(Untitled) (2009)

Absolutely Fantastic

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

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.

The movie titled "(Untitled)" is a small-scale non-commercial art film that makes fun of small, non-commercial art works – or, more precisely, those who produce, purchase or admire such works.The story focuses on two brothers with widely differing views on art. Adrian (Adam Goldberg) is a composer whose idea of "music" is to bang away on an array of regular household items (a steel bucket being the predominant instrument in his "orchestra") resulting in an ear-splitting, atonal cacophony. Josh (Eion Bailey) is an abstract painter who's "sold out" by actually selling his works to corporate buyers, though he would now like to earn some respectability as an artist by having his own show. Madeleine (Marely Shelton) is a dealer who sells Josh's works to fund her own gallery of minimalist and conceptual art but who won't display his paintings there.Written and directed by Jonathan Parker, "(Untitled)" offers some droll moments of offbeat humor, as it gently skewers the absurdity and self-congratulatory pretentiousness of the abstract-art world and the minions who inhabit it - though, if truth be told, there are times when the movie itself, with its minimalistic drama and lackluster storytelling, comes dangerously close to becoming the very thing it's satirizing. However, the art works themselves are cleverly and appropriately awful, and the movie has just enough knowing wryness to overcome its undernourished storytelling.

I gave this a 5 because a couple of scenes in the beginning were brilliant. Had they sustained, what a great movie this would have been. Overall it's more of a 3 though.But after they make the initial points, they just make them over and over and over. Not in different ways. In the same way, each and every time.The plot and sub-plot(s) are tiresome and contrived. And irrelevant.Goldberg produced and it's almost a sure thing that when a lead actor produces it's to get across a point that no one's really interested in. And there's a reason for that.I watched the 1st 20 mins of this; had to pause overnight; told several friends in the interim how great it was. Next night I started at 0 again; enjoyed the 1st few scenes just as much; then watched Goldberg chuff and stare his way through the rest. He's really a one-note actor, a more serious (and more irritating) Woody Allen.A perfect film school short. But <<<<< a movie.

With a hip young cast and original music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, this movie feels like a tried-and-true festival darling. Unfortunately, the picture wasn't given the chance to shine at Sundance. But fret not; (UNTITLED) (yes, there are parenthesis around the title, which is actually the word, "untitled") will see theatrical distribution in fall of 2009. The film enjoys a fast and lively pace, delivered by director Jonathan Parker (Bartelby), and the ensemble piece puts New York's contemporary art world under a high-intensity microscope. First, we've got Adrian, played by Adam Goldberg, who is a struggling experimental musician. He is the leader of a strange troupe of percussionists who produce a wild, cacophonous sound that I guarantee you've never heard before. Adrian's brother Josh is a commercial painter, played by Eion Bailey, whose pieces are sold to corporate clients. The shrewd and sexy gallerist Madeleine (portrayed perfectly by Marley Shelton) keeps Josh's paintings hidden in a seedy back room, selling them after-hours to fund the "real pieces" displayed on the showroom floor. These more "important" works of art, all custom-made for the production, are created by more forward-thinking creatives such as the taxidermist/artiste Ray Barko, who is played by the always-intense Vinnie Jones. Then there's the meticulous auteur Monroe, who was my favorite character in the film, played with frightening authenticity by Ptolemy Slocum. I'll just say this: I must have one of Monroe's pieces! As this entertaining little story unfolds, a light-hearted love triangle develops between Madeleine and the two brothers, and eventually everybody's using one another to get ahead in the cut-throat art world. In the end, commercial success, loyalty and artistic appreciation are all called into question. Throughout the movie, New York's artistic elite pepper the scenes, highlighted by snooty critics, sassy gallery owners and hip-yet-fickle patrons. Good acting all around, eye-catching costumes by Deirdre Wegner and great music by Lang add to the production value. (UNTITLED) is an entertaining and thought-provoking comedy for those who appreciate fine (and not so fine) art. SUGGESTION: Recommend