Looker

All Music Guide:

Founded in New York City's Lower East Side in 2003 by dual vocalist/guitarists Boshra Al Saadi and Nicole Greco, Looker began as a casual bit of fun between these two lifelong friends, before getting serious with the addition of bassist/vocalist A.J. Lambert and drummer/vocalist Robbie Overbey. By combining the bittersweet sounds of '60s girl group pop with arty proto-new wave, plus edgy punk rock grit and attitude, the quartet was soon making waves and seducing critics on the wildly competitive local club scene, leading to numerous touring opportunities -- locally and abroad -- even before the recording of its 2007 debut album, Born Too Late. Unfortunately, the absence of record company support (the band self-released the LP) ensured that Looker would remain a well-kept secret known only to indie rock cognoscenti, and yet the group has forged on, unveiling a number of singles throughout 2008, leading up to the fall release of its sophomore full-length, Born in the Desert.

Wikipedia:

Looker is a 1981 science fiction film written and directed by Michael Crichton. It starred Albert Finney, Susan Dey, and James Coburn. Former NFL linebacker Tim Rossovich was featured as the villain's main henchman.

The film is a suspense/science fiction piece which comments upon and satirizes media, advertising, TV's effects on the populace, and ridiculous standard of beauty.

Though spare in visual effects, the film is notable for being the first commercial film to attempt to make a realistic computer generated character, for the model named "Cindy." It was also the first film to create 3-D shading with a computer, months before the release of the better-known Tron.

Plot

Dr. Larry Roberts (Albert Finney), a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, is puzzled when four beautiful models working in television commercials request cosmetic surgery to make changes so minor as to be imperceptible to the naked eye. When these models later start dying under mysterious circumstances, he discovers they are all linked to the same advertisement research firm.

The Digital Matrix research firm rates advertising models using a scoring system to measure the combined visual impact of various physical attributes in television commercials. In an experiment to increase their scores, some models are sent to Dr. Roberts to get cosmetic surgery to maximize their visual impacts. Though the models are physically perfect after the surgeries, they still are not as effective as desired, so the research firm decides to use a different approach. Each model is offered a contract to have her body scanned digitally to create 3D computer-generated models, then the 3D models are animated for use in commercials. The contract deals seem to be incredibly lucrative for the models: once their bodies are represented digitally, they get a paycheck for life, never having to work again, since their digital model is used for all their future work in commercials.

However, when these same models start dying under mysterious circumstances, Roberts becomes suspicious and decides to investigate Digital Matrix. He has a strong interest in investigating the deaths: he is considered a prime suspect by the police (from evidence planted at the scene of one of the murders) and his most recent patient, Cindy (Susan Dey), is the last of the models to be digitally scanned.

During his investigation, Roberts discovers some advanced-technology devices the Digital Matrix corporation is using to hypnotize consumers into buying the products they advertise. He also discovers the Light Ocular-Oriented Kinetic Emotive Responses (L.O.O.K.E.R.) gun, a light pulse device that gives the illusion of invisibility by instantly mesmerizing its victims into losing all sense of time.

Versions

There appear to be two versions of the film.

The original theatrical cut is what appeared in theaters in 1981 and is what has appeared on most video releases, including the 2007 region 1 DVD release.

TV airings have been of a slightly different edit, containing a sequence in which Reston, after detaining Roberts and Cindy in his mansion, explains why he had the other models murdered (the reason for the killings is a plot hole in the theatrical film). He says the models were the 'measurements' and that it was corporate policy to 'shred old documents' that competitors might use. After Reston leaves to attend a dinner party, Roberts and Cindy are able to escape.

On the DVD commentary track, Crichton alludes to the difficulty of editing Looker, which perhaps accounts for why the TV version contains more exposition.

Another change is during the ending walkaway. In the original release, a voiceover by Reston details the chillingly powerful influence of television on the American viewers, from part of a speech he makes earlier in the film. The voiceover in the newer version of the film is a public relation piece for the Reston company.

The Vivaldi music chosen by the doctor is: Flute concerto in G minor Op 10 No 2 RV439 la notte IV allegro.

MPAA rating

The film contains female nudity, though none of it is explicitly sexual in nature. Despite these graphic depictions, the film was re-rated PG, although originally rated .