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JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: THE RADIANT CHILDMovie Reviews
Documentary about New York City based 1980s art icon Jean-Michel Basquiat. Cast:Jean-Michel BasquiatDirector:Tamra DavisRelease Date:July 21, 2010DVD Release:November 16, 2010From:Arthouse FilmsLength:1 hr 28 min
NOVEMBER 16, 2010
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, Very Good Reviews (Doc) Key Cities
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child played in key cities to very good reviews. • Carrie Rickey wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Flush with images, splashy hieroglyphic paintings and bouncing to the bebop music he loved... brings Basquiat and his work to exuberant life." • And Kevin Thomas wrote in the Los Angeles Times, "...a remarkably rich documentary possessing depth, range, insight and compassion." More Reviews Below...
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (9 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...embellishes the legend in a hundred small ways, its cleverest maneuver is to keep its subject at enough of a remove to enhance his mystique."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 07/21/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It doesn't dip much below the surface... offers an informative introduction to one of contemporary art's most complex figures."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 133 words, 07/23/10
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...built around an interview Basquiat gave to Tamra Davis, the doc's director... Davis enhances the interview with a look at New York in the late '70s..."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 248 words, 07/21/10
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sympathetic, if occasionally scattershot... Tamra Davis brings a fast-cut style that sacrifices quantity and velocity of detail to depth of interpretation."(See all of Bill Stamets's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 265 words, 08/27/10
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Tamra Davis mercifully avoids much of the gassy nostalgia that typifies documentaries made about artists in New York in the late '70s and '80s."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 07/21/10
Fran Schechter, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Basquiat's short life makes a compelling story whether told in doc form or in the 1996 biopic by Julian Schnabel... What's missing is a thoughtful evaluation of his oeuvre..."(See all of Fran Schechter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 10/07/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Flush with images, splashy hieroglyphic paintings and bouncing to the bebop music he loved... brings Basquiat and his work to exuberant life."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 09/17/10
Kenneth Baker, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "People who have seen fellow painter Julian Schnabel's 'Basquiat' may reasonably trust its truth as a tribute over Davis' ostensibly more factual exercise."(See all of Kenneth Baker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 08/20/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sweetly melancholy biography.... In the end the art must speak for the artist; Davis wisely stands aside and lets the magical images tell their tales."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 205 words, 09/17/10
Sebastian Smee, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an amazing and tragic story... There's enough footage of Basquiat's paintings to remind us that he had enormous artistic talent."(See all of Sebastian Smee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 478 words, 09/17/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a lively and persuasive look at the artist's life, oeuvre, impact.... effectively imparts the sense of loss that Davis and his other acquaintances felt upon his passing."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 08/27/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Tamra Davis mercifully avoids much of the gassy nostalgia that typifies documentaries made about artists in New York in the late '70s and '80s."(See all of Melissa Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 487 words, 07/21/10
Keith Phipps, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...what it lacks in investigative rigor, it compensates for with intimacy, talking to friends and associates who help explain Basquiat's brief life and brilliant career."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 07/22/10
Aaron Cutler, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a decent introduction to a man who walked the world of SoHo, CBGB, and Andy Warhol's final days, but the more you know going in, the more you sense it leaving out."(See all of Aaron Cutler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 563 words, 07/19/10
Fran Schechter, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Basquiat's short life makes a compelling story whether told in doc form or in the 1996 biopic by Julian Schnabel... What's missing is a thoughtful evaluation of his oeuvre..."(See all of Fran Schechter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 10/07/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...embellishes the legend in a hundred small ways, its cleverest maneuver is to keep its subject at enough of a remove to enhance his mystique."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 07/21/10
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: GOOD "...a tender ode from one friend to another... a keeper for Basquiat devotees. Lacking, however, is an honest appraisal of whether the hyping of Basquiat was justified..."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 671 words, 01/29/10
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "Davis delivers a thoroughly engaging film about an inimitable New York painter without letting her sorrow over his early death turn the portrait maudlin or diminish its vibrancy."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 01/29/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...embellishes the legend in a hundred small ways, its cleverest maneuver is to keep its subject at enough of a remove to enhance his mystique."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 07/21/10
12.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child's reviews are separated by an average 12.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (21 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child's reviews cover 18.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 8,302 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 395 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 12 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child's reviews on average broke 12 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (21 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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