Does anybody else watch the documentaries by Louis Theroux? He's a journalist for the BBC, and probably the best I've ever seen.
His technique is basically to go to really crazy places, and talk to crazy people, but he stays meek and quiet, and lets the person he interviews dig themselves into their own little crazy hole. For instance, there is one where he talks to Las Vegas hypnotists, and the whole time he allows the hypnotists to think they are manipulating him, when in reality its the other way around.

You can find most of the documentaries by him on youtube, a great one to watch is the one where he goes to the slums of Johannesberg, the crime there is just insane.

I happen to be a fan.

I love any and all docs bro, thanks for showing me him ( watching Law and Order in Johannesburg ait ).

I really like his documentaries. Some of my favorite moments:

survivalist: "For an American not to own a gun is like you guys going without tea"

( theres a santa in new york at christmas the fundamentalist Christian looks upset)
Louis: whats wrong?
Christian: well its just the symbolism
Louis: what? what does it symbolize?
Christian: the antichrist

Alien reverend guy: THIS IS CENTRAL CONTROL! THIS IS CENTRAL CONTROL!

I finished watching Law and Order in Johannesburg... I have to say, that was a really cool documentary. It felt pretty natural, as if the story told itself ( in contrast to - for example - Michael Moore films ) rather than it being told.
I'm going to have to check out more of his stuff, and definitely recommend others check him out too.

He's very good. I've read a book by him which I would recommend ("The Call of the Weird") - not sure if he's done more though. it's amazing how people open up to him because they think he's naive and a bit dim.

This documentary is awesome. Mean find thanks man.

Based on the one where he goes to Johannesburg, he's a complete idiot. Not in that the whole safety, blah, blah. But in that he can't understand the fact that everything isn't like it is in his perfect little British world. For instance, he made a comment about physical violence by the police, saying it's inhumane and they should be treated like the British police treat offenders, which is a joke. It's like comparing a child to a serial killer in terms of the different levels of crime and violence of the two respective countries saying they should be handled the same.

TL;DR: He's a complete moron who think's he's smart and witty.

Actually, I'd say he's very intelligent in the way he goes about it. He pretty much constantly broadcasts this "no threat" subliminal message, as opposed to being all abrasive. Though I'd imagine he has a security team behind him too.

Louis Theroux is brilliant. Solid Moose and Capital sum up why I think his documentary style is great.

I adore Louis Theroux. He manages to make documentaries that are interesting and entertaining at the same time. Love the book as well.


Sure :rolleyes:

YES! Louis is brilliant.

Terrible as it may be, my favorite moment has to be from The City Addicted to Crystal Meth/

"Some people drink coffee; I smoke meth." hmy:

I had to google him, I wasn't sure if he was the guy I was thinking of. Turns out he was; I've seen a few of his documentaries and found them excellent.

I've only seen Americas Most Hated Family. But that was rather good.
Found it throught a swedish comedy duo who interviewed the head of the family on a swedish show.

He can understand it better than anyone posting on this forum, since I'm sure he's the only one who's been to Johannesburg. I have the feeling he didn't just want to imagine what it's like in bad countries ( anyone can do that ), so he went and experienced one. About your example, how familiar are you with being whipped? The reason "beating it out of them" doesn't work for a justice system is because even if the guy didn't do it, his instinct - after so much pain - is to confess to the crime so the pain will stop. This is understood by modernized countries, and it's why we don't just waterboard every suspect in a case. Not to mention that beating and convicting the wrong person often just makes everyone more angry, which is the last thing these people need. So, in conclusion, if they didn't lack the manpower in Johannesburg, the best system for policing it would be similar to how the Brits do it.

Thankyou for summing up my post.

It's a good book, goes with the "Call of the Weird" documentaries.

I think my favourite documentary is probably the "Lamb and Lynx/Aryan Nation". To think he has the stones to tell neo-nazis that he is Jewish to their faces in unbelievable really (after he's lived with them as well I think). The one where he talks to some people who think every famous person throught-out history was black was surreal as well (They claim Henry VIII was black in it)

He's brilliant at what he does, which is making people look like idiots with seemingly little input from himself. I love him, he's covered some really interesting stuff over the years as well. :thumbsup:


Not sure what's going on with the TL:DR post above, it's 2 lines of text. If you didn't make it to the end of that post before skipping it, you probably don't deserve to know what's being said.

Apparently they have, as Louis predicted, rebelled against their mothers prejudices, and just want to be normal teenagers

I do think he's a [censored], but at the same time his method of understated confusion is quite clever. He lets people dig themselves into a hole.

hmm..

I just don't see the brilliance... matter of fact, I think is kind of lame, and definitely not original at all... I just see a dude doing the same thing many, many others have done in the past, with a somewhat washed-out British accent. Heck, I see the same sort of stuff on The Daily Show with John Stewart, the difference is, Jon Stewart's "reporters" make me laugh.

Isn't that what British humor is?....

I'm not too sure how you could compare Louis Theroux to Jon Stewart, and I'm not sure how you could say that it isn't original, when the documentaries started in 1998, and Jon Stewart didn't host the Daily Show until 1999, and the correspondant style they have now didn't start until much later.

Theroux isn't really trying to be comedic anyway...

Wut.

He's not putting it on for dramatic effect, you know. That's how he and millions of other people talk. What the hell does "washed out" mean in this context?

I didn't say Jon Stewart was original either... I'm just saying I've seen that kind of schtick before, waaaaay before either Theroux or Stewart were doing it. Of course, to me, Theroux I guess wants to pass himself as a "serious" journalist, but his schtick looks a lot like what Jon Stewart does... Stewart and his crew are at least funny about it.


Well, if he's trying to be serious... I just find him obnoxious and boring. Nothing new to learn from his stuff, nothing hard-hitting or gripping, and a style that's not original at all....

I dunno, his documentary on the overmedication of American children was rather poignant.