Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Discussion of all things related to Jennifer Lynch

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Annie
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by Annie »

Still nothing on a US wide release. Just limited festivals. :(
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JingleDale
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by JingleDale »

I saw it at the Chicago International Film Festival.

It has a really great story but I hate to say, it's poorly directed.
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eyeboogers
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by eyeboogers »

I completely disagree, the movie looks, sounds and works amazingly. The actors all deliver strong performances. My only problem with the film, is on the screenplay front, it packs a punch, a big plot twist and a lot of really interesting ideas, but ultimately it doesn't delve into those too much. It's too focused on delivering thrills and not enough on leaving you with something to think about.
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Annie
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by Annie »

Did you get to see it in a special showing in Denmark?
It's still not out (in wide distribution) in the US.
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Mb3
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

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I finally received the Surveillance dvd this morning unfortunately I haven't been able to watch it yet. Right now I'm not sure when I'll be able to view it because I've been very busy lately but I'll write a short review and state my opinion after I watched the film.
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Annie
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by Annie »

So it's available all over the world, but not in the US? That's odd. ;)
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Mb3
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

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Annie wrote:So it's available all over the world, but not in the US? That's odd. ;)
Yes, indeed that truly sounds strange. I'm not sure how long Surveillance was playing in the cinemas over here but it seems like it wasn't that long. I tried to watch it in some of the theatres in my area but none of them were screening it. Anyway I'm glad I finally got the dvd which was released two weeks ago in Germany.
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Mb3
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

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At first sorry for the double post. Finally I took some time to watch the movie for the first time last night. I didn't have that many high expectations because of all of the bad reviews that I read on Imdb but after viewing the movie I couldn't understand why so many people didn't like it. In my opinion it's a really good movie and I have to concur with eyeboogers that it's mainly about delivering some thrills but still I really enjoyed watching it.
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WaveCrest
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

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The BBFC passed Surveillance a while ago, giving it an 18 certificate. The consumer advice is "Contains strong bloody violence".
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kafard
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by kafard »

A dvd released is planning, here in France, for "Surveillance" of Jennifer Lynch for the february 24 2009. You can find more informations here :
Image

http://www.amazon.fr/Surveillance-Julia ... 48&sr=8-16
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mixomatosis
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by mixomatosis »

Just seen it (went on general release in the UK today).............. Fuck me, I thought Fire Walk With Me was bleak, but that's got nothing on Surveillance in those terms. Gripping from start to finish, great acting, underage dicks in the audience laughing at the violence, sure, but still overwhelmingly bleak and dark. Not in the same way as Manhunt 2 or August Underground, but still pretty depressing in its own way. Reminded me of Saw a bit, but certainly nowhere near as shit as Saw.

Did I mention it was quite a bleak film?
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Mb3
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by Mb3 »

mixomatosis wrote:
Did I mention it was quite a bleak film?
Yes, I think so because you used the word bleak three times. I've to agree with you it surely is a bleak film. And I still can't believe even though I repeat myself here why so many people especially on Imdb hated this movie.
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by mixomatosis »

Mb3 wrote:
mixomatosis wrote:
Did I mention it was quite a bleak film?
Yes, I think so because you used the word bleak three times.
Ah right, good. Glad the gag wasn't too obvious.
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yvanehtnioj1214
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

Post by yvanehtnioj1214 »

*Spoliers*

I just came back from seeing it and I agree wholeheartedly with everyone who called it "bleak." Watching it, I was reminded of the scene in Blue Velvet where Jeffery asks, "Why are there people like Frank?".

I thought overall, there were some really good aspects of the film but there were also some problems. Was it just me or did most of the characters seem really "off" to the point where they didn't seem real? For Pullman and Osterman's characters it made sense, though the way Pullman's character was acting threw me off until the end, but some of the ways a lot of the characters acted, like the cops who interviewed Bobby, didn't fit for me. Part of it might've been the script which I thought was really weird at some points too. Did Cheri Oteri's character crack a joke before she got shot? I also thought some of the violence was a little too much. A lot of it was needed, obviously, but I thought some of it (like when the drug dealer ODs) was not necessary and seemed to be put in for shock value. My last big problem with the movie was the twist. Was there anybody here who didn't consider the possibility that the FBI agents were the killers? There were so few characters that it was really easy to suspect them, therefore, I think they should have just kept them as FBI agents. Sorry if it sounds like I'm being overly critical, but I think the film had some pretty big flaws. I can't say I would recommend it to anyone (even a Lynch fan), but if someone was in the market for a thriller of higher intelligence than most modern films of the genre, I'd point them to Surveillance.
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Re: Jennifer Lynch's Surveillance

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Just saw this film here in the wee hours of a warm and cozy LA night...

***WARNING SPOILER ALERT***

"Surveillance" is all about surface. That's fine if the thrills were that great. They're not. The best way to describe the film is this way: Take a scene like you find in Lost Highway where we see the grisly remains of Renee after she's been murdered or Don Vallens sitting in the chair with his ear cut off and gagged by a piece of blue velvet, mix them together, then completely remove all of the unsettling mood hiding just beneath the surface along with the sense mystery surrounding those events and viola -- "Surveillance".

The film starts off as an interesting premise but ultimately is unable to sustain the idea for it's complete running time. The biggest cliche comes at the end of the film where it's revealed who lives and who dies. I felt if you were going to be that brutal and bleak in a film, then have the guts to go all the way, no one survives, not even the little girl. That's where something like the original SAW excelled, even if I'm not a big fan of it. The bad guy wins, completely. In "Surveillance" the 'bad guys' are seen as brutal monsters, who also have a heart. This does not show a layered character, just an inconsistent one.

Honestly, the story, as it's presented was just too damn predictable. It showed it's hand way too early to the point where it's signaling who the serial killers are about twenty minutes in, and I'm usually the last to figure these things out. Just to contrast, in Lost Highway, an example I use simply because it also stars Bill Pullman as someone who commits an unspeakable act, the film does a great job in presenting several theories feelings of why Fred does what he does. You really get into his mind. Here the only explanation for Sam and Elizabeth's behavior is simply because the are crazy, which I think is the cop out for a filmmaker and makes for a very uninteresting serial killer.

As for the performances, Bill Pullman was fantastic as was Julia Ormand. Pell James and her boyfriend as drug addicts, as well as the family in the station wagon were all just swell. Where I felt the performances were weak is when we are introduced to the two main police officers Jim and Jack. In an attempt to make these characters quirky, they simply end up being silly and over the top. And as such, they were just completely unbelievable as police officers especially when everyone else played their part fairly straight. I blame this on the direction. A director sets the tone of a film which, once again, felt very inconsistent here. I know why they were directed that way. We're supposed to think maybe they're the killers but it's way to obvious. At one point I could feel the filmmaker going for that Twin Peaks-type of performance in the police station, but here it just came off as just not that funny nor that interesting. This same direction also ends up telegraphing to the audience who the real serial killers are early on in the movie.

The general framing and cinematography was excellent. Unfortunately, the color timing was horrible. It looks like a music video from the 90's with that "Three Kings" / "U-Turn" over-saturated look, which automatically dated the film for me. The film felt like it's trying too hard to visually be edgy. Look at something like Twin Peaks. It's shot so simple and straight forward yet so much darkness exists beneath that beautiful surface.

I'm someone who loves a wide variety of films. The more obscure the better. Unfortunately, this film is definitely a direct to DVD title and even then I would have a hard time recommending someone actually pay to rent it. I suspect the only reason it has any audience at all is because of the David Lynch presents credit above the title.

P.S. Speaking of... the David Lynch song featured in the film added that sense of mystery or foreboding I felt the film lacked. Too bad it didn't last that long.
Last edited by moviemaker on Mon Apr 20, 2009 3:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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