The Surrogates

Category:	Movies
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy

Touchstone. Dir. Jonathan Mostow. Star: Willis.

Synopsis: FBI agents (BRUCE WILLIS and RADHA MITCHELL) investigate the mysterious murder of a college student linked to the man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves – fit, good looking remotely controlled machines that ultimately assume their life roles – enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their own homes. The murder spawns a quest for answers: in a world of masks, who’s real and who can you trust? --© Touchstone Pictures

***

I watched it last night, thinking it will be about robots. And I wasn't wrong. The film featured life-sized barbie and ken robots which people set out to the world as their fantasy perfect selves or surrogates. But that wasn't all. Slightly different from its predecessors, from Robocop, Bicentennial Man to A1, by making us the robots indirectly, instead of robots just being our functional assistants, the merit of the film for me came more from its commentary. A statement which isn't really original and fresh but the way it was presented was point blank the least: be yourself. I treasure movies which teaches something new. And for this reason I never tire of re-watching the Matrix (sometimes all three in one day) for it blows my mind away every time I do. I enjoy having my mind blown away by anything.

So what was new about the Surrogates? It gave me an insight on what will be the culmination of this popular lifestyle of stylized self images should it go on. How far will you alter yourself to function in the world according to your idea of "Life"? You can be who ever you want to be. And everyone is playing the role of someone beautiful, healthy and enjoying life perfectly according to their idea of what life should be. Are there really no crimes, accidents or deaths because what we are actually killing or hitting is just the shell. Talk about Zen detachment. But is evil really solved because no real person is getting raped, robbed or killed? Should it broke down we can always buy new surrogates. I love the part when Willis' surrogate did and he was forced to go out in the real world filled with surrogates. He was bumped, stared at, and practically harassed by the robots because of his humanity. Because of his human flaws he couldn't keep up with the pace of these things by just walking on the sidewalk.

I have a personal thing about staying indoors for fear of something bad happening or for plain fear of assholes. In the film all that walks the earth (except for the people at autonomous Human Coalition territory) are surrogates, while their human counterparts sit on chairs where they control the robots. I guess the play on our fear of dying, of rejection and anxiety for anxiety itself appealed to me more than it supposed to be. What can I say that fear for me is very much real.

I remembered my recent drama with my network profile. I once said I am not my FB profile. What you see is my idea of what a person should be in my book. In the film you can see a white man taking a black surrogate. I surmised that the reason is sexual. This person recognizes the virility of an African American body, and he believes that having sex in a body like this is the ideal way of fucking someone. Things like that.

The Surrogates gave us the outcomes of desiring to become and wanting to enjoy who ever we want. You can have affairs with anyone anonymously like in chat rooms. You can do whatever you desire without the consequence of the real. I especially appreciate the device used by the film to differentiate surrogates from the humans. The robots were perfect while the humans were, well humans.

For best results watch it and log on to your favorite network site after.

The Legend of 1900

It's long, to the point of long-winding. I actually watched it for two-days with much effort. In spite of the corny flash-back narrative technique, which appeared to be the favorite during the year 1998, it garnered a considerable number of awards, including a Golden Globe for Original Score. The story, and much of what the movie has to say is original, and some "snatches" are actually beautiful, but its just so reminiscent of Titanic, which I'm not sure whether that's good or bad. And as the movie is long, more like watching Ben-Hur, certain problems with tightness caused it to drag.

Clarence Williams III's portrayal of Jelly Roll Morton, though, for me was best performance in the film, and the Piano Duel, its highlight. I felt I have never heard of what the piano can do as an instrument, until I heard it in this film, in this particular part (which I have played back a couple of times). The cigarette lighting on the heated piano strings which might sound cheesy is no where near that description, it was just plain unbelievable. Definitely the best reason for anyone to watch the movie. The rest after that was just plain excruciating mush, and one can't help but be impatient to know what the ending will be.

The Eraserheads is cool again

I may be wrong but I think, with the unfortunate exit of Rico Blanco from Rivermaya, a nostalgic spotlight is now on their closest rival band to the throne of Pinoy Pop, The Eraserheads. Although the band members of this so-called legendary group have formed their respective bands and the band Eraserheads is no longer existent per se, the E-heads-stigma is indelible. Among the ex-e-head-formed-band, I guess Raimund's Sandwich broke through first. I don't know if this was a long time ago for some, for for me it was only with their song Percolator (I might be wrong, I might be wrong) that I think they have re-emerged. To be fair with the first Sandwich line-up, which included Kwan's Mark Abaya, I guess Butterfly Carnival is still a very influential single. Then I was caught by a new release by the Ely Buendia-fronted Pupil, Monobloc, which for me restored the decency in being an Ely Buendia fan. Then recently I saw in TV that MYX is going to do a retrospective on The Eraserheads. All these string of events, if they are not signs saying that E-heads is great again I'd swear that I listen to Click Five (I don't know what's got into me, but I like them). This is not saying that these events are the first of its kind. There has been an Electromagneticjam tribute album by several E-heads inspired newbies to attest that this doesn't just happen in the past few days. The time Ely released his Bedspacer album, I guess the tributes were already in the mass consciousness. To be fair with Rivermaya, all these tribute to E-heads were possible of course because the band is already disbanded, thus making it proper for a tribute. Whereas Rivermaya is only Rico-less but is still alive and performing, but if a tribute to Rivermaya would be released, now--okay, it is not impossible. So there. But for now, E-heads is in, again, yay!

Suralista. April 21, 2008