Buffalo '66

This independent film is dominated by a likable and notably strong cast, portraying a protagonist as an uneven, luckless loser whom fortune smiles upon as he careens headlong into yet another mishap. It's human, devoid of grand gestures, bombastic special effects, or dynamic action. Films of this nature rarely get financed by big studios, and with Vincent Gallo's reputation as an unpredictable creator, it would have been even harder. It's a case of a film based on dialogue and understated, civil acting, which, along with the music and camera work, creates a unique atmosphere. Overall impression: 80%. (01.01.2008)

That's the stuff. Buffalo '66 in some ways embodies the pejorative connotations of the term "art film", especially in the way it props up a story based on completely nonsensical, atypical, and implausible situations and motivations, just so it can be. But it's kept afloat mainly by the cinematography, a certain goofiness, and an absolutely bravura, brilliant ending that amused, delighted, and stimulated me like few things have in recent times. Maybe it was helped by the fact that Vincent Gallo was really playing himself. Well consider how, after finishing the film, he said of cinematographer Lance Acord that he was just pushing buttons, a man with no ideas, no aesthetic vision whatsoever, and basically all the credit given the cinematographer should go to the director. The director of photography had been changed before; Gallo himself wanted to get behind the camera, but the studio was against it. He called Christina Ricci a soulless puppet and shot off his mouth about Angelica Huston, whom he blamed for the film's failure at Cannes. He also insisted on using 35mm semi-transparent film (like slides are made of) during filming, even though he hadn't bothered to find out if they were still capable of developing the film anywhere. Last but not least, he exploited the film's budget about as much as Tommy Wiseau – out of a total budget of 1.5 million, he blew 20 grand alone on a wig for Angelica Huston, and had to bring 100 grand in cash in a paper bag to Mickey Rourke (who was at a complete low point at the time) for his minute and a half long session in front of the camera. Gallo eventually managed to fulfill his artistic standards with his next piece, The Brown Bunny, where he convinced his then-girlfriend (and amazing actress) Chloe Sevigny to do a fake on-screen fellatio, which he incorporated into the film, thus writing her out of acting associations altogether for many years, which is to say, almost out of the world of film. At least, given his complicated filmmaking history, she became the only crew member he was ever happy with. (30.07.2018)

It's not a movie I could fall head over heels in love with, but it's definitely an interesting one, with unique performances, where neither Ricci nor Gallo are emotionally expressive, yet they still captivate you with their acting. The pace is quite slow, as if nothing is really happening, but the movie still manages to grab you and make you watch it. (31.03.2016)