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Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

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Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

#222

Dominion: https://youtu.be/LQRAfJyEsko It’s about the cruelty that happens in the animal industry. Minks, dogs, gooses, cows, pigs, horses, camels and a lot more. Watching that has changed my life quite a bit.

If this documentary changed your life, you might like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY0_5Sk5GYs

How is that relevant?

Are you saying that because cruel things happen in the wild we should be fine doing cruel things? I doubt we would accept someone justifying other acts by showing how it occurs in the wild such as stealing all the way to something extreme like cannibalism.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

#223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this documentary changed your life, you might like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY0_5Sk5GYs

How is that relevant? Are you saying that because cruel things happen in the wild we should be fine doing cruel things? I doubt we would accept someone justifying other acts by showing how it occurs in the wild such as stealing all the way to something extreme like cannibalism.

You're making a lot of assumptions.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

#224
post #121
post #63

“The Century of the Self” by Adam Curtis. https://youtu.be/eJ3RzGoQC4s It goes through each decade of the 1900s and explains how Freud’s psychology and the new field of marketing completely reshaped society. For the first time in my life I feel like I understood the “why” of how things work in American society. This film is probably best if you’re age 40+ and actually remember some of the events.

https://youtu.be/x1bX3F7uTrg obligatry response whenever anything by Adam Curtis is offered up. Sorry, I'm largely of the opinion that it is (well made) boomer-aimed catastrophe porn designed to give the viewer a smug sense of having "esoteric knowledge".

Adam Curtis likes the parody.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

#226

"Jiro Dreams of Sushi" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Dreams_of_Sushi If you're a developer / engineer you'll admire the professionalism. And more importantly value proposition of your work.

One documentary that demonstrates finding flow (happiness) in work is Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), which is the story of Japanese master chef Jiro Ono, who is a Shokunin, an expert craftsman who strives for perfection and feels great fulfillment and joy from yearning to improve bit by bit. He explains it thusly,

"You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That’s the secret of success and is the key to being regarded honorably. […] . Even at my age, after decades of work, I don’t think I have achieved perfection. But I feel ecstatic all day. I love making sushi. That’s the spirit of the Shokunin."

From:

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existentia...

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

#227
I like music documentaries and one of my favorites is "Anvil! The Story of Anvil." I'm not a fan of the band at all. Nevertheless, I like the documentary for showing how a deeply flawed individual can achieve a degree of success through persistence and perseverance, and the support of a good friend.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

#228
Moleman 2 - Demoscene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRkZcTg1JWU

Moleman 4 - Longplay (A videogame documentary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV0ZqBFf9ak

Both are expertly crafted and fun documentaries about their titular subculture with a Hungarian twist.

Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?

#229

Tim’s Vermeer : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim's_Vermeer Produced and directed by Penn and Teller who I thought were just magicians. It mixes art and technology with a little bit of historical puzzle solving. As someone who knows little about art history, I found it fascinating.

I second this. The last thing it is really about is painting.

Tim is amazing and the lessons on playful (albeit obsessive) learning are important IMHO

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