Buzzard (film)

Last updated
Buzzard
Buzzard movie poster 2014.jpg
Directed by Joel Potrykus
Written byJoel Potrykus
Produced byJoel Potrykus
Ashley Young
Michael Saunders
Kevin Clancy
Tim Saunders
StarringJoshua Burge
Joel Potrykus
Teri Ann Nelson
Joe Anderson
Chris Kotcher
Katie Call
Alan Longstreet
Crystal Hilliard
Rico Bruce Wade
Michael Cunningham
Lisa Mueller
Scott Basden
Trpl Blk
CinematographyAdam J. Minnick
Distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories
Release dates
  • March 8, 2014 (2014-03-08)(SXSW)
  • March 6, 2015 (2015-03-06)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States

Buzzard is a 2014 American independent black comedy film written and directed by Joel Potrykus, starring Joshua Burge as Marty Jackitansky. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

The film follows angry mortgage temp Marty as he cooks up small scams against the hated corporate world he's stuck in. Frustrated by the boring nature of his work and the low pay, Marty uses his low level crime as an outlet to rebel. He goes to a bank and opens checking accounts to get free deposits, takes items from his job to a local office supplies store for fraudulent refunds and intentionally injures his hand for workers’ compensation. One day on the job at First National Bank, Marty swipes a stack of refund checks from the company, then forges the payees' signatures to sign several of the checks over to himself. Later Marty's boss, Carol, tells him that the company receives images of the checks when they are cashed and can see who is cashing them. Fearing his scheme will be discovered, Marty goes into hiding at his co-worker Derek's basement.

While in hiding, Marty wastes his days playing video games, goofing off with Derek and sucking down Mountain Dew and frozen pizzas. [3] He also starts crafting a weapon made out of steak knives and a Nintendo Power Glove inspired by Freddy Krueger's bladed glove from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Derek tells Carol that Marty is sick and can't come into work, but bungles the lie and Marty soon begins to think Carol is close to discovering what happened to the checks. Marty starts to run low on cash, and on a trip to the convenience store at Derek's behest the cashier cheats him out of five dollars, with security cameras capturing Marty trashing a store display in response.

Fearing someone will discover him based on the tape, Marty hops a bus to Detroit, bringing along his modified Nintendo Power Glove. He uses up most of his remaining money when he stays at a hotel and orders room service. In the bathroom, Marty tends to his hand and discovers that the cut has become badly infected. Needing somewhere else to stay, Marty goes to a cheap motel for a night and illegally copies his room key. After checking out he breaks into the hotel to sleep, only to be discovered in the morning by a maid. The hotel manager confronts him and tries to call the police, but Marty threatens him with the glove and runs off. Marty tries to cash his remaining stolen checks at an ATM, but discovers that his account has been shut down. He then goes to a payday loan provider to attempt to cash the checks, but the owner finds the transaction suspicious and accuses Marty of fraud. The owner, having caught Marty on security camera and identified him using his drivers license, calls the police and tries to keep Marty in a back room. Marty slashes the owner in the face and neck with the glove to once again escape, and leaves the owner lying on the floor bleeding profusely.

Marty speaks on the phone with Derek and discovers that Carol has been fired. Believing this means the company won't discover his check scheme, Marty starts ecstatically racing down the street. Eventually Marty comes to an electronics store window full of TV screens, in which he sees himself caught on camera. On the center TV, he sees an image of himself walking away, and proceeds to do so.

Cast

Release

Buzzard made its world premiere at SXSW in 2014, [4] and its international premiere at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival. [5] It received theatrical distribution in North America on March 6, 2015 through Oscilloscope Laboratories. [6] [7]

Reception

Buzzard has received generally favorable reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 87%, based on 45 reviews. [8] Metacritic gave the film a rating of 77/100, based on 15 reviews. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Back to the Future Part II</i> 1989 film by Robert Zemeckis

Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film Back to the Future and the second installment in the Back to the Future franchise. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson with Elisabeth Shue, and Jeffrey Weissman in supporting roles. It follows Marty McFly (Fox) and his friend Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Lloyd) as they travel from 1985 to 2015 to prevent Marty's son from sabotaging the McFly family's future. When their arch-nemesis Biff Tannen (Wilson) steals Doc's DeLorean time machine and uses it to alter history for his benefit, the duo must return to 1955 to restore the timeline.

Aaron Katz is an American independent filmmaker from Portland, Oregon.

<i>Nothing Personal</i> (2009 film) 2009 Dutch film

Nothing Personal is a 2009 Dutch-Irish drama film written and directed by Urszula Antoniak. It was presented at the Locarno International Film Festival for the international competition. It won the Golden Leopard for best debut film and Lotte Verbeek won the award for best actress. The film won four Golden Calves at the Dutch Film Festival of 2009, including best film.

<i>Brotherhood</i> (2010 film) 2010 American film

Brotherhood is a 2010 American thriller film directed by Will Canon and co-written by Doug Simon and Canon. The film is about a fraternity initiation that goes horribly wrong and stars Jon Foster, Trevor Morgan, Arlen Escarpeta and Lou Taylor Pucci. Brotherhood premiered at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, where it won the festival's Audience Award.

Jared Moshe is an American director, screenwriter and producer of independent films. He wrote and directed the films Dead Man's Burden (2012), The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017) and Aporia (2023). He has also produced the features Destricted (2006), Kurt Cobain: About a Son (2006), Low and Behold (2007), Beautiful Losers (2008), Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011), and Silver Tongues (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Potrykus</span> American film director and screenwriter

Joel Potrykus is an American film director and screenwriter. His feature film debut Ape won the Best New Director prize at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival, while his follow-up feature Buzzard won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2014 Ljubljana International Film Festival.

<i>Ape</i> (2012 film) 2012 American black comedy film

Ape is a 2012 American independent black comedy film written and directed by Joel Potrykus, starring Joshua Burge as Trevor Newandyke. The film was a precursor to Potrykus's later film, Buzzard, which also starred Burge.

12 O'Clock Boys is a 2013 American documentary film directed by Lotfy Nathan. The documentary focuses on urban dirt-bike riders in Baltimore, Maryland, and one boy's fascination with dirt bikes and desire to join the 12 O'Clock Boys group.

<i>A Teacher</i> 2013 film

A Teacher is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by Hannah Fidell, in her feature directorial debut. It revolves around a female high school teacher's illicit sexual relationship with a male student that turns from infatuation into obsession. Principal photography for the film took place in Austin, Texas. The film had its premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2013. The film was released on video on demand on August 20, 2013, prior to receiving a limited release on September 6, 2013, in the United States.

<i>Open Windows</i> (film) 2014 film

Open Windows is a 2014 found footage techno-thriller film directed and written by Nacho Vigalondo. The film stars Elijah Wood, Sasha Grey and Neil Maskell, and had its world premiere at South by Southwest on 10 March 2014. It is Vigalondo's first English-language film.

<i>Exists</i> (film) 2014 American film

Exists is a 2014 American found footage monster horror film, directed by Eduardo Sánchez. The film had its world premiere on March 7, 2014, at South by Southwest, and stars Chris Osborn and Samuel Davis. The story revolves around a group of friends hunted by something in the woods of East Texas. Following the darker psychological tone of Sánchez's previous film Lovely Molly, the film returns to the creature-feature horror of Altered, also written by Jamie Nash.

<i>Creep</i> (2014 film) 2014 film by Patrick Brice

Creep is a 2014 American found footage psychological horror film directed by Patrick Brice, his directorial debut, from a story by Brice and Mark Duplass, who both star in the film. Filmed as found footage, Brice portrays a videographer assigned to record an eccentric client, played by Duplass. Creep was inspired by Brice's experiences on Craigslist and the movies My Dinner with Andre, Misery, and Fatal Attraction. Brice and Duplass refined the film's story during filming, which resulted in multiple versions of each scene and several alternate end scenarios.

<i>Hello, My Name Is Doris</i> 2015 film by Michael Showalter

Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. It stars Sally Field in the title role, alongside Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne and Tyne Daly.

<i>Before I Disappear</i> 2014 film

Before I Disappear is a 2014 American drama film directed by Shawn Christensen. The film is a feature-length adaptation of his 2012 Oscar-winning short film, Curfew. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest Film on March 10, 2014. The film was acquired for distribution by IFC Films on August 5, 2014, and released on November 28, 2014.

<i>One Night in Supermarket</i> 2009 Chinese film

One Night in Supermarket is a 2009 Chinese comedy film directed and written by Yang Qing, starring Xu Zheng, Li Xiaolu, Qiao Renliang, Yang Qing, Zhang Jiayi, Zhao Yingjun and Wang Dongfang. The low-budget movie, Yang's directorial debut, was filmed over 29 days in basically one location.

<i>The Boy</i> (2015 film) American horror film

The Boy is a 2015 American horror film directed by Craig Macneill, written by Macneill and Clay McLeod Chapman, and starring Jared Breeze, David Morse, and Rainn Wilson. It is based on a short film by Macneill and Chapman, Henley, which was in turn loosely inspired by a novel written by Chapman, Miss Corpus. Breeze plays the titular boy, a budding serial killer.

<i>Supremacy</i> (film) 2014 drama thriller film by Deon Taylor

Supremacy is a 2014 American drama thriller film directed by Deon Taylor, written by Eric J. Adams, and starring Joe Anderson, Dawn Olivieri and Danny Glover. The film chronicles the real life events of March 29–30, 1995, perpetrated by Aryan Brotherhood members Robert Walter Scully Jr. and Brenda Kay Moore. After fatally shooting a police officer, neo-Nazi Garrett Tully, along with his companion, Doreen Lesser, breaks into a house and takes an African-American family hostage.

<i>Fort Tilden</i> (film) 2014 American film

Fort Tilden is a 2014 American independent comedy film, written and directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, starring Bridey Elliott, Clare McNulty, Neil Casey, Alysia Reiner, and Peter Vack.

<i>Relaxer</i> (film) 2018 American drama film

Relaxer is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Joel Potrykus. It stars Joshua Burge, David Dastmalchian, Andre Hyland, Amari Cheatom, and Adina Howard. Set in 1999, it tells the story of a man playing Pac-Man in a living room. The film premiered at the South by Southwest on March 9, 2018. At the 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival, Joshua Burge won the Best Actor award for his work in the film. It was released in the United States on March 22, 2019.

<i>The Alchemist Cookbook</i> 2016 film directed by Joel Potrykus

The Alchemist Cookbook is a 2016 American horror film directed by Joel Potrykus. The film was released on the 7th of October 2016 in New York City. The film follows an outcast who isolates himself from society to practice alchemy, but as his mind deteriorated his chemistry turns to black magic

References

  1. ↑ Nakhnikian, Elise (15 March 2014). "Buzzard". Slant Magazine .
  2. ↑ Brokaw, Kurt. "New Directors/New Films Critics Choice: Buzzard". Independent Magazine. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  3. ↑ Marsh, Callum. "Village Voice Review: Buzzard". Village Voice . Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  4. ↑ Scheib, Ronnie (12 March 2014). "SXSW Film Review: 'Buzzard'". Variety . Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "Philip' and 'Buzzard' Set For Locarno Fest Launches". Variety . Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "Oscilloscope Picks Up Comedy 'Buzzard' Ahead of SXSW Debut". Indiewire . Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Watch: Get Ready for 'Buzzard,' the Craziest Looking Film of 2015". Indiewire . Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "Buzzard". Rotten Tomatoes . Flixster . Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Buzzard". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 January 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.