True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

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New York Doll Not many documentaries make me cry, but this one did. It recounts the unlikely rise, the predictable fall, and the final resurrection of a littleknown rock musician. The Dolls were an early glam punk band partly responsible for reviving rock’n’roll in the 1970s by being outrageous and raucous. During their short-lived fame they inspired the Sex Pistols, the Stooges, and all the rest. But three of the six band members drugged themselves to death, and the fourth, bass player Arthur Kane, nearly drank to death. While Kane sank into alcoholic destitution, the other two survivors went on to rewarding musical careers, embittering Kane further. At a low point Kane saw an ad for a Bible and converted to Mormonism, eventually working as a white-shirt-and-tie clerk in a genealogical library of a Mormon temple. In his new-found spiritualism he had one prayer he refused to stop believing – that the Dolls would reunite. Thirty years later, somewhat miraculously, the band did reunite (with substitute new members) for a gala performance in London. This documentary follows Kane’s improbable come-back. We start with his humble job as a meek, almost angelic clerk. He’s so broke he can’t buy his own pawned guitar back. As his prayer comes true, he is suddenly catapulted onto the London stage in his place in the rock band that invented punk. To Arthur this was a divine appointment to make amends with the surviving members. The concert was a smash hit, and the guys were reconciled. Then in a cosmic ending, Arthur died within days of the show from undetected leukemia. Above all else, this is a film about how every now and then someone does the impossible; they change. By Greg Whiteley 2005, 78 min. Available from Amazon Rentable from Netflix His face showing his mixed emotions, Kane hugs the guy he blames for the band’s breakup (above). At his peak with the required punk haircut (top right). Two sweet Mormon ladies who are now his colleagues. On stage after the great reunion in London, still not sure of himself. 129
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan The first Dylan documentary, Don’t Look Back (p.22), revealed far more about Bob Dylan’s character, but this one fills in more of his history. It covers his transformation from an unremarkable wannabe musician from Minnesota into a prophetic, enigmatic, world-class poet and artist in the late sixties in Greenwich Village, New York. In future centuries I think Dylan will come to be regarded as a genius on the order the greatest poets of all time, and this documentary will be a near-official record of his genesis. By Martin Scorsese 2005, 207 min. Available from Amazon Rent from Netflix The young Bob Dylan as he first appeared in New York, in concert and (right) spoofing for a photo shoot. Nearly a half-century later, the old Dylan recounts his legendary story. 130
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TRUE FILMS 3.0 This is the golden a
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The way Netflix works is this: the
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10 mph This is a mildly amusing com
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1900 House The premise of this real
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Air Guitar Nation Serious fun! Foll
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Amazing Grace The simplest are some
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American Splendor This odd work is
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Atomic Cafe This is a self portrait
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Baraka A cinematic poem celebrating
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Billabong Odyssey • Riding Giants
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Blue Planet: Open Ocean, The Deep Y
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Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope Who
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The Boys of Baraka Extreme interven
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Brother’s Keeper Four elderly bro
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Burden of Dreams Occasionally the m
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Cane Toads: An Unnatural History An
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China: Beyond the Clouds A million
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Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betwee
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Civilisation Civilization as seen t
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Colonial House The premise is famil
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Cool & Crazy Mild-mannered Norwegia
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By Bennett Miller 1998, 76 min. The
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Dark Days The urban legend about ci
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The Devil At Your Heels Another cra
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Divine Horsemen A 1950s capture of
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Dogtown and Z-Boys You wouldn’t e
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The Elegant Universe A crash course
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The Endless Summer II Bruce Brown r
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The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison
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Fire on the Mountain In the pre-daw
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The Fog of War Strictly a talking h
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Frontier House By Maro Chermayeff 2
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Genghis Blues What a wonderful adve
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Girlhood Girlhood follows two young
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Good Stuff Supremely bored skydiver
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Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life
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Guns Germs and Steel An all-out fiv
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Hands on a Hard Body In the South o
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Hearts of Darkness A film is like a
Page 80 and 81: Helvetica At their best, documentar
Page 82 and 83: How Art Made the World This fancy B
Page 84 and 85: With John Cleese 2001, 195 min. Ava
Page 86 and 87: Ile Aiye (The House of Life) An art
Page 88 and 89: In the Realms of the Unreal By Jess
Page 90 and 91: Jesus Camp This film succeeds in ma
Page 92 and 93: Jonestown It’s so bizarre. On the
Page 94 and 95: The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyss
Page 96 and 97: Jupiter’s Wife A sophisticated Ne
Page 98 and 99: Kestrel’s Eye Nature photography
Page 100 and 101: Koyaanisqatsi A mind-tripping impre
Page 102 and 103: Latcho Drom This one is very hard t
Page 104 and 105: Life in the Undergrowth Amazing! As
Page 106 and 107: The Life of Mammals I’ve long mar
Page 108 and 109: Long Way Round What vicarious fun!
Page 110 and 111: Lumière & Co. What would world fam
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Page 116 and 117: March of the Penguins It must be th
Page 118 and 119: Michael Palin: Himalaya I love pers
Page 120 and 121: Microcosmos It begins as a small no
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Page 124 and 125: My Voyage to Italy Famous film dire
Page 126 and 127: The Mystery of Picasso Astounding t
Page 128 and 129: The Natural History of the Chicken
Page 132 and 133: Off the Charts You know those tiny
Page 134 and 135: On Any Sunday By the same guy who d
Page 136 and 137: Project Greenlight Should the desir
Page 138 and 139: Project Grizzly A Canadian outdoors
Page 140 and 141: Pumping Iron Filmed more than 25 ye
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Page 148 and 149: By Albert Maysles 1973, 282 min. Ru
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Page 154 and 155: Shape of the Moon A magical work. T
Page 156 and 157: Short Cut to Nirvana This film lack
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Page 160 and 161: Sketches of Frank Gehry A famous mo
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Page 164 and 165: Startup.com Boy, did this documenta
Page 166 and 167: Stone Reader Everyone has a book th
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Page 172 and 173: Swimming to Cambodia This monologue
Page 174 and 175: Thin Blue Line This unforgettable a
Page 176 and 177: Touching the Void This true film re
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Unzipped The concept is simple. Rev
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Waco: The Rules of Engagement This
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The Way Things Go This supremely de
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When We Were Kings This is the most
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Why We Fight This is a complex anti
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Wild Wheels You mean you’ve never
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Winged Migration Fly! Watching this
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Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Musi
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Word Wars Just as Spellbound (p.162
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Good Docs The difference between Gr
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Dedicated to my family, Who watch w
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True Films 3.0 - Kevin Kelly

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