Disconnected
comes to us from director Gorman Bechard, the man behind such films as Psychos
in Love, Galactic Gigolo, and Cemetery High. It’s kind of rough, but you can sort of see what
he was going for. There are plenty worse
Hitchcock-inspired, no-budget, first-time features out there, that’s for sure.
Alicia
(Frances Raines) just broke up with her boyfriend. There’s a slasher going around killing young
women and it doesn’t even dawn on her that the creepy guy who keeps asking her
out might be the killer. Meanwhile,
Alicia is plagued with telephone calls. This
isn’t just your average obscene caller either.
When she picks up the phone, it emits a screeching, piercing sound into
her ear, effectively driving her bananas.
Does
the slasher story and the telephone subplot ever come together? Not really. True to its title, Disconnected never
clicks. In fact, it’s all over the
place. There are scenes that have polish
and pizzazz (like the opening credits sequence that utilizes rapid-fire editing)
that are almost immediately followed by long, drawn-out scenes that seemingly
go nowhere (like the scene where a terrible band is shown playing a number nearly
in its entirety), making for a frustrating and uneven experience. Most of it is kind of rough, but there are a
few good moments along the way that make it almost worthwhile. (The Argento-ish use of color during an atmospheric
nightmare sequence is pretty inventive.) Other sequences are baffling incompetent. (One scene has a giant lens flare that
basically whites out the entire frame.
It’s enough to make J.J. Abrams envious.)
The
quality whiplashes back and forth so much that it often feels like it was the
work of two entirely different crews. Perhaps
Bechard started off with a short film and then expanded on it later. If that was the case, I could be
charitable. However, having the big
climax with the killer happen OFFSCREEN is just fucking frustrating as an
audience member. At least Disconnected has
some of the best ‘80s wood paneling I’ve seen in a movie. So, it has that going for it.
The
fact that a lot of the movie takes place inside an old mom and pop video store
where Alicia works is enough for me to kind of give it a pass. When you get bored (and trust me, it will
happen) you can amuse yourself by spotting the videos on the shelf. I found Halloween 2, Exorcist 2, The Amityville
Horror, and Mother’s Day, among others.
Raines
does a fine job in the lead. She also plays
her twin sister admirably enough. The
scene where she and her sister have a conversation is edited a bit crudely, but
Raines equips herself nicely all things considered. Also, the Galactic Gigolo himself, Carmine
Capobianco appears as cop in a Hawaiian shirt.
It’s nice to see him popping up, even if his interview segments feel
more like padding than anything. Oh, and
apparently Jon Brion (who did the music for a few Paul Thomas Anderson movies)
is in the band in the opening scenes.
I
almost gave Disconnected ** ½ just because when it works, it works. Unfortunately, it goes on about fifteen
minutes too long. The finale is nothing
more than a series of montages that lead up to a puzzling black-and-white still
frame collage, capped off by a shitty non-ending. Up until then, it had the same quirky charm
that hallmark most of Bechard’s work. If
you’re a fan of his films, by all means check it out. Others may want to hang up.
AKA: Telephone Killer.
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