I think a great documentary is one that inspires you, motivates you or enlightens you. I tend to read more non-fiction than watch, but when I do see a good documentary I wonder why I don’t watch more. Well, I know why. I watch films mostly to escape the real, not be reminded of it. But, fortunately a really good documentary can be as pleasant, and not necessarily about negative events happening in the world today or eons ago.

Below is a list of a good mix of some of the best documentaries I’ve seen in the past decade or so:

• Planet B-Boy: An intriguing look into the world of breakdancing (b-boying) on an international level.
• Inconvenient Truth: A moving look into Al Gore’s campaign to make the issue of global warming a real and recognized global concern.
• The Planet Earth: A stunning 5 part series by BBC and Discovery Channel exploring the planet’s most challenging terrains and interesting wildlife. The program’s epic $25 million budget was used to capture a host of rarely seen landscapes, habitats and animal behaviors over the course of a decade.
• This Film is Not Yet Rated: A surprising look into how films get rated in the United States.
• New York: An amazing PBS TV series chronicling the history of New York City.
• Journey of Man: Intriguing PBS documentary film on the surprising origins of human kind.
• Supersize Me: A somewhat disturbing but humorous look on the effects of fast food on the human body.
• Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: A behind-the-scenes look into Enron, a once powerful energy company, whose downfall forever changed the landscape of the business world.
• Cocaine Cowboys: A riveting and disturbing look into the 1980s cocaine-trafficking boom in Miami led at one point by the Godmother (Cocaine Queen of Miami) Griselda Blanco.
• The Corporation: A very interesting look into the spectacular rise of corporations and their effects in our lives in the US and worldwide.