Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trucker momma proves the emperor has no clothes!, June 16, 2007
This film just tickled me; delightfully done with a light touch, it pits a down-to-earth dumpster-diving trucker named Teri Horton against a pretentious boatload of art world snobs, and she proves (in the words of a famous author) that they don't know their scrotums from Kentucky-fried-chicken. The film stands up well as a documentary, covering a lot of ground to interview witnesses who knew Pollock, as well as forensic, art, and legal experts. Bottom line is that the fingerprint and other physical evidence pointing to the authenticity of the painting is just overwhelming; if this were a murder case, there would be more than ample evidence to send someone to the electric chair. The only thing standing between Ms. Horton and $50,000,000 (the estimated value of the painting if it were deemed authentic) is a bunch of arrogant blowholes who can't utter a single coherent or persuasive sentence in support of their position that the painting is a fake. If I ever had any doubts about the credibility of the art world, this certainly settled the issue once and for all. As for Teri, a phenomenally feisty, if complicated and self-destructive woman, she makes one of the most interesting lead characters I've encountered in fact or fiction.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fair and Real, June 11, 2007
I am an artist of thirty years and consider myself well-read and aware in regards to artworld issues and painting, my main form of expression. Having grown up with people who became the world's most profound art critics once they got a little alcohol in them and who regularly counseled me that what I was learning in art school was all wrong, I found this DVD quite fun. It was fair to both the experts and the philistines.
I am sure that the experts will seem quite funny to a lot of folks. Yes, it looks weird the way elderly men twist and dance in front of Teri's painting to visually test it for it's possible Pollockness. But, those feelings are ironic in the context of this story. While experts are questioned as to how they know what they know, other experts are touted as being experts, and therefore right. I suppose it is a matter of expert against expert.
This DVD has something for everyone. Beyond its entertainment value, it offers a great lesson in how artworks are authenticated. It also offers an insight into the world of people who decide what we will see in museums, a world that almost none of us has anything to do with. Finally, it's a real kick for those persons who would love to tell off artworld experts once they get a little lit. You get to watch Teri Horton do this with great verve.
Personally, I'm on the side of the artworld experts. But, you can decide for yourself. Whether you laugh more at the experts or Teri, you will get some good chuckles out of this DVD. Watch it! :-)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really Enjoyed It!, May 7, 2007
I'm tough to please and this film held my interest all the way through, though I'll bet it's easier to enjoy on DVD (as we did) than in a theater because we found ourselves commenting, sometimes quite emotionally, about what was happening.
Without giving away the conclusion, I'll tell you only this: Teri Horton has some pretty convincing evidence--the kind a Gil Grissom would value. Forensics are changing the art world. Digital vs. Analog. Objective vs. Subjective. Evidence vs. opinion. Of course art experts are bound to disagree, to resist such changes. In the face of mounting evidence those experts find it difficult to change their minds. Their reputations depend upon them being right--the first time.
Would I sell for $2 million or even $9 million? I think maybe I'd have to agree with Teri--so far. If I could fault Ms. Horton in any way, she ought to take her problem as to how much she would actually accept for it, and turn it into a straight business decision--leave the emotion out. Set a minimum reserve, stick to it and auction it off. Make the decision as objective as her evidence.
But that brings me to an important point. I don't give a damn what the EXPERTS say about art. I only care if _I_ like it. And I like Teri's painting well enough to value it around the price she paid for it. It takes a valuer to provide a value. I'll bet if Teri really thought about it she'd agree.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
