Awesome Documentaries

An upcoming Netflix documentary series that profiles some of the world’s best designers and artists, including Nike’s Tinker Hatfield and graphic designer Paula Scher. Premieres 2/10/17.

In 1972, Norwegian geophysicist Bjørn Geirr Harsson realized that the highest peak of Halti, a mountain that rests mostly in Finland, was actually in Norway. He proposed that his country adjust its border and give the peak to Finland for its 100th birthday.

YouTuber kaptainkristian tips his hat to Toonami. While not the first to broadcast Japanese cartoons to American audiences, Cartoon Network’s niche program block sought to bring anime to mainstream while championing its diversity.

YouTuber funny japan shares this hilarious segment from a Japanese talk show in 1994. A housewife asked the show to find out how her free-spirited dog Sacchan got so fat. What follows is investigative reporting at its finest.

“I think in a way that destroying things is a creative process…” Alan Williams explains how his childhood knack for breaking and re-configuring toys inspired his design aesthetic. His current works are intricate animals with bio-mechanical bodies. A film by Ben Cox.

Vox sums up the contributions and philosophies of Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto – who helped create Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda and more – with the help of Miyamoto himself.

“My art is a collision. And it’s a collision of fine art, craft, and what I call the fringes of society.” San Francisco-based artist Ben Venom uses recycled fabric and old clothing to make punk and heavy metal-themed quilts, patches and more.

Vox introduces us to Clint Buffington, who has found not just one of those fabled messages in a bottle that washed up on a beach, but 83 of them. Learn how he does it, and how he seeks out their senders. Check out that ocean current simulator here.

Along with vinyl, cassette tapes are staging their own comeback, with ongoing interest from electronic musicians who find the analog sound and hiss complements rather than detracts from their music. The Vinyl Factory explores this growing movement. (Thanks Paul!)

“Tasogare means twilight – a time of ambivalence…” Musician Lia Mice recently performed at Tasogare, a music festival held at Komyoji, a Buddhist temple in Tokyo. She spoke with Tasogare’s founders to find out the origins and ideas behind this unorthodox gathering.

“There’s only 450 jobs man.” A short documentary about the D-League team Raptors 905 and their rookie head coach – two-time NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse. A great behind-the-scenes look about what it means to be a coach on and off the court.

(PG-13: Language) Anthony van der Meer claims he worked with the developer of an anti-theft Android app to monitor a phone that he purposefully left to be stolen. We suspect this is a viral ad, but it’s also a riveting film about voyeurism and technology’s threat to privacy.

A moving short documentary about Andy, a man who lost his vision after a brutal assault, and the fascinating new technology which is helping him to regain his lost sense by sending electrical impulses to his tongue.

BRIC TV introduces us to Fred Nelson, an elderly man who found his true love late in life, bringing a much needed sliver of joy and happiness into the world using his feet, shoes, and an old piece of wood.

While you might think those goofy dancing inflatable guys you see at car dealerships were the brainchild of some advertising genius, they actually got their start as moving sculptures during an Olympic opening ceremony 20 years ago. Great Big Story shares the details.

Once a year, a crowd of hard-working and dedicated fans gather at the Tejano Super Show in Odessa, Texas to show off their low-riders with their crazy jacked up suspension systems. Director Ben Steinbauer’s slice of life documentary is basically the exact opposite of Petrolicious.