The Box «««
PG-13, 116m. 2009
Cast & Credits: Cameron Diaz (Norma Lewis), James Marsden (Arthur Lewis), Frank Langella (Arlington Steward), James Rebhorn (Norm Cahill), Holmes Osborne (Dick Burns), Sam Oz Stone (Walter Lewis), Gillian Jacobs (Dana), Celia Weston (Lana Burns), Deborah Rush (Clymene Steward). Written and directed by Richard Kelly based on the short story “Button, Button.”
The plot build-up of The Box is equivalent to the kind of mass media entertainment hype that gets people excited about an upcoming movie set to open months from now. I equate this kind of hype with the excitement Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) unleashed almost a year before it came out. Upon the film’s release, fan and critical reaction to the movie wasn’t exactly positive.
By comparison, The Box offers up lots of intriguing little subplots and twists that begin just before the opening credits as a memo from an unseen person is typed out. The memo explains that a missing person who left a military hospital has been reported leaving a mysterious box on the doorsteps of people’s homes.
I was hooked right from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see how The Box would end. In addition to the alarming memo, there is mention of National Security Agency experiments, NASA missions to Mars, notions about Heaven, Hell, and how life on Earth is humanity’s Purgatory, wind tunnels, lightning strikes, nosebleeds, and government agents in big black cars. At least I think they are government agents. This is the kind of film where just when you think you have the story all figured out, something else occurs and you are back to square one.
There are also dazed humans with accusingly blank stares who say nothing and reside at an out of the way hotel. When they aren't milling around a swimming pool at night that boasts a bright blue light, they are reading at the public library and get distracted the moment someone, who is not one of them like NASA engineer and husband Arthur Lewis (James Marsden), walks in. There the head librarian is some sort of angel, (again, I think) who tells Arthur to pick from three watery time portals. One could lead to damnation, the other leads to eternal bliss.
I am still debating on whether or not to see Kelly’s critically panned end of the world-apocalyptic mess of a supposed comedy called Southland Tales (2006) that featured The Rock’s Dwayne Johnson. I suppose I will see both one of these days when I have time trying to make sense of the film’s storylines.
At least with The Box, I was able to follow along in what at first seems like a simple story where a mysterious gentleman named Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) leaves a box on the Lewis’ doorsteps. Inside is just a finely, crafted wooden “box” with a big red button. Steward later arrives to make Arthur and Norma an offer too good to refuse. They can push the button and upon doing so, receive one million dollars cash, all in crisp $100 dollar bills. The gist is someone they don’t know will die.
If the Lewis’ had said no this film would have been over within thirty minutes, the normal length of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone (1959-1964). I don’t think I need to tell you the decision Norma makes except to say I am reminded of that line a character says in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987) about money.
“The thing about money is it makes you do things you don’t want to do.”
What follows are all those little plot elements I mentioned. As I said, I was hooked, almost right from the beginning. In addition to that, I loved the setting which takes place in 1976. We see people sporting long sideburns and wearing multi-colored slacks to work. The Lewis’ kitchen is covered with laughably bad spotted circled wallpaper that would give anyone a headache just looking at it. This is like taking a trip down memory lane to the way things were back then where people watched Johnny Carson on late night. The shot of the couple’s living room television set shows just how much has changed in terms of technology where most everyone now has flat screen high definition TV sets. There is even a commercial of the World Trade Center as the Star Spangled Banner is playing.
I can’t argue, however, that for almost two hours, The Box did not take me on an enjoyable little roller coaster ride as it played with my mind and wondered where this film was going. I enjoyed the ride. I just didn’t care for the solution.
On that note, I better stop here and give The Box my recommended three star rating. If I irritate myself any further about how this film screwed me over in the end, I’ll award The Box the two and a half star rating it really deserves.
©11/6/09
PG-13, 116m. 2009
Cast & Credits: Cameron Diaz (Norma Lewis), James Marsden (Arthur Lewis), Frank Langella (Arlington Steward), James Rebhorn (Norm Cahill), Holmes Osborne (Dick Burns), Sam Oz Stone (Walter Lewis), Gillian Jacobs (Dana), Celia Weston (Lana Burns), Deborah Rush (Clymene Steward). Written and directed by Richard Kelly based on the short story “Button, Button.”
By comparison, The Box offers up lots of intriguing little subplots and twists that begin just before the opening credits as a memo from an unseen person is typed out. The memo explains that a missing person who left a military hospital has been reported leaving a mysterious box on the doorsteps of people’s homes.
I was hooked right from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see how The Box would end. In addition to the alarming memo, there is mention of National Security Agency experiments, NASA missions to Mars, notions about Heaven, Hell, and how life on Earth is humanity’s Purgatory, wind tunnels, lightning strikes, nosebleeds, and government agents in big black cars. At least I think they are government agents. This is the kind of film where just when you think you have the story all figured out, something else occurs and you are back to square one.
There are also dazed humans with accusingly blank stares who say nothing and reside at an out of the way hotel. When they aren't milling around a swimming pool at night that boasts a bright blue light, they are reading at the public library and get distracted the moment someone, who is not one of them like NASA engineer and husband Arthur Lewis (James Marsden), walks in. There the head librarian is some sort of angel, (again, I think) who tells Arthur to pick from three watery time portals. One could lead to damnation, the other leads to eternal bliss.
This film got so weird early on that when a rude student asks Arthur’s wife and private school teacher, Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz), during a class discussion if he could see her bare foot, I wondered if screenwriter/director Richard Kelly had the same kind of foot fetish that director Quentin Tarantino employs in just about every violent movie he makes.Other than The Box, which is based on a short story by Richard Matheson called “Button, Button”, Kelly has also done Donnie Darko (2001) which has become a cult favorite featuring Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled teenager whose visions of a macabre looking bunny rabbit make him commit murders. I did not know what to make of that film when I saw it and am scared to see the extended director’s cut out of fear my still not understanding it will only aggravate me further.
That particular “foot scene” also has something to do with the story here as well, which I won’t explain here. All this will no doubt feel strange to the viewer but I am sure these plot elements are right at home in director Richard Kelly’s world.
I am still debating on whether or not to see Kelly’s critically panned end of the world-apocalyptic mess of a supposed comedy called Southland Tales (2006) that featured The Rock’s Dwayne Johnson. I suppose I will see both one of these days when I have time trying to make sense of the film’s storylines.
At least with The Box, I was able to follow along in what at first seems like a simple story where a mysterious gentleman named Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) leaves a box on the Lewis’ doorsteps. Inside is just a finely, crafted wooden “box” with a big red button. Steward later arrives to make Arthur and Norma an offer too good to refuse. They can push the button and upon doing so, receive one million dollars cash, all in crisp $100 dollar bills. The gist is someone they don’t know will die.
If the Lewis’ had said no this film would have been over within thirty minutes, the normal length of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone (1959-1964). I don’t think I need to tell you the decision Norma makes except to say I am reminded of that line a character says in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987) about money.
“The thing about money is it makes you do things you don’t want to do.”
What follows are all those little plot elements I mentioned. As I said, I was hooked, almost right from the beginning. In addition to that, I loved the setting which takes place in 1976. We see people sporting long sideburns and wearing multi-colored slacks to work. The Lewis’ kitchen is covered with laughably bad spotted circled wallpaper that would give anyone a headache just looking at it. This is like taking a trip down memory lane to the way things were back then where people watched Johnny Carson on late night. The shot of the couple’s living room television set shows just how much has changed in terms of technology where most everyone now has flat screen high definition TV sets. There is even a commercial of the World Trade Center as the Star Spangled Banner is playing.
What I didn’t care for is the way the film fell apart in the final third act. I am still not certain if what happened was really the climax. I thought everything I had seen was going to lead to some big unexpected surprise. My only response to all this near the end was “Huh?” “This is it?” The Box exhibits almost the same issue I had with Knowing released earlier this year, the end of the world mystery thriller that also boasted notions about religion, faith in God, and aliens. The religion and faith in God issues I could deal with. I am not going to buy what filmmakers are selling when they start bringing aliens into the mix as reasons for the upcoming apocalypse.By comparison in The Box’s third act when the Lewis’ home is flooded with water, I have a hard time accepting that it was all the result of a time portal Arthur stepped in versus the fact maybe the upstairs toilet had a massive back up or someone left the bathroom water on for days. From that moment on, The Box lost me. Now I know how all those die-hard fans of the original Star Wars trilogy felt after sitting through The Phantom Menace and having all their hopes and dreams shattered that Episode I would be as good as Star Wars (1977) was.
I can’t argue, however, that for almost two hours, The Box did not take me on an enjoyable little roller coaster ride as it played with my mind and wondered where this film was going. I enjoyed the ride. I just didn’t care for the solution.
On that note, I better stop here and give The Box my recommended three star rating. If I irritate myself any further about how this film screwed me over in the end, I’ll award The Box the two and a half star rating it really deserves.
©11/6/09
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