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Bomb It! 2

2010 • 71 minutes
5.0
11 reviews
92%
Tomatometer
Eligible

About this movie

In the follow-up to the explosive global graffiti documentary "Bomb It," director Jon Reiss takes audiences to previously unexplored areas of the Middle East, Europe, Asia, the United States and Australia on a hunt for innovative street art and artists. "Bomb It 2" explores the indigenous street art scenes in Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Perth, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Chicago, Austin and the Palestinian refugee camps on the West Bank. Using a ultra compact camera and sound package, Reiss travelled by himself to film artists and writers representing a wide range of cultures, styles and beliefs including Klone, Know Hope, Great Bates, Twoone, Darbotz, Killer Gerbil and Zero, Bon, Alex Face, Sloke, Husk Mit Navn, Ash, Phibs, Stormie Mills, Beejoir, Zero Cents, Vexta, MIC, and Xeme, and many more. In the Middle East, Reiss talks with Muhnned Alazzh in the West Bank where Alazzh emphasizes the cultural and political significance of writing on the wall in the Palestinian refugee camps. In Jakarta, Indonesia, Darbotz's work is heavily influenced by his study of semiotics. Instead of applying a signature to his pieces, Darbotz paints his signature squid monsters in black and white, to distinguish them from the explosion of color on the Jakarta streets. In Singapore, Reiss connects with street artists Zero and Killer Gerbil, who explain the paradox of doing graffiti in one of the most highly policed states in the world. "Bomb It 2" seeks out what is unique about each artist - whether it be how their mother took them out to graffiti as a child, if and what they are trying to communicate to their audiences, or how their culture and language affect their work causing them to break from western graffiti and street art traditions. However in each city one of the constants of graffiti exists - the need to express oneself in public and the addictive nature of getting up!

Ratings and reviews

5.0
11 reviews
Diana Duran
August 12, 2013
So many filmmakers make a great movie and then try to make a follow up and fail. Reiss made a great movie in Bomb It and then followed it up with an equally impressive film. Bomb It 2 continues the exploration of graffiti in public space, but delves deeper into the plight of the artists themselves all while taking the viewer to locations that get little attention from the art world in general. In some places, writing is the only way that political statements can be made. In others, it's a matter of beautifying spaces - with the communities consent. A lot of time these works of art are commissioned. I've never been a proponent of graffiti, but Bomb It and Bomb It 2 do not condone or condemn, they just document, which is what you want in a documentary. Kudos! Whether you've seen Bomb It (I recommend seeing it!) or not, Bomb It 2 is an interesting and entertaining movie and makes you want to get up!
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Chris Bashinelli
August 15, 2013
Reiss' no holds-barred documentary bridges intercultural gaps we didn't even no existed. He redefines "graffiti" from illicit hobby to expression of the soul- a rare art form where people are able to influence their environment as much as their environment influences them. BI2 reminds us to unleash our passion, there's almost always a place for it. Chris Bashinelli - Host and Executive Producer of "Bridge the Gap" on PBS - National Geographic Young Explorer grantee - United Nations Moderator
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Dereck Hoekstra
August 15, 2013
I always question why graffiti artists put themselves at risk to perform this type of art, in most parts of the world it's considered a felony and has some serious consequences. In the film, a Malaysian artist explains that authorities will strip you naked and whip you with a soaking wet rattan, ouch... Jon Reiss takes you around the world meeting artists from Bethlehem, Hong Kong, Copenhagen, Bangkok, Singapore and a plethora of other cities/cultures and really gives you a strong understanding behind the story/motivation of graffiti artists. I really appreciate the risks that were taken by Jon Reiss and the other filmmakers involved to pull together these stories, I will certainly never look at graffiti art the same.
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