VULCANIZADORA

Over the last two years I’ve been struggling with the idea of homages and references in modern movies after an appearance on a movie podcast that will probably never see the light of day. If you’ve been following this blog for the last 15 years or keeping up with my Twitter/X activity, then you know homages and references are pretty much all I do outside of the occasional non-PINNLAND EMPIRE article. I will never hide the fact that I find similarities between films fascinating but at a certain point are modern directors getting carried away? Does anyone want to try and make something “new”? Is that even possible? At the end of the day everything is influenced by something but most new filmmakers aren’t even trying to find their own voice.

In the case of Joel Potrykus I guess this is to be expected. I’ve written about most of his films on here and he never hides the fact that his films are often heavily influenced by older filmmakers. His latest movie is no exception. 

Potrykus pays homage to some of the same scenes he’s referenced in the past.

Some people hate the ending of ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK. I get it. Obviously, it's ripped from 400 Blows (and Body Snatchers remake). I stick by it - Joel Potrykus, twitter

The 400 Blows /
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers /
Alchemist Cookbook

we see the same technique/homage in Potrykus' latest film...

The 400 Blows /
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers /
Vulcanizadora

It doesn’t take much to realize I lift the openings to all my films from Clarke’s Made in Britain and Haneke’s Funny Games. The opening to those films make me want to punch someone in happiness. I want anarchy in character motivations and story structure - Joel Potrykus, rapportoconfidenziale

Made In Britain /
Funny Games /
Vulcanizadora

Gummo / Vulcanizadora

I’m also convinced there’s a few nods to Buffalo 66 (Potrykus has mentioned Gallo as an inspiration in the past)...

Buffalo 66 / Culcanizadora

Buffalo 66 / Culcanizadora

Outside of those moments, the movie itself is sort of an unofficial/loose remake…

So I love Gerry. The first time I watched it, I misinterpreted it and thought it was about something other than two guys lost in nature. And I was like, “Oh I thought they had a mission in that movie!” I thought Gerry missed it, and I was going off on what it could’ve been and where Gerry could’ve gone after the main event happened. I was like “I’m going to make that movie” - Joel Potrykus, Hammertonail.com

Gerry / Vulcanizadora

In addition to being a sequel to his 2014 film; Buzzard, Vulcanizadora is Potrykus doing his iteration of Gus Van Sant’s Gerry. Much like how Rick Alverson wanted to make his version of Two Lane Blacktop with Entertainment (2015) or how Steven Soderbergh wanted to make what he felt was a more digestible version of Tarkovsky’s Solaris, Potrykus is doing something with Vulcanizadora that I’m sure a lot of filmmakers want to do but wouldn’t want to be disrespectful to their heroes. I’m sure most cinephiles (especially filmmaker cinephiles) have those movies that they wish they could tweak or change to benefit their own personal taste. That’s what Joel Potrykus is doing. Personally, I enjoy this unofficial retweak of Gerry and he approaches Van Sant’s material with the utmost respect. 

Gus Van Sant is no stranger to this either. Not only did he have the balls to remake a classic like Hitchcock’s Psycho, but years after it bombed he brought up the idea of remaking his remake as an experiment. 

Every few years I get on a heavy Van Sant kick.

I rewatched Gerry and I had kind of forgotten all about it. It ended at a place where I thought it started to really get interesting. I was like, "I thought these guys were going out there on a mission. I should write that movie instead." That's what this movie is - Joel Potrykus, Variety 

Both films follow two friends out in the wilderness on a vague mission that ends with a fatality. The difference is Potrykus really delves in to what happens when the credits roll. Van Sant was never interested in that. Some might think remaking a film just so you can resolve something that was never meant to be resolved is a little arrogant. That’s perfectly understandable to think that. Are you really interested in seeing what happens when Jeanne Dielman finally gets arrested for murdering her john? Do you want to know what’s in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction? Do you want a more literal explanation of Mulholland Drive? Probably not. But there is some serious grief and self-reflection that would come along with the actions that take place in Gerry/Vulcanizadora (strangely enough, the average person that does want an explanation for open-ended/abstract movies probably wouldn’t like this).

Potrykus also seems to pull from the final moments of Van Sant's Last Days...

Yeah, I love, I love the Gus Van Sant death trilogy of Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days (2005). Man oh man, every time I watch one of those… I’m always trying to make a movie like Gus Van Sant’s death trilogy. He’s a master - Joel Potrykus, theseventhart.org

Last Days / 

Vulcanizadora

At the end of the day it’s really up to you if you want to sit through another loose remake/homage-heavy new movie or not. It’s understandable if you don’t, but I found this movie and its approach interesting and it sort skates around my growing cynicism towards comparisons, similarities and references. 

RATS!

 

Rats! fits in perfectly with movies like Repo Man, Tapeheads or even Dude Where’s My Car? (judge all you want but that movie is funny). The basic plots are all similar on a surface level – an aimless stoner gets caught up in a plot involving guns, murder, nukes and/or bombs, aliens, the FBI or a close combination of everything in the case of Rats! After getting busted for tagging, a young punk/graffiti writer (“Raphael”) is used as a pawn by a crooked police officer to go undercover to try and bust his cousin who may be in possession of nukes. These nukes are just the tip of the iceberg as we’re exposed to one absurd semi-connected event after another.

On the most surface of levels, Rats! is the type of movie to be compared to the work of someone like Harmony Korine because of all the vulgarity, randomness, occult imagery and connections to death metal. But, the more you watch Rats! the more you’ll find it pulls from recognizable sources like Spielberg, DePalma, Tarantino and Lynch (at this point in time, what movie doesn’t).

Crrie / Jaws / Rats!

Reservoir Dogs / Rats!

Blue Velvet / Rats!

Un Chien Andalou / Blue Velvet / Rats!

I doubt Wild Style played a part in the development of this movie, but the graffiti element made me think Zoro and his tagging...

Wild Style / Rats!

If you’re looking for a contemporary comparison, this falls in line with the films of Joel Potrykuys (we cover Potrykus’ work a lot on this blog). The opening scene of Rats! Is very similar in tone to the opening scene of Potrykus’ Ape (both directors are also very reference-heavy so the connection makes even more sense). I doubt Rats! director Carl Fry is familiar with Potrykus but it’s interesting to me how both of their movies start with an aimless small town youth tagging up their town as a way to show rebellion.

 

Ape / Rats!

Rats! plays out like something made by the little brother of an old gen-xer. Someone who never actually saw a full episode of Pete & Pete or you can’t do that on television, but instead they heard about it from their older sibling and watched a couple of clips on youtube for context (based on everything I’ve said so far, it should come as no surprise that this movie relies heavily on nostalgia). Rats! is also the perfect movie to share with someone who loves to complain about things being too “woke”. The type of movie that disproves the whole; “you could NEVER make a movie like THIS today” or “everyone is SO easily offended”. At times you’ll find yourself questioning if this movie is completely satirical, completely offensive in a rebellious immature teenager kind of way, or a combination of the two. I’m still not completely sure but I do know that this movie is genuine and has heart. I’ll need to watch it a few more times but after my first viewing I can say I enjoyed it very much. I wouldn’t blindly recommend this to most people because there is a lot of gratuitous vulgarity and senseless violence. But if you don’t mind that kind of stuff and are looking for a surreal, fun and sometimes uncomfortable 79 minutes – this might something you’d enjoy.

APE

It is my personal opinion that Joel Potrykus’ feature debut Ape should be mentioned in the same breath as the early films of Richard Linklater & Kevin Smith. Before reading up on Potrykus and his influences, I knew Ape was, in part, the subconscious result of a healthy obsession with at least one of the affromentioned filmmakers. The subject matter, the settings, the low budgets, certain specific shots, etc. I think what draws me in to Portrkus’ films so much is because even thought he’s so open about his cinematic influences, his movies are still very much his own. They’re also strangely specific. Anyone can enjoy them but beyond that general enjoyment, they’re always made for a specific group of people born in a specific era. Ape should be one of the definitive films for Generation Y in the same way that Slacker or Clerks were defining films for Generation X. It’s the perfect film for/about folks born between 1981-1987 that had no money in their 20’s while trying to maintain employment and follow a non-work related passion. The type of 20-something year olds that were good-hearted and well-meaning but weren’t the best at getting their shit together.

We thought, if this Richard Linklater guy living in Texas can do it, we can do it in Michigan – Joel Potrykus, criterion.com

Slacker / Ape

I understand that comparing modern-day American independent films set in & around convenience stores to Kevin Smith & Richard Linklater is a bit cliche but I couldn't resist...

Suburbia / Ape

Suburbia / Ape

Clerks/ Ape

I’ve dedicated quite a bit of writing to the films of Joel Potrykus on this site. His references go deeper than expected sometimes (click here, here and here to read more). I think because of Portrykus’ aesthetic, folks don’t pick up on some of his references right away. Filmmakers like Linklater, Kevin Smith, Harmony Korine, Jim Jarmusch, Luis Buñuel and Godard are easy to spot but someone like Ozu might go over someone’s head. Portrykus even makes references-within-references sometimes…

My introduction to Ozu was Buffalo ’66 (1998). There’s a scene in which they’re at the dining room table, and they’re all eating. It was shot really weird and I thought, “What is that?” Reading interviews, I realized that was from Ozu, and so that’s where I kind of started watching him – Joel Potrykus, Kinoscope

Early Summer/ Buffalo 66

Late Spring / Ape

Buffalo 66 / Ape

 But it’s Vincent Gallo taking from Ozu. It’s like a reference twice removed – Joel Potrykus, Kinoscope

The Flavor Of Green Tea Over Rice / Buffalo 66 / Ape

Good Morning / Buffal 66 / Relaxer

In the film Josh Burge plays “Trevor” - an aspiring standup comedian struggling to make ends meet. He lives in what I believe is a weekly motel, his employment situation is never solid and he gets screwed over with money regularly. What fascinates me about Trevor is that he still always manages to stay positive. At first glance he comes off like an aimless slacker but when you take a step back and observe his actions you realize he’s got a lot of drive. No matter how much he bombs on stage he’s always eager to get back up and try new jokes.

Ape certainly falls under the comedy category but the more you watch it, the more heartbreaking certain specific scenes are. It’s full of awkward humor and dry surreality, but the more you watch it the more you recognize how lonely the main character is. While there are elements of The Dark Bakcward & How To Get Ahead in Advertising, there’s also unintentional nods to those scenes of Tom Hanks bombing on stage in Punchline. Ape also predates/laid the groundwork for similar films like Rick Alverson’s Entertainment and even Todd Phillips’ Joker. The events in Ape are definitely enough to make a villain origin story but our protagonist has a more positive outlook on life. ...even if his future still looks like a mix of rough & uncertain by the time the movie ends.

This is one of those occasions where a feature debut is the perfect starting point when delving in to a director’s body of work. Not every filmmaker finds their voice right out of the gate. I wouldn’t recommend As Tears Go By to a Wong Kar Wai novice. Neither Fear and Desire or Killer’s Kiss are a good representation of Stanley Kubrick. And I wouldn’t recommend Who’s That Knocking At My Door to someone looking to get in to Martin Scorsese.
Every feature Joel Potrykus has made can be traced back to Ape in more ways than one. The loneliness in Alchemist’s Cookbook and Relaxer spawned from all the scenes of Trevor alone in his room. The protagonist in Buzzard, also played by Josh Burge, feels like an alternate version of Trevor only slightly older but still trying to get his shit together.

A FEW MORE WORDS ON THE CINEMATIC INFLUENCES OF JOEL POTRYKUS - PART TWO

The Firm / Ape

Joel Potrykus’ films have the unique distinction of being 100% his own while still being incredibly reference-heavy. Last year we delved in to his many homages & references (click here & here to read more). A handful of comparisons got left on the cutting room floor so I decided to post them before the year is over.

Some of these are straight from the director’s mouth while others are total reaches on my own part. Either way, enjoy…

Don't forget to check out Potrykus' own video montage of references over on vimeo (click here)

I consider myself lucky to have been so moved by Jarmusch's early films, because I'd be living a disappointing existence if I were trying to copy Star Wars - Joel Potrykus, Criterion

Permanent Vacation / Ape

Permanent Vacation / Ape

Permanent Vacation / Buzzard

Permanent Vacation / Gordon

We thought, if this Richard Linklater guy living in Texas can do it, we can do it in Michigan. We filmed ourselves hanging out and talking about nothing - Joel Potrykus, Criterion 

Slacker / Buzzard

Slacker / Coyote

Gummo– this is great, I love it, I can make that movie - Joel Potrykus, hammertoenail.com

Gummo / Ape

I was still trying to emulate Sam Raimi. Raimi is a Michigan filmmaker, and he was the guy that first made me feel I could be a filmmaker - Joel Potrykus, moviemezzanine.com

Evil Dead 2 / Buzzard

Last year we looked at a parallel between Ape and Cassavetes’ Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (click here to read). Hear are a few more…

As Cassavetes says ‘The face is the best landscape’ - Joel Potrykus, Bomb Magazine

The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie / Ape

The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie / Ape

Alan Clarke is one of my biggest influences, because his work feels more raw and real - Joel Potrykus, Bomb Magazine

Christine / Ape

Yeah, The Road Warrior. He's just eating that dog food out of the can. Ever since I was a little kid, I was like, "Wow, if the world goes to shit, you can find dog food or cat food and you'll be fine." I was always obsessed with that. Especially since in the first Mad Max, he's out in a field eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich or something like that. He's gone from the domestic bliss of peanut butter to the wasteland version of dog food out of the can. I loved that. - Joel Potrykus, avclub 

Mad Max 2 / Alchemist Cookbook

Mad Max 2 / Buzzard

Here are some more (non-confirmed) visual similarities that stuck out to me…

Mean Streets / Ape

A Clockwork Orange / Alchemist Cookbook