The cinetrix has had a tab open listing the International Documentary Association's top 25 nonfiction flicks for a few days now. See, she's in the midst of a two-week unit on documentary and a visiting doc filmmaker will be presenting her work on campus this evening, so it's been a nonfictional stretch all around.
Anyway, here's the list, annotated to indicate whether, when, and where the cinetrix first saw each film.
1. "Hoop Dreams" Definitely saw it on VHS or television, can't remember when.
2. "The Thin Blue Line" Rented on grainy VHS from Hollywood Express in 1995. I fell asleep.
3. "Bowling for Columbine" Saw this at the Landmark in Waltham the same night Jam Master Jay was shot to death.
4. "Spellbound" Rented it from Cinema Smith. So nervous-making!
5. "Harlan County USA" Still haven't seen it. I'm a bad person.
6. "An Inconvenient Truth" Famously, before sunrise. On a bus.
7. "Crumb" At a midnight screening with jmac and April at the Coolidge, I think. We had to get a cab at 2 a.m., all bummed out.
8. "Gimme Shelter" Many times at the Brattle. It's a bona fide cinetrix fave.
9. "The Fog of War" A serendipitous screening at the Harvard Film Archive.
10. "Roger and Me" With my mom, on VHS, back in the day.
11. "Super Size Me" At the Somerville, looks like.
12. "Don't Look Back" Seen it. Definitely home video. No idea when or where.
13. "Salesman" No, but I've seen Maysles out drinking cocktails at 1 a.m.
14. "Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance" On VHS, in the 80s. In suburbia. Didn't everyone?
15. "Sherman's March" Nope. Sorry, Ross McElwee. Skipped it at Full Frame this year, too. See #5.
16. "Grey Gardens" Another Hollywood Express VHS special, circa '95. I teach this next week. Wish me luck.
17. "Capturing the Friedmans" I. just. can't. I can't.
18. "Born into Brothels" At the Nickelodeon with Britopia, world's most persistent devil's advocate.
19. "Titicut Follies" Miraculously, at least part. Somewhere in Massachusetts. Maybe while the court case was raging. My friend's dad worked at Bridgewater.
20. "Buena Vista Social Club" I had to watch the trailer for weeks on end while working at the Brattle. I still haven't recovered enough to actually watch the film.
21. "Fahrenheit 9/11" Courtesy of Netflix, years after the hubbub.
22. "Winged Migration" Nope, but I recommend The Birdpeople
23. "Grizzly Man" Courtesy of Netflix in our old place. A hit with students when I've taught it.
24. "Night and Fog" Again, a grainy VHS from Hollywood Express. I'm screening this one later in the fall for my world cinema kids alongside Sans Soleil as exemplars of the essay film.
25. "Woodstock" No. Dirty fuckin' self-celebratory hippie boomers.
How many have you seen, and when and where? Share! Share!
