Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection

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Ziggy D Well executed and entertaining documentary. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/16/23 Full Review Anachronic C Wonderfully poignant biography of one of most revered comic book artists of his time. Informative, yet not stogy. You get to know the man, his successes, his failures and why is was so good. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/06/23 Full Review Alex. W A tasteful and engaging documentary tribute to a supremely talented perfectionist, and an insightful glimpse into the intersection between the world of comic graphic artistry and the entertainment world. Visually engaging, well-paced, and well-balanced. You feel like you get to know a man who was private and mysterious, yet well-loved by those who took the time to understand him. Highly recommended. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/10/22 Full Review Joshua B Wow, just finished watching this wonderful documentary about artist Dave Stevens, loving crafted by Kelvin Mao and his team. It's a bit surreal watching a whole documentary about all things related to the Rocketeer's creator, since in the years shortly after the Rocketeer movie came out, when I felt like I "discovered" him, I could find so little information that I hunted down every scrap I could find (not much). I was a teenager without a bank account, credit card, or car, and in those days before the internet was widely accessible, everything seemed harder to get and to find. But I did have a few magazines I sent away for that had some articles, and probably a news clipping or two. I vaguely remember the school library getting access to the internet in the mid 90s. While my classmates were busy trying to set the browser homepages to porn sites to give the librarians heart attacks, there I was, waiting for Dave Stevens Rocketeer articles to load over the phone lines, hoping to print them out to take them home for my collection. So to have such riches in this film was really something. There are so many aspects of the creative process folded into the film that anyone who does something artistic will appreciate, whether they are into comic books or not. Us creative types makes things primarily for ourselves first and foremost (which is probably why so many of us are lousy at marketing). But I think we secretly hope someone else will like those things too, because why else would we put them out there? Because if someone else does, it means we are not alone in the world. And being an artist can be a lonely process - just you in a room trying to translate the thoughts you have in your mind into something tangible, whatever the medium. Dave's perfectionism, as the doc alludes to, is something we all deal with to some degree since, regardless of skill, we are limited by our ability to manage that translational process; there is always something lost in translation. It's a hard thing to explain. I think Dave probably felt that as much or more than anyone. Thanks to all involved for keeping his memory alive. He would have been proud. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/10/22 Full Review Hillal L I grew up with the Rocketeer movie and it holds so many special places in my heart for many many reasons. But I was never familiar with the artist who created this iconic hero. Drawn to Perfection is a unique documentary about a unique human being, Dave Stevens. The story that is told through the span of this film is one of trial, tribulation, triumph, and turmoil. A very personal dive into the life of a man who would have probably hated such an invasion of his life, but this story - like all good stories - needed to be told. The director, Kelvin Mao makes a very special decision to focus a great majority of doc on the art of Dave Stevens. He allows the stories of the interviews to be told, but the focus is almost always on the art. Which I think is an inspired choice since the art is what Dave is most famous for. The movie allows the art to breath and to be appreciated by the audience. It yearns for more screen time as you're not quite finished marveling at the pieces before the next edit appears. It makes you want to immediately run out and by any and all copies of Dave Stevens art. A brilliant, movie, funny, and (like Dave) timeless love letter to an artistic genius. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/06/22 Full Review Read all reviews

Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection

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