Seconds

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Blu B All Time Classic. The cinematography is just surreal and bizarre in the most perfect way. It amplifies rather than distracts from the surreal story and world this takes place in. It's grounded Sci-Fi mixed with a psychological thriller and horror of a very sophisticated caliber along the lines of something like Persona and Repulsion right from around this time too. Everything here is masterful. Hats off to the Hudson and the old Mr. Hamilton as I truly believed they were the same person. The direction is masterful, the music is haunting/memorable, and the commentary is powerful. What matters in life isn't wealth, power, or position. But rather the people we love and make life worth living and shame on us for letting a good thing go to waste. This keeps things JUST vague enough about the company, just giving JUST enough about Hamilton's past, and it creates a very surreal almost dreamlike world. It is a very slow burn and there really isn't any action to speak of or crazy Sci-Fi tech in this. But everyone should give this a try. Easily Hudson's best film as well. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/25 Full Review Thor S A middle aged white man of wealth and privilege throws everything away on a passing whim. He gets very drunk and says things that he regrets at a party, and then a silly company, who's finances are unfathomable, use him as a corpse. Perhaps this film was shocking to the folks of yester year but it's lost its luster. Maybe it just a needs nice nip and tuck with a remake. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/29/24 Full Review Andy F An incredible disturbing tour de force. This must have been so influential to The Prisoner and The Wicker Man to name just two. A shame it is not more well known. Absolutely unforgettable. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/24 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. This one had some interesting thoughts, but on the whole it was a little silly. The cinematography was what made it noteworthy. I don't plan to see it again. It was on Tubi and Amazon. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Shioka O I think this is a good cult film. Surreal and stylish from the opening credits. Context is still relevant now. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/19/22 Full Review William L The most unbelievable aspect of Frankenheimer's classic sci-fi mind bender is the quoted price to undergo major reconstructive surgery and transplant to California: $30,000. I'm pretty sure that's what a hospital charges for two aspirin and a bag of saline these days, and that sure as hell doesn't get you a house in Malibu with a butler. A totally subversive take on suburban horror, taking a nagging sensation of personal dissatisfaction that eveyone experiences even under supposedly idyllic circumstances, and inflating it to the proportions of a mind-melter. Would you drop everything if you could? In midcentury America where the family unit was the cornerstone of civilization, acting out such liberated impulse and abandoning convention would have been considered heresy. But Frankenheimer takes care to see that, with the hand-wringing and lack of determination in Tony's convictions, audiences may sense a twinge of self-recognition in the character's general dissatisfaction. I'd hate to leave out a mention of Will Geer's nameless character and how great of a villain he is despite appearing in just two scenes; the founder of "the Company", he gives off a kindly country physician sensation and extolls the good intentions that led him to create his unusual institution, while lamenting what it has become after Tony's placement falls apart. And yet, for all his self-professed regrets, he still actively contributes to Tony's ultimate fate and aligns himself with a machine that is supposedly beyond his control. We get the sensation that his visits to Tony are truly the culmination of a much larger experience without revealing nearly anything objective about his backstory, and as such he can be considered a very symbolic figure; thematically it plays off very well, for as much as it is a horror based in human nature, Seconds is a social criticism, pointing out the toll that the commercial lifestyle inflicts on his characters and the inhuman nature of certain unchecked enterprises. Though his career would not formally end for nearly another decade, what a journey James Wong Howe took, from silent films to this maddening, frenzied imagery. Playing with perspecive and depth of field to place the audience in the same distressed position as Tony; just imagine the changes that he implemented or witnessed in shooting style and technique in the 45-year period beween Seconds and his first major credit. While Seconds has achieved more cult status than longstanding mainstream success, it deserves a popular resergence. With Hudson's unusually involved and powerful performance, tight story, and top-notch direction and camerawork, it's a great piece of science fiction that keeps its feet hauntingly grounded. If I had a major criticism, it would be length - Tony's failed placement is a bit more substantial than necessary, and there's a great shot of him being wheeled down the hallway that would have served as a great ending, leaving his fate lingering but doomed. Still, deserves a watch! (4/5) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/22/21 Full Review Read all reviews

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