February
15
Top Ten Sexiest Docs
My old Premiere colleague Tom Roston, who has a blog over at PBS's POV, has picked his top ten sexiest docs--is that an oxymoron?--of which, I must say, my fave must-see classics are Dogtown and Z Boys, Gimme Shelter, Sherman's March, The Kid Stays in the Picture, Paris is Burning and Crumb. Here's a taste; for the top five, check out Roston's blog.
What do I mean by "Sexiest"? Am I talking about actual erotic content or a sleek, hip style? When I look at this list I've cobbled together, I realize that each of these documentaries, in its own way, really asks the same question, "What is sexy?" And that's something worth asking, I'd say. So that's what I'm getting at here. And, anyway, in the words of Nigel from that great work of fictional non-fiction filmmaking This is Spinal Tap, what's wrong with being sexy?The 10 Sexiest Documentaries of All Time
10) Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991)
Sure, this film was more vanity project puffery than actual documentary, but that's what we wanted to see when Madonna was at her highest height. And at the time, it felt intimate. And it was…hot!
9) Dogtown and Z-boys (2002)
This nostalgia trip into Southern California's 1970s skateboarding scene was as much about the freedom of youth as it was a paean to the idolatry of cool.
8) Gimme Shelter (1970)
I don't know, maybe this is one of the greatest anti-sex movies. The Maysles' brothers' documentary about the concert at Altamont marked the end of the free love of the 1960s. But, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones just saunter through in their silk scarves, suggesting the fun times had just begun.
7) Unzipped (1995)
It's hard to believe there was a time when the fashion world of super models wasn't overexposed. But Unzipped delivered an eye-opening look behind the catwalk, and although it was ultimately a fawning portrait of designer Isaac Mizrahi, it revealed a whole hell of a lot more truth than Robert Altman's fictional flop, Ready to Wear.
6) Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (1997)
This really is not my thing, but it definitely takes you to a new level of understanding the line between pleasure and pain.
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Madonna's doc was pretty sexy/sexual: many people saw for the first time what a bunch of gays would interact like thanks to this movie...And there was an aura in the early 90s around Madonna as if she was the Babylon prostitute the Book of Revelations talks about...that was hot!
Posted by: George F | February 16, 2008 at 05:00 PM