(2011) ****
Don't let the boring picture fool you. The unique and unpredictable The Caller is quite the yarn. JPX already wrote a perfect plot summary that bears no repeating so please read his review first. And while you're at it read Crystal Math's too. When you're done, let's meet back down below this picture and I'll give you the Johnny Sweatpants hot scoop!
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| Admittedly there aren't many exciting pictures to choose from. I'll make it up to you with an amusing picture of Gabe Kotter. |
Welcome back. What were we talking about? Oh right, The Caller. I dug the imaginative way the setup pitted two people from different decades against each other. Who would win in a past vs. present showdown? At first it appears as though crazy Rose from '79 has the clear advantage with her ability to affect the future. She could easily take out Mary as an innocent child or murder her loved ones. But that's not really Rose's style. She doesn't set out to kill people, her mental illness just leads to petty vindictiveness and that's when bad things happen. On the other side we have Mary representing the 'one-one. She can exploit her knowledge of the future to lure Rose into catastrophic situations such as an inferno in a bowling alley. It unfolds masterfully.
JPX criticized Mary’s behavior as unrealistic, and stated that all she had to do was unplug the phone or change the number to resolve the conflict. I didn’t see it that way. By the time Mary realized that Rose was dangerously unstable, unplugging the phone was no longer a viable option. Rose had already demonstrated was she was capable of and Mary provided plenty of personal information that Rose could use as ammunition against her. If she didn't pick up then Rose could, say, chop a toe off of her child self. And while I’m picking on JPX, he also ridicules Mary for instantly believing that Rose is calling from the past but in his first paragraph he states that Mary initially dismisses her claim. So which is it, Boom Boom?
Anyway this one is pretty sweet and I'd recommend it to everyone on the blog.
4 comments:
What I liked about this film was the way it got my mind wondering about the possibilities. I like films that make me think, nice review.
He's got a paper airplane in his hair! Gang violence is hilarious!
Another intriguing review for what sounds like another movie I must check out. Maybe she can bribe the past lady with lucrative stock tips!
I'm going to have to start making my list now for 2013 - this one will be on it!
I so glad you dug this! It was an unexpected surprise. The true horror of Mary's situation unfolds slowly. It's an unpredictable story with some great payoff.
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