filmreviewqueen

So, um, yeah, this movie is amazing in every way possible. I can't really say anything about its description, if I really did, there would be too many spoilers.

Surveillance is written and directed by Jennifer Lynch. You are thinking, "Lynch, hey that sounds familiar!" And you are ofcourse right. It is in fact David Lynch's daughter. Does the overall tone of the movie ring true to her family legacy? Abso-fucking-lutely. I loved this almost as much if not more than any David Lynch movie, because it shocked me in several ways, which hasn't been done in quite some time. Also, the movie is more coherent than I was expecting.

This movie is by no stretch of the imagination boring, but I will say it is a builder. You know, that isn't even a good word for it. Let's just say it is still really interesting and edge of your seat throughout entire film, but some spots are pure tension. And when I say tension, I really mean tension. I was so jumpy through the entire thing, not because I was scared but because I could hardy sit still with all of the awkward and intenseness and what not.

I have to mention Bill Pullman's performance. This movie is by far the performance of his life, subtle yet tricky. That is all I shall say, although believe me I have much more.

If you can only watch one indie film this year, for the love of god watch this. Pass if you have a weak stomach and heart though, this one is a dousy.

I have one major outrage about this film: Why in the hell wasn't  it nominated for Best Picture? Seriously, Slumdog Millionare? That movie was definitely not better than this great monumental film. Believe me, I was one of those people who thought the hype for Million Dollar Baby was ridiculous, but the unhype for Gran Turino is even more ridiculous.

I especially loved the way everything comes full circle, and not in a corny Crash sort of way, but in a very subtle and slightly heartbreaking sort of way. Walt(Clint) is a senior who has just lost his doting wife. He is a classic old school breed(much like his treasured car) and he truly doesn't mind telling people what he feels or thinks about them. This behavior, especially now that his sensoring wife is dead, leads him into quick trouble with his neighbors. He lives around a diverse neighborhood, but he would rather have it the old 1950's segregated way, and he is quick to use every stereotype in the book.

This sounds like a full in your face don't be racist movie, but it really isn't. Walt eventually learns a strange kind of tolerance and appreciation by helping his neighbors grandson, Thao, become a man so to speak. Walt learns that this Hmoung family is more appreciative of his racist yet helpful existence than his own children ever could dream of being.

I felt that Walt was sort of like a Zen student in need of some dire enlightenment. His honesty, although downright mean and cruel, is also somewhat refreshing because at least he is speaking what he believes to be the truth and isn't trying to hide behind political corectness. Not that anyone should or could speak the way he does to people, but he does know who he is.

The ending is so powerfully subtle and ingenius. I felt I learned far more from this movie than I ever could have learned from Crash because it didn't preach and perpetrate coincidence the way Crash did. I cannot say how much I recommend this movie enough, it is funny, enlightening, sad, humbling, and even a little beautiful at times.

 

Seeing the trailer for Blindness, one might automatically think this is some sort of weird sci-fi extravaganza, complete with strange twist ending and lots of killing and misuderstanding. I was going into this film with same idea.
Happily, I was suprised by the truth of this film, the truth that it was indeed much different than any movie I had ever seen in any genre, let alone science fiction. Blindness is a slow-crawling-but-big-payout-in-end kind of movie that leads off of the fact that we all take our eyesight for granted. It also tries to answer the question: If we were suddenly stricken with some sort of virus that causes us to lose our eyesight, how would we react as humans? Would our violent human tendancies shine through? Would we become desperately paranoid and essentially ruin our country, maybe even our world? These are the questions that are answered with honesty throughout the movie.

It was not a suprise to me that the same guy who directed Children of Men(Fernando Meirelles) was indeed the same person directing Blindness. The offbeat camera movements and almost 70's style lighting and tone are just a couple of the signature moves made odvious in both films. He is also great at building suspense by using steady cam shots and seeminly neverending no cut shots.

I recommend this movie full force. It taught me a few lessons on humanity in a very unpretentious sort of way, and I think it will have the same effect on anyone else(as long as you are not bored by the 70's movie pacing).