One of my favorite all-time movies was 2000’s severely underrated The Cell directed by Tarsem Singh and starring Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, and Vincent D’Onofrio. The story follows Lopez as a therapist using cutting edge technology to enter the mind of a serial killer who has become catatonic in order to try to find out where he has locked up his last victim before she dies. Lopez navigates a surreal and beautifully disturbing world where the killer is both demon god and injured child in a stream of vast, elaborate, circus-like interludes. Think “Nightmare on Elm Street” as high-art.

Director Tarsem kept a low-profile for years following The Cell working on his self-funded labor of love “The Fall.” The film has appeared at festivals since 2006 to much critical acclaim. Thanks to the combined efforts of director’s David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en) and Spike Jonez (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich,) “The Fall” has finally secured some distribution and sees a limited release this month. If you’re in Los Angeles, you can find it playing here.