User reviews

Thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating look back at the 1980s NY art scene featuring a cast of eclectic, amusing and wildly differing personalities from that time including the big names. Why hadn't I been aware of this artist, Brezinski, contemporary of Basquiat and other stellar household names? Would have enjoyed even more if we had dwelt a little longer on some of the stills, just to take everything in. The East Village was fabulously evoked 5ough - how times have changed! Happy to see its' London run has been rightfully extended with showings at the ICA and hoping it will hit a streaming platform in the coming months. Definitely recommend if you have any kind of interest in that era.

I very much enjoyed this film, learning a lot about the artist (who also happens to be from my hometown), as well as the somewhat outlier artist scene of 1980s lower east side NYC. The way Brezinki's supposed friends/fellow artists and others in the art community remember him is at times hilarious. And the lengths that Brezinski himself would go to to receive recognition was surprising. The story held my interest and I didn't expect it, but this film took me through the full range of emotions regarding a topic that I didn't know I was interested in. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and actually hope to see it again.

As an artist, I often wonder why do some artists become successful and others not ??? This movie examines the question Basinski was a really talented artist, and this is a fascinating era, I moved to New York to be a part of this scene, and I found it incredibly difficult to gain entrée, but even if you were part of the scene and talented, it didn't guarantee success, and that's the case with this artist, he was very talented and he should've been famous, but it didn't work out for him... Fascinating documentary about a fascinating era New York's history, beautifully done with excellent cameos and lots of videos...

This documentary gives us a glimpse of something we don't see quite as often -- a talented artist who doesn't "make it" by his standards and who doesn't pull off a triumph at the end. The story is still inspiring and offers a fun look at the East Village art scene in the early 1980s. I also enjoyed the mystery the director created in the middle part of story. It hits all the right emotional beats.

The people interviewed in the documentary are often very funny characters themselves. Though, there does seem to be a gap in intimacy, as in knowing Brezenski beyond his ambition. And maybe that falls on Brezenski's relentless drive and passion for art.

I really did. I couldn't take my eyes off of it for the whole duration, so... great job Brian Vincent, Heather Spore and crew. For fans of Downtown 81, the No Wave (and Punk) scene, Basquiat, Warhol, Slaves of NY, and everything downtown 70's/80's New York, this movie is for you. Of course it was also great to watch it at the Museum of the City of New York showing, where the director, producer, and prominent members of the art scene portrayed in the movie did an informative and super fun Q&A afterward. I found the whole experience inspiring, and the sort of documentary that makes me fall in love with NYC all over again, after all, these are the stories that most of us artists and musicians can relate to... you see, downtown Manhattan may be all fancy and wealthy now, but there are still pockets where such characters exist, maybe somewhere in Brooklyn (or Queens) by now.. OR other cities.. we all have been 20 years old and (some of us at least) crazy.. and had aspirations, big dreams, so yeah.... raise a drink to Edward Brezinski.. Cheers!

Wonderful documentary.

I've researched this time period in New York extensively and this was a refreshingly new look at those just outside of the full glare of publicity.

A great deal resonated with me being an artist. As much about the behaviour and questionable attitudes of those in the 'art world', as it was about Edward as an individual.

New York in the late 70s and mid 80s was a creative hot bed in the East Village, flying in the face of Reagononics'.

This documentary perfectly shows the other side of the well known names of Haring, Basquiat and rest. The sliding doors moment of whether or not fame will come knocking or walk on by.

Poignant and contemplative.

Who knew the artist, Edward Brezinski? If your answer is no one, you're close. A dedicated young artist who escaped an alcoholic father in Detroit, trained at the renowned San Francisco Art Institute before moving to a 6th floor apartment/studio/dive above a squalorous street scene in New York City, his tale is told by his fiercely talented and ambitious artist contemporaries who were part of the vibrant and sometimes more than a little sordid art scene with the not-so-usual starving, mostly gay, men at the very beginnings of the HIV epidemic. From their conversations emerges the complex support and love mixed with envy and resentment in a profession where the who you know and where you happen to be as much as who are the most gifted often determines the winners and the forgotten.

Brezinski held shows for both himself and his fellow artists at his 6th floor walkup; visitors had to step over the bodies of the drunks who had not quite made it to the flophouse across the street. This generosity was remembered and appreciated in the interviews. Brezinski was a budding alcoholic whose obnoxious acting out at his friends' openings was also remembered. Those speaking were all ravaged survivors, not only of the competitive cauldron of the New York art scene that was on the verge of being engulfed by vulture capitalism, but of the HIV firestorm that was decimating the gay community; the grief and anger (Reagan was officially and actively ignoring the growing epidemic) is present in their speaking.

There's so much more of this rich story that I've only touched on. You would not suspect that the two New York Broadway veteran actors who produced/directed/edited/etc. Are first-time film makers. The production is rich, beautiful and seamless, and the arc of storytelling is continuously engrossing and compelling.

Patrick O'Connor.

I was fortunate to see Make Me Famous twice in the theaters with different audiences and its interesting watch something that makes people talk about art afterward.

I think anyone reading this should watch the film, so I won't give any direct spoilers. But I will say, one of my favorite things about it was the notion that art can't be about being famous, even though all artists are striving to be famous, whether they will admit it or not. Looking at the 1980s New York underground art world, which director Brian Vincent was able to capture through archive footage, photographs and interviews... I realized something. Whether it's Basquiat, Warhol, Haring, (Brezinski) or anyone who is prolific and focused on their art.. it's not even about the art. The details don't matter. What matters is for the artist to convey their own truth. Which also means showing their mood. And that could be the 100% random paint splatters in a Pollack, or the one color (seemingly lazy) giant canvas in a Rothko... it doesn't matter if there was one more spec of paint or less paint... it's all about the truth of feelings.

So art is only personal to the artist, but the viewer resonates with if they think it was true or pretentious, before they pick up on anything else. And some would argue that a replica of a bag of donuts in a fancy museum, is not truth and not real art. And some artists choose to speak out against falseness, laziness and pretentiousness in the art industry. And sometimes they risk their own reputation and career by doing so. But in the end, when these artists are gone, they will be remembered for their truth in their work more than anything else. And that honesty is often misunderstood. And that's the beauty of it.

Great film! Very inspiring!

This film is for those who appreciate meeting new people with fascinating lives - and that is for the main focus Edward Brzezinski - but also for the contributions of so many who also participated in the burgeoning art scene of the LES in the late 70s - 80s. You may know a lot about the big names that exploded from this scene (Basquiat, Haring) but this doc shows you so much more and captures stories from all corners of the real people who worked every day to foster the art scene and community there. Primary source material is STUNNING in both its content and number - including video capturing the moments inside of gallery gatherings of the time in all their hectic glory. The pacing, the interviews, the mystery - there is so much to discover in this film. And did I mention this is the filmmaking team's first documentary? Such an accomplishment. Make sure to see this ASAP!

This is a significant work of film documenting the true art history of NYC's East Village before it became the "in place". It shows the heart and soul of the art world of years gone by. Art when it was community rather than a commodity. Very thoughtful storyline that encompasses the entire art scene of the east village in the 80s, while highlighting a specific character. Its one of those movies that every time you watch it, you pick up something new. The producing and editing is exquisite, combining original footage with current day footage. Masterfully presented. A film that will be a requirement fornm all art history learning. Absolutely a must see.

I saw this film with a Q&A afterwords with the filmmakers. They are both artists, performers, not visual artists or even filmmakers until this many years in the making project took hold of therm.. Their research is spot on and with a mixture of period film and video with backward facing interviews of artists and galleryists they tell a story that transcends their direct subject to evoke a deeply personal and real consideration of all of the immensely talented artists who don't "succeed." I lived in New York then and went to some of the places in this film and certainly must have met some of the people in the film. Make Me Famous does a terrific job of showing that life, its milieu, its standards, its values and the hurlyburly of a striving artist, penniless, pursuing his art in anyway available. It's desperate, sad, and marvelous and brave and tragic all at once and this film captures it all so well..

Old enough to be nostalgic for the East Village of the 1980s--or too young, but curious about that fabled time and place? Well, then, get thee to a screening of "Make Me Famous," which in telling one artist's particular story--that of painter Edward Brezinski--manages to encompass so much more. I was around for it all, and was a friend of Edward's--a wonderfully talented and endlessly, often entertainingly exasperating man--and the film portrays both him and the arts scene unflinchingly and movingly. It's the real thing. I'd also like to salute the enterprising venue where I saw it, the New Plaza Cinema on West 67th in Manhattan--thanks for programming this, and all the other worthy films you show every weekend!:

Saw the film yesterday at New Plaza on the UWS. My husband was a young painter/printer working in Soho at a rather hot printmaking studio. (Several of the"successful artists in the movie worked out of that studio). I was an actor who hated auditioning, and thus, waited table in Soho (which was becoming the epicenter of the art world in the early 80s). Yeah. This film resonated. And it's highly entertaining, even if you have no knowledge or relationship to that LES scene, as we did. The filmmakers have done a marvelous job capturing the vibe of the era. Highly recommend it. Every art museum should be showing this film.

Commentaries from artists on the art world of the NYC 1980s art scene make this documentary a personal and often hilarious contribution to the American artist's legacy. It was incredibly entertaining to hear tender, at times laugh-out-loud reactions to a man of an era and the events of the time. Alongside the positive and personal, it was insightful get the raw honest apathetic and critical opinions from people who had what this artist wanted more than life. The use of new graphics made by the artists from the time and place imbue the film with raw playful energy in an evergreen study of the starving artist, which generation after generation is the spirit animal of our cultural landscape.

Brian Vincent's documentary is a testiment to the artistic soul and the patience it takes to live and breath the rarified air of a creative life. In a meta sense, the decade Vincent and his wife, Broadway actress Heather Spore, spent following Brezinski's trail through New York's East Village and the shabby corner of the 1980s modern art world that their subject occupied created a shinier portrait in film that is fun, but touchingly sad since this documentary is a more successful portrait than any of Edward's work back in the day. This artist is only just now being re-examined and as such this search for Brezinski feels more and more like a narative story than a doc the further one dives into it. Bravo to all for shining up the shabby!

The very best decade in my life was the 1980's !!! This movie brought back so many wonderful memories. I saw this movie at the Tivoli Theatre at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City last night and what a treat! The movie gave me insight into the 80's scene in New York as I am from the Midwest. Colorful, and mysterious throughout the entire movie and shows what a struggle is was and still is for artists, poets, and actors who strive for fame and fortune when so few ever make that. A truly inspiring film. A GREAT reminder to put down our cell phones, get off our computers and think of the worth of creativity.

I saw Make Me Famous last night and have been replaying it in my mind ever since. It is such a unique film that contextualizes an entire period of art history in a compelling way, sometimes hilarious, often times devastating. Anyone in the arts fields will recognize the truths contained in this messy and ultimately brilliant film. The almost hysterical quest for fame ultimately undermined the career of Ed Brezinski who, clearly, was an artist whose work could have stood for itself. The randomness of the art market, the casual cruelty dealt out by dealers and the artists themselves, and loads of piquant details and profound life lessons are collaged together in this film whose very existence is miraculous.

This documentary was even better than I had hoped from the trailer. It satisfies that curiosity we all have about what it was really like in the 1980s NYC art scene, celebrating its creativity without romanticizing its hardships. I had no idea who Edward Brezinski was before this, but the film's tragicomic focus on his story in particular is FASCINATING.

The interviews are not just supporting material for the history - they're entertaining glimpses into the past and present lives of other figures from this scene.

It left me thinking: is it still possible to make this kind of art today? Will we ever have a scene like this in NYC again?

Having known the subject, as well as many of those who appear in the film to bear witness to a unique place and time, I can attest that the filmmakers did a wonderful job in capturing the essence of the early 1980's East Village art scene. This is a gripping and entertaining account of how a cultural eruption propelled some to global fame and immense wealth, and others, often extremely talented themselves, to much different fates. It will entertain those who appreciate art and art history, those who have an interest in culture, those who like music and dance, and those who are intrigued by New York City history. 10/10.

The energy and passion, posturing and poverty of the Lower East Side's '80s art scene in all its squalid, boozy, AIDS-ravaged, eyeliner-ringed defiant creative glory. It's the setting for a particular portrait, a Midwestern gay man who studies art. And moves to New York City. Who creates his own shows when he has to, and paints his friends and people he meets, and labors at it, and sometimes rubs it out in frustration. The art might be derivative or might be original, might fetch a pity $500 or millions but that doesn't matter. You'll see him. His gaze at the camera, gallery shockers, shade and light from the art world denizens who knew him then and tell it now. Basquiat and Warhol and Madonna and Berlin and Nancy Reagan are lesser works this time around. Just say yes. This is a genuine Brezinski.

I found this film well-paced and I like the technique plus the side avenue at the end exploring Brzezinski's death. But perhaps the most appealing thing about this very intriguing film is the voyeuristic quality of the footage of the 1980s NYC art scene, between the amusing/revolting poverty of the starving artist cliche coming to life, the odd mix-ins of celebrity and the backdrop of artist fame we know comes later, including many but not the subject. Artists talking about artists.... this is interesting. The world of ultra high net worth painting prices, the faux (or is it real) contempt among the artists for it and the warm glow of the top galleries putting you on display. I loved all these elements and am very glad I watched it.

Make Me Famous took me unabashedly back to the East Village and it's scene of the 1980s. This documentary helped us see directly into an era of art that was current, honest and intensely creative while reflecting everything the world was revealing to each of these passionate artists. The energy was electric. The search for fame was raw and aggressive. Be transported back to the conversations, relationships and struggles that created a powerful legacy in the art world.

I moved to NYC in 1974 and lived on the edge of East Village on 14th and 2nd avenue. Part of our downtown culture ruled out anything that happened above 14th Street. This glorious documentary flew me down memory lane with the 80's art and music and lifestyle of self expression.... It was truly the center of the cultural revolution.

This is a wonderful film about the New York City art scene in the 1980s. It's hard to imagine, or remember, New York as it was back then. Images of dilapidated buildings, burnt out cars and a much grittier New York than it is today is the backdrop to this great film. The upside is remembering how creative the city was back then with some of the most exciting and innovative artists to grace our world, like Edward Brezinski as well as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquait and so many others. Sadly, many have since died but have left behind a wealth of art and their unique influence on the art world. This film captures it all. It is truly a trip down memory lane that many people might never have experienced if they didn't live in NYC at that time. Take that trip now with this film. Well made and a great piece of art itself.

This is a brilliant and sensitive film exploring the art & life of artist Edward Brezinski in the 80's East Village art scene. Poetic, wonderfully edited, savvy juxtapositions between interviewees, all telling the tale of what it was like to struggle and strive as an artist in the gritty Crazy 80's. Highlighted by the voyeuristic archival video footage of artist James Love Cornwell IV aka Jim C who diligently documented the happenings at Magic Gallery in Edward's 6 floor walkup across the street from a men's shelter, it is a primer in the Life Of An Artist. Hilarious at times. Will see again!!

I found this documentary to be very entertaining and even amusing so as to make me laugh out loud. Very educational about the New York Art Scene in the early 80's - seeing the craziness of it all and the sadness and fun. You saw artists going on to fame and fortune while others were left behind. Very interesting to see how they lived and the parties that they had at that time. A great subplot in finding out if the artist in question was still alive. Besides New York interesting locations were Ireland and Canada.

For those who love art, A Must See! For those who don't a very interesting and educational look at the past.