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Phone Booth

Phone Booth

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $10.49
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It was different......
Review: I liked 'Phone Booth' but anyone could of played Colin Farells part. Although he does do a great job. The movie was some-what of a thriller, not really suspenseful, but very entertaining! A movie worth watching, just too much vulgar language for my tastes.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: "Hello, emergency, we have a dead one here!"
Review: Suspense thriller about a psychopath who terrorizes all those who are curious enough to answer his random calls at a phone booth.

Ferrel plays a pretentious agent who cheats on his girlfriend and lies to just about everyone else to make a buck. After unwittingly answering the psycopath's call at the phone booth, he becomes trapped into a continuous dialogue to save his life.

I give the director credit in that he's able to keep his audience nominally awake through the duration of the movie in which the action is centered almost entirely around one phone booth. The plot has so many fallacies, however, that was is all too unrealistic. The film makers obviously have no understanding of ballistics or police tactics in general. The world would be a scary place if our law enforcment agencies were really as stupid as those depicted in the movie.

Overall, a very boring unimaginative film with average acting.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Seeking Truth
Review: Phone Booth is an incredible pshychological drama in which Colin Farrell plays a shady publicist who learns a lesson about telling the truth and respecting people and their feelings when he steps into a phone booth in New York City and begins a long, scary conversation with a sniper. This sniper is ready and willing to shoot Farrell's character as well as anyone who gets in the way.

This is an excellent drama about how telling the truth can impact, and change, a person's life in so many ways. Colin Farrell, Forrest Whitaker, and Keifer Sutherland give great performances in this film.

I would highly recommend this film to anyone who wants to watch a movie that will leave you on the edge of your seat the entire time!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "If the movie is anything like the screenplay..."
Review: By reading the subject if this review, you have probably figured out that I have not seen the movie, but in fact, read the screenplay. I will admit here and now that it was well-written, a couple of mistakes made by David Cohen, but none that can't be overlooked. In it, there was never a "if you hang up, I will kill you", there was just continual mentions of "what are you going to do to me" and a few returns to the subject of a .30 Remington sniper rifle. The screenplay itself was suspenseful, and the sniper guy was more than creepy, but to be honest I didn't really get the "feel", if you will, when the sniper took out a spectator who continuously hovered over the phone booth.

Stuart, whom I know is portrayed by Colin Farrell (Daredevil, The Recruit), turned out to be somewhat of an @$$hole, cheating on two women with one another. The suspense doesn't build that high when the sniper threatens to take out both of Stu's women, who are standing a great distance from each other, because that sort of thing is typical in a "hold-up" movie if this calibre. However, the plot point that populates the area between pages 65 and 75 is excellent, and I think was an example of brilliant screenwriting. I give the screenplay 4 stars, and when I see the movie...well, we'll just have to wait and see.

P.S. Might I recommend the book SCREENPLAY by Syd Field if you're ever interested in writing screenplays.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Colin Farrell
Review: Colin Farrell was remarable in the lead role - his range of emotion was superb. He deserves recognition for this. Forrest Whittaker - a great actor- has done better work. His role was too limiting for him to show what he can so well do, ie act. Kiefer Sutherland, although not a big on screen presence, was convincingly ominous as only he can be . Good movie

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Brisk, tight thriller provides a suspenseful ride
Review: Larry Cohen wrote this with Hitchcock in mind. Unfortunately, Family Plot became Hitch's last film and shortly there after Hitch died. While it is pleasant and diverting, there's no telling what Hitch might have come up with as he worked with Cohen on this thriller. COuld it have been another North by Northwest or another Rope? It's difficult to say. Sadly, we'll never know what potential Hitch could have found in this script.

The premise is promising; Colin Farrell plays an oily PR man who uses his cellphone as his weapon. He thrusts and parries as if it is a sword picking on a wide variety of both suspecting and unsuspecting villans. The predator is preying on creatures of a like mind.

The one person he doesn't use his cellphone to call is the young actress he is trying to seduce. He's been using the same payphone everyday to speak to his potential conquest so his wife won't spot the unfamilar calls on his bill. An unseen sniper played to perfection by Keifer Sutherland has been following Farrell's character. On a day he knows Farrell will use the phonebooth, he stakes it out with a high powered rifle. He's become judge and jury for a man he finds morally wanting. His threat is simple; Farrell has to confess to his wife that he has been planning to cheat on her and the sniper will let him go. Farrell can't do it. Instead, he harrassed by hookers who use the phone regular; mistaken as a murderer by the police when someone is killed by the sniper and trapped in the phonebooth. If he tries to leave without completing what's been asked of him, the sniper will kill him.

Director Joel Schumaker (Batman Forever, Tigerland, A Time to Kill)creates a suspenseful thriller using what is, essentially, a rewrite of Cohen's own God Told Me To. His use of split screen is similar to Brian DePalma's best work (particularly the underrated Blow Out and Carrie). This technique isn't particularly new revolutionary. I see someone has made reference to the television series 24 and its use of this technique. It's an approach that hasn't been used much in film over the last decade and the adoption of it for television gave an edgy quality to 24. It also works in Phonebooth as well. Schmaker keeps it interesting by giving multiple angles of the same event, breaking up the splitscreen almost as if it was a picture-in-picture mode on a television. It generates suspense even in the less credible scenes of the film.

While Cohen's script is a tad bit predictable (particular as it winds down to its conclusion), the first 40 minutes are fresh and vibrant. Partially that's due to the director and the script but a lot of that energy is injected into the thriller by Farrell's corrosive PR guy. He inhabits the character brilliantly (I had to chuckle during the scene where he gives the police officer tickets to see Britney Spears and tells the officer to "give her my love" art imitating life or vice verse?).

The performances by most of the male characters are very good to outstanding. Katie Holmes plays the potential love interest for Farrell and her role is a thankless one. She doesn't have all that much to do during the first half of the film than talk back to the villan on the phone.

Screenwriter Richard Walter once told me that there's nothing more boring than a scene with a character on a telephone. To give Cohen, Schumaker and Farrell credit they almost get away with using this one-trick poney to create a credible suspense film. While Schumaker's a talented director, he's no Hitchcock or Spielberg. Hitchcock would have found something to make the story more interesting and come up with a character that we actually care for that we don't totally respect. Still, I have to give Schumaker high marks for tackling such a limited movie; the restrictions placed on him during much of the movie are somewhat similar to those that Hitch placed on himself with Rope (although to be fair, much of what we see in Phonebooth takes place away from Farrell's character. We're able to "see" this because the characters are speaking to other characters on the phone).

Phonebooth would have made an interesting and very good B movie. It's a bit underwhelming as an A movie. The extra money spent on projects like this can actually work against the project.

The transfer to DVD is very good. The sound is outstanding. The extras are a bit on the slim side given all the extra room on this disc but quite interesting. Farrell's performance and Schumaker's direction make this a much more interesting project than it might have been in lesser hands. While the concept is stretched out too long and hasn't dated all that well (how likely is it that his wife would find single out the phone number of the girl Farrell's trying to seduce given all the people he calls multiple times during the day?), Cohen and Schumaker make a game attempt to update it. There was a comment in somebody else's review about how this would have made an interesting Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode. That's slighting the effort that went into this project. In the right hands and in another era, Phonebooth would have worked very well as a feature film. It's the wrong movie for the wrong era.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Intense
Review: Phone Booth is easily one of the most intense 80 minutes in film history. Word to the wise, never pick up a ringing public telephone.

THE STORY:

Stu Shephard (Colin Farrell) is a Manhattan publicist guilty of a few things: being a somewhat dishonest businessman and lustfully fawning after a young actress, Pamela (Katie Holmes) despite being married. Little does he know that someone's been watching him lust after Pam. When Stu enters his Manhattan phone booth to talk to Pam (as has been his ritual) he's taken hostage by a psychotic sniper (Kiefer Sutherland) who's determined to make "bad men" repent for their unrighteous actions. Things go from bad to worse for Stu when he's accused of shooting a street pimp from the booth and the swat team arrives to take him into custody. Unfortunately for him, the sniper won't let him leave the booth till he confesses his sins.

THE COOL THINGS:

It amazes me that the entire movie takes place on a street corner in a phone booth - all 80 minutes of this movie. It amazes me further that the movie manages to remain engaging and enthralling. The suspense maintained by the movie is very reminiscent of Sutherland's other current big profile work, namely 24.

The sniper character voiced by Sutherland is easily the highlight of the movie. The sniper is obviously a psychotic stalker and killer. However, he is also at the same time an avenging angel with an odd sense of justice.

BEST SCENES:

Well, quite honestly, the whole movie is basically one big scene at the phone booth. At a brisk 80 minutes the movie moves along at a brisk pace and is quite honestly one big thrill ride.

THE DVD FEATURES:

Not much to write home about here. For the DVD you get the now standard director's commentary (great listen) plus the theatrical trailer for the movie.

THE VERDICT:

At a short 80 minutes "Phone Booth" is perfect viewing - a quick but intense thrill ride. Think of it like a quick high, it doesn't last very long but is worth every minute.

Highly Recommended

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Go see The Recruit with Pacino and Farrell
Review: MY REVIEW IS AS LONG AS THE MOVIE:
Colin Farrell is the only reason I am even giving 'Phone Booth' one star because it was for one way to short! But hey at least I didn't have enough time to think about walking out or falling asleep. And for two the acting sucked! Then again that's just me, if you wanna see a good movie with Colin Farrell see 'Tigerland' or 'The Recruit'.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: great movie potential - too much vulgar language
Review: Now for what I look for in a movie and how this one delivers. Sound: 5 stars - Wonderful surround sound on the unique way they delivered conversation between individuals on the phone. Main character talks on center channel and people he is talking to respond on different channels. This was a unique presentation with picture in picture delivery. Would call this a reference dvd for speaker placement vocal sound. Story: 5 stars Unique, exiting, and different. Acting: 4 stars-very good. Language: 1 star - Jacket says language is perverse. Believe it. If you like this kind of real on-the-street type of language, then you will be happy. Whatever happened to making a great movie without the need for gutter language? Cannot show this movie to kids, moms, and the little old lady next door. I must give this movie 4 stars but because of language will be a movie I would never recommend.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well, hell. I really liked it.
Review: Phone Booth has gotten mixed reviews, ... but ..., I really liked it. Yeah, it could have been cut, with perhaps the saved time being used to develop further the relationship with the mistress [hopeful] and with the wife. But still. I was on the edge of my seat each time that creepy voice on the other end of the line chuckled and commanded the poor guy to reach for the gun overhead. Although the tension was high, the end was predictable - but if for nothing else, the movie is worth watching just for the scenes with the hookers who want that guy OUT of the phone booth.
Four stars.


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