Change Your Image
davet1081-964-976110
Reviews
American Masters: Andy Warhol: A Documentary (2006)
Ill-conceived
A deeply flawed film. As others have remarked, too heavy on Warhol's sexuality and too much gushing critical praise bordering on worship. Just not enough interesting material for 4 hours of documentary.
Now, here's the most annoying aspect of this documentary: Ric Burnes' ghastly use of his brother's technique - the'Ken Burnes Effect'(KBE). For anyone unfamiliar, this means the relentless zooming and panning across old photos, and in this case, artworks. I presume this gives the film makers added material (and movement) as they can zoom in and focus on different parts of a single image getting double or triple duty from limited resources. Completely unnecessary for an artist as prolific as Warhol - in fact, there were very few works shown full-frame in their entirety.
The use of KBE in this documentary is just plain aggravating. Imagine roaming through an art gallery looking at everything as if through a keyhole! Works of art are obviously meant to be seen whole - not in bits and pieces. Here, nearly all of Warhol's painted/screened works are presented zoomed and panned - an abomination, and a wasted opportunity to present these works to the public as they should be viewed. What a shame.
Absolute Beginners (1986)
Unwatchable for Technical Reasons Alone
I appreciate a good musical, however, this film was a narrow miss for me when I first saw it - though I really wanted to like it. After watching the blu-ray release 30 years later, I'm afraid I can't imagine why I ever thought I liked it at all. No doubt a good-looking picture with candy-color saturated sets and costumes but that's where its appeal ends. Mostly forgettable songs, and production values that worked well for short format music videos are all too much for one to endure as a 2 hour feature. The rushed, often cringe-inducing dialog, sloppy overdubbing, endless jump-cuts, even the claustrophobic framing are unsettling enough to inspire angst in anyone. There's something odd about the timing, pacing, and overall flow that feels so foreign and unnatural - like watching a really long television commercial. In any case, this is not an enjoyable film. A 1950's story trapped in a 1980's medium. Hopelessly dated.