6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
An FBI agent encounters three would-be victims of a serial killer, all of whom have very different stories of their experiences
Starring: Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Pell James, Caroline Aaron, Hugh DillonHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 48% |
Crime | 9% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Her phone rang late one night, and when Jennifer Lynch picked up the receiver she heard a voice on the other end of the line whisper, “You’re the sickest bitch I know.” The voice belonged to her father, auteur filmmaker and American surrealist David Lynch, and I imagine the superlative came out in a tone of perverse admiration. He’d just finished reading her script for Surveillance— her first after a 15-year filmmaking hiatus—and the brutal ending disgusted him. (This coming from the man who introduced the world to Dennis Hopper’s gas-huffing sadist in Blue Velvet, and created Twin Peaks, a hit TV show which, at its heart, is about incest and filicide.) Most kids go out of their way to shock their parents, but if your dad is David Lynch the feat must be significantly more difficult. Jennifer Lynch first came into the public consciousness by writing The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, an accompanying text to Twin Peaks, and when she was 23 she directed Boxing Helena, a high-profile project—once set to star Madonna—that tanked and prompted somewhat unjust allegations of nepotism. With Surveillance, Lynch the younger makes a modestly triumphant return to the director’s chair, crafting a sick thriller that borrows liberally from her father’s thematic preoccupations, but also establishes her own “manic punk” filmmaking aesthetic—in Bill Pullman’s words, not mine.
Hey Bill, monitor #1...
Surveillance comes to Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that's true to the director's ultra-vivid, overpumped stylistic decisions. Each flashbacks sequence is told through the tone-altering filter of a different film stock. The drug addict's tale is shot with bright, supersaturated colors that emphasize her heightened emotional state, and her scenes pop with manic reds, blown yellow highlights, and overcooked skintones. The cops—who are having the authoritarian time of their lives before all hell breaks loose—are bathed in warm, yellowish, almost nostalgic hues that play up their sense of control. And the little girl's memories are presented in a more realistic, but still contrast-heavy palette that evokes the summery haze of family vacations. Colors remain slightly on edge during the interrogation scenes, especially primaries, but a more neutral look prevails. Black levels are adequately deep during the flashback scenes, but in Bill Pullman's control room you'll notice some soupier grays, particularly on his crisp, black G-man suit. Appropriate for the film's frantic energy, a thin but active grain field buzzes over the image, but it rarely distracts and gives only a few darker scenes a softer look. Sharpness and overall clarity, then, are about average, with some knife-sharp shots during Bobbi's flashback standing out from the rest. Considering it's paltry budget, Surveillance is quite a looker in high def, so long as you appreciate Jen Lynch's aesthetic choices.
The younger Lynch has inherited her father's use of unsettling ambience, and Surveillance's DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track is proof that a film doesn't need bombastic, channel-hopping sound design to be effective. The activity in the surround channels is sparse, but it lends Surveillance a sense of desolate unease. Fluorescent lights buzz unceasingly like seething insects, wind whips over the Nebraskan plains with cold, unfeeling constancy, and a deep, unnatural drone malignantly underscores the tense interrogation scenes. There are few discrete surround effects, but for this sort of film it doesn't really matter, and unlike some movies, overzealous sound design never distracts from what's happening on screen. Dialogue is perfectly prioritized in the front channels, then, and never becomes overwhelmed by surrounding sounds. Foley effects are natural and never jarring—car doors slam realistically, tires blow out with convincing pops and hisses, and the gunplay is crisp and menacingly resolute. Dynamic range is also suitable, from occasion subwoofer throbbings to high-end articulations and a middle ground that's balanced and spacious. This might not be an overly active track, but it makes up for it with persistent, disquieting dread.
Commentary by Director Jennifer Lynch and Actors Mac Miller and Charlie
Newmark
Be prepared for some crazy non-sequiters when listening to this track, as the participants jump
from topic to topic with ADHD-fueled frequency. The three have an innate camaraderie—it's more
than clear everyone had fun on the shoot—and they're constantly cracking one another up with
on-set anecdotes and brazen double entendres. Lynch's F-bomb infused articulations make her
sound like a feral, female version of her father, and her passion for both the project and
filmmaking in general is infectious. There's never a dull moment, and this breezy, listenable track
will be a must-listen for fans of the film.
Surveillance: The Watched Are Watching (SD, 15:11)
Get ready for some jokes about Regina, the small Canadian town where Surveillance was shot.
"Regina, the town that rhymes with fun," is the running gag, and the cast members seem to
take giggly junior high pleasure in the fact that they were filming "deep in Regina." Aside from (or
perhaps because of) the genital jokes, this is a fairly entertaining on-set documentary that serves
up plenty of fun behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the film's actors. Worth watching,
if only because it differs from most talking head featurettes.
HDNet: A Look atSurveillance (1080i, 4:42)
This is a more typical promo piece that ran on HDNet to hype the film. It's not as inherently
interesting—or funny—as the behind-the-scenes doc, but no one will mind having it on the
disc.
Deleted Scenes and Alternate Ending (SD, 12:11)
Obviously, I'm not going to say much about these, because it would simply give too much away.
There are two deleted scenes, plus the alternate ending, all available with optional commentary
by Jennifer Lynch.
Also From Magnolia (1080p, 7:51)
Includes trailers for four current and upcoming Magnolia releases.
Surveillance isn't a perfect film, but it's good to see Jennifer Lynch get a second shot at directing after being critically mauled for the underrated Boxing Helena. It seems the film has started a string of good fortune for her, as she currently has two projects in the works, the almost complete Nagin (aka Hisss), and Scribble, which is presently in negotiations. If you've yet to see Surveillance, it's a worthy Blu-ray purchase for anyone into indie thrillers or darker dramas. Recommended.
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