Genres

Visitors Review

catmeena 2013-05-11 22:29:04

Cac

This movie is cac, utter utter cac. 10 lines not necessary for thiscorker but needs must. I had only a vague notion of what the movie was about before going tosee it but good god, really appallingly poor stuff, though any moviebased on a screenplay entitled "Buttons, Buttons"....well. I walked outwondering what better ways I could have spent the last 115 minutes ofmy life which I'll sadly never get back, and the 8 squids I wasted onthe ticket.It is hideously drawn out, has no redeeming qualities that I can thinkof, the story line is of course farcical - which is fair enough, butthe whole moral dilemma issues are very poorly played out. Boo I say,BOO!

2013-05-11 13:19:37

Should Have Been Filmed In Black And White

The Story Of This Movie Has That Early 50's Film Feel To It.Not To Get Into Any Spoilers, Specific Scenes Echo.... The Day The Earth Stood Still,This Island Earth, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Etc.This Movie Would Work Even Better In Chrome Or Black And White!I Loved This Whole Movie Concept Except For One Thing...The Ending.As Complex As This Story Seems To Be, We Are Left With A Simple And Unrealistic Ending.If You Love Sci-Fi That Doesn't Talk Down To The Viewer Then This Movie Is A Must Watch,Big Name Actors Or Not!

jcdugger 2013-05-08 17:18:48

Should have been named "The Neverending Story"!...

Before you dismiss my post as "not getting it", let me say...I'm one ofthe biggest Richard Kelly and "The Twilight Zone" fans out there.Donnie Darko is one my all-time favorites and I even thought SouthlandTales had it's moments. I'm a HUGE sci-fi fan. I was very excited tosee "The Box", couldn't wait for it to come out.Having said that..."The Box" is terrible. Behind "Drag Me To Hell",this was the worst movie I've seen in 2009. And it just simply WILL NOTend! Whenever you think you've reached the end, another change in theplot and you're off to more torture. I was actually groaning in thetheater by the end of the film...I could hardly take it anymore.The biggest problem with "The Box", no matter how you slice it or tryto justify it, is that it simply makes little sense. Trust me, I "gotit", I understood what was going on. But that doesn't mean it makes alot of sense looking back on it. Take the basics for example. The maincouple...Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, playing Norma and ArthurLewis. Diaz loses her finances at her job, then bemoans that they are"living paycheck to paycheck". Well, sell that f-ing Porsche yourhusband is driving then!!! They live in a beautiful 2-story house in anice subdivision. Marsden is working what seems to be a high-paid jobat NASA and Diaz is an accomplished teacher. And, yes, Marsden drivesan overly expensive car. But they are somehow living paycheck topaycheck?!? No need to press the button, just cut down your high-pricedlifestyle a bit! The movie would have worked better if they showed thecouple jobless and in serious debt. Instead, they are seeminglydesperate for money...all the while living what I would call aluxurious lifestyle. Like I said...you can understand what's going on,yet it still makes little sense! That's a rare combination.There was an awful scene in a library that I feel will go down as oneof the worst segments in movie history (terribly acted too by the way).It was idiotic, illogical and out of place. I can't even begin to fullydescribe it actually, so I will move onto a subplot that involvesnose-bleeds and body possession by aliens. (Yes, I'm being seriousunfortunately). A kid is in Diaz's class with a wicked and smile on hisface (a sinister smile that seemingly goes by completely unnoticed byeveryone in authority at the school). He starts asking Diaz personalquestions, literally embarrassing her in front of her class. Nopunishment is given to the kid whatsoever...he didn't even get asked tostay after class for a talk! Then Diaz is at a party...and the same kidis one of the hired help...ironed shirt, apron and all! I don't knowmany alien-possessed kids (who appear to be in Junior High) that alsomoonlight as a bus-boy at parties sponsored by teachers and schoolofficials...but we found one here! (See what I mean...you canunderstand it completely, but it still makes no sense...a rare combo!)Like many things in the movie, the kid comes and goes...no realexplanation about him, no ending to his character. Moving on... A ladythen approaches Diaz in a grocery store, telling her that experimentsare being ran secretly and her family is one of the test subjects.Well...hmmm...if aliens possess the powers where they can take over abody remotely...and the aliens don't want to help Diaz...then who wastaking over this lady's body and giving Diaz advice?! Again...The ladywas trying to help Diaz...and the aliens weren't interested in helpingDiaz...so who the hell was controlling her body?! Never explained.Never talked about again. No nothing!! It goes on and on and on likethis for, what seemed to me like, 2 weeks. It would not end! I wonderif this movie underwent a massive re-shoot at some point. It was poorlyedited. Diaz's accent was there one minute, gone the next. Sub-plotsbegan but never ended. The numerous push-backs of the release dateobviously shows the problems the producers had with the finishedproduct. It's truly a train-wreck.Pass on this one...there's no redeeming value in it whatsoever. 3 outof 10, just because I like Diaz and sci-fi! But it probably deserves a1 out of 10.Thanks for reading! JD

1bilbo 2013-05-08 03:04:01

Dreadful remake of a great short story.

Some years ago I saw a terrific 30 min film about a couple who werevisited by a stranger who gave them a box. If they pressed the buttonon the box they would receive $500,000 and somebody they didn't knowwould die.Obviously the writers of this dreadful convoluted mess have seen thesame short film and expanded the idea to occupy hours of irrelevantdrivel.In the original they pressed the button and the stranger came back withthe money and told them the box would be reset and given to somebodyTHEY didn't know. The full horror was suddenly obvious.This current offering has completely lost the plot and the excitementof the original, if you are fed up after 30 mins don't imagine that thenext 30 mins will be better – it gets more convoluted and meaninglessas it goes on – one star.

2013-05-01 13:24:04

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

THE BOX is an eerily effective tale and offers a provocative offer--would you take a million dollars even if you knew someone you didn't know would die as a result?Director Richard Kelly fashions this premise into an allegorical/sci-fi vision of what happens to a couple faced with this offer. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden are okay as the couple but aren't overly impressive, but Frank Langella is quite effective as the mysterious benefactor. The plot is sometimes esoteric and confusing but it held my interest. Overall, THE BOX delivers.

2013-04-30 19:57:15

WTF?

This review is from: The Box (DVD) Are you kidding me? This went from a pretty good storyline about moral values to some kind of bad X-Files science fiction movie; one that made no sense and left everything openended. Who are these people? How deep is the involvement of our government with them? This movie isn't even worth the money to rent it. Stay away.

Cathy 2013-04-23 19:12:04

Excellent!

It really makes you think of your morals and the morals of humanity. It makes you think what you would do if given the same offer. It hits a religious chord also ie. thou shall not kill. It's a must see then rent at a later date to fully digest.

imdb-com-489 2013-04-23 05:29:22

Interesting plot, well acted, fantastic sets, and a solid ending.

I'd honestly give this movie a solid 7.5, but I clicked 10 to try tooffset the 5 pages of imbecilic, unjustified 1-star reviews. This is aninteresting story, all of the acting is good to very good (even Ms.Diaz, who is totally out of her usual grinning-bimbo role here, yetplays it well.) The sets are perfect and the cinematography isconsistently appropriately creepy. It's a fine morality play and thereis *no* reason to explain the origin of the god/supernaturalbeing/alien/whatever that's "running the show," so I'm glad the moviedoesn't try. It's really irrelevant to the story, which is relativelylong but quite compelling and summed up quite satisfyingly in theending. Before you decide this movie is terrible (or really, anything under a~7.5) read some of the dozens of 1-star "hated it" reviews that arerife with misspellings, lack of punctuation and capitalization, andjuvenile criticisms. Maybe the trailer was misleading or something -- Ididn't see it -- but some of these reviewers were apparently expectingTerminator 4 or Saw 5 (one reviewer actually compared this movie toSaw! How utterly inappropriate and unrelated!) Seriously, most of these reviews read like you-tube comments --according to these "critics" this movie is too confusing yet toopredictable, not enough action yet there's too much going on, too smartyet too dumb, explains too much yet leaves too much unexplained... oh-- and it's apparently a "waist (sic) of time." Do consider the qualityand source of the reviews before taking them to heart. I'm afraid these1-star kids failed to understand the phrase "altruism coefficient" andwere therefore utterly incapable of understanding the movie's premise(despite adamantly claiming that they "get it" right before explaininghow confusing it was!) If you know what those two words mean you willhave no trouble understanding (and enjoying) this movie.I really wish there were a reviewer reputation system here so I couldbe sure to ignore the rating of everyone who gave this movie 1 starforever.See it for yourself and enjoy the fine presentation of an interestingcouple taking an interesting moral "test" and facing the consequences.It's a good time, in my opinion.

2013-04-10 15:30:37

disappointment

This review is from: The Box (DVD) I am a big Cameron Diaz fan, but this was really a disappointment. It was slow and hard to follow, I kept waiting for something bid to happen and that never happened. It was a very "dark" movie. The review looked good and I couldn't wait to watch it, I am glad I didn't go to the show to see it.

2013-04-10 01:42:35

starts off well but quickly goes downhill

**1/2Based on the short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson, Richard Kelly's "The Box" starts off as an intriguing morality tale with a "Twilight Zone" flair, but the longer the movie goes on the sillier it becomes. Cameron Diaz and James Marsden play a married couple living in Richmond, Virginia in 1976. He works for NASA, while she teaches at a local prep school, although both receive disturbing news about the continued viability of their jobs and careers. One morning, they discover a strange package lying on their doorstep, one that contains a mysterious box whose purpose is not immediately apparent to either of its recipients. Enter Arlington Steward (Frank Langella), an enigmatic stranger with a grotesquely disfigured face, who informs the couple that, if they push the button on the box, they will receive a million dollars in return. The catch is, though, that when they do that, someone they do not know is going to die. So far, so good, as the movie explores the moral dilemma facing these two obviously decent people who certainly would never think of shooting a stranger in the head for a million dollars, but who just might be willing to push a button with the same result if they didn't have to see the death they'd be inflicting on an innocent party in the process. It might even be an allegory about how people living in the First World don't much care if someone in the Third World has to suffer or be exploited (or perhaps even die) to support their lifestyle, so long as the First-Worlders don't have to know about it and thus can continue living at ease with their consciences. Unfortunately, the movie isn't able to leave well enough alone, and soon it's devolved into an incoherent mess involving brainwashing, government conspiracies, extraterrestrials, and out-of-body experiences, all swimming around in a stew of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo. The problem is that very little of it makes any kind of sense and, though the audience keeps waiting for an explanation, one never comes. The movie also suffers from an unnervingly high quotient of goofiness and cheesiness, both in its look and in its performances. There are times when you find yourself wanting to laugh, even though you know you're supposed to be taking it all with the utmost seriousness (the actors sure seem to be). The biggest culprit in this regard is the musical score, which is so overemphatic and melodramatic that it becomes almost a parody of itself - much like the film itself in fact.

Christofer Johansson 2013-03-30 04:21:22

This movie could have been great but fails because of the misplaced secondary storyline.

Most of my favorite movies are those with a spin. I loved "frailty" forexample. I love most genres, but there is something special with asmart movie where you never know what to expect. Good acting helps butif you have a good enough storyline even bad acting doesn't matter(e.gSaw, the first one).This movie tries to be smart and have quite good acting.This movie is about 1 hour and 40 minutes long if you take awaycredits. The beginning is slow and doesn't really tell us anythingabout the storyline except give us an introduction of the family whichlife we will follow. This is a big problem for "the Box", because in ashort time they try to tell you a story that is bigger than just thebutton on the box, they manage to explain the box but fails completelywith the rest of the storyline.My summary of this movie would look like this: Introduction of the couple and their son. A box is given to the couple.A man tells them what will happen if they press the button on the box.A decision about the box is made. This is the first 31 minutes of themovie.Now it will just be some various scenes which will tell a storylinethat are far bigger than just the box and it will be very strange andthis will give you a lot of questions. You will start to wonder how allthis will make sense in the end. Well you don't have to wonder becauseyou will never get an answer to the bigger picture or even be able tofigure it out for yourself based on the information that you have beengiven. This will take almost exactly an hour. 1 hour and 30 minutes into the movie you will get to see the ending andget the answer to the decision which the couple made regarding the box.If someone still wants to see the movie i give you this advice: Jump 13minutes into the movie, then watch until 31 minutes, then jump to 1hour and 30 minutes and watch the end. That is all you need because therest is hard at best to make sense of.

2013-03-29 21:32:02

Boring!

It felt like a cheap wanna be sci-fi. The whole time you're thinking, when is this movie going to get better. You know the type.

Rob Malecki 2013-03-27 17:28:31

An intense masterpiece.

Would you push the button? Or would you just let it slip? What wouldhappen in either case? That's the big decision for Normah and ArthurLewis in this amazingly intense supernatural thriller.Many people will say that the plot is very hard to follow. If yougenerally aren't good at paying attention to movies, you may want toskip this one as the plot is quite out-there and there are severalparts where would-be massive plot holes are explained by small elementspreviously in the movie that might go unnoticed.However, if you enjoy a complicated plot and a good thriller, thismovie is definitely for you. All the actors delivered outstandingperformances-especially Cameron Diaz, and Richard Kelly pulled off amovie as artfully directed as Donnie Darko. Also, this movie isextremely unpredictable. It will keep your heart pounding wonderingwhat will happen next.Just a negative note, I thought the musical score was absolutelyterrible. Much of the time it consisted of un-tuned strings squeakingout dissonant notes.As a fan of Richard Kelly's other famous movie, Donnie Darko, The Boxcertainly didn't disappoint. If you enjoy a good intense movie anddon't mind a highly unlikely plot, this one's for you.

Troy_Campbell 2013-03-27 05:06:28

It's a movie that requires you to think outside, erm, the box.

Richard Kelly's (Donnie Darko and Southland Tales) third directorialeffort is an exciting and rousing psychological thriller that posesmany questions worth pondering well after the credits roll. What wouldyou do if offered $1 million at the expense of a life of someone youdon't know? Sure the obvious answer is not press the button, but it'snot always that easy. Add to the equation: you're running intofinancial difficulties that directly affect the upbringing of yourchild, you know that no-one else will ever know what you have done, andfinally, you don't fully believe the proposal to be true. Does thatchange your response? Yes? No? Maybe? Think about the worst positionyou've ever been in during your life, would you press the button then?Everyone has their breaking point somewhere down the line.Based on the Richard Matheson short story 'Button, Button', Kelly'sscreenplay is meticulous and painstakingly thought out. Despite apremise which is totally impossible, the situations he places theLewis' in feel genuine; their actions, decisions and whole emotionalspectrums are as real as they come. It is unpredictable for the mostpart (unless you've seen the episode of 'Twilight' that was also basedon Matheson's story) and cleverly plays its cards slowly andmethodically. The twists and turns are fantastic and keep you on theedge of your seat, even if Kelly starts to take one too many libertiesin the final act. One thing is for sure though, it's a movie thatrequires you to think outside, erm, the box.As the quandary-facing couple, Diaz and Marsden share terrific, naturalchemistry. Marsden proves he can be a bona-fide leading man if giventhe right material; his acting in the past has sometimes been cheesyand tacky but here he is completely engrossing and believable. Notfaring quite as well is Diaz. With a noticeable puffy face (intentionalmake-up or botox gone wrong?) she gives it her all, yet never fullyconvinces in her intense dramatic scenes. Rounding out the main trio ofplayers, Langella's Steward is a strangely beautiful beast. Langella'sdeep eyes and low voice are entrancing whilst his Two Face-esquiredisfigured face (rendered in CGI which isn't 100% if you look tooclosely) is ghastly and adds a further level of mystery to thecharacter.With a powerful score and a stimulating basis, this Box is well worthinvesting your money and time into.4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 -Classic)

2013-03-23 14:16:29

Starts good ... then goes bad fast ....... really bad

Ouch this was a BAD movie !!It started off very, very good.But then all of a sudden, they apparently started trying to throw in every Sci-Fi angle they could think of.Take every episode of Twilight Zone and Outer Limits you can think of ....... put it in a blender ......... filter out the best parts ...... and then whatever silly sludge is left over use to make "The Box".We watched this with some close friends (we have them over twice per month for dinner and movie night).This movie had the whole room groaning and laughing on the floor making comments like ...... "Ouch this is really bad. It's like watching Mystery Science Theatre".

2013-03-23 03:47:48

I was an "extra" for the NASA scenes...

THE BOX is set at NASA in 1976 because the director's father worked at the NASA Langley Research Facility here in Hampton, VA during the Mars Viking project. I have an old car, and since the movie was set in 1976, my friends and I got to drive our classic cars in the background of a lot of the scenes that were filmed at NASA. (When James Marsden drives and parks his Corvette in front of the Ried Conference Center, my car is the yellow 1971 Plymouth Road Runner that is in the very next parking space to the viewer's left of the space that Marsden takes.) As a humorous aside, my friend that actually WORKS at NASA Langley says that you NEVER see that many people walking from place to place within the facility. It's huge and you have to drive pretty much anywhere that you want to go! Second, look at a map some time and see how far that Richmond is from NASA Langley! I wouldn't want THAT commute every day!But, as far as the movie's plot we were all a bit disappointed with the final product. The Richard Matheson short story was very well written, and we all assumed that the movie was going to be an extended version of it perhaps with a few interesting twists and turns. I had never seen Donnie Darko all the way through but I hear that it was also confusing and that it jumped around quite a bit as well. I ordinarily like Cameron Diaz in most of her other work, but that phony accent has to go! People in this part of Virginia don't have an "Atlanta" accent. (Sorry to y'all if you might be in, or from, Atlanta! But if it's not "Atlanta" then where IS it??? We couldn't tell!) It's NOT a spoiler to tell you (you see it in the promo trailer) that Marsden and Woodle are driving the Bronco and get broadsided by a snowplow as they cross an intersection... the next scene? Not a hospital or even police officers investigating the accident. The movie just jumps to the next set of events and never answers the questions that you may have just raised. Bottom line: There are too many cool special effects and twists and turns instead of answers to the questions that will surely be in your mind as you watch the film. It's watchable, and enjoyable to see maybe once or twice, but just be glad that you didn't pay $10 - $15 each to see it in the theater!

Safyt123 2013-03-21 15:46:43

Why was this film made?

This film was totally pointless. About half way though I startedchecking my watch and contemplating walking out. Unfortunately I hadalready paid for the ticket and didn't have anything better to do.Besides, I told myself, they will explain it all at the end. Surly itcan't be this pointless the whole way through. Unfortunately I waswrong.I didn't understand the character motivations or reasoning. They areapparently sane, normal, educated and one of them is even a scientist.So why does he fall for the box scam. They needed to give he charactersa reason to believe in the box but none was forthcoming.Another question that remained unanswered was the motives of thealiens. What was their motivation? Can it really be called a test ifthe Participants are fully informed? Seemed like a pointless plot.Overall the worst film I'm seen this year and I work in the filmindustry and watch a lot of films. VERY DISAPPOINTED.

2013-03-21 10:09:11

No features

No... I did not buy this. I always netflix movies that are borderline interesting for me to see if its worth buying.I liked the movie for what its worth. I may be mistaken but there was an episode on one of the twilight zone reincarnations devoted to this storyline. But everyone has their own taste and this was ok for me.What irked me was that there was not 1 feature on this disc. This is a bluray.No featurette, no commentary, no deleted scenes, no nothing. Nada. Zilch.Why? Charging 25 bucks or so for JUST a movie and a mediocre one at best?Now that is truly insulting to the public.Rent it... Don't buy it.UPDATE: I just read in the product description that there are features. Well I couldn't find them. The menu had 2 options: Play and Languages.

napierslogs 2013-03-18 01:53:34

Intelligent science fiction thriller

"The Box" is not what you're expecting, and that will hold true nomatter what you are expecting. I had assumed it was going to be a moraland philosophical exploration of a couple's choice between money or anunknown death. There are moral and philosophical ideas presented, butin such a way that you don't yet understand.On the surface, it's a thriller, science fiction and creepy in nature.But the word "surface" should not be used because there is nothingsuperficial about this film. It is not simple or straight-forward. Itis a heart-wrenching, suspenseful thriller, told with creepy andsupernatural, other-worldly experiences and illustrations. But it'salso not an action film, it's closer to a philosophical discussion thanaction.To watch "The Box" you must be open to watching a movie that can't beexplained, won't make any sense in most interpretations of it, and isslow-moving but thrilling and suspenseful at the same time.Intelligent, science fiction thriller would be the closestcategorization. Fans of that genre should definitely watch; alsorecommended for fans of "Solaris" (2002).

adam_uk09 2013-03-17 21:18:11

A promising film spoilt by numerous flaws!!

Cameron Diaz and James Marsden star in this rather unremarkable 60'sthriller; if you can call it that.Set in 1960's USA the story unfolds of a couple and their childreceiving a wooden box. Enclosed is a button which if they press, willgive them $1m. However at the same time a person they don't know willdie.Of course the obvious choice is to press that button! But oh no, don'tbe too hasty; some nasty tricks are in store.Diaz, in her first major role for a while picks up the pace of the filmnicely, her acting is alright, but like the film, nothing spectacular.This can be said for the usually lovable James Marsden; he seems hollowhere, the script having numerous flaws and really not working for hischaracter. He certainly won't be receiving any praise for this rolewhich seems dead in comparison to his work in Hairspray and X-Men.The film itself starts off very well, descending into a completeshambles through the middle and finishing off good, but not to thestandard of the beginning.The shambles ensues as soon as anything paranormal is introduced. Thisfilm would've worked fine if it were not for the ridiculous plot andexcruciatingly painful and convoluting story which is hampered more bythe directors stiff camera work.By this point the viewer will be rubbing their eyes in disbelief atwhat is going on, perhaps saying to themselves 'did I miss something?'the answer is, no you didn't, but it certainly makes you feel like youhave!It is particularly annoying that a film can start off this well and gooff on a major tangent, like last year's 'Knowing' it seems thedirectors handy-work has not paid off here. Thoroughly disappointing!