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Buzz Saw
Directed by David Burnett and Robin Garrels
Released: 2005
Starring: Stephen J. Heffernan, Jason Allen Wolfe, Lisa Anne Harness, and Chris Grega
Running Time: 98 minutes
DVD Released By Sub Rosa Cinema
Cass (Jason Allen Wolfe) and Pete (Stephen J. Heffernan) are maintenance men at Pea Tree Apartments and they couldn't be a better match. Cass is a tweaker whose drug habit is getting out of control and Pete is a diabetic with a drinking problem. They both go to work everyday fixing the tenants' complaints in a building with seemingly endless problems. While Cass only has his gang of drug addicts that live in the building, Pete has his senile father to care for (who ends up taking care of him after a bender) and a budding romance with the waitress, Fuchsia (Lisa Anne Harness), at his favorite diner (who also happens to be the bartender at his favorite bar).
Things begin to go wrong when tenants start turning up dead in bizarre accidents. At each of the grisly scenes one of Pete's tools is found. Luckily for Pete, his best friend is Joe, the cop who does his best to keep Pete off of the list of suspects. These "accidents", which are caused by tools that seem to move by themselves, become more frequent as Cass and Pete's lives spin out of control. An odd pair of ghoulish children documents the aftermath of the bloodshed. What do these children have to do with the murders and how does Pete find into their scheme?
Robin Garrels (China White Serpentine, Insaniac) and David Burnett
(Insaniac) write and direct this incredible indie film. The editing is tight, the lighting is professional, and the camera work is inspired. The complex plot is well realized, even when surreal, and the tension builds throughout this engrossing film. The gory set-pieces are well done and are quite nasty to behold. Even the comedic scenes are delivered excellently and put the characters in an endearing light without detracting from the film's seriousness.
All of the actors do a fine job in Buzz Saw with only a few brief moments of overacting. Despite the manic nature of his character, Jason Allen Wolfe, never takes Cass too far. Wolfe has a knack for portraying a character that can be very funny and tragic at the same time. On the other side of the coin, Stephen J. Heffernan is subtle as Pete, the maintenance man who wanted a monotonous job so that he would never have to think. His riveting performance can go from benevolent to menacing in a heartbeat.
The overacting comes from some of the characters in the drug addicts' apartment. Even though these folks are wasting away completely from their habits, a little restraint in their mood swings and withdrawal symptoms is needed. It's nothing that brings the film down but there are a few distracting moments. And also, great performances from Richard C. Mintzlaff as Ellis and Dennis Garrels as Pete's father keep things balanced with their kooky but controlled delivery.
My only other complaint I have to make about Buzz Saw is the fusion of the supernatural scenes and the dramatic scenes. There are definitely two creative styles going into the plotting of this film. Even though both of the plots work and come together in the end, when the film spends a lot of time with either one, things just don't gel. I can't get too worked up over this because the end result is a very original and entertaining film with basically three movie plots in one. Cass's descent into drug addiction, Pete's life heading towards destruction or redemption, and the horror film where evil children are somehow causing brutal murders with power tools could all be separated and fleshed out into feature films.
A prime example of indie horror done right, I can heartily recommend Buzz
Saw. Its budget may be an issue for some viewers but the creativity and honesty of the production outweigh any of the missteps a small budget can cause. Despite some awkward plotting, a little overacting, and an ending begging for misinterpretation (your guess is as good as mine, duder),
Burnett and Garrels have done an amazing job here and it's a clear sign of good things to come. I can't wait to check out what they come up with next.
DVD Specs:
The film, shot on digital video, looks great and all the scenes are perfectly clear. There are some audio problems early on in the film. It is difficult to hear what the actors are saying for a scene or two but the problem is corrected very quickly.
There are tons and tons of extras packed on the disc. First up is a behind the scenes look at the making of the film, shot mostly by Garrels herself. It gives away a big secret… that the cast and crew had a blast making
Buzz Saw despite having to battle the cold weather of St. Louis in the winter. There is a funny deleted sub plot ("Meet The Nulls") and a reel of deleted scenes. There is a short film by Robin Garrels, stills gallery, and trailers for
Buzz Saw and China White Serpentine. As if all of this wasn't enough, there are also two feature length commentary tracks by cast and crew.
For more information, go to Sub Rosa
Studios.
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