I'm a bit of a doc junkie, so I was pretty pleased to see that Kevin Kelly (co-founding editor of Wired) has put together reviews of 100 of his favorite documentary films. Better yet, the 56-page book is published in PDF format, so you can download it for $3 (at the Boing Boing Digital Emporium).

On his website, Kevin nicely sums up what I love about docs:

"The very best of these non-fiction films are as entertaining as the best of Hollywood blockbusters. In contrast to the fiction that most movies are, true films offer authentic plot twists, real characters, and truth stranger than fiction. They aim to both entertain and to inform--a powerful combo."

I think this book will be a great tool to change the minds of people who aren't quite sold on the idea of enjoying documentaries. And for those who have long loved docs, apparently there's already been a film club launched around the 100 films reviewed in the book. I'm not sure who organized it, or where, but it sounds like a good idea for Spout doc fans.

I'll be back with more after I have a chance to look at the book.