Stalkers

WHISPER OF FEAR/STALKERS (TV movie 2013) If I could give this no stars, I would... 1 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 3 min

BASIC PLOT: Two woman, one an ADA (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), and one a detective (Drea de Matteo) create a task force to fight and catch stalkers.

WHAT WORKS: *THERE WAS ONE GOOD LINE... Tim Star (Brendan Fletcher), the IT cop tells Detective Harkin, "The mustache mafia around here doesn't even think I'm a real cop." This is the only decent line in the whole movie.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *COPS DON'T CARE ABOUT DIRT BAGS and Detective Cliff's (Henry Simmons) whole speech to Detective Harkin (Drea de Matteo) about how she's crazy for wanting to wipe the smile off of a murder's face, wouldn't be met with hostility. More likely, he would instructs her not to do that in public, or don't leave a mark etc. Her behavior needed to be over the top to get that speech, and it wasn't, so it's only 3mins in, and I'm already rolling my eyes.

*FILMED W-A-A-A-Y TOO CLOSE I don't know why filmmakers these days think we have to be able to count the pores on people's faces, but back that camera up. I don't need to be between two people, while their kissing. It's disgusting, and NOT good filmmaking.

*THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST FILMED MOVIES I'VE EVER SEEN Not only is the camera too close to everyone, but it jumps around haphazardly, for no reason at all, like the cameraman was drunk. Then there's the terrible lighting, one second too dark, the next to bright. There's a lot of weird shots of the back of people's heads, or where you can't see all of their face, or where there are objects in the way of the actors. This is a mess, and I'm not sure if I should blame the director, Mark Tonderai, or the cinematographer, Miroslaw Baszak. They both have a lot to answer for.

*THE MAIN CASE IS NOT A GOOD ONE TO SHOWCASE THE STALKING PROBLEM This is not because it's a lesbian couple; it's because they aren't really a couple. The victim, Jen Andrews (Lela Loren) had an affair with her stalker, Ivy Hinks, making her less sympathetic. Jen's an obnoxious crybaby, and I really don't care what happens to her (or anyone else for that matter). The writer/filmmakers don't know how to present the victim, so we the viewers, empathize with her. Instead, they show us dolls the stalker made, and bruises the victim got , but no backstory (other than a drunken Christmas party) to make me care about the stalking victim. I was more interested in the first victim, who was murdered in the beginning of the movie, a mother of two, killed by her estranged husband. This movie world have been better served either showcasing stranger stalking, as it's more suspenseful and terrifying, or focusing on a woman with children, being stalked by an ex romantic partner. But Ivy and Jen are just ridiculous, to the point of being insulting to the audience.

*THE BOOK THIS IS BASED ON WAS WRITTEN BY A WOMAN but the screenplay was written by a man (David Wiener), and I immediately could tell. This is a Lifetime production, meaning everyone knows where this will air, on a channel for women. Sometimes, men who write for women, end up being condescending, because they don't have a female perspective. There are several scenes that try to showcase sexual harassment, and patronizing behavior from male superiors, but it comes off feeling more like women's experiences in the 1960's & 70's, not 2008 (when the book was written) or 2013 (when the movie was made). Mr. Wiener (the writer), would have been better served asking a few women if the scenes ring true, because they don't, not for today's women.

*DETECTIVE DIANE HARKIN -AKA GINA MORETTI DOESN'T SEEM THE TYPE TO RUN FROM ANYTHING But we're supposed to believe she's running from a stalker too. This is an inane, unneeded plotline. If you need her to be passionate about stalking, have her be close with a stalking victim who died (like a sister, or friend). But having her be a victim herself is beyond stupid! For one, the actress, Drea de Matteo, puts off one kind of energy - badass. You don't believe this woman is a victim of anything, more like someone who'd rip your throat out if you looked at her wrong (which she actually tries to do to a murderer in the first 5mins). So, yet again, completely unbelievable, and insulting to the audience.

*IVY, THE STALKER, IS NOT THREATENING She's comical, ridiculous, and cliché, but not scary. It's a pathetic attempt to create suspense, and Ivy's dialog and threats are so bad, they're almost funny. This crosses into parody, on more than one occasion. It's inane, acinine, puerile, preposterous, farcical, ill-conceived, and generally derisory of the whole stalking issue. This subject matter deserved sooo much better.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *Great filmmaking should showcase a series of well framed stills, strung together, to create your movie - that's filmmaking 101. I should be able to take any of those stills, and know what was happening in that scene (without sound, or reference). That is not what happens here. The utter failure to block a shot, hold the camera still, or shoot at a reasonable distance, makes this film almost unwatchable. It is a disjointed, haphazard melange of bad camera angles, wobbly or too close shots, and terrible lighting. If this kind of thing is a deal-breaker for you, then definitely give this a pass. Even if it's not, give this a pass, it's one of the worst made-for-tv movies I've ever seen.

CLOSING NOTES: *THIS IS A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.