Jack Twist (ALMOST totally) nude gif from his new film

[samhexum]

I was reading an article about Senor Twist’s new movie:

 

Velvet Buzzsaw‘s best work of art isn’t the deceased Dease’s disturbing oeuvre or the Instagram-worthy “sphere” exhibit; it’s star Jake Gyllenhaal‘s naked body.

 

Okay, so technically Gyllenhaal never appears entirely nude in Velvet Buzzsaw, but he gets close. Less than 14 minutes into the film, we go to his character, art critic Morf Vandewalt’s home. We see a nude Morf spread out in a lounge chair, with only a laptop covering himself up.

 

 

Aside from being a gorgeous shot of Gyllenhaal, it shows us a moment where the usually glib and in control Morf is completely vulnerable. He is in the middle of working on an art review, and he’s making a big decision about his life. Morf’s boyfriend Ed (Sedale Threatt Jr.) enters the room wearing nothing but a towel and luring Morf into the pool. The seduction is so intense that the camera lingers on Ed as he completely disrobes and jumps into the pool.

 

 

Morf, however, is uninterested. He is now obsessed with someone new: aspiring art dealer Josephina (Zawe Ashton). It’s this love that propels Morf for the rest of the film, pushing him to lie in reviews and support Josephina on her new project involving Dease.

 

There is great storytelling in this brief scene, and great acting, too. Gyllenhaal flits from being just lounging in his home, to brushing off a lover, to musing about a new one. He communicates this important shift in Morf without words — just looks and gestures. The fact that he’s nude doesn’t distract so much as underlines that this is Morf without his carefully tailored suit of pretensions. This is him, as a man, undone.

 

 

I’m sure y'all will have the same reaction to this as I did: Hmm… Sedale Threatt… A 14-year NBA vet who played for several teams, including taking over as the Lakers' starting point guard when Magic Johnson was diagnosed with HIV. Fun fact: The elder Mr. Threatt has at least 14 children, including TWO named Sedale Threatt, Jr. The booty above belongs to the younger Junior.