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The Skulls (27-Mar-2000)
Director: Rob Cohen Writer: John Pogue Original Score by: Randy Edelman Producers: Neal H. Moritz; John Pogue Keywords: Thriller, Fraternity A working-class Harvard student plunges down a terrifying rabbit hole when he joins a secretive campus fraternity.
ABSTRACT
Hard-working Luke McNamara is a top student at Harvard University, riding high on stellar academic credentials compensating for his working-class pedigree. Eager to earn admission into Harvard Law, Luke gladly accepts an invitation to join a secretive campus fraternity famous for fostering future world leaders and captains of industry known as "The Skulls", thinking it will improve his chances; his journalist roommate's suspicious suicide, however, drives him to risk his life uncovering a startling conspiracy hidden behind the secret society's closed doors.
[watch trailer]
CAST | Joshua Jackson | ... Luke McNamara | | Paul Walker | ... Caleb Mandrake | | Hill Harper | ... Will Beckford | | Leslie Bibb | ... Chloe | | Christopher McDonald | ... Martin Lombard | | Steve Harris | ... Det. Sparrow | | | with | | William L. Petersen | ... Ames Levritt | | | David Asman | ... Jason Pitcairn | | Nigel Bennett | ... Dr. Whitney | | Andrew Kraulis | ... McBride | | Derek Aasland | ... Sullivan | | Jennifer Melino | ... J. J. | | | and | | Craig T. Nelson | ... Litten Mandrake | | | Scott Gibson | ... Travis Wheeler | | Noah Danby | ... Hugh Mauberson | | Mak Fyfe | ... Laurence Thorne | | David Christo | ... Shawn Packford | | Shaw Madson | ... Chad MacIntosh | | Jesse Nilsson | ... Kent Hodgins | | Shawn Mathieson | ... Jonathan Payne | | Steven McCarthy | ... Sweeney | | Matt Taylor | ... Medoc | | Henry Alessandroni | ... Strain | | James Finnerty | ... Preppy Freshman | | Cyprian Lerch | ... Student in Lunch Line | | Dominic Kahn | ... Regatta Judge | | Ken Campbell | ... Starting Judge | | Pedro Salvín | ... Lodge Butler | | Derek Boyes | ... Assistant District Attorney | | Katherine Trowell | ... Sanctuary Administrator | | Connie Buell | ... Waitress | | Steve Richard | ... Furniture Mover | | Kevin Allen | ... Sturtevant Security Guard | | Paul Walker III | ... Boxing Coach | | Jason Knight | ... Police Techie | | Amanda Goundry | ... Coed in Caleb's Car | | Malin Akerman | ... Coed in Caleb's Apartment |
REVIEWS Review by Walter Frith (posted on 8-Jun-2007) 'The Skulls' was
such a disappointment. More than that it was appalling and downright
destined for the 'Dawson's Creek' generation and no one else. In fact,
this could have been a 'Dawson's Creek' episode where people would say:
"Wow, how bizarre. I never thought I would ever see an episode like
this".....much in the same way that fans of 'The X-Files' re-acted when
they saw their first humour episode of the show.....the only difference
is that 'The X-Files' is usually brilliant and is certainly landmark
television. I wanted to see this film eagerly because, allegedly, it is
based on fact, however loosely. It's an intriguing premise. A group of
ivy league freshmen at a prestigious American university take a vow and
become members of a secret society which amounts to little more than
selling you soul to the devil. The cars, the cash, the women and the
political connections make you almost untouchable. The seductive aspect
of these creature comforts is stamped with a hot branding mark on your
body in the form of a skull that makes you a distinct member of the
society. There is also the hidden crypt where meetings take place, a
wrist watch in the form of a skull and a code of conduct guide in the
form of a pocketbook that you are to keep in your possession at all
times. The movie alleges that three former presidents of the United
States are members and the real life curiosity of the media prompted
them to ask a former president and his son if they're former members.
Joshua Jackson of television's 'Dawson's Creek' is Luke McNamara, a
young man with a seemingly bright future who gets more than he bargains
for when he joins a secret society with all the trappings mentioned in
the above paragraph. Luke's closest friends in life are his girlfriend
Chloe (Leslie Bibb) and his best buddy Will (Hill Harper). Luke makes
friends and a fresh face in his life is Caleb Mandrake (Paul Walker).
Caleb's father Judge Litten Mandrake (Craig T. Nelson) is a reigning
power within the skulls and welcomes new members with the aid of
Senator Ames Levritt (William Petersen) and the university provost,
Lombard (Christopher McDonald). As I was watching this film I was
reminded of how some film makers bite off more than they can chew. This
film is the perfect Saturday night popcorn movie rental when it comes
to home video where a group of teenage girls will gather around their
television and swoon over the two young male leads. Fine, but what
about something for the rest of us. This film is also unintentionally
funny to the worst extent. It constantly looks like the actors are
trying to pull off dramatic situations and they keep tripping over
themselves and can't find the whirlwind of success in pulling it off.
Director Rob Cohen who made a startlingly brilliant television movie
for HBO in 1998 entitled 'The Rat Pack' which captured perfectly the
lives of entertainers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and
Peter Lawford, is at the head of 'The Skulls'. Cohen also made a fine
bio pic of martial arts legend Bruce Lee in 1993 entitled 'Dragon: The
Bruce Lee Story' and Cohen has a knack for capturing the nostalgia of a
certain period with fluid filming and a brisk pace to shower audiences
with entertainment. He should have seen the light at the end of the
tunnel here. Writer John Pogue's screenplay is like a blister driving
you mad. You keep hoping the pain will go away but it only gets worse.
The climax tries to usher in an old fashioned way for gentlemen to
settle their differences but you can rent Stanley Kubrick's 'Barry
Lyndon' to see it done in a much better fashion. It's also a climax
(again, unintentionally funny) where you don't care one bit about what
happens to the characters. I was actually sitting there with my eyes
closed and my hand in front of my face and glancing up every few
seconds because it was so bad and now I guess I'll tell you how I
REALLY felt about the movie! : - ) Oh, well, with a film this bad, we
at least know that given the treatment by this motion picture that if
this type of thing does exist in real life, we know the perpetrators
are definitely safe! But there is no safe part of this movie which will
make you attack the movie theatre's cashier in an attempt to get your
money back. Visit FILM FOLLOW-UP by Walter Frith
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