Review of The Cell (2000) by Sandra C — 09 Feb 2009

[font=Times New Roman][color=black]Directed by Tarsem Singh, ?The Cell? is a serial killer/science fiction thriller with a fascinating twist ? the action takes place [i]inside[/i] the disturbed mind of the killer. Jennifer Lopez (?Out of Sight?) stars as Catherine Deane, a young psychiatrist working with an experimental technology that allows a doctor to ?enter? the mind of a comoatized patient to help awaken him. Meanwhile, the seriously ill and depraved Carl Stargher (Vincent D?Onofrio) is murdering women before turning their bodies into doll-like figures. Just as two FBI agents (Vince Vaughn and Jake Weber) close in for an arrest, Stargher suffers a seizure and lapses into a coma. The problem: The latest victim is alive ? for now -- and only Stargher knows her whereabouts. Enter Deane and her sci-fi technology. The film takes off in wild directions once we sink into Carl?s noodle, where the killer is alternately an androgynous god and an animal-like beast. The art direction, costumes and makeup seem sent straight from hell, and I mean that as a compliment ? the scenes are horrific, dreamy and stick with you, especially a horse sliced to living pieces and a scary muscle-bound hermaphrodite. But the film is saddled by a miscast Vaughn. He?s a good comedic actor, but he has no dramatic depth or authority. Frankly, he?s embarrassing. Some dopey dialogue doesn?t help Vaughn?s cause. It?s a huge fault in a film that could have been a cult hit. D?Onofrio commands the screen as a psycho off his mental leash, while Lopez sparks with a keen intelligence and curiosity.[/color][color=black][font=Calibri][/font][/color][/font].

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[font=Times New Roman][color=black]?The Invisible? has an equally cool premise but is skunked by script problems. That?s surprising since David Goyer, who worked on ?Batman Begins? and ?The Dark Knight,? served as writer and director. After a teen (Justin Chatwin) is attacked and left for dead in a storm drain, his spirit watches his attackers conspire, his widowed mother weep and his friends dismiss him as a freak. It?s a great story ? what teen doesn?t want to see how the world revolves -- or doesn?t --- around him or her? But, the film goes wrong in so many ways. The most grievous sin: The entire last third of the film is so drawn out, over-dramatized and devoid of any sense of reality, it turns into an unintended laugh riot. It?s a shame because most of the leads have complex characters not normally found in supernatural teen thrillers. Huge build up, bigger let down. 3[/color][color=black][font=Calibri][/font][/color][/font].

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[font=Times New Roman][color=black]It?s fantastic to know that despite being in his 70s, Wood Allen can write and direct a deep, complex love story that goes against the grain. ?Vicky Cristina Barcelona? follows Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Scarlett Johansson) as they spend the summer in [/color][color=black]Spain[/color][color=black]. (The title is self-explanatory.) Vicky is cautious, serious and about to marry a guy who is the poster boy for the Young Republicans. Cristina is wild and doesn?t have a clue what she wants in love; she only knows what she doesn?t want. But she?s not even sure of that. Out for dinner one might, the two women meet an artist (Javier Bardem, about as far from his role in ?No Country for Old Men? as is humanly possible) who invites them to fly to away for the weekend. That?s the start of the real comedy/drama of the rules of love, sex, human emotions and cultural differences. I won?t give much away, but will add that Penelope Cruz pops up as the crazed, emotional firecracker ex-wife of the artist. She steals the film, and will land the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Watching the film is a joy as Allen has painted three very different young women and one complex man. The music and atmosphere of the film also are top notch. But all is not perfect. Allen has added long bits of narration that I can only guess was inspired by the voice-over ?The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.? It worked beautifully in the historical Western, creating an air of authority and journalsim. Here, it gets in the way and made me feel like I was watching a historical romance piece made by the AP. Not exactly the feeling Allen was hoping for, I suppose. There?s also the nagging feeling that Allen has created a male fantasy film as Bardem is at the center of desire for three young women. Thank God, Allen didn?t try and cast himself in the role. All said, Allen remains a force and his ear for imperfect characters remains wonderfully high.[/color][/font].