2022 Documentary Project Recap

 First things first, I did not hit my target this year. I, actually, didn't even make it half way. My biggest stumbling block to making my goal this year was cov*d. I had it in the summer, I was quite sick and I have been dealing with issues related to it ever since. Which means I have spent a lot of time asleep the last half of this year. I was just checking my Netflix account to make sure I hadn't missed recording any docs on my list and I had watched only 4 things on my account from July 1st until late November. Now obviously I didn't get to writing up reviews of all the ones I did manage to watch and it seems daunting to go back and do them now, so I'm going to settle on a list for y'all this year.

1. Bad Sport - Limited Series about some not so great moments in sport. I appreciated the episodes dedicated to different sports like cricket and horse racing. Of course I was really in it for the Canadian Olympic Figure Skating scandal episode. Netflix

2. This is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist - Limited Series about the 1990 art heist from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. True crime, without the murder. Netflix

3. Dave Not Coming Back - Depth divers plan a dive to retrieve a body of a fellow diver. I think about this one often. It has definitely stayed with me. Amazon

4. The Beatles: Get Back - A must watch for a Beatles fan. Loved watching Paul just write an iconic song, also the rooftop concert was a treat. Disney+

5. Finding Vivian Maier - Maier, a career nanny, who's 100,000 photographs discovered after her death earned her the reputation as one of the most accomplished and insightful street photographers. Amazon

6. Alpinist - Marc Andre Leclerc, 23 year old free climber who has made some of the boldest solo climbs in history. This one also stayed with me. Amazon

7. Race: Bubba Wallace - Limited series about Bubba Wallace's experience as a NASCAR Cup driver. Netflix

8. Street Gang: How we Got to Sesame Street - How Sesame Street came to be in our living rooms growing up. Crave

9. The Invisible Pilot - Limited Series about a man who jumped off a bridge in 1977 and years later it's found he was living a dangerous double life. Crave

10. We Need To Talk About Cosby - Limited Series, W. Kamau Bell's documentary about Bill Cosby's fall from America's Dad to convicted sexual predator. I appreciated Bell's approach to this, to me it never felt sensationalized, but rather thoughtful, thorough and ultimately, eye opening. Crave

11. The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - The life and career of The Bee Gees and the complexities that come along with fame and working with family. I honestly had no idea what the scope of their career was. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Crave

12. Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off - A deep look at Tony Hawk's life and career. I do like Tony Hawk, so I enjoyed this. Crave

13. Curse of The Chippendales - Limited Series about the founding of the Chippendales. It's a wild ride, friends. Amazon

14. 30 for 30: The Birth of Big Air - I love a 30 for 30 documentary. This one is about the career of BMX rider Matt Hoffman and his birth of "Big Air". A good watch for the extreme sport fan. Disney+

15. Trainwreck: Woodstock 99 - Limited Series about the absolute disaster that Woodstock 99 was. It was eye opening and appalling. Netflix

16. The Princess - Princess Diana's story told through archive footage. Watched with my daughter, who expressed an interest in this. It's a sad tale all around. Crave

17. Untold: The Girlfriend That Didn't Exist - Football player Manti Te'o finds himself wrapped up in a catfishing situation that sends his professional career into a spiral. Netflix

18. Facing Nolan - Documentary about pitching great Nolan Ryan. Great watch for a baseball fan. Netflix

19. Harry & Meghan - Limited Series about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their exit from life as working Senior Royals as well as the British media. Netflix.

20. Pepsi, Where's my Jet? - Limited Series about John Leonard's attempt to trade his Pepsi points for the fighter jet Pepsi depicted in their commercials.

21. The Anthrax Attacks - The anthrax attacks on America following 9/11 and the FBI's investigation of them. It was a wild ride friends. Netflix

22. Prince Andrew: Banished - We were on a real Royal kick this year. This was just gross. He's just gross. Crave

That's it, I got 22 documentaries in this year and I am not disappointed at all. I actually enjoyed this type of format, I might post these in small batches. I don't think I do review posts well, but I like offering up the opportunity to discuss them if others have also seen them.

Favourites for the year: Dave Not Coming Back, Finding Vivien Maier, Alpinist and Street Gang: How we Got To Sesame Street. My metric for picking favourites is, what stays with me the longest after watching. Which ones to I keep turning over in my brain.