Best Documentary Movies of 1984

Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.

Taking their camera to the streets of what was supposedly America’s most livable city, filmmaker Martin Bell, photographer Mary Ellen Mark, and journalist Cheryl McCall set out to tell the stories of those society had left behind: homeless and runaway teenagers living on the city’s margins. Born from a Life magazine exposé by Mark and McCall, Streetwise follows an unforgettable group of at-risk children—including iron-willed fourteen-year-old Tiny, who would become the project’s most haunting and enduring figure, along with the pugnacious yet resourceful Rat and the affable drifter Dewayne—who, driven from their broken homes, survive by hustling, panhandling, and dumpster diving. Granted remarkable access to their world, the filmmakers craft a devastatingly frank, empathetic portrait of lost youth growing up far too soon in a world that has failed them.

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.

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

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 concert by King Crimson recorded at the Arena Frejus, France on August 27th, 1982. Track Listing: Waiting Man, Matte Kudasai, The Sheltering Sky, Neil and Jack and Me, Indiscipline, Heartbeat, Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II and more.

Filmmaker Michael Ventura follows Cassavetes around as the actor/director labors on his final film, Love Streams.

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.