The Box (2009)

[Dudley Dawson]

Originally Posted by tatums1984

please explain

The majority of the movie-going public want cookie-cutter, formulaic films (aka mainstream). The Box is not a mainstream film. It takes some thought to understand everything, and for many people, that is too much to ask.

[BladeRunner2007]

Trailer looked interesting to me. Might pick it up since it's from Warner and their titles are always region free.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Spit_Fire

+1 That's what it is. Everyone felt confused afterwards thats where the hatred is coming from.

No, it's because I'd SEEN the 80's Twilight Zone episode (what, want me to link it again?)--which had a better ending than the lame on in the original short-story--and I'd also seen David Fincher's "The Game".
Problem is....so had Kelly.

Unlike chocolate and peanut butter, the two did not go together, and unlike fanboys, I knew he hadn't "thought either one of them up" by his own widdle genius self either.

[Spit_Fire]

Originally Posted by EricJ

No, it's because I'd SEEN the 80's Twilight Zone episode (what, want me to link it again?)--which had a better ending than the lame on in the original short-story--and I'd also seen David Fincher's "The Game".
Problem is....so had Kelly.

Unlike chocolate and peanut butter, the two did not go together, and unlike fanboys, I knew he hadn't "thought either one of them up" by his own widdle genius self either.

I don't watch Twilight Zone that's #1, #2 I don't plan to watch it either. #3 the attacking isn't needed. Those are only my opinions on the movie. I recommend IMDB if you wanna get technical about the film, not here. Im just bringing the BD news.

[The Guilty Party]

Love "Donnie Darko", Like "Southland Tales", Hate "The Box". I get that it's out there and all that but I just could not get into this at all. Oh well, to each their own and maybe I'll dig Kelly's next flick.

[madmojo]

I don't know why people keep bringing up the short story... Kelly simply used it as a springboard for his own ideas. Sure, the story is in there, but it's still just a jumping off point.

Matheson didn't like the Twilight Zone version either, as he thought the ending was ruined.

I'd say count it as a Kelly film, not an adaptation of a previous work. It is NOT based on the Twilight Zone episode.

Oh, and before I'm accused. Not a fanboy. I didn't like Southland Tales, worst blind buy ever.

[Cory Lendon]

Originally Posted by Dudley Dawson

The majority of the movie-going public want cookie-cutter, formulaic films (aka mainstream). The Box is not a mainstream film. It takes some thought to understand everything, and for many people, that is too much to ask.

It was so unnecessarily complex that it teetered on being pretentious. Way too much filler, IMO. Being put in an interesting moral dillema is enough material to flesh out a film, without a out-of-left-field SciFi element that does NOTHING to move the story along.

Of course it'll be fodder for film elitists and their "If you didn't like it, you didn't understand it" arguement like Gummo, or any random Araki film.

[madmojo]

Originally Posted by Cory Lendon

It was so unnecessarily complex that it teetered on being pretentious. Way too much filler, IMO. Being put in an interesting moral dillema is enough material to flesh out a film, without a out-of-left-field SciFi element that does NOTHING to move the story along.

Of course it'll be fodder for film elitists and their "If you didn't like it, you didn't understand it" arguement like Gummo, or any random Araki film.

More like "This movie just isn't for you." I liked the sci-fi angle. Moral dilemmas can be enough for a movie, but some of us like stuff from left field. There are other movies that have simple moral dilemmas about life and death. The trailers made it look like that's what this movie was, and I for one am glad it wasn't that.

I have this same argument with people that don't like Dario Argento movies. I'm definitely not saying that you're saying this, but there are a lot of people out there that think that all movies are made for everyone. The Box is a niche film. I'd say that all movies have some worth to somebody out there.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by madmojo

Matheson didn't like the Twilight Zone version either, as he thought the ending was ruined.

The original ending of the short story was "...Yes, but do you REALLY know your husband??"
Dear gods, Matheson, that was lame.

The 80's TZ, which tried to follow Serling's footsteps of making noble politically-correct "messages" out of every adaptation (just ask Harlan Ellison) came up with a neater ending even if it wasn't Matheson's:

[Show spoiler]The wife pushes the button, the stranger retrieves the box, hands over the money, and tells her it will next be given to "someone they absolutely do not know..." Heh. Heh. K for Karma.

Now that's a better TZ ending, even if it wasn't what they'd started with. (And frankly, a lot of the lamer 50's TZ episodes were Rich-written....That proto-Poltergeist one with the daughter who disappears into the other dimension behind her bedroom?--YEESH! )

Kelly?--He just wanted to show us how much of a genius he was by cribbing Fincher, and by showing he could direct something ELSE as weird as His One Big Hit.
TZ ain't about being "weird", RK, it's about having something to say. Try it sometime.

[Cory Lendon]

Originally Posted by madmojo

The Box is a niche film. I'd say that all movies have some worth to somebody out there.

It shouldn't have seen a wide release, because while the trailer was kept simple, it evolves into everything it wasn't billed as.

That's my only gripe.

[madmojo]

Originally Posted by Cory Lendon

It shouldn't have seen a wide release, because while the trailer was kept simple, it evolves into everything it wasn't billed as.

That's my only gripe.

Yeah, I'll definitely agree with you on that. I doubt Richard Kelly will get a wide release from a major studio again, after the way this flopped.

[M and J]

I like the movie, the atmosphere, the mistery.

[BurningFire333]

Just went up for pre-order on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UV4XX8

I'll definitely be picking this one up, but I'm hoping WBShop will have a better price whenever they put it up for preorder.

[solott55]

Maybe I'm biased because it was made by a local improv comedy group, but I find it hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiFKm...eature=related

[owa]

I'm looking forward to checking it out since they filmed part of it where I work and several people I know are extras in the movie. But, they all went to a screening of the movie when it was released and no one seemed to like the movie itself. Of course, some were upset because they ended up on the cutting room floor and some are the type that just nitpick over every little plot-flaw so I plan to at least give it a chance.

[A-E-Martin]

Any news on a Director's Cut of the film? It seems like a lot of footage was cut from the theatrical release.

[solott55]

Originally Posted by solott55

Maybe I'm biased because it was made by a local improv comedy group, but I find it hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiFKm...eature=related

Seriously guys - watch this - it's hilarious.

[BladeRunner2007]

That movie was.......... strange. It had great potential but the story became too sci-fi and confusing at times. Pretty stupid as well. Langella was great, but Diaz sucked big time. Her "acting" was astrocious. Quite a letdown in my book. Too bad, I thought I'd like this movie.

[Minimejer05]

I think it was right on par with Kellys other work. Nice mystery with a wonderful musical score.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by solott55

Seriously guys - watch this - it's hilarious.

Eh...
Seems like we were getting the exact same slacker-parodies back when "Indecent Proposal" was pretentiously in theaters ("Would you let me sleep with your wife for $1M?" "Huh...Sure--Make it $2M and I'll do it!" "), and that one actually WAS making money off the gullible at the time.
There was more of a reason to balloon-pin that one's pretentiousness, whereas here, looks like they just substituted a few words here and there...Yeah, I saw "Kingpin" too, guys.

As for the Kelly-Can-Do-No-Wrong posts ("You guys are just cowards who like mainstream films, and you don't know Thought-Provoking Genius when you see it! "), um....have we figured out a name for that yet?
Bcause it was just as annoying when Tim Burton fans were falling back on it with "9".