Awesome Documentaries

“Every time a computer does some narrow thing there’s a temptation to think that it’s all over for us.” Breakthroughs in robotics and artificial intelligence are often met with a hint of dread. Retro Report talked to scientists to ask if we should fear our creations.

Aussie daredevil Matt Mingay takes us on a ride-along on his flaming Hot Wheels stunt bike, giving us an up-close perspective on his crazy tricks, and just a tiny taste of how much it hurts when he crashes. Stick around til the end for some awesome car drifting action.

In 2012, just for the heck of it, Tim Hwang fooled a nuclear plant into giving him a tour by setting up a fake organization called Infrastructure Observatory. Tim eventually turned it into a real group that organizes tours for his fellow infrastructure enthusiasts.

In the second episode of The Players’ Tribune’s season-long series about the Phoenix Suns’ Tyson Chandler and Devin Booker, the rookie talks about learning to take care of his body, while the vet says to value wins over stats.

In the late ’40s, the USSR’s citizens were forbidden from listening to foreign-made music. This gave birth to a black market of “bones records” or “ribs” – bootlegs copied on used X-ray film. This documentary is a spinoff of Stephen Coates’ eponymous book.

Mike “BrolyLegs” Begum was born with arthrogryposis, which makes his hands and feet practically unusable. But that didn’t stop him from being a pro Street Fighter gamer and trainer. He is currently the best Chun Li player in Ultra Street Fighter IV.

“…the art challenges the technology and the technology inspires the art.” As Pixar celebrates its 30th year, Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter looks back on the company’s origin and growth, its films’ effect on audiences and its guiding principle: story is king.

Ritte Cycles co-founder Spencer Canon spoke to Petrolicious about his customized fourth generation Lotus Esprit. It was in a horrible state when he got it, but accepting that he couldn’t fully restore it gave him the freedom to personalize the car.

A season-long series by The Players’ Tribune. It’s about the passing of wisdom between Phoenix Suns’ 33-year old center Tyson Chandler, a 15-year veteran, NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, and his teammate Devin Booker, the 19-year old sharpshooting rookie.

(PG-13 Language) A moving documentary about a prison hairdressing competition in Scotland, and its current champion Francis Duffy, who’s about to be released. The skills and recognition he’s acquired give him hope that his future is still in his hands.

A glimpse at the life of Qu Maomao, who works and lives at a factory in China. His friends, his girlfriend and kickboxing help him endure his mind-numbing daily routine. Häns’ brief documentary stretches itself a bit too thin, but is still a treat to watch. Mirror here.

h3h3Productions dives into the mysterious disappearance of record producer and Snapchat mogul DJ Khaled, whose positive aphorisms taught us that if you repeat something often enough, it you will become a catchphrase.

The short answer? Networking. By getting cozy with math teachers, Texas Instruments became the trusted brand for graphing calculators. Teachers now know the brand’s interface so well that it would be inconvenient for them to switch.

“There’s a rawness to it, a sort of desperation. And that reminds you that this has been made by someone.” Like vinyl records, handmade animation refuses to die despite the abundance of modern alternatives. Monocle looks at some of the new students of this old school.

Andrew Reams aka DieselDucy has Asperger syndrome. One of his fixations is elevators, and for the past eight years he’s been uploading “elevatours” on YouTube. Eventually, it became a way for him to reach out to other people with autism and help lift up their spirits.

Muskoxen boast a resilience that’s been honed over millennia. But they are powerless against time and man. Wildlife cameraman Rolf Steinman traveled to the Arctic to shoot this powerful and heartbreaking film.

This neat short film from 1938 shows how voice actors and foley artists performed a radio show. The props and the “child actor” are interesting, but we’re most impressed by the fact that everyone’s all dressed up. And yes, the whole thing is actually a Chevy commercial.

“We’re gonna make a game, we’re gonna make it good, and it’s ready when it’s ready.” Rare interviews some of the key employees who were involved in the making of its classic Nintendo 64 first-person shooter Perfect Dark.

“It feels like an extension of yourself in a way. Like it’s your second skin.” In Pixillion’s short film, Cornwall-based boat builder Ben Harris talks about how he got into his profession and the unique feeling of riding a vehicle that you built.

(PG-13: Language) In 1-on-1 video game competitions, players either sit next to each other or far apart. It may seem trivial, but it could affect the success of players and eSports in general. Core-A Gaming explores the arrangements’ origins and consequences.

(PG-13: Language) Vice’s documentary on Phil Tippett, the stop-motion animator who helped create creatures for Star Wars, Jurassic Park and many other films. Today his studio mainly uses CGI, but his latest film, Mad God, is a stop-motion affair.

We’ve seen how one person produces only a handful of trash. This town has been doing the same thing for over a decade. The residents of Kamikatsu in Tokushima, Japan recycle, reuse or compost 80% of their waste. They hope to do that to 100% of their trash by 2020.

A documentary about James Cochran, whose job is to shut down a drive-thru holiday light show each night. He loves it. Like many adults, he doesn’t exactly hate Christmas, but there’s this resigned acknowledgment that there’s not much to be happy about.