Documentaries & Biographies > Animals & Wildlife Documentaries Documentaries & Biographies > I

Advantages: Steve Irwin
Disadvantages: Poor acting, terrible storyline

I like Steve Irwin. I really find him entertaining if a little over the top. But he does keep banging on about how much experience he has and how he learned it from his father - and it grates on you after a while. But my children were desperate to see this film, so off we trotted. They loved it - but then they are only 9 and 8. I enjoyed the bits with Steve and Terri Irwin, on their travels around the Outback, catching various creatures for research ...
...stop her so calls in Steve and Terri to relocate the croc. Incompetant spies are sent out and bungle the job. Steve catches croc after much difficulty and is nearly killed in the process - firstly by the croc pulling him along by the top jaw rope he attached to it and then by the spies, who are convinced that Steve and Terri are spied too. Very lame and very unconvincing. But the bits with the croc are VERY scary. I screamed. I admit it. I did actually ... Read review

Advantages: Thought provoking, will learn alot about graphs and spreadsheets
Disadvantages: You may never want to go near Microsoft Excel again, tad boring

...follow (Super-Size Me for example), An Inconvenient Truth is essentially one of Al Gore's lectures, put onto film, with a few clips 'tacked on' to break up the never ending flow of graphs. Some just don't seem to fit with the nature of the film, for example, the clip of Al Gore losing the 2000 American elections. Although he does explain why it's important to his passion for global warming (unfortunately I wasn't convinced), its obvious the real ...
...going to the cinema, not an auditorium. Humour plays a small part in Gore's fight, with cartoons displaying simple-to-follow explanations of global warming, and stories that poke fun of the intellect of the American education system. Unfortunately, despite its best efforts to appeal to a wider audience, only scientists will be able to sit comfortably throughout the films running time. Some parts of the lecture have the American audience in stitches, ... Read review

Advantages: -
Disadvantages: -

...on a regular basis. Dog The Bounty Hunter is based of Duane "The Dog" Chapman and his family that are real life bounty hunters. An ex con that has turned his own life around and now encourages people that are in the same boat as what he has been in to do the same. Working in Hawaii with his family, including his wife, Beth, his brother, and his son and daughters, the whole family follow the lead of the dog that goes round trying to track down people ...
...of the cases deeply disturb Dog himself and he has to greater lengths to try and catch these villains than he should do and landed himself in more bother, in one case he crossed over the border of Mexico to catch a criminal in which they are not allowed to do and landed himself in prison. What makes me laugh is when they actually catch someone and they pile them into their people carrier one of the first questions that they ask is "Do You want a ... Read review

Advantages: Great use of footage, analysis from experts and pieced together wonderfully
Disadvantages: None

'When We Were Kings' is a documentary by Leon Gast, centred around the 'Rumble in the Jungle', the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which will undoubtedly go down as one of the most famous sporting events in history. Held in Kinshasa, Zaire, the event generated massive interest from all around the world. The documentary focuses primarily on Muhammad Ali, who at this point in his career, and with Foreman's dominance in the boxing ...
...the fight. Ali's charisma, personality and charm meant he was always going to be the man the fight centred around. 'When We Were Kings' charts the build-up to the fight, utilising interviews with experts in the boxing field, members of the media who were in Zaire at the time of the fight, and natives of Zaire as well as interviews and press conferences with the two boxers involved. It tells of us how the natives felt a connection with Ali and supported ... Read review

Advantages: Tells you important Dates
Disadvantages: -

...myself," he once said, "but I couldn't speak for the millions they killed." In 1986, he succeeded in having gypsy representatives included on the Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington DC. His biggest disappointments were his failure to secure the capture of Gestapo chief, Heinrich Muller, and Auschwitz doctor, Josef Mengele, who died in Brazil in 1978. Simon Wiesenthal died in the Austrian capital, Vienna, aged 96. Mr Wiesenthal died in his sleep ... Read review