PHONE BOOTH MOVIE REVIEW
Most of the 81 minutes of the psychological thriller Phone Booth (2002) takes place in, you guessed it, a phone booth. It tells the intense story of a self-centered, arrogant publicist named Stuart Shepard who goes to a phone booth in the middle of a busy street in New York, just like he always does at the same time every day, only to find out this is no ordinary day. Suddenly, the phone starts ringing and Stu picks up the phone, and on the other end is a very creepy voice saying “Isn’t it funny? You hear a phone ring and it could be anybody. But a ringing phone has to be answered, doesn’t it?”. From the moment Stu picks up the phone, Stu is trapped. Trapped in a seemingly endless game that the mysterious Caller is controlling. You see, if Stu hangs up the phone, the Caller will shoot him from one of the many buildings surrounding the phone booth. Stu must do everything the Caller tells him to do, or else this call will be his last. Colin Farrell has always been a terrific actor, and although I havn’t seen many movies from him, this is the best performance I’ve seen from him. He nails the American accent like always, and also establishes Stu as a fully realized, believable character. He is charming, funny, and great at playing complete a-holes. One of the best aspects about Phone Booth is seeing Stu’s tranformation from the arrogant wise-cracking guy that thinks the Caller is just one of his failed actors trying to get revenge on him, to becoming completely taken over by fear and desperation, willing to do anything to survive. All leading up to the films best scene, where Stu finally breaks down and Farrell gets to shine. The fact that Farrell performed this entire scene, the most intense scene of the movie, in his first take, makes him that much better of an actor. Since the entire movie takes place in real time, we get to see and hear every second of this juicy conversation which takes nearly an hour and a half, but never siezes to entertain. And wow is this movie entertaining! From the first word the Caller says to the last, the movie thrills the audience and builds up a ton of suspense. You really have no idea what the Caller will do or say next. And who better to be the Caller than Kiefer Sutherland? He was perfect for the role. Even though you only hear his voice and never even find out his name, the Caller is such a great character and Kiefer Sutherland gives him the sick sense of humor and the creepy, sadistic, and calm voice that sends shivers down your spine. The Caller ends up saying most of the dialogue, but all of it is great. Also, the cinematography is immaculate, keeping everyones attention and having great extended shots with no cuts. The voice of the Caller is also very clear and loud, which gives the audience the sense that they are actually on the phone with him instead of Stu. Which makes it even more intense. The script is great and manages to be original and the premise is interesting. Phone Booth is an incredibly entertaining intense psychological thriller, and it will make you stop and think: the next time you make a call, who is gonna be watching?
4/5 stars
BEASTLY MOVIE REVIEW
In Beastly, Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is an arrogant, wealthy, narcissistic, and good-looking teenager that believes looks are undoubtedly more important than anything else. When he embarrasses and publicly humiliates a strange and creepy looking girl named Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), she plots her revenge. Little does he know, Kendra is secretly a witch, and eventually she curses him, making him as unpleasant on the outside as he is in the inside. Kyle is transformed into a bald, grotesque human being with scars and tattoos covering nearly every inch of his body. Kendra tells him he has one year to find someone that falls in love with him, or stay like that forever. Neglected and forgotten, he is placed in a private condo by his father, living with a maid (Lisa Gay Hamilton) and a blind tutor (Neil Patrick Harris). But, over time, Kyle begins to fall for Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens). So, will Lindy fall for Kyle? Will Kyle eventually turn back to normal, and the curse be broken? Will he stop being a complete a-hole? Well come on, lets not pretend we don’t know how this movie will end. Even if you haven’t seen Beauty and the Beast, the timeless classic which Beastly is blatantly a modernized version of, this movie will still be predictable. However, Beastly feels more like another standard teenage romance than a modern Beauty and the Beast. But that isn’t the problem. First of all, Kyle is extremely unlikable. I know he is supposed to be a complete douche in the beginning, but Alex Pettyfer plays him without any charm. The few moments that he does display some charisma is overshadowed simply by how much of an a-hole Kyle is. The character development of Kyle is also not well-done at all. You never get the sense that he is really separate from the world in any way. Also the fact that all the characters seem to treat the way Kyle looks as not unnatural at all, doesn’t help. But, Alex Pettyfer can do a pretty solid American accent. So kudos to him. Hudgens as Lindy is simply ok, Neil Patrick Harris is likeable and amusing (like always) as the blind tutor, and take away the pointless Jamiacan maid and you have the only interesting character of the movie: Kendra. The Olsen twin actually did a good job as the creepy, eccentric witch, which is weird because I’ve never thought of her as having talent. The problem is that the movie doesn’t spend enough time on her character. By the end, the audience knows close to nothing about her. None of the main characters are interesting enough for you to be engaged in. The dialogue has a few witty moments, and the script isn’t even that bad. It was just executed poorly, and I even found the soundtrack annoying and sometimes it played songs at the worst moments, ruining the tone in some scenes. Not to mention the extremely sappy/cheesy/cliche moments. This movie can be enjoyable, but mostly by teenage girls who went to watch Beastly to see Alex Pettyfer shirtless. And I can’t blame them. Also, I find it ironic how a movie that has a central message about how true beauty is on the inside, has a lot of time devoted to how good-looking all the characters are, including Kyle when he is still a beast. Even the Jamaican house maid isn’t particularly ugly. But thats Hollywood for ya. So you might like this movie if you are a teenage girl, but if you aren’t, just think of Beastly as Beauty and the Beast, but without any of the magic.
2.5/5 Stars
(Source: coleslaws)
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