OJ: Made In America Was So Great That I Had To Update My Top 5 Documentaries Of All-Time
It's a shitty feeling when you finally get around to watching a movie or a show years after the initial release, and because the hype is entirely gone, it's almost impossible to find people to talk to in detail about what you just experienced. Last year, I watched The Prestige for the first time and all I wanted to talk about was - How did Christopher Nolan make a movie about rival magicians competing against each other one of the best movies of all-time? Could you believe the ending? What a genius move casting David Bowie as a whimsical Nikola Tesla! How did The Illusionist, another magician period piece come out the exact same year?!
I missed all the good hype for both magician 'Gic movies. Back in 2006, Magicians hadn't been talked about this much since that one magician went on network television wearing a mask and revealed the secrets to all the biggest magic tricks. The FOMO I felt was unreal.
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So if that's how I felt about a simple movie that won't even be a footnote in cultural history, imagine the feeling I had last weekend when I found out about OJ Simpson.
I watched the 30 For 30 documentary OJ: Made In America, and my jaw was on the floor the entire time. I couldn't believe what I was watching, and couldn't imagine what it was like watching the events unfold through the news in real time. I was a baby when this all went down, so I knew bits and pieces like the Bronco chase, trying on the glove, and the fact that everyone knew the dude got away with murder.
BUT the the details of the murder case, how the defense lawyers were literally a court room dream team, and the perfect storm that came together to get OJ off for killing two people were unbelievable.
Why I didn't watch this Oscar winning doc in 2016, when there was also a live-action OJ mini series the same year, when the hype couldn't have been higher than it'd been since the trial is beyond me. But, I was going to bars and trying to finger fuck chicks, I guess I was too busy? BUT, NOW the award winning doc is on Netflix so everyone can easily watch. This doc is so well done that after binge watching, I had to update my list of favorite documentaries.
5. The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters
If you're a sports fan and don't include the Steve Weibe vs. Billy Mitchell rivalry with Brady vs. Manning, Chestnut vs. Kobayashi, Tiger vs Phil, then you are NOT a real sports fan. It's Barstool SPORTS. This epic rivalry wouldn't be as incredible without the ultimate villain, Billy Mitchell. You don't root for Steve Weibe because he is a loser with a wife and kid who plays donkey kong in his garage, you root for him because he's the guy that's going to beat that son of a bitch Billy Mitchell. This dramatic roller coaster of a doc takes you on a ride as good as your favorite team playing in a sporting event.
4. High School (1968)
This pick is a bit pretentious and artsy, but the guy who directed this doc, Frederick Wiseman, is the best. I'd use the phrase GOAT, but for documentaries that term belongs to Ken Burns (he gets his own list for favorite docs). Wiseman films like he's making a nature documentary. Spending all his time sitting to the side at a distance as to not disturb the subjects natural behavior. This doc shows how teachers and students at a high school were dealing with classmates being drafted to fight in Vietnam. It's a slow burn, but the teacher giving a speech at the end about student who was killed in action hits extremely hard and shows you how people dealt with the grief of Vietnam in real time. There are a lot more entertaining docs out there than this one, but this one has stuck with me over the years.
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3. OJ: Made In America
I feel like I never cared about the "OJ Simpson drama" because I felt like it was a celebrity gossip case, but after watching this documentary I know understand the unmeasurable influence the OJ murder trail had on history from the 24 hour news cycle to race relations in America. The early 90's are a history blind spot for me since I was an infant, and didn't live through the events with an understanding of what happened. This doc connected huge historical dots, and made me realize the trial of the century was more than celebrity gossip fodder for the news.
2. Harlan County, USA
Some of America's poorest live in Harlan County, Kentucky where the majority of the population works for the coal mines. Not only are their jobs tied up in the mines, but the mining company also owns their houses and dictate their entire existence. Standing up to BIG COAL in mid 70's is putting everything on the line, including their lives. This town gets involved in shoot outs and hand to hand combat for protesting a living wage and safer working conditions (don't get any ideas Columbia students). It's hilarious to watch this doc and know people think Barstool should unionize. Unions are great for jobs where you can get your arm ripped off by machinery, or have the walls around you collapse only to escape and die of black lung. Watching this doc and thinking Barstool employees are on the same level as coal miners is hilarious, but rumor has it the producers at Barstool are forced to throw coal into a furnace to keep the blog running on weekends. You heard it here first. Appalachia Kentucky is a wild place, and this doc is an insightful look into what's been the backbone of America for the last century.
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1. Hoop Dreams
Not only is this the greatest documentary, but this masterpiece is flat out the best basketball movie ever made. Better than Hoosiers. The drama and the story are enthralling because it's all a true story. The doc follows two kids from Chicago for 4 years as the two navigate life and basketball. It's insane how stupid movie critics are because is in 1993, this documentary was not only snubbed for an Oscar, but NOT EVEN NOMINATED. The only way you can give this movie a bad review is if you are a soulless, emotionless, loser who hates kids and sports. If you love basketball this will become your favorite basketball movie. Must watch.
I'd recommend any documentary/ movie in this blog. When you're finished, I'll talk to you about any of them. I will always be hyped up about to talk about anything on this list.