BuzzKill Blu-ray offers decent video and great audio, but overall it's a poor Blu-ray release
A struggling writer, Ray Wyatt, acquires fame in an unusual way when a notorious serial murderer, named the Karaoke Killer, steals his car and the newest draft of his script.
A world-famous improvisational comedy factory, The Second City has been entertaining audiences for over 50 years, sharing their brand of impulsive wit via industry titans such as Bonnie Hunt, Tina Fey, John Candy, Martin Short, Gilda Radner, and Eugene Levy. The Second City also gave birth to arguably one of the greatest television shows of all time, debuting with "SCTV" in 1976. The brand name alone conjures concentrated memories of bellylaughs and cutting satire, executed by talented, fantastically quick-witted performers aiming to please. It comes with great surprise to find their film output is borderline intolerable, with corporate slapping their good name on "BuzzKill," a monumentally tiresome comedy that does considerable damage to their legacy. Woefully unfunny and feebly directed by Steven Kampmann, "BuzzKill" is a feature that spends the entirety of its run time struggling to acquire anything of worth to commit to the screen, floundering for what feels like an eternity with droopy material and a cast that overplays everything handed to them. It's a bad movie, but worse, it's an abysmal representation of The Second City, an organization I once believed retained such impeccable taste in the realm of humor.
Ray Wyatt (Daniel Raymont, "The Naked Brothers Band") is a destitute screenwriter who's moved into a ramshackle apartment to polish his depressive, esoteric masterpiece, hoping to entice major Hollywood studios into producing it, despite his agent (Martin Short, in a voice cameo) pushing him to flesh out the idea for the more commercial franchise, "Black Santa." At wit's end with life, also dealing with the fallout of his once loving relationship with ex-girlfriend Sara (Reiko Aylesworth, delivering the only restrained performance), Ray is ready for the sweet relief of suicide. However, at the last minute, the broken writer books a meeting with a major studio player, requiring him to take a road trip to Los Angeles to find his fame and fortune. Joined by flirtatious teen Nicole (Krysten Ritter), Ray hits the road in his jalopy, quickly discovering misfortune at every stop. Causing further distress is the appearance of the Karaoke Killer (Darrell Hammond), a psychopath who ends up in possession of a copy of Ray's controversial script. Learning the executioner loves his work, Ray has trouble bringing the evildoer to justice, heartened by the enthusiastic reaction from his new mass-murdering fan.
Kampmann hasn't directed a feature film since 1988's "Stealing Home," which might be the reason why this picture's timing and sense of good judgment is off. Admittedly, "BuzzKill" is based on a strong idea, finding the script rooted in established Hollywood frustrations. Kampmann and co-writer Matt Smollon drop a few kernels of truth into their monotonous mischief, establishing Ray as a neurotic, painfully self-absorbed creative type facing the Hollywood wall of mediocrity, trying to preserve his gloomy vision of searing drama while navigating a sea of people who urge him to take the "Black Santa" job and all the easy money it promises. It's a classic battle of commerce vs. creative expression, yet "BuzzKill" doesn't do much with the collision of sensibilities outside of a few satiric jabs and a faint release of "Barton Fink" fumes in the early scenes, where Ray, suffering from an inflamed testicle while residing in a hellhole run by an unresponsive landlord (Larry Hankin), loses control of himself in the acrid air of artistic extraction, leading him to an impulsive suicide attempt that only manages to snap open a septic pipe. If there was any promise to "BuzzKill," it's found in the opening 20 minutes, where the clarity of the premise shines the brightest and the action is largely restricted to a single room, containing the emphatic performances with a little more ease.
Once Ray hits the open road with jailbait pal Nicole, "BuzzKill" dies a quick death. Outside of the Karaoke Killer menace, there's not much of a plot to dissect, with most scenes fixated on the lead character's verbal ramblings as he pinballs around the country, hoping to discover an enthusiastic audience for his dire work. This leaves the movie's appeal in the hands of Raymont, who's encouraged to riff his way around the picture, delivering a performance that frequently melts into pure verbal diarrhea. While pulling off a passable English accent, Raymont isn't much of a comedian, lacking a sharp personality and ease of delivery, as the majority of his dialogue displays the dullness of rehearsal, sapping the energy out of his scenes. Kampmann's direction is also too permissive, allowing the cast to ramble on and on (Ritter is frighteningly shrill as a wily teen) to pad the run time, riffing their way to punchlines that never arrive. "BuzzKill" doesn't contain a single laugh, but it does highlight actors trying too hard to make an impression, also spotlighting a director who doesn't know how to throttle their efforts. While it's difficult to suggest the film had promise, "BuzzKill" certainly had the option of sharper editing and a tighter comedic leash. Instead, it's a talky collection of nothingness, punctuated by serial killer shenanigans that are cruelly placed on the backburner to make more room for Raymont's mannered filler.
Also of concern is the film's fixation on American xenophobia and homophobia, emerging from fringe characters who don't know how to process Ray's bewildering English ways. The unfunny jabs make the picture feel tremendously dated, possibly scripted during the early days of the George W. Bush presidency. A reference to Bernie Mac (who passed away in 2008) as a possible star for "Black Santa" also reinforces the moldy nature of the production.
The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation displays a slightly faded color palette, without much of an HD impression that brings hues from costuming and set design to life. Colors are stable but without much flair, leaving a slightly drab viewing experience, while skintones are relatively consistent, but rarely fresh and real. Edge delineation is troublesome during evening sequences, finding inky blacks solidifying the action, losing essential detail. The image holds ideal stability in the daylight, where textures are expressive and distances are preserved. Grain elements are deployed with control, supplying a cinematic feel without swarming the action.
The 5.1 DTS-MA sound mix is surprisingly active for this type of indie comedy, with directional activity hitting a few sweet spots of movement, best with atmospheric changes and off screen bustle. "BuzzKill" gives off a hearty circular sensation that's welcome, opening the sonic event up some. Dialogue is crisp and centered, making accents and various comedic speeds easy to understand. Scoring is big, with a heavy feel of musical support assuming command of the mix at the appropriate times. Soundtrack cuts bring in the bass, with a closing hip-hop track rumbling into play, waking up a relatively sedate low-end presence. The track has real life to it, enlivening the visual experience with a supportive feel for depth and motion.
Interview (14:34, HD) sits down with director/co-writer Steven Kampmann, who discusses the picture's Second City background and casting, production challenges, and the progression of the story and its intent. It's a dry conversation, but there are a few BTS nuggets to enjoy, especially when the filmmaker details the casting process. Frustratingly, the chat is whacked up into pieces without a Play All function.
And the Theatrical Trailer (2:32, HD) is included.
As Ray frantically attempts to convince local cops he's found the Karaoke Killer, pulls a knife on a driver who tries to get into his pants during an ill-fated attempt at hitchhiking, and finds himself stranded and totally nude in the American southwest, "BuzzKill" winds its way to an anticlimax, devoid of bite and, once again, anything richly humorous. "BuzzKill" never overcomes its maniacally chatty approach and dull structure, limping to a pat conclusion after struggling mightily throughout the movie to locate any emotional or satiric significance. It would take a massive depletion of confidence to tarnish The Second City brand, but if this feature represents the future of their funny bone, perhaps we've reached the end of an era. Not since Mad Magazine's "Up the Academy" has there been such a divide between a comedic institution and their cinematic offspring.
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