Black River (2001 film)
Encyclopedia
Black River is an American television movie
about a writer who comes upon the town of Black River, only to find that it will not let him leave. Based on a short story by Dean Koontz
, the film premiered July 6, 2001 on Fox
.
), recently unemployed and divorced, leaves Los Angeles hoping to find a place to start over. He enters an ordinary-looking town called Black River, and stops for lunch. However, after a disturbing encounter with one of the locals, he changes his mind and leaves. No sooner does he get out of town than his cell rings. The unidentified caller admonishes him for his unpleasantness. Moments later, he is pulled over and arrested; it seems that his car was listed as stolen. By the time the mess is straightened out, his car has been towed out of town, requiring him to reluctantly spend the night in town.
At the same time, another new arrival shows up. Her name is Laura Crosby, and it seems that she is the long-lost sister of one of a local waitress. Laura and Bo become friendly, but Bo receives a call that night in his hotel room, warning him to stay away from her. Later on, the local who harassed Bo (revealed to be an abusive drunk) has a mysterious and fatal accident.
The next day, Bo goes to the police department to get his car, only to find it has been taken to a salvage yard and crushed. He tries to purchase a train ticket out, but the trains have all been diverted away from town. He then tries to purchase a used car, but his credit cards are declined, and his cash assets have been transferred to Black River's local bank and then frozen. While in the bank, he receives another mysterious phone call. the caller identifies himself as "Pericles", and admonishes Bo to give Black River a chance. When Bo responds angrily, the bank's electrical and alarm systems go berserk, sending him fleeing.
Bo attempts to hitchhike out of town, but the man who offers him a ride has a mysterious electrical fire in his car. Desperate, Bo attempts to flee on foot, but a laser beam comes out of the sky, forcing him to turn back. Now at the end of his rope, Bo barges into the town mayor's office and demands to know who "Pericles" is. The phone rings, and Pericles informs them that he is sending a car. This is actually a satellite-controlled vehicle (SCV), originally designed to be controlled by its owner's remote control, but now controlled by Pericles and autonomously roaming about the town. It delivers Bo to a local computer company.
The company's owner explains their recent project: to create an artificial intelligence
that can go anywhere in cyberspace. Such an entity would be able to see through any camera, hear and speak through any phone line, hack computers at will, and even control remotely accessed systems (like the SCV, or the orbital laser system that shot at Bo earlier). They thought that they had failed, but Bo realizes that they had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Now realizing that there is nowhere he can go where Pericles can't follow, Bo resigns himself to his situation. His assigned realtor shows him a lovely house, complete with a computer for writing, and even a dog virtually identical to his recently deceased pet.
A year later, it is revealed that Bo and Laura are now citizens in good standing of Black River, and still seeing each other (it seems that Pericles's prior admonishment was reverse psychology
). When another new arrival shows up, however, Bo slips him a note suggesting that if he wants to leave, he should do so quickly, which suggests that Pericles might not have him totally under its control.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
about a writer who comes upon the town of Black River, only to find that it will not let him leave. Based on a short story by Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz
Dean Ray Koontz is a prolific American author best known for his novels which could be described broadly as suspense thrillers. He also frequently incorporates elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. A number of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with...
, the film premiered July 6, 2001 on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
Synopsis
A writer called Boyd 'Bo' Aikens (Jay MohrJay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
), recently unemployed and divorced, leaves Los Angeles hoping to find a place to start over. He enters an ordinary-looking town called Black River, and stops for lunch. However, after a disturbing encounter with one of the locals, he changes his mind and leaves. No sooner does he get out of town than his cell rings. The unidentified caller admonishes him for his unpleasantness. Moments later, he is pulled over and arrested; it seems that his car was listed as stolen. By the time the mess is straightened out, his car has been towed out of town, requiring him to reluctantly spend the night in town.
At the same time, another new arrival shows up. Her name is Laura Crosby, and it seems that she is the long-lost sister of one of a local waitress. Laura and Bo become friendly, but Bo receives a call that night in his hotel room, warning him to stay away from her. Later on, the local who harassed Bo (revealed to be an abusive drunk) has a mysterious and fatal accident.
The next day, Bo goes to the police department to get his car, only to find it has been taken to a salvage yard and crushed. He tries to purchase a train ticket out, but the trains have all been diverted away from town. He then tries to purchase a used car, but his credit cards are declined, and his cash assets have been transferred to Black River's local bank and then frozen. While in the bank, he receives another mysterious phone call. the caller identifies himself as "Pericles", and admonishes Bo to give Black River a chance. When Bo responds angrily, the bank's electrical and alarm systems go berserk, sending him fleeing.
Bo attempts to hitchhike out of town, but the man who offers him a ride has a mysterious electrical fire in his car. Desperate, Bo attempts to flee on foot, but a laser beam comes out of the sky, forcing him to turn back. Now at the end of his rope, Bo barges into the town mayor's office and demands to know who "Pericles" is. The phone rings, and Pericles informs them that he is sending a car. This is actually a satellite-controlled vehicle (SCV), originally designed to be controlled by its owner's remote control, but now controlled by Pericles and autonomously roaming about the town. It delivers Bo to a local computer company.
The company's owner explains their recent project: to create an artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
that can go anywhere in cyberspace. Such an entity would be able to see through any camera, hear and speak through any phone line, hack computers at will, and even control remotely accessed systems (like the SCV, or the orbital laser system that shot at Bo earlier). They thought that they had failed, but Bo realizes that they had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Now realizing that there is nowhere he can go where Pericles can't follow, Bo resigns himself to his situation. His assigned realtor shows him a lovely house, complete with a computer for writing, and even a dog virtually identical to his recently deceased pet.
A year later, it is revealed that Bo and Laura are now citizens in good standing of Black River, and still seeing each other (it seems that Pericles's prior admonishment was reverse psychology
Reverse psychology
Reverse psychology is a technique involving the advocacy of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired, with the expectation that this approach will encourage the subject of the persuasion to do what actually is desired: the opposite of what is suggested...
). When another new arrival shows up, however, Bo slips him a note suggesting that if he wants to leave, he should do so quickly, which suggests that Pericles might not have him totally under its control.
Inconsistencies
On more than one occasion, Pericles demonstrates powers that it is unlikely that a being of its type could have, most notably the ability to levitate a garden hose (a decidedly low-tech device). Also, despite its apparent interest in keeping Bo in Black River, it harasses and abuses him unnecessarily on several occasions.Select cast
- Jay MohrJay MohrJay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
- Boyd 'Bo' Aikens - Lisa EdelsteinLisa EdelsteinLisa Edelstein is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for her role as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on the television drama House.-Early life and education:...
- Laura Crosby - Ann CusackAnn Cusack-Early life:Cusack was born in Brooklyn, New York, the sister of actors Joan, Bill, John and Susie. Her mother, Nancy, is a former mathematics teacher and political activist. Her father, Dick Cusack, was an actor, producer, and writer...
- Mandy Pruell