We are in control
Added 3/21/2010
Where exactly R. Kelly comes up with the ideas (both intellectual and visual) for his assortment of works can probably best be explained as being those of his "employers." This is a tricky film, much more accessable to the average moviegoer (heaven forbid my saying that) and yet it is truely subversive. Who would have thought that the ramifications of moral choice could be wrapped in such an enigmatic piece of "entertainment" (to use the old cinema dichotomy of art vs.)?
Maybe that is the problem with many of the reviewers who gave negative opinions of this film (two to one). The message (old as the most ancient religious texts) is too simple, or from the opposite extreme, it was simply too difficult for an "average audience" to pick from the stunning visual imagry. Regardless, it is well worth seeing and a new twist on Kelly's expanding ouvre. I have nothing but respect for an auteur who understands that at least some in the audience have a brain and imagination of their own and the ability to utilize both. Bravo.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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The worst of the worst movie
Added 3/21/2010
This is the absolute worst movie I have ever seen. I kept waiting for it to get better but that moment never came. The movie ended abruptly because the movie never had a plot to begin with and it must ended sometimes; it is one of those endings that you say to yourself. What the heck was that? The concept and story is so bad and I can't believe that they actually spent money on it to make such a film. Bad acting and directing did not help.
Please do NOT see this movie. You will loose 2.5 hours of your life that you will never get back. Cameron Diaz career is over after this movie. For those folks who gave it 5 stars, are you on some kind of meds?
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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The Box Movie Review
Added 3/21/2010
"The Box" was written and directed by Richard Kelly, director of "Donnie Darko" and "Southland Tales" based on a short story called "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson which also inspired an episode of the Twilight Zone. This movie stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple chosen for a social experiment - whether if given the opportunity to be given a million dollars they will push a button on this box, knowing that the action will result in the death of someone else.
Normally I would be really into a psychological thriller like this, especially from the same guy as "Donnie Darko". The premise is intriguing and could really get a lot of discussion going on who is conducting the experiment and why, but I felt this movie actually gave too many answers away. It was derailed and fell into a realm of weirdness that was very disappointing to watch.
Cameron Diaz as a young mother/teacher with a deformed foot was sometimes heartbreaking to watch as she struggled day to day and at other times surprisingly monotone as she delivered her lines. Granted some were very simple lines and could have been jazzed up a bit but you would think someone with her experience could play a little more with subtext in that situation. James Marsden was endearing for his obvious love of his wife but it seemed like he was very slow to react in bizarre situations.
Frank Langella played the mysterious Mr. Steward (haha, get it?) who delivers the box to the couple and answers some of their questions and leaves others a mystery. He has a deformity of the face from being struck by lightning. I think his acting was creepy, mysterious, properly monotone and always acting like a gentleman even when presenting a macabre choice. However, too much was given away about his origins and who he was.
This story clearly works better in the short version. By stretching it out, they invented many additional angles with NSA, Langley, NASA, family, school, and neighborhoods and it was a lot to juggle. The bigger the conspiracy got, the smaller it got too with the possibilities of what it could mean. There was a lot of waiting for things to happen and too much drawing out of scenes meant for suspense but not achieving it entirely. A few good moments does not a screen gem make! An hour or less would have done this one just fine. If I didn't already like this genre of film, I would have thought less of it so the average person probably wouldn't like it much.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Not great, but a good Psycho Thrill-ride
Added 3/20/2010
The movie's acting leaves a lot to be desired, but it has a pretty interesting story line, weak at times, but interesting none the less. If you are bored, its a good $3.99 rental from AVOD. But, if you don't like thinking during a movie, this isn't for you.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Worthwhile film.
Added 3/17/2010
While watching this film, there were a few things going through my mind: 1)Why hadn't it gotten more recognition in the theaters? 2)It seemed to be a lot like a lengthy version of a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode.
Although this was not a perfect film, it was a very intriguing and craftily made one. I've heard many negative reviews, especially ones bashing the film's ending, which left a couple of loose ends. Personally, that is what I liked most about it. As an American audience, we expect filmmakers to answer every question, so that, when the film reaches its end, we're left completely 100% satisfied. Although many or most films tie in all the loose ends, great ones, for the most part, do not. That is why we can take pleasure in viewing them more than once. I will agree that there are many films where the writer or director does a poor job of pasting the story together in the conclusion (such as The Grudge, Hide and Seek, and other such films). The Box's indefinite ending seems deliberate and, for lack of a better word, fitting. Every question I felt needed answering, was; and everything else was left for my mind to attempt to piece together by itself. That comes to show the movie did its job, at least for me.
Another thing to like is the production values of this film. It was terrificly shot, it captured the 70's perfectly, and it made the circumstances of the main couple seem very intense and severe. The entire film, I strongly felt for these two people because, although they did act on selfish impulse, I don't really think they were fully aware of what they were getting themselves into. My family saw this movie before I did and warned me that it was confusing and left them wanting more; so I came into The Box speculating. As I was watching, I realized the plot of this film served as somewhat of a modern fable or parable, showing the consequences of a society driven by greed. I felt it was supposed to be viewed as that, and not meant to be rationalized. In rationalizing the film, I feel many people lost what was truly important about it. I'm sure many asked: who are "the employers" or who really are the extra-terrestrial type humans in the motel? Why doesn't the story specify? My answer to this is: it doesn't have to.
I felt The Box worked in somewhat of a Theological level as well. In a society where people are playing God, the people become God. The absence of God is strongly felt in this movie, regardless of your religious affiliation. I thought this was interesting, because I think this is something the director was attempting to tackle. In the end, we don't know who the odd people roaming the setting of this film are: they can be a symbolic representation of God (or a lack of one) or they can be aliens from another planet. But, like I said before, in the end, these questions don't matter, because they all result in the same thing.
My suggestion is that you walk into this film with no preconceived notions, or expecting to hate it; because, the fact of the matter is, most Americans (who want their fairytale ending where everything is in black and white) probably did hate this movie. The film is very unconventional and odd. It makes you want to rationalize all the plot-points, but the film itself seems to break away from the realm of rationality, which means you do too. You'll see that once you let your mind rest and accept the film for what it is, you will be utterly intrigued and highly entertained. Give this film a shot; I hope you won't regret it.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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We are in control
Added 3/21/2010
Where exactly R. Kelly comes up with the ideas (both intellectual and visual) for his assortment of works can probably best be explained as being those of his "employers." This is a tricky film, much more accessable to the average moviegoer (heaven forbid my saying that) and yet it is truely subversive. Who would have thought that the ramifications of moral choice could be wrapped in such an enigmatic piece of "entertainment" (to use the old cinema dichotomy of art vs.)?
Maybe that is the problem with many of the reviewers who gave negative opinions of this film (two to one). The message (old as the most ancient religious texts) is too simple, or from the opposite extreme, it was simply too difficult for an "average audience" to pick from the stunning visual imagry. Regardless, it is well worth seeing and a new twist on Kelly's expanding ouvre. I have nothing but respect for an auteur who understands that at least some in the audience have a brain and imagination of their own and the ability to utilize both. Bravo.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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The worst of the worst movie
Added 3/21/2010
This is the absolute worst movie I have ever seen. I kept waiting for it to get better but that moment never came. The movie ended abruptly because the movie never had a plot to begin with and it must ended sometimes; it is one of those endings that you say to yourself. What the heck was that? The concept and story is so bad and I can't believe that they actually spent money on it to make such a film. Bad acting and directing did not help.
Please do NOT see this movie. You will loose 2.5 hours of your life that you will never get back. Cameron Diaz career is over after this movie. For those folks who gave it 5 stars, are you on some kind of meds?
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
The Box Movie Review
Added 3/21/2010
"The Box" was written and directed by Richard Kelly, director of "Donnie Darko" and "Southland Tales" based on a short story called "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson which also inspired an episode of the Twilight Zone. This movie stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple chosen for a social experiment - whether if given the opportunity to be given a million dollars they will push a button on this box, knowing that the action will result in the death of someone else.
Normally I would be really into a psychological thriller like this, especially from the same guy as "Donnie Darko". The premise is intriguing and could really get a lot of discussion going on who is conducting the experiment and why, but I felt this movie actually gave too many answers away. It was derailed and fell into a realm of weirdness that was very disappointing to watch.
Cameron Diaz as a young mother/teacher with a deformed foot was sometimes heartbreaking to watch as she struggled day to day and at other times surprisingly monotone as she delivered her lines. Granted some were very simple lines and could have been jazzed up a bit but you would think someone with her experience could play a little more with subtext in that situation. James Marsden was endearing for his obvious love of his wife but it seemed like he was very slow to react in bizarre situations.
Frank Langella played the mysterious Mr. Steward (haha, get it?) who delivers the box to the couple and answers some of their questions and leaves others a mystery. He has a deformity of the face from being struck by lightning. I think his acting was creepy, mysterious, properly monotone and always acting like a gentleman even when presenting a macabre choice. However, too much was given away about his origins and who he was.
This story clearly works better in the short version. By stretching it out, they invented many additional angles with NSA, Langley, NASA, family, school, and neighborhoods and it was a lot to juggle. The bigger the conspiracy got, the smaller it got too with the possibilities of what it could mean. There was a lot of waiting for things to happen and too much drawing out of scenes meant for suspense but not achieving it entirely. A few good moments does not a screen gem make! An hour or less would have done this one just fine. If I didn't already like this genre of film, I would have thought less of it so the average person probably wouldn't like it much.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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