(Untitled) 2009
Tonight we get to see (Untitled) a movie about the modern art scene – in a way. It’s about Adrian, played by Adam Goldberg, a composer and musician and a pianist who vows that if things don’t get better in three years he’ll kill himself. He has a brother who is successful, selling paintings to hotel chains for $10,000 each – these cloudy colorful paintings complete with two or three dots. Adrian struggles to find an audience and acceptance for his music which is a audible collage of sounds complete with his signature kicking of a suspended bucket.
Along comes a meeting with Madeline Gray (played by Marley Shelton) who hears Adrian’s concert and realizes that his style would either appeal to her art gallery crowd or help sell the artwork. So she has him play at her new showing and soon enough Adrian and Madeline are having a little fling. Which might trouble Adrian because he knows his brother was attempting to spark an interest with Madeline. Madeline arranges to have one of her art buyers commission Adrian to compose a piece.
Of course we also have Vinnie Jones gracing this movie as an artist who makes eccentric pieces, who reinvents himself daily (if not ten minutes ago), and doesn’t actually do his own artwork but “oversees it”. His exit from the movie was worth a chuckle.
What is this movie about? I’m not so sure that it is about anything. It touches on a number of subjects. The hypocrisy of the art world. The struggle of artists. The triviality of art. The senselessness (at times) of collecting. What is art? Etc.
For me, it was interesting to see how people are who they are and whatever it is that you find in life to enjoy, whether it is the art of a taxidermied animal sticking half-way out the wall, or the lower half of a man with arrows sticking in him going into the wall, or a push-pin stuck in the wall and called art. Whatever it is, if you enjoy it then enjoy it without guilt. If you like a certain kind of music and others call it noise, then enjoy it and ignore their comments.
Why not periodically do some introspection and see if you are the person you want to be and if not work on reinventing yourself. Become better.
It is also about creating. And how the act of creation is fulfilling and how everyone longs to be remembered and leave a mark in history. I know I’m not doing a good job of this one myself!
Things learned from this movie:
- Some artists are strange.
- Enjoy yourself whatever you do and whatever you like. Your unique.
- “Some things are so personal… that’s better to keep them to yourself.”
- What is a critic and why should anyone listen to them?
- Kicking a bucket takes a certain movement from the hip to get the carnal tone into the sound – otherwise its just noise.
- Art shows are a good place to score a glass of wine.
- What do you have in your back room?
Rated R. 96 minutes (1 hour 36 minutes). There’s some language. And one artist is painting a figure study and we see a slow pan by a nice woman’s ass – maybe 15 seconds or so.
Boogie Woogie (2009)
Boogie Woogie, a film that follows a painting titled “Boogie Woogie” by Piet Mondrian as art dealers attempt to buy for resale from an old man (played by Christopher Lee). While he is refusing to sell you see into the art world, the dealers, the artists, and the gallery patrons.
This film has quite the cast to it, Gillian Anderson (of the X-Files), Heather Graham, Charlotte Rampling, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgård, Alan Cumming … etc. As you can see, its easy to have high expectations given the cast, and also that its listed as an “Independent Film” so you really can expect this film to be something different than the ordinary studio establishment film.
It’s ok.
It has twists, but everyone in the film knows what the others are doing (expect for Gillian’s finding out their paintings were sold out from underneath them) and continue on pretending to be blissfully unaware.
It helps if you recall that art is always in the eye of the beholder – if you like something then enjoy it, but don’t let someone push their “art” on you and fake liking it, be honest, enjoy what you want and let others revel in their art if that’s what they want. It is an art scene film, so expect the usual stiff parties at studios, high dollar value paintings, and drugs.
Overall the movie is entertaining enough, for a slow evening. It didn’t make me want to flip it off, but I bet if I had a phone call or something demanded my attention the probability of turning it back on and finishing are kind of low.
Things learned from this movie:
- You don’t have to be an artist or rich to attend gallery events. If you are invited, go, your just as “normal” as anyone else there.
- If you have an embedded twin inside you and have it surgically removed, your lover will have it encased in plastic for you.
- Gay guys sent packing by the girls that they hang out with will break down and jump out of the window committing suicide.
- Art gallery owners always have to be extremely happy – regardless what happens.
- Being an artist looks like a lot of fun!
Rated R. 94 minutes (1 hour 34 minutes). Profanity and nudity. But honestly not as much as you would expect for an R-rated film. One scene has a girl getting out of a bathtub, and looking through the quick glimpse you see it all (again briefly). Oh, and an art gallery owner has his male lover come out stark naked and ask him who she was (a female whose name was being discussed) — sooo … you might want to look away during that scene as everything is on display.
Pretty Ugly People (2009)
What to say about Pretty Ugly People? Well… I didn’t like it! How’s that?
When I put this in my NetFlix queue it had a higher rating and now it has a rating of 2.6 by 1,332 people. And I agree with them. Wholeheartedly!
First I didn’t know any of the cast. Second the story is kind of a “who cares” sort of deal. The fattest girl in high school calls up a few of her old buddies years later and wants them to meet her at a lodge in Montana for a long weekend and says that “time is running out”. Thinking she’s dying they all come.
She’s not fat anymore and wants them all to go hiking. The hike proceeds to self-destruct. On it truths are revealed about most of the group, including that she’s a virgin and just wants to get laid. Isn’t that the subject of many better done teenage sex comedies like American Pie and Fast Times at Ridgemont High? This one is rated R, but it is solely because of the profanity.
The opening credits was a cartoon, and did a neat transition from cartoon to real life character. That was honestly the most fascinating part of the film.
It isn’t without some redeeming qualities. The scenery is great. It underscores that people should find happiness within themselves instead of seeking a spouse or a career or a lifestyle to make them happy — that is, if you aren’t happy with who you are and with yourself, then you cannot be happy based on external factors. That change must truly come from within, your decision, not changing to be someone else based on societal pressures. And if who you are is who you are then be yourself, and enjoy life. And don’t judge others on stereotypes and first impressions, evaluate them on their merits. But these points may sound like a lot of redeeming points, but trust me, the sum of the parts doesn’t make an even better movie. You have to really pay attention and read between the lines to pick these things up.
Anyway… if you never ever see this, your life won’t have a big sucking void in it.
Also – this is supposedly a comedy. It gives comedy a bad name. Also supposedly an indie movie – also giving indies a bad name! I like indy films, this tempts me to swear off them!
Rated R. 109 minutes (1 hour 39 minutes). Profanity. Nudity – well, male figures are seen, but no body parts visible, thank god!
