Page 2 February 7, 2019
Entertainment
Film Review
Velvet Buzzsaw is High-Art Horror
By Ryan Rojas
for www.cinemacy.com
The term “velvet buzzsaw,” for those who
don’t know, is slang for a rich person’s
flatulence, and it’s this stuffy, hot air that writerdirector
Dan Gilroy derides so deliciously
in his new film, the horror-comedy Velvet
Buzzsaw (available to stream on Netflix this
Friday). Having last mocked the vulture-like
culture of tabloid journalism and consumption
in his previous film, Nightcrawler, Gilroy
returns to an arena of ridicule (and once again
set in the beautiful but artificial city of LA)
to satirize the self-important art world elites
whose vanity and greed results in devaluing the
meaning of art – if it doesn’t kill them first.
It’s business as usual in the art world – with
vanity-plagued art dealers, buyers, agents and
Velvet Buzzsaw, Courtesy of Netflix.
critics all “kiss-kiss”ing each other at the latest
openings. That is, until the life’s work of an
unknown artist is discovered, which shakes
the art world for the mind-blowing reason
that it actually has “substance” as flamboyant
art critic Morf Vandewalt (Jake Gyllenhaal)
remarks. Whether or not the paintings from
the artist – Dease – should ever have seen the
light of day or not (per the late artist’s intentions)
means nothing to sales agent Josephina
(Zawe Ashton) and her boss, Rhodora Haze
(Rene Russo), who immediately look to sell
and display the white-hot works. But as they,
and the rest of the vociferous art world soon
comes to find as each of the pieces are dealt
and displayed, spiritual forces begin to haunt
and lead each of the greedy superficial socialites
See Film Review, page 6
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
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Check It Out
Front Desk by Kelly Yang.
Jasmine Rahman
Reviewed by Jasmine Rahman
Mia Tang is not your typical fifth grader.
She moved from China to America when she
was eight years old. Her family was hired
by the rich Mr. Yao to operate the Calivista
Motel. The Tangs helped at the motel to the
best of their ability, but always had the risk
of losing their jobs looming over their head.
They spent hours cleaning rooms, managing
the front desk and fixing the building. A small
room behind the office of the motel is also
a place her family calls home.
The main character, Mia, faces many problems
ranging from racist bullies at school and
in her community to financial problems at
home. On top of that, her love for writing is
hindered based on her mother’s disapproval.
Although she lives a life of hardship, she is
always hopeful of a better tomorrow. With
her love for writing, Mia positively disrupts
her community by bringing awareness to
problems plaguing her home.
Front Desk highlights many hardships that
new immigrants face moving to the United
States. Based on the author Kelly Yang’s first
experiences as a new immigrant in America,
she presents a fearless fifth grader, Mia Tang,
who helps the readers experience the dreams
of a young Chinese Immigrant. Yang does a
great job creating an autobiographical read
while portraying a young girl’s courage,
See Check It Out, page 6