By Randi Altman
The Netflix documentary Will & Harper follows actor Will Ferrell and former SNL head writer Harper Steele as the two old friends embark on a cross-country road trip, reconnecting for the first time since Steele’s transition to a woman. It’s emotional and heartbreaking and funny, and Emmy voters agreed.
The post Emmy Chat: Composing ‘Harper and Will Go West’ for <i>Will & Harper</i> Doc appeared first on postPerspective.
If we ignore Borat (which I’m willing to do for the purists out there), only three documentaries made the New York Times’ list of the 100 best films of the 21st century: The Act of Killing, The Gleaners and I, and Grizzly Man. All three land in the final fifth of the ranking (respectively, in 82nd, 88th, and 98th place), and even more insulting, all are at least 25 titles behind a mockumentary (Christopher Guest’s Best in Show). Considering how much more popular and esteemed documentaries became after the turn of this century, you’d think they’d be better represented in a look back at the last 25 years of cinematic achievement. Still, while I’m not as keen on two of the nonfiction titles on the list as most of my colleagues, the results of the New York Times’ poll at least got it right, in my opinion, with the inclusion of Grizzly Man.
Werner Herzog’s 2005 feature seems to include but also scrutinize everything that made documentaries so successful at the time (and maybe predated some trends as well). Grizzly Man combines a nature film with a study of an eccentric yet charismatic character, while occasionally feeling like a true-crime investigation in its tone and an examination of independent filmmaking technique in its structure. It capitalizes on trauma, anticipates certain elements of influencer culture, and entangles itself with ethical dilemmas regarding the sensationalism of it all. Of course, tying the documentary together is Herzog’s voice, which, before Grizzly Man, was known exclusively to hardcore cinephiles. The film helped make Herzog and his profoundly captivating and distinctly accented narration famous to everyone.
Nonfics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Grizzly Man presents the story of Timothy Treadwell, a self-appointed protector of brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. He recorded nearly 100 hours of footage of himself observing and interacting with bears and foxes and talking to the camera about his important work. In October 2003, Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were killed by a bear at their camp. Herzog showcases Treadwell’s footage and portrays his subject with some disapproval, but never mockingly. It’s a shame that, after its theatrical release, a clip of Treadwell on the Late Show with David Letterman was deleted from the documentary, since its treatment of the amateur conservationist for laughs is such a great contrast to how the film handles him and the story. Herzog is fascinated but too disturbed to be insensitive.
As successful as Grizzly Man was at the time, the documentary was ironically overshadowed at the box office and during awards season by March of the Penguins. Not only a nature film exploiting animals anthropomorphically in the manner that Grizzly Man would appear to shun, but it also inspired Disney to dive back into the genre with its Disneynature brand. Less than a decade later, that studio even made its own documentary from footage shot of brown bears at Katmai, ignoring or ignorant of the criticisms of Treadwell projecting human values onto wild animals. This year, I recalled Grizzly Man’s lessons again while watching the Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, about Ocean Ramsey, a woman who could be thought of as the Timothy Treadwell of the sea. There’s a line between the vilification of sharks and grizzlies and the reckless idea that they’re our friends, and Herzog should’ve made it clear enough.
Perhaps if Grizzly Man came across as more judgmental of Treadwell, but the film is more open to understanding his passion as well as his folly. In his voiceover, Herzog says that he’s “seen this madness before on a film set.” He may have been alluding to his longtime actor Klaus Kinski, but it also calls to mind Herzog’s passion in making Fitzcarraldo, as documented in Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams. Or, similarly, Francis Ford Coppola in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (which Blank also worked on). Speaking of Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness, we don’t see much of Treadwell in the human world, so he’s almost like a minor Kurtz figure among the bears of the Alaskan wilderness instead of the indigenous people of the Congo. Herzog is Marlow, transfixed by a man whom others might view too simply as “crazy.”
If we ignore Borat (which I’m willing to do for the purists out there), only three documentaries made the New York Times’ list of the 100 best films of the 21st century: The Act of Killing, The Gleaners and I, and Grizzly Man. All three land in the final fifth of the ranking (respectively, in 82nd, 88th, and 98th place), and even more insulting, all are at least 25 titles behind a mockumentary (Christopher Guest’s Best in Show). Considering how much more popular and esteemed documentaries became after the turn of this century, you’d think they’d be better represented in a look back at the last 25 years of cinematic achievement. Still, while I’m not as keen on two of the nonfiction titles on the list as most of my colleagues, the results of the New York Times’ poll at least got it right, in my opinion, with the inclusion of Grizzly Man.
Werner Herzog’s 2005 feature seems to include but also scrutinize everything that made documentaries so successful at the time (and maybe predated some trends as well). Grizzly Man combines a nature film with a study of an eccentric yet charismatic character, while occasionally feeling like a true-crime investigation in its tone and an examination of independent filmmaking technique in its structure. It capitalizes on trauma, anticipates certain elements of influencer culture, and entangles itself with ethical dilemmas regarding the sensationalism of it all. Of course, tying the documentary together is Herzog’s voice, which, before Grizzly Man, was known exclusively to hardcore cinephiles. The film helped make Herzog and his profoundly captivating and distinctly accented narration famous to everyone.
Nonfics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Grizzly Man presents the story of Timothy Treadwell, a self-appointed protector of brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. He recorded nearly 100 hours of footage of himself observing and interacting with bears and foxes and talking to the camera about his important work. In October 2003, Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were killed by a bear at their camp. Herzog showcases Treadwell’s footage and portrays his subject with some disapproval, but never mockingly. It’s a shame that, after its theatrical release, a clip of Treadwell on the Late Show with David Letterman was deleted from the documentary, since its treatment of the amateur conservationist for laughs is such a great contrast to how the film handles him and the story. Herzog is fascinated but too disturbed to be insensitive.
As successful as Grizzly Man was at the time, the documentary was ironically overshadowed at the box office and during awards season by March of the Penguins. Not only a nature film exploiting animals anthropomorphically in the manner that Grizzly Man would appear to shun, but it also inspired Disney to dive back into the genre with its Disneynature brand. Less than a decade later, that studio even made its own documentary from footage shot of brown bears at Katmai, ignoring or ignorant of the criticisms of Treadwell projecting human values onto wild animals. This year, I recalled Grizzly Man’s lessons again while watching the Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, about Ocean Ramsey, a woman who could be thought of as the Timothy Treadwell of the sea. There’s a line between the vilification of sharks and grizzlies and the reckless idea that they’re our friends, and Herzog should’ve made it clear enough.
Perhaps if Grizzly Man came across as more judgmental of Treadwell, but the film is more open to understanding his passion as well as his folly. In his voiceover, Herzog says that he’s “seen this madness before on a film set.” He may have been alluding to his longtime actor Klaus Kinski, but it also calls to mind Herzog’s passion in making Fitzcarraldo, as documented in Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams. Or, similarly, Francis Ford Coppola in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (which Blank also worked on). Speaking of Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness, we don’t see much of Treadwell in the human world, so he’s almost like a minor Kurtz figure among the bears of the Alaskan wilderness instead of the indigenous people of the Congo. Herzog is Marlow, transfixed by a man whom others might view too simply as “crazy.”
If we ignore Borat (which I’m willing to do for the purists out there), only three documentaries made the New York Times’ list of the 100 best films of the 21st century: The Act of Killing, The Gleaners and I, and Grizzly Man. All three land in the final fifth of the ranking (respectively, in 82nd, 88th, and 98th place), and even more insulting, all are at least 25 titles behind a mockumentary (Christopher Guest’s Best in Show). Considering how much more popular and esteemed documentaries became after the turn of this century, you’d think they’d be better represented in a look back at the last 25 years of cinematic achievement. Still, while I’m not as keen on two of the nonfiction titles on the list as most of my colleagues, the results of the New York Times’ poll at least got it right, in my opinion, with the inclusion of Grizzly Man.
Werner Herzog’s 2005 feature seems to include but also scrutinize everything that made documentaries so successful at the time (and maybe predated some trends as well). Grizzly Man combines a nature film with a study of an eccentric yet charismatic character, while occasionally feeling like a true-crime investigation in its tone and an examination of independent filmmaking technique in its structure. It capitalizes on trauma, anticipates certain elements of influencer culture, and entangles itself with ethical dilemmas regarding the sensationalism of it all. Of course, tying the documentary together is Herzog’s voice, which, before Grizzly Man, was known exclusively to hardcore cinephiles. The film helped make Herzog and his profoundly captivating and distinctly accented narration famous to everyone.
Nonfics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Grizzly Man presents the story of Timothy Treadwell, a self-appointed protector of brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. He recorded nearly 100 hours of footage of himself observing and interacting with bears and foxes and talking to the camera about his important work. In October 2003, Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were killed by a bear at their camp. Herzog showcases Treadwell’s footage and portrays his subject with some disapproval, but never mockingly. It’s a shame that, after its theatrical release, a clip of Treadwell on the Late Show with David Letterman was deleted from the documentary, since its treatment of the amateur conservationist for laughs is such a great contrast to how the film handles him and the story. Herzog is fascinated but too disturbed to be insensitive.
As successful as Grizzly Man was at the time, the documentary was ironically overshadowed at the box office and during awards season by March of the Penguins. Not only a nature film exploiting animals anthropomorphically in the manner that Grizzly Man would appear to shun, but it also inspired Disney to dive back into the genre with its Disneynature brand. Less than a decade later, that studio even made its own documentary from footage shot of brown bears at Katmai, ignoring or ignorant of the criticisms of Treadwell projecting human values onto wild animals. This year, I recalled Grizzly Man’s lessons again while watching the Netflix documentary Shark Whisperer, about Ocean Ramsey, a woman who could be thought of as the Timothy Treadwell of the sea. There’s a line between the vilification of sharks and grizzlies and the reckless idea that they’re our friends, and Herzog should’ve made it clear enough.
Perhaps if Grizzly Man came across as more judgmental of Treadwell, but the film is more open to understanding his passion as well as his folly. In his voiceover, Herzog says that he’s “seen this madness before on a film set.” He may have been alluding to his longtime actor Klaus Kinski, but it also calls to mind Herzog’s passion in making Fitzcarraldo, as documented in Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams. Or, similarly, Francis Ford Coppola in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (which Blank also worked on). Speaking of Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness, we don’t see much of Treadwell in the human world, so he’s almost like a minor Kurtz figure among the bears of the Alaskan wilderness instead of the indigenous people of the Congo. Herzog is Marlow, transfixed by a man whom others might view too simply as “crazy.”
Detail Versus Fidelity: CEO of AI Video Footage Enhancer Topaz Labs Strongly Advises “Against Forensic and Medical Uses”
Katerina Cizek
Wed, 08/06/2025 – 14:00
Detail Versus Fidelity: CEO of AI Video Footage Enhancer Topaz Labs Strongly Advises “Against Forensic and Medical Uses”
Katerina Cizek
Wed, 08/06/2025 – 14:00
Here’s a teaser for “MegaDoc,” Mike Figgis’ behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the tumultuous 18-month production of “Megalopolis.” A world premiere is set for the Venice Film Festival.
Back in 2023, Figgis, best known for “Leaving Las Vegas,” embedded himself with Coppola’s $120M passion project, capturing everything from early pre-production to the disastrous rollout. The result is “MegaDoc,” a look at what might be one of the most controversial and divisive film productions in recent memory.
The doc had its first (private) screening this summer in London for a select group of “friends and family.”
Described as “fly-on-the-wall,” this documentary better show us the goods. The chaos, conflict, and creative pain that defined the “Megalopolis” shoot. Figgis claims he was granted full access, with Coppola never once asking him to leave the room. In fact, Figgis has hinted that there’s enough footage for a potential five-part docuseries.
One of the more shocking revelations? The documentary will include the moment Coppola fired the entire VFX department midway through production, allegedly over their “allegiance to the Marvel Universe mode of filmmaking.” lol.
At the London post-screening Q&A, Figgis disagreed with Coppola’s decision, saying, “I felt he was in the wrong.” There were also major departures: the VFX supervisor, production designer, and supervising art director were all removed due to “creative differences.”
Talks are underway about a possible theatrical pairing: a re-release of “Megalopolis” with “MegaDoc” playing beforehand. A limited solo rollout for the documentary is set for September 19 via Utopia.
We’re reminded this week that A24 recently killed its documentary division. The studio has two new nonfiction titles releasing in the next few days, and both are recommended. One of them is even the Pick of the Week this week. They’re also about as dissimilar as can be, despite each being helmed by a notable documentary auteur. Other highlights this week include documentaries about people on the road, docuseries about football, and a classic film about the making of a classic film.
Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, including reviews of new nonfiction films and series. They are followed by daily listings for all notable releases and a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans (including a newly announced film by Ben Stiller and one of my favorites from Sundance). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available.
After directing one of the best documentaries of 2022, Margaret Brown seemed to be slumming it by venturing into the true-crime docuseries market for The Yogurt Shop Murders. Fortunately, she approached the genre as she does with all of her docs, with an interest in setting and community over procedural investigation. As seen with her last few features, even if she’s tackling large-scale stories like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or the last ship to transport enslaved Africans to America in the 1860s, Brown relates to her subjects intimately and connects us to them through her locally invested perspective. They’re not subjective documentaries, but they do feel personal.
With The Yogurt Shop Murders, she examines the case of four teenage girls executed inside an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt in Austin, Texas, in 1991. The crime, which also involved arson and possibly rape, technically remains unsolved, but this isn’t the sort of docuseries that plays like a mystery. It’s not focused on the victims, nor is it quite interested in the perpetrators. Through four episodes, Brown chronicles the handling of the investigation and the trials of two men charged with the murders while concentrating on the parents and siblings of the girls, the detectives, and the officers of the court whose lives have been affected by the case. The sister of one of the victims puts it best that stories like this shouldn’t be fascinating. They’re just sad.
Continue reading our review of The Yogurt Shop Murders.
The Yogurt Shop Murders premieres its first installment on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 2. The other three episodes premiere on subsequent Sundays through the month.
Victor Kossakovsky concludes his “A” trilogy, following ¡Vivan las Antípodas! and Aquarela, with another documentary that changed how he sees the world. Architecton will likely do the same for you, especially if you see it on the big screen, with no distractions, and let its themes sink in. I also recommend reading interviews with Kossakovsky about the film, its inception, and its making, as the documentary benefits from, if not requires, outside context. Taken at face value, Architecton is a sometimes spectacular and always soothing montage of ancient ruins, modern buildings destroyed by an earthquake or war, mountains blasted for use in concrete, and Italian architect Michele De Lucchi creating a circle of stones in his garden.
If there is one point to the film, it’s a damning of concrete, the second-most-used substance in the world. It’s a symbol of our fast, cheap, and disposable modern civilization, just as impossibly heavy stones are symbols of ancient times. Confirmed through Kossakovsky’s external commentary, Architecton is an environmentalist work that addresses the natural costs of concrete as the most widely used building material. Considering the thesis, it’d be wrong to celebrate the film’s visuals as simply being beautiful or positively stunning, as many have. I don’t think I subscribe to all of Kossakovsky’s ideas as I understand them here, however, so I’m fine appreciating the destruction as an attraction. I admit I never thought about concrete at all before watching and reading about Architecton, and I accept that my feelings may change.
Architecton will be released in theaters on Friday, August 1.
In 2004, Ondi Timoner released one of the best music documentaries ever made. Twenty years later, that film, Dig!, was reworked as Dig! XX, to commemorate the anniversary and provide new perspectives and some updates. Both chronicle the rivalry between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but the former is more favorable to the Dandys and the latter more forgiving of BTM. While I can’t say it’s a better version, the new cut did initially land on my list of the best documentaries of 2025. As I wrote then, “Dig! XX is more comprehensive and often clearer in its storytelling.” It’s also “just as unique and engrossing as Dig! and is even more polished, but it’s always going to live in the original’s shadow.”
Dig! XX begins streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, August 1.
Football season is nearly upon us, and two popular streaming services are getting fans ready with several new docuseries devoted to the sport. Two big ones arrive this week, including the latest installment of the long-running Hard Knocks franchise. Also considered Season 25, Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills takes viewers behind the scenes with the Bills for the first time in the series’ run, following the NFL team as they prepare for the upcoming season.
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday similarly peeks behind the curtain, but with college ball — specifically focusing on the Southeastern Conference teams. Each episode looks at one significant game from the 2024-2025 season, when the SEC expanded and the College Football Playoffs format drastically changed. The series introduces the coaches (and their families) and some players from both teams facing off in that game to show their respective stakes. I’m curious about this show now that I live in the South, where SEC football is all that people talk about in the fall.
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with The Buffalo Bills premieres on HBO and HBO Max and SEC Football: Any Given Saturday premieres on Netflix, both on Tuesday, August 5.
Recently re-released in theaters, George Hickenlooper, Fax Bahr, and Eleanor Coppola’s classic making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is currently unavailable on any streaming service. You could rent or buy it digitally, or you could watch it on cable this week. Here’s an excerpt about the feature from a list of the best documentaries about the struggles and triumphs of filmmaking:
“Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is an extraordinary and searing look into the human cost(s) of a wholly extraordinary situation. Francis Ford Coppola, after the success of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, was nigh-untouchable in Hollywood. He could make whatever he wanted, and he set his sight on a dark, expressionistic tale about humanity, inhumanity, and the Vietnam War. Little did he know that the making of Apocalypse Now would almost ruin his life and his filmmaking career. It is one of the most essential documentaries about creating cinema, as the film never shies away from Coppola throughout the entire tumultuous production of his war epic.”
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse airs on TCM on Friday, August 1.
Almost 70 years after its publication, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road remains an important piece of American literature. From certain modern perspectives, though, it’s not necessarily a “great” American novel. That its legacy is complex only adds to its significance today. Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation explores the book’s lasting allure and addresses all its problems through various contexts and lenses. This isn’t a documentary for fans to simply express or receive commentary on its brilliance. It’s an appreciation of a work with fondness and criticism.
Josh Brolin talks of it changing his life as he came of age and began riding his Harley Davidson around the country. W. Kumau Bell acknowledges the story’s white privilege (something Brolin could relate to). Natalie Merchant mentions how she had inadvertently inspired fans to read On the Road through her song “Hey Jack Kerouac,” despite it not being exactly a favorable tribute to the author and the other Beats. I love a documentary that can put its subject through the wringer with so many angles. I was far less interested in a couple of fresh narratives that Kerouac’s Road includes, one of a couple living on the road in their van and another of a young man going to college far from home. I see the relevance, but they break the flow of the greater discourse.
Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Generation opens in theaters on Friday, August 1.
Architecton (2024) – A documentary by Viktor Kosakovskiy (Gunda) about stone and concrete as foundations of our habitat. (In Theaters)
Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues (2025) – A docuseries following Birmingham City FC under Tom Brady’s minority ownership involvement. (Prime Video)
The Competition (2016) – A documentary feature by Claire Simon on the Parisian film school La Fémis. (The Criterion Channel)
Deadliest Catch Season 21, Episode 1: “The Wild West” – The return of this docuseries that follows Alaskan crab fishermen. (Discovery)
Dig! XX (2024) – An extended version of Ondi Timoner’s classic 2004 music documentary Dig! about the friendship and rivalry between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Read our review of Dig! XX. (The Criterion Channel)
Eight Postcards from Utopia (2024) – An archival documentary made from post-socialist Romanian advertisements. (Mubi)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991) – Eleanor Coppola’s documentary about the making of her husband’s movie Apocalypse Now, in collaboration with directors Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper. (TCM)
The Hottest August (2019) – A documentary feature by Brett Story consisting of encounters with strangers in New York City. (The Criterion Channel)
Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation (2025) – A documentary about Jack Kerouac’s On the Road from the lens of today. (In Theaters)
It Looks Like Rain (1945) – A short film about the tools used to forecast the weather. (TCM)
Louder Than You Think (2023) – A feature-length documentary about Pavement’s original drummer, Gary Young. (Mubi)
Maurice Pialat: Love Exists (2007) – A documentary paying tribute to the titular filmmaker. (The Criterion Channel)
MGM Parade Show #28 (1956) – This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films Captains Courageous and Forbidden Planet. (TCM)
Oasis: Supersonic (2016) – A documentary feature about the formation and rise of the titular British rock band. (Tubi)
One Direction: This Is Us (2013) – A documentary feature by Morgan Spurlock about the titular boy band. Read our review of One Direction: This Is Us. (Tubi)
The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (2016) – A documentary by Brett Story consisting of 12 vignettes focused on the prison–industrial complex. (The Criterion Channel)
Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs (2025) – A concert film starring the titular rock band as they perform at the Catacombs in Paris. (The Criterion Channel)
Sisters of Ukraine (2023) – A documentary feature following a group of nuns, volunteers, and refugees from war-torn Ukraine to housing in Barcelona. (VOD and DVD)
Spills for Thrills (1940) – A short documentary about stunt performers. (TCM)
TURA! (2024) – A biographical documentary about actress Tura Satana, the star of Faster, Pussycat. Kill. Kill! (In Theaters)
1,000 Ways to Dine (2025) – A new nonfiction series showcasing unusual and unique restaurants. (A&E)
Buried in the Backyard Season 6, Episode 4: “Unhallowed Ground” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about the odd locations where murder victims were found. This episode involves a Michigan mom targeted for a satanic ritual. (Oxygen True Crime)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 1: “The Hitchhiker” – The first installment of a six-part docuseries about unidentified bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. This episode concerns a serial killer victim. (National Geographic)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 3: “The Tranq Dope Underground” – The latest installment of this award-winning series involves a new fentanyl cocktail. (National Geographic)
Glimpses of Western Germany (1954) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Germany. (TCM)
In the Eye of the Storm Season 2, Episode 3: “Double Hurricane Disaster” – The latest installment of this docuseries about natural disasters involves Hurricane Helene. (Discovery)
The King Without a Crown (1937) – A short film depicting the possibility that Louis XVII and Marie Antoinette escaped death during the French Revolution. (TCM)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 1: “The Hitchhiker” – The first installment of a six-part docuseries about unidentified bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. This episode concerns a serial killer victim. (Hulu and Disney+)
R.F.D. Greenwich Village (1969) – A short promotional film about corduroy that takes viewers on a trip through lower New York City. (TCM)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 3: “The Tranq Dope Underground” – The latest installment of this award-winning series involves a new fentanyl cocktail. (Hulu)
The Yogurt Shop Murders Episode 1: “Fire and Water” – The first installment of a four-part true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown (Descendant) about the killing of four teenagers in 1991. (HBO Max)
Atomic People (2024) – A documentary about the last survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. (PBS)
Empire: The World’s First Superpower with David Olusoga (2025) – A docuseries about the beginnings of the British Empire under Elizabeth I. (PBS Passport)
First Aid (1943) – A short film about basic first aid techniques. (TCM)
A Killer Among Friends Season 1, Episode 4: “She’s No Runaway” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murders that tear friend groups apart. This episode involves the death of a middle schooler. (Investigation Discovery)
Survival Mode Season 1, Episode 5: “Montecito Mudslide” – The latest installment of this docuseries focuses on a mudslide that took over a neighborhood. (NBC)
The Garifuna Journey (1998) – A medium-length documentary about the Garifuna people of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. (OVID)
Glimpses of Morocco and Algiers (1951) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Northwest Africa. (TCM)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills (2025) – The latest installment of the Hard Knocks franchise goes behind the scenes with the titular NFL football team. (HBO and HBO Max)
Jamesie, King of Scratch (2007) – A documentary feature about musician James Brewster and Scratch music, which originates in the Virgin Islands. (OVID)
The Last Mixtape (2025) – A medium-length documentary about nine musicians coming together to create a collaborative album in one week. (DVD)
Murder 360 (2025) – A true-crime docuseries that looks at 10 murder cases from multiple perspectives. (Paramount+)
Romantic Riviera (1951) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the French Riviera. (TCM)
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday (2025) – A docuseries that gives an inside look at college football within the Southeastern Conference. (Netflix)
White Wanderer: Mzungu (2010) – A documentary feature following four Americans on their journey in Africa to “save the world.” (DVD)
Yurumein: Homeland (2014) – A medium-length documentary about the Garifuna people of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. (OVID)
Famous Boners (1942) – A short film about real people who caused or were victims of errors, including Sir Isaac Newton. (TCM)
Kiddie Revue (1930) – A short film featuring musical performances by children. (TCM)
The Lost Bird Project (2012) – A medium-length documentary about a sculptor’s project memorializing five bird species that have gone extinct. (OVID)
Quebec in Summertime (1949) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the titular Canadian province. (TCM)
See Memory (2025) – A short documentary about a painter using art to explore memory and PTSD. (OVID)
25 Texans in the Land of Lincoln (2019) – A short documentary following history students from San Antonio to Illinois to try to retrieve the artificial leg of Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna from a military museum. (OVID)
Decade for Decision (1957) – A short documentary about the threat of the Soviet launch of the first satellite, Sputnik. (TCM)
The Furry Detectives: Unmasking a Monster Episode 4: “The Animal Within” – The final installment of a true-crime docuseries about animal abuse in the furry community. (AMC+ and Sundance Now)
Lie Detector: Truth or Deception Season 1, Episode 5: “Edward Ates” – The latest installment of this docuseries about suspected but not charged individuals taking lie detectors to prove their innocence. This episode concerns a man hoping to prove his innocence after serving 20 years for allegedly murdering his neighbor. (A&E)
Necaxa (2025) – A docuseries following the titular Mexican football club. (FX)
Stans (2025) – A documentary produced by Eminem about superfandom. Watch a new clip from the film here. (In Theaters)
Taurasi (2025) – A docuseries about basketball player Diana Taurasi. (Prime Video)
Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil (2024) – A true-crime docuseries featuring recordings of the titular serial killer aiding in the investigation of the Green River Killer. (Hulu)
Tracing Roots (2014) – A short documentary following master Haida weaver Delores Churchill in a project spanning cultures and borders. (OVID)
We Must Have Music (1941) – A short film directed by Busby Berkeley on the history of soundtracks and music scores. (TCM)
8/8 – Sudan, Remember Us – An award-winning documentary following young Sudanese activists before and through the current civil war. (In Theaters)
8/15 – Dawn Dusk – A documentary feature about a woman grieving the loss of her sister to domestic abuse. (Tubi, Prime Video, and Roku)
8/19 – America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys – A docuseries about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his transformation of the team in the 1990s. (Netflix)
9/1 – Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence – A four-part docuseries about abusive mommy vlogger Ruby Franke and her relationship with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (Investigation Discovery)
9/5 – Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire – A biographical documentary about the titular author and Holocaust survivor best known for writing the memoir Night. Watch the new trailer for the film here. (In Theaters)
9/19 – Predators – A documentary about the TV series To Catch a Predator. Read our review of Predators from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (In Theaters)
9/21 – Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe – A documentary portrait of the titular Italian tenor. (In Theaters)
10/17 – The Man Who Saves the World? – A documentary feature by Gabe Polsky (Red Army) about a man who believes he has a calling to unite Amazonian tribes to save the rainforest. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/29 – Coexistence, My Ass! – A Sundance award-winning documentary about comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi and her one-woman show about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (In Theaters)
11/21 – Zodiac Killer Project – A meta-textual true-crime documentary about an abandoned documentary on the Zodiac Killer. Read our review of Zodiac Killer Project. (In Theaters)
Nonfics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
We’re reminded this week that A24 recently killed its documentary division. The studio has two new nonfiction titles releasing in the next few days, and both are recommended. One of them is even the Pick of the Week this week. They’re also about as dissimilar as can be, despite each being helmed by a notable documentary auteur. Other highlights this week include documentaries about people on the road, docuseries about football, and a classic film about the making of a classic film.
Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, including reviews of new nonfiction films and series. They are followed by daily listings for all notable releases and a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans (including a newly announced film by Ben Stiller and one of my favorites from Sundance). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available.
After directing one of the best documentaries of 2022, Margaret Brown seemed to be slumming it by venturing into the true-crime docuseries market for The Yogurt Shop Murders. Fortunately, she approached the genre as she does with all of her docs, with an interest in setting and community over procedural investigation. As seen with her last few features, even if she’s tackling large-scale stories like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or the last ship to transport enslaved Africans to America in the 1860s, Brown relates to her subjects intimately and connects us to them through her locally invested perspective. They’re not subjective documentaries, but they do feel personal.
With The Yogurt Shop Murders, she examines the case of four teenage girls executed inside an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt in Austin, Texas, in 1991. The crime, which also involved arson and possibly rape, technically remains unsolved, but this isn’t the sort of docuseries that plays like a mystery. It’s not focused on the victims, nor is it quite interested in the perpetrators. Through four episodes, Brown chronicles the handling of the investigation and the trials of two men charged with the murders while concentrating on the parents and siblings of the girls, the detectives, and the officers of the court whose lives have been affected by the case. The sister of one of the victims puts it best that stories like this shouldn’t be fascinating. They’re just sad.
Continue reading our review of The Yogurt Shop Murders.
The Yogurt Shop Murders premieres its first installment on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 2. The other three episodes premiere on subsequent Sundays through the month.
Victor Kossakovsky concludes his “A” trilogy, following ¡Vivan las Antípodas! and Aquarela, with another documentary that changed how he sees the world. Architecton will likely do the same for you, especially if you see it on the big screen, with no distractions, and let its themes sink in. I also recommend reading interviews with Kossakovsky about the film, its inception, and its making, as the documentary benefits from, if not requires, outside context. Taken at face value, Architecton is a sometimes spectacular and always soothing montage of ancient ruins, modern buildings destroyed by an earthquake or war, mountains blasted for use in concrete, and Italian architect Michele De Lucchi creating a circle of stones in his garden.
If there is one point to the film, it’s a damning of concrete, the second-most-used substance in the world. It’s a symbol of our fast, cheap, and disposable modern civilization, just as impossibly heavy stones are symbols of ancient times. Confirmed through Kossakovsky’s external commentary, Architecton is an environmentalist work that addresses the natural costs of concrete as the most widely used building material. Considering the thesis, it’d be wrong to celebrate the film’s visuals as simply being beautiful or positively stunning, as many have. I don’t think I subscribe to all of Kossakovsky’s ideas as I understand them here, however, so I’m fine appreciating the destruction as an attraction. I admit I never thought about concrete at all before watching and reading about Architecton, and I accept that my feelings may change.
Architecton will be released in theaters on Friday, August 1.
In 2004, Ondi Timoner released one of the best music documentaries ever made. Twenty years later, that film, Dig!, was reworked as Dig! XX, to commemorate the anniversary and provide new perspectives and some updates. Both chronicle the rivalry between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but the former is more favorable to the Dandys and the latter more forgiving of BTM. While I can’t say it’s a better version, the new cut did initially land on my list of the best documentaries of 2025. As I wrote then, “Dig! XX is more comprehensive and often clearer in its storytelling.” It’s also “just as unique and engrossing as Dig! and is even more polished, but it’s always going to live in the original’s shadow.”
Dig! XX begins streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, August 1.
Football season is nearly upon us, and two popular streaming services are getting fans ready with several new docuseries devoted to the sport. Two big ones arrive this week, including the latest installment of the long-running Hard Knocks franchise. Also considered Season 25, Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills takes viewers behind the scenes with the Bills for the first time in the series’ run, following the NFL team as they prepare for the upcoming season.
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday similarly peeks behind the curtain, but with college ball — specifically focusing on the Southeastern Conference teams. Each episode looks at one significant game from the 2024-2025 season, when the SEC expanded and the College Football Playoffs format drastically changed. The series introduces the coaches (and their families) and some players from both teams facing off in that game to show their respective stakes. I’m curious about this show now that I live in the South, where SEC football is all that people talk about in the fall.
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with The Buffalo Bills premieres on HBO and HBO Max and SEC Football: Any Given Saturday premieres on Netflix, both on Tuesday, August 5.
Recently re-released in theaters, George Hickenlooper, Fax Bahr, and Eleanor Coppola’s classic making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is currently unavailable on any streaming service. You could rent or buy it digitally, or you could watch it on cable this week. Here’s an excerpt about the feature from a list of the best documentaries about the struggles and triumphs of filmmaking:
“Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is an extraordinary and searing look into the human cost(s) of a wholly extraordinary situation. Francis Ford Coppola, after the success of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, was nigh-untouchable in Hollywood. He could make whatever he wanted, and he set his sight on a dark, expressionistic tale about humanity, inhumanity, and the Vietnam War. Little did he know that the making of Apocalypse Now would almost ruin his life and his filmmaking career. It is one of the most essential documentaries about creating cinema, as the film never shies away from Coppola throughout the entire tumultuous production of his war epic.”
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse airs on TCM on Friday, August 1.
Almost 70 years after its publication, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road remains an important piece of American literature. From certain modern perspectives, though, it’s not necessarily a “great” American novel. That its legacy is complex only adds to its significance today. Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation explores the book’s lasting allure and addresses all its problems through various contexts and lenses. This isn’t a documentary for fans to simply express or receive commentary on its brilliance. It’s an appreciation of a work with fondness and criticism.
Josh Brolin talks of it changing his life as he came of age and began riding his Harley Davidson around the country. W. Kumau Bell acknowledges the story’s white privilege (something Brolin could relate to). Natalie Merchant mentions how she had inadvertently inspired fans to read On the Road through her song “Hey Jack Kerouac,” despite it not being exactly a favorable tribute to the author and the other Beats. I love a documentary that can put its subject through the wringer with so many angles. I was far less interested in a couple of fresh narratives that Kerouac’s Road includes, one of a couple living on the road in their van and another of a young man going to college far from home. I see the relevance, but they break the flow of the greater discourse.
Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Generation opens in theaters on Friday, August 1.
Architecton (2024) – A documentary by Viktor Kosakovskiy (Gunda) about stone and concrete as foundations of our habitat. (In Theaters)
Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues (2025) – A docuseries following Birmingham City FC under Tom Brady’s minority ownership involvement. (Prime Video)
The Competition (2016) – A documentary feature by Claire Simon on the Parisian film school La Fémis. (The Criterion Channel)
Deadliest Catch Season 21, Episode 1: “The Wild West” – The return of this docuseries that follows Alaskan crab fishermen. (Discovery)
Dig! XX (2024) – An extended version of Ondi Timoner’s classic 2004 music documentary Dig! about the friendship and rivalry between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Read our review of Dig! XX. (The Criterion Channel)
Eight Postcards from Utopia (2024) – An archival documentary made from post-socialist Romanian advertisements. (Mubi)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991) – Eleanor Coppola’s documentary about the making of her husband’s movie Apocalypse Now, in collaboration with directors Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper. (TCM)
The Hottest August (2019) – A documentary feature by Brett Story consisting of encounters with strangers in New York City. (The Criterion Channel)
Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation (2025) – A documentary about Jack Kerouac’s On the Road from the lens of today. (In Theaters)
It Looks Like Rain (1945) – A short film about the tools used to forecast the weather. (TCM)
Louder Than You Think (2023) – A feature-length documentary about Pavement’s original drummer, Gary Young. (Mubi)
Maurice Pialat: Love Exists (2007) – A documentary paying tribute to the titular filmmaker. (The Criterion Channel)
MGM Parade Show #28 (1956) – This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films Captains Courageous and Forbidden Planet. (TCM)
Oasis: Supersonic (2016) – A documentary feature about the formation and rise of the titular British rock band. (Tubi)
One Direction: This Is Us (2013) – A documentary feature by Morgan Spurlock about the titular boy band. Read our review of One Direction: This Is Us. (Tubi)
The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (2016) – A documentary by Brett Story consisting of 12 vignettes focused on the prison–industrial complex. (The Criterion Channel)
Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs (2025) – A concert film starring the titular rock band as they perform at the Catacombs in Paris. (The Criterion Channel)
Sisters of Ukraine (2023) – A documentary feature following a group of nuns, volunteers, and refugees from war-torn Ukraine to housing in Barcelona. (VOD and DVD)
Spills for Thrills (1940) – A short documentary about stunt performers. (TCM)
TURA! (2024) – A biographical documentary about actress Tura Satana, the star of Faster, Pussycat. Kill. Kill! (In Theaters)
1,000 Ways to Dine (2025) – A new nonfiction series showcasing unusual and unique restaurants. (A&E)
Buried in the Backyard Season 6, Episode 4: “Unhallowed Ground” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about the odd locations where murder victims were found. This episode involves a Michigan mom targeted for a satanic ritual. (Oxygen True Crime)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 1: “The Hitchhiker” – The first installment of a six-part docuseries about unidentified bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. This episode concerns a serial killer victim. (National Geographic)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 3: “The Tranq Dope Underground” – The latest installment of this award-winning series involves a new fentanyl cocktail. (National Geographic)
Glimpses of Western Germany (1954) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Germany. (TCM)
In the Eye of the Storm Season 2, Episode 3: “Double Hurricane Disaster” – The latest installment of this docuseries about natural disasters involves Hurricane Helene. (Discovery)
The King Without a Crown (1937) – A short film depicting the possibility that Louis XVII and Marie Antoinette escaped death during the French Revolution. (TCM)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 1: “The Hitchhiker” – The first installment of a six-part docuseries about unidentified bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. This episode concerns a serial killer victim. (Hulu and Disney+)
R.F.D. Greenwich Village (1969) – A short promotional film about corduroy that takes viewers on a trip through lower New York City. (TCM)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 3: “The Tranq Dope Underground” – The latest installment of this award-winning series involves a new fentanyl cocktail. (Hulu)
The Yogurt Shop Murders Episode 1: “Fire and Water” – The first installment of a four-part true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown (Descendant) about the killing of four teenagers in 1991. (HBO Max)
Atomic People (2024) – A documentary about the last survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. (PBS)
Empire: The World’s First Superpower with David Olusoga (2025) – A docuseries about the beginnings of the British Empire under Elizabeth I. (PBS Passport)
First Aid (1943) – A short film about basic first aid techniques. (TCM)
A Killer Among Friends Season 1, Episode 4: “She’s No Runaway” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murders that tear friend groups apart. This episode involves the death of a middle schooler. (Investigation Discovery)
Survival Mode Season 1, Episode 5: “Montecito Mudslide” – The latest installment of this docuseries focuses on a mudslide that took over a neighborhood. (NBC)
The Garifuna Journey (1998) – A medium-length documentary about the Garifuna people of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. (OVID)
Glimpses of Morocco and Algiers (1951) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Northwest Africa. (TCM)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills (2025) – The latest installment of the Hard Knocks franchise goes behind the scenes with the titular NFL football team. (HBO and HBO Max)
Jamesie, King of Scratch (2007) – A documentary feature about musician James Brewster and Scratch music, which originates in the Virgin Islands. (OVID)
The Last Mixtape (2025) – A medium-length documentary about nine musicians coming together to create a collaborative album in one week. (DVD)
Murder 360 (2025) – A true-crime docuseries that looks at 10 murder cases from multiple perspectives. (Paramount+)
Romantic Riviera (1951) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the French Riviera. (TCM)
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday (2025) – A docuseries that gives an inside look at college football within the Southeastern Conference. (Netflix)
White Wanderer: Mzungu (2010) – A documentary feature following four Americans on their journey in Africa to “save the world.” (DVD)
Yurumein: Homeland (2014) – A medium-length documentary about the Garifuna people of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. (OVID)
Famous Boners (1942) – A short film about real people who caused or were victims of errors, including Sir Isaac Newton. (TCM)
Kiddie Revue (1930) – A short film featuring musical performances by children. (TCM)
The Lost Bird Project (2012) – A medium-length documentary about a sculptor’s project memorializing five bird species that have gone extinct. (OVID)
Quebec in Summertime (1949) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the titular Canadian province. (TCM)
See Memory (2025) – A short documentary about a painter using art to explore memory and PTSD. (OVID)
25 Texans in the Land of Lincoln (2019) – A short documentary following history students from San Antonio to Illinois to try to retrieve the artificial leg of Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna from a military museum. (OVID)
Decade for Decision (1957) – A short documentary about the threat of the Soviet launch of the first satellite, Sputnik. (TCM)
The Furry Detectives: Unmasking a Monster Episode 4: “The Animal Within” – The final installment of a true-crime docuseries about animal abuse in the furry community. (AMC+ and Sundance Now)
Lie Detector: Truth or Deception Season 1, Episode 5: “Edward Ates” – The latest installment of this docuseries about suspected but not charged individuals taking lie detectors to prove their innocence. This episode concerns a man hoping to prove his innocence after serving 20 years for allegedly murdering his neighbor. (A&E)
Necaxa (2025) – A docuseries following the titular Mexican football club. (FX)
Stans (2025) – A documentary produced by Eminem about superfandom. Watch a new clip from the film here. (In Theaters)
Taurasi (2025) – A docuseries about basketball player Diana Taurasi. (Prime Video)
Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil (2024) – A true-crime docuseries featuring recordings of the titular serial killer aiding in the investigation of the Green River Killer. (Hulu)
Tracing Roots (2014) – A short documentary following master Haida weaver Delores Churchill in a project spanning cultures and borders. (OVID)
We Must Have Music (1941) – A short film directed by Busby Berkeley on the history of soundtracks and music scores. (TCM)
8/8 – Sudan, Remember Us – An award-winning documentary following young Sudanese activists before and through the current civil war. (In Theaters)
8/15 – Dawn Dusk – A documentary feature about a woman grieving the loss of her sister to domestic abuse. (Tubi, Prime Video, and Roku)
8/19 – America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys – A docuseries about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his transformation of the team in the 1990s. (Netflix)
9/1 – Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence – A four-part docuseries about abusive mommy vlogger Ruby Franke and her relationship with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (Investigation Discovery)
9/5 – Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire – A biographical documentary about the titular author and Holocaust survivor best known for writing the memoir Night. Watch the new trailer for the film here. (In Theaters)
9/19 – Predators – A documentary about the TV series To Catch a Predator. Read our review of Predators from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (In Theaters)
9/21 – Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe – A documentary portrait of the titular Italian tenor. (In Theaters)
10/17 – The Man Who Saves the World? – A documentary feature by Gabe Polsky (Red Army) about a man who believes he has a calling to unite Amazonian tribes to save the rainforest. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/29 – Coexistence, My Ass! – A Sundance award-winning documentary about comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi and her one-woman show about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (In Theaters)
11/21 – Zodiac Killer Project – A meta-textual true-crime documentary about an abandoned documentary on the Zodiac Killer. Read our review of Zodiac Killer Project. (In Theaters)
Nonfics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
We’re reminded this week that A24 recently killed its documentary division. The studio has two new nonfiction titles releasing in the next few days, and both are recommended. One of them is even the Pick of the Week this week. They’re also about as dissimilar as can be, despite each being helmed by a notable documentary auteur. Other highlights this week include documentaries about people on the road, docuseries about football, and a classic film about the making of a classic film.
Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, including reviews of new nonfiction films and series. They are followed by daily listings for all notable releases and a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans (including a newly announced film by Ben Stiller and one of my favorites from Sundance). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available.
After directing one of the best documentaries of 2022, Margaret Brown seemed to be slumming it by venturing into the true-crime docuseries market for The Yogurt Shop Murders. Fortunately, she approached the genre as she does with all of her docs, with an interest in setting and community over procedural investigation. As seen with her last few features, even if she’s tackling large-scale stories like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or the last ship to transport enslaved Africans to America in the 1860s, Brown relates to her subjects intimately and connects us to them through her locally invested perspective. They’re not subjective documentaries, but they do feel personal.
With The Yogurt Shop Murders, she examines the case of four teenage girls executed inside an I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt in Austin, Texas, in 1991. The crime, which also involved arson and possibly rape, technically remains unsolved, but this isn’t the sort of docuseries that plays like a mystery. It’s not focused on the victims, nor is it quite interested in the perpetrators. Through four episodes, Brown chronicles the handling of the investigation and the trials of two men charged with the murders while concentrating on the parents and siblings of the girls, the detectives, and the officers of the court whose lives have been affected by the case. The sister of one of the victims puts it best that stories like this shouldn’t be fascinating. They’re just sad.
Continue reading our review of The Yogurt Shop Murders.
The Yogurt Shop Murders premieres its first installment on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 2. The other three episodes premiere on subsequent Sundays through the month.
Victor Kossakovsky concludes his “A” trilogy, following ¡Vivan las Antípodas! and Aquarela, with another documentary that changed how he sees the world. Architecton will likely do the same for you, especially if you see it on the big screen, with no distractions, and let its themes sink in. I also recommend reading interviews with Kossakovsky about the film, its inception, and its making, as the documentary benefits from, if not requires, outside context. Taken at face value, Architecton is a sometimes spectacular and always soothing montage of ancient ruins, modern buildings destroyed by an earthquake or war, mountains blasted for use in concrete, and Italian architect Michele De Lucchi creating a circle of stones in his garden.
If there is one point to the film, it’s a damning of concrete, the second-most-used substance in the world. It’s a symbol of our fast, cheap, and disposable modern civilization, just as impossibly heavy stones are symbols of ancient times. Confirmed through Kossakovsky’s external commentary, Architecton is an environmentalist work that addresses the natural costs of concrete as the most widely used building material. Considering the thesis, it’d be wrong to celebrate the film’s visuals as simply being beautiful or positively stunning, as many have. I don’t think I subscribe to all of Kossakovsky’s ideas as I understand them here, however, so I’m fine appreciating the destruction as an attraction. I admit I never thought about concrete at all before watching and reading about Architecton, and I accept that my feelings may change.
Architecton will be released in theaters on Friday, August 1.
In 2004, Ondi Timoner released one of the best music documentaries ever made. Twenty years later, that film, Dig!, was reworked as Dig! XX, to commemorate the anniversary and provide new perspectives and some updates. Both chronicle the rivalry between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but the former is more favorable to the Dandys and the latter more forgiving of BTM. While I can’t say it’s a better version, the new cut did initially land on my list of the best documentaries of 2025. As I wrote then, “Dig! XX is more comprehensive and often clearer in its storytelling.” It’s also “just as unique and engrossing as Dig! and is even more polished, but it’s always going to live in the original’s shadow.”
Dig! XX begins streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, August 1.
Football season is nearly upon us, and two popular streaming services are getting fans ready with several new docuseries devoted to the sport. Two big ones arrive this week, including the latest installment of the long-running Hard Knocks franchise. Also considered Season 25, Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills takes viewers behind the scenes with the Bills for the first time in the series’ run, following the NFL team as they prepare for the upcoming season.
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday similarly peeks behind the curtain, but with college ball — specifically focusing on the Southeastern Conference teams. Each episode looks at one significant game from the 2024-2025 season, when the SEC expanded and the College Football Playoffs format drastically changed. The series introduces the coaches (and their families) and some players from both teams facing off in that game to show their respective stakes. I’m curious about this show now that I live in the South, where SEC football is all that people talk about in the fall.
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with The Buffalo Bills premieres on HBO and HBO Max and SEC Football: Any Given Saturday premieres on Netflix, both on Tuesday, August 5.
Recently re-released in theaters, George Hickenlooper, Fax Bahr, and Eleanor Coppola’s classic making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is currently unavailable on any streaming service. You could rent or buy it digitally, or you could watch it on cable this week. Here’s an excerpt about the feature from a list of the best documentaries about the struggles and triumphs of filmmaking:
“Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse is an extraordinary and searing look into the human cost(s) of a wholly extraordinary situation. Francis Ford Coppola, after the success of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, was nigh-untouchable in Hollywood. He could make whatever he wanted, and he set his sight on a dark, expressionistic tale about humanity, inhumanity, and the Vietnam War. Little did he know that the making of Apocalypse Now would almost ruin his life and his filmmaking career. It is one of the most essential documentaries about creating cinema, as the film never shies away from Coppola throughout the entire tumultuous production of his war epic.”
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse airs on TCM on Friday, August 1.
Almost 70 years after its publication, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road remains an important piece of American literature. From certain modern perspectives, though, it’s not necessarily a “great” American novel. That its legacy is complex only adds to its significance today. Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation explores the book’s lasting allure and addresses all its problems through various contexts and lenses. This isn’t a documentary for fans to simply express or receive commentary on its brilliance. It’s an appreciation of a work with fondness and criticism.
Josh Brolin talks of it changing his life as he came of age and began riding his Harley Davidson around the country. W. Kumau Bell acknowledges the story’s white privilege (something Brolin could relate to). Natalie Merchant mentions how she had inadvertently inspired fans to read On the Road through her song “Hey Jack Kerouac,” despite it not being exactly a favorable tribute to the author and the other Beats. I love a documentary that can put its subject through the wringer with so many angles. I was far less interested in a couple of fresh narratives that Kerouac’s Road includes, one of a couple living on the road in their van and another of a young man going to college far from home. I see the relevance, but they break the flow of the greater discourse.
Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Generation opens in theaters on Friday, August 1.
Architecton (2024) – A documentary by Viktor Kosakovskiy (Gunda) about stone and concrete as foundations of our habitat. (In Theaters)
Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues (2025) – A docuseries following Birmingham City FC under Tom Brady’s minority ownership involvement. (Prime Video)
The Competition (2016) – A documentary feature by Claire Simon on the Parisian film school La Fémis. (The Criterion Channel)
Deadliest Catch Season 21, Episode 1: “The Wild West” – The return of this docuseries that follows Alaskan crab fishermen. (Discovery)
Dig! XX (2024) – An extended version of Ondi Timoner’s classic 2004 music documentary Dig! about the friendship and rivalry between The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Read our review of Dig! XX. (The Criterion Channel)
Eight Postcards from Utopia (2024) – An archival documentary made from post-socialist Romanian advertisements. (Mubi)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991) – Eleanor Coppola’s documentary about the making of her husband’s movie Apocalypse Now, in collaboration with directors Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper. (TCM)
The Hottest August (2019) – A documentary feature by Brett Story consisting of encounters with strangers in New York City. (The Criterion Channel)
Kerouac’s Road: The Beat of a Nation (2025) – A documentary about Jack Kerouac’s On the Road from the lens of today. (In Theaters)
It Looks Like Rain (1945) – A short film about the tools used to forecast the weather. (TCM)
Louder Than You Think (2023) – A feature-length documentary about Pavement’s original drummer, Gary Young. (Mubi)
Maurice Pialat: Love Exists (2007) – A documentary paying tribute to the titular filmmaker. (The Criterion Channel)
MGM Parade Show #28 (1956) – This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films Captains Courageous and Forbidden Planet. (TCM)
Oasis: Supersonic (2016) – A documentary feature about the formation and rise of the titular British rock band. (Tubi)
One Direction: This Is Us (2013) – A documentary feature by Morgan Spurlock about the titular boy band. Read our review of One Direction: This Is Us. (Tubi)
The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (2016) – A documentary by Brett Story consisting of 12 vignettes focused on the prison–industrial complex. (The Criterion Channel)
Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs (2025) – A concert film starring the titular rock band as they perform at the Catacombs in Paris. (The Criterion Channel)
Sisters of Ukraine (2023) – A documentary feature following a group of nuns, volunteers, and refugees from war-torn Ukraine to housing in Barcelona. (VOD and DVD)
Spills for Thrills (1940) – A short documentary about stunt performers. (TCM)
TURA! (2024) – A biographical documentary about actress Tura Satana, the star of Faster, Pussycat. Kill. Kill! (In Theaters)
1,000 Ways to Dine (2025) – A new nonfiction series showcasing unusual and unique restaurants. (A&E)
Buried in the Backyard Season 6, Episode 4: “Unhallowed Ground” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about the odd locations where murder victims were found. This episode involves a Michigan mom targeted for a satanic ritual. (Oxygen True Crime)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 1: “The Hitchhiker” – The first installment of a six-part docuseries about unidentified bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. This episode concerns a serial killer victim. (National Geographic)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 3: “The Tranq Dope Underground” – The latest installment of this award-winning series involves a new fentanyl cocktail. (National Geographic)
Glimpses of Western Germany (1954) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Germany. (TCM)
In the Eye of the Storm Season 2, Episode 3: “Double Hurricane Disaster” – The latest installment of this docuseries about natural disasters involves Hurricane Helene. (Discovery)
The King Without a Crown (1937) – A short film depicting the possibility that Louis XVII and Marie Antoinette escaped death during the French Revolution. (TCM)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 1: “The Hitchhiker” – The first installment of a six-part docuseries about unidentified bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. This episode concerns a serial killer victim. (Hulu and Disney+)
R.F.D. Greenwich Village (1969) – A short promotional film about corduroy that takes viewers on a trip through lower New York City. (TCM)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 3: “The Tranq Dope Underground” – The latest installment of this award-winning series involves a new fentanyl cocktail. (Hulu)
The Yogurt Shop Murders Episode 1: “Fire and Water” – The first installment of a four-part true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown (Descendant) about the killing of four teenagers in 1991. (HBO Max)
Atomic People (2024) – A documentary about the last survivors of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. (PBS)
Empire: The World’s First Superpower with David Olusoga (2025) – A docuseries about the beginnings of the British Empire under Elizabeth I. (PBS Passport)
First Aid (1943) – A short film about basic first aid techniques. (TCM)
A Killer Among Friends Season 1, Episode 4: “She’s No Runaway” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murders that tear friend groups apart. This episode involves the death of a middle schooler. (Investigation Discovery)
Survival Mode Season 1, Episode 5: “Montecito Mudslide” – The latest installment of this docuseries focuses on a mudslide that took over a neighborhood. (NBC)
The Garifuna Journey (1998) – A medium-length documentary about the Garifuna people of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. (OVID)
Glimpses of Morocco and Algiers (1951) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Northwest Africa. (TCM)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills (2025) – The latest installment of the Hard Knocks franchise goes behind the scenes with the titular NFL football team. (HBO and HBO Max)
Jamesie, King of Scratch (2007) – A documentary feature about musician James Brewster and Scratch music, which originates in the Virgin Islands. (OVID)
The Last Mixtape (2025) – A medium-length documentary about nine musicians coming together to create a collaborative album in one week. (DVD)
Murder 360 (2025) – A true-crime docuseries that looks at 10 murder cases from multiple perspectives. (Paramount+)
Romantic Riviera (1951) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the French Riviera. (TCM)
SEC Football: Any Given Saturday (2025) – A docuseries that gives an inside look at college football within the Southeastern Conference. (Netflix)
White Wanderer: Mzungu (2010) – A documentary feature following four Americans on their journey in Africa to “save the world.” (DVD)
Yurumein: Homeland (2014) – A medium-length documentary about the Garifuna people of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. (OVID)
Famous Boners (1942) – A short film about real people who caused or were victims of errors, including Sir Isaac Newton. (TCM)
Kiddie Revue (1930) – A short film featuring musical performances by children. (TCM)
The Lost Bird Project (2012) – A medium-length documentary about a sculptor’s project memorializing five bird species that have gone extinct. (OVID)
Quebec in Summertime (1949) – A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the titular Canadian province. (TCM)
See Memory (2025) – A short documentary about a painter using art to explore memory and PTSD. (OVID)
25 Texans in the Land of Lincoln (2019) – A short documentary following history students from San Antonio to Illinois to try to retrieve the artificial leg of Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna from a military museum. (OVID)
Decade for Decision (1957) – A short documentary about the threat of the Soviet launch of the first satellite, Sputnik. (TCM)
The Furry Detectives: Unmasking a Monster Episode 4: “The Animal Within” – The final installment of a true-crime docuseries about animal abuse in the furry community. (AMC+ and Sundance Now)
Lie Detector: Truth or Deception Season 1, Episode 5: “Edward Ates” – The latest installment of this docuseries about suspected but not charged individuals taking lie detectors to prove their innocence. This episode concerns a man hoping to prove his innocence after serving 20 years for allegedly murdering his neighbor. (A&E)
Necaxa (2025) – A docuseries following the titular Mexican football club. (FX)
Stans (2025) – A documentary produced by Eminem about superfandom. Watch a new clip from the film here. (In Theaters)
Taurasi (2025) – A docuseries about basketball player Diana Taurasi. (Prime Video)
Ted Bundy: Dialogue with the Devil (2024) – A true-crime docuseries featuring recordings of the titular serial killer aiding in the investigation of the Green River Killer. (Hulu)
Tracing Roots (2014) – A short documentary following master Haida weaver Delores Churchill in a project spanning cultures and borders. (OVID)
We Must Have Music (1941) – A short film directed by Busby Berkeley on the history of soundtracks and music scores. (TCM)
8/8 – Sudan, Remember Us – An award-winning documentary following young Sudanese activists before and through the current civil war. (In Theaters)
8/15 – Dawn Dusk – A documentary feature about a woman grieving the loss of her sister to domestic abuse. (Tubi, Prime Video, and Roku)
8/19 – America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys – A docuseries about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his transformation of the team in the 1990s. (Netflix)
9/1 – Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence – A four-part docuseries about abusive mommy vlogger Ruby Franke and her relationship with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (Investigation Discovery)
9/5 – Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire – A biographical documentary about the titular author and Holocaust survivor best known for writing the memoir Night. Watch the new trailer for the film here. (In Theaters)
9/19 – Predators – A documentary about the TV series To Catch a Predator. Read our review of Predators from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (In Theaters)
9/21 – Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe – A documentary portrait of the titular Italian tenor. (In Theaters)
10/17 – The Man Who Saves the World? – A documentary feature by Gabe Polsky (Red Army) about a man who believes he has a calling to unite Amazonian tribes to save the rainforest. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/29 – Coexistence, My Ass! – A Sundance award-winning documentary about comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi and her one-woman show about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (In Theaters)
11/21 – Zodiac Killer Project – A meta-textual true-crime documentary about an abandoned documentary on the Zodiac Killer. Read our review of Zodiac Killer Project. (In Theaters)
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