Fred�s No Clue Movie Review

"Phone Booth"
Directed by Joel Schumacher

        Sorry, that I haven�t had anything new up in awhile.  I�ve been busy editing my short film, Special Night.  I can�t wait to show it to everyone. 

        In the meantime, I decided to distract myself with a movie.  I�ve been excited to see Phone Booth.  I really liked the concept.  A guy gets a phone call in a phone booth, and it just happens to be from a sniper who is going to shoot him, unless he does a few things for him.  That�s the plot.  If that doesn�t intrigue you, I don�t know what will.  This is a taut fast paced thriller of a movie.  I highly recommend it. 

        The cast is headlined by Colin Farrell, who plays Stu Shepard, a publicist that will lie to just about anyone to get what he wants.  He does a fine job and is a believable New Yorker.  He displays intensity, attitude, and vulnerability.  He is quickly proving to me, that he�s an actor with a wide range.  Strangely enough, while watching this movie, I thought of him as playing a young Pacino type of character.  He recently played opposite Pacino in the movie, The Recruit.  This movie isn�t as slick or Hollywood glossy as The Recruit, and I�m glad about that.  Although he�s joined by many supporting players including Forrest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Kiefer Sutherland, and Radha Mitchell (from the film Pitch Black), this movie is almost all Farrell.

        The movie, which was shot quickly and on a small budget by Hollywood standards, is a fast film to watch.  There is absolutely no time to be bored.  Joel Schumacher, who has made huge budget movies like Batman Forever and A Time to Kill, must have had a lot of fun with this movie.  After watching the credits, I saw that they shot 4 cameras at a time on this film.  This allows Schumacher to get tons of angles and keeps the cutting at a frenetic pace.  It also must have been a logistical nightmare trying to get all those folks on the same page.  A challenge I�m sure, but one I�m positive many of us would love to have.  I think Schumacher acquits himself nicely here and proves that even though he makes big glossy popcorn movies, that he can also hunker down and just tell a great story.

        This is a movie that is definitely fun to watch and worth paying the money for.  It�s quick and thrilling to watch.  It�s also a great story.  It�s simple in the plot, but the characters seem to have many layers to them and you continue to discover things about them as the story unfolds.  I applaud any big filmmaker who wants to take back a little control, spend less money and still churn out a good flick.  Go see it already and let me know what you think.   

For more information visit http://www.phoneboothmovie.com/

Got comments?  Suggestions?  I�d love to hear them.

email me at no.clue@indenation.com

come back soon, until then, i�ll be at the movies...

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