The Cell

DVD Connoisseur · 01-21-2001, 03:38 PM

Is The Cell the most original horror film of 2000? It certainly was enjoyable and IMHO a lot more entertaining than Hollow Man. I watched it on DVD last night and was impressed. It was like Flatliners meets Silence of the Lambs meets The Lawnmower Man. The movie is very polished (the visuals are superb) but it still has the ability to be creepy on many levels. Was it just me or did the killer (in his mind) remind you of Keith from Prodigy? That cut scene on the discs supplementals was near to the edge, wasn't it?! No way would that have made an R rating!

My only complaint about the disc was that the picture brightness fluctuated - I think this was due to macrovision as I've noticed it on a number of other "studio" DVDs.

Zombie Keeper · 01-21-2001, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DVD Connoisseur:
My only complaint about the disc was that the picture brightness fluctuated - I think this was due to macrovision as I've noticed it on a number of other "studio" DVDs.

I noticed this as well. Not on the Cell, but some other DVD's.

About The Cell though. I can't bring myself to rent it. I'm not convinced that Jennifer Lopez is a credible actor. I think the studio's are just taking advantage of her popularity and are counting on the teenie bopper crowd to see it.

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DVD Connoisseur · 01-21-2001, 06:57 PM

Zombie Keeper, I'd give The Cell a try. Lopez ain't bad..after all, she started out as an actress. Have you see Out of Sight? The singing business is just her (very profitable) sideline! The Cell is IMHO certainly worth renting - I bought the DVD and have no regrets.

Just for interest, which DVDs have you seen this fluctuating brightness on? I've noticed it on the big studio releases so I believe it's somehow linked to macrovision (even though I have my equipment linked to the amplifier rather than through a video). The problematic DVDs I have are Three Kings, Fight Club, A Bug's Life Collectors' Edition and Stuart Little. Oh, I saw a little fluctuation in The Matrix. It's slight but bugs the hell out of me!

[This message has been edited by DVD Connoisseur (edited 01-21-2001).]

01-21-2001, 07:11 PM

I was greatly disappointed by The Cell. Many of my complaints about this movie are similar to those I have about The Matrix. Both seem to rely on flashy visuals that, for me at least, got boring real fast. I know some get drawn deeply into the images presented by both films, but, perhaps because neither were "real", I just felt like I was watching a music video that went on way too long.

Further, just as I think Keanu "A carp can act better than I" Reeves was embarrassing in The Matrix, I thought Jennifer Lopez was just not credible in her role. I think Zombie Keeper has a good point about the teeny bopper crowd. In fact, when I went to see it, the teeny bopper crowd was having a great time. They seemed particularly enthralled/grossed out by the intestine pulling scene. Ok, I know I'm jaded (there's just no going back after seeing a pile of muderous intestines fart

) but I really didn't find that or anything else especially creepy or thrilling. Weird off the wall images get old real fast, especially when the director just seems to be throwing in everything in an attempt to be "cool."

Yuck. I'm going back to Silence of the Lambs. Can't wait for Hannibal

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"You know the rules, when we work undercover we have to remain faceless."
"Oh, I get it, just in case we kill lots of innocent people."
Frank and Ozzy, Bad Taste

01-21-2001, 07:23 PM

Yea, The Cell was just a copy off the REAL creepy thillers that were actually well written, like Se7en and Silence of the Lambs. Vincent Diofrio was good, but his role was tired and weak. J lopez, well i lost respect for her as an actress long ago. Her shitfall is obvious. And music video carnage? what a dull concept that is waaay over done.

01-21-2001, 07:42 PM

I can see some Silence of the Lambs influence in The Cell (ie. consulting a killer to save a still-living prisoner) but I don't see any Se7en in it. Also, what was tired & weak about D'Onofrio? I thought he was excellent in his dual-role.

fishead, did you hear that Ridley Scott (Hannibal director) didn't like the novel's ending and changed it for the film? It's in an interview in the new Fango, & it says it has Thomas Harris's (the author) approval, but still I'm almost sure I'll be a little disappointed when I see it...

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"I like that satellite TV, Pa!" -Ellie May, Redneck Zombies

mutleyhyde · 01-21-2001, 08:27 PM

I didn't like the ending in the book. It was just too unbelievable.

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"When I go to confession, I don't offer God small sins - petty squables, jealousies - I offer him sins worth forgiving!"

May the Hammer eternally bleed!
M. Hyde

01-21-2001, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jeffschmidt:
...but I don't see any Se7en in it. Also, what was tired & weak about D'Onofrio? I thought he was excellent in his dual-role.

I never said it had se7en elements, just that it's a better written horrific thriller. AND I never said d'onofrio was tired, i said his role was, i.e. the character. he was good, yes, but the movie was piss poor.

01-21-2001, 09:02 PM

The only DVD's I've noticed periodic brightness fluctuations on are Day of the Dead and Summer of Sam. Day of the Dead definitely doesn't have macrovision. I thought it was my player, though - my friend said he didn't notic it on his pioneer.

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Oh no, mother! Blood!

Mark Relford · 01-21-2001, 09:38 PM

In my opinion, The Cell was a mixed bag. It had some interesting ideas, but it's been done before. (In the superior, Dreamscape.)
Plus, some of the visuals reminded me of NIN's Closer video. She may be easy on the eyes, but Lopez couldn't act her way out of a paper bag.

------------------
"Have you ever had an Egyptian feast?"

"They're back from the grave and ready to party!"

The Chaostar · 01-22-2001, 04:10 PM

The Cell is the best horror movie to emerge from a big studio since the Silence Of The Lambs. Almost a masterpiece. Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Sondherberg have trusted Jennifer Lopez as an actor. Maybe they know better. I hate her singing but as an actor she gets the job done.
I had the chance to meet Tarsem at Venice Film Festival and he told me that he was a lot influenced by Dario Argento and Peter Greenaway. Cool guy.

01-22-2001, 09:35 PM

I haven't seen the Cell (too many negative reviews has it way down on my list), but here's the thing about Macrovision I found out when I was having that problem...

If your DVD player goes through your VCR (i.e. your TV doesn't have component input) that triggers the Macrovision flicker. That used to happen with my A110, but when I bought a new TV with the A/V inputs and wired it straight in, that stopped.

And I always thought Lopez was a pretty good actress (Out of Sight) and D'onofrio is, well, D'onofrio, so I was looking forward to this one, but put it off when it just got savaged by critics. Maybe I'll have to give it a try - this isn't the first thread I've seen praising it.

DVD Connoisseur · 01-22-2001, 10:09 PM

As I've said, the DVD is running through my amp so, theoretically, there shouldn't be any fluctuations. I'm wondering if the use of S-Video leads / output could be causing problems. Anybody know the answer to this or experienced similar. (It could be me being picky but I find this shift in brightness subtle but very annoying.)

I'd certainly give The Cell a rental, Ace. I'd say the visuals are worth the rental price alone. I agree with your comment about Lopez - she was very good in Out of Sight. At the end of the day, she's a competent actress - I think she's given a hard time as a result of her singing career.

01-22-2001, 10:30 PM

THE CELL is a terrible film but it does have some cool visuals.Sadly JENNIFER LOPEZ can't act worth shit but it doesn't matter because this story has been done a million times before.The scariest thing about the film was Vincent Dinofrio's hair.Creeeeeepy.

DVD Connoisseur · 01-22-2001, 11:10 PM

The Cell is definitely turning out to be one of those "love it or hate it" type of movies. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground for opinion.

On the subject of serial killer movies, anybody know where I can pick up a copy of the Criterion SOTL? I can't believe I didn't purchase a copy when they were around. Excuse me, I'm going for a cry now.....

01-21-2001, 03:38 PM	#1
DVD Connoisseur Moderator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The UK - Home of Censorship Posts: 2,309	The Cell Is The Cell the most original horror film of 2000? It certainly was enjoyable and IMHO a lot more entertaining than Hollow Man. I watched it on DVD last night and was impressed. It was like Flatliners meets Silence of the Lambs meets The Lawnmower Man. The movie is very polished (the visuals are superb) but it still has the ability to be creepy on many levels. Was it just me or did the killer (in his mind) remind you of Keith from Prodigy? That cut scene on the discs supplementals was near to the edge, wasn't it?! No way would that have made an R rating! My only complaint about the disc was that the picture brightness fluctuated - I think this was due to macrovision as I've noticed it on a number of other "studio" DVDs.

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01-21-2001, 06:57 PM	#3
DVD Connoisseur Moderator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The UK - Home of Censorship Posts: 2,309	Zombie Keeper, I'd give The Cell a try. Lopez ain't bad..after all, she started out as an actress. Have you see Out of Sight? The singing business is just her (very profitable) sideline! The Cell is IMHO certainly worth renting - I bought the DVD and have no regrets. Just for interest, which DVDs have you seen this fluctuating brightness on? I've noticed it on the big studio releases so I believe it's somehow linked to macrovision (even though I have my equipment linked to the amplifier rather than through a video). The problematic DVDs I have are Three Kings, Fight Club, A Bug's Life Collectors' Edition and Stuart Little. Oh, I saw a little fluctuation in The Matrix. It's slight but bugs the hell out of me! [This message has been edited by DVD Connoisseur (edited 01-21-2001).]

01-21-2001, 07:11 PM	#4
fishhead Guest Posts: n/a	I was greatly disappointed by The Cell. Many of my complaints about this movie are similar to those I have about The Matrix. Both seem to rely on flashy visuals that, for me at least, got boring real fast. I know some get drawn deeply into the images presented by both films, but, perhaps because neither were "real", I just felt like I was watching a music video that went on way too long. Further, just as I think Keanu "A carp can act better than I" Reeves was embarrassing in The Matrix, I thought Jennifer Lopez was just not credible in her role. I think Zombie Keeper has a good point about the teeny bopper crowd. In fact, when I went to see it, the teeny bopper crowd was having a great time. They seemed particularly enthralled/grossed out by the intestine pulling scene. Ok, I know I'm jaded (there's just no going back after seeing a pile of muderous intestines fart ) but I really didn't find that or anything else especially creepy or thrilling. Weird off the wall images get old real fast, especially when the director just seems to be throwing in everything in an attempt to be "cool." Yuck. I'm going back to Silence of the Lambs. Can't wait for Hannibal ------------------ "You know the rules, when we work undercover we have to remain faceless." "Oh, I get it, just in case we kill lots of innocent people." Frank and Ozzy, Bad Taste

01-21-2001, 07:23 PM	#5
Oogie Boogie Guest Posts: n/a	Yea, The Cell was just a copy off the REAL creepy thillers that were actually well written, like Se7en and Silence of the Lambs. Vincent Diofrio was good, but his role was tired and weak. J lopez, well i lost respect for her as an actress long ago. Her shitfall is obvious. And music video carnage? what a dull concept that is waaay over done.

01-21-2001, 07:42 PM	#6
jeffschmidt Guest Posts: n/a	I can see some Silence of the Lambs influence in The Cell (ie. consulting a killer to save a still-living prisoner) but I don't see any Se7en in it. Also, what was tired & weak about D'Onofrio? I thought he was excellent in his dual-role. fishead, did you hear that Ridley Scott (Hannibal director) didn't like the novel's ending and changed it for the film? It's in an interview in the new Fango, & it says it has Thomas Harris's (the author) approval, but still I'm almost sure I'll be a little disappointed when I see it... ------------------ "I like that satellite TV, Pa!" -Ellie May, Redneck Zombies

01-21-2001, 08:27 PM	#7
mutleyhyde Fuck it. Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Dallas Posts: 4,904	I didn't like the ending in the book. It was just too unbelievable. ------------------ "When I go to confession, I don't offer God small sins - petty squables, jealousies - I offer him sins worth forgiving!" May the Hammer eternally bleed! M. Hyde

01-21-2001, 09:02 PM	#9
napalm68 Guest Posts: n/a	The only DVD's I've noticed periodic brightness fluctuations on are Day of the Dead and Summer of Sam. Day of the Dead definitely doesn't have macrovision. I thought it was my player, though - my friend said he didn't notic it on his pioneer. ------------------ Oh no, mother! Blood!

01-21-2001, 09:38 PM	#10
Mark Relford Chairman of the Bored Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Indy Posts: 2,610	In my opinion, The Cell was a mixed bag. It had some interesting ideas, but it's been done before. (In the superior, Dreamscape.) Plus, some of the visuals reminded me of NIN's Closer video. She may be easy on the eyes, but Lopez couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. ------------------ "Have you ever had an Egyptian feast?" "They're back from the grave and ready to party!"

01-22-2001, 04:10 PM	#11
The Chaostar Johnny Hallyday forever Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Hell-as Posts: 4,258	The Cell is the best horror movie to emerge from a big studio since the Silence Of The Lambs. Almost a masterpiece. Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Sondherberg have trusted Jennifer Lopez as an actor. Maybe they know better. I hate her singing but as an actor she gets the job done. I had the chance to meet Tarsem at Venice Film Festival and he told me that he was a lot influenced by Dario Argento and Peter Greenaway. Cool guy.

01-22-2001, 09:35 PM	#12
AceRimRat Guest Posts: n/a	I haven't seen the Cell (too many negative reviews has it way down on my list), but here's the thing about Macrovision I found out when I was having that problem... If your DVD player goes through your VCR (i.e. your TV doesn't have component input) that triggers the Macrovision flicker. That used to happen with my A110, but when I bought a new TV with the A/V inputs and wired it straight in, that stopped. And I always thought Lopez was a pretty good actress (Out of Sight) and D'onofrio is, well, D'onofrio, so I was looking forward to this one, but put it off when it just got savaged by critics. Maybe I'll have to give it a try - this isn't the first thread I've seen praising it.

01-22-2001, 10:09 PM	#13
DVD Connoisseur Moderator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The UK - Home of Censorship Posts: 2,309	As I've said, the DVD is running through my amp so, theoretically, there shouldn't be any fluctuations. I'm wondering if the use of S-Video leads / output could be causing problems. Anybody know the answer to this or experienced similar. (It could be me being picky but I find this shift in brightness subtle but very annoying.) I'd certainly give The Cell a rental, Ace. I'd say the visuals are worth the rental price alone. I agree with your comment about Lopez - she was very good in Out of Sight. At the end of the day, she's a competent actress - I think she's given a hard time as a result of her singing career.

01-22-2001, 10:30 PM	#14
JBENE Guest Posts: n/a	THE CELL is a terrible film but it does have some cool visuals.Sadly JENNIFER LOPEZ can't act worth shit but it doesn't matter because this story has been done a million times before.The scariest thing about the film was Vincent Dinofrio's hair.Creeeeeepy.

01-22-2001, 11:10 PM	#15
DVD Connoisseur Moderator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The UK - Home of Censorship Posts: 2,309	The Cell is definitely turning out to be one of those "love it or hate it" type of movies. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground for opinion. On the subject of serial killer movies, anybody know where I can pick up a copy of the Criterion SOTL? I can't believe I didn't purchase a copy when they were around. Excuse me, I'm going for a cry now.....