The Caller

These weird, gapless phone calls; this plastic artificiality; the completely unnatural emotional reactions: are these evidence that what we're witnessing is mental illness, something supernatural, or "just 80s movie things"? Only at this moment in history could that full range of possibilities exist. And that gamut is what's going to keep you gripped in the oddest possible way. You can never simply guess or second-guess what's going on, because you always know that in 80s cinema this could be a representation of something more mundane. From that possibility, many more can spring. Your mind becomes a field of spinning plates: perhaps it's a weird mating dance between people who've lost their spark, someone/everyone is a psychopath, someone/everyone has memory loss, the list goes on. You are absolutely never going to guess the twist, and how you react to that revelation will largely rest on how much you enjoyed the ridiculous build-up. If you allowed the campness to wash over you, the ending will be an absurd delight but if it was trying your patience then the ending is going to make you rage. There's something particularly adorable about the way this film clearly thinks it's playing a classy two-hander worthy of the stage. I mean, it's not. It's absolutely not. Awww, but bless its heart.

A woman waits for a friend to visit, she's prepared a meal, and gone to troubles to look great, she gets a knock on the door, but it's not her guest, it's a man who claims to have broken down, he asks to use her phone. Madolyn Smith Osborne and Malcolm McDowell are both very good in their respective roles, and credit to them, they really do deliver, they bounce off eachother well, when you consider it's just the two of them that's as well. After the stereotypical start.....it was a dark and stormy night... etc etc, I was expecting to slate this film, but to my total surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could well and truly imagine this playing out on stage in an intimate Theatre, this would work perfectly, on film it works just as well. I was imagining something along the lines of An Inspector calls, and I think that's what this reminds me of. Now I may be wrong, but in some scenes you can see a tank full of fish, and in others there aren't any. It's a little surreal, but I was super keen to learn how it ended, it was worth waiting for. Through enjoyed it. 8/10.

source: The Caller

"Sleuth" is one of those films where two characters talk and the dialogue is so intelligent that suspense grows logically up to an extraordinary outcome. Well, this film perhaps wanted to be an imitation of Sleuth but is not it; not by a long stretch. In The Caller the female character overacts histerically and yells for no reason, while the male behaves ridiculously most of the time, pretending to be sophisticated or exotic. Both fail miserably. After a few minutes we still don't know what could be the point of all that arguing and yelling, but we surely could appreciate that the dialogue is utterly artificial. Real people do not behave like them. Then it comes (out of the blue) the utterly utterly ridiculous sci-fi ending. The makers could have decided that one or both characters were in fact vampires, or zombies, or patients in an expensive madhouse, or it was all just a dream. It wouldn't matter: only far better screenwriting could have saved this monstrosity of a film but regrettably, the necessary talent wasn't there. Two hours wasted and viewers were insulted by the makers.

An undeservedly forgotten little feature by Empire Pictures. Where has this one been hiding? Instead of relying heavily on special effects, 'The Caller' sticks to an audaciously thought-provoking screenplay and confidently notable performances by its only two, but spellbinding cast members Malcolm McDowell and Madolyn Smith-Osborne. A young lady living in the woods waiting for her guest to arrive for dinner is being unknowingly watched. There's suddenly a knock at the door, but it's a mysterious man who wants to use her phone as his had a car accident. But what follows on from that leads to the two questioning each other's motives and the true meaning of their encounter. It would be an understatement if I called it strangely unconventional, as nothing seems quite what it is and due to that nature it's plain gripping. Watching the battle of wills and wits between McDowell and Smith is brought across with pure intensity, bold authenticity and a touch of sinisterness. As one thinks they have the upper hand, soon it comes crashing down, but the mind games still flow. The true intentions is mystifying on what's going on with these fabrications, up until the unhinged climax (where I can see why it could be a turn off or disappointment of some sort) that really does throw you of course and lands you back at square one. There's no-way any one can find this calculative fodder predictable. Michael Sloane's enduring story is cerebrally crafted as while it's talky, the twisty nature is well observed in its details of the plot and character's progression. The verbal confrontations rally up the unbearable tension and emotional drive. How it plays out is like something out of a stage show and Arthur Allan Seidelman's tautly measured direction lends to that magnifying atmosphere. You truly get the sense that there's on one else about, other then these two (nameless) characters. McDowell's quietly edgy turn is hypnotic and Smith's neurotically vulnerable persona is creditably delivered. Watching these two steadfast performances and their chemistry together was fantastic. The remote woodland setting adds to the isolated and uneasy style of the feature. Richard Band's score is minimal, but titillatingly subtle and eerie. An oddly disorientating and elaborate, if simulating addition to Empire Pictures.

So this a weird one... From moment to moment "The Caller" will not be what you expect and I challenge you to guess the surprise ending. I didn't, and I'm normally pretty good at that sort of thing. In this case, I didn't get it even with the hint that the movie is in the "sci-fi" genre. Hint, hint. Still won't help you though. This is a story about a woman apparently trapped in an isolated cabin or small town while being visited by a strange "caller" (McDowell). Comprised largely of dialog, I feel a staginess in this production that actually helps its atmosphere quite a bit. You'll watch like I did wondering when the "sci-fi" part will happen. Wait for it. It's worth the patience. Mostly.

This is a movie that really keeps you guessing all the way. I would like to point out a strange coincidence: while watching this (with some breaks) I also happened to watch some recap of Tesla's AI day event at the end of September where Elon Musk shows off Tesla's latest project, a humanoid AI robot with hands that really mimic human hands. I won't explain what this has to do with the movie in case you didn't see it yet, but I think it's a really funny coincidence, and maybe a bit scary. Anyway, regarding the movie, there are only two actors in the movie and it all takes place at some remote location in the woods. The dialogue and acting are superb and truly engaging. If you are looking for suspense, this is an excellent choice since there is plenty of it. The only thing with this movie is that you need to be prepared for a very unusual ending which may be a let down if you expect something else, which you probably would, because nobody could guess the ending, it comes totally out of left field. However the ending is what makes this movie truly unusual, as you might wish you watched it in reverse! In fact after watching the ending, I'm sure many would elect to watch the movie once again to observe how it all leads to that very unexpected and unusual ending. I think I will, and I don't really like to watch movies again since time is short and there are other movies to watch. Also I'd point out that due to the ending you'd think there would be a sequel (maybe that's what was intended) or that this was the start of a mini-series. I did enjoy watching, and that's what matters.

This movie is just weird for weird sake. At first, there is a strong buildup of tension between Malcolm McDowell and Madolyn Smith characters. Both characters are so suspicious and weird I'm not exactly sure who's the actual threat of this psychological thriller actually is. Then come the what in the world twist ending. You just wouldn't except this somewhat smart, gripping thriller suddenly swerve into a B movie madness, it completely switch genre. So the woman is a part of some experiment... but what is the purpose? Where is she? I think there is no logic to the ending, it just added to make your jaw drop. I do like this thriller but I won't watch it again, just to pick hints to figure the purpose of the twist ending. There is no purpose, no theme, no metaphor... this movie just want to be bizarre.

First of all, I wasn't fooled for a moment by the plot's suggestion that the caller and the woman living alone were supposedly strangers to each other. Their eye contact and body language gave them away, not to mention Malcom McDowell's immediate, overconfident attitude the moment Madolyn Smith Osborne first opened the door to him and how too gullibly she believed his story about his car breaking down. She didn't seem the least bit nervous as one would normally expect her to be. The old, familiar movie plot of a stranger asking to come into someone's home to use their phone has been done so often you'd think people would have wised up by now, based on the horrific reality of well-publicized home invasions. Why can't the homeowner simply say, "Just wait outside and I'll call the police (or towing company) for you."? Then make sure you lock the door! Personally, if I ever needed to get help, I'd simply shout out to anyone within range, "Please call 9-1-1! It's an emergency!". No need for me to request entry into someone else's house, thereby giving them a reason to suspect any ulterior motive on my part. That being said, if someone offers to help me in other ways, that's perfectly fine, but that's THEIR call. Regarding The Caller's plot: as the truly unlikely and increasingly bizarre dialog between the two "strangers" developed, I began to think that the REAL story might turn out to be either (1) McDowell, was actually a director employing a rough, "hands on" test of hopeful actress Osborne for a film he was casting, or (2) about an actual married couple engaging in a game of role-play whereby they pretend they don't know each other but want to have a bit of fun, so to speak, to relieve boredom. There is a particular movie (the name of which escapes me for the moment) that I had once seen where the lovely Carol Lynley opens her door to a "salesman" who, however, she's well-aware is her boyfriend, after which she lets him in and the "so, what can I do for you?" game progresses or deteriorates accordingly. I must admit, though, that the sci-fi ending to The Caller surprised me. Perhaps the writer and producer ran out of ideas and decided to toss this one at us like a hand grenade?

On the surface this looks reasonably intriguing: a cat-and-mouse game with it not clear who's the cat and who's the mouse. However, the plot moves at a funereal pace and is never riveting viewing. There's a good twist or two towards the end but ultimately it is a damp squib.