Watched "Layer Cake" and enjoyed it. Thanks.
While looking for something else on Netflix that wasn't there, in their list of alternatives I found "Velvet Buzzsaw".
My tongue in cheek description: It redefines the art-horror genre, while answering the age old question, can you really possess a work of art, if its already been possessed ?
It's an increasingly campy bit of satire that weaves a sometimes fine line between that and horror, lurching at other times, but mostly successfully, still, all without ever taking itself too seriously, which I think would have ruined it. Not for those with delicate sensibilities, perhaps, but it veers quickly back from becoming a slasher film in those few scenes where that's a risk. I do think all of that makes for a really challenging task in film making though, and there are places where the effort might have been refined a bit more. Jake Gyllenhaal is convincing, often carries it by himself when it might not carry otherwise. Rene Russo is as you'd hope her to be in most scenes, but is not at her best in every scene, and John Malkovich is as he always is, but might have been used more, and lot better than he was. It might have been made a better film were made it a bit shorter, with an expanded focus on the art and fewer of the ponderous scenes that don't really contribute that much and leave you wondering why they kept them.
Visually, though, the film is often stunning. It is generally bright and colorful, not using a steady pattern of darkness and shifting shadows to amplify the dark theme, but applying them artfully when appropriate. The shifting light from scene to scene worth noting. Great visuals, a great aesthetic, and spectacular camera work, with a lot of nuance that's worth watching for. The production value succeeds in carrying the art theme quite convincingly... which I think is an accomplishment in itself.
I'm not at all a fan of the horror genres... but loved the art themed satire, so my having quite enjoyed this film probably means they got the balance right. |
