Thursday, January 13, 2011

Exit Through the Gift Shop - Documentary or Mockumentary?

I just finished watching, at the suggestion of a friend, "Exit Through the Gift Shop".

What, an amazing story it has to tell.

"The documentary received overwhelmingly positive reviews, holding 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was shortlisted for the 2011 Academy Awards. One consistent theme in the reviews was the authenticity of the film: Was the film just an elaborate ruse on Banksy's part, or did Guetta really evolve into Mr. Brainwash overnight? The Boston Globe movie reviewer Ty Burr found it to be quite entertaining as a farce and awarded it four stars. He dismissed the notion of the film being a "put on" saying "I’m not buying it; for one thing, this story’s too good, too weirdly rich, to be made up.

"For another, the movie’s gently amused scorn lands on everyone." Roger Ebert gave it 3.5 stars out of 4, starting his review saying that "The widespread speculation that “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is a hoax only adds to its fascination." The New York Times movie reviewer, Jeannette Catsoulis, wrote that the film could be a new subgenre, a "prankumentary". New York Film Critics Online bestowed its Best Documentary Award on the film in 2010. Closer examination of archival footage from the film has revealed it to be most likely genuine." - Wikipedia

I found this hightly interesting and entertaining and I think the blurb above says it all. I only wanted to bring it to your attention and let you consider if you wanted to watch it. A friend of mine turned me on to it, but another friend of his, didn't care for it at all. So, its one of those things, love it or hate it. But typically, in my book that has the makings of something great, at least in some respect.

Check it out. I got it on NetFlix streaming.

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