Phone Booth

Rating:
Summary: Excellent edge of your seat, eyes opened, thriller!
Review: I just got back from the theaters seeing this, and when I left, I was glad I saw it. It was awesome! Man, what a cool movie and an awesome idea. The idea of this movie is so original and kept my attention the whole time. Anyways, enough about me babbling on how awesome I thought this movie was.

The movie's main character Stuart Sheperd (Colin Farrell), is a acting agent, who basically doens't care about anyone but himself. That will soon change as he enters the phone booth and begins to have a creepy and haunting chat with Keifer Sutherland. The whole time Farrell is talking to Sutherland is incredible. You never see Sutherland which makes you feel like your actually talking to him on the phone. Your watching him in your mind as he loads the gun, aims it at Farrell, threatens him, and shoots anyone annoying him.

There were so many different obstacle that stood in Farrell's character's way, that would keep him alive or make him a dead man. You actually feel for the character and shout out to him on what to do to stay alive. The movie never left Farrell's character. The screen would simply get smaller and show different shots of other things going on around him. Forest Whitaker is basically the relief guy. The man that when he comes, you think everything is safe and calm.

I would also like to give props to Harry-Gregson Williams's score to this movie. The music was incredible and fit really well with the movie and the suspense. If you like movies with original ideas, movies with the road to super-stardom Colin Farrell, or you just like good thriller movies, then go out with your wife,boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever, and go see this immediately. Trust me, you'll enjoy.:-)

Rating:
Summary: Highly Enjoyable Thrill Ride
Review: 81 minutes flys by when you are watching this movie. Colin Farrel delivers his best performance of his short career so far, and Kiefer Sutherland does a believable voice on the other side of the phone without going too over the top. This movie is unique, suspensful, and a whole lotta fun. If your looking for a movie with some deep meaning look elsewhere, but if you want a quick thrill that will leave you with a smile on your face, see Phone Booth.

Rating:
Summary: Phone Booth
Review: I Just Saw This Movie. It Was A Great Action Packed Movie. I Loved It. I Recommend It To You. The Only Thing I Found Bad, Was That It Was Too Short To Me. It Was A Great Job Of Acting By Colin Farrell. The Movie Takes Place In A Phone Booth. It Is About A Psyco Raged Sniper On The Verge Of Killing People.

Rating:
Summary: An Original Suspense-Thriller
Review: With a fascinating premise, Phone Booth begins with some well-conceived New York City imagery, then taking viewers to the busy life of crude publicist Stu Shepard, played by Colin Farrell. After making a call to Pamela McFadden (Katie Holmes), who he is having an affair with, though she, quite innocently, does not know that Stu is actually married to his wife Kelly, Stu hears the phone booth ring, and he answers the phone. On the other line is a sniper who will shoot him if he hangs up or tells anyone. Soon, after the Caller proves his motive by gunning down a man ready to force Stu out of the booth, the authorities arrive.
A triumph in some fantastic photography and editing, Phone Booth is a modern example of the quick-cut editing seen in most trailers, but does it well. Split-screen technique is usefully inputted here, again displaying the quick pace of this man's life. A jolting, synthesized musical score accompanies the cinematography, and is at just the right level.
The movie is directed by Joel Schumacher, who handles the premise well, and written by Larry Cohen, whose dialogue is realistic. Stars Colin Farrell and Forest Whitaker, Captain Ramey of the NYPD, have a good screen presence that lasts the single-set suspense-thriller. It is Kiefer Sutherland, as the voice of the Caller, who menaces the characters and the viewers with his taunting, threatening tones, who really steals the show. His demands and hateful voice add to the movie.
However, the "urban reality" that the film provides is only stereotypical and clichéd. Teeming with break-dancers, prostitutes, and baseball-wielding pimps, the inner-city portrayal isn't quite believable, and the shouting prostitutes get really annoying. And while it lacks in a truly exciting finish, the film makes up for it with the tension throughout.

Rating:
Summary: Expected to Enjoy this.
Review: It has a sliver-thin beginning and a long, dull middle, then a sliver-thin ending. It's cartoonishly over-the-top, I could not take it seriously for a second.

Stu is a publicist who's mean, then he gets sniped at and changes heart in the end. Surprise.
That's it. I can't find enough enthusiasm to say more about the movie's plot.

Keifer Sutherland, who I like, played the sniper role, it was what would have made this film. If he didn't constantly try to play the dry-witted odd villain and gave him some unique personality, this might have been fun. It's not.

After this and the pathetically incompetent DareDevil, you might expect to see people asking for their money back after watching a Ferrell film. Do you know we pay over 10 dollars to see films in Canada? Think about that.
It's not that he is bad as an actor, he's good, but he's shown poor taste in selecting some roles.

It was an intriguing idea, but it was executed gimmicky and artlessly, mostly lacking entertainment and inspiration, which is always obvious to a viewer.

Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTING ENDING MARS OTHERWISE TENSE FILM
Review: A terrific idea for a movie. A guy answers a phone call from a phone booth he has just finished using. Turns out the caller is a sniper with a gun trained on him, and if poor phone booth user doesn't do everything he says, sniper will kill him or others.

Colin Farrell plays the "answerer." He's a fast-talking, oily PR guy who is totally self-absorbed, and also interested in making time with Katie Holmes, even though he already has a loving, attractive wife (Radha Mitchell). The sniper (voice VERY well by Kiefer Sutherland) knows all this, and basically wants to terrify and humiliate Farrell into confessing his sins to the world. The issue is complicated when the sniper shoots someone and Farrell is quickly surrounded by cops, who think he did it.

The movie, told in real time, builds in suspense very carefully, and it tight and mostly believable throughout. Farrell, who really has to be convincing if this film is going to work, does a great job. This may be the film that finally makes him the full-blown star he's been predicted to be ever since TIGERLAND. He's in the entire movie, every scene. Forest Whitaker, always an interesting casting choice, plays the policeman involved in trying to talk Farrell out of the phone booth. Everyone else in the film has a small part, and are mostly forgettable, although it was nice to see Mitchell again after her good work in PITCH BLACK.

The film is very tense throughout, and I was really going with it literally up to the last five minutes. The ending, however, is very rushed and feels anticlimactic. Also, the "evidence" the sniper leaves behind, if you think about it for even 30 seconds, is IMPOSSIBLE given the timeline of the movie. That's a fatal flaw that you don't even have to dig very deep to uncover. And the very ending of the movie, the final "sequence" if you will, is pretty lame.

The movie is only 81 minutes long, which is really too short for a full price movie. So check it out at a bargain matinee, enjoy the terrific first 73 minutes or so, and do what you can to forgive the final few minutes. The movie is rated R, mostly for some strong language, but the violence is not terribly graphic.

Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful, but...
Review: ...at times a little dull. For the most part, "Phone Booth" is a great movie, but some portions of it seemed awkward and forced. For instance, Forrest Whittaker's performance as the detective leading the police effort was a little off---he was too touchy-feely with all the talk of therapists and counseling.

Also, Stu wasn't such a bad guy, certainly no worse than any other PR guy. Sure, he has lustful thoughts about another woman and he put spin on every aspect of his life, but was he really worthy of this punishment? I think he could've been a much darker character with some truly horrible skeletons in his closet and it would've been a better film for it.

Rating:
Summary: Is it safe to use a public phone anymore?
Review: A ringing phone must be answered, right? Who is this sick caller and why did he choose Stu, a petty philanderer in thought only? The deep voice is so stupendous, at first you may think it is God.

No, it's not a remake of Dr. Who. Although the action takes place in a phone booth on 53rd Street between Broadway and Eighth, it's really not a low-budget, second-rate feature. To be precise, this fab actor walks a couple of blocks pretending to be important but in actuality is only a two-bit publicist, a fake.

One lousy phone call turns that booth into a bad dream as Stu is terrorized by an unknown caller, a deranged watcher who follows others' lives vicariously from his hotel room.

Colin Ferrell looks like a young Al Pacino in those dark glasses but does a dynamite acting job as that small space becomes his whole world, and he gets close to being pushed "over the edge." You can almost smell his fear (you can certainly feel it) as he is held hostage in that phone booth by a sniper and the police are merely bystanders.

One humorous episode is his encounter with the blonde prostitute. I don't usually appreciate facial hair on men, but it was cute on him. His Brooklyn-eze sounded funny for an Irish lad.

As he is forced to publicly recite a litany of his "crimes," this movie proves that all huumans make mistakes. His confession doesn't leave him with a clear conscience but the liar is turned into an honest man. A crafty one, he must humble himself; as we all know, t.v. brings out the worst in people. He realizes he has neglected what he should have valued the most. It has a soap opera ending.

In his new-found honesty, he realizes his weaknesses and is urged by this "voice" to use a gun already planted to put himself out of his misery and go out in a blaze of glory.

Could the demented watcher be the weird pizza deliverer -- you'll have to see the movie to know for sure. James MacDonald is good as Raymon.

Rating:
Summary: Phone Booth: A comment on Current Events
Review: The initial draw I had for this movie were its two leads: Colin Farrell (well, let's just say I like him, A LOT :-)) and Keifer Sutherland (I'm a big fan of 24). I did not even hear about this movie until I saw the trailer. Once I heard Keifer's voice, I knew I HAD TO SEE IT!
Once I read the reviews (and the subsequent information about it's original release date), my curiousity was doubly piqued. And I was not dissappointed. YES, there are a TON of plot loopholes and "what the heck"'s when you watch the movie, but if you take it for what it is, as it is, you're pretty much in for a good ride. Not only is it a critique of modern life (doing what you can to get to the top, keeping ALL options open, putting yourself before others), in the wake of CURRENT EVENTS, it is a critique on THOSE current events. Basically, 'Do things my way and you won't regret it, Oh wait, I've changed my mind, Do things my way and you will still have regrets". There are also slight overtones of Orwell's 1984 (Big Brother via Keifer's character). One of the most starling aspects of the film, other than the majority of it taking place in and around one phone booth on a seedy street corner in NYC, is the way the director has placed Keifer's voice. Even though you only get to see him for a few seconds in the whole film, his presence is NEVER in question. He is there, and the way Joel Schumacher dubbed in his voice, chills will go down your spine.
For those looking for a fluid, 'hole-less' film, skip this one. While I loved the film, there are a lot of holes that no one can pretend aren't there. If you are looking for a THRILLER, you better go see this one. And if you are looking for a good comment on modern times, then you better not miss this one.
Thanks
PEACE
scotty

Rating:
Summary: Easily the best film of 2003, so far...
Review: ...Well, I guess that isn't saying too much. Phone Booth is a suspense genre movie that is actually suspenseful! In only 88 minutes, Phone Booth managed to get me to the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Colin Farrel really displayed his ability to act. His character may not have been the perfect guy, but he still managed to make the viewer feel for him. With this movie, Kiefer Sutherland also managed to regain the top position as the scariest actor in Hollywood...with his voice alone! Joel Schumacher's directing was great. One might think having the whole movie take place in mostly a phone booth would be boring, but Joel managed to make the movie compelling and visually stimulating. The other actors were also great; although if you're a fan of Katie Holmes, she's in about two minutes of it. I would defintely recommend anyone to see, especially if the person has been hesitant about seeing thrillers due to the blatantly bad ones that have already come out, because Phone Booth delivers.