Post by Mr.HoRrOr on Sept 13, 2011 18:15:32 GMT -5
Plot:When a troubled divorcee named Mary Kee begins to receive mysterious phone calls from an unknown caller she quickly begins to feel haunted in her own home. When she discovers that the person is calling from the past, Mary realizes that she will have to kill her in order to survive but how do you kill someone living in the past and what will happen if she fails?
Cast:
Rachelle Lefevre
Stephen Moyer
Luis Guzman
My Thoughts:But...the phone keeps ringing!
Review:"The Caller", is a supernatural genre film from director Matthew Parkhill. The movie follows a divorcee named Mary Kee. Who moves to a new apartment. But is soon acosted by a series of bizarre phone calls. From an older woman who as time goes on, becomes more and more aggresive with her calls. And tone of voice. Soon, Mary begins to feel terrified within her own home.
Especially when the female caller begins to tell Mary things about her apartment that only someone who's been inside it before would know. Now, Mary must unravel this mystery before it's too late. The big mystery of "The Caller" is, why is this woman calling Mary? Who is she? And what does she want? The big mystery to me, as a viewer though was...what exactly did this movie want to be? It starts off interestingly enough.
The tension is built through very dark and shadowy directing. And the phone calls have a subtle, haunting quality to them. But as the film goes on, it starts to take on the personalities of the A-typical, ghostly, horror/thriller picture. Films where the big twist at the end is, the main character is already dead. Already a ghost walking the earth, etc. This film had a good thing going, with the characters that never really seemed threatening or like they could be behind the calls.
And Rachelle Lefevre puts on a decent performance as Mary Kee. The picture also throws in a small but useful supporting cast in veteran Luis Guzman, and "True Blood" star Stephen Moyer. But in reality, it's a movie that really builds up well like a stove-top popcorn package. And once that package reaches critical mass (a full puff), it then explodes to reveal air. Instead of popcorn. In some cruel twist of fate, that's what this film is like. It has a lot going for it in the beginning, middle, and even third act. But once it gets to its ending, its big reveal.
The period at the end of the sentence. It's a total crash and burn. This movie plays on many different themes. Time travel, the supernatural, and the resurrection of the dead. All of which you hope, are the end all be all. Once this film reaches its disappointing climax. And its a shame because the movie has some decent character interaction, good dialogue, very tense and suspense-filled moments. And even some genuinely creepy moments.
Especially involving the disturbing phone calls. The movie is a very nice psychological game of cat-and-mouse. Between Mary, and this mystery caller. Who at first, calls Mary's house looking for her boyfriend. Then later on, she believes Mary is lying to her about not knowing her boyfriend or where her boyfriend is. And then later on, her and Mary grudgingly become friends. In a twisted, hostage-taker kind of way.
But then finally, the woman uses their new found common ground to terrorize Mary. And Mary, psychologically and mentally...begins to reach her wits-end with the woman. But also in the back of her mind, and deep in her soul. Finds the womans cals and intrusion, very frightening. Even if this movie had went with a more traditional or cliche finale. I would've been ok with that. But the film instead decides to go with an easy-way-out ending. One of the most annoying ways you could end a movie in this particular vein.
The supernatural/thriller/suspense/horror mash-up genre. It seems that everytime one of these hybrid films comes out. I try and have hope for it. And then it slaps me in the face with a trashy ending which feels and looks like the way films number 1-400. Within this same hybrid subgenre, have themselves, concluded. I just wish the filmmakers had taken more imagination with the ending. And most of all, more sense. The way this thing concluded was just ridiculous and cheap.
And while it fits with the story perfectly from a continuity point of view...it doesn't bring enough courage and freshness to the table. Overall, "The Caller"...has some very strong, solid, and good moments. But most of that is wiped out and or crushed by such an ambiguous and lazily-done ending. It's not a total and complete waste, but it's far from good thanks to how things conclude.
Positives:Strong 1st, 2nd, and even half-3rd acts. Lefevre, Moyer, and Guzman give good performances. The phone call scenes are good at building suspense and really get more intense as the film moves on.
Negatives:All of this good stuff builds up to an ending that just acts as a huge let down. It was a wizard of oz moment. Where this great and powerful thing, is revealed to be something small and disappointing at the end.
Overall:Two and a half stars out of four.