Most people don’t get to see documentaries until they arrive on a home video platform of some kind, whether it’s DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, iTunes, TV, Netflix streaming, etc. So, this may be the most important post of the week for fans of nonfics. Join us every Tuesday for a look at what documentaries and reality programming is recommended by myself and other contributors to the site. As always, if you know of something we missed or should be aware of, drop us an email or a note down below.
This week doesn’t see a lot of our recommended documentaries released to any home video outlets, so we’ve decided to list all the titles recently nominated for 2014 Cinema Eye Honors. Not all are currently available to watch from home, but many are now or will be soon. We’ve highlighted those you can rent, buy, stream or download today in red.
Here are our home picks for November 12, 2013:
12 O’Clock Boys (Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking; Debut Feature) — Available on VOD/Digital beginning January 31, 2014 (same day it hits theaters).
20 Feet From Stardom (Audience Choice) — Expected iTunes release date is December 17, 2013.
The Act of Killing (Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking; Audience Choice; Direction; Production; Editing) — Out on DVD and Blu-ray on November 19, 2013.
After Tiller (Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking; Debut Feature; Direction; Production) — Available for institutional DVD and Blu-ray purchase on December 1, 2013. Public release unknown.
A Band Called Death (Original Music Score) — Available on DVD, Blu-ray, iTunes, Netflix Streaming and Amazon Streaming.
Bending Steel (Spotlight) — Unavailable
Blackfish (Audience Choice; Original Music Score) — Available on DVD, Blu-ray, iTunes and Amazon Streaming.
The Crash Reel (Audience Choice; Made for Television) — Available on iTunes and HBO Go
Cutie and the Boxer (Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking; Debut Feature; Audience Choice; Cinematography; Original Music Score; Graphic Design/Animation) — Available on iTunes and Amazon Streaming.
Da Vinci (Short) — Unavailable
Death of a Prisoner (Short) — Available on NYTimes.com.
Dirty Wars (Production; Cinematography) — Available on DVD, iTunes, Netflix Streaming, Amazon Streaming and SundanceNow Streaming.
Elena (Cinematography) — Unavailable in the U.S. (on iTunes in Brazil only).
Expedition to the End of the World (Production; Cinematography; Original Music Score) — Unavailable
Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story (Graphic Design/Animation) — Available on DVD and iTunes.
First Cousin Once Removed (Direction; Editing) — Available on HBO Go beginning December 10, 2013.
The Fruit Hunters (Graphic Design/Animation) — Available on DVD, iTunes and Amazon Streaming.
Fuck for Forest (Spotlight) — Unavailable in the U.S. (on DVD and iTunes in the UK)
Gideon’s Army (Made for Television) — Available on HBO Go.
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (Spotlight) — Unavailable.
Homegoings (Made for Television) — Available on POV/PBS Streaming.
Inequality for All (Graphic Design/Animation) — Arrives on DVD and iTunes on January 7, 2014.
Inventing David Geffen (Made for TV) — Available on DVD, iTunes and Amazon Streaming (Prime).
The Last Station (Spotlight) — Unavailable
Let the Fire Burn (Debut Feature; Editing) — Unavailable
Leviathan (Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking; Direction; Editing; Cinematography) — Available on DVD, Blu-ray and iTunes.
The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear (Debut Feature; Direction) — Available on DVD, iTunes and Amazon Streaming.
Maidentrip (Graphic Design/Animation) — Unavailable
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (Made for TV) — Available on DVD, HBO and HBO Go.
Muscle Shoals (Audience Choice) — Available on iTunes and Amazon Streaming.
Narco Cultura (Original Music Score) — Unavailable
Our Nixon (Editing) — Available on iTunes and Amazon Streaming. Arrives on DVD on January 14, 2014.
Outlawed in Pakistan (Short) — Available via Frontline on DVD, iTunes, Amazon Streaming and PBS Streaming.
Rafea: Solar Mama (Audience Choice) — Unavailable
Reindeer (Short) — Available free on YouTube.
The Search for Emak Bakia (Spotlight) — Unavilable
SLOMO (Short) — Available on DVD.
Sofia’s Last Ambulance (Debut Feature) — Unavailable
Sound City (Audience Choice) — Available on DVD, Blu-ray, iTunes and Amazon Streaming (Prime).
The Square (Production; Audience Choice) — Unavailable
Stories We Tell (Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking; Audience Choice; Direction) — Available on DVD, iTunes and Amazon Streaming.
A Story for the Modlins (Short) — Unavailable
Teenage (Original Music Score) — Unavailable
Valentine Road (Spotlight) — Available on HBO, HBO On Demand and HBO Go.
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks (Graphic Design/Animation) — Available on DVD, iTunes, Netflix Streaming and Amazon Streaming.
Which Way is the Front Lines From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington (Made for TV) — Available on HBO and HBO Go.
New to DVD and/or Blu-ray:
American Weightlifting: The Documentary
Buffalo Girls
Doin It in the Park: Pick-Up Basketball New York
In Search of Blind Joe Death: The Saga of John Fahey
Rising from Ashes
Road Trip for Ralphie: A Christmas Story Documentary
Also New to Netflix Watch Instantly:
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel
Ping Pong
Tar Creek
Until They Are Home
Also New to iTunes/VOD:
Dear Mr. Watterson
More Than Honey
More Must-See Nonfiction TV:
Neshoba: The Price of Freedom [11/12 on Free Speech TV, 9pm ET]
Chimpanzee [11/13 on Encore, 6:35am ET]
Exit Through the Gift Shop [11/13 on The Movie Channel, 8:35am ET]
Valentine Road [11/13 on HBO Signature, 9:45am ET]
Last Call at the Oasis[11/13 on Pivot, 8pm ET]
Bowling for Columbine[11/14 on HBO, 1am ET]
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress [11/14 on Link TV, 1am ET]
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party[11/14 on The Movie Channel, 4am ET]
Startup.com [11/14 on Showtime Next, 9:30am ET]
Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott’s Road to the Stars [11/15 on Pivot, 8am ET]
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God [11/15 on HBO, 9am ET]
Space Station [11/17 on 3Net, 4pm ET]
In the Shadow of the Moon[11/17 on Military Channel, 9pm ET]
The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia [11/17 on The Movie Channel, 10pm ET]
Saving Face [11/18 on HBO, 5:50am ET]
Sicko [11/18 on Sundance Channel, 8:30am ET]
Pearl Jam Twenty [11/18 on Palladium, 9pm ET]
Pussy Riot — A Punk Prayer [11/19 on HBO2, 2:55am ET]
Fahrenheit 9/11 [11/19 on The Movie Channel, 8pm ET]