The Academy Award nominated Exit Through the Gift Shop was my pick for best film of 2010. It’s a film that I think is brilliant. I understand that not everyone agrees with me on that, but at the very least, the film is hilarious.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time explaining what the film is about, mostly because I think it’s just better seen. If you haven’t seen Exit Through the Gift Shop yet, you really have no excuse. It’s currently on Netflix Watch Instantly, and Hulu (until Feb 4th). So, go watch it and then come back and read the rest.

Ok, now that that’s settled, let’s continue.

I knew this film would make my top 10 immediately after I saw it, but it climbed its way to the top when I started thinking back about it and what an enjoyable experience it was. It was a film that stuck with me, a film that said a lot and said it in a unique way. I felt that the approach was not only incredibly smart but also incredibly funny. Just like Banksy’s art, ETTGS stirs a good mixture of emotions that contrast each other nicely. It’s also probably the film I talked about the most this year. It’s one of those films that is just fun to talk about with other people, there is so much great material throughout and it’s interesting to hear other views.

I don’t quite understand how someone could dislike this film, but I can understand if some people just don’t “get it.” You’ll have to excuse me if that sounds pompous. I’m not going to try to explain to you what level of a dream within a dream this was in, or what a “kick” is and how it works exactly. This isn’t that type of movie. Exit Through the Gift Shop wants you in on the joke. It may not spell it out for you exactly, but it does come pretty close. I mean the title of the film, after all, is Exit Through the Gift Shop. This is obviously a commentary on consumerism and not a straight forward documentary. It doesn’t need to be over-analyzed, just look at everything that Banksy lays out for you.

First off, one thing that needs to be made clear: Thierry Guetta is a made up character, he is NOT a real person. He later goes by “Mr. Brainwash.” Yes, “Mr. Brainwash.” The humor is all very tongue-in-cheek. There’s the scene where after Mr. Brainwash makes it big he starts putting up this iconic image of himself all over the streets. Similar to the iconic Obey image that Shepard Fairey uses. At one point Mr. Brainwash puts his image up over one of Shepard Fairey’s. The same one he originally filmed Fairey putting up! This is all symbolic, but also hilarious, because it’s all staged. This type of stuff happens constantly throughout the film. I’ll just list a few more examples of how it’s obvious that ETTGS is scripted:

• When we are first introduced to Thierry we are told that me made most of his money from selling used clothes to rich people and telling them it’s “vintage.” This is essentially what Thierry does at the end of the film when he sells his recycled art as Mr. Brainwash. Basic foreshadowing.
• When Thierry first proves himself to Banksy he is arrested at Disneyland and interrogated. Why is there no footage of this? Thierry said he did not delete the footage, yet we never see any of it. It’s obviously because this was made up to drive the story.
• The 1st cut of the film that Thierry puts together and ultimately leads to Banksy taking over the film is purposefully made to look bad. This was one of the funniest scenes. You could tell the cut was done by a skilled editor, but only made to look like it was amateurish.
• Mr. Brainwash’s art. It’s just so ludicrous. Like a hybrid of Warhol’ s commercial, pop art, and Banksy’s political, street art. It’s laughable at best, especially since Thierry isn’t even the one technically creating it.
• Thierry injuring his leg. No footage of this? Only stills? Um, yeah, I don’t think so. Obviously added to make the whole situation more outrageous.
• The last shot of the film. Mr. Brainwash tagging a wall with his name, and then ending with a bulldozer knocking it down. I think that’s just the final exclamation mark.

I could go on and on, this film is just riddled with stuff like this. Even the quote that Mr. Brainwash uses from Banksy to advertise his exhibit is ridiculous. Banksy blatantly says that Mr. Brainwash’s art is trash, but somehow Mr. Brainwash is still able to use that to his advantage. Then there is also the moment toward the end of the film where Banksy says how he once thought everyone should create art, but not so much anymore. I was just cracking up throughout the whole film, I think most people that really liked this film were doing the same. ETTGS is not a film that needs to be over-analyzed even though it has a lot to say. Sure, it’s sad where the art world has gone, but sometimes all you can do is shake your head in disbelief and laugh.

I had a friend that saw this film and said it depressed him. Once I told him it was all a joke and was meant to be laughed at, he reconsidered his take on it. If I watched this as a documentary I guess I would be bummed out too, but if anything, ETTGS is a comedy. Only about the first 30 minutes of this film is a documentary on the street art scene, the rest is farce.

So, that said, if you saw ETTGS and you weren’t really a fan, I would encourage you to give it a second chance. Watch it as the big prank that it is. It’s always easier to laugh when you’re in on the prank and not part of it.

Sterling Cooper. If you have no idea what that name means or signifies, than I’ve already lost you. However, if you do know what Sterling Cooper means than you can understand why it makes “Mad Men” the OBSESSION OF THE WEEK.

For most people I know, “Mad Men” is a show that takes a little while to not only understand but to also love. Yet once you do get the premise and genius of the show, you’re completely hooked. As soon as you hear the short but sweet symphony begin the title sequence, you know what it means; it’s Draper time. Draper being the main character behind the show, Donald Draper to be exact. Don Draper works at Sterling Cooper, an advertising agency in the 1960′s, hooked yet? Yeah, neither were most people.

Though the more you watch the more you realize not only the significance of advertising in the 1960′s but also how you’ve been transported into a whole other world that you’ve never before witnessed. Granted, it’s probably because most of the show’s fans weren’t alive when it’s many historic events occurred. Whether they are representing a Bra company that asks “are you a Jackie or a Marilyn” or showing the beginnings of racial stereotypes in advertisements. “Mad Men” is a show that interests both history buffs and culture aficionados alike.

That’s not to say the show doesn’t offer many other eye popping interests as well. With a fantastic premise the show boasts a beautiful cinematic look all its own while still being faithful to the time period. “Mad Men” also has a fantastic cast of mostly relative unknowns and a writing staff that previously worked on “The Sopranos”. If that’s not enough to make you watch I’m not sure I can better convince you.

What else makes the show so addicting is the lifestyle it presents, when watching an episode your tempted to make yourself an “old fashioned” just to feel like you’re in that world. With sharp dialogue, amazing costumes, and set decoration, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in this place that time may have forgotten.

Don’t miss out on this engrossing and masterfully made program. It’s worth every drop.

Mad Men airs Sundays at 7:00 ET 10:00 PST on AMC

I spent nearly 4 hours watching and reading coverage of this year’s Comic-Con 2010, and after it was all said and done I felt very empty. What began as an article supporting the excitement and recent burst of hype in the media changed quickly. I knew that I had a journalistic responsibility to expose how hype has effected me and the world in which we live in. So while writing this article it turned into something very different, I hope you enjoy.

The time is here, Comic-Con 2010 has come and gone, who cares right? Well some people do, over 100,000 in fact. Comic-Con, for those who do not know what it is or see it as just a “nerd-fest”, has slowly become in its 40 years of existence the quintessential media event of the year. CNN, The New York Times, and Time Magazine – all different mediums of highly prestigious and primarily current-event oriented news have covered it. “It” in question is a 4 day event held every year at the San Diego Convention Center in Southern California. Comic-Con offers everything from celebrity panels to exclusive footage that won’t be seen anywhere else for almost a year. It is a nerd haven where those who are usually neglected by the “popular crowd” take center stage and are embraced for all the nerdyness that they can dish out. The past few years have been effected by the winds of change however.

While the convention used to usually consist of those that I previously mentioned, with the recent “SuperHero Film Boom”, it now is something that has morphed into a hype fest of sorts. The nerds of the world have been given the spotlight and branded with a dollar sign above their greasy unpolished foreheads. Unfortunately, instead of fighting the system as this culture has so often done before, being cast into obscurity for so long has had the opposite effect. Nerds display themselves proudly and have become a product sold to the highest bidder. This society has lived their lives without the respect they so often seek for far too long and now that they have their “moment in the sun”  they aren’t looking for shade anytime soon.

What has happened as a result, is a transformation of something that was created as a conference for those who feel different to now a freak show for the mass public to scoff at and then benefit from. It is because of this negative effect that I can’t help but wonder is hype a good thing? “Hype” to most is just another word for anticipated excitement and yet to the rich fat-cats of the world it is just another way to add more zero’s to their bank account. With these “exclusive looks” and “collectors items” we as consumers are supposed to feel special and elite. Yet when the very people who want you to pump their gas or serve them coffee are those who fund such an “elite” status it’s difficult not to question it’s merit. Comic-Con has become nothing more than an oversized and overcrowded “Monorail-Tour” at Universal Studios where the audience is given an “inside look” at how movies are really made when it’s nowhere near close.

We are shuttled around like cattle, being told to be excited because something is happening when really the cover has been thrown over our eyes. It feels to me almost like the scene in the film “Big Fish” where the ringmaster of the circus gives a ridiculously long interlude for a giant and when he is finally revealed, he is no taller than someone slightly above average. Following this revelation, we then see what an actual giant looks like and the crowd snaps silent, including the ringmaster. What I mean by this analogy is that Comic-Con is an amazing event when it’s done right, but recently it has become just a parade of the slightly average. I attended Comic-Con at the “beginning of the end” as they call it, and the sad part is I could feel it. While I attended the celebrity panels and felt that lovely false sense of entitlement I mentioned, it wasn’t until I saw what comic-con truly was that I realized it’s fraud.

Comic-Con should be a unification of what we all value most in storytelling; actual storytelling. Instead, the studios of the world have invaded ours in which we created like a sheep in wolf’s clothing (or latex, depending on the costume). To better formulate my point let me use a real world example. The “Harry Potter” novels are rich detailed stories and have taken the time both in the written word and screen in order to prove this point. Rather than cast a “flavor of the week” actor or actress, these films use relatable unknowns as their leads and classically-trained actors to support this ever-expanding universe. To contrast, the “Twilight” novels and films are ones that unlike “Potter” weren’t based around a deeply complex character or in a world unlike anything we could imagine. These poorly written books and disgustingly low quality array of films rely on the very thing you shouldn’t; hype. Hype is destroying so many things around us and yet we just accept it, hoping like it’s predecessors it will simply pass on.

What I valued most about the times I went to Comic-Con, was when I sat down one-on-one with an author or an artist and was able to talk to them about the process that went into creating that particular piece of work. Yet when we are constantly bombarded with what “is” hip and what “will be” big we lose sight of what actually is beautiful and significant in this world. Art is something that should be examined, and something that should be appreciated. But when things are rushed like a panel where a fan can’t even ask a question (“Chuck”) or a multi-million dollar film that takes less time to develop than to make (“Twilight”), we lose sight of why we love these things to begin with. I’m not condemning fandom or even vampires for that matter, but what I’m saying is slow down. Hype relies solely on speed and yet because of that, substance suffers in the process. If you want to make me excited, put in the time and effort in order to do so. Because when you do, films like “Inception” happen and yet when you don’t, well, let’s just say something much worse happens instead.

Though it’s not too late, there is still hope but we must act now and we must support what deserves and truly needs it. Go to an art gallery and tell me that after looking at a piece for 5 minutes you know what the painting means. If so, then maybe there is not as much hope as I thought. But if not, then from one nerd to another let me tell you thank you and may the force be with you….always.