Basquiat

Rating:
Summary: Bad
Review: I'm a Paul McCartney fan, and when I read he wrote a screenplay, I went out and saw the film GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET. Boy did it stink. McCartney can write lyrics okay, but writing a 2 hour screenplay was too much for a novice to try. Same with Schnabel. I like a lot of his art, but he's a novice screenwriter, and this movie shows it. No, I don't like Basquiat, and probably people who watch MTV most are among his biggest admirerers (his art is perfect for those with short attention spans). My 4 year old niece's drawings look just like his. But that's incidental to the inept directing and writing that are the reason for this film's failure.

Rating:
Summary: Artsy Fartsy
Review: Unless you are an intimate fan of art nouveau or you just love pompously pretentious movies, you will hate this movie. When I say pretentious, don't get me wrong...they don't have big words or interesting dialogue. This film doesn't even try to make its characters sound intelligent in the least. It is full of staggering, incomprehensible behaviour. But don't worry, most of us can't even begin to care about why Basquiat is such a pathetic and meaningless person. I know, I know...it's hard to believe Parker Posey, Gary Oldman, and Benicio Del Toro could all be in such a piece of junk - but alas...rent it and you'll see how awful. One of the worst films I've seen!

Of course, if you'd like to see an intelligent, highly attractive woman paired up with an ugly idiot...look no further...but then again, isn't this the scheme of most films?

Rating:
Summary: why, Miramax, WHY?!?
Review: I've noticed that people either love or hate this film. I've also noticed that the ones that hated it tended to be people ignorant of the details & circumstances of Basquiat's life. Something tells me that, when appreciating this film, it really helps if one is deeply interested in the subjects.

Basically, if you feel that Warhol was unimaginative, or that contemporary art is obtuse & undignified, you probably won't like this film. Go watch M-TV or something.

My big gripe is that Miramax hasn't released this beauty on DVD yet.(*) I mean, come on! It's been, what, 5 years since it's release? Schnabel's second film, Before Night Falls, won Oscars, and you'd think that that alone would garner enough attention to get this work released in the format it deserves. Nope. I just don't get it. If it came out on DVD I garuntee you that I'd buy it, friends of mine would buy it, my school's English department would buy it (heck, they already brought it to the campus theater for a "Film as Narrative Art" class).

So, Miramax, what gives?
(*) It seems that somebody, somewhere likes me. Not only does it look like there will indeed be a dvd edition, but it's coming out a week before my birthday (according to the fine folks at Amazon). Whoo-hoo!

Rating:
Summary: pathetic, really pathetic
Review: Basquiat's life is terribly interesting and I was pleased to see a film about it. But Julain Schnabel, making the "bold" move from painting to cinema, scores a big zero with this doobie. Total inattention to detail-- this move not only doesn' t look like it takes place in the early eighties (90s hair and clothes, and even cars), it's also a mess of a screenplay and the acting is purely laughable. Deep failure. This movie is insultingly bad.

Rating:
Summary: Important
Review: I believe this film needed to be made to give people some insight into Basquiats life. It was certainly eye opening for me. I really bought it to see Benicio Del Toro, who as usual, was great, though his part was small. He did the movie as a favor to the director, I think because he believed it was important to show Basquiats story. In the end he is Basquiats only real friend.

Rating:
Summary: I loved this movie!
Review: First of all, I'd like to say, that the purpose of the surfers was Basquiat wanted so badly to go to Hawaii - and so, when you see the surfer behind the buildings, it was Basquiat daydreaming of going..He talks about going to Hawaii a few times during the movie. Anyway, i saw the movie because i'm a big fan of Benicio Del Toro, he's an incredible actor indeed, he's sooo good, so talented and so quirky. Also, the movie itself was very impressive. I thought it was well written, all the actors did a superb job and i'm probably going to purchase this movie and name it as one of my favorites. Other than that, if you love art then i'm sure you will relate as well as love it!

Rating:
Summary: I hope it inspires more young artist of color.
Review: You know I see all kinds of kudos giving to David Bowie, and his boring portrayal of Andy Warhol(if you want to see someone pull off Andy Warhol,check out the movie,"I Shot Andy Warhol. The guy who portrays him(Andy in that movie, did a better job). Anywho,I love this movie, for the fact that you don't really get to see too many black artists'lives portrayed on film. And like I stated in the heading of my review,I hope this movie is being seen by young inspiring artist of color(you,too can start off being a graffiti artist, and turn that into something good). The other reason I like this movie, was Michael Wincott. Who I think pulled off the lead role very well. Why this movie isn't on dvd, I'll never understand. Anyway,purchase this movie. You'll love it.

Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful, beautifully-textured film.
Review: This was a great film. Yes, David Bowie was fantastic. But I think Jeffrey Wright's use of restraint and subtlety should be applauded as well. I also loved Benicio Del Toro's performance - he plays an addict and a friend to Basquiat well, using his voice to create his character.

Sometimes films are not made so that the audience will feel sympathy towards one or another characters, or to inform or to sway opinions. Sometimes films are made simply to tell a story, be it truth or fiction. I feel that "Basquiat" told a great story.

Schnabel shows us what we need to see to understand the relationships between the characters; we don't see everything that happens but we don't need to. The missing action can be gleaned from conversations between Basquiat and Andy Warhol for example, or during the interview scene. Sometimes the mere implication of a relationship dynamic is enough to establish an understanding of the entire relationship; Schnabel uses this technique well. I don't feel the film was meant to cover everything in Basquiat's rise to fame, only what's necessary to create a feeling of beauty, appreciation for Basquiat's work and motivations, and understanding of a variety of people in New York City in the early-early 80's.

I loved the music in the film, which ranges from Miles Davis to David Bowie. It makes you feel like you're in Basquiat's head, experiencing his drug-induced hazes, his artistic revelations. It's also great for setting the tone of the time period of the film.

And I say to those who did not get a lot out of watching "Basquiat:" see it again, you never know what you may have missed the first time around; sometimes things need to be given a second chance, even films.

Rating:
Summary: Like, high art, dude!
Review: I didn't know who Basquiat was when I saw this. At first, I thought the film was a take off on the New York art scene and the main character a joke a la Peter Sellers in "Being There". However, as the film went on, I realized I was wrong, which made this reverential piece a bit of a hilarious experience, considering the awe-inspiring reactions that Basquiat's childish doodling elicits from everyone around him. This film may unintentionally shed some light into some of the reasons for our popular culture's increasingly sad state of affairs. Kudos to David Bowie for his right-on-the-mark portrayal of Andy Warhol, just about the only bright spot in this otherwise dull and wrong-headed film.

Rating:
Summary: Bad
Review: David Bowie does a great job playing Andy Warhol. He's better a actor than most full-time actors. The movie itself, though, is bad. I'm a writer, and have published a lot of fiction, and it takes time and practice to master the rules and craft of fiction. Too often someone like Schnabel comes along and thinks he can write a script without any training for fiction writing. His script has every amateur writer's mistake you can make. It's really a piece of junk. But I'm giving this two stars instead of one because of Bowie's performance.