Films to watch – November 2014

As an addition to this month’s Books to Read, I’ve decided to add some things that I consider must-watch since you’ll probably have some downtime over the next few days.  All of the selections in this month’s list are available on Netflix.  I was transfixed by all of these, and I hope you enjoy them as well.

History Of The Eagles

I grew up with two older brothers, and I can distinctly remember them listening to Heartache Tonight and other great Eagles songs from the Eagles Greatest Hits album at full blast in the attic where they slept. I loved the Eagles music then, and I still love all of it today.  In this remarkable three-hour documentary, the Eagles themselves give first-hand accounts of their rise from dust to the pinnacle of success, their breakup and then eventual reunion.  The most remarkable thing about this story is that, as you watch, you’ll begin to truly understand just how great Don Henley and Glenn Frey were as a songwriting duo.  I love listening to true artists talk about how they work, and this film provides amazing insights into what made this band so great. I enjoyed Henley and Frey’s brutal honesty about their role in the band, and how they knew they were the stars of the show.  I watched this in two sections, but could easily have sat and watched it straight through.  Remarkable theatre, and worth every minute.

Slaying the Badger – Greg LeMond’s 1986 Tour De France

I’ve never been a big cycling fan, but remember distinctly how big a deal it was when Greg LeMond won the 1986 Tour de France.  He was the first American to ever win the race, and was a national hero at the time.  What I didn’t remember at all, or know, was how much drama there was as a part of the race, or how bitter the rivalry became between LeMond and Bernard Hinault, the reigning champion and hero of the French.  In this ESPN 30 for 30 film, they interview both Hinault and LeMond present day, and they tell the story of that race through the two combatants. Even though you know how the story ends, the journey is gripping and one of the great sports stories of the modern era.  At the end, they also start to delve into the tragedy of the modern era of cycling, flush with doping and cheating.  I remember LeMond openly calling Lance Armstrong a fraud as he was winning all of those races, and I also remember thinking LeMond had a bad case of sour grapes.  After watching this film, I had a newfound respect for two guys who battled hard and did things the right way.

Bill Cunningham New York

I’ve always enjoyed learning about people who master their craft over the course of a lifetime of dedication.  Maybe it’s because I flit about from thing to thing and thus can’t imagine what it would be like to find the thing that grips you so tightly that you can’t do anything else.  Bill Cunningham is nothing short of a modern-day god in photography.  He has shot the fashion pages of the New York Times for decades, and is world-renown for his work.  I had never heard of him until I stumbled upon this documentary, courtesy of Kevin Kelly’s True Films site (as an aside, this is a treasure trove of documentary reviews).  Cunningham lives a remarkably simple life, riding his bike all over Manhattan and shooting fashions of everyday people on one day and then shooting the runways in Paris the next.  He lives in a tiny apartment, sleeps on a cot, and has all of his pictures packed in around him.  His obvious love for the craft of photography will leave you inspired, and if you’re anything like me, challenged to think about the definition of excellence in your own life.

There you have it!  My list of must-watch films for the month of November 2014.  Stay tuned for another list in December, and as always, thanks for reading.  Let me know what you think of this month’s films by leaving a comment below.