Search - R.I.P.: Rest in Pieces: A Portrait of Joe Coleman on DVD

Disjointed Documentary

skeeze29 | 03/20/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Being a fan of Joe Coleman's paintings I was looking forward to this DVD release of R.I.P. which originally came out in 1996. I came away knowing a little more about Joe Coleman's work, but in the end, this documentary lacked focus and was too disjointed for my tastes. Most of the film is Coleman talking about his world views, his views on art, and his views on his own paintings. There's also old footage of his performance art and interviews with friends of Coleman's. There's very little footage of Coleman at work showing how a painting develops over time which would have been interesting. Throughout the entirety of the film you see him working on a small area of a nearly completed painting. You also get glimpses of Coleman's "Odditorium" but overall the film gives you many bits and pieces without making a cohesive whole. The most interesting parts were the interviews with his ex-wives/girlfriends and with his current wife who is shown in a short segment as a DVD extra. For a documentary about such a wonderful painter, there wasn't enough focus on the art. Coleman fans will still find something to like in this DVD but overall it's a disappointment."

Like "Crumb" but with Joe Coleman!

skeeze29 | Seattle, WA and Los Angeles, CA | 05/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like Joe Coleman, you are gonna LOVE getting your grubby mitts on this DVD! It's fantastic! It's obvious the director was hewing a little close to the "Crumb" line when this was made, but SO WHAT? It's awesomely funny, cool, insightful and yes, it has a cast of the weirdos surrounding Joe Coleman (similar to "Crumb" I mean to say). With Hasil Adkins, Jim Jarmusch and extras with foxy mama Asia Aregento. I loved this DVD, it's excellent quality, too, you can really see his paintings. Shot on 35mm for a high class package all around."