Charades (also known as Felons or First Degree) is a 1998 mystery drama film directed by Stephen Eckelberry. The film stars Erika Eleniak, C. Thomas Howell, and Karen Black, who was a writer and producer on the film.
| Charades | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Stephen Eckelberry |
| Written by | Richmond Riedel Karen Black |
| Produced by | Karen Black Paul Williams Richard Hillman, Sr. |
| Starring | Erika Eleniak C. Thomas Howell Kimberley Kates Jack Scalia Karen Black James Russo |
| Cinematography | Susan Helen Emerson |
| Edited by | Fima Noveck |
| Music by | S.P. Somtow |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot edit
Barry (Jack Scalia) works at the shipping department of a high-tech company called Technoworks. One day, he is invited to a barbecue at his boss's house (Wilder). At the party, the guests play a demented version of charades. Other strange things happen: the next door neighbor (James Russo) screams racial slurs over the fence, and the widow of the ex-owner of Technoworks arrives. As a result, we learn of a kidnapping scheme gone awry, a fight ensues, and the pieces of the puzzle start to come together to reveal who kidnapped and killed the former Technoworks boss, and why Barry was invited to the party.
Cast edit
- Erika Eleniak as Monica
- James Wilder as Quinn
- C. Thomas Howell as Evan
- Kimberley Kates as Laura
- Jack Scalia as Barry
- Karen Black as Jude
- James Russo as Max Targenville
Release edit
The film was first released to video on December 17, 1998 in Iceland. The next year, the film premiered at the Austin Film Festival. In 1999, it was released to video in Germany and Japan.
Reception edit
VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever gave the film a 2-star rating,[1] as did Robert Pardi of TV Guide, who described the screenplay as "Neil LaBute-for-beginners".[2] Video Store magazine said the film's plot had the potential to be "intriguing" but "never really gets off the ground", with violence and sex scenes its most likely appeal for potential renters.[3] Merle Bertrand of Film Threat said the film "isn't half as clever as it thinks it is" and had "all the prerequisites for a straight to video release. Lots of gun play. Abundant boobage. B Movie staples .... "[4]
References edit
- ^ "First Degree 1988", VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever, 2008 ed.
- ^ Robert Pardi, "First Degree" (review), TV Guide (accessed 2016-08-26).
- ^ Matthew Miller, "First Degree (home video from York)", Video Store, April 7, 2002.
- ^ Merle Bertrand, "Charades" (review), Film Threat (accessed from archive.org 2016-08-26).
External links edit
- Charades at IMDb
- Charades at AllMovie
- Charades at the TCM Movie Database
- "First Degree" at TV Guide
- Charades at Rotten Tomatoes
