Special When Lit
Oct 01, 2009 | IMDB 6.6
97 min Watch NowDocumentary
What made more money than the entire American movie industry through the 50s and 60s? Pinball. Special When Lit rediscovers the lure of a lost pop icon. A product of the mechanical and electrical age, the American invention swept the world and defined cool. Now it is relegated to a nostalgic footnote deserving a better fate. Joining the fans, collectors, designers and champion players from across the globe who share a world many of us didn't know still existed.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
In Excess: The Death of Michael Hutchence
Forever Hollywood
Behind the Doors of Umberto Eco
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
Dear Students
Antarctica: A Frozen History
Grizzly Man
The Abbey of Crime: Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose'
The Yes Men
The Golden Age of Songs From Our Childhood
Chez Schwartz
Broken Kids: The Untold Story of Young Athletes
La rosa dei nomi
Counter Shot: Departure of the Filmmakers
The Rise & Fall of Penn Station
To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb
Madness - Princes of Ska, Kings of Pop
Billy Wilder: Nobody's Perfect
Prater
Memory Books
SIMILAR MOVIES
In Excess: The Death of Michael Hutchence
IMDB 0 | Aug , 1999
Documentary from the UK's Channel 4 investigating the death of INXS lead vocalist Michael Hutchence, which exclusively revealed information presented to the coroner in a police report which had not been made public at the official hearing - and explores the rumor which suggested that Hutchence died accidentally while engaged in a bizarre sex act. The documentary also features his last partner Paula Yates speaking on British television for the first time about what she believed led to the death of her lover. She talks candidly about their sex life, his passion for adventure and how the birth of their daughter turned the rock and roll wild man into a devoted father. Yates was not satisfied with the coroner's verdict and felt strongly that further investigation into the events of that night were crucial to both her and her daughter's future well-being.Forever Hollywood
IMDB 8 | Jan , 1999
Noted Hollywood stars and directors talk about the history and evolution of the film industry in Los Angeles.Behind the Doors of Umberto Eco
IMDB 8 | Oct , 2012
Umberto Eco, the author of best-selling novels who passed away in February 2016, unveils the secrets behind his undertakings and novels.Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
IMDB 7.5 | Sep , 2025
Behind the scenes of Sarah McLachlan’s legendary all-women music festival and features interviews with performers including Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emmylou Harris.Dear Students
IMDB 0 | May , 2024
A documentary feature film which aims to expand the usually one-sided conversation between students and teachers. During its runtime, raw experiences heard from all sides of the conversation are laid bare during its 77 minute runtime. From all of these interviewees, including a student, a school psychiatrist, and five teachers, the viewer shouldn't expect to be confronted with a narrow perspective but rather a question: "where do I stand?"Antarctica: A Frozen History
IMDB 0 | Apr , 2002
Antarctica: A Frozen History takes a look at the history and stories of the human explorations in the Antarctic. Although quite slow paced and relatively old, the documentary film successfully incorporates reconstructed film material and original Antarctic expedition footage to fully illustrate the hardships of the heroic and extreme arctic explorations. Human endurance is tested to the maximum, as the documentary takes a look back at those who have tried, failed and conquered this most unforgiving landscape. Some of these stories entail Robert Falcon Scott, a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery expedition of 1901–1904 and the ill-fated Terra Nova expedition of 1910–1913. Scott reached the South Pole in January 1912 only to find he had been beaten to the spot by 33 days. His entire party died on the return journey; eight months later, a search party discovered some of their bodies, diaries and photographs.Grizzly Man
IMDB 7.5 | Aug , 2005
Follows the story of "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in his attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.The Abbey of Crime: Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose'
IMDB 6.5 | Oct , 1986
A German TV documentary that chronicles the daily rehearsals, the filming and all the behind the scenes of Jean-Jacques Annaud's classic "The Name of the Rose". From actors perspectives to the ideas used by the director to produce an impeccable international epic adaptation of Umberto Eco's best selling novel, the film presents the obstacles behind the creation of a production of such large scale and also the making of the many difficult scenes, most of the ones presented here are the characters' murders inside the mysterious abbey.The Yes Men
IMDB 6.9 | Sep , 2003
A comic, biting and revelatory documentary following a small group of prankster activists as they gain worldwide notoriety for impersonating the World Trade Organization (WTO) on television and at business conferences around the world.The Golden Age of Songs From Our Childhood
IMDB 8 | Dec , 2020
This 135-minute documentary offers to reopen this magical parenthesis which has seen the birth of a whirlwind of artists with very different styles. From Chantal Goya to Annie Cordy, from Pierre Perret to Carlos. They knew how to bring each in their own way generations of children into their poetic universe.Chez Schwartz
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2007
Chez Schwartz takes us inside a year in the life of Schwartz's Deli - the unique 75-year-old landmark on Montreal's historic Main. Filmed through changing seasons, from the quiet of early morning preparation to the frenetic bustle of packed lunch times and never ending line-ups, to the more relaxed ambiance late at night - Chez Schwartz is an evocative, cinematic portrait of a small spunky deli known worldwide equally for its atmosphere and smoked meat.Broken Kids: The Untold Story of Young Athletes
IMDB 7.7 | Jul , 2024
Recent scandals have revealed the brutal methods often imposed on young top athletes. Fueled by numerous testimonies, this damning investigation reveals the workings of a system which sacrifices children in the name of economic interests and glory.La rosa dei nomi
IMDB 5.7 | Jan , 1987
Counter Shot: Departure of the Filmmakers
IMDB 6.7 | Feb , 2008
Documentary about filmmakers of the New German Cinema who were members of the legendary Filmverlag für Autoren (Film Publishing House for Authors). Among them are Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Wim Wenders.The Rise & Fall of Penn Station
IMDB 9.5 | Feb , 2004
In 1910, the Pennsylvania Railroad successfully accomplished the enormous engineering feat of building tunnels under New York City's Hudson and East Rivers, connecting the railroad to New York and New England, knitting together the entire eastern half of the United States. The tunnels terminated in what was one of the greatest architectural achievements of its time, Pennsylvania Station. Penn Station covered nearly eight acres, extended two city blocks, and housed one of the largest public spaces in the world. But just 53 years after the station’s opening, the monumental building that was supposed to last forever, to herald and represent the American Empire, was slated to be destroyed.To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb
IMDB 7.7 | Jul , 2023
Explore how one man's relentless drive and invention of the atomic bomb changed the nature of war forever, led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and unleashed mass hysteria.Madness - Princes of Ska, Kings of Pop
IMDB 8 | Jun , 2025
From the back rooms of Camden's pubs to the roof of Buckingham Palace at Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee: the London band Madness enriched British pop music history with their cheeky style and spectacular performances. In this documentary, we look back on their illustrious career with interviews with band members, friends, and music industry figures. Featuring brand new recorded interviews with Suggs and Bedders from ‘Madness’. Alongside interviews with Lynval Golding, Rhoda Dakar, Clive Langer and many more.Billy Wilder: Nobody's Perfect
IMDB 7.6 | Dec , 2016
Biography on the famous writer-director, Billy Wilder.Prater
IMDB 5.8 | Feb , 2007
Vienna’s Prater is an amusement park and a desire machine. No mechanical invention, no novel idea or sensational innovation could escape incorporation into the Prater. The diverse story-telling in Ulrike Ottinger’s film “Prater” transforms this place of sensations into a modern cinema of attractions. The Prater’s history from the beginning to the present is told by its protagonists and those who have documented it, including contemporary cinematic images of the Prater, interviews with carnies, commentary by Austrians and visitors from abroad, film quotes, and photographic and written documentary materials. The meaning of the Prater, its status as a place of technological innovation, and its role as a cultural medium are reflected in texts by Elfriede Jelinek, Josef von Sternberg, Erich Kästner and Elias Canetti, as well as in music devoted to this amusement venue throughout the course of its history.Memory Books
IMDB 0 | May , 2008
In Uganda, AIDS-infected mothers have begun writing what they call Memory Books for their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Hopelessness and desperation are confronted through the collaborative effort of remembering and recording, a process that inspires unexpected strength and even solace in the face of death.