Art School Confidential (2006)

A very dark comedy indeed

Art School Confidential starts out like a million other "virgin at college" movies, but quickly hits its stride with a series of dead-on parodies of art school and art students. John Malkovitch is perfect in his role as the has-been art professor desperately trying to book a show to rekindle his reputation.

Then the film takes a very dark turn- our hero loses the girl, he's depressed, everything's going wrong- and just when you expect the usual turnaround- hero gets the girl, wins the prize- it gets even darker. There's a murderer afoot, and things start to turn very ugly. Actions have dark, unforseen consequences.

I'm not sure the ending worked for me. It's perhaps the most cynical statement in the movie, and leaves a number of threads incomplete. But for the first half- three stars. September 29, 2008

TERRY ZWIGOFF, OPUS 4

***1/2 2006. Co-produced by John Malkovich and directed by Terry Zwigoff. Jerome always knew he'll be an artist so it's no surprise if he starts his college years at New York City's Strathmore College. But there's a serial killer on the loose in the neighborhood. Great satire of the artistic underworld, ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL speaks about idealism and the distance between art and reality and describes in a very comic manner the life of the parasites who gravitate around the rare ones who finally make it. Recommended. August 1, 2008

An insult to Art Schools ...

This film was so bad, and so much of a let down, that I actually gave this DVD to a homeless man to "do what he liked" with because I couldn't sleep with the stink of it near my other movies, films and detritus.

This film had such build-up that a lot of people wanted to see it, but sadly it just did not deliver at all and left a lot of people wanting to "Angry Mob" on the screenwriter.

Several of my friends, who all went to and graduated from different Art Schools, all said the same thing after seeing this film:

"Why is there so many bad films about Art Schools that go absolutely no where and don't capture even a shadow of what really goes on at an Art School? There is more than enough fodder for a decent and compelling movie. Please someone get on it."

I believe that there's a lot more to Art Schools than pretension and stuck-up students as some other reviewers have pointed out. Sometimes people feel this way when, not being any type of artist themselves -- they have nothing to contribute to the world and thus feel threatened by other artists and must ridicule them -- much like how smart kids are often bullied in High School. Go figure, but that's life.

Have I elicited an emotional response yet? Ask yourself this though: Why did everyone initially want to see this film? It surely wasn't the ad campaign. It was because a film about Art School, at least -- sounds -- compelling.

Sorry guys, but bury this one under Spongebob's Pineapple. Maybe Patrick will watch it ... but then again - maybe he won't. I'd probably hunt jellyfish instead, too. February 24, 2008

Disappoinment

The primary reason I have picked this movie to watch is because John Malkovich and Anjelica Huston are in this film. While advertised as comedy, I would hardly label it as such. There are funny moments in this one, but I have a hard time labeling this film as comedy. While I can be sympathetic of young boys looking for true love, I just do not believe, that any young man who is yearning to become a next Picasso would go for stealing someone else's art, present it at the art show as their own -- all for love and recognition of a girl no matter how hot, sophisticate or unattainable she may be. I would say that this is an interesting meditation on art, what art is, what is takes to be an artist and how the world around us perceives the art. Sophia Myles is great in her role of an art model, but she is unconvincing copy of actress Julia Styles in her appearance as a young femme fatale. December 11, 2007

Police Academy for the Artist

Remember the banality of Police Academy? Remember how it was redeemed by its (at the time) original humor? Remember Revenge of the Nerds, and how its lame plot was likewise redeemed by its humor?

Art School Confidential is the same formula transplanted onto art school. Sure, those other two series didn't have a full-frontal shot of a nude male model. (Not *that* kind of model, a nude drawing model.) But those other two series - or at least the original in each series - had original humor.

This movie? Not so much.

To be fair, it may redeem itself later on in the film. But I couldn't even make it past the first half hour to find out. If you like making fun of art poseurs and want mindless entertainment, then perhaps you will enjoy it.

Otherwise, stay away.
December 11, 2007

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