comment #1

actionman says ...

I have read plenty of reviews that suggest that The Box is a fun, trippy, totally preposterous movie that works if you're in the mood for this sort of asinine thriller. I'll be Netflixing this one.

comment #2

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

I hate to say it (because he's possibly got a few good future movies left in him), but this may already be the end of Kelly. I know it seems way early for a career obituary (esp. given his age), but if this puppy tanks after Southland Tales super-tanked, I don't know where he goes from here.

Helming direct-to-video sequels?
Assistant director on big projects?
Porn auteur?

All of the above?

It's been a very strange run for him thus far, and -- for better or worse -- I get the distinct feeling he's just going to promptly disappear into the Hollywood ether.

comment #3

Mark says ...

So Langella shows the million during the initial proposal? Just press the button right then and there, and usher him out of your house sans suitcase. End of story. What's the rest of the movie even about?

comment #4

actionman says ...

I could see him doing a bang-up job on Pirates 4. I bet he talks his way into a tentpole/franchise movie.

comment #5

Rich S. says ...

The story, and the earlier Twilight Zone ep, are essentially just a brief, twisted joke to set up the final punch line. Even the 22 minute TZ ep felt padded. I'm shocked anyone thought they could make a 90 minute movie out of it, particularly since it sounds like they've jettisoned the punch line.

comment #6

lazarus says ...

I don't even understand why this would need a high price tag. For what?

comment #7

HarveyLime says ...

I sincerely hope this isn't the case. I've always been a fan of Kelly's directorial efforts. Darko was a promising debut, weak on narrative but strong atmospherically. If anything, I'm a bigger fan of Southland. Messy as it may be, there's too many great aspects and moments to write it off. Watching it for a second time, it's easier to appreciate the hallucinatory madness of it all. (I particularly love the long steadicam shot in the mega zeppelin)

That said, his script to Domino was probably the worst aspect of that film; one of the greatest missed opportunities in recent memory.

comment #8

Josh Massey says ...

I would only push the button 200, 300 times tops. I'm not a monster.

comment #9

Eloi Manning says ...

Are we so sure it's going to tank? Looks like a relatively cheaply made thriller that audiences might fancy on a fairly quiet weekend. Law Abiding Citizen made money - is The Box totally doomed?

comment #10

JD says ...

I read the script and, for better or worse, it seemed totally commercial to me. Sure, it has oddball moments/ideas, but so do most mainstream action, horror and sci-fi films.

comment #11

matt cousens says ...

Hold the phone. Why is a movie doomed if it films in or around Boston??

comment #12

Mark says ...

$30M budget, right? That'll get you the first act of Zodiac.

I'm suggesting that overall, Zodiac lost a lot more money than The Box will, yet Fincher still got his Benji Button budget. Kelly's future depends on whether he continues to be able to draw talent. Actors tend to have spotty yet long memories. Terry Gilliam still gets talent, and thus budgets, even though he's given no reason for anyone to believe in him over the last decade.

comment #13

Joel says ...

Matt, I think the problem was that they were filming two years ago, not that it was filming in Boston.

comment #14

matt cousens says ...

You know, it seems i misread that. Looks like i was wrong. Getting overly defensive of Boston is part of what makes you from Boston, i suppose.

comment #15

HarveyLime says ...

I think this will at least outdo both Men Who Stare at Goats and The Fouth Kind in the weekend haul (Christmas Carol will be the victor, without doubt).

comment #16

Chase Kahn says ...

There's no question it will do better than "The Fourth Kind" -- I've seen the trailer two times and read several news articles about it and I still don't know what the hell it is.

comment #17

btwnproductions says ...

GOATS is awful. As for Kelly, he's far from over--maybe an HBO/SHO show?

comment #18

Krazy Eyes says ...

I'll probably catch The Box on Netflix at some point but I still haven't forgiven Kelly for Southland Tales, which is still one of the most miserable theatergoing experiences i've ever had.

comment #19

jmevans says ...

Jeff,

What exactly are you trying to say by your reference to it being shot in Boston? The film was destined to fail due to this fact? You do realize that "Shutter Island" and "Edge of Darkness" were also filmed in Massachusetts? The current Cruise/Diaz film "Knight & Day" is also currently shooting in Boston. So is "The Town" with Affleck and Jon Hamn. Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups" wrapped this summer.

Plymouth may be getting a huge sound stage in a few years which will mean even more movies shot in Boston/Mass. So you may want to hold off on dissing that area when it comes to a film being shot there.

comment #20

jmevans says ...

I'll follow up by saying that if Jeff's point was that it was being shot 2 years ago, and not the fact that it was in Boston, then I apologize.

comment #21

Michael says ...

I think this looks like a fun movie and a nice alternative to what is being released now (I have no interest at all to see A Christmas Carol and Precious and An Education haven't been released in my area.) I think that Richard Kelly will be able to survive this if it does turn out to be a bad movie that fails miserably, he will just have to be given an appropriate budget next time (a la Darren Arronofsky after The Fountain who then made The Wrestler.) And I agree with HarveyLime - I actually preferred Southland Tales over Donnie Darko, but I find both to be entertaining movies.

comment #22

Colin says ...

Giving this a shot over Goats. McGregor ruins films for me and I'm sure Goats will be no different.

comment #23

DeeZee says ...

Mark: Outside of Fight Club and Zodiac, Fincher's movies make money. And Pitt was attached, so Button would at least break even, if nothing else. And Gilliam's got good will from his legacy as a filmmaker, while Kelly is currently a one-cult hit wonder.

comment #24

HarveyLime says ...

Hell, Proyas and company brought Knowing to nearly $80 million, and the reviews on that were even more savage. (granted that had somewhat weaker competition)

comment #25

Eloi Manning says ...

Goats looks like another one of those crap Clooney comedies like Leatherheads and Welcome to Collinwood. It will tank.

comment #26

Josh Massey says ...

Jesus, you Boston guys are thin-skinned.

(Pssst - Larry Bird was way overrated).

comment #27

DeeZee says ...

Josh: Not as overrated as The Departed.

comment #28

Cde. says ...

The biggest problem with this film is that it's 80% padding. Everything between the set-up and the conclusion adds little but convoluted sci-fi insanity. Some people will enjoy the crazy ride, but I found it a little flat, and very awkward to watch.

Then again...
Mark: Terry Gilliam still gets talent, and thus budgets, even though he's given no reason for anyone to believe in him over the last decade.

...I loved The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, about which many would make the same criticism.

comment #29

JulesWinnfield says ...

Still can't believe they got this idea from a youtube vid.

comment #30

BanksAreForRivers says ...

I have absolutely no faith in Richard Kelly.

He thought backing I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell would be a good idea.

I think Donnie Darko was a lucky strike. One I don't think he can replicate. And it wasn't a movie without it's problems. It worked as an under the radar cult hit, but wouldn't work any other way.

I think he's destined for television at this point. And looking at his work, that might be where he belongs.

comment #31

Michael says ...

I left the theater entertained by The Box, which was all I was hoping for. It was a fun, strange ride and it never bored me once. Not the best movie of the year, but a lot better than I was expecting. Richard Kelly showed a lot more restraint than Southland Tales led me to believe he had the capability of showing. Of course, that means he showed very little restraint at all, but it was a lot better contained than Southland Tales.

comment #32

raquelswell says ...

The way Kelly expresses himself is completely at odds with being known as someone who makes trippy movies. I know it shouldn't matter but I can't ignore the lack of a distinguishing personality. He tries hard to set himself apart from other young directors/writers but I don't think he has what it takes to just make a movie, much less a trippy one.

comment #33

Gordon27 says ...

"Terry Gilliam still gets talent, and thus budgets, even though he's given no reason for anyone to believe in him over the last decade."

I like Richard Kelly, but Terry Gilliam has (1) Monty Python based good will, (2) several successful movies, and (3) gotten multiple actors Academy Award nominations. And Fincher has two of those as well.

The Aronofsky comparison is apt -- Kelly needs to do something like 'The Wrestler'. But I don't think he's got it in him.

comment #34

A Facebook User says ...

This will do good business on DVD/BR, I bet.

comment #35

drbob says ...

I know he aspires to be a brainy cult director, but I don't know if he belongs in the club yet. Kelly's best film, Donnie Darko, is practically a loose remake of Jacob's Ladder. And, Andrian Lynn is no art house auteur.

comment #36

DeafEars says ...

I thought DONNIE DARKO was pretty good, but it's starting to look like Kelly, like M. Night Shammalammadingdong, should probably consider directing a film that he doesn't write. Both have a real knack for atmosphere and building tension - M. Night, when he's cooking, is almost Lynch's equal at these things - but they've both been hobbled by the terrible scripts they've written for themselves.

comment #37

kamichojin says ...

I'll give the Box a chance based on the good will I have for Kelly due to the theatrical version of Donnie Darko & Southland Tales. Southland was a deeply flawed film but there are moments that really work brilliantly. If he had someone to rein him in, it might have been more than an ambitious failure. The biggest reservations I have about Kelly come from the "Director's Cut" of Donnie Darko he released a few years ago. Complete ruination of everything that worked in the original.

comment #38

Doug Pratt says ...

Michael Cimino for a new generation