Saturday, April 5, 2014

452. Seconds

Seconds
1966
Directed by John Frankenheimer









I, once again, persuaded non list followers to watch a List movie with me (this time victimizing my parents) and they were, once again, weirded out and wished that they hadn't.  Kind of the like when a guy goes on a date with me...ouch, that was mean, me!

Arthur Hamilton is in the middle of a mid life crisis when he is approached by the Company.  The Company fakes people's deaths, then gives them a new face and identity to start their life over.  Hamilton decides "wait, who wouldn't want to look like Rock Hudson?" and goes along with it.  Then there is a weird scene with hippies and alcohol that is sure to give you trippy nightmares.

I am not a huge fan of Frankenheimer's psychedelic directing style, but that really is not what bothered me about this film.  The story simply was not sustainable for an entire movie, at least with the way it was handled in this film.  It would have been a great episode of the Twilight Zone; unfortunately, after the first forty five minutes, it lost its way significantly, and become a slight shit show.

Additionally, if you want to see great acting, a Rock Hudson movie isn't exactly the place to start.  Still, it had exciting moments and some good twists.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Panned by critics upon its release.

The director originally wanted Kirk Douglas or Laurence Olivier for the lead role, but ended up casting Hudson instead.  Frankenheimer went on to believe that Hudson was perfectly cast.

Trailer:



13 comments:

  1. I liked this one a lot more than you did. I think the cinematography was amazing for its time and the plot kept my interest the whole way. Sorry you did not like it more

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    1. I was certainly entertained but didn't you think the middle was a bit out of place? I would still recommend it, though.

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    2. From what I recall ( I saw this quite a while ago) the middle was all about getting to know the character more and let you understand why he went to the extremes he did. I enjoy this type of thing, ,but understand why others might not.

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  2. I too liked this one more than you did.. but I was also dissapointed.. Nowhere near as good as Manchurian or 7 days in May.

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    1. Never seen 7 Days in May. Should I check it out?

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  3. Well.. it is a tense political conspiracy thriller. It depends what you feel about that type of film.
    As such it is very worth watching. Did you like Manchurian Candidate?

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  4. I agree that it would have made a good Twilight Zone episode. Too long, but kind of fun.

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  5. I think this is a good and universal lesson: Do NOT invite non-List guests to watch old movies with you. Personal experience is that it never works.

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    1. I can invite all I like, no one accepts anyway

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    2. Dessie, they are probably just social distancing.

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  6. As a horror movie it was unsettling. As a treatise on the midlife crisis it was thought-provoking (and unsettling).

    The middle section was a bit out of place, but I thought it was important to be there.

    Do I take it that the Hays code is a thing of the past now?

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