Best Documentary Movies of 2001
1.
7.7/10
Dogtown and Z-Boys
4.7
7.7/10
This award-winning, thrilling story is about a group of discarded kids who revolutionized skateboarding and shaped the attitude and culture of modern day extreme sports. Featuring old skool skating footage, exclusive interviews and a blistering rock soundtrack, DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS captures the rise of the Zephyr skateboarding team from Venice's Dogtown, a tough "locals only" beach with a legacy of outlaw surfing.
Starring:
Sean Penn, Jay Adams, Henry Rollins, Steve Caballero, Tony Hawk
Directed by:
Stacy Peralta
Release date:
2001-01-18
2.
8.4/10
Promises
4.3
8.4/10
Documentarians Justine Shapiro and B.Z. Goldberg traveled to Israel to interview Palestinian and Israeli kids ages 11 to 13, assembling their views on living in a society afflicted with violence, separatism and religious and political extremism. This 2002 Oscar nominee for Best Feature Documentary culminates in an astonishing day in which two Israeli children meet Palestinian youngsters at a refugee camp.
Starring:
Moishe Bar Am, B.Z. Goldberg, Sanabel Hassan
Directed by:
Carlos Bolado, B.Z. Goldberg, Justine Shapiro
Release date:
2001-01-01
3.
8.3/10
Children Underground
4.2
8.3/10
Children Underground follows the story of five street children, aged eight to sixteen who live in a subway station in Bucharest, Romania. The street kids are encountered daily by commuting adults, who pass them by in the station as they starve, swindle, and steal, all while searching desperately for a fresh can of paint to get high with.
Starring:
Cristina Ionescu, Mihai Alexandre Tudose, Violeta 'Macarena' Rosu, Ana Turturica, Marian Turturica
Directed by:
Edet Belzberg
Release date:
2001-09-19
4.
8.0/10
Rivers and Tides
4.1
8.0/10
Portrait of Andy Goldsworthy, an artist whose specialty is ephemeral sculptures made from elements of nature.
Starring:
Andy Goldsworthy
Directed by:
Thomas Riedelsheimer
Release date:
2001-02-13
5.
8.0/10
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
4.1
8.0/10
With commentary from Hollywood stars, outtakes from his movies and footage from his youth, this documentary looks at Stanley Kubrick's life and films. Director Jan Harlan, Kubrick's brother-in-law and sometime collaborator, interviews heavyweights like Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen and Sydney Pollack, who explain the influence of Kubrick classics like "Dr. Strangelove" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," and how he absorbed visual clues from disposable culture such as television commercials.
Starring:
Tom Cruise, Stanley Kubrick, Barbara Kroner, Steven Marcus, Alexander Singer
Directed by:
Jan Harlan
Release date:
2001-05-02
6.
7.3/10
Revolution OS
3.7
7.3/10
REVOLUTION OS tells the inside story of the hackers who rebelled against the proprietary software model and Microsoft to create GNU/Linux and the Open Source movement.
Starring:
Susan Egan, Linus Torvalds, Richard M. Stallman, Eric S. Raymond, Bruce Perens
Directed by:
J.T.S. Moore
Release date:
2001-01-01
7.
7.2/10
Mau Mau Sex Sex
3.6
7.2/10
A documentary about the history of exploitation films that focuses on the careers of legendary producers David F. Friedman and Dan Sonney.
Starring:
David F. Friedman, Dan Sonney, Frank Henenlotter, Mike Vraney, Carol Friedman
Directed by:
Ted Bonnitt
Release date:
2001-04-06
8.
7.0/10
A Tour of the Inferno: Revisiting 'Platoon'
3.6
7.0/10
A documentary about the making of Oliver Stone's Vietnam War film, Platoon (1986).
Starring:
Oliver Stone, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger
Release date:
2001-01-01
9.
7.2/10
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
3.5
7.2/10
A look at the life of superstar Bruce Lee.
Starring:
Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal
Release date:
2001-12-18
10.
7.3/10
Shawshank: The Redeeming Feature
3.5
7.3/10
Film critic and presenter Mark Kermode explores the fascination and praise audiences, fans and critics have behind the classic The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and how its importance grew higher over the years despite being an overlooked film when it was released and not getting any Oscars victories when it was nominated as one of the Best Pictures of the Year.
Starring:
Mark Kermode, Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Clancy Brown, Dennis Baker
Release date:
2001-09-08
11.
7.8/10
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth
3.3
7.8/10
From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdom, he turned his dreams into entertainment for the ages. Now, learn his real story. Through exclusive footage and interviews with friends and family, this documentary traces the complicated life of legendary animator Walt Disney.
Starring:
Walt Disney, Dick Van Dyke
Directed by:
Jean-Pierre Isbouts
Release date:
2001-09-16
12.
7.9/10
Drive-In Movie Memories
3.2
7.9/10
A nostalgic, informative history of drive-in movie theaters, featuring extensive archival photographs and interviews with Leonard Maltin, John Bloom, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Barry Corbin and many others... Drive-In Movie Memories is a film celebration of America's greatest icon of youth, freedom and the automobile. What began as an auto parts owner's business venture to make some easy money accidentally became a magical place where romance, fun and a sense of community flourished. This film chronicles the drive-in's birth and development, its phenomenal popularity with audiences of all ages, its tragic decline, and its inevitable comeback as a classic form of Americana.
Starring:
Leonard Maltin, Samuel Z. Arkoff, Barry Corbin, Ewing Miles Brown, Jeanne Carmen
Directed by:
Kurt Kuenne
Release date:
2001-08-31
13.
7.5/10
The Code
3.2
7.5/10
The Code is a Finnish-made documentary about Linux, featuring some of the most influential people of the free software movement.
Starring:
Eric Allman, Alan Cox, Miguel de Icaza, Jon 'maddog' Hall, Ari Lemmke
Directed by:
Hannu Puttonen
Release date:
2001-09-26
14.
7.7/10
Caminantes
3.1
7.7/10
In 2001, a group of Zapatista Mexicans marched to Mexico D.F. to protest against the oppression of the indigenous population of rural Mexico.
Starring:
Fernando León de Aranoa, Ángel Luis Lara, Fernando León de Aranoa
Directed by:
Fernando León de Aranoa
Release date:
2001-02-23
15.
7.7/10
Ram Dass : Fierce Grace
3.1
7.7/10
Once a symbol of '60s counterculture and psychedelic drug use, Ram Dass has since become a renowned speaker and author on the topics of aging, spirituality, and overcoming the mistakes of the past. This documentary chronicles his journey from his affiliations with LSD advocate Timothy Leary to his endeavor to continue remaking himself after his stroke in 1997.
Directed by:
Mickey Lemle
Release date:
2001-05-21
16.
7.6/10
Classic Albums: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
3.1
7.6/10
The worlds of glitz, glam, and pop-rock fused immortally on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, born of the formidable partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. This 1973 double album may well have been the peak of their collaboration. Ranging from perennial favorites like "Candle in the Wind," "Benny and the Jets," and the title track to more ambitious compositions like "Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)" and everything in between, Goodbye is unmatched in its depth and scope. This entry in the Classic Albums series of DVDs documents the often tumultuous writing and recording sessions for that masterpiece through vintage clips of the musicians in the studio and new interviews with Elton, Bernie, producer Gus Dudgeon, and the band members. We may never know how the John-Taupin team achieved their magic, but this release offers a both a peek at the process and a few reasons why the album endures today.
Starring:
Gus Dudgeon, Rick Frio, Paul Gambaccini, David Hentschel, Connie Hillman
Directed by:
Bob Smeaton
Release date:
2001-11-06
17.
7.0/10
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
3.1
7.0/10
A documentary film on the making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
Starring:
Steven Spielberg, John Williams, Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
Directed by:
Laurent Bouzereau
Release date:
2001-05-08
18.
8.4/10
Ravi Shankar: Between Two Worlds
3.1
8.4/10
Filmed over two years in India and the USA, Mark Kidel's award-winning documentary brings together archive footage spanning seven decades of Ravi Shankar's performing life, and provides a definitive account of the late sitar maestro's unique musical career.
Starring:
Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar, Uday Shankar, Bikram Ghosh, Tanmoy Bose
Directed by:
Mark Kidel
Release date:
2001-08-31
19.
7.3/10
As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride
3.1
7.3/10
A "behinds the scenes" documentary about the making of the 1987 film THE PRINCESS BRIDE with original archive footage and new interviews with cast members.
Starring:
Billy Crystal, Cary Elwes, William Goldman, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin
Directed by:
Jeffrey Schwarz
Release date:
2001-09-04
20.
8.3/10
Genesis - The Genesis Songbook
3.1
8.3/10
When Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford joined forces in the late sixties, their intentions were not to be recording artists but rather songwriters. That initial plan soon fell by the wayside when they secured a record deal and became Genesis, progressing from the underground scene with such albums as "Trespass" and "Nursery Cryme," to become household names with the addition of drummer/singer Phil Collins and such chart topping albums as "We Can't Dance" and "Invisible Touch." By talking to the individual members of the group, discover what they consider to be their favorite Genesis songs, and why certain songs have a special place in the Genesis story. Song include: I Can't Dance, Invisible Touch, Follow You Follow Me, The Musical Box, Supper's Ready, I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe), The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Afterglow, Misunderstanding, Turn It On Again, Mama, Land of Confusion.
Starring:
Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford
Directed by:
Bob Smeaton
Release date:
2001-09-25
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