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Buddy Giovinazzo

Buddy Giovinazzo

Director, writer, producer and actor, also editor · Born May 5, 1957 (69) · New York City, New York, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Buddy Giovinazzo is an independent filmmaker and author who is known for his gritty-low budget debut film, Combat Shock, and his collection of harrowing short stories of low urban life in his 1993 novel, Life is Hot in Cracktown. Born May 5, 1957 in New York City, Buddy grew up in Staten Island. He went to the College of Staten Island where he graduated with a Masters in Cinema, later teaching film there as well. He is the brother of Rick Giovinazzo (Ricky) who is a composer, orchestrator, and the star of his premier film, Combat Shock. His cousin is television and film star, Carmine Giovinazzo. A Buddy Giovinazzo website is Currently under construction. Description above from the Wikipedia article Buddy Giovinazzo, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 5, 1957 (69)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Director, writer, producer and actor, also editor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 19% in 30 days

What are Buddy Giovinazzo's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
31%
Self
25%
Bonds
19%
Morality
18%
Ideas
5%
Society
2%
Survival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 3

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 4

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Dread
4
Melancholic
3
Thrilling
1
Absurd
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Haunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Buddy Giovinazzo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Buddy Giovinazzo's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

27 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Bloat(2025)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • One-Way Ticket to the Other Side (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director

  • Resurrected(2023)

    Script Consultant

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Ecstasy(2017)

    as Radio Presenter (voice)

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Tango Europa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Director Buddy Giovinazzo

  • Heldt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • A Night of Nightmares (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • The Theatre Bizarre(2011)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Femme Fatales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Life Is Hot in Cracktown(2009)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Unscarred(2000)

    Director · Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • No Way Home(1996)

    Director · Screenplay · as Man Walking (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Wilsberg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • She's Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Writer

  • Jonathan of the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Maniac II: Mr. Robbie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Producer

  • Combat Shock(1984)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Social Worker (as Carmine Giovinazzo)

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Subconscious Realities (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer

  • A Christmas Album (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Writer

  • The Lobotomy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Writer · Actor

  • Police Call 110(1971)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows

  • Tatort(1970)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Maniac Drummer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • More than a mouthful (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Paranoiac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Potsdamer Platz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • Uncle Frank's Wine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

Career shape

A full career of 26 titles, 21 of them dated from 1970 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Bloat (2025)

$13K worldwide

Highest rated

No Way Home (1996)

Midcredits 68th

Most popular right now

The Unscarred (2000)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 26: 2 only acting, 3 with another roleDirecting21 of 26: 9 only directing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score43rdWriting12 of 26: 3 only writing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score49thProducing6 of 26: 0 only producing, 6 with another roleMusic1 of 26: 0 only music, 1 with another roleEditing1 of 26: 0 only editing, 1 with another role

26 titles, 12 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1970s2 · crew1980s7 · 2 acting · 7 crew1990s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew2000s2 · crew2010s6 · 2 acting · 4 crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Buddy Giovinazzo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 27th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 36th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

27thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 10 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Ecstasy (2017)

73rd percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director, writer

No Way Home (1996)

Midcredits 68th · 61% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 64/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Buddy Giovinazzo's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 75 · intenseMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Buddy Giovinazzo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Buddy Giovinazzo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rick Giovinazzo shares the most, 3.

Actors

Composers