Basquiat
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Movie Reviews of Basquiat
Movie Review: Watch and listen
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm totally ignorant of art, but this film is very exciting especially in Jeffrey Wright's scenes with actors Claire Forlani, Michael Wincott, and Benicio Del Toro. The way Basquiat's success changes his relationship with his girlfriend and friends and the way he seemingly unwittingly uses people and is also used by people makes for great entertainment. I'm not sure about the Andy Warhol scenes, and nothing much is learned of the relationship between he and Basquiat, but I enjoyed the reunion at the end between Basquiat and his pre-fame best friend Benny. My two favorite scenes would be the one where Basquiat ruins his girlfriend's painting sparking a wonderful argument and the scene between Basquiat and Benny in the car when Basquiat accuses Benny of being a racist. Benicio Del Toro's response is awesome in this scene: "What gives you the audacity to even think that..." I really appreciate the fact that Jeffrey Wright's performance does not allow Basquiat to become merely a symbol for oh-so-cool self-destructive artists. At times he is sweetly sympathetic and at other times he is very irritating and self-righteous. What I think is tragic about the film's Basquiat is that he is constantly being judged based on his race and set apart rather than being embraced solely for his artistic talent. Although Schnabel is an artist himself I don't feel the film is a visual film, it is visual/audio similar to Scorcese's Mean Streets but without that film's violence. The music soundtrack is so important and the songs are so well chosen that it feels like many of the scenes were filmed to fit a specific song. The wonderful soundtrack includes songs by The Pogues, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Miles Davis, and John Cale. I especially like the use of the songs Fairytale of New York and Summer in Siam by The Pogues and Hallelujah by John Cale. Great music fills plot holes and connects fragmented scenes together. For me the dialogue is very musical as well, especially as delivered by such uniquely talented actors. This film can be watched many times without becoming boring, and therefore I recommend owning it.Movie Review: SAMO'S WORLD
Summary: 5 Stars
As everthing i've ever read about Jean Michel has told me, he wasn't quite this personable but i suppose since this was done by a dear friend of JMB's then it is only fitting that Jeffrey Wright's portrayal be a bit more "In the Sunshine". I have been intriqued by JMB since that first time i seen this movie. This wasn't even tradgic because JMB never really changed his habits in this movie. All great artists seem to be here today gone tommorow...This movie seemed to give a real good look at the ever different world of an artist...espcially one connected to the who's who of this times art world. David Bowie is entertaining as Andy Warhol...Benicio Del Toro is just good in every movie he's in and A brief appearance by Christopher Walken seemed to add bit of humor to this tale of a young artist who had the world at his feet but was too stoned and paranoid to care about it. I love his art but one has to admitt that all the great one's are more then "different"...they walk in different sunight then we do. For instance...(in the movie) money meant nothing to JMB, drugs were like coffee to him and he was alarmingly carefree about most things. In this portrayal of Jean Michel Basquiat, Jeffrey Wright really seemed to hurt in the scenes regarding JMB's relationships, both romantic(Claire Forlani is very convincing as JMB's steady for most of the movie) aswell as with his friends. JMB didn't trust a lot around him. The one message that came clear to me was that Jean Michel longed to be excepted as an"ARTIST"...not a "BLACK ARTIST"...he didn't see color and it angered him and hurt him at the same time at the fact that the world saw him as a black man/artist. He was called the "Eddie Murphy" of the art world and had an alias of "SAMO"(He graffitied this name ...short for "samo s - - t")...to me he was a brilliant artist who invited me into the world of art and showed me some of the tradgic ways that talent can be thrown around...wow, to be gifted like that...This is an insightful look into the life of Jean Michel Basquiat...American ArtistMovie Review: Stunning film, definitely worth owning!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this film on a discount rack in a video shop not having any idea who in the world Jean Michel Basquiat was, only remember hearing that it was an interesting, non-Hollywood art film about an artist. After watching it, I wouldn't mind learning more about the real Basquiat as all biopics take their poetic liberties, but to be honest I don't particularly care how factually accurate this film really is, or how good Basquiat's work may or may not have been.
That's because this film simply SHINES and stands on its own as a celebration of true artists everywhere and at any time, famous or obscure.
Just about every character is superb, from Wright to Oldman, Bowie, Del Toro, Walken, and especially the drop-dead, knock-out gorgeous Clare Forlani. The cinematography is beautiful (makes you want to move to NYC, 9/11 be damned), the music is perfectly chosen, the dialogue flows and crackles effortlessly.
To those who disliked this film because they dislike Wright's character, who dislike the film's lack of a simplistic plot structure, who (perhaps understandably) dislike modern art and late 20th century art scene---I say, go out and rent some kitschy piece of [junk] like "The English Patient!" This film is really not so much about Basquiat but about art and artists, the best of which tend to be gloriously AMORAL and ANARCHISTIC. *Not* clean, cutesy, predictable or "respectable."
Movie Review: Absorbing . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Biopics, as a rule, so oversimplify and sentimentalize their subjects that it's rare to find one that presents a plausible picture of a life actually lived. To have lived such a brief life, as young Basquiat did, may seem to come to the aid of the 90-minute filmmaker, but that this story of a brilliant New York street artist comes across as believable at all is a testament to the performances, the script, and the direction. The only thing really missing in this film is an appreciation of Basquiat's works themselves. Maybe you leave that for the Learning Channel.
Jeffrey Wright is just fine as the troubled and gifted artist who became an overnight sensation in the New York art world and then, according to writer/director Julian Schnabel (who should know) was more or less eaten alive by it. And he holds his own with a supporting cast of notables including Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Parker Posey, Benicio del Toro, and others, including David Bowie as a wonderfully sympathetic Andy Warhol. While you may take exception to the accuracy of the film, you find yourself accepting it as a portrayal of a certain kind of life that has been regarded from the beginning as larger than life - and any resemblance to Van Gogh is intended from the start. The richly varied music track, including snatches of Miles' Davis' "Kind of Blue," is also wonderful.
Movie Review: The hell an artist goes through....
Summary: 5 Stars
I read the previous reviews, and I have to say... as an artist in NYC, this is my absolute favorite film of all time. Yes, it portrays Basquiat as a self-indulgent drug-induced brat. There are those who will understand. There are those who live this. There are those who know what it means to struggle. But for those who are artists, this movie will touch something that no film has ever touched upon in such an intense way. The struggle for success is mixed with the struggle of being successful. The world comes crashing down on you and there is ultimately no way to escape it. It happens to celebrities... it happens to artists... it happenes to anyone in the spotlight who actually has something to say to the world. The casting for this film is brilliant. I would love to talk to each and every actor and actress to find out their personal reason for being a part of this film. I feel there is so much there that isn't being said. A film like this puts to shame most contemporary films that feel the need to spell everything out and reiterate in montages. I watch this film again and again... and each time I see a different film. I may not be the typical audience. But man... what an expererience to watch this film as an artist in NYC.