Awesome Documentaries

(PG-13 Language) This clip from Amy shows the late pop star recording Back to Black with producer Mark Ronson, who says he didn’t see Amy as the “procrastinating, troubled artist” that some were portraying her to be.

The inside story of the groundbreaking daredevil. Knievel’s family, friends and those he inspired paint a powerful, if unflattering portrait of the master of showmanship, as he jumped his 300lb. stock Harley in ever more dangerous stunts.

A documentary about Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. In 2012, then 15-year old Malala was shot at point blank by a Taliban soldier for advocating women and children’s rights. But she survived, and is still fighting.

For the last month or so, freerunner Ronnie Shalvis has been pulling his gymnastic moves on the beaches, rooftops, towers, and walls of China. For Ronnie, the entire world is his playground, so even the most mundane places he visits look fun.

For its Robotica series, The New York Times interviewed owners of Aibo, a robotic pet introduced back in 1999. Sony is no longer fixing them, leaving owners attached to their robo-dogs facing the same mortality that faces real pets.

“If someone you love walks through the door, even if it happens five times a day, you should go totally insane with joy.” A heartbreaking account of Ben Moon’s relationship with his dog Denali, told from the latter’s perspective.

“When I opened the hatch, I had the whole universe in front of me.” NASA’s documentary looks at the history and future of spacewalks, from Alexey Leonov’s pioneering spacewalk in 1965 to the plans to explore Mars.

Amy is an upcoming documentary about the all-too-short life of the incredibly talented jazz and soul artist Amy Winehouse, from the director and one of the producers behind the critically-acclaimed documentary on Ayrton Senna.

Crystal Moselle’s documentary about the Angulo brothers, whose parents barely let them out of their apartment when they were kids. The siblings watched and recreated movies to fight their loneliness and connect with the world.

A moving profile of Conrad Milster, chief engineer at Pratt Institute. Now in his sunset years, the lifelong New Yorker, cat lover and tinkerer talks about his career, his pets, his love-hate relationship with the city and his late wife.

(PG-13: Language) “You’re not gonna make a profit coming out here. But you’re gonna have something better: you’re gonna feed your soul.” A brief documentary about Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s recent DJ gig in and tour of Cuba.

“It’s not what’s in front of the box.” Directors Kief Davidson and Daniel Junge take a look at a variety of creative LEGO projects and explores why we love to build. Narrated by Jason Bateman. Drops 7/31.

HBO’s hour-long feature on one of the most lucrative – and hopefully worth it – sporting events in history, between two men who appear to be polar opposites, save for their humble beginnings and their winning ways.

(PG-13: Language) Sports magazine Victory says soltar pipas (kite flying) is one of the most popular sports in Brazil, second only to soccer. Here they look at some of the kite flyers in one of Rio de Janeiro’s poor neighborhoods.

Gearhead Mitch Medford is committing what sounds like a treacherous act: turning ’68 Mustangs into electric cars. But his company’s Zombie 222 produces at least 800hp and 1800lb.ft. of torque and does 0-60mph in 2.4s.

Beazknees’ short profile of forensic photographer Nick Marsh. He loves his job because of the variety of experiences it brings, and laments that the proliferation of affordable cameras has led to a reduced appreciation of his field and his skills.

From David Gelb, the director behind the legendary documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, comes Chef’s Table. The Netflix series provides an intimate look at the lives of the world’s most renowned chefs. Premieres 4/26.

“What do you like about living on Earth?” Google’s Emic is a short documentary inspired by the movie Interstellar. It’s a crowdsourced video time capsule to show future generations the happy part of our lives. Exclusive to Google Play.

A short documentary about two of the many workers in Japan who live in Internet cafes, because they can’t afford to rent an actual apartment. Part of Shiho Fukada’s three-part documentary Japan’s Disposable Workers.

I Am Big Bird: The Carroll Spinney Story is a documentary about the man behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. It features candid footage of Carroll with Jim Henson and Frank Oz as well as with his wife Debra.

A critically-acclaimed documentary about Nirvana’s frontman. Director Brett Morgen spent eight years interviewing Kurt’s loved ones and perusing home videos, journals and recordings to make this film. Premieres 5/4 on HBO.

Jay Aron’s upcoming documentary about the history of the Back to the Future trilogy, its impact on geek culture and the team behind the making of these classic films. Support the completion of the film on Kickstarter.

Under the Dome: Investigating China’s Haze looks at China’s severe air pollution problems. Former Chinese news anchor Chai Jing made the report after her daughter was born with a lung tumor. Turn captions on.