Class Action Park explores the legend, legacy, and truth behind the 1980s water park in Vernon, New Jersey that long ago entered the realm of myth. Known for its dangerous, unsupervised rides and lack of regulation, guests of Action Park expected to walk away with injuries and were lucky if they made it out alive. Shirking the trappings of nostalgia, the film uses investigative journalism, original animations, recordings, and interviews with the people who lived it to reveal the true story of Action Park.
There Are No Fakes (2019)
Norval Morrisseau was the first Indigenous Canadian artist to be taken seriously in the art world. By the turn of this century his work commanded tens of thousands of dollars. So when Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn learned his prized painting was a forgery, he sued. But as Jamie Kastner's doc reveals, there was a cottage industry in fake Morrisseaus, an industry that flourished unchecked for years, feeding on greed, exploitation, racism and contempt.
Prater (2007)
Vienna’s Prater is an amusement park and a desire machine. No mechanical invention, no novel idea or sensational innovation could escape incorporation into the Prater. The diverse story-telling in Ulrike Ottinger’s film “Prater” transforms this place of sensations into a modern cinema of attractions. The Prater’s history from the beginning to the present is told by its protagonists and those who have documented it, including contemporary cinematic images of the Prater, interviews with carnies, commentary by Austrians and visitors from abroad, film quotes, and photographic and written documentary materials. The meaning of the Prater, its status as a place of technological innovation, and its role as a cultural medium are reflected in texts by Elfriede Jelinek, Josef von Sternberg, Erich Kästner and Elias Canetti, as well as in music devoted to this amusement venue throughout the course of its history.
Dwarves Kingdom (2015)
Dwarves Kingdom is a documentary film about a theme park featuring performances by little people with dwarfism who live in a fantasy recreation of a magical empire. Built by a wealthy Chinese businessman, this other-worldly kingdom, officially called World Ecological Garden of Butterfly and Little People Kingdom, is located in the mountains surrounding the city of Kunming in Western China.
America: Freedom to Fascism (2006)
This is a documentary about an honest search for the truth about the Federal Reserve Bank and the legality of the Internal Revenue System. Through extensive interviews with recognised experts and authority, the director shows an astonishing revelation of how the Federal Government and the Bankers have fooled the American public by taking thier wages and putting it in the pockets of the super-rich.
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner.
The World According to Monsanto (2008)
Monsanto is the world leader in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), as well as one of the most controversial corporations in industrial history. This century-old empire has created some of the most toxic products ever sold, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the herbicide Agent Orange. Based on a painstaking investigation, The World According to Monsanto puts together the pieces of the company’s history, calling on hitherto unpublished documents and numerous first-hand accounts.
An Honest Liar (2014)
An Honest Liar tells the incredible story of the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru names Carlos.
Coney Island (1991)
Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".
Chaika (2015)
Documentary film-investigation of financial frauds of persons close to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Yuri Chaika.
Camera Sleuth (1951)
In this Pete Smith Specialty short, we see how real-life investigator Jo Goggin used a motion picture surveillance camera to gather evidence and disprove a fraudulent insurance claim.
Il était une fois Disney & la France (2023)
French documentary on Walt Disney's relationship with France through his personal and professional life.
Andy Murray: Resurfacing (2019)
A documentary film that tracks the tennis star’s devastating injury journey between 2017-2019. From the front lines of surgical theatres, to the intimate corners of his home, we live alongside and witness Andy at his most vulnerable. Considered Britain’s greatest sportsman ever, we see why Andy puts himself through the unimaginable to get back to the sport he loves.
Senna 30 Anos: O Dia que Ainda Não Terminou (2024)
On May 1, 1994, Roberto Cabrini announced the death of Ayrton Senna on national television and, since then, has never stopped investigating the facts related to the fatal accident that occurred at the Formula 1 San Marino Grand Prix. Three decades later, RECORD and PlayPlus present a special documentary by the journalist with the most complete production ever made to date about the days leading up to one of the most remarkable events in the history of Brazilian sports.
Falling into Place: Kai Jones (2024)
Skier Kai Jones shattered both his legs in a fall from a cliff. The teenager experiences a brutal rescue operation, a difficult operation and life-threatening anemia. The movie shows Kai Jones' fight for survival. It is a story about adversity and how it strengthens one's own resilience.
Pariah: The Lives and Deaths of Sonny Liston (2019)
Overcoming the seemingly insurmountable odds that life threw his way, Liston became heavyweight champion of the world when he knocked out Floyd Patterson in 1962. Eight years later, he died but friends questioned the cause of his death.
Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale (2021)
For over 85 years, steamship Ste. Claire transported generations of Detroiters to Boblo Island, an amusement park nestled in the waters between the US and Canada. When the vessel comes under threat of ruin, a doctor, psychic and amusement park fanatic unite to save their beloved steamship from the scrapyard. Interweaving local lore and mythology, "Boblo Boats" explores the whitewashed history of amusement parks and one crew's crusade to bring back the memories.
Jane Fonda's Sports Aid (1987)
Advice from an orthopedist, demonstrated by Jane, on the best first aid techniques for 17 different types of common sports-related injuries - sprained ankle, Achilles tendinitis, tennis leg, shin splints, stress fractures, knee injuries, jumper's knee, acute knee injuries, thigh injuries, back injuries, back strains, stiff neck, shoulder injuries, tennis elbow, little league elbow, wrist (navicular) fracture, and jammed finger. Color coded so you can refer to a particular injury quickly in an emergency, you'll be able to recognize a particular injury, manage it in that all-important first few minutes after it's occurred, and know when it's best to call a doctor. There are also exercises that will help to keep injuries from happening in the first place, or at least minimise their effects.
Inside The Mob's Bloody Valentine (2011)
The St. Valentine's Day massacre is the stuff of American legend, and the tale is familiar to nearly everyone. But the story of that bloody day in Chicago has never been told, or seen, like this before. Cutting-edge graphics and frenetic recreations accompany Johnny Fratto, son of onetime Al Capone-associate Louis "Lew" Fratto, back to Chicago, where he uncovers massacre myths and learns more about the life his father and uncles led when they roamed those lawless streets in the 1920s. Johnny gets guidance and opinions from a team of renowned Chicago gangster experts, and bridges the gap between the stories he heard as a little boy and the reality he lived growing up in a mob family. Johnny's take about what happened on Feb. 14, 1929 will surprise you.
Ripped Off: Madoff and the Scamming of America (2009)
Ripped Off: Madoff and the Scamming of America tells Madoff's story superbly, although it was put together before Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison without parole, so it's not quite complete—perhaps when he gets out, he can watch this DVD and fill in any gaps. There's a little bit of sensationalism here and there (and really, how could there not be? The man stole $65 billion!), but for the most part it's surprisingly levelheaded and, yes, even historical.
Illicit: The Dark Trade (2008)
Documenting the shadowy world of illegal trade that in this era of globalization spans the entire planet with a growing web of criminal networks. Counterfeiting is not just about knock-off brand handbags or pirated DVDs; these global supply chains also carry much more dangerous items: drugs, weapons, fake pharmaceuticals, knock-off car and airline parts, and more.