The Curve
Encyclopedia
The Curve is a 1998
thriller starring Matthew Lillard
, Keri Russell
and Michael Vartan
. It is also known as Dead Man's Curve, but was changed to The Curve to avoid confusion with the film Dead Man on Campus
, a comedy
with a similar Pass by catastrophe
premise about two college roommates who try to get another to commit suicide.
In the UK and Australia it was released as Dead Man's Curve.
), Tim and Chris plot to kill Rand and make it look like suicide. After the suicide, Rand's girlfriend Natalie (The roommate of Chris' girlfriend Emma) is distraught and commits suicide as well. The story takes several plot twists as each persons motives come to light and the truth is revealed.
The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival
but then went directly to video.
music supervised the film (credited as Pajama Party Productions). Prior to the start of filming, they made a mix tape of music they were considering for the film. Each actor was given the tape as background to their characters. When editor Glen Garland was putting together the first edit of the film he used music from this mix tape as temp. Many of the songs ended up in the final film.
A song based soundtrack album featuring songs from Dead Man's Curve/The Curve was released in Japan only through Toho Records.
A soundtrack album featuring music from Dead Man's Curve/The Curve was released in North America through Chromatic Records.
The US soundtrack album featured 14 tracks from score composer Shark
, plus the opera piece, "Aria from La Wally
", and the songs "Die" by Starbelly, "Bela Lugosi's Dead
" by Bauhaus
and "Wake Up Sad (remix)" by Wild Colonials
.
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
thriller starring Matthew Lillard
Matthew Lillard
Matthew Lyn Lillard is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his roles as Stu Macher in Scream, Stevo in SLC Punk , and Shaggy Rogers in the Scooby-Doo film series and the Animated reboot series.-Early life:Lillard was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Tustin, California...
, Keri Russell
Keri Russell
Keri Lynn Russell is an American actress and dancer. After appearing in a number of made-for-television films and series during the mid-1990s, she came to fame for portraying the title role of Felicity Porter on the series Felicity, which ran from 1998 to 2002, and for which she won a Golden Globe...
and Michael Vartan
Michael Vartan
Michael S. Vartan is a French-American film and television actor. He is probably best known for the role of Michael Vaughn on the American television action drama Alias...
. It is also known as Dead Man's Curve, but was changed to The Curve to avoid confusion with the film Dead Man on Campus
Dead Man on Campus (film)
Dead Man on Campus is a 1998 comedy film starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tom Everett Scott. It centers on the urban legend that a student gets straight A's if his or her roommate commits suicide...
, a comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
with a similar Pass by catastrophe
Pass by catastrophe
Pass by catastrophe refers to any number of popular urban legends in academia claiming that if some particular catastrophic event occurs, students whose performance could have been affected by the event are automatically awarded passing grades on the grounds that there would then be no way to...
premise about two college roommates who try to get another to commit suicide.
In the UK and Australia it was released as Dead Man's Curve.
Plot
The story follows Tim, Chris and Rand who are campus roommates. After hearing of a school policy, which says that anyone whose roommate commits suicide gets an automatic 4.0 GPA (see: Pass by catastrophePass by catastrophe
Pass by catastrophe refers to any number of popular urban legends in academia claiming that if some particular catastrophic event occurs, students whose performance could have been affected by the event are automatically awarded passing grades on the grounds that there would then be no way to...
), Tim and Chris plot to kill Rand and make it look like suicide. After the suicide, Rand's girlfriend Natalie (The roommate of Chris' girlfriend Emma) is distraught and commits suicide as well. The story takes several plot twists as each persons motives come to light and the truth is revealed.
The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
but then went directly to video.
Soundtrack
Writer/Director Dan Rosen and score composer SharkShark (musician)
Shark, a Los Angeles-based musician, film composer, radio host, and is a founding member and guitarist for American alternative band Wild Colonials. He also records under the name Shark and Co..-Big Bam Boo:...
music supervised the film (credited as Pajama Party Productions). Prior to the start of filming, they made a mix tape of music they were considering for the film. Each actor was given the tape as background to their characters. When editor Glen Garland was putting together the first edit of the film he used music from this mix tape as temp. Many of the songs ended up in the final film.
A song based soundtrack album featuring songs from Dead Man's Curve/The Curve was released in Japan only through Toho Records.
A soundtrack album featuring music from Dead Man's Curve/The Curve was released in North America through Chromatic Records.
The US soundtrack album featured 14 tracks from score composer Shark
Shark (musician)
Shark, a Los Angeles-based musician, film composer, radio host, and is a founding member and guitarist for American alternative band Wild Colonials. He also records under the name Shark and Co..-Big Bam Boo:...
, plus the opera piece, "Aria from La Wally
La Wally
La Wally is a four-act opera by Alfredo Catalani, composed on a libretto by Luigi Illica, and first performed at La Scala, Milan on 20 January 1892....
", and the songs "Die" by Starbelly, "Bela Lugosi's Dead
Bela Lugosi's Dead
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" is a gothic rock song written by the band Bauhaus. The song was the band's first single, released in August 1979, and is often considered to be the first gothic rock record released. It did not enter the UK charts. The b-side features the song "Boys" and some versions also...
" by Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
and "Wake Up Sad (remix)" by Wild Colonials
Wild Colonials
Wild Colonials are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1992 by Angela McCluskey , Shark , Paul Cantelon , Scott Roewe and Ian Bernard...
.
Cast
- Matthew LillardMatthew LillardMatthew Lyn Lillard is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his roles as Stu Macher in Scream, Stevo in SLC Punk , and Shaggy Rogers in the Scooby-Doo film series and the Animated reboot series.-Early life:Lillard was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Tustin, California...
- Tim - Michael VartanMichael VartanMichael S. Vartan is a French-American film and television actor. He is probably best known for the role of Michael Vaughn on the American television action drama Alias...
- Chris - Randall BatinkoffRandall BatinkoffRandall Matthew Batinkoff is an American actor.Batinkoff was born in Monticello, New York and was raised on an egg farm near Ferndale, New York...
- Rand - Keri RussellKeri RussellKeri Lynn Russell is an American actress and dancer. After appearing in a number of made-for-television films and series during the mid-1990s, she came to fame for portraying the title role of Felicity Porter on the series Felicity, which ran from 1998 to 2002, and for which she won a Golden Globe...
- Emma - Dana DelanyDana DelanyDana Welles Delany is an American film, stage, and television actress, producer, host and health activist.After various roles in the early career, Delany garnered her first leading role in 1987 in the short-lived NBC sitcom Sweet Surrender and achieved wider fame in 1988–1991 as Colleen McMurphy...
- Dr Ashley - Tamara Craig Thomas - Natalie
- Anthony Griffith - Detective Shipper
- Bo Dietl - Detective Amato
- Kevin RufKevin RufKevin Ruf is an American actor and comedian. He recently starred in the Comedy Central show Halfway Home as Kenny Carlyle, the house supervisor of a halfway house. He was the newsman in That Was The Week That Was on ABC's Primetime Live. He is also an attorney...
- Ernie - Kris McGahaKris McGahaKris McGaha is an American actress, comedian, and television program hostess. McGaha appeared on MTV's Loveline television show, co-hosting with Adam Corolla and Dr. Drew Pinsky.-Biography:...
- Renee
Crew
- Dan Rosen - Director/Writer
- Michael Amato - Producer
- Jeremy Lew - Producer
- Ted Schipper - Producer
- SharkShark (musician)Shark, a Los Angeles-based musician, film composer, radio host, and is a founding member and guitarist for American alternative band Wild Colonials. He also records under the name Shark and Co..-Big Bam Boo:...
- Music