(Untitled)

An hilarious, critical and yet respectful view of modern art, "(Untitled)" is an indie film that takes on the contemporary music and visual art scene of New York.

Adam Goldberg is perfectly cast as Adrian, a slightly neurotic but completely out-there "musician". First to his detriment, but then more to his success, his brother Josh (Eion Bailey) introduces him to Madeleine (Marley Shelton), an art gallery owner who is against the commercial stream but can find the next big thing. Josh is the only remotely down-to-Earth character, but even his art looks like blobs of colour on a canvas--to the untrained eye like mine. The "music" that takes over the film is what people like me would call noise, but people like Adrian would call a true artistic expression of the human condition.

It is less accessible than "Art School Confidential" (2006), but just as funny and more focused on the indie art scene. Like one of the artists in the film, I think the film is trying to say nothing and everything at the same time, and just like modern art can be, "(Untitled)" is just plain weird.

A Smart Movie that is Insightful and Entertaining as it Satirises the Avant-Garde Art World. Not a Fresh Idea to be sure but an always Welcome Debate about "Yes, but is it Art?". That Conundrum seems to be Forever with Us and it never really has an Easy Answer and it shouldn't because it is Purely Rhetorical.

Trying to Answer that Question is like trying to Answer "Why are we here?" or "What is the Meaning of life?" It is a Labyrinth of a Quest to attempt such Profound Inquiries.

Director Jonathan Parker is Articulate and Funny as He Dumbs Down the Dumb Work of these Creators and Their Creations and is Empathetic and enjoys Poking Fun at what He Loves. His Own Film Straddles the Line between Commercially Viable and Free Expression. A sort of a Combination of the Two on-screen Brothers.

Adam Goldberg as a Sound Artist that says "Harmony was a Capitalist plot to sell pianos.", and His Brother Aaron Bailey as a Painter who has Not Really Sold Out but His Paintings Do, to Corporations and Hotels.

The Film includes many Arty Characters that give this thing Pizazz. Marley Shelton as the Gallery Owner that is very Comfortable in Her own Fake Skin of a Noise inducing Wardrobe of Vinyl and Ruffles. Her Audible Attire attracts the Noise Conscious Sound Artist for a Romantic Interlude, but that is hardly the Story here.

There Hardly is a Story here but what is here is a parade of Amusing and Egotistical Artists that are Lively and Loving every minute of Their Expressionism. Just like the Creators of this Engaging Entry Into a very Weird World. The Movie is Not for All Tastes but that is the Point.

The movie titled "(Untitled)" is a small-scale non-commercial art film that makes fun of small, non-commercial art works – or, more precisely, those who produce, purchase or admire such works.

The story focuses on two brothers with widely differing views on art. Adrian (Adam Goldberg) is a composer whose idea of "music" is to bang away on an array of regular household items (a steel bucket being the predominant instrument in his "orchestra") resulting in an ear-splitting, atonal cacophony. Josh (Eion Bailey) is an abstract painter who's "sold out" by actually selling his works to corporate buyers, though he would now like to earn some respectability as an artist by having his own show. Madeleine (Marely Shelton) is a dealer who sells Josh's works to fund her own gallery of minimalist and conceptual art but who won't display his paintings there.

Written and directed by Jonathan Parker, "(Untitled)" offers some droll moments of offbeat humor, as it gently skewers the absurdity and self-congratulatory pretentiousness of the abstract-art world and the minions who inhabit it - though, if truth be told, there are times when the movie itself, with its minimalistic drama and lackluster storytelling, comes dangerously close to becoming the very thing it's satirizing. However, the art works themselves are cleverly and appropriately awful, and the movie has just enough knowing wryness to overcome its undernourished storytelling.

"How do you deal with such idiotic criticism?"

(Untitled) is an absurd, entertaining mixture of a comedy, a romantic comedy, a drama, and a satire of the New York art scene (and some modern art in general, I suppose). It caught my eye because of the presence of Marley Shelton and Lucy Punch, two underrated and really hot actresses that I make a habit of checking out in every movie I can, but it turned out to be a worthwhile movie, beyond their presence.

The two main characters are Adrian (Adam Goldberg), a bohemian experimental musician (think kicking buckets and ripping paper), and Madeline (Marley Shelton), a gallery owner who sells the commercial work of Adrian's brother to keep her gallery open, while only allowing more avant-garde pieces to be shown there. Madeline finds herself drawn to Adrian's unconventional sensibilities, but conflict eventually arises between the two when Madeline's eccentric clients don't meet Adrian's ideas of what art should be. 

(Untitled) is funniest when showcasing the "artwork" of its supporting characters, including Ray Park as an artist who uses taxidermy in a unique way, and Zak Orth in a small but absolutely scene-stealing role. 

I think you probably have to be familiar with, or at least aware of, the modern art scene to see the appeal of (Untitled). It's not a hard film to get your head around, or anything like that, but it does get its humor from situations and jokes that may not have appeal for everyone. I thought it was quite amusing, though, and I recommend that anyone who finds the idea interesting, gives it a try.

We saw this at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Adam Goldberg plays a composer whose music is as far from commercial or accessible as possible. His brother is a very commercially successful artist who longs for recognition by the art community. They are both attracted to Madeleine, the beautiful and smart owner of an art gallery, who understands the difference between the artistic and commercial worlds in both art and music. The two brothers use Madeleine as the pivot of their balance, as each tries to achieve what they desire - commercial success for one and artistic appreciation for the other. Set in the heart of the art scene in New York, this film has the ring of truth - from the artist with Asperger' who labors over where to hang his work (a single pushpin placed on a blank wall), to the rich, clueless art collector who buys work he doesn't understand and doesn't enjoy - merely because his spreadsheet says it's underpriced. The characters are portrayed with compassion - the director has thankfully resisted the temptation to turn them into easy caricatures. Highly recommended, especially if the viewer has an interest in the modern art or music scene.