Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child (Tamara Davis, 2010)
I couldn't decide whether I wanted to talk about the dreadful state of the documentary, the fact that I find Julian Schnabel's public persona off-putting, or bell hook's review of Basquiat that I read in a Z Magazine many years ago. I couldn't muster the energy for any of these points of departure. I mean yes documentaries are formally a lot less daring and original these days, yes Schnabel's a weirdo who shows up to interviews in a bathrobe, and yes, maybe, Basquiat had trouble checking its privilege at the door. But the fact remains, all three of these things can still be pretty entertaining if you let them.