 20060316 Buffalo '66
 I am not sure how I missed it in 1998, but I just watched Vincent Gallo's Buffalo '66 last night. After Jeff realized that I'm originally from Buffalo, and also a Bills fan, he asked me whether I had ever seen the film, about the guy who went to prison because of a bad bet he made on the Buffalo Bills in Superbowl XXV? I threw my hands in the air. "No! There's a movie about that?" I lived in Buffalo before moving to Indiana when I was 11. Almost all of my extended family still lives in or around there. ANYWAY. Billy Brown (Gallo) gets parole after 5 years and sets out to kill Scott Wood (based on the actual placekicker, Scott Norwood, who also inspired the character Ray Finkle in Ace Ventura. Laces Out!). Wood missed the game-winning fieldgoal, causing Brown to lose a bet that ultimately lands him in prison. He wants revenge. But! First, he must visit his parents, whom he has excused his absence with a story about going away for a long time to work for the government. They were also made to believe he had been married while away. Burdened with parents expecting to meet his wife, Brown kidnaps Layla (Christina Ricci) and coerces her to play his spouse. A dark, genius comedy unfolds. I recommend it. Aside, I learned that mentioning Vincent Gallo causes a stir with some people. I know nothing about him, other than that Jakob vehemently dislikes him. In an old office space we once rented there hung a canvas featuring a grid of pasted portraits. Mostly people I didn't recognize, except for Philip Seymour Hoffman. Apparently, Gallo was one of them, too ... When we would take breaks from working late nights, Jakob and I would sometimes meander in the hallway near the canvas, and you could always depend on Jake to point Gallo out and say something blunt like, "I hate that guy." Jake doesn't hate too many people, so you'd think that Gallo had done something awful to him. I now know that he had recently seen Brown Bunny and its infamous blowjob scene with Chloë Sevigny. Jake thought it had been immense waste of his time. So much so that he still holds a grudge. The thing is that Jake isn't alone. Many people are bothered by his self-indulgent and antagonistic personality. I only mention all of this to make a point that I don't have an opinion. I've only seen Buffalo '66, and I thought his direction was impressive. Jeff, however, is quick to point to Gallo's arrogance with an anecdote: Once, before Buffalo '66 was premiered, Gallo was quoted saying the film would be the greatest directorial debut since Orson Welle's Citizen Kane. Let me know what you think. Buffalo '66 Links: Netflix Amazon IMDB 12
Comments:
Taylor said... Zach! Someone is making a movie about the Midwest, and they are filming here in Indiana, at Warsaw Highschool. They said, Warsaw creates the true sense of feeling of being in the midwest. You should check into it, maybe try to be an extra? -taylor 10:31 PM said... Zach, I *love* this movie, I think it's brilliant -- just like Vincent Gallo. I agree with Jake, he seems like a total asshole, but he also lies about everything and is incredibly hilarious. I like to think of him in terms of existing as more of a fascinating persona than an arrogant and rude person. Have you checked out his website? It's quite the gem on the internet. *Especially* the "Miscellaneous" part in his "Merchandise" section. http://www.vincentgallo.com 10:37 PM Mari Sheibley said... Sorry, I am not a fan of Vincentn Gallo or Buffalo 66. Gawker did a post about how he tried to sell his body on ebay to any woman who was willing to pay the price, as long as they were clean and disease free. 11:15 PM Jakob said... I think he's really funny. The Brown Bunny was the most excruciating movie I've ever seen. Gallo was in attendance, and he didn't even take questions from the rabid Vincentheads who came to see him. A lot of people tell me I'd like Buffalo 66, and they're probably right. I disliked Brown Bunny to such an extent that I refuse to see something that will change my mind about him; I am immature. 11:46 PM said... Uh, I believe Nathan Gotsch has made some movies about Fort Wayne. 12:21 AM said... Gallo has got to be one of the most pompous assholes in all of the world, and his ironic (or not) republican view point is totally insane. I did however think Brown Bunny was an incredible movie. I would never watch it again, especially at home, the pace is way to slow and I would be distracted by my own surroundings. In a dark theater with nowhere to go, the movie blew my mind. It is an incredible piece of artwork. 12:22 AM Pete said... Another great movie that a lot of people miss is "Scotland PA". It's a retelling version of Macbeth set in the 1970's. Instead of a kingdom there is a burger joint. Instead of witches there are stoners. Also the film features Christopher Walkin. Needless to say its a fun take on Shakespeare. 10:13 AM said... heY I'm also from Buffalo (Originally), born in Buffaly General...Cheers for us Buffalonians ! 10:40 AM Mari Sheibley said... Pete, I agree, 'Scottland PA' is a great movie. I would recommend this one as well. 2:16 PM mk said... glad you finally saw buffalo 66. I personally liked the score he composed for the film. coincidentally, I just saw vincent at an art party on friday. 8:45 PM cbwdeluxe1 said... I loved Buffalo 66 and liked The Brown Bunny even more. The peson with the comment about atching it at home might be right. It's a pretty ambient film and it's easy to give into temptation and start doing other things at home though. Gallo himself seems to be pretty hilarious and dispte his ginormous ego, he has done some incredible things over the years. 9:37 AM Papa_john said... Gross. Gallo is a complete loser with no direction in his life than what his genitals offer from time to time. I thought this was more of a biopic than an actual movie and how in the world did he actually make it into the hipster club anyhoo? Waste of blood plasma... celluloid too. 6:28 PM Post a Comment |
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 Hi, I'm Zach. I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and graduated from Wake Forest. After college, I moved to Manhattan to get serious about a company I ran with friends. We sold it to Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp in 2006. I just wrapped up with a project I co-founded called Vimeo and left CV to focus on being a twenty-five year old. I have another blog called Copy and Taste, where I post about learning to cook. I live in Brooklyn now.  Del.icio.us My Flickr Me on Flickr Last.fm Linked in MySpace Netflix History Vimeo  Amir Blumenfeld Chris Bodenner Mareen Fischinger Fort Wayne Observed Nick Gray Hype Machine Jake and Amir Jakob Lodwick Oh My Rockness Jonathan Marcus Youngna Park Megan Scheminske Eliot Shepard Shorpy Signal vs. Noise Alex Soth Stereogum Ricky Van Veen Khoi Vinh Eugene Wyatt   Postal Skype SMS (via AIM) |