Documentary

Per its title, the 60 minute documentary Oprah: Unauthorized offers an uncensored and decidedly unvarnished look at Oprah Winfrey. As one of the most omnipotent and eminently successful women in the world of entertainment, this television pundit, publisher, businesswoman, writer and actress (an Academy Award nominee for her work in The Color Purple) burst onto the scene in 1984 and permanently altered the landscape of filmed entertainment with her presence. Oprah: Unauthorized explores Winfrey's accomplishments, with a strong dual emphasis on her rise to fame and an exploration of the many scandals that cropped up over the years and threatened to tarnish her image. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Hip hop fans know just what a remarkable impact the late Notorious B.I.G. had on the world of modern music, and in this documentary filmmakers come closer to uncovering the man behind the myth than ever before. His loose, silky smooth flow and unique rhyme style made him stand well apart from the pack, yet despite his success Notorious B.I.G. would eventually become an unfortunate victim of the violent East Coast-West Coast hip-hop feud. With seldom seen home video footage, newly-released interview captured shortly before his death, footage of the crime scene, and recollections from such close friends and collaborators as Easy Mo Bee, Raekwon, Ditty, and Method Man, this comprehensive portrait of a hip hop superstar will have fans dusting off their old copies of Life After Death for another, nostalgic listen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In a time when even the most respected and mainstream hip-hop artists face charges of drug trafficking, assault, and money laundering, filmmaker Don Sikorski speaks with such prominent hip-hoppers as Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and Kanye West to find out why hip-hop moguls and law enforcement seem to be locked in a bitter and never-ending feud. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In the world of hip-hop, honor and loyalty are paramount. Perhaps nowhere in the contemporary urban music scene are these sentiments more evident than in the story of the late Notorious B.I.G.. On March 9, 1997 - two weeks before his final album Life After Death shot to the top of the charts - Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed. In the wake of Notorious B.I.G.'s death, his manager D-Roc signed Lil' Kim and Junior Mafia. Later, when gunfire broke out at Hot 97 in New York City, Lil' Kim and D-Roc were sent to prison and their friend were labeled "snitches" by the hip hop community. Now, in a documentary detailing the "Golden Age" of New York hip hop, fans can witness interviews with Jay-Z, Diddy, The Lox, and more in addition to viewing actual footage of the Hot 97 shootout and hearing the recollections of D-Roc - who had previously refused to discuss the event. Jamie Hector of HBO's The Wire hosts a program that no hip hop fan will want to miss. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Take a look back at the musical genre that started small and now dominates the airwaves with this reflective documentary featuring interviews hip-hop legends Grandmaster Flash, Kurtis Blow, Afrika Bambaataa, and Run DMC. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Socio-economic status, minority rights, and housing codes all come into dramatic conflict in co-directors Linda Goode Bryant and Laura Poitras' 2003 documentary Flag Wars. Set in a historic district in Columbus, OH, named Olde Towne East, Bryant and Poitras discover the serenity of the primarily African-American neighborhood is in jeopardy. Gay professionals are moving into the neighborhood with the intentions of buying inexpensive property, and as they improve upon their acquisitions, the new residents stand accused of using underhanded -- yet legal -- tactics in order to force the longtime residents to either refurbish their properties or move out of the district altogether. Yet the two minority groups are not as far removed from one another as it would initially appear, as certain conservative elements within the greater Columbus community seem interested in using the conflict to further their own agendas. Flag Wars was a competing film at the 2003 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it was awarded the Jury Documentary Prize. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

A hotly contested political race generates a wealth of drama in this documentary from filmmaker Marshall Curry. Sharpe James is a veteran politician who has been mayor of Newark, NJ, since 1986; by the admission of his own spokespeople, James is a "machine" politician who uses muscle and influence to get things done, and while he's enjoyed the fruits of his success, his administration has been accused of having a long history of corruption. In 2002, Cory Booker, a lawyer who was a member of the Newark City Council, announced he was running for mayor, and it didn't take long for the contest to get ugly. Booker was a graduate of Yale Law School, a Rhodes Scholar, and an advocate of more open and honest government, and James and his staff wasted no time in attacking his qualifications and personality in public. While both candidates were African-American, James chose to play the race card, questioning if Booker was "black" enough and suggesting the church-going Baptist was actually a Jew. James's campaign staff didn't stop at verbal attacks, and as Marshall Curry began covering the James and Booker campaigns, he found himself frequently attacked by James's supporters (with his camera running and in full view of other reporters), and a number of local businessmen stated for the record that they were supporting James for fear of reprisals later on. The film that resulted from Curry's efforts, Street Fight, received a 2005 Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Documentary filmmaker Thomas Gibson directed this investigation into the rise of the Republican right wing in America, and how this has impacted the African-American community. Letter to the President explores the different way in which the policies Reagan and Bush administrations have damaged the lives of black youth, from the government-approved distribution of crack cocaine in inner-city neighborhoods to economic policies that have widened the divide between the rich and the poor. Gibson's film also parallels this phenomenon with the rise of rap and hip-hop music, and how these styles have provided a voice for disenfranchised youth. Letter to the President includes interviews with KRS-One, 50 Cent, Damon Dash, Ghostface Killah, Dick Gregory, Amiri Baraka, and many more; Snoop Dogg narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A musical presentation featuring Danny Barker and the Dukes of Dixieland. Tunes include "Wolverine Blues," "Buddy Bolden Blues," and "New Orleans Joys," and many others. ~ All Movie Guide

One of the biggest artists in hip-hop, rapper Jay-Z surprised fans in 2003 when he announced he would retire following the release of his hotly anticipated collection The Black Album. In November of 2003, not long after the album hit stores, Jay-Z staged a special show at New York City's Madison Square Garden, in which he performed alongside some of the most popular and influential acts in hip-hop and R&B, including R. Kelly, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, ?uestlove, Pharrell Williams, P. Diddy, and more. Billed as Jay-Z's final solo performance (though he would stage a collaborative tour with R. Kelly in the fall of 2004), Fade to Black is a concert documentary that captures both the action on-stage and the celebration behind the scenes; the film also features an inside look at the making of The Black Album. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Noted documentarians Alan and Susan Raymond spent one year at Stanton Elementary School in urban Philadelphia creating a surprising document of lost dreams and hopes in their 1993 film I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School. Exclusively African-American and mostly filled with children from impoverished homes, the school's staff and administration have spent much time trying to create a solid place of learning and hope for its children. A new opportunity is presented when dynamic Caucasian principal Deanna Burney takes over the school and sets about changing the atmosphere of the school. Over the course of the year, though, Burney's efforts are not enough to offset the greater community's malcontent and pervasive lawlessness, forcing the idealistic principal to make some difficult choices about her position in the school district. I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School was one of the most awarded documentary films in 1993, with an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and an Emmy award for Outstanding Information Special among its numerous citations. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide