panos-21
Spoiler alert. It's a taut, at times gripping, thriller with a limited but well spent budget. The cinematography is solid and not a little stylish. The production design is quirky (vertical fish tanks) and plays with an emotive color palette. The leads are attractive and effective. One sequence, however, belongs in the pantheon of memorable screen moments. It involves a a stranger's phone call, an orange, a beautiful woman and a very surprised observer. The audience squirms in embarrassment. Friends who have viewed "Call Me" still leave single oranges as gifts to others in the know. It's not in the same league as, say, "Don't Look Now", but it's definitely worth your time.
Pepper Anne
'Call Me' is a worthy b-grade thriller for nostalgics. Set in New York City, it is very 80s, replete with a character resembling Iona of Pretty in Pink, and a saxophone-rich soundtrack resembling some of the music heard in Desperately Seeking Susan.Patricia Charbonneau plays main character, Anna. One evening, she receives a phone call from a man who she thinks is her lame boyfriend, Alex (Sam Freed), telling her to meet her at a neighborhood bar. Turned on by his surprising kinkiness, she accepts the invitation. But, while there, she witnesses the death of a transvestite at the hands of a dirty cop looking for money that he was supposed to be given. This puts her in the middle of a world of trouble, and soon enough, her life is threatened for having inadvertently intervened in a scheme involving the dirty cop, double-crossing henchmen (which includes a very young and very pale Steve Buscemi), and what I presume to be a mob boss. She assumes that there is a connection between those involved and the seductive voice on the telephone who she once thought was her boyfriend.The movie is riddle with twists and a few unconvincing plot holes, but it is well paced and a better title for the 80s b-thriller genre.
lapsus53
Diverting and fun, with a few thrills thrown in. Mixes two plot lines cleverly, if with a little too much coincidence! Very atmospheric with hidden corners of New York City, especially at night. A really cool, nicely executed look - sort of film noir in color. Good work by the DP and production & costume designers. (look at all the oranges & blues)Fun cast - young Steve Buscemi, David Strathairn, Boyd Gaines (double Tony winner on B'way!), Patti D'Arbanville. Patricia Charbonneau is attractive in the lead, and Stephen McHattie is coolly creepy as the chief baddie.Not great, but a solid B movie - a guilty pleasure. (It's even a little erotic - but watch out for strong language, if you're squeamish about 'bad' sex words.)
gridoon
Reasonably entertaining thriller, which maintains an intriguingly ambiguous atmosphere for at least its first hour, when you don't know who might turn out to be a villain and how the two parallel plotlines are going to merge. The director also makes good use of the N.Y locations, but the story is filled with too many coincidences and improbabilities. An early showcase for the talent of Steve Buscemi. (**1/2)
AD
