While Club Columbia DVD is mostly about DVDs, I thought I’d share with you one of my favourite online sources for films.  And the best thing about it is it’s totally legal.

The months leading up to The Dark Knight were pretty dry- 10,000 B.C. for example- oh man, that was bad.  In those desperate times I found myself struggling to find entertainment.  Without the distraction of amazing cinema, I looked in on myself, and looking in my reflection in a puddle like Ben Stiller I began to wonder- ‘Who am I?’

This led me to start finding out about the world.  I wanted to know about politics.  I wanted to understand economics.  I wanted to learn about philosophy.  Naturally I’m too lazy to read all about that- so I turned to documentaries.

Documentaries are great because they are usually no longer than 2 hours.  You get an overview of the topic, and if it interests you, you can look into it further.  I would hate to start reading a lengthy book on the Illuminati only to realise half-way through that I really didn’t care in the first place.

The place I’m talking about is freedocumentaries.org.  They have a fantastic selection of popular films like Sicko and Super Size Me, but that’s not why I like it so much.  This site has some older gems that would be hard to find elsewhere.  Some of these films will completely change the way you view the world.

The Corporation is a famous documentary that takes a look at the origin of corporations- the massive power structures that have enormous influence over our lives.  It’s one of those films you have to see to even begin to understand how the world works today.

Noam Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent is also a true classic.  Even if you don’t agree with his views, you can learn a lot from this film.  The other film that changed my perspective was the Century of Self- a look at how the discoveries of Freud were adapted to marketing and changed our culture forever.

Of course there are some more crazy documentaries on there- the usual line up of conspiracies, but these are worth a watch at least for the entertainment value.  The fact is that watching a documentary here is far more well-spent time than watching some new blockbuster like Fool’s Gold.  The best documentaries are entertaining as well as informative, so that you don’t feel like you’re sitting in a classroom all day.

Anyway, freedocumentaries.org is non-profit and has some great films on there.  It gives a short review for each one so you know what you’re getting yourself into, and the layout is very easy to navigate.

Check out the site- it’s like 300 excellent films for free.  Club Columbia DVD thoroughly recommends it if you feel like learning something about this world.  Who said the internet wasn’t good for something.

If anyone knows of any other legal, decent streaming films sites, feel free to leave a comment below.

 

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