Podcast
Top Docs: Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers
Hosted by michaellouismerrill · EN
Mike and Ken talk to award-winning documentary filmmakers about their art, their subjects, and their process.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
"Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!" with Michael Bonfiglio
1w ago00:40:54Tap to summarizeMel Brooks is about to turn 100 years old! When Mel celebrates his upcoming birthday on June 28th, filmmaker Michael Bonfiglio, who has directed (along with Judd Apatow) a joyful and action-packed two-part HBO documentary about the legendary comic and filmmaker, might want to talk to the folks at HBO about changing the title of their film: “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” Otherwise, I’d advise not changing a thing. Joining Ken on the pod, Michael talks about how Judd’s comedic bona vides probably made the difference in convincing Mel to participate in the film. Michael, who previously teamed up with Judd to direct the Emmy-winning documentary “George Carlin’s American Dream” (check out Michael Merrill’s “Top Docs” season 2 interview with Michael), compares the two comedians and projects. We discuss what has made Mel such a special and impactful comedic force, from his homespun “2,000 Year Old Man” skit, performed with best friend Carl Reiner, to his work in early television, culminating in his breakout film career (“The Producers”, “Blazing Saddles,” ‘Young Frankenstein”, “Spaceballs,” etc.). We discuss Mel’s marriage to actress Anne Bancroft and his lingering pain since her death. Not to get too serious, Michael ends by sharing his favorite Mel Brooks moment. Lucky for us, with Mel still creatively active (“Spaceballs: The New One”!), there will no doubt be more signature Mel Brooks moments to come. Happy Birthday, Mel! “Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” is streaming on HBO Max. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @mbonfiglio2000 on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →"aka Charlie Sheen" with Andrew Renzi
1w ago00:42:10Tap to summarizeFor a time, back in the ‘80s, actor Charlie Sheen was the hottest thing in Hollywood. But it didn’t take long for Sheen’s star turns in “Platoon” and “Wall Street” to morph into tabloid cover stories about his hard partying ways and bad boy exploits. In his highly engaging two-part Netflix series ”aka Charlie Sheen,” filmmaker Andrew Renzi (“Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?”, “Ready for War”) follows the mostly familiar downward spiral of Sheen’s life and career but also provides something quite unexpected: a sensitive portrait of a once lost man finally capable of self-reflection, regret and emotional depth. Andrew joins Ken on the pod to talk about how an initially reluctant Sheen came to see the value in participating in the documentary and even granted Andrew access to the early Super 8 action movies that Sheen shot with his brother Emilio Estevez and childhood friends Sean and Chris Penn. Filled with insightful, sometimes painful, and occasionally funny interviews (Sean Penn, in particular), the heart of the film is Sheen’s own insights into what he calls the three-act structure of his life: “partying, partying with problems, just problems.” “aka Charlie Sheen” is streaming on Netflix. Hidden Gem: “Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam” The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →"Billy Joel: And So It Goes" with Jessica Levin
2w ago00:47:20Tap to summarizeBilly Joel, one of the most beloved and best-selling pop music artists of all-time, has finally achieved something that, up until now, has always eluded him: the opportunity to tell his side of the story. In their authoritative and insightful two-part HBO documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” directors and producers Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin (“Jane Fonda in Five Acts”, “Joni Mitchell: A Woman of Heart and Mind”) sit Joel down to get his take on life, love, music... and all things Long Island. Jessica joins Ken on the pod to talk about what led Billy to decide to open himself up to this documentary duo and how candid he ended up being over the many hours of interviews. Featuring a terrific cast of Billy’s musical peers, including Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and Jackson Browne — all of whom have high praise for Billy’s musical chops — the documentary does justice to the music and arc of Joel’s career, while at the same time revealing aspects that are not as well known, such as the significant contributions of his former wife and manager Elizabeth Weber. But, more than anything, it is Joel’s willingness to talk about deeply personal things that make this such a fascinating portrait. The kid from Hicksville, Long Island — whose breakthrough album is called “The Stranger” — is finally learning to open up. “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” is streaming on HBO Max. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →"Time and Water" with Sara Dosa
3w ago00:38:21Tap to summarizeFor her latest film, “Time and Water,” Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sara Dosa (“Fire of Love”, “The Seer & the Unseen”) returns to Iceland, this time to cover the island nation’s other distinctive geologic feature besides its volcanoes: its majestic glaciers. Deeply embedded in Icelandic history, culture, and myth, these moving rivers of ice are now facing an existential threat due climate change, jeopardizing the nation’s very identity. Sara, who spoke with Mike about “Fire of Love” for the pod, joins Ken to talk about her new film and how she came to collaborate with renowned Icelandic poet and author Andri Snær Magnason (“On Time and Water”). Magnason’s narration is addressed to an unspecified “you” that represents a future generation, framing the film as a cinematic time capsule. As his beloved grandparents (two of whom participated in Iceland’s first glacier expeditions) age and pass away, and his children grow up in the blink of an eye, Magnason reflects on the relationship between time, loss, and memory. When Magnason is invited to write an epitaph for the Ok Glacier, the first Icelandic glacier officially declared “dead” due to climate change, the film takes on an added sense of urgency. Will his generation be able to reverse the effects of climate change before all the country’s glaciers disappear? As he says in the film, “Only time will tell.” “Time and Water,” distributed by National Geographic Documentary Films, is in limited theatrical release. Hidden Gem: “River of Grass” The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @unadosa on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →"Rafa" with Zach Heinzerling
3w ago00:33:25Tap to summarizeOf course, we all know who “Rafa” is — the tennis legend and sports icon Rafael Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles and an unfathomable 14 French Open trophies. But who is Rafael Nadal when the cameras (or, rather, all but one of the cameras...) are turned off? In director Zach Heinzerling’s (“Cutie and the Boxer”) much anticipated, just released 4-part Netflix docuseries “Rafa,” Zach’s watchful eye reveals more than we ever thought we’d know about this extraordinary athlete and thoughtful tennis genius during his less-than-storybook final year on tour. Zach joins Ken on the podcast for a lively conversation about Ken’s favorite athlete of all-time. After witnessing Rafa up-close-and-personal, what does Zach think made Rafael Nadal so special as a tennis player — and as a person? How did it feel to be sitting in a car, camera in hand, witnessing one of Nadal’s most private and tortured moments when injury struck once again just as he had begun his last season? Why is the idea of suffering on the court so critical to understanding what drove Nadal to become such a fearsome competitor? If you are a Nadal fan like Ken or just someone who cares about what it means to reach for the outer limits of our capabilities, “Rafa” is every bit as thrilling as seeing one of Nadal’s spectacular forehands whip through the air and land right on the line for a winner. Game, set, and match, Nadal. “Rafa” is streaming on Netflix. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @zachheinzerling on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →“Trust Me: The False Prophet” with Rachel Dretzin
4w ago00:32:21Tap to summarizeWhen Warren Jeffs, the “prophet” of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a Mormon fundamentalist group whose members practice polygamy, stopped communicating regularly from prison where he is serving a life sentence for child sexual assault, his followers were at a loss. But, as Rachel Dretzin depicts in her powerful, eye-opening four-part Netflix series “Trust Me: The False Prophet,” Jeffs’ silence created the opportunity for a new leader to fill the void. Enter Samuel Bateman, a seemingly unremarkable guy, who claimed that he was the new prophet. Rachel joins Ken on the podcast to talk about the consequences of Bateman’s rise within the FLDS, his influence over a handful of adults and girls in the community, and the tragic consequences of his actions. The centerpiece of “Trust Me” and the key to Bateman’s undoing is Dr. Christine Marie, a former Mormon who, along with her husband, the videographer Tolga Katas, grew close to the group with the intent of exposing Bateman’s crimes. Relying heavily on Tolga’s insider footage, as well as key interviews with women who eventually turned against Bateman, the series shows how far trust can take some people and a measure of justice that can occur when that trust is finally broken. “Trust Me: The False Prophet” is streaming on Netflix. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →"Sean Combs: The Reckoning" with Alexandria Stapleton
May 2800:32:46Tap to summarizeLate in director Alexandria Stapleton’s 4-part Netflix series “Sean Combs: The Reckoning”, one of her subjects lays out what may be the documentary’s thesis: While it may seem like Combs “went bad” well into middle-age, the signs were there well before–”it was a slow build.” Stapleton deftly tracks Comb’s rise: The son of a murdered father, brought up with music, clothes, and fantasy. Starting out in the music business as a runner, dancer, and promoter. Then becoming “Puff Daddy” in the fallout of a tragically over-promoted show, he would go on to make a fortune as a promoter and producer, understanding the growing importance of both music as a visual medium, as well as the opportunities provided by corporate sponsorship. But Stapleton is as interested in the other side of Combs, the one that ended up with a Federal indictment for racketeering and more; charges that he may have ultimately eluded, but which still resulted in 40 months in Federal Prison. Stapleton presents those who say that were hurt by Combs–psychically, physically, financially, and sexually–with sensitivity, but allows them to tell their own stories with a specificity that at times can be harrowing. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →"My Mom Jayne" with Mariska Hargitay
May 2600:33:49Tap to summarizeIn 1967, 3-year-old Mariska Hargitay — now, an Emmy-winning actor known to millions as Captain Olivia Benson on the long-running TV series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” — was in a terrible car accident. Her mother — the Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield — and two others were killed instantly. The accident not only took the life of her mother but prevented Mariska from having any lasting memories of her. “My Mom Jayne” is Mariska’s touching and winding documentary journey to learn about her mother’s life and to confront some of the secrets of her own story as well. Mariska joins Ken on the podcast to talk about Jayne’s breakthrough as a young actress and the blonde bombshell image that prevented her mother from being treated as the serious actress she always aspired to be. Through difficult conversations with Mariska’s siblings and trips to a long neglected family storage facility, a more complete portrait of Jayne, the actress and mother, begins to emerge. At this point in the film, an even more deeply buried story — this one about Mariska’s father — takes over. The power of “My Mother Jayne” lies in Mariska’s willingness to reclaim her own story, wherever it may lead. “My Mom Jayne” is streaming on HBO Max. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @therealmariskahargitay on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →Our most popular shows of Season 5
Apr 2900:38:53Tap to summarizeFor our 300th episode, we’re bringing you some of our favorite impactful moments from some of our most popular shows of Season 5: "Pee-wee as Himself" with Matt Wolf "Chef's Table: Legends" with David Gelb & Adam Bricker Anatomy of a Scene from "Martha" with R.J. Cutler "CHAOS: The Manson Murders" with Errol Morris "Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary" with Garret Price See you in Season 6! The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @topdocspod on Instagram and X
Transcribe →“Everybody to Kenmure Street” with Felipe Bustos Sierra
Apr 700:22:22Tap to summarizeIn the early morning hours of a typical spring day, a van marked “Immigration Enforcement” stops on a quiet street in a residential neighborhood; two men of color are snatched up for alleged immigration violations and hustled into the van. No, the location is not the U.S., and this is not 2026... Felipe Bustos Sierra’s (“Nae Pasaran”) gripping new Sundance documentary “Everybody to Kenmure Street” depicts the dramatic events of May 13, 2021, when two Sikh men were apprehended in the Pollokshields suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, and the neighborhood spontaneously rallied to protect them. Felipe joined Ken for a warm, in-person conversation in Park City following the world premiere of his film in the Sundance World Cinema Documentary section. Beginning with the story of his personal journey as a Chilean Belgian filmmaker who made his way to Glasgow to live and make films, Felipe then delves into the city’s rich history of political activism and Pollokshields’ distinctive character. Felipe describes how he relied on footage shot by locals to tell this story and explains his creative decision to use actors Emma Thompson, Kate Dickie and Keira Lucchesi in the film. While this event no doubt has clear resonances with what is currently happening in the U.S., the circumstances, backstory and outcome are very specific to this time and place. The emotional impact, however, no doubt hits home. “Everybody to Kenmure Street” is being released by Icarus Films. The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix. Follow: @debasers on Instagram @topdocspod on Instagram and X
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