Scooter LaForge: A Life of Art

I had no idea what to expect when selecting this wonderful gem of a film. The trailer captured my interest so I thought, why not. Boy am I glad I took a flyer on this film. This an area of art world I know very little about. That's what really captured my interest. I found myself wanting to learn about this and I wanted to learn about Scooter and his art. I quickly realized this was a whole thing. I mean a culture of its own. A culture very foreign yet intriguing to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the humanity of this film. The reflecting on Scooters career and how so many can relate to similar career struggles. I appreciated how writer/director Ethan H. Minsker presented this documentary. Meaning, it didn't drag. I didn't find my mind wondering off. It moved along at a very nice pace. I believe myself to be a hard critic and there were no flat spots in this terrific documentary for me. I soundly give this gem of a film two thumbs up!!

A well told documemtary about an artist and the obsticles he had to face throught out his life time personally and as an artist. Nice stylized approach to telling this story. I enjoyed the cool graphics, CGI and the nice transitions. The narration was also well spoken. It was interesting hearing a different perspective about the time frame of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980's. I am sorry to hear that so many of his friends died during that time as a result. I remember growing up in this era and hearing about this disease. However, the interviewees were well spoken and charasmatic.

There is one takeaway, that I will keep with me and that I totally agree with, is when Scooter prefffered that people give him an honest critique about his art. I feel the same way.

"Scooter La Forge, a Life of Art" is a visually stunning glimpse into the New York City downtown art scene and the fascinating life of the popular neo expressionistic artist. The main attraction is director/producer/writer Ethan Minsker's use of visual effects and compelling animation. Minsker employs his own creative use of electrifying images, such as Scooter's mother talking about her son through a cardboard TV set, to enhance our understanding of the artist's journey, from his humble beginnings as a bullied gay youth, to San Francisco's 90's club scene, to becoming the darling of the New York art world.

Intertwined are interviews with Patricia Field and Michael Musto. Scooter offers valuable advice to young artists, mostly by teaching them to be adaptable with their environment. Scooter paints his message of love on just about anything - using found objects such as clothing, sculpture and murals. The main thrust of this movie is love. This movie is a work of art itself.

Ethan pinged me the other day to see if I would watch his new documentary about artist, Scooter LaForge.

"Sure, I'd be happy to!" As always.

It took several days to finish my current project and finally get around to viewing his latest film.

A few minutes into the film I remembered why Ethan's one of my favorite documentary filmmakers, realizing I should have put it on sooner.

A "creative" documenting another "creative", an artist making a film about another artist, doesn't have to be the best art documentary you've seen. But in Ethan's case for some reason, it always is. As I've lived in both places, Scooter's life in New York City and his connections to the southwest, resonated with me. His time in San Francisco are also quite interesting, as is his personal history at large.

With Scooter LaForge as his subject, you discover he's one of the greatest artists you've never heard of. Although many have. Especially other artists.

Huffington Post: "I BRAKE FOR SCOOTER LAFORGE." For good reason and I thank them for that.

Here's the esteem I hold Ethan in as a filmmaker. In 2022 I produced a WWI documentary/art film that won a lot of awards around the world.

I can't help now but watch Ethan's film and imagine how much better my film would be, had he also worked on it.

If you like Art, or are striving to be an Artist, one thing you always learn from Ethan's films is there's a lot going on out there you just don't know about.

So if you love Art, if you love Unique Characters, if you love stories told about them in creative and engaging ways? Definitely check out Ethan Minsker's.

"Scooter LaForge, a life of art"!

Scooter LaForge: A Life of Art is an incredible documentary. I saw the trailer for this and knew I was going to have to watch this. I was not disappointed.

It was great listening him talk about his life and his art.

I loved hearing him talk about some of his different art pieces. His work is absolutely incredible. I hope to see an art show of his sometime.

There isn't a single part of this documentary that isn't enjoyable. I love the way they shot this, especially the stop motion they added in, it was very creative.

This documentary is very inspiring to any artist, but can also inspire anyone. Be sure to watch this one, you will not be disappointed.