LAT: Remember movies before the cellphone?

[Hlao-roo 388]

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...5234,full.story [may contain spoilers for various films]

The U.S. had 255 million cellphone subscribers (83% of the population) in 2007, according to the International Telecommunications Union, meaning that audiences expect almost all present-day characters to carry one. For dramatic writers in many media, cellphones' ubiquity -- and the particular way they condense time and space -- creates both opportunities and obstacles.

[Koray Savas 2,095]

I could have lived without Cellular.

[Morlock 9]

I think it certainly created more obstacles than (positive) oppotunities. The most obvious one is that you have far less of an excuse for the right people not being able to get a crucial bit of information. And it's painful to watch them try and shove a 'no signal' sequence down our throats. Also, they become annoying cruches (albeit arguably positive ones, as they can reduce the unnecessary minutia of communication down to a brief, simple action). It's one of the things that pissed me off about The Departed and Casino Royale- they're far too cell-phone heavy. They certainly correspond with the times...but they're such boring devices.

[Koray Savas 2,095]

I thought The Departed handled them very well.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

its just another technological device that dates a movie, but thats ok, because time always moves forward, and good movies stay good movies.

[Nick Parker 3,017]

It destroys Superman, though. Where would he change into his costume? A "Porto- Potty"?

[Marian Schedenig 5,520]

Without cell phones, Jack Bauer would be unemployed.

[John Crichton 4]

That much is certain.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,765]

I'll never forget that massive portable telephone that Danny Glover had in Lethal Weapon.

[JoeinAR 1,759]

It destroys Superman, though. Where would he change into his costume? A "Porto- Potty"?

sorry only to a moron. Its still a charming moment,

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

Without cell phones, Jack Bauer would be unemployed.

[Jessie Lohner 0]

Hahaha, funnee!

[Neimoidian 13]

Without cell phones, Jack Bauer would be unemployed.

[Wojo 2,442]

I would hope that porto-potties never become as prevalent on our city streets as telephone booths. Ew yuck. Porto-potties are only usually common around construction sites and sports stadiums, aside from other outdoor events and venues. But I don't remember Superman changing in a phone booth in the first movie, so it wouldn't matter. It was usually just Clark running off camera with his shirt ripped open, then it cuts to the crowd, then to Superman flying on camera. No spinning phone booth to figure out how to show. Superman Returns had him change in an elevator shaft. And the Spider-Man movies, which paid homage to Superman with the ripped open shirt, either had him change in a dark alley or off camera.

Although I never saw it, my parents saw the recent Journey to the Center of the Earth (it was part 1 of a drive-in double-header with TDK). The moment that took them out of the movie was when Brendan Fraser's kid called his mom on his cell phone from deep underground. If that isn't ridiculous, I don't know what is, because I live in a very rural area about 2000 ft above sea level, and I know where pretty much all the dead zones are, and I'm never ever underground.

It's almost laughable from a 21st century standpoint that the Starship Enterprise never replicated a set of battery operated walkie-talkies or cell phones to use to communicate from the bridge to engineering each time an alien menace took over the ship.

[Ollie 859]

Since Superman rarely used a phone booth in the movies I don't think it really mattered.

I'll never forget that massive portable telephone that Danny Glover had in Lethal Weapon.

I remember my first cell phone was quite massive....

[Williamsfan301 11]

It's almost laughable from a 21st century standpoint that the Starship Enterprise never replicated a set of battery operated walkie-talkies or cell phones to use to communicate from the bridge to engineering each time an alien menace took over the ship.

Where do you think they got the idea for cellphones? It was Star Trek. Go watch "How William Shatner Changed the Universe"

btw, the visual of Superman flying out of a Port-o-Potty with a piece of toliet paper stuck to his boot is funny!

I remember my first cell phone was quite massive....

I do too. That thing was like a brick tied to a car battery.