A movie that documents something, usually some issue or event that that the filmmaker is interested in.
‘Allen v. Farrow‘ is a four-part documentary streaming on HBO Max that details the disturbing allegations against movie director Woody Allen. It is directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. Mia Farrow, her adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, adopted son Ronan Farrow, and several of her other children discuss the allegations that Mia’s longtime partner, film…
‘Murder Among The Mormons‘ is a three-part true crime documentary series produced by BBC Studios and released on Netflix. All three episodes are directed by Jared Hess and Tyler Measom. In 1980, Mark Hofmann is a counterfeiter, forger, and convicted murderer. This documentary tells the story of how he set up a grand scheme to…
‘Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel‘ is a four-part Netflix true-crime documentary directed by Joe Berlinger. It recounts the disturbing story of Elisa Lam who was tragically found dead on the premises and the surrounding mystery of her death. Elisa Lam was a twenty-one-year-old Canadian student who arrived in Los Angeles as part…
‘Tiger‘ is an HBO sports documentary that follows the career of championship golfer Tiger Woods. It is co-directed by Matthew Hamachek and Matthew Heineman and streams on HBO Max. The documentary examines the career of Tiger Woods, who seemed to be appointed from the very beginning by his parents Earl and Kultida Woods. His father…
‘Suffer For Good‘ is a documentary that tells the story of Seb Zewdie, a boxing champion from Ethiopia. Filmmaker and director Danny Simmons interviews him, his family, and his trainees as they tell Seb’s inspirational story. They both joined StudioJake to talk about the film. Check out the interview below: According to the documentary’s press…
Marc Smerling directs this five-part FX true crime documentary series. ‘A Wilderness of Error‘ explores the case of Jeffrey MacDonald, who was convicted in 1970 of killing his pregnant wife and two daughters. With new evidence, hidden secrets, and salacious gossip, could he be innocent of the heinous crime? Colette, Kimberley, and Kristen MacDonald were…
Netflix released volume two of its ‘Unsolved Mysteries‘ revival. Original show creators John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer return along with Shawn Levy acting as executive producer. These six episodes deal with all manner of mysterious occurrences. Political intrigue, supernatural forces, child abductions, vanishing murderers, and strange suicides are all explored this time around. Each…
‘American Murder: The Family Next Door‘ is a true crime documentary that tells the shocking and horrifying story of the Watts family murders. It is directed by Jenny Popplewell and was released on Netflix. Shan’ann Watts arrived at her Colorado home at 2 a.m. after a business trip to Arizona. After that, she and her…
‘Class Action Park‘ is a documentary that discusses the iconic and now-defunct Action Park directed by Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III. It was released as an HBO Max exclusive and narrated by John Hodgman. Action Park is legendary as a water park as well as the number of lawsuits over safety violations, injuries,…
The Netflix documentary ‘The Speed Cubers‘ is directed by Sue Kim and takes on Speed Cubing, the competition for solving the Rubik’s Cube, as its subject. It specifically discusses the friendly competition between American “cuber” Max Park from California and Australian competitor Feliks Zemdegs, both world record-holders. The movie tells the story of how Zemdegs…
‘Fear City: New York vs The Mafia‘ is a three-part true crime documentary series on Netflix. It is directed by Sam Hobkinson and discusses law enforcement’s attempts to break the Mafia’s control of New York City. In 1970s-80s New York, the Big Apple is known as Fear City with the Gambino, Colombo, Bonanno, Lucchese, and…
ESPN Films and Netflix brings us ‘The Last Dance,’ a ten-part documentary series directed by Jason Hehir. It discusses NBA pro-athlete Michael Jordan and his 1984 – 1998 career which saw them create a dynasty that is still discussed in sports media to this day. The series begins with 1998 NBA season as they head…
Executive producer Shawn Levy brings the hit show ‘Unsolved Mysteries‘ back to life on the streaming service Netflix with a six-part volume one. Like the original show, it touches on various unsolved crimes and their lack of a satisfying conclusion. One episode deals with UFO sightings that affected an entire family who all claim they…
“Fishing With Dynamite” is a documentary film written and directed by Paul Wagner. It was released by Aspiration Entertainment and produced by American Focus, Inc. for the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics at the Darden School Of Business, University of Virginia. The documentary is a financial and economic feature that focuses on “Capitalism in Crisis”…
‘The Rise of Jordan Peterson‘ is a 2019 documentary directed by Patricia Marcoccia which follows the clinical psychologist and professor Jordan Peterson, the writing of his books, his stand against proposed Canadian law Bill C-16, and subsequent rise to fame. It was produced by Holding Space Films and released by Gravitas Ventures. The film starts with…
Netflix takes potshots at their competitors on cable with ‘Trial By Media,’ a six-episode documentary is executive produced by George Clooney. Yes, the actor who’s best known for ruining the Batman media franchise. The show takes on several sensationalized court cases. They start with ‘Jenny Jones murder’ when the daytime talk show host embarrassed one…
Directed by Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode, ‘Tiger King’ is a Netflix documentary series covering the bizarre true of Zoo owner Joe Exotic, who had an intense feud with a self-proclaimed animal rights activist Carole Baskin and the shocking conclusion. Joe Exotic was a zookeeper in Oklahoma who had a huge collection ‘big cats,’ including…
‘The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez‘ is a harrowing and troubling six-part documentary of abuse, violence, and neglect in the case of an eight-year-old living in Palmdale, California. It is directed by Brian Knappenberger and made available through Netflix. Gabriel Fernandez was routinely beaten, starved, and locked in a cabinet by his mother and step-father. The…
Reelz and Netflix partner together for Unabomber: In His Own Words, a documentary series of serial killer Theodore Kaczynski, who terrorized the United States between 1969 to 1995. The television show is written and directed by Mick Grogan. Kaczynski was a brutal murderer who was highly intelligent and even briefly worked as a college professor…
Are you a true crime junkie like me? As a writer, hearing stories of how people committed crimes, their motivations, and how law enforcement caught or stopped is always interesting to me. Here Are Ten True Crime Series On Netflix You Should Be Watching: The Confession Tapes– What if someone makes a confession, but it…
Dream/Killer is a 2015 documentary that tells the story of the wrongful conviction of Ryan Ferguson and his family’s quest to prove his innocence while facing a judicial system that puts roadblocks in their way. Columbia Daily Tribune reporter Kent Heitholt was tragically murdered at his workplace parking lot on November 1, 2001. The case…
Tell Me Who I Am is an original documentary from Netflix directed by Ed Perkins. It is based on the book of the same and it tells the fascinating, tragic, but also wonderful story of twin brothers Alex and Marcus Lewis. Sometime after Alex turns eighteen, he is in a horrible motorcycle accident not far…
Directed by Ursula Macfarlane, Untouchable is a Hulu documentary about former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct leveled at him by women in the entertainment industry. The movie traces Bob and his brother Harvey Weinstein from their days as concert promoters to the founding of Miramax, Dimension Films, and later…
Right-wing reporter and ‘gonzo journalist,’ (as she calls herself)-turned-filmmaker Lauren Southern released her new documentary Borderless. She narrates and hosts the feature as she travels throughout Europe to investigate the immigration crisis affecting the continent. Southern travels from Morroco to Spain to Ireland and beyond speaking with immigrants, refugees, border security officials, farmers, politicians, and…
We all have that one friend who has that weird belief. Behind The Curve explores one of the most unique and bizarre groups in our society, flat earthers. Directed by Daniel J. Clark, he meets and talks to real flat earthers. From the nut-jobs to the weirdos, and even to the strangely normal people who hold…
