Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

Name: Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles
Genre: Documentary
Released: September 2, 2011
Duration: 86 min
Rating: 60

2011

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

No score yet

tbd

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

tbd	Your Score
tbd	User Score No score yet

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery Of The Toynbee Tiles

Now Playing: Resurrect Dead: The Mystery Of The Toynbee Tiles

Movie Details & Credits

Argot Pictures | Release Date: September 2, 2011 | Not Rated

Summary: Strangeness is afoot. Most people don't notice the hundreds of cryptic tiled messages about resurrecting the dead that have been appearing in city streets over the past three decades. But Justin Duerr does. For years, finding an answer to this long-standing urban mystery has been his obsession. He has been collecting clues that the tilerStrangeness is afoot. Most people don't notice the hundreds of cryptic tiled messages about resurrecting the dead that have been appearing in city streets over the past three decades. But Justin Duerr does. For years, finding an answer to this long-standing urban mystery has been his obsession. He has been collecting clues that the tiler has embedded in the streets of major cities across the U.S. and South America. But as Justin starts piecing together key events of the past he finds a story that is more surreal than he imagined, and one that hits disturbingly close to home. (Argot Pictures)… Expand

Director: Jon Foy

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 86 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Jennie Punter

Sep 22, 2011

What elevates Foy's impressive first feature (he also served as editor and composer of the dark, whimsical score) above, say, your average "unsolved mystery" TV episode, is the emotional connection he gradually builds between Duerr and the elusive creator of the Toynbee tiles. Read full review

Andy Webster

Sep 1, 2011

Though their quarry eventually appears to be a model of paranoia and prejudice, it's the thrill of the hunt that keeps Resurrect Dead compelling. Read full review

Boxoffice Magazine Steve Ramos

Aug 31, 2011

What Foy and his team discover is unbelievable. More importantly, their adventures will prove popular with street art buffs as well as documentary fans. Read full review

Alison Willmore

Aug 31, 2011

It's a ride worth more for its journey than its destination. Resurrect Dead does offer a convincing but anticlimactic "solution" to the Toynbee tiles, but the elements along the way are what make it an engaging film. Read full review

Justin Lowe

Aug 31, 2011

Proves too anticlimactic for the audience to maintain interest. Read full review

Joseph Jon Lanthier

Aug 31, 2011

The testimony we hear from suspects' neighbors and similarly curious media underlings feels muted, like a halfhearted repetition. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Sep 2, 2011

The real mystery is this: Even if you find this guerrilla art project utterly fascinating, why would anyone bother to release an incomplete film about it? Read full review

SEE ALL 11 REVIEWS

User Score

Write a Review

tbd

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

User Reviews

tenenbaums

Oct 3, 2011

Puzzles abound in Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles as three young Philadelphians attempt to solve a particularly interesting one that's drawn them together. In Philly, other major Midwest and Northeast cities, and as far down as South America, someone has placed colorfulPuzzles abound in Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles as three young Philadelphians attempt to solve a particularly interesting one that's drawn them together. In Philly, other major Midwest and Northeast cities, and as far down as South America, someone has placed colorful tiles in asphalt that all say the same basic message: Toynbee Idea/ In Movie 2001/ Resurrect Dead/ On Planet Jupiter. What does it mean and who is behind it? Justin Duerr, Steve Weinik, and Tim Lincecum lookalike Colin Smith try to find out as Jon Foy captures their every move. The trio has been documenting and dissecting the tiles for years and Foy's film serves as both a springboard to finding the tiles' creator and a concise collective of the entire Toynbee Tile universe for hardcore enthusiasts and novices alike. Once Duerr & Co. bring the viewer up to date with the basics of the tiles and their various theories of the tiles' meaning, the amateur detectives follow up on the most significant leads to entertaining results. Efforts to contact a neighborhood recluse with the help of some local eccentrics gets them somewhere, as do various archival newspaper clippings, a short wave radio convention, internet communications, and a one act David Mamet play that hits on multiple hot spots of tile lore, despite the playwright's prior insistence that he invented the dialogue. Foy presents the quest and its relevant information in classic "whodunit" style. The trio are knowledgeable of their subject yet patient and caring in relaying their thoughts and findings. The Toynbee Tiles are clearly important to them and their enthusiasm in cracking the case is a joy to witness. With each new nugget and clue, the mystery inches closer to being solved, though the tension and excitement of the unknown remains elevated. Few narrative films are this engaging and well-made, and for a first-time filmmaker (who financed the work by cleaning houses and taught himself film scoring to create a hauntingly good soundtrack) covering such an obscure subject, Foy has made a modern classic.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 1 REVIEWS