Customer Reviews

LOOK

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

After about 20 minutes I disliked this film. The potential, how cool is this, security camera footage blended together into a story? What an awesome idea. Oh but what a bad film, so poorly made.

The film opens with these very serious titles, there's some bazillions of hours of security camera footage, every American is filmed at least some incredible number of times a day... And then what does the film cut to? Two girls naked in a changing room. Yes they are both very cute, they have very pretty bodies, and nobody can ever deny that. But come on Adam Rifkin, could he have chosen a more hackneyed, prurient choice? Any belief that this might be some form of documentary or study of security camera video, as the opening titles suggest; went 100% completely out the window. The film follows a number of stories and people that ultimately cross paths and end up with a very neat tidy bow at the end of the film. Sadly, just about every cliché imaginable is covered in this film.

From a technical standpoint, the concept of security camera works for about 5 minutes. Nobody wants to watch an almost two hour movie of grainy, out of focus, fixed position cameras. So Rifkin decided to do away with that concept, and only occasionally reminds us that this is supposed to be surveillance cameras. The film has virtually no rhythm. It tries to create some complication by cutting between story lines. In the end, he spends infinitely too much time in the convenience store, and just about every other set he's chosen. Near the end some cutting between stories gets an interesting pace; otherwise, the whole film just plods along. In fact the salt in the wound, there's several scenes where Rifkin fast forwards the video tape, so we don't have to sit listening to some character natter on about nothing. The worst part of this, in the extended scene bonus features; he plays each of those scenes out - there's 45 minutes of this garbage.

The film is rated R, and deserves every bit of that rating. There's no fear in showing Tony having sex with several female employees of the department store; a male shipping clerk masturbating behind his computer; and the two girls trying on clothes. But all the male parts are pixellated. It is pathetic. There's plenty of strong language. Drug use. And violence.

The bonus features are just horrible. They are incredibly long and tiresome. There is a reel of extended scenes. Another reel of director deleted scenes (the last one of this series is so worth watching, it is the only funny moment in the film that isn't included in the film). Another reel of 'behind the scenes,' where somebody with an absolutely awful voice talks about the preproduction and production work of this film. It is one of the worst films of this type I've ever seen. If anyone could stand to watch this film over again, there is director commentary.

Such a bad film. Every cliché in the world is shown. The concept was decent, but the actual film is just plain pitiful.

Look is a movie that surfaces a rather disturbing subject, for there are millions of surveillance cameras in the United States that capture our every move, some of rather intimate nature.

Today, there is hardly any natural disaster, event or news worthy moment without a video having captured all details. The average American is captured by a recorded device at least 200 times. For example, if we use a prepaid pass device, the motor vehicle authorities know wherever we have been. Cellular phones provide records of our every call and of our location at any given time. Cell phone cameras are able to capture our image and send it over the Internet at any given time; our navigational pattern through the Internet is now recorded and used as a sales tool... But the movie tells how we are being observed at our jobs, at school, on the street, while shopping, in the dressing room as we try on new garments, at the airport and even in the "privacy" of our own homes.

The movie probes into subjects that leave us wondering if there is such a thing as a private moment, or a secret. Just look at the scandals of the day and realize that no one can carry a secret affair without some form of detection, whether a photo, a recorded conversation, or the paparazzi following our every move.

No one seems to be able to lie, deceive or commit a crime without some form of record surfacing, and while some aspects of this loss of privacy may be good for society, the movie shows the desperate situations resulting for some innocent victims.

A rather powerful movie, would highly recommend seeing it to understand the reality of our modern times.

LOOK is my first Amazon Vine DVD and I was delighted to receive it, having read all about this film and watched the trailer on Amazon's Daily Blog about a month ago.

The concept of the film is its best feature; the movie is filmed entirely with surveillance cameras. In fact, better than the movie is the outtakes in the special features that show the director as he scouts the perfect positions for stationary elevator and drive thru cameras.

There are other special features on this DVD but none are promising. Particularly disappointing is the "alternative and deleted scenes" section. The "alternative scenes" are really extended scenes and only one or two scenes are actually worth viewing. Cutting these scenes was the right decision, but some of them shouldn't have been filmed at all as they hardly add anything to the story.

There plot of the movie is simple and complex at the same time - show people in the glimpses of different cameras as they go about their daily lives. What results is surprising and shocking at the same time - almost 100% of our lives and stories can be seen if one follows all the cameras that are watching us - from the mall cameras in the fitting room to the bathroom cameras to the garage to the cellphone cameras of strangers to the nanny cameras installed by us to spy on others but which, in fact, monitor us as well.

The characters in the story all have tangential lines and some have interactivity among themselves. sometimes this results into a story that's a bit too neat, but often it just underscores the interactivity of our lives.

Whereas Watchmen asked "Who is watching the watchmen?", LOOK asks who is watching YOU? Or me? or all of us? Where does the information from the cameras go? How can it be used? What is it being used for? And can we honestly trace our whole lives through the cameras that surround us? In our overstimulated society, who is reviewing the multiple camera feeds? The implications are great and terrifying.

Look illustrates that reviewing the feeds from the cameras all around would yield the stories of our lives (even if some details would be missing - one storyline is left open-ended on purpose).

In the end, the movie is more satisfying as a way to trigger contemplation and discussion of issues of privacy and the state of being human in today's technological world

Big Brother might not be watching you, but whoever is watching all the cameras can gather everything they'd like about you at any given time. LOOK is worth a look, is only once, to make you aware of our society's voyeuristic tendencies.

I've just seen a copy of LOOK and this movie was fantastic! I had this vision in my head of what I thought I was about to see and Adam Rifkin (writer-director) was able to completely blow my expectations. Such a powerful and thought provoking experience. After the end credits started to roll I turned to my girlfriend and said, "This is even more amazing if you think they finished this film, jumped on a plane, and started HOMO ERECTUS". It just goes to show how much range this man has. He can go from "THE DARK BACKWARD", "THE CHASE", "DENIAL", then write "MOUSE HUNT" for the big boys at Dreamworks. He had me caring for certain characters and feeling DIRTY for having thought I liked them, sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for innocent people to be rescued, and feeling heart broken for them not being saved. Then I took a second to realize these kinds of things happen everyday. Children are abducted, innocent people are robbed at gun point and left for dead. The sleazy department store manager (Hayes MacArthur was GENIUS!). The slacker's turn out to be the only two characters I liked from start to finish (Giuseppe Andrews and Miles Dougal are so talented, they always amaze me). I am looking forward to the DVD from Anchor Bay on May 5th, I hope it is chock full of extras that I can study and have all my "how did they.." questions answered. Adam is a true talent to the film community. --- Jeremy Morrison

This movie ROCKED! LOOK is a great piece of filmmaking, a look into how our society now sees itself. And how we're never alone anymore. The movie is shown through the POV of surveillance cameras, web cams, video cameras, and traffic cams. At first I wasn't sure it was going to be cool, but after the first 5 minutes you're hooked!

a really interesting movie, told through "surveillance footage" (the movie was shot on digital, not real surveillance cameras) of different cameras within the same town. at times it was hard to watch- the audience comes to the realization that people do horrible things when they don't think they are being watched. it is unsettling and affecting, and shows the darker underbelly of what being a human being means.

This film is NOT about surveillance cameras as some simpleton reviewers have suggested. It's about decent and flawed human beings and how they deceive and victimize each other---and you care about them---deeply. Surveillance cameras are the medium through which the stories are told, and an astoundingly effective medium it is, too. The acting, direction and production values are superb and attention to detail flawless.

Viewers' note: Watch this one alone, not with Grandma or Mom or the kiddies or someone who will judge you for enjoying the raunch and nudity. Yes, it's erotic. It's funny. It's tragic. It's moving. It's gut wrenching. It's terrifying and above all, it's real, true and honest. That's what makes it stand out from most of the effluent flowing out of the Hollywood sewer. This could happen, probably has happened and does every day. It could happen to you and maybe that's why it works so well.
Kudos to Rifkin.

Wow! This was a really nice change of pace... a movie filmed entirely with the use of surveillance cameras... very cool! The whole idea and feeling of the film really is pitch perfect for the format too; using surveillance cameras isn't just a shoddy gimmick, it helps create a lot of tension and adds to the 'big brother is watching' feeling that the film is going for. The film also is one in which we follow multiple characters and storylines that eventually intersect as the film continues (which I'll admit is something I still haven't gotten tired of). As far as the tone of the film it was dramatic and tense throughout, with some very funny and odd situations thrown in. The way the movie is filmed really makes it feel like a documentary at times too, and I think this helps certain scenes in the film seem more real; therefore heightening the enjoyment and believability of them Fans of experimental films should definitely check this out... the casual moviegoer may or may not appreciate it, but the sheer uniqueness of this makes me want to recommend it to everyone. I'd love to see more films done in this style. 4.25/5 stars.

The entire movie was shot from the angle and typical locations of security surveillance cameras, often imitating blurred images and the low quality of the typical low-resolution cameras used in real life for surveillance. As several stories develop in parallel, the Director managed to produce a film that feels like a documentary, allowing the viewer to almost always have the impression that he is watching actual video surveillance materials, and making you wonder and reflect on how you could be caught in embarrassing or illegal situations, but hopefully, without the typical boredom of a documentary.

As surveillance in western societies takes place everywhere, the film successfully delivers its main message, making the audience aware of the actual lack of privacy we all are exposed to. The film makers claim at the opening of the movie that in average a normal citizen is filmed 200 times a day. This figure seemed exaggerated to me at first, but after watching the movie I was persuaded that this order of magnitude is reasonable after all. In the positive side, the movie proves how useful so much video surveillance can be when needed. However, the movie completely missed a relevant issue regarding the "Big Brother" side of so much surveillance, as the film did not explore in any of the parallel stories the potential abuse of the materials being filmed.

Due to this huge omission, I was going to rate the move three stars, nevertheless, I enjoy it, so this explains my upgrade to four stars. For those concerned about the "Big Brother" effect, the movie is still worth watching, as you can draw your own conclusions of all the possible misuses from all the situations presented in the movie. Finally a word of warning: some folks might object some sex scenes and brief nudity, but that is part of what real surveillance cameras record everyday in public places, at work, and at home.

Rifkin shows his genius in every frame of this film! Big Hollywood studios, where are you? LOOK is the best film I've seen in a long, long time. Rifkin transports the viewer with ease into the world of surveillance, and once there, you're hooked. We all live under the watchful eye of Big Brother, Rifkin just made it real for us. You'll never ever forget this movie!