LeonLouisRicci A Smart Movie that is Insightful and Entertaining as it Satirises the Avant-Garde Art World. Not a Fresh Idea to be sure but an always Welcome Debate about "Yes, but is it Art?". That Conundrum seems to be Forever with Us and it never really has an Easy Answer and it shouldn't because it is Purely Rhetorical.Trying to Answer that Question is like trying to Answer "Why are we here?" or "What is the Meaning of life?" It is a Labyrinth of a Quest to attempt such Profound Inquiries. Director Jonathan Parker is Articulate and Funny as He Dumbs Down the Dumb Work of these Creators and Their Creations and is Empathetic and enjoys Poking Fun at what He Loves. His Own Film Straddles the Line between Commercially Viable and Free Expression. A sort of a Combination of the Two on-screen Brothers.Adam Goldberg as a Sound Artist that says "Harmony was a Capitalist plot to sell pianos.", and His Brother Aaron Bailey as a Painter who has Not Really Sold Out but His Paintings Do, to Corporations and Hotels. The Film includes many Arty Characters that give this thing Pizazz. Marley Shelton as the Gallery Owner that is very Comfortable in Her own Fake Skin of a Noise inducing Wardrobe of Vinyl and Ruffles. Her Audible Attire attracts the Noise Conscious Sound Artist for a Romantic Interlude, but that is hardly the Story here.There Hardly is a Story here but what is here is a parade of Amusing and Egotistical Artists that are Lively and Loving every minute of Their Expressionism. Just like the Creators of this Engaging Entry Into a very Weird World. The Movie is Not for All Tastes but that is the Point.

Gastel First of all this movie is not a comedy. Yes, there's a lot of irony and some funny scenes but don't expect a "light" movie because it's not. The subject is not about art per se but rather on the creation, exploitation and fruition of art. I think that the way this movie handles the subject is very refreshing and it hasn't been done before. In my opinion the last part leaves a bit to be desired in terms of character and story development but nothing that ruins the movie. There's also a lot of great music if you are into avant-garde and contemporary music, especially in the second part of the movie. Highly recommended to anyone but in particular to people who are involved in some sort of creative process.

vintkd This is a very funny film, in my opinion, very strange at the first glance and really independent in all senses. I have always been liked such humor, which lies not on the surface, and in order that to understand its, you should have certain creative imagination and pure soul, not damaging modern teenage comedies. Though my soul is not clean exactly, I enthralled this movie.In this movie there is a very important question "What is really art currently?" We so often pronounce the words "genius", "masterpiece", but many people absolutely not understand true value and sense these words. Very nice and surprisingly for me had been to see amazing performance by always brutal Vinnie Jones in absolutely not typical role for him.

piverba I will spare you from a detail narration of this film, you can read this elsewhere, and simply address what I found useful in it. As a paying job, Adrian, an aspiring composer, who we saw creating music (or noise) with buckets, paper and other quotidian materials, plays at the restaurant a beautiful Chopin's piece while the restaurant patrons talk on the phone and completely ignore the music. His execution is virtuosic and lends credibility to his skill as a musician. Suddenly, he start playing cacophonous and violent piece, beating on piano. Without a specific frame of reference it is impossible to tell whether this is a noise or a music. People start paying attention and most of them (if not all) are turning angry. Adrian succeeded to annoy everyone which is more than what he could do with Chopin. Previously when asked what is noise and what is music Adrian explains that even Beethoven may be a noise in certain circumstances. From this perspective, art is what moves us - gives us energy, motivates us and calls to action. Art must be new. If we like what we see or hear - this is probably not art. If it pleases us, it is most certainly already became familiar and no longer new.Now, I do not praise Adrian's music, for this I have very little information to make an informed judgment, but I do trust Madeleine's taste and believe she is right to recognize him as an original. I also see him participating in the performance of Schoenberg's Pierrot lunaire and hear him speaking about atonal music, etc. He also prepared a la John Cage silent piece, executed at the end, as a joke. All this tells me that he is a credible musician searching for his unique and authentic way in art. Musical arts gets more serious treatment in the film because of David Lang's expert contribution. Another selected 'artist', a conceptual artist, Monroe, does not have the credibility and appears to be rather autistic and emotionally disturbed. Madeleine seams to believe in him, but may be mistaken. Perhaps her attitude toward art as being solely anti-commercial activity, is incorrect. Art defies formulas and needs to be reevaluated every time anew. DiNapoli and Parker showed their attitude toward what they consider to be art and what is a heck job. There are many interesting subplots that I found stimulating. Who called this film a comedy? - this is serious film about serious matters. I enjoyed it very much. Although the film's subject matter is not particularly new, it nevertheless is important and rarely receive any cinematographic treatment. In the film finale, when a man approaches Adrian and says: "Your art changed my life," this is an ultimate justification of artist's social persona. But for all of us, in our intimate internal being, there are things we do because we simply have to, without any hope nor desire for external approval, we do them as a form of spiritual survival.