Sometimes it can be hard to decide what to watch before bed, especially if you want to watch something you haven’t seen before. Fortunately, Netflix makes life a little easier in that regards. Unfortunately for me, Netflix usually doesn’t have the highest quality of films. That being said, I remembered Netflix ‘released’ a film earlier this year that looked interesting and I just had to remember the name. After a few minutes and some exploring, I happened to find the film I was looking for, “Velvet Buzzsaw”. With a name like that, it had to be interesting, right?
The film follows art critic Morf Vanderwalt as he rekindles a relationship with Josephina. Josephina works for an art gallery owned by Rhodora Haze before she is terminated for being late after discovering the dead body of her neighbor Vetril Dease. As it turns out, Dease had an apartment full of his paintings he asked to be destroyed after his death. Josephina steals the paintings and when the art community sees them, they go crazy for them. Morf agrees to write a book about Dease to gather the art more attention in exchange for a few pieces. Strange happenings begin to happen to people associated with the art and it turns out there may be something supernatural to the paintings.
Let me start by saying I am torn by how I feel about this film. The film is interesting and does sort of pull you in but, for the most part, the characters are unlikeable and I wasn’t invested in their fates (though the actors really do a fabulous job despite not playing emotionally accessible characters). I know the movie is a bit of a satire of the art community and how pretentious artists and critics can be, but it is hard to relate to the characters as a result.
The cast was solid and they were all convincing in their roles, perhaps too convincing at times. Jake Gyllenhaal delivered a great performance and his character was the most likable in the film. Gyllenhaal gave a delightfully unhinged performance he hasn’t given since “Donnie Darko”. It was also nice to see Rene Russo deliver a solid performance in a lead role. Russo is a talented actress and this film proves she is still an awards worthy performer. My only complaint is that the great John Malkovich was severely underused in this movie.
Writer and director Dan Gilroy developed this film years ago while working on Tim Burton’s “Superman Lives” (which you can actually see him do an interview on that subject in the movie “The Death of Superman Lives”). I enjoyed the film’s successful transition from a look into the current art scene into a supernatural suspense thriller. In some respects, this film very much reminds me of “Eyes of Laura Mars” in both subject matter (art) and genre (horror/thriller). I wonder if Gilroy was a fan of that film or if it just happens to be a coincidence.
“Velvet Buzzsaw” is an interesting experience and a film I recommend watching around Halloween. The film is a step up for Netflix in my opinion. While I wish the film’s characters were more likable, the film is fascinating enough on it’s own to make for an enjoyable viewing experience.
Grade: B-
