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CUTTING EDGE

Today's film was

Untitiled (2009)

Two brothers, one an unsuccessful avant garde artist (music) and the other a successful kitschy artist (painting) find themselves unfulfilled and unrecognized in the way that they wish to be. The kitsch wants artistic success and the avant garde wants, well, understanding, at least.

This is not about sibling rivalry though. The brothers are more a setup for the two sides of art, popular and "serious" and what constitutes art. Is commercial success the goal? Or, if not, is lack of recognition satisfying?

And what about art? What is it? How do you tell?

An old composer, in the final reel, gives a good answer.

In the meantime this film has fun with the whole thing.

Avantly speaking, we have a Damien Hurst type artist as well as a minimalist. We have the avant garde musician brother spoiling gigs with his refusal to play for pay. Or play what the pay wants him to.

It is satirical but not over the top satirical. Just quietly so.

There are a lot of serious discussions, cogent and to the point, about the artistic questions. Some good bon mots.

Adam Goldberg is the composer musician and scowls through the entire performance. Nicely so. He will not lighten up, goddamit. Eion Bailey is the painter brother. All schmaltz in his attitude toward art and life. A romantic.

The music is very interesting. Composed by the Pulitzer winning David Lang. It takes some skill to compose bad atonal music and he does so with some audible relish. The 'serious" music is quite good.

Another thing. When Goldberg the musician is on screen, the sound track is cranked up to pick up all the ambient noise as well as some that is obviously put in for effect. You hear everything from sirens to footsteps to breath and movement. It is quite astounding. And raises the point of Goldberg's character that ambient sound is music that has not yet been organized. And so on. Very neatly done and not hammered in, so to speak. You do have to listen though.

At the beginning, I thought the artwork to be incredible but then I thought Damien Hurst and, while I was even offended by it, I got the point.

There is also some good talk about galleries and their operation and purpose. Having spent a lot of gallery time in my life, I can attest to the veracity of these attitudes and expressions. Even the caricature of the collector. Have been there and done that.

There is very little story here. There is wit and wisdom and a lot of talk. What drama there is is quite light No one is sending a message. The point is more the discussion not the conclusion.

This movie made me think and laugh. Now how many times does that happen when you watch a film? I enjoyed listening to Lang's music. Very much.

Also, Adam Goldberg is a babe when he is shown to advantage which happens when he begins to see the light late in the film. Bailey does not need good lighting. He is a shiner at all times.

I would not mind watching this another time. I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.

Labels: films