5 Great Documentaries Available on Netflix Instant

I'llI be the first to admit that I didn't always like documentaries. I thought they were boring, and I poked fun at my boyfriend for always talking about "this great documentary" he saw the other day. After a while though I started watching them myself, especially when I was working on articles and needed something to watch simultaneously. I had only watched a few before I figured out that quite a few of these documentaries are need-to-watch films. Here are some that I feel are the most "need to watch" out of all of them.

You'll never look at SeaWorld the same way again after you watch Blackfish. This documentary made me physically sick. I don't believe there's much to be gained in the form of keeping animals in captivity anyway, at least nothing that can't be gained from observing them in the wild. Keeping whales captive at SeaWorld is even worse. Not only that, but it's a practice filled with deceit. Most of what SeaWorld tells you is a well fabricated lie.

Collapsed dorsal fins?

That's a problem they created. So is the early deaths of captive whales. No, they don't die that soon in the wild.

This documentary hits close to home for me because I went to a Jesus camp when I was younger. Granted, all I did for the whole week was complain about how hot it was an all of the bugs and how unsanitary the showers looked, so not as much sank in as they would have liked. Good thing I've always been complain-ey by nature. But the crazy things you hear these kids say and the obsessive way they act? All real, and all things I've seen before.

This is scary, but it's really not as scary as some people who didn't grow up in religion think it is for the simple fact that a lot of these kids will grow out of this just like I did. They'll repeat everything their elders say with fervor as young'uns, but as soon as they get out into the real world the very thing their pastors and teachers feared would happen will happen, and the "normal" will rub off on them. Only a select few remain crazy.

That doesn't change the fact that the level of indoctrination you'll see in this documentary borders on child abuse.

This documentary follows the life of Uganda's first openly gay man, and I highly recommend watching it just for the surreal experience. It's hard to believe that it's not illegal in some countries to treat human beings the way they end up being treated, but it really isn't. The documentary also really brings home how homosexuality occurs in every country across the globe. I had been aware of the problems faced by homosexuals in Uganda before, but putting faces on those struggles really made me see just how serious the danger is that these people are in.

The documentary Best Worst Movie details the story of Troll 2, the most fantastic movie you will ever watch. No, it's not a sequel to a film called "Troll." In fact, I have absolutely no idea why they called it that. At least it ads to the mystery, the humor, and the general, "Why not?" attitude of the entire film.

If you haven't seen Troll 2, I implore you to go on Netflix and watch it. Oh my God. I rolled with laughter. The entire thing is just so surreal. You won't believe what you're watching or that it's serious, and that's all I have to say about that. You have to watch Troll 2 for yourself, and if you're having any doubts, Best Worst Movie as well.

This documentary tells the story of the woman who spilled McDonald's coffee in her lap and sued the company that many of us have heard before, more often than not in jest. What most people don't know is that her burns were so severe that her labia ended up fused to her leg. The smear campaign put on by corporate entities in the wake of this lawsuit really shows how much of public opinion is shaped by what we see and hear in the media and advertising.

The film also spends a great deal of time discussing torte reform, the thing that everyone and their mother was backing in the early 2000s without really even knowing what it meant.

I hope all of you documentary buffs out there have enjoyed the list, and I hope I've given all of you Netflix subscribers some new films to add to your queue. I'm going to compile a lot more lists like this, especially when Halloween and the other major holidays roll around in hopes that we'll have a good idea of what will hit the spot year 'round.