|
Messages Deleted
Messages Deleted is a 2009 Canadian horror thriller film starring Matthew Lillard, with a screenplay by Larry Cohen, the last Cohen screenplay to be filmed before his death in 2019.[1] PlotA screenwriting teacher is forced to live out the plot of a screenplay idea he stole from an anonymous character, who now seeks revenge. Cast
ProductionPlans to create the film were first announced around September 2004.[2] Filming took place in Vancouver. Larry Cohen was paid $3 million for the script,[3] which he completed in 2004.[4] Multiple changes were made to the script prior to filming, one of which was to change the killer's gender from male to female.[5] The film marked Cohen's last screenplay before his death in 2019.[6] ReleaseMessages Deleted was released straight to video in 2009. Per Cohen, prior to its release the movie was leaked online, causing the producers to lose $4 million dollars in investments.[7] This contributed to the production company's bankruptcy and eventual closure.[3] ReceptionTony Williams criticized the film's script, noting that the edition released in England "contains too many superfluous elements that could have been eliminated making it a much more tightly constructed film".[5] David Nusair reviewed the film for ReelFilm, writing that "there does reach a point at which Messages Deleted effectively becomes just a little too slick and calculating for its own good. This is despite an unexpectedly strong turn from star Lillard and the inclusion of a few genuinely suspenseful sequences (ie Joel is forced to watch helplessly as a loved one is murdered), with the all-too-brief glimpses into what could have been only confirming the film's place as a disappointing missed opportunity."[8] References
External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
