tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post3915239860439589988..comments2024-02-10T01:22:29.316-08:00Comments on Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: The BoxKevin J. Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-74255282571303924472010-05-18T08:49:09.588-07:002010-05-18T08:49:09.588-07:00I too thoroughly enjoyed THE BOX, Kevin, and part ...I too thoroughly enjoyed THE BOX, Kevin, and part of the reason is that it does, much like SOUTHLAND TALES, throw all kinds of things into the mix.<br /><br />It never feels the need to 'restrain' itself from tackling all the implications of its set-up. It's funny, disturbing, moving...<br /><br />I wrote a little piece on it recently here:<br /><br />http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2010/05/box-2009-notes.htmlStephenhttp://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-71074831959298783912010-03-23T12:11:17.187-07:002010-03-23T12:11:17.187-07:00@TonyDayoub: I didnt think the film was "deep...@TonyDayoub: I didnt think the film was "deep" in anyway either, actually, I thought it was simplistic in execution. <br /><br />On my post I was simply pointing out the films religious allusions, thats all. <br /><br />Even thought the movie wasnt "deep" or anything, it did touch upon some moral issues that were interesting, and it had that sci-fi edge to it that I found fun. <br /><br />I was expecting a royal dud, yet I got a fun, eerie, weird movie, that wasnt too out there.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-40008342312903700522010-03-19T12:20:12.802-07:002010-03-19T12:20:12.802-07:00Tony:
Wow, I think I had a little too much scotch...Tony:<br /><br />Wow, I think I had a little too much scotch in my coffee this morning...sorry about the typos. I'm glad you were able to decipher that sentence, hehe. I agree with you about Kelly's ability to direct his actors. I too liked that creepy waiter. I remember during the classroom scene where he needles Diaz into showing the class her deformed foot I couldn't help but laugh because I was so uncomfortable. It reminded me a lot of some of the really memorable creepy moments from <i>Donnie Darko</i>, which was also aided by bizarre acting that evoked an eerie mood.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-6793628364294951372010-03-19T12:14:28.309-07:002010-03-19T12:14:28.309-07:00You know, it's hard to even disagree with you ...<i>You know, it's hard to even disagree with you here, yet I find myself defending this film because I said so much fin watching it, and because Kelly just kind of throws everything out there.</i><br /><br />I can understand. I found a lot of it fun, too. But for me it was all in the actors' performances. Marsden, Diaz and Langella were all great, as was the supporting cast (down to the creepy waiter guy played by the dude who sings the Coca Cola jingle before the movie rolls when you're waiting at the theater). Kelly can direct the shit out of his actors.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-11537969789345543272010-03-19T08:33:47.244-07:002010-03-19T08:33:47.244-07:00Sam:
Thanks as always for the visit and the comme...Sam:<br /><br />Thanks as always for the visit and the comment. I look forward to watching this film again with some friends, a few beers, and a lot of good natured "philosophizing" in the room. It's one of those films I can enjoy seriously based on its aesthetic merit, but as Tony pointed out above, Kelly gets in way over his head with all of the big ideas he has floating above this movie...but I think <i>that</i> part of it makes it kind of fun as a group movie. It the film was tighter and more theoretically condensed I wouldn't has a second thought about putting it in my top 10.<br /><br />I know Keith Ulrich had it number 9 on his list last year, so the film does have its serious defenders. I'm only kind of there...hehe.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-60382373435408019612010-03-19T08:30:07.363-07:002010-03-19T08:30:07.363-07:00Bryce:
I think you're getting my feelings abo...Bryce:<br /><br />I think you're getting my feelings about <i>Donnie Darko</i> confused with my feelings for <i>The Box</i>. One of the things I liked about the film was that it did indeed make me want to go and revisit it...<i>Darko</i> did not.<br /><br />I agree that the more time passes after watching the film the more I think about it. It's a silly film, ultimately, but I found it extremely entertaining.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-22182780481608165872010-03-19T08:28:03.261-07:002010-03-19T08:28:03.261-07:00J.D.:
I hope you check it out. As I explained to...J.D.:<br /><br />I hope you check it out. As I explained to Tony above, it's a weird film in that I can totally understand the hate for the film, but I just had too good of a time watching it and I can't deny that experience. The look of the film is great too in evoking a kind of classical horror. David Denby even mentioned in his New Yorker review that Kelly COULD be the next Hitchcock if he could find someone to rein in his ideas. Sounds like we're all in agreement about that.<br /><br />Thanks as always for the visit.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-37645035099423491242010-03-19T08:26:08.207-07:002010-03-19T08:26:08.207-07:00Tony:
I love your entire comment here --
THE BO...Tony:<br /><br />I love your entire comment here -- <br /><br /><i>THE BOX is a film that sacrifices the power of Matheson's simple concept to create an overstuffed sausage of piecemeal ideas, none developed fully enough to actually allow you to find anything deeply meaningful to get caught up in. It's like Kelly is saying, "Look how smart and cool I am because I have all these neat theories." But ultimately none of these shallow half-thoughts stick. After having seen it, one feels like they skimmed through a CLIFF'S NOTES of some overwrought sci-fi story.</i><br /><br />You know, it's hard to even disagree with you here, yet I find myself defending this film because I said so much fin watching it, and because Kelly just kind of throws everything out there. It's definitely a lot more interesting than the Sci-fi stories that play it safe; and yes, even though this is an extremely neutered version of Matheson's story it still works for me because I think the themes Kelly goes for are audacious enough to keep his rather thin add-ons to Matheson interesting. <br /><br />I agree with you that religious stuff is too overt to be considered "great" symbolism, and I also agree with you that he seems like a guy very pleased with how smart he is, and he's content on showing his intelligence at the expense of a coherent story arc...but damn it...I still liked this movie...a lot, hehe. Go figure.<br /><br />It's one of those movies (and I think we all have one of these) that I can't deny any refutation of its merit, yet I find myself defending it because I can't deny the great time I had watching it and the skill that went into the aesthetic of the film.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-8620907499224143402010-03-19T08:15:53.251-07:002010-03-19T08:15:53.251-07:00TFC:
I did think Donnie Darko was mostly weird fo...TFC:<br /><br />I did think <i>Donnie Darko</i> was mostly weird for the sake of being weird. Perhaps the wormhole theories and the "science" of that film went way over my head, but by the time the film was over I really wasn't interested in going back and trying to unlock the mystery. I scratched my head more than I grinned during <i>Darko</i>, and even though it has a star-making performance from Jake Gyllenhaal I couldn't get over the fact that the movie was just a lot of non-sequiturs. At least the non-sequiturs in <i>The Box</i> amused the hell out of me and kept me more than entertained throughout. <br /><br />One thing Kelly does extremely well in <i>Darko</i> and <i>The Box</i> is evoke a very specific feel with the way he shoots his film to the way his production designers masterfully get things right with sets and costumes. I just think the man needs ANYONE with half a brain to rein him in.<br /><br />All the religious symbolism you bring up in <i>The Box</i> is obviously there (I even mention it briefly), but I think one of the problems is that he so overtly puts it out there. Sure, it's a lot of fun, but it would have been immensely more impressive had he kept everything as subtext; sometimes that's hard to do with a symbol as obvious as the one in this film, but he didn't have to go explain every metaphor...<br /><br />All that being said: I still really liked this movie. It was a fun, spooky and cerebral horror film.<br /><br />Thanks for the comment!Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-37027064305964776682010-03-18T17:50:21.741-07:002010-03-18T17:50:21.741-07:00Aye, Mr. Wilson, this film has grown on me since I...Aye, Mr. Wilson, this film has grown on me since I saw it on a raint weekday night months ago at our local multiplex. There are some brilliant ideas, and even a scattered screenplay can't erase the though-provoking nature of this material. Mt theatrical viewing elicited a split reaction, but a subsequent viewing on DVD has enhanced it.<br /> I had to wait till the very end to get your summary judgement, but I enjoyed the revisitation here and the excellent references. I suspect down the road this will indeed be seen as a film cracking second-helping ten best list!<br /><br />Superlative essay!Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-42737468063023828212010-03-18T13:56:00.996-07:002010-03-18T13:56:00.996-07:00I like many of the points you have to make, but I ...I like many of the points you have to make, but I have to disagree on one crucial issue, The Box for me is a film I like better the more I think about it. <br /><br />For comparison here's my mixed theatrical review:<br />http://thingthatdontsuck.blogspot.com/2009/11/box.html<br /><br />Against my positive DVD one:<br />http://thingthatdontsuck.blogspot.com/2009/07/southland-tales-year-after-apocalypse.html<br /><br />Its a film that needs time to percolate, but I find it a more rewarding experience on each return.Bryce Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17040954580033470664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-7912080014957333092010-03-18T13:42:11.598-07:002010-03-18T13:42:11.598-07:00"Here's a film that feels like it's e..."Here's a film that feels like it's easily one of the best films of the year as you're watching it, but when you go back to think about what it was you just watched you tend to be more amazed that the story didn't collapse under all of the weight Kelly puts on it by dipping his toes into so many deep themes that range from the sociological to the political and theological to existential."<br /><br />This is exactly how I feel about Kelly's magnum opus SOUTHLAND TALES which wants to be so many different things that it can't quite settle on anything but is still a fantastic mess of a film.<br /><br />I am curious to see THE BOX and your review is one of a few positives I've read that has me intrigued. But you're right, the guy needs a screenwriting partner or an editor to keep him in check - he seems to be a very unfocused writer. He's got a great eye for detail and has the directing thing nailed down, just needs to work on his scripts a little more.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-43185229634910628022010-03-18T11:49:02.129-07:002010-03-18T11:49:02.129-07:00@The Film Connoisseur,
With all due respect, the ...@The Film Connoisseur,<br /><br />With all due respect, the religious concepts attached to the Edenic motif are something I'm not sure Kelly should be throwing out there as complicated subtext unless the film is aimed at high schoolers.<br /><br />THE BOX is a film that sacrifices the power of Matheson's simple concept to create an overstuffed sausage of piecemeal ideas, none developed fully enough to actually allow you to find anything deeply meaningful to get caught up in. It's like Kelly is saying, "Look how smart and cool I am because I have all these neat theories." But ultimately none of these shallow half-thoughts stick. After having seen it, one feels like they skimmed through a CLIFF'S NOTES of some overwrought sci-fi story.Tony Dayoubhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04632329277519635858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8785859730868628316.post-18141898297429319872010-03-18T11:14:12.263-07:002010-03-18T11:14:12.263-07:00You thought Donnie Darko was just being weird for ...You thought Donnie Darko was just being weird for weirds sake? <br /><br />Though, thats a completely valid way of making a film, I dont think Darko was like that. Everything had an explenation, weird for weirds sake would something like like Lynch's Lost Highway.<br /><br />The Box had many religious undertones. Im not religious at all, but I picked up on them right away! <br /><br />Heres a run down of religious allusions in the film (spoilers ahead if you havent seen the movie!) <br /><br />The red box served the same purpose that the forbidden fruit did in Eden. The woman is the one who presses the button, just like Eve is the one that eats of the forbidden fruit first. <br /><br />Langellas character is god, putting the temptation in front of them to see if they will bite. Of course they do, and so they have to pay. Same as humanity has had to pay, because Eve bit the forbidden fruit. <br /><br />The weird nose bleeding people are the same as religious followers, the choice Marsden has to take was either Heaven or Hell (apparently he momentarily teleports himself to heaven because he describes it as something so wonderful...<br /><br />Their kid has to pay for their sin, just like humanity has had to pay because Adam and Eve (according to the bible humanities parents, bit the fruit and sinned.<br /><br />Diaz and Marsden react all worried that Langella's character didnt like them, but maybe he did cause he laughed, maybe he likes them...but that worry is similar to how people need to have gods approval, so they wont be punished or be made to pay. <br /><br />And then theres that scene where they are asking Langella if they can repent for what they did, to which he replies, you have to pay for what you did, just the way the bible teaches about sin. <br /><br />There are many parallels between this movie and religious beliefs. Loved it for that! Plus theres that sci-fi angle....and Aurthur C. Clarkes quote...means, whatever we dont understand will be no different then magic to us.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.com