Made for Love (2021), Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussen, HBO Max
Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussen and Ray Romano are the stars of new sci-fi/comedy/drama, Made for Love.
Milioti is Hazel, a young woman who suddenly realises that her husband (Magnussen) has implanted a revolutionary monitoring device in her brain . A device that allows him to track her every move.
Talk about a super controlling maniac. After spotting the detachment in Hazel’s eyes at 0:37 seconds into this trailer, I was committed to see her get out of there.
This kind of entrapment is absolutely crazy. Yet, it’s also not completely outside of the realm of what will become possible in the future. That’s of course, if it isn’t already very possible right now.
Caleb Foote, Noma Dumezweni, Augusto Aguilera, Dutch Johnson, Raymond Lee, Dan Bakkedahl and Tom Jenkins also star.
I had a good time watching writer / director Dan Gilroy’s latest movie, Velvet Buzzsaw. The fact that it’s set in sunny Miami Beach, Florida only has a little something to do with it.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Zawe Ashton, Toni Collette and Billy Magnussen, Velvet Buzzsaw is a comedy / crime / fantasy movie about a group of art lovers who become revenge targets for a supernatural force. The catalyst for the vengeance being, the art lovers helped themselves to pieces of art they really shouldn’t have.
I immediately liked the early scenes where the different characters along with all their various motivations are established. Yet, I did definitely watch these scenes while somewhat impatiently waiting for the vengeance to begin. The true extent of my impatience didn’t really reveal itself until after the very first bit of rather thrilling revenge is enacted. Reason being, some of the scenes after that point weren’t always especially engaging.
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019), Zawe Ashton
For me personally, thanks to my favourite characters in the movie, the ones played by Gyllenhaal, Ashton and Natalia Dyer, I feel as though Velvet Buzzsaw had enough to make the nearly two hours I spent watching the movie worthwhile. I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s quite as good as Nightcrawler (2014) – my favourite Gyllenhaal and Gilroy collaboration, but it does have some standout moments that I won’t soon forget. Especially in regards to the creative ways revenge is enacted upon the greedy art lovers. There’s also the moments of gorgeous cinematography featuring rich, vibrant colours.
Another good movie that came to mind as I watched Velvet Buzzsaw is Final Destination (2000), a horror / thriller that did a very memorable job of thrilling and shocking its audience because of the very well executed death sequences – something Velvet Buzzsaw doesn’t do too badly at either.
Watch it if you’re so curious. Other reasons include the ‘funny’ replacement personal assistant, the chance to see Gyllenhaal really having fun in this role.
Last but not least, watch it and be surprised by how much you actually enjoy the very last ‘piece of art’ shown in this movie. I know I did. I really could have looked at it for a while, if I were less busy.
Dan Gilroy, the director of my favourite Jake Gyllenhaal movie Nightcrawler (2014) is back with new crime / fantasy film, Velvet Buzzsaw.
Starring Gyllenhaal, John Malkovich, Toni Collette, Billy Magnussen and set in Miami Beach, Florida, it all begins after a number of art lovers help themselves to a series of paintings by an unknown artist. Soon enough, a supernatural force begins to enact revenge to punish all those involved for their greed…
I’m in for Gyllenhaal’s performance – and who knows, maybe I’ll love what he does in this movie as much as I appreciate his great work in Nightcrawler. I’ll also keep my fingers crossed in hopes that the whole experience isn’t nightmare inducing. At time of writing, Velvet Buzzsaw isn’t categorised as horror, so there is hope.
Zawe Ashton, Natalia Dyer, Rene Russo, Daveed Diggs, Peter Gadiot and Tom Sturridge also star.
Ingrid Goes West (2017), Elizabeth Olsen, Aubrey Plaza
In Ingrid Goes West which stars Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen and O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ingrid is a mentally disturbed young woman who’s obsessed with a social media star with ‘the perfect life’. Unsettling and increasingly dangerous is the turn Ingrid’s behaviour takes when she decides to move west to befriend the subject of her obsession…
I’m very much looking forward to watching Plaza, an actress I’ve only ever seen in comedy roles play a part that seems to be a lot more dramatic.
In new historical thriller Bridge Of Spies, Tom Hanks is American Lawyer James B. Donovan; a man whose job it is to defend an arrested Soviet spy played by Mark Rylance.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, before watching Bridge Of Spies, I had anticipated fighting legal dialogue and courtroom dramatics. In truth, there’s a touch of that but not in the traditional sense. Some of my favourite moments of dialogue happened during the negotiation scenes, plus in the conversations between Donovan and his CIA contact.
In terms of the film’s look and feel, at first it took me a few minutes to get used to the noticeable reduction in colour in reference to the cinematography, however, considering the Cold War setting of Spielberg’s story, I soon understood.
Hanks’ Donovan is very much a hero; one that I adored because he’s determined and focused on what he believes to be the right and reasonable thing to do; a man of conscience. What’s not to love?
Forrest Gump (1993), one of my favourite Tom Hanks movies came to mind upon reflection because though the characters are quite different, Donovan’s gentle disposition and caring nature took me back to what I loved most about Hanks’ portrayal of Gump.
From the lead actors’ well measured performances to the dialogue and story, I enjoyed Bridge Of Spies. Another key highlight for me is the beautiful ending and all it said so perfectly without words.
It’s hard not to pay attention when there’s a new trailer for a Tom Hanks movie. Particularly when said movie is directed by Steven Spielberg…
Should the mention of Hanks and Spielberg not be enough, the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel Coen make up two thirds of the writing team. Of course this can only mean good things for this ‘based on a true’ story film.
I can’t wait to hear Hanks deliver the fighting dialogue as Lawyer, James Donovan.
The Movie My Life 