|
From geek to chic? Not quite. This movie is firmly planted in geekdom.
Gamers is a made-for-gamers film written and directed by Chris Folino. The film is a brazen celebration of what it is like to live and breathe games. The film follows four friends who have spent 23 years playing “Demons, Nymphs and Dragons (DND),” an obvious homage to Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). They’ve been playing the game for so long that they’re well on their way to break the record for the longest running game. To prove it, they’ve recorded the game throughout all of those years. The movie follows this group as they attempt to shatter the record but uses the video archive for flashbacks.
The film’s characters are developed through use of these flashbacks and interviews. The narration is provided by Michael Bell, of E! True Hollywood story fame. The characters are followed around their daily lives being interviewed and giving you a bit of background on them at the same time. The film can be called a collection of jokes and running gags. At times it seems to wander without a purpose but at the knick of time hits you with another funny joke or a piece of the story line that manages to (loosely) hold things together.
The cast makes Gamers. Kevin (played by Kevin Sherwood) serves as the game’s Dungeon Lord. Chris Folino’s writing is excellently displayed with the character of Kevin, whose day job of composing children songs makes for more than a few laughs. Paul (played by Scott Allan Rinker) serves as the group’s cameraman, covering every bit of their life as they go for the record. Reese (Dave Hanson) is one of the more colorful characters. He is grieving because his DND character just died. He is known for calling a local radio station and requesting music dedicated to his character as if it were a real person. Reese replaces one of the members of the original group, who ended up in jail after taking the game too seriously.
The film sprinkles some cameos from 1980s stars. John Heard appears a few times as one of the fathers. Even though he is married to Beverly D’Angelo, he is a swinger. Diva Kella LeBrock makes an appearance as well, asking the guys if they’ve ever had an orgasm. The appearance of 1980s stars adds to the film’s legitimacy and helps set the tone.
Folino’s Gamers works largely because of his writing talent. A lot of Gamers is quite funny although the movie could have used a more consistent storyline. As it stands, it’s really just something to get from one sketch to another. Thankfully, when the sketches are as solid as these, you don’t mind.
The movie can be purchased from www.buygamers.com. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Aug 7, 2006 Screenshots
|
