An art film about how art films suck

I don't know what kind of press this thing is getting right now. But when I heard someone made a film about graffiti art, and that it was playing in Vancouver while I was there, I had to take a look. The long trailer tells most of the story:



But it doesn't tell the whole story. "Exit" is essentially two movies in one: the first half, as advertised, is a documentary on "street art," or really a making-of documentary about a strange French guy who was making a documentary on street art. But it takes a turn a little past halfway and becomes something different. A film about an art hoax? The film itself as an art hoax? The last half hour takes everything the rest of the film did and throws it into question. We know that graffiti art has always been hostile, at least implicitly, to established genres and forms of art: it's out on the street while they're scratching their chins in galleries. This film shows graffiti art taking on art documentary, an established form in its own right, and turning it inside out. It's amazingly well done.

It also connected a few dots for me: I didn't know, for example, that the Shepherd Fairey of those ubiquitous "OBEY" stencils is the same guy who made the iconic Obama poster for the 2008 elections (and then got sued for it). So the film also works just as a documentary, too.

Being There

I was introduced to Hal Ashby in this Slate article last year. I saw Harold and Maude shortly thereafter and it kind of weirded me out a bit. I put Being There on my list but it was tough to find and Harold and Maude didn't provide for enough motivation. We finally tracked it down at Limelight and I'm still grinning and thinking about it now.

The beauty of this movie is how current it remains. With the emphasis our current society put on "TV experts" and analyzing every word, action and picture to death, this movie becomes even more funny. I can imagine Sara Palin watching this film and wondering why she hadn't seen the cameras. Go watch it.

And then read the Roger Ebert review...only after though. It makes me feel better for liking this movie.

Also, particularly on point today, via boingboing, this article on how stupid people don't understand that they're stupid and the problems that this creates. Can't wait for parts 2-5.