Change Your Image
bernon
Reviews
Surveillance (2008)
Why?
The film's executive producer is none other than that messenger of peace thru transcendental meditation, David Lynch, the director's father. I wonder what David's guru, His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, would have thought of this production. The hypocrisy here is as repugnant as the movie itself. It's a safe bet that Samuel L. Dieteman, Phoenix serial killer and devotee of recreational violence, would have loved every minute of it.
SPOILER:
The film wallows in sadism and carnage, much of which is witnessed by a nine-year old who sees her entire family brutally murdered by a couple of recreational-violence killers who, at the end, ride off into the sunset.
NO MORE SPOILERS
For whom are films like this produced? Narurally, sadists are going to adore it - why wouldn't they? And I'm sure there are enough morally-stupid people out there who will enjoy it as well. But who else? Where's the value? Why?
Yes, our world can be an ugly, dirty, even evil place, but do we have to make it even uglier, dirtier & more evil by indulging in those aspects of it? Or worse still, by throwing them in the faces of those nine year olds who will eventually, one way or another, end up seeing this on home video?
I hope that people will not let their homes be infected by this movie, but if they must, I hope it isn't seen by the kids.
Seconds (1966)
A downer to watch, but upon reflection, very rewarding...
This film is so chilling & depressing to sit thru, because, from the first frame to the last, it is totally devoid of any life and human spirit. Anderson is, from the beginning, a walking dead man with no values, no real love, no meaning to his life, and he takes that with him into his "rebirth." Only this is no spiritual rebirth. All poor Anderson can do now is party and get drunk in order to escape from this new reality, which is even more soulless than his original one. Character is destiny. That's why the "company" has so many failures. Even the Old Man can't see this. He thinks the failures are due to "mistakes."
It often gets categorized as a thriller, but to me it's a tragedy and a very profound one at that. It's about the tragic results of life lived without meaning, without real values, without love, without spirit.
Like all real tragedy, SECONDS is cathartic. I had to go for a long walk after I saw this one. Its depiction of spiritual emptiness, though depressing to sit through, is ultimately rewarding.