The best documentary ever

* Marjoe (1972) Horror Show #1 - I was led to this, the first of ten documentaries I've watched in the past year, by Christopher Hitchens in God Is Not Great. The little he wrote about it was intriguing enough, of which I now only remember that the child preacher called Marjoe acquired his name through the freakish, inelegant blending and corruption of "Mary" and "Joseph". I guess the common denominator between the horrors of this documentary and the one that follows is deception, and what fascinates me is learning about its extent and its motivation.

* Inside Job (2010) Horror Show #2 - The motivation is greed, I suppose. I catch no economics balls, usually, but this film was engrossing. Money as an end seems like a soul-sucking process towards some nightmarish dystopia. In the case of a corrupt finance industry, the process is aided by little demon helpers such as derivatives, false ratings and loan traps.

* Hot Coffee (HBO, 2011) Another way monster corporations hoard their wealth is through what is known as tort reform, which seeks to reduce the amounts of money consumers may claim from and sue companies for. Enter the little demon helper called the mandatory arbitration clause, embedded in unread consumer agreements, forcing suits to be settled out of court, where the arbiter is more likely than not to favour the monster.

* Gloria in Her Own Words (HBO, 2011) OK, OK. From here on out, things get lighter. I think I just insulted the feminist movement. Gloria Steinem, perhaps iconically and immortally imagined with streaked blonde hair and aviators, is the face of 70s American feminism. Maybe like me, you imagine a militant advocate of women's rights, and will instead find somebody who is warm, firm and sensible.

Nicola Roberts: The Truth About Tanning (BBC, 2010) The baby of Girls Aloud put out pretty good but pretty unsuccessful music last year. (She's surprisingly not a shabby singer.) After it has been a campaign against bullying in schools. Before it was a campaign against tanning that led to the prohibition in the UK of under-18s using tanning beds. This documentary is not very enlightening about tanning, but is a good glimpse of what Nicola is like, and I'm a fan.

Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett: Together Again (HBO, 2011) Two old men reminisce. I'm still not quite clear about the connection between these two, and perhaps would have enjoyed their session even more had I been more familiar with their histories. Suffice to say, their paths crossed when they were both in comedy, before Dick became a successful talk show host. Mel is terribly eager to tell his jokes and stories, and I often can't tell which parts are embellishment. If I had to choose, I think I prefer gentle and literate (Dick) over sharp and funny (Mel).

America in Primetime (PBS, 2011) This was a four-part social and literary analysis of American primetime television, each episode focusing on a stock character: "The Independent Woman", "Man of the House", "The Misfit", "The Crusader". Nothing measured up to the first episode, which featured the women of I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Murphy Brown, Roseanne, then some, in my opinion, less worthy series as we move through the decades. Nothing measured up to the show featured first, but which comes last chronologically: The Good Wife. As of now I consider it the best TV show ever.

* Bill Cunningham New York (2011) Y'see, if you don't take money, they can't tell you what to do, kid. That's the bad - That's the key to the whole thing. Don't touch money. It's the worst thing you can do.

As of now, I consider this the best documentary ever. You can dissect this preference and identify the many elements that I'm partial towards: New York City, The New York Times, creative freedom, urban sophistication, individualism, eccentricity, and a gentle old man. Bill Cunningham is in his 80s and he is a street fashion photographer and commentator. The one aspect of his life I don't envy is his solitude. A poignant scene towards the end of the film made me suspect that this has to do with what seems to be a running theme in my reading and watching this year - the bondage of religion.

Page One: Inside The New York Times (2011) Perhaps it's difficult to tackle such a sprawling institution in terms of its breadth of coverage and range of personalities, but the documentary lacked focus or a central storyline. The most intriguing character was David Carr. It would be impractical to make him the lead actor, since this isn't David Carr New York, but maybe they could have set up acts or chapters (like Hot Coffee) that each explore an overarching theme through the experiences of a central character: Bill Keller for the Newspaper in Crisis, Brian Stelter for the Advent of New Media, Tim Arango for the Allure of the War Zone, and David Carr for The Good Fight.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011) While Page One suffers from having too much information, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop suffers from having too little. A three-point summary of the film: 1. Conan is angry. He is mistreated by NBC and producers of The Tonight Show. 2. Conan is funny. He embarks on The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour. 3. Conan is crabby. He is hard on himself and hates meet-and-greets.

* Recommended