Far from a vanity project, this revealing documentary follows Jerry Seinfeld as he tries to create an entirely new stand-up act. The star generously allows screen time for bits by aspiring comedian Orny Adams and candid conversations with the likes of Garry Shandling, Chris Rock and others – heck, even Jay Leno has something interesting

When does a home movie deserve to be shown to people other than close friends and relatives? Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee inexplicably earned a national release for this narcissistic consideration of McElwee’s mildly interesting family history. It likely would put most of his distant aunts and uncles to sleep, let alone mainstream America. A native

The perfect venue for Chappelle’s ironic blend of inflammatory yet inclusive comedy. In staging “the concert I’ve always wanted to see” in Brooklyn, Chappelle brings together mostly black hip-hop artists (Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu), a college marching band and two ancient hippies who live on the block, among others. It’s not exactly a

Parental sacrifice takes many forms – I had trouble adjusting to Disney songs rather than, say, U2, as the soundtrack to a road trip – but few human endeavors can match what emperor penguins do for their chicks. This acutely observant documentary records the astonishing acts of commitment and endurance that these birds engage in

Botching amazing access, director Michael Tucker spent months with American soldiers in Iraq only to come away with a limited depiction of the war. Nearly every interviewee is a foul-mouthed kid who doesn’t know why he is in Iraq and expresses his frustration in an impromptu rap. Even if this raunchy, locker-room mood is the

The parade of suffering yet smiling kids peering into the camera in ABC Africa is endless, and that’s the point. This compassionate, impressionistic documentary, from acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, tries to come to grips with the 1.6 million orphans in Uganda whose parents succumbed to AIDS. The film provides some facts, but more importantly

Throughout this documentary, 81-year-old Traudl Junge faces the camera and recounts her days spent taking dictation from Adolph Hitler, from 1942 to his final hours in the bunker. What she’s really facing, however, is her own conscience. A fascinating study of self-forgiveness, Blind Spot explores how we come to make the decisions that will define

For this fascinating historical documentary, director Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line) interviewed former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara on the subject of warfare, specifically the roles he played in World War II and Vietnam. The result is an engrossing character study that suggests even the brightest and most well-meaning of us may be