From ayahuasca retreats to ketamine therapy, celebrities and scientists alike explore the healing powers and potential pitfalls of modern-day drugs.
Grass (1999)
Marijuana is the most controversial drug of the 20th Century. Smoked by generations to little discernible ill effect, it continues to be reviled by many governments on Earth. In this Genie Award-winning documentary veteran Canadian director Ron Mann and narrator Woody Harrelson mix humour and historical footage together to recount how the United States has demonized a relatively harmless drug.
Kirk Douglas: Before I Forget (2009)
Kirk Douglas recounts his remarkable life in a celebrated one-man theater performance augmented with rare film highlights. He shares memories of family, marriages, other Hollywood greats, breaking the blacklist and his life-altering stroke – all with honesty and humor.
Dearly Departed (2006)
Hollywood is a hot spot for celebrities, and tour guide Scott Michaels (E!'s "20 Most Horrifying Hollywood Murders," FindADeath.com) knows their, well, haunts. DEARLY DEPARTED is an all-access tour of the "backlots" of L.A. - locations where the most infamous murders, suicides and bizarre crimes involving A-listers have taken place. The Viper Room, the site where "The Black Dahlia" was discovered, and dozens more legendary spots are explored in this funny and equally shocking ride into L.A.'s seedy underground.
Century of Smoke (2019)
Laosan, a young family man, spends all his time smoking opium. For his community, lost in the heart of the Laotian jungle, opium farming is the only way to survive. But opium is also the poison that puts men to sleep and kills their desires.
Like It Is (1968)
This documentary on the "youth movement" of the late 1960s focuses on the hippie pot smoking/free love culture in the San Francisco Bay area.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008)
Fueled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey, and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true "free lance, " goring sacred cows with impunity, hilarity, and a steel-eyed conviction for writing wrongs. Focusing on the good doctor's heyday, 1965 to 1975, the film includes clips of never-before-seen (nor heard) home movies, audiotapes, and passages from unpublished manuscripts.
Super High Me (2007)
Determined to find out the true effects of marijuana on the human body, stand-up comedian and former Stoner of the Year Doug Benson documents his experience avoiding pot for 30 days and then consuming massive amounts of the drug for 30 days. More than just an amusing story of one man's quest to get superhigh, this documentary also examines the hotly contested debate over medical marijuana use.
Cracolândia (2020)
Based on intense research - and seen through different realities, that of those who study it, that of those who try to contain it and that of those who live in it -, the film opens a debate about the largest and most impacting scene of crack use in an open area of the world: Cracolândia, in São Paulo. The work analyzes the causes of this evil and its progressions, in addition to the combat tactics already carried out in São Paulo, opening a parallel with those applied in other countries.
Looking for Melania Trump (2020)
Melania is both an ideal symbol of a conservative America and the evil embodiment of limitless ambition. Political journalist Laurence Haïm has observed her for the past years and is able to reveal a much more complex part of the personality and life of the mysterious lady. For some, Melania Trump is an unscrupulous trophy wife on the arm of the most powerful man in the world. For others, the First Lady embodies with distinction the conservative woman, the unwavering wife in the service of her husband. For all, she remains inaccessible and secretive, a woman whose public appearances are heavily prepared and scripted. In the time of ‘Me too’, let us take a dive into conservative America, discover another side of feminism impersonated by none other than Melania Trump.
Showbiz Kids (2020)
A documentary chronicling the shared experiences of prominent former child stars and the personal and professional price of fame and failure on a child.
Breaking Habits (2019)
A former corporate executive fleeing a bad marriage becomes a cannabis farmer, forms a company called Sisters of the Valley and takes on the persona of a nun, Sister Kate.
Score: A Film Music Documentary (2017)
Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover their creative process. Tracing key developments in the evolution of music in film, and exploring some of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, 'Score' is an aural valentine for film lovers.
Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic (2004)
Documentary about the legendary American film director from his introduction to the film industry in its early years to his death in 1959.
House of the Wickedest Man in the World (2023)
House of the Wickedest Man in the World is the story of a ruined building near the city of Cefalú in Sicily. In the early 1920s, Aleister Crowley, the most famous occultist of his time, lived in the building, practicing magical rituals. In the summer of 1955, Kenneth Anger, considered one of the pioneers of experimental cinema, traveled with sexologist Alfred Kinsey to Sicily to find Aleister Crowley’s temple to shoot a film about the occultist’s time in Cefalú. The Thelema Abbey film was never released.
David Blaine: Beyond Magic (2016)
In his most revealing performance yet, the one-hour special features an exploration into Blaine’s trademark style of street magic as he once again stuns his audience.
The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down (2007)
Tongue-in-cheek look at 20-something singles clubbing and partying in L.A. Voice-over narration, charts and graphs, and visits to a research laboratory punctuate the story of a single night when groups of friends go out, drink alcohol, take drugs, dance and talk, and look for someone to go home with.
Mythos Hollywood - Das Geheimnis des Erfolgs (1998)
Ekchart Schmidt examines the machinery behind the dream factory; the Hollywood myth is unmasked. How does the studio industry work? What role does marketing and the hype surrounding the stars play?