BLU-RAY/DVD REVIEWS

A young twenty-something, happy-go-lucky Californian (Evans) receives an emergency cell phone call from a woman (Basinger) who’s been kidnapped. After he realizes that the call is for real, he goes through wild car chases, hold-ups and many a fight against the baddies to save her, and her family’s lives. William H. Macy plays against type as the cop who’s trying to help…

Director David Ellis doesn’t waste your time with this one as he serves up a very fast-paced and thrilling actioner that’s low on the boring fluff filler and high on the adrenaline-pumped action scenes and high tense moments. Add to that a Chris Evans ready to make you believe he can actually pull this kind of stuff off and a Kim Basinger that works her emotions hard and earns her paycheck. In the past, I was pretty indifferent on Evans and didn’t quite think he was an exciting enough guy to carry a thriller like this but he proved me wrong in CELLULAR as he plays a normal guy who started the day trying to con his way back into a relationship with his ex and ends it by trying to do the right thing. Sure there are a couple of scenes that’ll ask you suspend your disbelief and a few plot holes that you’ll notice but this flick is so well-meaning and fun that you won’t resent those moments, you’ll just brush them to the side and enjoy the ride instead.

The movie isn’t without its lighter moments either as you get an easy-going cop, played by Bill Macy, who gets tangled up in the case and shows that when the going gets tough, he can be a real tough-as-nails copper just like the rest of them. It was relief to see Macy rock ‘n’ roll instead of playing a bumbling, fumbling loser like he does a lot of the time. Noah Emmerich plays a guy who is cast in the movie because his brother Toby is an executive at New Line Cinema. I’m just joshing, I’ve actually been a fan of Noah’s since BEAUTIFUL GIRLS but he does kind of walk through this part, not that it’s very meaty to begin with. Jay Statham plays a son-of-a-bitch to a tee, once again. Finally, you throw in a very catchy mid-movie and closing credits tune and you’re left with a film that I heartily recommend as a rental and maybe even a purchase for you action junkies. A very good job by director Ellis and the entire cast for a home run on this action flick. Oh, in case you were wondering, Basinger is as cute and sexy as ever.

Deleted/Alternate Scenes w/ optional commentary: 5 cut scenes in all, with a couple of beach concert scenes that they thankfully were wise enough to chop off from the third act. Ellis is a fun-loving guy and his commentary shows it. Check these out!

Commentary w/ David Ellis and writers Larry Cohen and Chris Morgan: Actually there a bunch more people on this track than what it eludes to on the DVD menu. Ellis’ sister and daughter who both also worked on the film as a stunt coordinator assistant and producer chime in as well. Ellis also brings in editors, writers and others involved with the film to speak about it throughout. Bah! Too many people, I like my audio tracks to be clear, concise and have a maximum of three people sharing their thoughts. Not the worst commentary track, but far from the best.

Celling Out (19 minutes): I suppose it makes sense to have a mini-documentary about the wonders of modern telecommunication on the extras of an action movie based around cell phones, but these experts aren’t exactly the liveliest bunch of characters you’ll come across. If you really care how far we’ve come with the telephone over the years (yawn!), watch this!

Dialing Up Cellular (25 minutes): A better than average making-of/behind-the-scenes featurette that has a lot more crew interviews than cast, not that that’s a bad thing necessarily as you’re bound to learn a lot about the movie with this one. It’s frightening how much Dave Ellis looks like Udo Kier.

Code of Silence: Inside the Rampart Scandal (27 minutes): There are elements in CELLULAR that involve corrupt police officers; this documentary is about one of the biggest police cover-ups in the history of the LAPD. You real life crime junkies should get a real kick out of this.

We also get a Theatrical Trailer and DVD-ROM/Online Features.

I’m with you whether you want to buy or rent this wild ride because in a world full of action duds with bad acting, bad dialogue and boring actors, you’ll walk away from CELLULAR not regretting the cash you spent on it. The DVD Clinic backs this movie up, all the way…