Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

A satire set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.

Director:

Dan Gilroy

Writer:

Dan Gilroy

Stars:

Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Zawe Ashton

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Morf Vandewalt
Rene Russo	...	Rhodora Haze
Zawe Ashton	...	Josephina
Tom Sturridge	...	Jon Dondon
Toni Collette	...	Gretchen
Natalia Dyer	...	Coco
Daveed Diggs	...	Damrish
John Malkovich	...	Piers
Billy Magnussen	...	Bryson
Alan Mandell	...	Dease
Mig Macario	...	Cloudio
Nitya Vidyasagar	...	Gita
Sedale Threatt Jr.	...	Ed
Keith Bogart	...	Husband at Art Basel Will Call
Sofia Toufa	...	Wife at Art Basel Will Call

Storyline

A satire set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.

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Plot Keywords:

artist | satire | gay man has sex with a woman | supernatural horror | dark satire | 

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Taglines:

From the writer and director of "Nightcrawler"

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Dan Gilroy was asked by Vanity Fair what he wants audiences take away from the film, he said: "I hope people look at art in a slightly different way. Any time you listen to a piece of music or look at a sculpture or a painting or a film, you realize the artists behind that have invested what I believe to be their creative soul into the work. To me, that's a bit of a sacred thing and I think we've lost that a little bit. I would love it if we could return to that."

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Goofs

Several characters are seen smoking in the galleries. This is a major breach of etiquette in the art world and likely against laws regarding smoking in public (filmed in Miami, there is a Florida statute banning public smoking).

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Quotes

Morf Vandewalt: We don't realize the value of friends until they're gone.

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Crazy Credits

During the first part of the credits, Piers is creating art in the sand.

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Connections

References Spit Earth: Who is Jordan Wolfson? (2020)

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Soundtracks

Trigger Bang Bang
Written by Red Rosamond and AG
Performed by Red Rosamond
Courtesy of Byaginc

User Reviews

Difficult to explain

The trailer in hindsight might've given away a lot of what happens in film but to truly get anything from it you must watch the film itself. A relatively short one at just under 1 hour 50 it manages to put a lot to the audience and develop a grand conspiracy which is actually quite interesting. Sadly a lot of it is glossed over completely after an initial introduction but it still manages to function as a film. A lot of the characters are well created and serve the greater purpose of narrative aid and building the commentary but a lot is fairly forgettable. An interesting message and core meaning it's a fairly decent film which is worth your time

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Chinese Italian

Release Date:

1 February 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Velvet Buzzsaw

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Netflix

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1