Brian Roberts
Finally, Summer is upon us. That means long days, happy hours, and lots of being outside, but it also means more time off, and more time to catch up on the TV shows and movies you’ve missed. Netflix is home to some of the best documentaries available to stream. If you haven’t seen these yet, here’s what you need to be watching:
1. Get Me Roger Stone
America is seemingly endlessly fascinated with the rise of President Donald Trump. And even more obsessed with the Giant Foam Maga Hats. If you’re still interested in how it all happened, perhaps you should start by looking at Roger Stone. Stone appears as the character we all know him to be in a new documentary that explores the man himself and the political culture he helped create, which is one that looks more like show business than anything our founding fathers likely intended.
2. Casting JonBenét
Despite a lengthy investigation, and years of speculation, coverage, and commentary, what, exactly, happened to JonBenét Ramsey remains a mystery. This documentary explores the murder of the young pageant queen with a new perspective: Actors, from JonBenet’s hometown who are seeking roles in a portrayal of her story.
3. The Culture High
This film, released in 2014, is the sequel to the 2007 documentary, The Union: The Business Behind Getting High. It explores the war on drugs, touches on the problematic boost in the use of prescription medication, and the politics behind all of it. Economists are also featured in the documentary, which notes that a plan that involves both regulation and taxation on legal marijuana could be a sustainable solution. Signs show they’re right. The industry is being taken more seriously, getting more attention, and it looks like the next entrepreneurial wave will be cannabis-centric. This is very much the case as many other industries are also profiting from the emergence of the marijuana market, including Area 52, a company exploring new cannabinoids like delta-8-THC.
4. 13th
13th was nominated for an award at this year’s Oscars for its exploration of racial inequality in the United States. Directed by Ava DuVernay, who also directed Selma, looks at mass incarceration and examines how we got here, beginning with the end of the Civil War and the passage of the 13th Amendment all the way through to today, in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement.
5. Amanda Knox
If you missed the documentary about the young woman who was convicted, and then acquitted of the murder of her roommate while she was a foreign exchange student, now’s your time to catch up. This film explores the circumstances surrounding the actual court case as well as the public opinion’s trial of the woman who became known as “Foxy Knoxy,” and the journalists who helped shape it.
