Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Gerhard Richter - Painting" is a documentary from 2011, so this one has its 5th anniversary this year. It is a German production, which is also why the language is predominantly German except some English here and there. Gerhard Richter is a German painter who was in his late 70s when this was made and is now in his early 80s. He is considered among the painting elite right now and this also tells you that the great era of painters may be over as everybody has heard of Michelangelo, Picasso and many other famous painters, but in terms of the ones alive, hardly anybody is known I guess. But this should not discredit Richter's work. I think he has had a great career to this date and his talent has made him a fortune. So he probably deserves his own movie. The writer and director here is Corinna Belz and I recently got curious about her as I watched her very recent film about Peter Handke in a theater. But back to this one here, Belz actually worked on the topic of Gerhard Richter on several occasions ("Das Richter Fenster") also before this movie, which runs for slightly under 100 minutes. It focuses on Richter's work as an artist and the emphasis here is clearly more on his professional life than on his personal life. We see him on opening, on discussions with exhibitors or just find out about his general take on life and art as we see him (for example in the final shot) during his craft. The thing I liked most about the film is how very unpretentious the man is. He seems like a normal neighbor really and this is such a contrast to Handke for example. There was one scene when the filmmaker asks Richter to explain one particular quote or statement because it sounds really difficult and he basically responds by saying that it is too difficult to explain actually. A really likable man. But I still guess with the approach Belz gave the subject here, you need to have a solid interest at least in the subject before and with subject I mean the work of (modern) art. This is unfortunately not a movie that will get you interested in the subject if you haven't a previous interest already. And this makes it worth seeing for a not that huge group of people really, which is pretty disappointing and the reason why I give this film a thumbs-down. Not recommended to general audiences.

runamokprods Always interesting documentary on the artist Gerhard Richter, his work process and his sometimes uneasy relationship with the larger world outside his studio. The film effectively combines a mix of traditional documentary techniques (interviews, archival footage), and much more cinema verite style, where for long stretches we simply observe Richter working on his paintings with no comment (besides his own occasional mutterings). Through it all, I gained a much deeper understanding of the man and his work. I've always struggled to really appreciate abstract expressionism and it's absence of obvious meaning. But somehow, watching this film and the process of creation of these works, I found myself far more pulled into the painting themselves than I would ever have been otherwise. (Note – Richter has worked in many forms and medium besides the abstract expressionist paintings he was focused on during the making of the film). Likewise the quiet, introverted, but wryly funny Richter becomes an ever more rich and likable subject – even his cranky unease at being constantly filmed is understandable and ultimately a bit endearing. His struggle to deal with the commercial side of the art world, and the desire to retreat back to the safety of his studio make him tremendously human. I also appreciated how sensual the film was. Not in any sexual sense of the term, but how Belz managed to make us feel the physical aspects of the painting process – the thickness of the paint, the muscular effort to spread it across the canvas, even the smell of the room seem to come through the screen. In the end, this isn't an 'essential' or 'change your life' documentary. I wasn't deeply moved, nor do I think I will be haunted by its images years from now. Yet I appreciated being given a way in to an art form and a person who made my life a little richer, and whom I might have never really known otherwise.

Knut Behrends The filmmaker has been granted access to the "inner circle" (for no apparent reason), and Richer, his coworkers, employees, his wife etc talk to her quite casually, almost as a friend. But she does not take full advantage of this opportunity. There are no intelligent conversations, only friendly conversations. That is not enough. It is okay that Richter does not want to talk too much about personal matters, and does not really open his bag of tricks as a painter (in front of a running camera). Being filmed at work prevents creative powers being set free, many artists say (e.g. I remember Horst Janssen saying this to a film-team). Sometimes Richter seems to expect more of the conversation but quickly realizes that no-one around him has anything valuable to say about his art. Seems to happen all the time, so he does not care. He is not a diva, but quite down to earth.It is honorable that the writer/director does not want to lecture the user, this also means almost nothing gets treated with sufficient depth. I suspect the writer does not know enough about art (despite a lot of research and effort that she undoubtedly put into this documentary), and so has no intelligent questions to ask when it matters. Even when the conversation does not revolve around art, but instead abound family (for instance) the dialog is a but more fluent, but still, it stays quite boring.Sometimes the filmmaker throws in some snippets from vintage documentaries from the 60s which are a bit more inquisitive, but they seem misplaced and thus are not really helpful either. There are only subtitles shown very briefly. The music is minimalist modern classical (piano solo, or strings).If you praised Richters greatness as a painter to someone who does not know anything about him, and you showed her this movie before you showed her any paintings of his, she'd never believe that this is one of the greatest painters of our time.

ektakrome The only reason I gave this film 9 out of 10, was because I believe Corinna should have invested in a roller for her tripod. Would have made for less shaking in the videos of Richter while he is painting. As a documentary filmmaker and painter myself. I can fully understand and admire what Ms. Belz accomplished in this film. I do however, remembering seeing the film this past Friday, note that I wish the lower 3rd titles had been a bit bigger for those who wear glasses. I know it was OK for me, but i'm sure a number of people were always asking... "who is that?".I can truly admire this historical document on modern painting. As Richter is not a "post" anything. He is someone who is dedicated to making what he feels is the best work he can do. You will see that in the sections where Ms. Belz speaks with Richters assistants. What they say rings true with many many modernist painters who will have to sit with a work for months before they feel it is ready to be put out in the world.So glad this film is out in the world. I can't wait for the DVD. My only sadness about the DVD is that I don't have the equipment to watch it in the format I first viewed in. This film deserves a big screen.