Even as August's newest movies and TV show titles trickle in on HBO Max, for documentary enthusiasts, one new series that's been building some excitement has finally arrived, and I can confirm after watching the first episode that it's been well worth the wait.is a stranger-than-fiction docuseries from the filmmaker behind two of the streaming world's wildest animal-obsession sagas ever, and it's my top pick this weekend.Rounding out the list, however, are a pair of completely different choices—a portrait of a Beatle legend by a directing legend, and a breathtaking plunge into the beautiful blues of the world's oceans—sure to make for a weekend of variety.
3 George Harrison: Living in the Material World Scorsese's intimate portrait of the quiet Beatle Martin Scorsese's beautiful and fascinating 2011 tribute to George Harrison is one of my favorite music biographies ever.Not just because it highlights the extraordinary life and journey of my favorite Beatle (there, I said it), but because of the care with which Scorsese, no stranger to sweeping music docs (, ), takes in representing the gentle, nuanced nature of his subject. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge The best music documentaries and biopicsTrivia challenge From Woodstock to Walk the Line — how well do you know the films behind the music legends? BiopicsDocumentariesMusic IconsFilm FactsBehind the Scenes Begin 01 / 8 Documentaries The 2015 documentary Amy, about Amy Winehouse, was directed by which filmmaker? AMorgan NevilleBAsif KapadiaCNick BroomfieldDAlex Gibney Correct! Asif Kapadia directed Amy, crafting the film almost entirely from archival footage and audio interviews.
The documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2016. Not quite.Amy was directed by Asif Kapadia, who is also known for his documentaries Senna and Diego Maradona.The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2016. Continue 02 / 8 Biopics In Walk the Line, which actor portrayed Johnny Cash and won a Golden Globe for the role? ARussell CroweBEd HarrisCJoaquin PhoenixDJosh Brolin Correct! Joaquin Phoenix played Johnny Cash in the 2005 biopic and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.
Notably, Phoenix and co-star Reese Witherspoon performed all of their own vocals in the film. Not quite.Joaquin Phoenix portrayed Johnny Cash in Walk the Line.He even performed all his own singing, which impressed June Carter Cash's real-life family enormously. Continue 03 / 8 Biopics In the 2004 film Ray, Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles.
Which major award did Foxx win for this performance? ABAFTA Award for Best ActorBAcademy Award for Best ActorCScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding CastDGolden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Correct! Jamie Foxx won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Ray Charles.Remarkably, Foxx was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor that same year for Collateral, making him one of very few actors nominated twice in the same ceremony. Not quite.Jamie Foxx took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for Ray.
His performance was widely praised for its physical and emotional depth, particularly his depiction of Charles's blindness and struggles with addiction. Continue 04 / 8 Documentaries Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck was released in 2015 and directed by Brett Morgen.What made it particularly unique among Cobain documentaries? AIt was the first documentary to feature interviews with surviving Nirvana membersBIt was the first documentary officially authorized by the Cobain estateCIt was shot entirely using Super 8 home footage from Cobain himselfDIt focused exclusively on Nirvana's In Utero recording sessions Correct! Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck was the first documentary to be officially authorized by the Cobain estate, giving director Brett Morgen unprecedented access to personal diaries, home recordings, and family footage.This made it a uniquely intimate portrait of Cobain's life. Not quite.
The defining feature of Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck was that it was the first documentary officially authorized by the Cobain estate.This gave filmmaker Brett Morgen extraordinary access to private materials, including journals, artwork, and home videos. Continue 05 / 8 Documentaries Taylor Swift's documentary Miss Americana, released on Netflix in 2020, covers a pivotal period in her life.Which major personal decision is a central theme of the film? AHer move from country music to popBHer decision to speak out publicly on political issuesCHer choice to leave her longtime record labelDHer recovery from a serious vocal cord injury Correct! Miss Americana documents Taylor Swift's decision to break her long public silence on politics, particularly her endorsement of Democratic candidates during the 2018 Tennessee midterm elections.
The film explores the personal and professional risks she felt came with that choice. Not quite.A central theme of Miss Americana is Taylor Swift's decision to speak publicly about politics for the first time, including endorsing candidates in the 2018 midterms.The film reveals how she wrestled with breaking from her carefully maintained public neutrality. Continue 06 / 8 Documentaries Summer of Soul (2021), directed by Questlove, focuses on a legendary 1969 music festival.
What is the festival's official name? AThe Newport Jazz FestivalBThe Harlem Cultural FestivalCThe Wattstax Music FestivalDThe Atlanta Pop Festival Correct! Summer of Soul centers on the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, a series of free concerts held in Marcus Garvey Park.The footage had been locked away in a vault for over 50 years before Questlove brought it to the world, earning the film an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Not quite.The festival featured in Summer of Soul is the Harlem Cultural Festival, held in 1969.
Remarkably, the footage sat unseen in a basement for more than five decades before Questlove used it to create this celebrated documentary. Continue 07 / 8 Music Icons In the biopic Walk the Line, which legendary musician and close friend of Johnny Cash is portrayed as a major influence on his early career? AElvis PresleyBJerry Lee LewisCCarl PerkinsDHank Williams Correct! Elvis Presley appears as a significant presence in Walk the Line, depicted as a peer and inspiration to the young Johnny Cash during their shared time at Sun Records.The film portrays Cash's ambition as partly fueled by seeing Elvis's explosive early success. Not quite.Elvis Presley is portrayed as a major influence on Cash in Walk the Line, with both artists having recorded at Sun Records in Memphis during the same era.
The film depicts their camaraderie as part of Cash's formative years as a performer. Continue 08 / 8 Film Facts Which of these music documentaries won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature? AKurt Cobain: Montage of HeckBMiss AmericanaCSummer of SoulDBillie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Correct! Summer of Soul, directed by Questlove, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2022 ceremony.It also won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, making it one of the most acclaimed music documentaries in recent memory. Not quite.Summer of Soul is the Oscar winner in this group, taking home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2022.
Directed by Questlove, the film also swept major awards at Sundance, cementing its place as a landmark music documentary. See My Score Challenge Complete Your Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again is a thorough 3-hour and 28-minute account that tells it all, delving into Harrison's life as a musician, spiritual seeker, philanthropist, and filmmaker.The Emmy-winning special sweeps from his beginnings as a young musician in Liverpool, through the insanity of Beatlemania, his spiritual awakening, his solo career and All Things Must Pass, the Traveling Wilburys, and his love of movies and involvement with the Monty Pythons.Scorsese weaves together some incredible archival footage of performances, home movies, rare photos and documents, and candid interviews with the likes of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Harrison's widow Olivia, and son Dhani.
Told in two parts, it's an intimate and essential watch that shines light on the often misunderstood Beatle.George Harrison: Living in the Material World Documentary Music Release Date 2011 - 2011-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming Cast George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Klaus Voormann, Ringo Starr, John Lennon Main Genre Documentary Seasons 1 Powered by Expand Collapse 2 Blue Planet II Attenborough's voice is the soundtrack of any good Sunday Sometimes you just need gorgeous eye-candy from the natural world (with a thread of environmentalism) to round out your weekend.And if it comes with the silky-smooth British narration of the world's greatest living (he's 100 years old!) naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, you might just end the weekend feeling like you've actually accomplished something.
is the gold standard of nature TV and was the UK's most-watched TV program of 2017.And it still holds up today, as the show's stunning seven episodes explore the Earth's oceans and the extraordinary marine life—from surfing dolphins and clever tuskfish that can use tools, to ice-dwelling creatures with natural antifreeze for blood, and sharks, turtles, and much more.The jaw-dropping cinematography and footage are the result of more than four years, 135 expeditions across 39 countries, and 6,000 hours of underwater diving, much of it capturing never-before-filmed creatures and behaviors.
The cherry on top is the series' music—a hauntingly beautiful score by none other than Hans Zimmer and Radiohead's reworked version of the track, .Blue Planet II TV-G Documentary Family Nature Release Date 2017 - 2017-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Network BBC One Cast David Attenborough Directors Alastair Fothergill Producers James Honeyborne, Mark Brownlow, Jonathan Smith, Orla Doherty, Miles Barton Seasons 1 Powered by Expand Collapse 1 Monsters of God The Tiger King team returns with a look into reptile smuggling In the first 30 seconds of HBO's anticipated new documentary series, —a twisting, slithering examination of the vicious underworld of illegal reptile trading—obsessed snake wrangler Al Killian narrowly avoids being fanged three times by his pet king cobra.The stage is set, but if there's one thing that director Eric Goode—well-known for his other animal underworld phenomenon, Tiger King—is good at, it's drawing out the freaks and feuds.
The five-part HBO Original, which premiered on August 6 and has new episodes coming weekly, delves into the billion-dollar world of illegal reptile smuggling.But as with Goode's focus on the deadly feud between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, highlights the fierce rivalry between reptile dealers Hank Molt and Tommy Crutchfield and the seedy iguana trafficking case that one used to bury the other, as the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service closed in.
But the story doesn't just end with them; it casts a wide net that involves smugglers, international crime syndicates, and even legitimate zoos.As to be expected, the series is full of colorful interviews with even more colorful characters, including Molt, Crutchfield, and scene-stealing former DEA agent Larry Loveless, with later episodes featuring Malaysian kingpin Anson Wong.New episodes drop Thursdays, ending with a finale on September 3.
Monsters of God Documentary Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming Network HBO Directors Eric Goode Main Genre Documentary Producers Josh Safdie, Nicole Stott, Ronald Bronstein, Eli Bush, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Emily Osborne Seasons 1 Powered by Expand Collapse Our coverage doesn't end with docs Beatles, dolphins, and iguanas, oh my.Documentaries sure are great at picking apart the stories and micro-niches that make life interesting—and you can find the best docs each week here—but if you're after recommendations for all the latest shows and movies streaming has to offer, How-To Geek covers it all, all the time in our streaming section.HBO Max Subscription with ads Yes, $10.99/month Simultaneous streams 2 or 4 HBO Max is a subscription-based streaming service offering content from HBO, Warner Bros., DC, and more.
In 2025, the service re-branded itself as HBO Max after having previously cut "HBO" from its name.Live TV Live sports available in Standard and Premium plans Price Starting at $10.99/month or $109.99/year See available plans Expand Collapse
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