The Surface (2014)

Nice effects though.

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely Brilliant!

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

I normally love survival and man vs. nature films. I think you can break down events in these kinds of movies into several categories:*Man vs. Craft - Troubles with the mode of transportation (a small boat in this case) *Man vs. Nature - Troubles with weather, predators, etc. *Man vs. Man - Troubles with the other survivors *Man vs. Potential Rescuers - Often not seen by potential rescuers or they can be hostileThis movie offered up very few interactions within these categories, settling instead for some average dialog.Another big problem is that the movie failed to make you care about the characters enough to really root for their survival. Also the dialog between the two suddenly became more intimate and personal with no transition to ease the viewer along.The dialog between the two characters covered some decent ground but was not well-written. The characters will not built out enough for you to sympathize or even fully understand their issues soon enough to cement your interest in their survival.It's a shame because survival movies are generally a good watch.Reasonably well filmed.Read some Jack London to experience the genre at its peak.

I loved the movie. Chris Mulky and Sean Astin worked really well together. Jeff's dialog between the two really made you think. There was no violence.. always a plus for me for a good movie. Thanks Jeff for making this movie. I would have liked to see them get together before the end of the movie. But, then I think you would have to write more chapters. Loved the last scene. I don't want to spoil it so I won't say what happened. It was fun to have this movie made in the town I grew up in. Lake Michigan is beautiful. They couldn't have picked a better place. I also loved the shots of the float plane flying over the lake. It was beautiful.

Definitely not a thriller as claimed.The description mentions that they are stuck in "unpredictable waters" and the DVD cover looks like the movie might be a little exciting... as far as rough winds, waves or heavy rain goes there is absolutely none of that, it's just 2 losers in a boat talking about how pathetic their lives are. Half way through the film you start to feel like you don't even care if they get rescued or die. I was hoping towards the end a rogue wave would hit the boat and they'd both head-butt each other knocking each other out and drowning. One of the worst movies I've seen this year.Definitely a movie to avoid unless you're under the age of 10.

Greetings again from the darkness. Survival movies come in many shapes and styles. There are classy ones like All is Lost (with Robert Redford) and Life of Pi (Academy Award nominee). There are thrilling ones like The Edge (with Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins). And of course there are the kinda trashy ones that usually feature beautiful and clueless people stuck on an island somewhere like in Turistas (with Josh Duhamel).What we rarely see are survival movies that just don't have much going on. Open Water is about the closest to this latest from director Gil Cates, Jr and writer Jeff Gendelman, but at least that one offered the constant threat of a shark attack.Sad sack Mitch (Sean Astin) visits his Alzheimer's-stricken mom in the nursing home before heading out to the middle of Lake Michigan in what he plans as his final voyage in life. At the most inopportune time – given his goal – it's his boat that is rendered lifeless thanks to the scattered pieces of a plane crash. Mitch drags the survivor (Chris Mulkey) aboard and the two fellows proceed to prove that their philosophizing and reminiscing are no match for the conversational skills of a boy and his tiger (Life of Pi).Flashbacks are the key to us understanding the reasons these two crossed paths in such an unusual manner. We see Mitch's guilt and inability to be a worthy partner in a relationship, and we see pilot Kelly's desperation in trying to making ends meet for his family and regaining his confidence as a man.There are a couple of funny "guy" moments (the poet comment made me laugh), yet somehow the conversation of these two men in a life-threatening situation pales in comparison to the exchanges of two gents over a meal in My Dinner with Andre. Where is the danger? Where is the stress? Where is the soul-searching? It's unfortunate that the extended periods of two guys in a boat just don't have much to offer for the 86 minute run time, because the stage was set for much more than melodrama.