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Abstract
The story centers on Dr. Desmond Denton (Joe Gibbons, who also wrote and directed), a failed scientist who is still trying to live down the "flatworm fiasco" that caused him to lose his research funding years before. His latest brainstorm is a new technique for shifting personalities from one brain to the other, something he does with unbounded glee at first, but then purely for the goals of wealth and fame. Then he meets Kitty Church (performance artist Karen Finley), a bartender/artist who has been dropped by her gallery due to the daring and controversial nature of her work. Desmond falls head over heels for the very direct, rough-around-the-edges Kitty, and soon he is mainlining new personalities in an attempt to win her heart. What he doesn't know is that his beloved is also an urban terrorist (known around the art world as "Eve of Destruction") who sneaks into tony galleries at night and blows up paintings.
Full text
It tries to be trendy. It wants to be cool. It's "The Genius," a tongue-in-cheek takeoff on the Frankenstein story set in the tragically hip world of New York City's modern art scene that stars many of the peformance artists who roam those dimly lit halls and galleries.
It's a movie that yearns to comment on the transient nature of fame, while also examining the hopelessness of establishing a true artistic identity in these media-soaked times. But, ultimately, it is little more than a gaudy pastiche, chock-full of interesting moments, intriguing shots and an invigorating performance or two.
The story centers on Dr. Desmond Denton (Joe Gibbons, who also wrote and directed), a failed scientist who is still trying to live down the "flatworm fiasco" that caused him to lose his research funding years before. His latest brainstorm is a new technique for shifting personalities from one brain to the other, something he does with unbounded glee at first, but then purely for the goals of wealth and fame. Then he meets Kitty Church (performance artist Karen Finley), a bartender/artist who has been dropped by her gallery due to the daring and controversial nature of her work. Desmond falls head over heels for the very direct, rough-around-the-edges Kitty, and soon he is mainlining new personalities in an attempt to win her heart. What he doesn't know is that his beloved is also an urban terrorist (known around the art world as "Eve of Destruction") who sneaks into tony galleries at night and blows up paintings.
The whole concept is to be taken with many grains of salt, and maybe a stiff drink or two, because by the halfway point, "The Genius" has shifted from the structured mad scientist tale, becoming instead a disjointed collection of improvised encounters attacking those members of the "respectable" art world who wouldn't recognize real talent if it came up and bit them on their overstuffed, over-funded behinds.
Performance-wise, Finley exhibits a raw energy as Kitty that falls somewhere between sexy and crazed, but it is Gibbons as the maniacal Desmond who keeps our attention. He moves from personality to personality (all the while documenting his reactions by talking into a video camera) with real flair, giving the film the majority of joy it possesses.
"The Genius" is a cute idea, but it needed more time in the darkness of the lab before being exposed to the light of day.
"THE GENIUS"
(STAR)(STAR)
Directed by Joe Gibbons with Emily Breer; written and produced by Joe Gibbons; edited by Emily Breer. Opens Friday at Facets Multimedia, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave. Running time: 1:28. Not rated by the MPAA.
THE CAST
Desmond Denton..................................................Joe Gibbons
Kitty Church...................................................Karen Finley Les............................................................Tony Oursler
Art Dealer......................................................Tony Conrad
PHOTO; Caption: PHOTO: Karen Finley (left) and Joe Gibbons star in ``The Genius.''
Copyright Chicago Tribune Co. Oct 7, 1994