Ryan's Journal

Perhaps the most important thing to take away from Art School Confidential is that you can artistically fail in front of millions and still move on. As far as I know, Mr. Zwigoff, Art School's director, is still alive after helming this film, poorly executed as it is. His career, like life, has its higher points and its lower points. We can all learn from success and failure, and while some may feel failure a burning shame, it can also be turned to educational effect.

While I can take my own lessons on cinematic matters of storytelling technique (pervasive misanthropy does not endear audiences, characters who don't care about one another are hard to care for, satire requires something deeper than cheap laughs), I hope Mr. Zwigoff comes to some of his own personal realizations that make for future efforts of greater success.

But please don't bother watching. There is nothing worthwhile to learn or to take from the content of Art School; ironically, only in its cinematic failure does it begin to teach us something about the nature of art: failing is an essential part of the creative process.

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