Political Docos
Due to the great influx of socio-political documentaries over the last couple of years, Alice thought it was time they had a section of their own. Included here are political bios ('Comandante', 'Mahatma Gandhi: Pilgrim of Peace'); films dealing with the mechanics of politics ('Rats in the Ranks', 'The War Room'); and those dedicated to political issues as diverse as homelessness ('It Was A Wonderful Life'), the death penalty ('Mr Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A Leuchter Jr'), corporate depletion of natural resources ('End of Suburbia'); civil rights ('4 Little Girls') and corruption ('Fahrenheit 911). Undoubtedly two stars of the genre are two very different men, extroverted funnyman, Michael Moore ('Roger and Me') and soft-spoken professor, Noam Chomsky ('Manufacturing Consent'), pictured.
Noam Chomsky on the World: The Chomsky Sessions (2008)
6.6/10
Director: Will Pascoe
Starring: Noam Chomsky
One of the most respected intellectuals of the 20th century, Noam Chomsky, has had a long and prolific career as a linguist, philosopher, and politica... Read more
I Am Because We Are (2008)
8/10
Director: Nathan Rissman
Malawi is a country in crisis. In a population of 12 million, one million of those are orphaned children, left parentless by the AIDs pandemic. In 200... Read more
Zero: An Investigation into 9/11 (2008)
7.9/10
Director: Francesco Tre, Franco Fracassi
With the central premise being that the official version of what happened on September 11th 2001 cannot be true, this documentary from Italian filmmak... Read more
The Ascent of Money (2008)
8/10
Director: Adrian Pennink
Starring: Niall Ferguson
In this six-part documentary, respected author, journalist and lecturer Professor Niall Ferguson examines the dynamic role of money as he takes you on... Read more
The Unwinking Gaze: The Inside Story of the Dalai Lama's Struggle for Tibet (2008)
7.3/10
Director: Joshua Dugdale
Starring: H H Dalai Lama
Filmed over 18 months, 'The Unwinking Gaze' follows the Dalai Lama as he tries to engage the Chinese government over the future of Tibet. The unpreced... Read more
Burma's Open Road (2008)
8/10
A fascinating insight into how Burma's future may be affected if its government takes the major decision to allow the building of a road through its l... Read more
I.O.U.S.A. (2008)
7.6/10
Director: Patrick Creadon
A lucid, compelling and entertaining look at the unprecedented financial crisis facing the United States. Government and military spending is out of c... Read more
Escape from Suburbia: Beyond the American Dream (2008)
6.6/10
Director: Gregory Greene
This sequel to "The End of Suburbia" extends the reach of the first film and spends a bit of time updating us on the general issue of Peak Oil and exp... Read more
Bulletproof Salesman (2008)
6.8/10
Director: Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker
An intriguing and unnerving documentary about German armoured-car salesman Fidelis Cloer, for whom the war in Iraq has been an economic windfall. The... Read more
War Made Easy (2008)
8/10
Director: Loretta Alper, Jeremy Earp
Starring: Narrated by, Sean Penn
Sean Penn narrates this expose of media distortion and presidential endorsement of arguably unjustified wars. Focusing on the parallels between Vietna... Read more