Tag: con artist

CONFIDENCE MAN: THE HUGH DENEAL STORY – SLIFF Review

This film begins with a scene familiar to fans of  documentaries about music groups. Hugh DeNeal and his band mates are in a car cruising down the highway. No doubt on their way to their next gig. No, not this time. They’re on their way to Leavenworth Kansas so Hugh may turn himself in. This is one of many surprises in CONFIDENCE MAN : THE HUGH DENEAL STORY. As the title suggests Hugh is the main focus of the film. We follow him growing up in a small town in southern Illinois. He seemed to drift until his brother inspired him to pursue a music career. The brothers and some friends formed the Woodbox Gang with Hugh as lead vocalist and author of their most popular songs in the ” caustic acoustic” American genre. His lyrics were powerful and compelling. The Gang toured the country and attracted the attention of former Dead Kennedy band member Jello Biafra, who signed them to his Alternative Tentacles music label.  But the money was not coming in fast enough for Hugh.

Now with your typical “behind the music” type story this is where drugs would come in to break up the band. Not quite. DeNeal decided to try and make extra cash from an internet investment scheme that involved blank T-shirts which unraveled into a classic “Ponzi scheme.”  The film documents this downward spiral with lots of interviews with friends, law-enforcement officers, family and, most revealing, DeNeal himself. Inter-cut is plenty of entrancing footage of the band’s wild performances that sent audience into a frenzy (the great lyrics are printed out too). This is a film that’s a profile of gifted musicians and a cautionary tale of greed and corruption.

Showtimes
Saturday, November 12th at 8:00pm – Wildey Theatre

Tribeca Review: ‘Con Artist’

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I have said it a few times now but I will say it again. Of the documentaries that I saw at Tribeca this year, this was my favorite. Perhaps it has something to do with it being labeled a docu-comedy, which it is. Perhaps it is because Mark Kostabi is an absolutely fascinating subject for a documentary, which he is. Perhaps it is because Con Artist is a brilliant, funny and interesting look into an intriguing artist’s life and the art world around him. Or perhaps I’ve just been conned.

Michael Sladek’s film follows artist Mark Kostabi and features many interviews with those around him. I had never heard of Kostabi, nor have I seen his paintings before. It was great learning about his rise to popularity in the 80’s. He was and is a man of gimmicks. He does not paint his paintings. His studio, called Kostabi World, is full of assistants and painters who do that for him. He does not come up with the concepts for the paintings. His employees do that also. He does not even name his paintings. He has a game show called Title This with a studio audience where art critics and minor celebrities name the paintings for prizes. He does sign his paintings though. Sometimes in the presence of the artist who painted it, which makes for interesting footage in this doc.

You can tell that Mark Kostabi loves the camera. He is very open and willing to tell all when the cameras are rolling. He reveals his feelings, his secrets and tries his best to be interesting to watch. He is a publicity whore, craving to be seen and talked about in media. I am sure he is reading and loving this review right now. He has the persistence and the personality to pull it off. At one point, he even mentions that his statements about art being all business and other early rants were just an act to get attention. He had a smart way about manipulating media and standing out from the crowd. It is what made him so successful and what makes this documentary such a fun viewing.

I like the framework of the film for the most part. The talking head interviews work very well to reveal different views from people who know or in some cases knew Mark. The source footage is great and one of my favorite scenes in the film is a young Kostabi telling a couple who recently paid a lot of money for his painting that he did not even paint it. The only problem I seemed to have with the film is that towards the end, the structure seemed to unglue a little. There are a few instances where the scenes fades and it could have ended but then we fade in on another scene. I think the ending scenes are great and I in no way feel the film should be any shorter, I am just saying it would be better if they were integrated into the film a little more. This is just a minor fault.

Overall, Con Artist is a funny, entertaining and intriguing documentary about my new favorite artist.  

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com

Tribeca 2009: Day 4 Recap

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Today was an easy day for me. I started with a 9 am screening of Serious Moonlight. I was looking forward to it since I heard Cheryl Hines speak so passionately about it at the Adrienne Shelly Gala that I attended a few months back. I enjoyed the film and while at times it may have needed some work, it was a smart comedy that was a lot of fun at times. It also has a lot to say about marriage and the concept of love. I think Justin Long stole the film with his performance.

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After Serious Moonlight, I settled in for the biggest surprise of the festival. I wanted to see the documentary Con Artist because the trailer looked interesting but it wasn’t something I was really anticipating. I just needed something to hold me over till Midgets Vs. Mascots. Well Con Artist blew me away. Mark Kostabi (who I had previously never heard of) was such a fascinating documentary subject. The film was hilarious and extremely entertaining. It was also well done technically with a nice narrative structure that utilized old photographs and old footage. Unfortunately, it will not win any awards because it is not about some third world country, terrorism or a major world event. I highly recommend it.

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After some lunch at Subway and a Snapple taken from he Press Center, I headed back to the theater for my final film of the day. While waiting in the lobby I overheard someone being introduced as the director of Con Artist so I approached him after and introduced myself. I told him how much I loved the film and hopefully and interview will be set up soon. I then went up to the last film. It was the hilarious Midgets Vs. Mascots, which is a well made, completely psychotic, politically incorrect, gross-out quasi-documentary in the same vein as Borat. Gary Coleman is awesome in this, as is the rest of the cast. At the screening I ran into Bob Bledsoe, a very funny actor/comedian from LA that I’ve been talking to on Twitter. He seemed to love the film as well. It was very funny but there are other stunts hinted at or seen briefly that I’d rather see then the ones in the film. Although at the Q & A that followed, we were told the original cut was around 160 minutes and hopefully all the cut stunts will end up on the DVD.

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After the film I headed back to the Press Center to check on a message I received. While there, I saw Johnny Knoxville pass by on his phone. I went for my camera and thought I’d try an ambush interview, in a polite way of course. By the time I got my camera out of my bag, he was walking out the door with his publicist. Damn you Scott, Chase Whale and everyone else who told me to get a Flip Mino HD. You were correct. He seems like a nice guy so I am now pissed at myself for missing that opportunity. And yes, I am a fan of his acting work. I happen to love The Ringer. And on that note, Day 4 is done. Hope you are all enjoying the coverage so far. Reviews are coming soon. I swear.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com