REEL CRITICS

“Steal This Movie” tells the life of Abbie Hoffman, the political

activist who was a protest movement leader in the late 1960s and ‘70s

against U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

The film does not give us a saint or a hero. Instead, Hoffman is shown

with all his weaknesses and faults, strengths and virtues.

Hoffman was a compelling and controversial figure. He used outrageous

satire and provocative theatrics to gain attention for the serious

political causes he believed in. He was capable of brilliant political

tactics, as well as stupid or self-destructive acts.

Vincent D’Onofrio succeeds in the difficult job of playing Hoffman,

capturing the complexity and charisma of the counterculture icon. He

portrays Hoffman’s deeply felt commitment to social justice and an end to

the Vietnam War, plus the details of his marital infidelities and manic

depression.

Director Robert Greenwald has some problems trying to tell the tale of

such a complicated life set in confused times.

The film awkwardly shifts rhythm between Hoffman’s public and personal

lives. The political ideas and the flow of events are sometimes hard to

follow for anyone too young to remember when they actually happened.

Greenwald also used archival footage from the ‘60s that doesn’t blend

well with the contemporary shots.

“Steal This Movie” is a good educational overview for any viewer too

young to remember the turbulence of the Vietnam War era. These were times

of fundamental change in U.S. society and politics but often seem to be

overlooked in history classes.

The movie does a good job in conveying the idealism and flamboyance of

many of the protests -- and law enforcement’s often brutal response to

those protests. It also deals clearly with the disturbing organized

harassment and repression by the U.S. government of citizens who opposed

national policies.

Whether you agree with Hoffman’s political views or not, “Steal This

Movie” makes you grateful that there are people in America willing to

risk everything to stand up for what they believe to be right.

* TRICIA BEHLE, 31, lives in Newport Beach and works as a software

validator.

Sentenced to twisted times in ‘The Cell’

First off, this movie is not for everyone; it is very twisted. The

lighthearted will probably have some trouble with a few scenes.

It could be categorized as a sci-fi thriller and then as a

serial-killer film. But like “Se7en” and “Silence of the Lambs,” this is

not the ordinary serial-killer film. It stands on its own as a new kind

of thriller.

Jennifer Lopez stars as Catherine Deane, the best psychotherapist in

the business. Deane works for a company that has developed the latest

technology in therapy, and she has the ability to go inside the mind of

anyone to find out the reasons for his or her distress.

Enter Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn), an FBI agent tracking down a very

sick serial killer, Carl Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), who drowns his

victims then dresses them up like dolls.

During an FBI raid of his home, Stargher goes into a coma, leaving

unknown the whereabouts of his latest victim. Deane takes on the job of

going into his mind to find out where the victim is being held. And

that’s when this film gets intense -- seriously intense.

From here on, the film dives into three worlds.

This is a very disturbing film, mainly because of the images we see in

Stargher’s mind. But it’s not overly gory, just enough to let you imagine

the rest. Stargher is a tormented soul who battles internally with rage

stemming from his excessively abusive childhood.

Director Tarsem Singh, who is known for the award-winning R.E.M. video

“Losing my Religion,” works beyond everything you could have imagined.

The dreamy sequences are beautifully shot with many camera tricks, creepy

color distribution, graphic images and a tense score. They are extremely

trippy and surreal -- anything goes and there are no rules.

Traveling into the mind of a psychotic schizophrenic sounds like a

fabulous idea for a film. Using this idea, a filmmaker could easily get

away with presenting very abstract visuals to the audience. Indeed there

are some absolutely brilliant and shocking scenes in “The Cell,” created

with some marvelous and stylish techniques.

I loved the sudden jerks the camera makes, as well as the metallic

sounds crashing now and then to make the killer’s mind seem all the more

twisted. I loved the grainy appearance of the surreal sequences as well

-- and the gore that made me cringe.

This movie relies completely on the power of images for its

substantial effect.

Unfortunately, the film is marred by a cliche plot, and neither the

acting nor the dialogue are anything beyond the usual.

Also the editors, like the director, went crazy and jumped around,

splicing in multiple shots in a short amount of time. It makes the film

so jumpy the killer’s mind really does appear confusing.

We want to find organization; we want to be let out of the “cell.” The

director makes it hard for us to be there, experiencing this man’s inner

turmoil.

Maybe Lopez isn’t a great actor, and possibly Vaughn isn’t either, but

they played their roles quite convincingly. And Vaughn is Vaughn -- very

cool, very low key and very real.

D’Onofrio will scare you. This character is more disturbed than ever

imagined. D’Onofrio is clearly one of our more underappreciated and

versatile actors.

“The Cell” is one of those movies -- like “Se7en,” “Fight Club” and

“Silence of the Lambs” -- which people are going to love or hate with a

passion. If you can suspend disbelief and enjoy a movie for what it is --

a M-O-V-I-E -- then you will like it.

*MICHELLE HANCOCK, 29, lives in Costa Mesa and is an attorney for a

Los Angeles-based law firm.

A darkly disturbing time in ‘The Cell’

“The Cell,” starring Jennifer Lopez, Vincent D’Onofrio and Vince

Vaughn is a brilliant and astounding thriller that will knock the socks

off even the most jaded movie viewers.

A mind-boggling premise and eye-popping special effects will keep your

head spinning long after the credits roll.

The acting, directing, screenplay and cinematography are absolutely

first class. But in this spellbinding crime drama, psychological

terrorism is the order of the day.

While there’s much to admire in this startling work, it includes some

of the most disgusting and grotesque imagery ever allowed on screen.

There are many spectacular ideas and scenes, but we are also shown the

most perverse displays of degradation and torture ever witnessed in a

movie theater.

Beautiful but helpless women are brutalized in ways that reach the

level of visual insanity. For instance, the camera lingers for several

moments on a murdered woman, naked in a bathtub full of blood. In another

scene, a man is tied down and cut open so the schizoid killer can slowly

pull intestines out of the gaping wound.

These “fantasy” sequences exist only in the mind of the serial killer,

but they are presented on screen with all the realism and immediacy that

Hollywood can deliver. They are almost unbearable to watch.

Though these sick and twisted scenes take up a small portion of the

movie’s running time, their ugly effect lingers and overshadows some

truly great movie making.

“The Cell” is a powerful, bizarre film that is disturbing on a primal

level. Call it “The Matrix” meets “Silence of the Lambs” on a bad LSD

trip.

Any way you slice it, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

*JOHN DEPKO, 48, is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County Public Defender’s Office.