25. Super Size Me (Morgan Spurlock, 2004)
Living on a diet of solely McDonalds as three square meals for thirty days, Spurlock addresses the "epidemic" of obesity, malnutrition and misleading marketing leveled at the fast-food industry at large, or perhaps that should read extra-large, for the experiment ultimately leaves him 24½ lbs (11.1 kg) heavier, suffering from heart palpitations and, in his doctor's opinion, "addicted". Although Spurlock claimed to follow the eating and exercise habits of the average American, many detractors have pointed out that his results were unrepresentative, and that the film's sensationalist tone said nothing we didn't already know. Presumably, the announcement that McDonalds planned to scrap its Super Size option and introduce healthier choices to the menu must be, in Spurlock's eyes at least, purely coincidental...
24. Corman's World: Exploits Of A Hollywood Rebel (Alex Stapleton, 2011)
For over fifty years, Roger Corman has been the unsung hero of the B-movies. Even if youre yet to appreciate the likes of Swamp Women, She-Gods of Shark Reef or Machine Gun Kelly, the list of peers and protégés falling over themselves to give thanks to the 86 year-old is certainly staggering: Robert De Niro, David Carradine, Gale Ann Hurd, Peter Bogdanovich, Pam Grier, Peter Fonda, Martin Scorsese. If there were a Six Degrees of Roger Corman, it would surely be too easy. His films may not have troubled the box office, but with over 400 directing and producing credits, and a work ethic admirably described as DIY, he isnt quite the rebel of this documentarys title. Indeed, his interviews here show a modest, erudite and enthusiastic talent, rather than the hack youd expect to be behind A Bucket of Blood and Attack of the Crab Monsters. If production finished ahead of schedule, hed simply tear down the set and start work on the next one. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) was shot in just under three days. If anything, this film asserts that the smaller the budget; the better the movie. His Edgar Allen Poe adaptations in the early Sixties may seem a far cry from 2010s Dinoshark, produced exclusively for the Syfy channel, yet the craft lives on. So effusive is his praise towards his former mentor, even Jack Nicholson cant help but shed a tear.
23. Tabloid (Errol Morris, 2010)
Ever since his 1978 debut Gates of Heaven compelled Werner Herzog to eat his own shoe, Morris has surrounded himself with the eccentric and extraordinary, and as true crime stories go, there are few that can top this. Its the Seventies tale that has everything: sex, religion and rumour. When Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming, fell in love with Kirk Anderson, a Mormon missionary, she wouldnt let him escape her clutches. Unfortunately, this claim has been interpreted in a more literal way than she would like us to believe. She argues that she traveled to Surrey to save Anderson from being "brainwashed by a cult", yet his version of events was the one that stole the headlines. He accuses McKinney of kidnapping and raping him, his weekend spent handcuffed to a bed in a Devon cottage led to the British press dubbing him the "Manacled Mormon". McKinney takes this documentary as an opportunity to defend herself, yet the more she laughs off her "crazed temptress" reputation, the more you believe she may actually enjoy it. After all, barely a day went by without her name in print, even if it wasnt under the most rewarding of circumstances. Here, shes a wildly expressive and entertaining guest (key quote: A guy either wants to have sex or he doesnt. Thats like putting a marshmallow into a parking meter ), but once this film was released, she suddenly grew tired of the limelight. McKinney sued Morris in 2011, claiming that his film portrayed her as "a prostitute and a rapist", and that she had been forced to interrupt any cinema screening the film to tell the audience her side of the story, but what a story it is. If you only see one film that covers Mormons, cloned dogs and vagina dentata this year, make it this one.