Month of Movies - Exit Through The Gift Shop

This is yet another movie I knew nothing about but loved. I'm almost persuaded to stop watching any movies I think I'm going to like and only watch films from now on that:

• I know nothing about and/or
• I think I'm not going to like

I'll explain more in my next post (yes I have been to see Black Swan finally).

Anyway, Exit Through The Gift Shop...

 

 

If you're at all interested in art and/or people you ought to watch this documentary.

As 'Banksy' says in the trailer there, it started out as a documentary on street art and him, and ended up as him making a movie about a subject much more interesting - the man originally making the documentary who eventually appears to go on and become a world famous and very rich 'artist' himself.

I tweeted straight afterwards that if you didn't know it was true you wouldn't believe it. Lots of people don't believe a word of the movie, they think the whole thing is a piece of 'performance art' in itself. But I don't really care - if it's fake, if it's art, if it's true - it's highly entertaining, enjoyable and interesting to watch. I love seeing all the street art chronicled at the start of the movie by lots of different street artists. I love the questions posed towards the end of the movie about what art actually is and whether someone who has spent plenty of time observing art can actually become an artist, let alone sell his art for thousands.....also whether the art collectors buying the pieces are actually allowing themselves to be fleeced by buying street/pop art's equivalent to the Emperor's New Clothes.

But I like looking at art and interesting concepts and there's plenty of that in the movie as well as plenty of humour, great narration by Rhys Ifans and a fabulous soundtrack, especially Tonight The Streets Our Ours by Richard Hawley.

Again I say you ought to check this movie out - it's out on dvd and to rent or buy through iTunes, and it's fun.

I think of the 2 movies I've seen in the Best Documentary Feature category that Restrepo is the superior, and probably my favourite, though favourite might be the wrong word... I haven't managed to find a way of watching the 3 other nominees - Gasland, Inside Job or Waste Land so I may have actually missed the best but we'll see. I'll be shouting for Restrepo.