Lo Sound Desert (USA: Joerg Steineck, 2015) ["Lo Sound Desert is a documentary about the Californian Desert music scene, which gave birth to bands like Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age. What basically started by revolving punk rock kids - hidden from narrow-minded authorities of suburban desert communities in the early 80s, became a vibe over the years. The film provides a unique insight into the history of the Coachella Valley music scene: From never-ending jams in the middle of the desert to headlining huge European stages - Desert Rock, often misinterpreted as musical genre continued its underground spread and became international treasure. Lo Sound Desert is narrated by Josh Homme, Brant Bjork, Mario Lalli and many others from bands like Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss, Fatso Jetson, Dalis Llama, Hornss, Fu Manchu etc."]
My Octopus Teacher (South Africa: Philippa Ehrlich and James Reed, 2021) [MB: Introduced to a unique worldview and shown aspects of life that I was completely unaware of (and I grew up on an ocean and snorkled/skin dived). The redemption of an individual completely burnt out, through the exploration of a unique piece of nature, and in a daily engagement/interaction with an octopus who proves to be one of the most innovative & creative beings I have witnessed. I was left breathless and eager to know more about our wondrous planet/existence! Movie Description: "After years of swimming every day in the freezing ocean at the tip of Africa, Craig Foster meets an unlikely teacher: a young octopus who displays remarkable curiosity. Visiting her den and tracking her movements for months on end he eventually wins the animal’s trust and they develop a never-before-seen bond between human and wild animal."]
Seaspiracy (USA: Ali Tabrizi, 2021) ["Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species — and uncovers an alarming global conspiracy."]
The Social Dilemma (USA: Jeff Orlowski, 2020) ["This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations." MB: Easily the best documentary on this problem. Check out The Consilience Project consilienceproject.org/ and Your Undivided Attention www.humanetech.com/podcast for more from the people involved.]
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt (Israel/Canada/Germany: Ada Ushpiz, 2015) ["A documentary about the life and work of Hannah Arendt, the prolific and unclassifiable thinker, political theorist, moral philosopher and polemicist, and her encounter with the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a high-ranking NAZI."]
Voir (USA: David Prior, et al, 2021: all 6 episodes - 102 mins total) ["Film lovers examine the cinematic moments that thrilled, perplexed, challenged and forever changed them in this collection of visual essays."]
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (USA: Morgan Neville, 2018) ["Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred’s ideal of good neighbors?"]
The Work (USA: Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldus, 2018) ["Set entirely inside Folsom Prison, The Work follows three men during four days of intensive group therapy with convicts, revealing an intimate and powerful portrait of authentic human transformation that transcends what we think of as rehabilitation."]
Zappa (USA: Alex Winter, 2020) ["With the help of more than 10,000 dedicated Zappa fans, this is the long-awaited definitive documentary project of Alex Winter documenting the life and career of enigmatic groundbreaking rock star Frank Zappa. Alex also utilizes in this picture thousands of hours of painstakingly digitized videos, photos, audio, writing, and everything in between from Zappa’s private archives. These chronicles have never been brought to a public audience before, until now."]
