Ep1141: "Andy, Did You Hear About This One?" Make Me Famous (2021) and Basquiat (1996) - Movie Review
Ian and Jeff travel back to the vibrant art scene of early-80s New York City with a look at two related but very different films, Make Me Famous and Basquiat!
The former is Brian Vincent's 2021 documentary about obscure expressionist portraitist Edward Brezinski, who lived in a crumbling 3rd Street slum; he spent his days painting and his nights hitting up gallery openings trying to drum up interest in his work (as well as scrounging for food and drink). He orbited the likes of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, but never caught on to the "It" factor that carried many of his contemporaries to super-stardom and wealth.
Julian Schnabel's 1996 drama, Basquiat, stars Jeffrey Wright as the titular, troubled painter of graffiti and challenging art pieces. The disjointed film chronicles his ascent to fame as a protege of Andy Warhol (David Bowie), and his descent into a drug-fueled early demise at the age of 27.
As alums of Chicago's American Academy of Art, your enthusiastic hosts dive right into what makes both films essential viewing--despite flaws both minor and nigh insurmountable. Ian and Jeff talk about their affinity for films about artists; the thematic threads that weave through two works that differ in form but unite in defining a vivid time, place, and people; and lament the commoditization of creativity presaged in both Basquiat and Brezinski's stories.
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Show Links
Watch the Make Me Famous (2021) trailer.
Watch the Basquiat (1996) trailer.
Follow all things Make Me Famous at the film's official website.
Order the new 4K UHD of Basquiat from The Criterion Collection.
And read Roger Durling's essay about the controversial restoration here.
Keep up with Jeff York's criticism and caricatures at The Establishing Shot and Pipeline Artists.
