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The Cell - New Line Platinum Series

The Cell - New Line Platinum Series

List Price: $14.97
Your Price: $7.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Year's Best Movie
Review: Call me crazy, but THE CELL was the most innovative, entertaining, and visually brillaint film I've seen in this (lackluster) year. I had a wonderful time soaking up this film-- the story is intriguing and the acting good (but not wonderful). Yes, it's violent, but hey-- it's a "R" rated horror film, what did you expect? It's not any more violent that say, THE MATRIX. Plainly put, THE CELL puts the viewer through an incredible trip into a dazzling world. And it's the best film of this year so far.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An unordinary film
Review: If you try to watch this movie as any other film you've seen before,it sure can be a disappointment.But I think this film consists of many different images which worth to be thought through.Everything is quite 'not' what it seems.Many of you may find this movie irritating tough,but as a person who was bored of take-your-pills-and-go-to-sleep type of movies,I found it totally mindforcing and worthwatching.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Generates more disscusion than it should, or deserves
Review: If it is at all possible, Id like to get through this review without refering to the word "Visual". Lets see if I can.

This movie (when seen in the correct frame of mind) is an interesting, original and (dare I say) enjoyable movie. Enjoyable is a word not often associated with serial killer movies, but, in all honesty, why would so many people flock to see em if they weren't enjoyable. Before I saw "The Cell", judging by the debate about it, I could have sworn I was reading the review for the latest Stanley Kubrick Film, and after viewing "The Cell", I don't believe that anyone involved intended for it to be taken like that. The Debate has ranged from "The Dawn of a New Age in Cinema" to "Cheap, Nasty and Crappy Visuals (I have failed) Masquerading as a film".

"Eyes Wide Shut", even thought I loved it, was asking for the bombardment of negatives that it recieved. Warner Brothers Teaser Trailor Campaign made it out to be Basic Instinct 2. But "The Cell" hardly deserves the attention. I Loved It, I totally enjoyed myself, a little slow here and there, an anti-climatic ending, but that is nit-picking.

If you haven't seen this film, and you have the uncanny ability to forget everything you have ever heard on a subject, well, put that ability into use and Enjoy yourself, and pray that your family members arn't on apposing sides of the debate. Your house will be a warzone.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Losing My Religion" with gore
Review: If "The Cell" doesn't make a lick of sense -- and it doesn't, really -- it certainly invests a whole lot of energy into the visuals, which almost make up for the astonishingly light plot.

The problem, though, is that the imagery doesn't really spin out of the story. Other visual film extravaganzas manage to marry the two -- the films of Tim Burton or Terry Gilliam, for instance, are wild and eye-popping, but the imagery is always reflective of something in the script.

In contrast, "The Cell" takes the intriguing idea of what the psyche of a serial killer would be like and ignores any real analysis or symbolism in favor of "ooh, this looks COOL" and "hey, isn't this disturbing?"

Well, yeah, it does look cool and, sure, that was disturbing. But when this film could have been so much more and the script and the characters are so obviously an afterthought, it really takes away from the impact the visuals have.

Near the end of the film, there's a brief shot of a vase in a recessed false window, with water dripping into it. The image is identical to one from REM's "Losing My Religion" music video by the same director. (He also overuses the blurring effects in that video in "The Cell.") Apparently, between showing us pointless mutilations of women, the self-mutilation of a serial killer and a final, dazzling but never fully realized vision of Jennifer Lopez as a Catholic Madonna and Crusader, the director couldn't think of anything else to put into the film, and went back to raid a decade's old bag of tricks.

Audiences deserve better, as does Lopez.

This is a renter.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Artistic but Deeply Disturbing Vision
Review: This movie will undoubtedly win all kinds of Oscars for art direction, costume, and makeup, and deservedly so. That so much of the movie occurs in the imagination allows an absolutely stunning visual design, in color and texture, as well as subject matter. There are allusions to the Sensation Exhibition which so scandalized Brooklyn last year, and an hommage to Stanley Kubrick's 2001 when Vince Vaughn goes into the mind of the killer. Tarsem Singh makes full use of his background in music video, but this is much more than just a long music video. The artistic vision is so rich, so referential, that one discovers new relationships constantly. Some of these are obvious, almost too much so--the baptism symbolism; but others, such as the ridges of sand dunes that recur as a harrowed field of ashes with three women in a silent scream as a symbol of trauma, are more subtle. That this movie exists on so many levels is its strength, and will undoubtedly lead to a wide discrepancy of critiques, but I found it's artistic imagery overwhelmingly interesting. It is wonderful to find something that is so imaginative and different--this reminded me of What Dreams May Come, only much much darker and without even a hint of sentimentality.

As far as the plot goes, I disagree with those who said that it was poor. It seems to me that they misunderstood what the movie was about--it isn't a mystery to find out who did it, and it isn't primarily about finding the missing victim. Instead, it is a psychodrama about discovery, finding out the movitation, and more importantly, the character, of the killer. And that the killer, one of the sickest, most warped and vicious characters ever presented (superbly played by Vincent D'Onofrio) manages to come off as somewhat sympathetic is remarkable.

All this said, though, I want to add a serious qualification. This is a movie for adults, and there is quite a lot that is extremely disturbing in it. Necrophilia, child abuse, torture, murder, and sadomasochism pervade the movie. I believe that most women will not enjoy the movie--my wife certainly didn't. And I think there is nothing in it that a teenager needs to see--this is an excellent example of Hollywood's mismarketing to get the teen market. Jennifer Lopez was fine, but surely she was cast to get teen males into the theatre. ... This is not The Matrix--not by a long shot, even though comparisons will be made. Much, much more disturbing and dark.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's a really good movie!
Review: i know what you're thinking. watching the preview, this movie looks really boring and bad. but in reality, it's totally the oppossite. the whole story of the movie, thefilming, the effects, the events, all; this movie is amazing! i definately did not expect for it to turn out like this... you really get hooked... if you dont believe me, just go watch it, you've got nothing to lose; it's really worth it. don't judge it till u've seen it :)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Cell
Review: The Cell was surprisingly really good. Great storyline. Great Special effects. Great acting. I love psychological thrillers anyways but this one was very close to the top of my list. Maybe a top 5.What I saw out of the killer, he kind of reminded me of a Hannibal Lectar in a way. No cannibalism though. Jennifer Lopez was probobly the best actress for the role. She really fit along in the "inside-the-mind" scenarios. The fx are worth seeing the movie by themself. There should be lots of extra features on the dvd because New Line Platinum Series always add everything you could want. At least rent it. It's a buy for me though!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Insipid movie aimed at people raised on MTV
Review: I'll save you time by skipping the synopsis of this movie. You can read that in other people's reviews. Suffice to say this movie is made for people who were raised on MTV and have only read such dreck as movie novelizations--foregoing any of the brilliant literature available by people such as Harlan Ellison and Neal Stephenson. This movie insults your intelligence by pretending to be something it is not--original. It blatantly steals from a myriad of sources while lacking any of the depth that the original sources possess. The acting is terrible, the dialogue is laughable, and the plot we've seen many times before in far better movies. Any episode of Chris Carter's now-defunct Millennium tv series is better than this celluloid monstrosity. Don't be fooled by the striking visuals you may have seen in the previews. Taken as a whole, The Cell is nothing more than a poorly constructed masturbatory fantasy that tries to seduce you with a few whiz-bang visuals. Beware the man behind the curtain.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: a increadible, masterful work of art!
Review: I have seen The Cell 3 times in theaters, and if given the opportunity would see it again (and again and again!) With astounding, vivid and hauntingly beautiful imagery and an amazingly original plot, The Cell is indeed one of the best movies I have ever seen. As far as the acting goes, everyone played their parts well... but the best performance, in my opinion, was that of Vincent D'Onofrio as Carl Stargher/King Stargher. The character of Stargher/King Stargher is one of the most intriguing put to screen, frightening, yet at the same time disturbingly beautiful (this holds true for the movie as a whole.)

I found myself completely engrossed in this film, through all 3 viewings. One of the visual aspects of this movie (besides the grand set and costume design and FX work)which impressed me greatly was the grace of movement within it. Certain scenes can almost be described as a "danse macabre." Besides being visually spell-binding and engrossing, the films plot must also be commended. It brought to mind many questions (which were debated/discussed between my friends and I after each veiwing!)

Tarsem has accomplished much through this film and even if it is not appreciated by a large majority of people it has definately left an impact on certain individuals like myself!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Movie
Review: I would have to say this movie is on of the best movies I have ever seen.


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