Wednesday, October 28, 2009

iMurders and Confusion: A Movie Review



Director: Robbie Bryan.

Writer: Robbie Bryan, and Ken Del Vecchio.

Have you ever heard that saying: "if you have nothing good to say then don't say anything at all?" Well, if this reviewer followed this motto then we would not have an insightful review of iMurders, a limited released film that is now available on DVD as of October 14. Also, a film that weaves far too many plot devices in a short ninety-eight minute run time, while commenting on the anonymity of the internet iMurders is just passable as a horror feature. Can the actors save this sinking script? Let us have a look.

Warning: only brief attention will be given to the plot as touching on all the plot devices would easily fill a page and a half. Let us say that a cheating husband kicks off a revenge plot with several innocent members of a Facespace chat room being offed by a strangely masked villain. A love story develops between apartment residents Joe Romano (Frank Grillo) and Sandra Wilson (Terri Colombino), two of the only seemingly virtuous characters in the film. While several minor subplots involving a corrupt lawyer, a lonely landlord, a lesbian love triangle, and a woman coping with an assault are only slightly fleshed out and they are confusing (this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as sub-plots go)! The film is centrally a murder mystery that revolves around the previously mentioned members of a horror themed chat room. If you watch the film, just focus on these characters as most of the sub-plots are a distraction.

The story is not really helped by an all star cast including scream queen Brooke Lewis, Tony Todd (Candyman), and Bill Dee Williams each of whom seem confused in their parts. Viewers are likely to feel the same way. Kudos go to Frank Grillo who seems confident in his role as an ex-police officer and Brooke Lewis, who despite an obvious eye injury plays a dual of role of intensity and gentleness. Also, standing out is Terri Colombino, as Sandra Wilson who plays an innocent woman in the initial portion of the film. But each of these actors cannot save this ship that seems to be sailing in heavy fog.

A film that is for those who love complex murder mysteries, iMurders is just passable as a horror feature, as the blood and gore are minimal and the writing is overly confusing. A feature that could have easily trimmed half its cast and plot elements, iMurders could be enjoyed only if you check your brain at the door and enjoy the sparkly lights.

Acting/believability/characterizations: 6.
Writing/story/context: 5.
Scene changes/continuity/editing: 5.5.
Setting/environments/props/use of characters in space: 6.

Overall: 5.6 cross-eyed eyes out of 10.

iMurders Available at Amazon.com

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