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Hacked
USA 2020
produced by Matthew Festle, Matt Leal, Alexys Paonessa, John Festle, Jackson Turner for 3 Keys Media, Flick Fanatics
directed by Matt Leal, Matthew Festle
starring Matthew Festle, Jackson Turner, Shawn C. Phillips, Alan Maxson, Thom Michael Mulligan, Lew Temple, Nick Beisel, Robby Quinn, Bobby Foringer, Mikah Sunderman, Ellen Woomer, Kyle Conroy, Chelsea Newman, Seth Yerington
written by John Festle, Matthew Festle, music by LF Matte, makeup and special effects by Alexys Paonessa
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Michael (Matthew Festle) and Darren (Jackson Turner) run a fairly
successful true crime podcast - but lately their viewership has dropped,
much to the dismay of their bosses Alex (Alan Maxson) and Roger (Lew
Temple). And it's plain to see why even, as Michael is more and more
dropping the ball, as on the show he comes across as more and more
unhinged, describing ghastly murders in graphic details, and he won't even
let Darren calm him down. This goes so far that Alex speaks to Darren,
threatening the show or at least provide Darren with a different co-host,
Martin (Shawn C. Phillips). But Michael promises to redeem himself with an
interview with a renowned crime specialist (Thom Michael Mulligan) - but
that runs afowl when the guy doesn't show up and upon inquiry claims he
has never set an actual date with Michael but was hassled by him over the
phone. But Michael doesn't only act weirder and weirder on a professional
level but also in his private life, which among other things leads to a
serious case of self-harming. Eventually, things get so bad that even
Darren, who has so far had his back, wants him off the show. Thing is,
Michael won't give up his spot on the show so easily, and he's gone far
enough to be a threat to others ... Most certainly one of the
best movies of an era where remote-filmmaking (along with Zoom
conferences) became the pandemic-induced standard of shooting for a while.
And where this movie succeeds is that it builds its story around the
concept, gives its protagonists the perfect, narratively motivated reason
to sit in front of their webcams. And the story built around this sure
features plenty of tension to keep one at the edge of one's seat, and some
suitably disturbing imagery to provide some visual delight between all the
Zoom calls as well. And a solid cast keep moving this one at a steady
pace, making this a fine watch for sure.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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