring nerves. Hoards of hysterical fans are seen chasing down and beating on the band's limo and with a camera placed inside the car it gives the viewer an insight into how loud and sinister that must have been. And in between all of this comes the great music.

A non-stop roller coaster ride through the scariest moments of the greatest terror films of all time.

Enjoy the romance of railroads as you ride on the Orient Express, climb the Andes, cross the U.S. on the Salad Bowl Express, and meet the Hobo King, who calls himself "Steamboat." From steam engines to sleek diesels, experience the majesty and adventure of trains past and present. Remember the days when thundering trains bridged the world's continents, nourished the pioneer spirit, ferried our troops to war, and provided politicians with mobile campaign platforms. Then settle into a first-class seat aboard the luxurious Orient Express, and glide through storybook cities from Paris to Istanbul. Celebrate a slice of history and ride the rails of the world. A National Geographic Production.

Neil Hollander sailed a ten-meter sailboat nearly 25,000 miles meeting and working alongside those men who still earned their livings using sailboats. This book recalls the authors' experiences with eight surviving craft, all representative of distinct cultures or geographic locations.

The Official Golden Harvest tribute to the Master of the Martial Arts Film, Bruce Lee.

Memoirs of the Italian Opera by the singers and musicians of the Casa Verdi, Milan, the world’s first nursing home for retired opera singers, founded by composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896. This documentary, which has achieved cult-like status among opera and music lovers, features former singers who reminisce about their careers and their past operatic roles.

A documentary on the inhabitants of South Williamsburg, New York, whose lives are explored through the testimony of five inhabitants of the Brooklyn neighborhood. In the late 70s and early 80s, Los Sures was one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City. In fact, it had been called the worst ghetto in America. Diego Echeverria's film skillfully represents the challenges of its time: drugs, gang violence, crime, abandoned real estate, racial tension, single-parent homes, and inadequate local resources. The complex portrait also celebrates the vitality of this largely Puerto Rican and Dominican community, showing the strength of their culture, their creativity, and their determination to overcome a desperate situation.