Velvet Buzzsaw - 💥💥

Director: Dan Gilroy
Writer: Dan Gilroy
Release Date: 1st February 2019
Hot Rating: 💥💥

In his latest feature, Velvet Buzzsaw, director Dan Gilroy seems insistent on merging as many genres together as is possible. Sadly, the result is less a Monet or a Van Gogh as much as it is a crude scribble on a handkerchief. In case these ham-fisted references weren't enough of a clue, the subject of Velvet Buzzsaw is art, specifically, the exploitation of rare or 'lost' art by sellers. The lowly PA, Josephine (Zawe Ashton) strikes gold when one of her neighbours dies, and leaves behind a number of cryptic and expressive artworks. Much like these paintings, however, audiences are exploited for their enjoyment of cheap thrills, racy relationships and....a topless Jake Gyllenhaal. Altogether Velvet Buzzsaw is close to cooking up a tasty satire from these overarching TV movie tropes with which it plays so often. However, its messy tones and sub-par performances leave us with a musty B-movie.

Image: YouTube