Exit Through The Gift Shop

Director: Banksy
(2010)

This is essentially the story of Thierry Guetta, an ebullient Frenchman with a penchant for videography whose life completely changed when he serendipitously discovered his cousin, Invader, creating colorful tile mosaics of vintage video game characters meant for illicit installation on the streets of Paris. This opened the door to a world that Guetta would entrench himself in for the next decade.

Guetta forced his way deep into the street art subculture, and captured mesmerizing footage of street artist icons Shepard Fairey (who gained mainstream attention thanks to his Barack Obama “HOPE” portrait) and British artist Banksy (who has remained an enigma despite the fact that his oeuvre has fetched a fortune and captured the imagination of people across the world). Guetta proved to be an invaluable asset to the community, acting not only as a videographer to document the illicit installations, but also as an assistant, chauffeur, navigator, and lookout.



Midway through the film, the focus changes onto Guetta himself, who takes on the moniker Mr. Brainwash and masterminds an art show of his own under Banksy’s commission. While many docs change their focus midway through, they often lose their sense of balance as a result. Exit Through the Gift Shop manages to shift it’s spotlight in a way that harmonizes the film as a whole – evoking questions about the meaning, value, and commercialization of art in general.

Mr. Brainwash prepares for his exhibition, titled “Life is Beautiful,” with the mindset of quantity over quality. Much of his work was produced by mindlessly spray painting canvases or scanning and photoshoping existing images, all executed by an army of minions. Some of his pieces so closely resemble the work of his inspirations that Mr. B comes across as a copycat creator. Yet, with some clever marketing, he defied the odds. He made the cover of LA Weekly in June of 2008, had over 7,000 people attend his “Life is Beautiful” show on its opening night, and in the end, he netted nearly a million dollars in sales.

Banksy clearly gave rise to Mr. Brainwash. While Guetta claims he put everything he had into the exhibition (he even refinanced his mortgage) it seems likely that Banksy put some of his own capital into the project, ensuring that Mr. B could afford the smoke and mirrors to dupe the Los Angeles scene. Once could argue that Banksy has such an adept understanding of the art world that he knew he would be able to ensure that Mr. Brainwash would be a success, and therefore essentially scripted the end of this documentary by playing on the credulous nature of art connoisseurs.

“I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit” via WebUrbanist

Banksy himself has shown contempt with commercialization in the past, including the above piece which he published to his website shortly after some of his own pieces were auctioned by Sotheby’s in Feb 2007. So it’s not unimaginable that he would direct a film that denigrates the idea of making money off of street art. From The NY Times:

Asked whether a film that takes shots at the commercialization of street art would devalue his own work, Banksy wrote: “It seemed fitting that a film questioning the art world was paid for with proceeds directly from the art world. Maybe it should have been called ‘Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You.’ ”

There is widespread speculation regarding the validity and scope of the film being a hoax. Perhaps most intriguing is the theory of blogger Rebecca Cannon, who postulated that:

If Guetta is a hoax, there also exists the possibility that these artworks are actually produced by Banksy himself, in a style deliberately intended to suggest inferior artistic skill. Should the hoax ever be proven, and Banksy’s hand revealed to be the creator of the works, a further hoax on the art world may unfold in which Banksy is found to have tricked collectors into passing-up the opportunity to purchase his works for so little, rather than having paid too much for Guetta’s.

Considering the fact that Banksy has kept his identity unknown for years, it is unlikely that the full truth regarding this film will ever be unmasked. In the end, it’s inconsequential. Hoax or not, Exit Through the Gift Shop is, it’s a thoroughly entertaining film.

official film site

Trivial Tidbits:

• In 2004, Banksy put up one of his own paintings in the Louvre (a Mona Lisa replica with a yellow smiley face)
  
• In an interview with The Guardian, Banksy revealed that his parents think he is "a painter and decorator"
  

Joe Berlinger Versus Chevron

Joe Berlinger’s Crude (2009), which details a lawsuit between the Ecuadorian people and the oil corporation Chevron over the pollution of the Amazon Rain Forest, has found itself to be in the middle of a contentious lawsuit. Chevron recently brought suit against Berlinger, demanding to see all of the footage that didn't make it into the final cut of the film. Reuters reports that on May 6th, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered Berlinger to turn over 600 hours of raw footage from the cutting room floor to Chevron.

A still from Crude

The original case unfolded 17 years ago in Ecuadorian courts. Chevron (then Texaco) was found accountable for environmental damage in the country, and as a result faced liabilities of up to $27 billion. Chevron now believes that the unseen documentary footage may contain evidence of various transgressions on the part of the Ecuadorean legal team that may enable them to seek arbitration. Berlinger’s footage could be used as evidence against the Ecuadorians.

At issue here are one’s rights as a journalist. As an investigative documentary filmmaker, Berlinger should be granted Reporters’ Privilege under the First Amendment. Berlinger’s attorney, Maura Wogan, said that the ruling threatens "great harm to documentary filmmakers and investigative reporters everywhere."

…
An outcry from the documentary film community ensued, including a May 7 NY Times ArtsBeat blog post featuring quotations from an outspoken Michael Moore and a May 12 open letter from the International Documentary Association, signed by the IDA’s Board of Directors and over 150 filmmakers, including Alex Gibney, Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock. An excerpt:

While we commend Judge Kaplan for stating "that the qualified journalists' privilege applies to Berlinger's raw footage", we are nonetheless dismayed both by Chevron's attempts to go on a "fishing expedition" into the edit rooms and production offices of a fellow documentary filmmaker without any particular cause or agenda, and the judge's allowance of said intentions. What's next, phone records and e-mails?

…
The Times reports that last Friday, May 21, Berlinger was granted an appeal by Federal Appeals Court Judge Denny Chin. A court date was set for June 8.

The line from the IDA letter regarding phone records and emails concisely highlights the issue at hand. A filmmakers footage is akin to a reporter's notebook. It is private, and it should be protected by the law.

The implications of this case can not be overestimated. If the footage from filmmakers can be open to a subpoena this easily, it will make certain documentary filmmakers think twice about undertaking range of projects of a political nature and it may intimidate whistle-blowers from coming forward to expose illegal activities. The doc film community eagerly awaits the developments of the trial.

It Might Get Loud

Director: Davis Guggenheim
(2008)

It Might Get Loud focuses on the careers and stylings of Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page. The film is mildly entertaining, but only to the nerdiest of rock fans. It has the feel of a well-produced VH1 special.



The best part of the film is at the end, when the trio is jamming to "The Weight" by The Band. The Edge says, "Oh, I've been playing the wrong chord the whole time. It's not E minor. It's B minor." To which Jimmy Page replies, "Is it? Oh shit." Other than that splash of realism, it's an awkward affair.

Trivial Tidbits:

• It Might Get Loud premiered at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival

Visionaries

Director: Chuck Workman
(2010)

The neglected genre of experimental film has been acknowledged in Visionaries, a documentary that recently saw its debut at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. This retrospective, directed by Oscar winning director Chuck Workman, showcases many of the icons of the movement and features over 100 clips of influential films.

Workman, who has made a career out of creating the montages seen during the Academy Awards, brings the mystifying genre to life by weaving together film excerpts and interviews with various filmmakers, including; Kenneth Anger (donning a NY Rangers jersey); Hollywood patriarch Robert Downey Sr. (a clip from Pound, featuring a 5-year-old Robert Jr., was a crowd pleasing moment); Austrian filmmaker Peter Kubelka; prominent critic Amy Taubin; Ken Jacobs (who started the experimentally-focused Cinema department at then Harpur College (now Binghamton University) in 1969); avant-garde cinema historian P. Adams Sitney; surrealist Palme d’Or winner David Lynch (briefly); and American filmmaker Su Friedrich (who was in attendance for the Q&A following the screening). Brilliant vintage interviews of the late, great Stan Brakhage, Andy Warhol, and Norman Mailer were some of the most compelling moments in the film.



Following the screening, Workman talked about how grateful he was that the featured filmmakers gave him permission to use clips of their films, despite the fact that they would be taken out of their context. Workman did a great job of delving into some of the techniques and motivations of the filmmakers, which all shared a common anti-Hollywood sentiment and style.

"The godfather of American avant-garde cinema," Jonas Mekas, was highlighted in the second half of the film. His work in founding the New York-based Anthology Film Archives has been indispensable in the conservation of experimental films. Preservation is a concern within this art form, particularly considering how unprofitable experimental films tend to be. However, while the early portion of the film was a balanced retrospective, this final portion feels like a standalone short film dedicated to Mekas. This may have been better suited as a much shorter epilogue at the end of the film rather than the focus of the last chunky chapter, which only ended up throwing the film off balance.

While the content of Visionaries was incredibly inspirational, the documentary itself was flawed. Workman frequently employed a scrolling text across the top of the screen that fought for the audience’s attention. A voice-over would’ve been more appropriate, rather than forcing the audience to decide between watching Meshes of the Afternoon and reading a racing Maya Deren quote.

Su Friedrich, Chuck Workman, and Jon Gartenberg speaking after the screening

In the end, the content of Visionaries is inspiring. Workman should be praised for introducing this widely unknown movement to a wider audience. However, the construction of the film itself leaves something to be desired. Visionaries may be likened to a mundane book on the Dadaist Art Movement – after skimming the book, praise would be given to the artists, not the editors or even the book itself.

Trivial Tidbits:

• Avant-garde icon Stan Brakhage was professor to Matt Stone and Trey Parker (of South Park fame) during his tenure at the University of Colorado
• Andy Warhol's Sleep (1963) is a film which consists of a long take of his close friend sleeping for over 5 hours

Wildlife Docs May Violate Animal Privacy

British news outlet The Guardian recently pointed to a study that argues wildlife documentaries may infringe on animals' right to privacy. The author of the study, Brett Mills, is a lecturer in film studies at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. He notes, "we can never really know if animals are giving consent, but they do often engage in forms of behavior which suggest they'd rather not encounter humans." His rationing seems flawed. Those animals that avoid human contact probably just have good survival instincts.

That being said, there is a worthy issue here. Filmmakers need to develop minimally invasive methods such as the use of hidden and minute cameras not only in order to protect the privacy of creatures, but also to ensure an accurate representation of what happens behind closed cave doors. Accuracy is vital because the footage can be used as research that may be used to help the animals in the future. But in the end, there are more pressing issues to take up - if anything, Mills should be fighting against those animal prisons that attract human gawkers throughout the world.

Trivial Tidbits:

• According to Box Office Mojo, March of the Penguins is the highest grossing wildlife doc, grossing a total of $77,437,223 after an opening weekend of $137,492 in 4 theaters
  

Nerdcore Rising

Director: Negin Farsad, Kim Gatewood (co-director)
(2008)

A chronicling of nerdcore hip hop artist MC Frontalot's 2006 national tour. No true nerd will be disappointed with this film, from the Magic: The Gathering tutorial to the incessant Chewbacca's Wookieespeak. MC Frontalot's entourage is gloriously awkward at times, but this is just an instinctive reaction by nerds when a camera is pointed at them.

Nerdcore Rising is part of a cultural shift in which the formerly disparaging term “nerd” is embraced by the individuals in this subculture. Despite this adaptation, nerds are still seen as outsiders in certain circles. This is evident as MC Frontalot strives to gain respect in the greater hip hop genre (along with more pressing goals, like earning a living via this art form).

The film features insightful interviews with unnerdy hip hop producer Prince Paul, 90s nerd “Weird Al” Yankovic, comical nerd Brian Posehn, fellow nerdcorer mc chris, Penny Arcade entrepreneurial nerds Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, and even a brief interview with the great (punk nerd?) Jello Biafra.

The tour provides an excellent framework for the film. Their early performances are somewhat shaky and often in front of scant audiences, including a performance in Georgia in front of a downright befuddled crowd. The tour culminates with a performance with Minibosses in front of a massive audience at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, ending the film with an encouraging sentiment.

official film site

Trivial Tidbits:

• The titular genre was coined by MC Frontalot in 2000 in the song "Nerdcore Hiphop"
• Nerdcore for Life is another documentary on the subject of nerdcore hip hop, also released in 2008

Lost In La Mancha

Directors: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe
(2002)

This is the comically tragic tale of Terry Gilliam's failed attempt to adapt of the legend of Don Quixote to the silver screen. The failed production, titled The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, was completely financed by Europe and was to star French actor Jean Rochefort in the titular role with Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp. However, the project was marred by a barrage of absurd and unpredictable setbacks from the beginning.

Fulton and Pepe were granted seemingly unlimited access behind the scenes in what would’ve probably ended up being a “making of” special feature on the DVD release of the film. They captured each of the unthinkable hurdles Gilliam faced, including screaming F16 flybys and an epic flash flood in the middle of the desert. In the end, they proved their resourcefulness in salvaging their footage and crafting this entertaining doc which has been dubbed the first “unmaking of” in history.

Mr. Gilliam having a rough day on set

My time working in film production helped me to appreciate the gravity of each setback. A friend of mine once calculated that the production company we were working for spent roughly $7 per second when we were shooting. By that calculation, something as seemingly trivial as an uncooperative horse could be costing the production literally thousands of dollars.

The doc itself can be seen as a Cervantian tale, with parallels made between the ebullient dreamer Gilliam and the delusional Quixote. Towards the end it seems clear that the crew knows the project has no chance of succeeding, yet Gilliam prods on. It’s almost painful to watch the filmmakers continue to toil on the project, particularly when the audience knows that the project is ultimately doomed. Nobody wants to be the one to tell the protagonist that his endeavor is derelict (that is, until the insurers adjusters come in).

official film site

Trivial Tidbits:

• Don Quixote is a novel written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes published in two parts in 1605 and 1615
• Gilliam has rebooted production, with Robert Duval slated to act as Don Quixote