My Addiction to Documentaries. Part 1.

I’ve always loved documentaries. There is a texture to them, a reality that isn’t present in dramatized films for obvious reasons. Everybody watches them from time to time, but why aren’t there more blockbusting documentaries? Are people too turned off by talking heads and cut footage? Sure, you have your Michael Moore films, which are great entertainment, but they are also controversial, which is why they’re successful. The first documentary I saw in theaters was probably Bowling for Columbine (2002). Before the show started, the theater staff came in and put another row of folding chairs up front to accommodate more people. I also watched Spellbound (2003) and Super Size Me (2004)at the same theater. Both entertaining. I watched March of the Penguins (2005), which is one of the most successful documentaries ever. It’s also incredibly boring.

As of late, though, I’ve become addicted to documentaries. There’s something about watching a story unfold with recreations, talking heads, still photographs, and voiceover that’s really intriguing. I feel like the historian, but I didn’t have to do any of the research.

Which brings me to the number 1, no-holds-barred, all or nothing, most addictive film I’ve seen in the last five years: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007). This movie is just great fun. It quickly summarizes the climate of competitive classic arcade gaming before discovering that the real story is about a science teacher trying to break the record on Donkey Kong. The rub is that the current record holder is beloved Billy Mitchell, a staple in the gaming world who also happens to be something of a hot sauce mogul, a self-promoter, a patriot, and a jackass. On the other hand, Steve Wiebe is a soft-spoken, all around nice fellow just looking for his piece of the prize. We know who to root for. So when Steve Wiebe is robbed of his record score, he sets out to prove he’s the best. He’s like Mario trying to jump and climb his way to the top, only to have Billy Mitchell (aka Donkey Kong) throw barrels and fireballs and springs at him. Let’s hope Mario makes it.

Which brings me to another documentary, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008). Hunter Thompson, the writer who covered sports, politics, the Hell’s Angel, and the American Dream, was the face of journalism in the 1960’s and 70’s. His drug-addled mind eventually cooled off his genius, but the piece he wrote after the attacks of September 11 remains the best, most truthful, and ultimately most prophetic take of that horrific event. Thompson was a patriot and a gun nut, a drug addict and a wild man. Johnny Depp portrayed Thompson’s alter-ego Raoul Duke in Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. With Depp reading from his friend’s writings, the documentary strings together his most important works. Fascinating stuff.

Speaking of Depp and Gilliam, whatever happened to Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote? The documentary Lost in La Mancha (2002) reveals how the ill-fated production fell apart amidst lack of funds, storms, and a sick Don Quixote. It’s great to see a snippet of what Depp filmed for this movie, and it appears he would have delivered a great performance. Oh well. He was to play Toby Grisoni, an advertising executive who travels back to the time of Don Quixote. That was in 2000. But as of 2009, it appears Gilliam is at it again, this time with Robert Duvall as the titular character. As for Depp? That remains to be seen.

Like I said, I’m addicted. More to come.