A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush ...
"Velvet Buzzsaw" Review - Different Strokes for Different Folks
A high-brow critic was mesmerized by the art pieces named under the repertoire of a deceased painter, unaware of its malevolent presence brushed from within its canvas.
There was no denying that Dan Gilroy's Velvet Buzzsaw had a particular style of terror that was both inviting and borderline bland.
As an art form, it used a sophisticated level of medium operating on a different type of canvas, almost like critiquing the meaning behind an abstract painting, subjective to one's personal thoughts and opinions.
The story follows a famous art gallery critic, Morf Vandelwalt (Jake Gyllenhaal), whose job was, well, to give his honest and sometimes harsh review on someone's art pieces.
Meanwhile, his friend Josephina (Zawe Ashton) discovered a stack of paintings stored in the former room of a deceased painter, Vitrel Dease, and decided to hold an art event to sell the paintings off.
Visual Poetry
Going by its narrative, the movie revolves around two different landscapes; first one showing the harsh reality of the art business, wherein you see the likes of Rhodora (Rene Russo) as a gallery owner and how she gets all these renowned artists and woos them into selling their pieces through her firm; and the second one tapping into the brutal psyche emitted by its supernatural artifice that led into a bloody splat of horrific events.
On the surface, Gilroy manages to display his own creative twist on the thriller genre, combining two distinct pallettes to create a fresh visual poetry. Sadly, what was presented was a mesh of uneven color combination, with a conclusion that lacks a satisfying pay-off.
However, the film's best asset was its actors, starting with Jake Gyllenhaal, which to me, is a masterpiece on his own. Gyllenhaal brought his A-game into this film and gave a believable performance, able to showcase a compelling arc for his character's decline from a respectable critic to a mentally insane person.
Toni Collete, who played as Gretchen and also also starred in 2018's Hereditary, was also memorable and was able to show her level of acting ingenuity through her crazed facial nuances and sassy maneuver. What didn't work for me though was Zawe Asthon's perfomance. It came off as robotic, almost as mechanical as the film's own Hoboman, and doesn't feel alive and energetic.
Let's Be Reel
It is important to note however, that while Velvet Buzzsaw, as a thriller, was short on shock value, it did possessed some commendable qualities enough for you to spend your 2 hours on.
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