Some Of The Best Documentary Movies Online

Ever since the documentary "Nanook of the North" - generally considered to be the precursor to all documentary films - was released to significant popular appeal and acclaim, documentary films have become increasingly popular as a way to aggravate, motivate, educate, inspire and entertain. Documentaries like "Inside Job", "Supersize Me" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" have opened to incredible box office success as documentary makers worked slavishly to satisfy the hunger for documentaries. The result: a wide variety of engaging, innovative and enlightening documentaries that serve to cater for a disparate range of interests.

The issue is that only a small number of really good documentary films are seen by those who enjoy and appreciate them. The smaller the marketing budget for a particular documentary, the fewer people know that the documentary even exists. So this is me trying to remedy the situation. Take a trip to Documentary Paradise and give them a try. I hope you enjoy watching these occasionally obscure documentaries as much as I have.

Christopher Hitchens is a world-renowned intellectual. Of that, there can be absolutely no doubt. Yet it is not often acknowledged how profoundly influential as an atheist and anti-theist (i.e. against organised religion) he really is on the world stage, especially when publicly debating lesser known intellectuals and religious leaders who hold opposing opinions. Video sites like Youtube and Live Leak are replete with examples of Hitchens coolly, rationally and logically tearing his debating opponents to shreds as he judiciously and effortlessly switches between calm disdain and righteous anger. And it is this reputation that must have filled many potential debating opponents with dread. I suspect that many "intellectuals" debated him for the money or for some masochistic pleasure.

Enter Pastor Douglas Wilson, a true Christian believer who - over a period of weeks - debated Hitchens in a variety of different venues throughout the United States in support of their book entitled "Is Christianity Good For The World?". More to the point, Douglas Wilson didn't back down from any and all opportunities to debate the effect of Christianity on the world today, whether or not God exists and whether science is capable of filling the spiritual void that the disappearance of Christianity would create.

The debates are magnificently shot with points - from both sides - that elicited more questions than answers. Neither side backed down from their views, but both managed to retain a certain camaraderie and friendship throughout. This documentary is intellectually gripping and should be listed as one of the best documentaries of the new century.

Enoch Powell was a Conservative MP (Member of Parliament) in 1960s Great Britain. Generally considered to be a maverick by those both inside and outside of his own party, Powell's oratorical skills and his judicious use of extremely provocative phrases made him one of the most followed political operators in mainstream British government. But no-one predicted the impact of his most famous - or infamous - speech that took place in Birmingham on the 20th of April 1968. The speech, which included phrases allegedly sent to him by one of his constituents, started a political surge of both support for and invective against Powell and everything that he apparently stood for. Thie impact of the speech continued to be felt in the next two general elections, and is still one of the most discussed political moments in British history.

Having watched the documentary repeatedly over the past few months, I am not entirely convinced Powell understood the effect that his speech would have on British politics in general. I suspect that, if he had known what impact his words would have, he would have had enough political intelligence to maybe pull back from the inflammatory language and use more measured tones instead. But once the speech made its way to the pages of the British press, the die had been cast and he spent the rest of his career justifying his words and fending off ridicule and rejection. It was almost as if his own pride and arrogance did not allow him to use his significant oratory to craft a moderately convincing "mea culpa" to draw himself back from the brink. Instead, he continued to dig his own political grave until he died in 1998.

But that isn't the end of the story. As it turns out, his Rivers of Blood speech - while hardly prophetic - may have turned out to be more substantive and prescient than many had thought.

If you are to watch any political documentaries over the next few weeks, make this one of them. An understanding of British politics is not necessary if you want to watch the political self-destruction - or even crucifixion - of a once influential political statesman whose own ego and sense of self-righteousness overshadowed all his other political skills. This story could happen anywhere.

This is one documentary that I will continue to watch right up until the moment I lose my eyesight. As one of the best documentaries produced by the BBC for a long time, it follows the attempts of a small group of young mathematical prodigies to claim a place on the British team going to the 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Slovenia. Their grasp of mathematics is so far beyond that of the vast majority of adults - let alone their peers - that their abilities could almost be described as freakish. They are almost totally dedicated to their pursuit of enhancing their own understanding of unbelievably complex mathematics, but have tremendous difficulties expressing their emotions.

Unfortunately, it is this freakishness that sets these talented young things apart from mainstream society and leaves them feeling ostracised. At just 15 years of age, Jonathan is the youngest contender in the group, is a rocket-building enthusiast, and is being bullied for being too much of a "brainbox".17-year-old Daniel has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, has significant social & confidence issues but has a fascination with China to the point where he fell in love with a Chinese girlfriend whom he plans to marry. Jos is the "special one" whose relatively severe case of autism gives him a distinct air of arrogance, an anti-social attitude and renders him practically incapable of giving short answers to short questions. All of these characters - and others - make this BBC film one of the most engrossing documentaries I have ever seen.