3 Prime Video documentaries to watch this weekend (February 20

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3 Prime Video documentaries to watch this weekend (February 20

Prime Video’s weekend documentary menu is a triple feature of hoops, old-school arcade glory, and so many muscles, making for a perfect lineup for riding the couch for some downtime.

For the weekend of February 20 to 22, we’re going back to a basketball rivalry for the ages, the legendary rise of one of bodybuilding’s (and the world’s) most enigmatic characters, and one of the craziest, most obsessive scandals in the world of competitive, um, Donkey Kong.

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Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association

As a person who doesn’t follow professional basketball (other than the bandwagon I hopped on when the Toronto Raptors won it all in 2019), I was fascinated by pretty much everything in the fun and stylish four-part Prime Video docuseries, Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association. For example, I didn’t know that the three-point shot originated in the ABA, as did the very first slam-dunk competition and the use of a red, white, and blue basketball—all of which were adopted by the NBA. I also didn’t know that after its relatively short lifespan, from 1967 to 1976, the league was absorbed by the NBA, bringing with it the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and the New York Nets.

Using some amazing aesthetic archive footage and interviews with some of the league’s luminaries, such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, George Gervin, Rick Barry, and Larry Brown—plus some narration from executive producer Common—Soul Power‘s four episodes trace the cash-strapped league’s origin story, through its scrappiness and innovation to the bold ideas and stylish game play it became known for. The series makes a compelling argument that the modern NBA wouldn’t be what it is today without the ABA. A fascinating and fun watch, whether you’re into the sport or not.

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The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

I first watched this fascinatingly nerdy documentary way back in 2007 when it first came out, and I’m happy to report that it still holds up and is still a weird and surprisingly emotional watch. If you haven’t seen it or heard of it, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is an early film of director/producer Seth Gordon (The Night Agent, The Office) that goes deep inside the world of competitive video game play in the early to mid 2000s, specifically focusing on the crazy story of Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell and their controversial rivalry over the classic game of Donkey Kong.

Wiebe, who couldn’t be a nicer guy, wants nothing more than to claim the Donkey Kong world record from long-time record holder, the well-coiffed and cocky Mitchell, who’s held the record since 1982, and isn’t above some questionable practices to keep it that way. King of Kong is an exploration of ego, fandom, and the frustrating bureaucracy of this niche world as Wiebe challenges Mitchell in live event showdowns (that Billy never attends) and VHS tape submissions to prove to the governing Twin Galaxies organization that he’s the best.

The end result is a compelling underdog story that’s funny, infuriating, and weirdly suspenseful, that’ll make you root for Wiebe, feel icky about Mitchell, and be overall flabbergasted at the passion and seriousness it all generates over a game of Donkey Kong.

The King of Kong

Release Date: March 25, 2007
Runtime: 83 Minutes
Director: Seth Gordon

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Pumping Iron

It likely goes without saying, but for our younger readers, long before Arnold Schwarzenegger was The Terminator, he was a behemoth of the bodybuilding world, having dominated the highest levels of the sport for years, including a total of seven Mr. Olympia titles and five Mr. Universe titles. Pumping Iron is the definitive classic doc that drops you in that “golden age” of bodybuilding, and chronicles Schwarzenegger’s preparation for his sixth title at the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest in Pretoria, South Africa.

But not to put all the focus on Arnold, the doc’s other focus is another icon of the bodybuilding world, The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno, who put up the biggest challenge yet to Arnold’s reign in the competition. With loads of intense, muscle-bulging workout footage as the two rivals push themselves past their limits, Pumping Iron also documents the psychological games the two competitors played with each other to win—the funniest scenes are when Arnold tries to get into Lou’s head with quips about dating his sister.

It’s raw, tense, and funny, doubling as a time capsule for the obsessive gym culture of the time. If you haven’t seen it, this 92% fresh doc is essential viewing for anyone interested in early documentary filmmaking and a glimpse into the origins of two behemoths of popular culture.

Pumping Iron

Release Date: January 18, 1977
Runtime: 85 Minutes

Not only are we here scouring the depths of Prime Video’s massive library for some cool documentaries to watch, but we’re also here to help you get a better experience with the service with some helpful how-to articles and more.