Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary about a crappy filmmaker, Thierry Guetta, who turns pop-street artist, Mr. Brainwash, and the people who inspire him along the way, including street artist Banksy (who i thought the movie would be about). This movie was not exactly what i expected. One, i use the word filmmaker loosely. Two, there is a line between artist and i'll-think-i'll-paint-something and he walks it...with a broken foot. His transition from camera holder/street-art appreciator to main-stream artist is sudden and kinda uncomfortable to watch. And three, exit through the gift shop is a perfect title to this movie. Watch the whole thing and it'll make sense. I wouldn't watch it again, but I love the movie as long as Mr. Brainwash wasn't talking. :)
Pollock was a bit different than Exit..., it is an adaptation of the book Jackson Pollock: An American Saga. Ed Harris stars as Jackson Pollock, and to me it seems like he really understood the troubled alcoholic's mannerisms and method to his madness. Its also good to know that Pollock wasn't just throwing/dripping paint on a canvas, that it became a calculated art form, it was something nice to look at and had as much meaning as a "bed of flowers". Of course its also good to see and realize that during his soberness stage is when he really discovered the style in which he is so famous for. The only thing i hate about these "true" stories is the unhappy endings. Spoiler alert: Pollock dies as an alcoholic mentally-abusive unfaithful husband in a drunk driving accident killing himself and his mistress's friend.
I love "made for movies & based on a true story" movies. I also love looking up on Wikipedia before and during a movie like this to see how true to life the movie was (not that Wiki is a good reliable source).
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