Velvet Buzzsaw Review
R: For violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and brief drug use
Netflix, Dease Pictures Inc.
1 Hr and 53 Minutes
Writer/Dir: Dan Gilroy
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, Daveed Diggs, Billy Magnussen, John Malkovich
Truly, I wasn’t aware that Dan Gilroy was making another movie until I was scrolling through stuff at the festival board and screamed “DAN GILROY HAS A NEW MOVIE?!” Back in 2014, I saw Nightcrawler and, long story short, it blew my mind and caused me to feel nothing but fascination for Jake Gyllenhaal. He was already a great actor beforehand, but this was a defining moment that made me enamored with him. Personally, it was my favorite movie of that year, primarily because of his chilling performance combined with Gilroy’s writing and direction. Then, anguish came along, for it kept getting snubbed at every award show! Now we’ve got Gilroy’s third feature. It’s for Netflix and by God it’s as weird as a Netflix movie can get.
After a series of paintings by an unknown artist are discovered, a supernatural force enacts revenge on those who have allowed their greed to get in the way of art.
From this day forth, Jake Gyllenhaal will be known as CHARACTER ACTOR Jake Gyllenhaal (in the same vein as Margo Martindale in Bojack Horseman). You think I’m joking, but he keeps surprising us with a new personality in each role he signs on to do. In this film, Gyllenhaal is a flamboyant bisexual art critic who has some of the best dialogue throughout the film. From his mannerisms to his delivery, Gyllenhaal doesn’t disappoint for a second. Also:
Yes, I will objectify Jake Gyllenhaal’s ass in this review because this film has plenty of scenes where he walks around naked. It’s as if his contract required him to have a shirtless scene in each film. While I identify as heterosexual, game must respect game. Any means to see the return of bisexual icon Jake Gyllenhaal is welcoming and this is one of those roles. As a matter of fact, the best thing about this movie is its large ensemble and the distinctively quirky roles that they play. Each one of them charismatically delivers over-the-top performances as these snobby LA art hoes (as my friend Sabrina called them). We have a ton of people like that back in NYC (most of them either live in Bushwick or attend FIT, Pratt, and especially NYU) so to have this cast accurately satirize people like them is great. The film does a decent job commenting on the art of criticism and how there is a thin line between one’s objective opinion and one’s bullshit. For example, there is a scene where a guy follows someone up a stairwell to his gallery and praises a bag of garbage as unique when it’s literally just a bag of garbage.
A major strength to this horror-comedy has to be its art direction. Besides the creative and beautiful original artwork made for the film, the kills are the moneyshots. The initial setup is well developed where a receptionist finds the art of a deceased neighbor in her apartment complex and starts to sell it to her boss, releasing spiritual curses into the galleries that other art hoe curators acquire. Each kill that occurs is inventive, creative, and mesmerizing. As far as horror goes, it delivers a fun time. The hybridization of genres is welcoming, but the execution (pun intended) is rather lackluster.
With Velvet Buzzsaw, Dan Gilroy attempts both horror and comedy. He does a good job applying each aspect he focuses on, but it’s mostly unbalanced. At least Gilroy displays his range as a writer/director. This is more stylish than his earlier works and the comedy often works. There are funny moments that advance the movie at a quick pace, but the questionable editing choices undercut delivered punchlines that end a scene by often fading to black. A majority of the transitions are fade-to-blacks and they occur when a scene feels incomplete.
I know I say this all the time, but there’s no reason for ANY comedy be 2 hours long. This is a 1 hour and 53 minute movie so it counts. The film may move at a fast pace but it suffers from a long running time. It doesn’t feel like there is much of a structure when the movie is primarily a string of vignettes of these characters who are presented to die. Too much time is wasted on these self-absorbed characters doing art deals and you spend most of the movie anticipating their various deaths. When one finally does occur, there’s nearly a 20 minute wait for the next one. There are so many characters to focus on and it feels like too much, with the exception of Josephina whose transformation from a reluctant receptionist to a monster is excellent.
There is a lack of urgency regarding the horror aspects. With something that’s supposed to be the main plot, the A story is treated as a B story with way too many A stories. The subplots are in the forefront as opposed to the main plot and it makes a lot of the film feel dull. An energetic vibe is present, but it quickly runs out of steam as Gilroy’s script meanders around for far too long. After the 90 minute mark you’re just thinking:
You don’t care about any of these characters with the exception of Natalia Dyer who barely has any screen time yet has the best running gag.
Myan isn’t at Sundance with me but this got an immediate release on Netflix so here are her thoughts.
To be incredibly honest, I finished Velvet Buzzsaw and I still don’t think I know what it was about. Yeah, it’s that kind of movie. I understand the main premise and I made predictions throughout the film that ended up being wrong... but I don’t quite know what was right either. Ambiguity never sits well with me when it’s poorly done.
The biggest issue average viewers will find with Velvet Buzzsaw is the pacing. By “average viewers” I mean the fickle Netflix crowd that can always find something more action-packed just a few clicks away. There’s a lot of talking that eventually leads up to someone dying in an underwhelming way. After that, you have a lot more talking which leads up to another mediocre death, and so on. The film is essentially set up like a boring Final Destination. The tone is imbalanced from early on; the first part of the film has a whimsical (almost campy) aesthetic, even down to the musical score, and then it tries to become something else entirely.
All of those negatives aside, Velvet Buzzsaw expertly mocks the stereotypes within the art world (looking at you, Art Basel snobs) and delivers solid performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Toni Collette, and Rene Russo. Natalia Dyer’s running gag is also a highlight. The film does manage to maintain an ominous vibe because, despite its inconsistent tone, you can still feel that something’s not quite right. That unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach is what keeps me an avid fan of horror/suspense/thrillers. I’m not exactly sure what Velvet Buzzsaw is, but I had the most “okay” time watching it and making wild guesses about whatever the hell was happening. Perhaps it would have benefitted from a shorter running time and less characters we don’t care about.
Velvet Buzzsaw has several clever concepts and prospers from inventive art direction and a charismatic cast, but Dan Gilroy’s latest lacks conviction to its promising premise.
Rendy’s Rating: 2.5/5 | 52%
Myan’s Rating: 3/5 | 65%
Super Scene: Coco’s 3rd death,
