Fantastic Fest 2008

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Surveillance
Jennifer Lynch 2008
Categories: Feature, Guest in Attendance, Thriller
Average Rating:
Rated 3.612371831027544/5 Stars
My Rating:
Run time: 98 min. | USA | Language: English
Brief Summary:
Jennifer Lynch (BOXING HELENA) helms a crime thriller with overtones of RASHOMON. None of the eyewitness accounts in a roadside serial killer massacre seem to match up. The FBI is called in to cut through the confusion before the killer can strike again.

Star Bill Pullman and writer Kent Harper will be live in person to introduce the first screening and will conduct a Q&A after the film.

Full Description:
At first, SURVEILLANCE comes off a bit like your run-of-the-mill RASHAMON rehash. FBI agents Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond are tracking a serial killer across the nation. After a recent mass murder on an isolated highway, they simultaneously question the three remaining survivors in the three different interrogation rooms, inevitably ending up with three wildly different stories. But while RASHOMON played with the conventions of the different characters giving different untruthful accounts, the flashback scenes in SURVEILLANCE are based on the honest points of view of the characters, so the audience is always seeing what actually happened. And because the flashbacks introduce us to many other characters who don't make it to the police interview, we also know that the events we are seeing are going to culminate in some seriously fucked up shit. The surviving police officer talking about his partner? Something must happen to keep that partner from making it to the questioning. The suburban family accompanying the little girl in the station wagon? The little girl is the only one who makes it to the interview. The boyfriend of the drugged up girl? Also conspicuously missing. And while your blood bubbles over with the Oh-Shit-Is-This-It? tension every time the characters get close to each other, you'll be blindsided when the killing spree finally begins. (Henri Mazza)

7 pictures Pictures
Screenings
time venue calendar tickets
7:00 PM     Fri, Sep 19
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Alamo S. Lamar 3 + add to cal
1:30 PM     Wed, Sep 24
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About the film
Cast & Crew
director
Jennifer Lynch
 
Cast
Bill Pullman
Julia Ormond
Audience Buzz
Rated 3.612371831027544/5 Stars
3.6 | 53
views 1,113 people viewed this page
adds 154 people added it to their calendar (find out who)
Featured Review
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Rated 2.0/5 Stars
SickLiaisons
5:42 AM
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Surveillance was handicapped by a rather extreme level of predictability. Since we all knew what the "twist" was going to be about 15 minutes into the film, it would have been nicer if the film had gotten to it sooner, and maybe played with the story some more from there on out. However, since none of the characters are particularly likable, and most are downright despicable, this probably wouldn't have helped much. Instead, the film focuses mostly on a detailed portrayal of the extreme and (hopefully!) unrealistic behavior of two corrupt police officers. Creating empathy for despicable people by pitting them against even MORE despicable people is a tough thing to do, and Surveillance doesn't succeed. In fact, the more I think about this film, the less I like it.
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Number of views 4406
Number of calendar adds 210
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