On this page: THE BEATLES: GET BACK | KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME | REBEL DYKES

< < D O C S > >

Impressively, Jackson provides text labels for everyone on-screen and each song snippet. And the project's expansive length allows him to include meandering conversations and jam sessions that offer nuanced insight into the band and its individual members. What's most striking is how hilarious they are together, riffing off of each other with jokes and shared references. The long-rumoured antagonism between them is proven to be an urban myth. But there are also some remarkable moments as they begin to realise that the Beatles will come to an end.

It's fascinating to watch these legends as normal creative guys working together. Each has a determination to avoid anything obvious in their music. They also speak extensively about their views about their careers and the business. But of course the main attraction here is watching them collaborate to create some of their most indelible music, both composing the songs and recording them. And seeing them working together offers a new perspective on just about everything we think about the Beatles.

themes, language

28-30.Nov.21

This is a priceless collection of footage of the author both in lively conversation with Weide and entertaining crowds, plus unusually pristine home movies. Vonnegut describes the power of a great teacher who opens the minds of their students. Yes, for many teens this came in the form of an introduction to Vonnegut, who says his books are jokes about very serious things. They're so readable that critics underrated them, ignoring that they were also profound. These kinds of comments will delight fans, who will also enjoy discussions about his fictional doppelganger Kilgore Trout.

For Vonnegut's readers, his repeated phrase "so it goes" is a gift, a survival mechanism that reminds us that life is a seemingly out-of-sequence journey rather than direct route to a clear destination. Weide weaves this idea throughout the film, tackling highs and lows with clear-eyed honesty. Vonnegut's novels are about ordinary people who behave decently in extraordinary circumstances. Their lives become entangled in meaningful ways. Indeed, as Vonnegut and Weide become family to each other, this documentary becomes unusually involving, and moving too.

themes, language, imagery

17.Nov.21

In its brisk running time, the film encompasses a wide range of issues these women faced down with sheer determination. After setting up their own club night and magazine so they could celebrate their sexuality with a combination of art and S&M, they were targeted by multiple groups who had other ideas of that they should wear, what they should read, who they should be sleeping with and how. So of course they developed a powerful camaraderie that persists three decades later.

The most powerful section of the film comes at the end, as these women reminisce about what they went through and what it means for today's young people, who are able to live happily outside the mainstream, and even sometimes to be openly accepted for what used to be considered transgressive. Of course, none of this would be the case if these rebels hadn't had the courage to stand up against conformity and celebrate people with perspectives outside the accepted norms.

themes, language, imagery

21.Oct.21