6 documentaries on Netflix to ease into summer, #StreamTeam

Hey there, we’re part of the #StreamTeam for Netflix and were compensated for this post. All thoughts are our own. Summer! School is out and parents need something fun to watch that might be new, bring back memories or otherwise entertaining to be a fly on the wall in someone’s life. We found lots of great documentaries on Netflix and wanted to highlight these six that remind us of things, teach us the value of never giving up and the precious times of a boy and his imaginary pet tiger.

Don’t Stop Believin’, Everyman’s Journey

Have you heard the story of Journey’s lead singer? Arnel Pinada was discovered by Journey guitarist Neil Schon on Youtube. Pinada was working in the Philippines in a small night club as the lead singer for The Zoo. His joining the band could easily be seen as a PR stunt, except for the fact that he is really good.  He can hit all of the notes, writes lots of new music for the band (check out Revelation from 2008) and genuinely seems like a nice guy.

The real surprise about Don’t Stop Believin’, Everyman’s Journey is how motivational and entertaining the film is. It mainly focuses on Shcon’s discovery of Pinada, the initial band rehearsals and Journey’s initial tour with him. The film shines a little light onto the history of the band and its previous lead singers too.  Steve Perry is of course mentioned, as are the ‘Journey kareoke’ quips that people made when Pinada was named the lead singer.

This is a great film, regardless of your fan status of Journey. It’s a testament to never giving up, being thankful and always looking forward. Everyman’s Journey is rated PG.

Dear Mr. Watterson

Calvin & Hobbes is a great, classic comic strip. It was lightening in a bottle in regards to the newspaper industry, the current technology (at the time), rock solid marketing (or lack thereof) and Bill Watterson.  Watterson is notoriously adverse to interviews and the public. Dear Mr. Watterson does not have interviews with him, rather is interviews lots of comic strip artists who were competing or influenced by him.

No new ground is exposed in Dear Mr. Watterson, rather this is great watching for fans of Calvin &  Hobbes, comics, humor, creativity and a boy’s imaginary tiger. Dear Mr. Watterson is rated PG.

We Are Twisted F***ing Sister

Twisted Sister ruled the rock crossover charts in the early 80’s. We Are Twisted F***ing Sister is the very detailed story of their early days from the early 70’s to 82’. I’m a casual Twisted Sister fan and didn’t expect much from this and was pleasantly surprised. The archival footage, interviews and pacing of the film keeps you watching from start to finish. At just over two hours the films could’ve been edited down twenty minutes, but is still very entertaining for metalheads, fans of 80’s music, 70’s rock or how to manage a band. The control of their name, focus of their image and the ability to adapt are things that anyone can take away from the film.

We Are Twisted F***ing Sister is rated M for mature due to lots of bad language.

This Was Tomorrow

This Was Tomorrow is more of a commercial for Tomorrowland than a film. It features impossibly beautiful people in various hippie garb having fun at the Tomorrowland festival in Brazil. There are some interviews with the performers and fans of the show, as well as, lot of footage from the show.

Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made of

BSB4L you say? Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made of is for you. This features the band’s 20^th anniversary tour and the ramp up to it. Most of the footage is devoted to showing you the band member’s homes from when they were growing up. You’ll see their high school drama teachers, boyhood homes and lots of casual moments as they practice.

I was most interested in the story behind their manager, his corruption and creation of n’synch. Those things were touched on in the film, but that’s it. By and large this is a love letter for the fans, complete with their new single to finish out the film. Show ‘Em What You’re Made of is rated PG.

Paul Williams: Still Alive

Remember Paul Williams? I do, back in the mid-70’s he could do no wrong. Paul Williams was on almost every television show, wrote oodles of hit songs and could be seen on the big screen in Smokey and the Bandit. Paul Williams: Still Alive tells the story of his tour, recovery from addiction and some great go-to footage from the 70’s.

As a film Still Alive is OK, but is more like My Date With Drew Barrymore than a documentary. Having said that, fans of Paul Williams will eat this up, as will people who want to learn about songwriting or see some deep, deep, history on 70’s pop culture. Still Alive is rated PG-13.

Do tell-what are you watching on Netflix now?