Documentary

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada was but a distant irritation to everyone but his own countrymen and the British Empire until his perfidy became headline material in the early '70s. The first director to provide an in-depth study of this gregarious madman was director Barbet Schroeder, with his General Idi Amin Dada. In this documentary, Schroeder and his crew travel to Uganda to spend several days with the despot, one-on-one. The uncomfortable truths revealed in the film are all the most amazing when one realizes that Schroeder could not release his documentary without Amin's approval. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Northern California rap artist E-40 is the focus of this semi-documentary look at his ambitious rise from obscurity to hip-hop stardom. Combining interviews, performance footage, newsreel material, and staged reenactments, Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire shows how E-40 climbed to the top of the dynamic "Yay-Area" rap scene, and it includes appearances by The Click, C-Bo, and Suga-T. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

From the Beats of the Heart documentary series, originally aired on public television, comes Roots, Rock Reggae: Inside the Jamaican Music Scene. This film offers a street-level look at the culture birthing reggae and features vintage performances by some of the genre's leading artists, as well as personal interviews and studio scenes. Viewers travel from Jamaica's Trenchtown ghetto to the serene hills of Kingston where followers of Rastafari drum and sing hymns. Rasta forms the base of reggae music, which developed from elements of American rock and blues, Caribbean musical styles, folk music, Pocomania church music, Jonkanoo fife and drum bands, fertility rituals, plantation work songs and other musical forms. Musicians appearing in this video include Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Toots and The Maytals, Jacob Miller & Inner Circle, The Abysinnians, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Ras Michael & Sons of Negus, and Joe Higgs. Beats of the Heart is comprised of 15 volumes including, Chase the Devil: Religious Music of the Appalachians, Salsa: Latin Pop Music in the Cities, There'll Always be Stars in the Sky: Indian Film Music and others. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide

The Story of Gospel Music provides a thorough overview of the history and performers of gospel vintage recordings. Viewers feast their eyes and ears on some of the most soulful concert footage ever recorded. The biggest names in spiritual music, including Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Reverend Thomas Dorsey, and The Fisk Jubilee Singers perform. The program was originally broadcast on PBS's Great Performances series. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide

Motown Records created one of the most distinctive sounds in the history of rock and roll. Based in Detroit, Michigan, the label created, along with the British invasion, the soundtrack of the cultural upheaval that was the 1960s. This documentary captures a 1987 reunion concert featuring some of Motown's biggest stars including Martha Reeves, Mary Wells, David Ruffin, and Eddie Kendricks. They perform over two-dozen songs including "My Guy," "Nowhere to Run," "Heat Wave," "Just My Imagination," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," and "The Way You Do the Things You Do." ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Masters of the Country Blues: Elizabeth Cotton and Jesse Fuller features performances by each of these legendary figures. Among the songs performed are "Freight Train," "Washington Blues," and "I'm Going Away," by Cotton. Fuller delivers renditions of "John Henry," "Take This Hammer," and "Running Wild." ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Eagle Vision presents this concert film, capturing on-stage performances from the controversial and wildly successful Up in Smoke Tour. Hip-hop mega-stars Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, and Eminem perform some of their best-known songs and are captured off-stage in exclusive home videos in this 2000 release. Songs featured in The Up in Smoke Tour include "You Can Do It," "Nigga You Love to Hate," "We Be Clubbin," "Kill U," "Dead Wrong," "Under Influence," "Marshall Mathers," "Criminal," "The Real Slim Shady," "Roll That Shit, Light That Shit, Smoke That Shit," "Da Chronic Spot," "Next Episode," "What's My Name," "G-Thang," "Bitch Please," "What's the Difference," "Forgot About Dre," "Fuck You," "Let Me Ride," and "Still Dre." ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This documentary chronicles the story of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur, who enjoyed great popularity and notoriety until his short life ended in violence. The inside story of the last year of the singer's life is told by his bodyguard Frank Alexander. The viewer learns about the world Shakur inhabited and the events that culminated in his murder. The L.A. police detective who investigated the case gives his point of view. The president of Shakur's recording company, Death Row Records, shares his insights about the young artist. There are clips from several of Shakur's recording sessions, including that for the hit song "Until the End of Time." ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Peter Spirer (Rhyme & Reason, East Coast Mix, Volume 1: Another Reason to Rhyme, BloodTies) directs this look at the life and art of rap artist Tupac Shakur. In addition to rare footage of Shakur, the film includes interviews with significant members of the rap world like Suge Knight and Snoop Dogg. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Spike Lee's documentary on the football star, movie actor, and social activist is a no-frills examination of a man who has rarely been out of the public spotlight for over 45 years. Jim Brown talks about the various phases of his life, from his boyhood in the all-black community of St. Simons Island, GA; to his adolescence on Long Island, where he became a multi-sport star athlete; to his college days at Syracuse University; to his nine-year career as the NFL's leading running back with the Cleveland Browns; to his days as an action star in Hollywood films; to his work with various social programs, many designed to help inner city youth. Among the many interview subjects are Art Modell, the onetime owner of the Browns; former Cleveland Brown teammates Dick Schafrath, John Wooten, Bobby Mitchell, Paul Warfield, and Walter Beach; filmmaking colleagues Fred Williamson and Bernie Casey (both football players turned actors), Raquel Welch, Oliver Stone, James Toback, Melvin Van Peebles, and Stella Stevens; Kim Brown and James Brown Jr., two of Brown's children from his first marriage; and Rockhead Johnson, a former Los Angeles gang leader and officer of Brown's Amer-I-Can organization. Lee does address Brown's ongoing legal problems over various assault charges, many of them involving women, and he tracks down a onetime Brown lover who in the mid-'60s wound up in the hospital after an incident at his Los Angeles home. Brown appeared in a supporting role in Lee's film He Got Game. This film, co-produced by HBO's sports division, was released theatrically for a limited run; a version running 114 minutes premiered on HBO several months later. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

Eyewitness accounts combine with archival footage to offer an illuminating account of the oft-neglected but undeniably important role that churches played during the Civil Rights Movement. Few movements have had such a profound impact on the very fabric of American society as the Civil Rights Movement, and it was within the hallowed halls of these spiritual centers that leaders met to strategize their methods of helping the downtrodden minorities rise up in the name of justice and equality. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Hosted by investigative reporter Dominic Cunningham-Reid, this National Geographic TV special follows the international trade of illegal diamonds along a danger-filled route from Sierra Leone to Antwerp. Much of the footage is disturbingly authentic, culled via hidden cameras and surveillance photos. It is clear throughout that Cunningham-Reid and his crew are in grave danger as they article the tie-in between diamond smuggling and the financing of terrorists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide