Charades (film)
Encyclopedia
Charades is a mystery
/drama
film released in 1998. The film stars Erika Eleniak
, James Wilder
, and C. Thomas Howell
.
Tagline: "One murder can ruin your whole day..."
) is a man that works at the shipping department of a high-tech company called Technoworks. One day he is invited to a barbecue
at his boss' house (Wilder). At the party, things start to get weird and Barry ends up playing a demented version of charades
. Other strange things happen: the next door neighbor (James Russo
) starts screaming 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 kidnap and killed the former Technoworks boss, and why was Barry invited to the party in the first place.
. The next year, the film premiered at the Austin Film Festival
. On 1999, it was released to video on Germany
and Japan
.
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
/drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film released in 1998. The film stars Erika Eleniak
Erika Eleniak
Erika Eleniak is an American Playboy Playmate and actress, perhaps best known for her role in Baywatch as Shauni McClain. She also starred in the films Under Siege and The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
, James Wilder
James Wilder
James Curtis Wilder is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, and the Detroit Lions.-High school career:...
, and C. Thomas Howell
C. Thomas Howell
Christopher Thomas "Tommy" Howell , known by his stage name C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Treasure,Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G...
.
Tagline: "One murder can ruin your whole day..."
Film synopsis
Barry (Jack ScaliaJack Scalia
Jack Scalia is an American actor. He has had many roles in television series , television movies, and feature films.-Early life:...
) is a man that works at the shipping department of a high-tech company called Technoworks. One day he is invited to a barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
at his boss' house (Wilder). At the party, things start to get weird and Barry ends up playing a demented version of charades
Charades
Charades or charade is a word guessing game. In the form most played today, it is an acting game in which one player acts out a word or phrase, often by pantomiming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use physical rather than verbal language to...
. Other strange things happen: the next door neighbor (James Russo
James Russo
James Vincent Russo is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 90 films in three decades.-Early life:...
) starts screaming racial slurs over the fence, and the widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
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 kidnap and killed the former Technoworks boss, and why was Barry invited to the party in the first place.
Cast
- Erika EleniakErika EleniakErika Eleniak is an American Playboy Playmate and actress, perhaps best known for her role in Baywatch as Shauni McClain. She also starred in the films Under Siege and The Beverly Hillbillies.-Early life:...
as Monica - James WilderJames WilderJames Curtis Wilder is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, and the Detroit Lions.-High school career:...
as Quinn - C. Thomas HowellC. Thomas HowellChristopher Thomas "Tommy" Howell , known by his stage name C. Thomas Howell, is an American actor and film director. He starred in the films The Outsiders as Ponyboy Curtis and in The Hitcher as Jim Halsey. He has appeared in The Da Vinci Treasure,Soul Man, Red Dawn, Secret Admirer, Gettysburg, H. G...
as Evan - Kimberley KatesKimberley KatesKimberley Kates is an American actress and film producer.-Early life:Born in California, Kates grew up there and in Montana. Her biological father was killed by a drunk driver when she was a child. Kimberley was pre-med in College before winning a modeling contest which brought her back to Southern...
as Laura - Jack ScaliaJack ScaliaJack Scalia is an American actor. He has had many roles in television series , television movies, and feature films.-Early life:...
as Barry - Karen BlackKaren BlackKaren Black is an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She is noted for appearing in such films as Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Great Gatsby, Rhinoceros, The Day of the Locust, Nashville, Airport 1975, and Alfred Hitchcock's final film, Family Plot...
as Jude - James RussoJames RussoJames Vincent Russo is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 90 films in three decades.-Early life:...
as Max Targenville
Release
The film was first released to video on December 17, 1998 in IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. The next year, the film premiered at the Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
. On 1999, it was released to video on Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
External links
- "First Degree" at TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
- Charades at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Film Threat: Review