I’ve always been a fan of documentaries.

As a kid, I was fascinated with visions of WWII and animals in faraway places that only appeared on public television. Today, the advent of endless cable channels and the web, among other things, has made viewing docs easier than ever.

Although often depressing and eye-opening in a way that makes you realize how small-stuff the things in daily life really are, knowledge is just about always better than ignorance. Even if it’s a little less comfortable.

That said, here are my favorites from the past year, in no particular order: 

1. The Cove - Oscar-winner that documents the slaughter of dolphins in Japan.
2. Food Inc. - Outlines the tremendous impact commerce - and politics - has on what we put in our bodies. And for the most part, it ain’t pretty and, as a parent, makes you reconsider what’s on the dinner table.
3. End of the Line - We are royally overfishing and screwing up the oceans. 
4. Beer Wars - A sometimes whimsical look at the beer industry and how the little guy fights to stay afloat against the Big Three - Miller, Bud and Coors.
5. We Live in Public - Captures the dot-com excess of the ’90s in New York really well and follows the bizarre journey of one of its figureheads, Josh Harris. (Make it a double feature and watch Startup.com too.)

If you’re interested, most can be watched on demand via Netflix. Some may have been released prior to 2010, but I just failed to get around to them in time. I recommend them all, but the first three are the most important.

Did I miss any must-sees?