John McNaughton, best known for his work as a director of violent, darkly comic feature films (HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, WILD THINGS), journeys into the documentary world with this profile of the influential New York painter George Condo. McNaughton leaves the gory murders and... [More]

John McNaughton, best known for his work as a director of violent, darkly comic feature films (HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, WILD THINGS), journeys into the documentary world with this profile of the influential New York painter George Condo. McNaughton leaves the gory murders and veering plots at home, but the playful inventiveness on display in his earlier movies is abundantly apparent in CONDO PAINTING. He expertly juggles the use of different cameras and film stocks while interweaving a series of penetrating interviews with footage of Condo painstakingly producing a new art piece. William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg lend their inimitable spirit to the film in footage taken shortly before their deaths, and Danny Elfman contributes a captivating soundtrack. The end product is an enlightening portrait of a man with a biting urge to explore the outer reaches of his imagination on canvas. [Less]