Skeletons

Religious cult type film, was brilliant to see Ron Silver and Christopher Plummer at work with a really good script and set up. The plot is very well done and I always wanted to see what was coming next, I think this one's a bit underrated, especially with the small budget they had, story over special effects.

The cult in the film is homophobic and racist, with no black people or gay people being allowed to live in the village. Ron Silver's character is a well renowned actor and whilst initially well respected him and his family are soon attacked for looking into the suspicious death of a homosexual man which the evil cult obviously wants to cover up.

7/10: Very good storyline and acting, definitely a gem!

From the moment Peter, Heather and their son Zack move to the Stepford Wives-esque town of Saugatuck in New England you just know something isn't right. All the women have perfect hair and make-up and bake like there's no tomorrow. All the men are rednecks and there's no-one even vaguely ethnic in sight, as observed by Peter's wife Heather. There's just something downright creepy about this place. Unfortunately for Peter and his family, the audience figures that out well before he does.

What begins as an intriguing investigation by journalist Peter into a mysterious local murder eventually ends with a most disappointing, scattered ending. I don't know how else they could have ended it but I was let down because I thought, "Wow, this is a really good movie. I'm into it and I want to know what happens!" Well, when the truth eventually comes out it's all too late etc. etc. and you're left thinking, "Well, that was a bit crap!"

Ron Silver is in top form as usual though with his little one-liners and quips. Kyle Howard as Zack Crane is good too for a youngster. One to watch!

I'd recommend seeing "Skeletons" because it is a mystery, but unfortunately the mystery doesn't last long enough and when the "twist" comes, we've already figured it out.

I couldn't work out why people of a New England town would have Southern accents either ...

When you see quality actors' names such as James Coburn or Christopher Plummer attached to a movie , you would assume that those quality actors would appear in films that have a quality script. I mean , surely they READ the script before they agreed to appear in this rubbish?

Movies like this do nothing but damage a good actors' reputation so I guess it's a good thing that very few people have actually seen it.

I just wish I hadn't.

"Skeletons" is listed as a 1997 TV-movie, but it must have been shown somewhere else given its not-ready-for-prime time language.

It stars Ron Silver, Dee Wallace Stone, Christopher Plummer, James Coburn, and Carole Baker.

This is actually a horror film, though it starts off as a mystery. When journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Peter Crane (Silver) suffers a heart attack, he and his wife (Stone) and young son move to a small, idyllic New England town, Saugatuck. They haven't been there long when a woman (Baker) comes to see Crane, knowing his reputation. Her son has been accused of killing his gay lover; she knows he didn't do it and wants Crane to investigate.

It's clear from the get-go that the town is anti-gay, and the Crane family is immediately harassed by the locals because of Crane's interest in the case. Crane smells a set-up, and when another tragedy occurs, he's sure of it.

This film disintegrated into horror-land toward the end. It became obvious that some of these actors -- Mr. Plummer, I'm talking to you -- did it for the money. One of our finest actors in this dreck - I find it reprehensible. Ditto James Coburn.

I'd like to say this film is dated but we know in some parts of the country, this kind of harassment against gays still goes on. This movie over-emphasized the point but still, since it is a horror film, it could be made today, seventeen years later. That makes me sad. Like a few other things in "Skeletons."

I hold this movie in absolute disdain. It is one of those "we have a do-good, politically correct, neatly packaged little movie that we swear really does have a point." This movie is about a sleepy little town that has a gay murder that may or may not have been a hate crime (though they not-so-subtly make it clear that it was). An ill writer moves there, exposes the story, and is harassed to no end. This movie is basically here to say that moral positions against homosexuality are wrong, that religion is really an evil narcotic, and that anyone who disagrees is a bigoted homophobe. It is sad that the director let the soap-box proclamations get in the way, because the idea of a xenophobic little town with strange people and not enough genetic variation is a decent premise. James Coburn, Christopher Plummer, and Ron Silver are all very good actors, but they are simply not able to show what they can do.

The pace at which this film staggers reminds me of one of my alcoholic friend's storytelling abilities. It lurches forth and alternates between fast action that makes no sense, then bizarre attempts to build suspense that fail miserably. The film also takes a turn for the bizarre when a crazy lady befriends the ill writer. I can't say too much about it without giving the move away, but the end is especially bizarre and disappointing. All in all, a very bad movie.

I would, in closing, like to point out one key similarity between this movie and my aforementioned alcoholic friend. At the end of his stories he would usually throw up. At the end of this movie, you will.