The Insomniac Theatre: 5 Cool Docs from Snagfilms

I've always dreamed of running my very own movie theatre. I'd program an eclectic range of films and do away with the "no outside food" policy. I'd hold movie marathons of rarely seen Japanese films, silents, docs, experimental, horror, sci-fi, whatever. And it would be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It wouldn't make any money and it'd probably only draw an audience of one most of the time, but it'd be fun. I'd christen it The Insomniac Theatre.



Synopses taken from SnagFilms site

01. The Outsider
Absurdly comic, highly kinetic, and at times quite emotional, THE OUTSIDER gives a very inside look at what it means to be a filmmaker. The film follows legendary writer/director James Toback (The Gambler, Two Girls and a Guy, Bugsy) through the insane making of his recent thriller When Will I be Loved starring Neve Campbell. All phases of Toback’s wild filmmaking journey are chronicled as he shoots his movie in 12 days without a script and battles to get it distributed. Candid interviews with Woody Allen, Robert Downey, Jr., Mike Tyson, Brooke Sheilds, Harvey Keitel, Norman Mailer, Barry Levinson and more reveal the complex life and work of this compulsive gambler and exceptional film talent.

02. Be Here to Love Me
Perhaps one of the most underrated songwriters of the last century, BE HERE TO LOVE ME chronicles the fascinating and often turbulent life of Townes Van Zandt with a simple unpredictability that mimics the way the artist lived his short life. Directed by Margaret Brown, this haunting and lyrical film combines emotional interviews with Van Zandt’s immediate family and such luminaries as Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Guy Clark with rare footage of Van Zandt at home and on the stage.

03. Heavy Metal in Baghdad
HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible. That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.

04. Protagonist
PROTAGONIST is a riveting and provocative documentary that explores the psychological transformation of the modern character. Inspired by Greek drama, Academy Award® winning director Jessica Yu weaves together the stories of four men consumed by personal odysseys — a notorious former German terrorist, an evangelical minister who comes out of the closet, a bank robber turned journalist, and a Kung Fu devotee.

05. Hoop Dreams
This Oscar-nominated documentary follows two inner-city Chicago residents as they follow their dreams of becoming basketball superstars. Beginning at the start of their high school years, and ending almost 5 years later as the boys mature into men, both are recruited into the same elite high school as their idol, former Detroit Piston star Isaiah Thomas. Throughout this journey, there is much tragedy, some joy, a great wealth of information about inner city life, and the suspense of not knowing what will occur next.