...in order to dissuade prospective viewers from wasting their time watching it. A buddy of mine found it at the library and let me borrow it if I promised to return it on time. I was tempted to turn it in late just to teach him a lesson, and you may rightfully guess that my opinion of his taste in movies dropped a notch or two. I suspect he was simply bedazzled by the occasional baring of boobies, infrequent as that flashing was. That, and like me he's got a thing for Juliet Landau.
"Hack!" is basically a poor man's version of "Scream," and nowhere near as entertaining. I'll admit its heart was in the right place (top shelf, second drawer), but the execution left much to be desired. Much. And I do mean much.
Tyro writer/director Matt Flynn and his crew give it a go, but we all know about good intentions and damned infrastructure. Flynn's script just isn't polished enough to survive the film's low budget. The incessant genre references get old fast (been there, done that), much of the dialog sounds bogus (though there are a few gems amongst the dross), and dramatic structure is almost non-existent. Suspense and tension ARE non-existent. The sound at times is poor. Much of "Hack!" seemed badly lit, and I don't mean purposefully. DP Roger "Loaded" Chingirian does what he can (and a number of shots are quite nice), but the storytelling just isn't visual enough to matter.
The acting is hardly award-winning, but when you're hamstrung with a clunker, whaddaya do? Standouts include the above-mentioned Juliet "Ed Wood" Landau as a wannabe filmmaker with a perverse kink or two, Sean "The Bold and the Beautiful" Kanan as her even more twisted hubby, Danica "Inspector Mom" McKellar assaying the "gotcha" girl (which any astute viewer will see coming from miles away), and Jay Kenneth "Days of Our Lives" Johnson manfully taking on the romantic lead. Burt "Rocky" Young and Tony "Me, too!" Burton make token appearances, along with William "Raising Arizona" Forsythe, proving once again that even respected professionals can take a paycheck and run.
I've already devoted far too many words to a movie that is best critiqued as "eh, there are plenty of better choices for your entertainment dollar." I tried it because Forsythe was in it, and more so, the delectable Ms. Landau. Sadly, even that didn't really make it a worthwhile time-killer. I suppose your mileage may vary, but I'd just as soon go back and watch "Scream" again. Or "Ed Wood". Now, there was a guy who knew how to make bad movies....
"Hack!" is basically a poor man's version of "Scream," and nowhere near as entertaining. I'll admit its heart was in the right place (top shelf, second drawer), but the execution left much to be desired. Much. And I do mean much.
Tyro writer/director Matt Flynn and his crew give it a go, but we all know about good intentions and damned infrastructure. Flynn's script just isn't polished enough to survive the film's low budget. The incessant genre references get old fast (been there, done that), much of the dialog sounds bogus (though there are a few gems amongst the dross), and dramatic structure is almost non-existent. Suspense and tension ARE non-existent. The sound at times is poor. Much of "Hack!" seemed badly lit, and I don't mean purposefully. DP Roger "Loaded" Chingirian does what he can (and a number of shots are quite nice), but the storytelling just isn't visual enough to matter.
The acting is hardly award-winning, but when you're hamstrung with a clunker, whaddaya do? Standouts include the above-mentioned Juliet "Ed Wood" Landau as a wannabe filmmaker with a perverse kink or two, Sean "The Bold and the Beautiful" Kanan as her even more twisted hubby, Danica "Inspector Mom" McKellar assaying the "gotcha" girl (which any astute viewer will see coming from miles away), and Jay Kenneth "Days of Our Lives" Johnson manfully taking on the romantic lead. Burt "Rocky" Young and Tony "Me, too!" Burton make token appearances, along with William "Raising Arizona" Forsythe, proving once again that even respected professionals can take a paycheck and run.
I've already devoted far too many words to a movie that is best critiqued as "eh, there are plenty of better choices for your entertainment dollar." I tried it because Forsythe was in it, and more so, the delectable Ms. Landau. Sadly, even that didn't really make it a worthwhile time-killer. I suppose your mileage may vary, but I'd just as soon go back and watch "Scream" again. Or "Ed Wood". Now, there was a guy who knew how to make bad movies....