Reviews

As a fan of Ethan H Minsker's entire film catalog, I find this to be one of his most fun and polished works. It's probably one of his most commercial, MTV inspired type pieces as well. It's got a certain depth but is easily consumable. The genius of the film is it's surface type commerciality but its spirit is in the search for unique, underground music.

Minsker searches flea markets, independent record stores and speaks with artists, curators and bands (including a great interview with BABY SHAKES) The film is not only a love letter to vinyl, it's an ode to the independent spirit which spawns creativity as well as a love for producing and marketing art projects and music.

This is a fun film, not only for music/vinyl lovers but for anyone who is searching for a way to express themselves.

Ok let's get this out of the way...the film is inconsistent at best, the acting ain't great, the story is disjointed and the continuity is all over the place. It looks as if it was made over a period of a few years as the characters gain and lose weight and facial hair.

But in the end, I thought it was a fun little flick! I liked the throwback LES scenes, especially as a born and raised lifelong New Yorker. It's amazing to see the changes of the area. Beyond that it is also a test film for Ethan H Minsker whose filmic development begins here.

I am an unabashed fan of his film and artworks and we can see this is where his style begins. The small bursts of color animation used to draw attention to detail , the hectic, edits and sped up film are not only interesting choices but great features which make this film a must see for film students. It contains great examples of what to do, what not to do while telling a story in film. It's a wonderful example of how guerilla filmmaking can be accomplished on a shoestring budget.

There's so much to like about this film. It's a travelogue of a group of artist/friends who seek out meaning, camaraderie and fun by using art.

It begins as an experiment by the founder of the antagonists art movement, Ethan Minsker and 100 dolls he built out of canvas. The dolls are sent to artists all around the world, collected, curated and shown in an exhibition in Lisbon Portugal.

The results are amazing and some of the dolls and their artists are featured in the narrative and their concepts are explored.

As interesting as this is, what's more interesting is the interplay and among the group of "antagonists " who went on the trip to Lisbon. Their different personalities, approaches, jokes and even disagreements are represented with equal measures of interest and nonjudgmental bents.

It's a gery enjoyable and educational piece which I recommend highly .

This film examines the state of depression and how artists use it as fuel for their creativity. It's a quiet look into the depths of loneliness, feelings of desperation and thoughts on being an outcast in the world. These themes are examined across the United States as well as into other countries.

The film offers glimpses ranging from playful, to heart wrenching, to matter of fact takes from all types of artistic viewpoints. It touched me personally because a viewer with a sensitive heart can find themselves in any number of the characters on screen. I purchased, rather than rented this film as it's one of those formats that stays inside you and will eventually call for another look. Highly recommend.

I watched this documentary knowing absolutely nothing of scooter LaForge and his art. The filmmaker and his subject have similar visual styles which intertwine to make for an interesting film. The story is told in a nonlinear fashion and introduces the viewers to the quirky, colorful style of the artist before introducing us to the artist himself. When we finally get to hear the personal story behind the works, we are brought into the inner workings of a mind, sometimes tortured, sometimes wistful and sometimes so absurd that the perspective shone on the various works. The only thing left to say is, "Of COURSE!" Of course a mind like this can produce things like that! Of course they're scary and fun at the same time and OF COURSE this is the filmmaker qualified to tell the story of this particular subject. Should you see it? If you like art and want to understand the creative process... OF COURSE!!