It was an interesting idea that was completely butchered by an altogether terribly unbelievable film. After you press the button, the box is taken to someone else on the planet. In december 1976, financially desperate nasa engineer arthur lewis and his wife norma find a package on their doorstep. Clarke quote a couple of times any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic and personally, i find mathesons story similarly entrancing. Norma is a schoolteacher from texas, like kellys mother. The film was written and directed by richard kelly and stars cameron diaz and james marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man played by frank. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Accelerating your business processes is the only way to get to market faster. Set in 1976, the box follows norma and arthur lewis cameron diaz and james marsden, a happily married couple raising a sweetly precocious son sam oz stone in the richmond, virginia, suburbs. The box 2009 starring cameron diaz, james marsden, and frank langella synopsis.
An aspiring journalist drops his inhibitions to research the uks outdoor sex scene. With cameron diaz, james marsden, frank langella, james rebhorn. Paramount, the studio backing the film, was accused of overestimating box office totals during the films opening weekend. Its altogether preposterous donnie darko director richard kelly has spun out a neat, oneact conceit into a silly and tiresome neartwohour mess, says xan brooks of this cameron diaz. Richard kelly explains his weird film the box to us syfy. List of 2009 box office numberone films in the united states. Feb 15, 2018 richard matheson story button button on which this film is based is basically a morality tale. Spoilers this weekend, i went to see the box with cameron diaz, and i was thoroughly confused. Jun 24, 2009 the box 2009 starring cameron diaz, james marsden, and frank langella synopsis.
Richard kellys the box is just plain dull and uninteresting. It covers most of whats explained below, but has some new stuff too. The implication being, the next time the box is used it always kills the person who pressed it before. I know, i know, the box triumphantly qualifies for one of my favorite adjectives, preposterous. He meets a certain girl in a car park, and the totally unexpected happens. Later, mysterious old man comes to tell them how the box.
Norma and lewis family finds a box on the porch of their house. The cowboy, the monster, and opening the blue box in. An intriguing premise turns in to 115 minutes of codswallop. Dec 19, 2018 bird box, the netflix scifi thriller adapted from josh malermans novel, offers both an interesting take on the end of the world and riveting, emotional insights on survival, parenthood. The father works for nasa, the mother as a teacher, their kid goes to private school. This 9minute firstperson short film has appeared on youtube this week and is beginning to gain some traction in the alternative reality game world. Both of them also brilliantly use horror to represent conflicts and tensions that inhere in pretty much all families, addressing in particular what it means to be a mother something that, as ive written here, seems to be a preoccupation of horror as late. Producer, writer and director jovanka vuckovics segment also entitled the box makes a powerful visual statement on consumption and happiness. Norma and arthur lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. In an interview with empire magazine, tarantino offers his explanation for why he believes grindhouse performed as poorly as it did at the box office, citing the biggest hurdle as being audiences unfamiliarity with the kind of moviegoing experience rodriquez and he were trying to recreate. The greatest movie plot twists of all time duration. If the premise of the box sounds like it would make a dandy halfhour tv show, rest assured that this richard matheson story has already served as a most likely more entertaining 1985.
The box is based on button, button a very short story written by richard matheson that was used for an old episode of the classic tv series the twilight zone. Take a look at richard kellys brand new film before it hits theaters. Thank you for watching the movie plot of the box explained. Nov 10, 2009 that was essentially the theme, as far as i can tell. Rent the box 2009 starring cameron diaz and james marsden on dvd and bluray. A small wooden box arrives on the doorstep of a married couple, who know that opening it will grant them a million dollars and kill someone they dont know. A more modest scifi thriller, the box, based on richard mathesons 1970 short story button, button.
He was playing around with the idea of whether or not we actually have a choice in our actions. Kelly likes to make mind movies, so thats definitely no surprise. This one begins as traditional science fiction and branches out into radio signals from mars, nosebleeds, sartres theories about free will, amputated toes, nasa, the national security. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box. Lynchs favourite film is sunset boulevard, but this road tells a different story, one set at the edge. Then, a mysterious man enters their life and presents them the title box. His third film, the box, fits somewhere in between as a major improvement on southland tales but not even close to the excellent original version of donnie darko. Arthur works at nasa on the viking mars probe, as did kellys father. The film follows sam bell sam rockwell, a man who experiences a personal crisis as he nears the end of a threeyear solitary stint mining helium3 on the far side of the moon. It did fairly moderately for a horror film in the us markets. A dogs tale stars richard gere as a college professor who. If you value money more than life you will sell your soul, but also will have only a few days to enjoy it as someone else will be cajoled into pressin. Donald says that the painting might be a polar bear in the snow. Cinemascore is the audiencereaction research tool of choice for the film industry because of its uncanny accuracy.
He hit it big as a firsttime movie director with the cult smash donnie darko, then went large with an epic followup, southland tales, which flopped despite its grand ambitions. The movie can be seen as a modern interpretation of garden of eden, where couple in the movie represent adam and eve, burnt man a snake, the button as tree of knowledge and their child innocence. Im willing to bet it will be % better than the film. The box tries to tackle the big themes of human nature and our place in the universe but it never quite manages to rise to the occasion. Anyway, taking the film the box on the literal level, that is, it is a story about an alien who is testing humans, i feel it still has something important to say. Why grindhouse bombed at the box office according to quentin. With luke treadaway, kate heppell, richard riddell, sammy t.
Steward assumes this position after being killed by a lightning strike. And found that the movie was writtendirected by the director of donnie darko, and i was like oh. Based on a 1970 short story by what dreams may come and i am legend author richard matheson, the box explores ethical questions about selfinterest and the role that distance plays in. Dec 14, 2012 the box also stars frank langella as the mysterious mr. When i read your post, i was like wtf, and then i went to imdb to investigate. This article is intended to help you get the most enjoyment out of watching it. I believe the movie largely revolves around the idea of free will. We start the film with a typical 1970s washington d. The box 2009 a suburban couple, norma cameron diaz and arthur james marsden, face a moral dilemma when they receive a gift that bears irrevocable consequences.
Granted, i saw it in france, in french, so that was probably the main reason i such a hard time, but i get the impression that its a hard film to understand even in english. I think a lot of the movie didnt make sense, but im going to try and answer it. Moons cast has sam rockwell as the lonesome astronaut on the moon, hes brilliant. It states that a man named arlington steward frank langella has recovered from severe burn wounds and is delivering units related to the mars project. The movie really is a twist on the old existentialist dilemma about the existence of free will. In fact, of the 33 demographic categories measured by the service, the box got an f in 29 of the 33 and earned a dminus in three of the four others. The fact that compliments this theory is that only the women pressed the button, just like eve ate the apple. People who saw the box 2009, would you push the button or not. I just watched the box with cameron diaz and james marsden and im so confused. Dec 03, 2009 film oracle cinemascore spells doom for the box damon ferrari. Later, mysterious old man comes to tell them how the box works. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed. Take a minute and ponder the moral perfection of button, button, the richard matheson short story on which the the box is based.
Richard matheson story button button on which this film is based is basically a morality tale. A box with a red button under a glass dome arrives on the doorstep of a new york couple, arthur and norma lewis. Box brings you automated workflow, collaboration, and machine learning integrations on a single content platform to drive unmatched efficiency. It is not reminiscent of donnie darko since it is not at all stylized. What is the explanation for the end of the movie the box. Spoiler the box by action flick chick november 19, 2009 uncategorized 6 comments once again, i have not seen this movie but it sounds like the kind of movie i want to spoil for anyone willing to save themselves the price of admission. Finding a package at the doorstep, norma brings it in and upon opening she and arthur find a wooden box with a button covered by a glass dome. Oct 31, 2009 despite the laboured beginning, the middle section of the box does have inventive moments that recall the mystery of donnie darko but then the film slumps again in the overexplained final act. Apologies in advance, because this is a long explanation and takes quite a while before it actually even tries to answer your question. This is a list of films which have placed number one at the weekend box office in the united states during 2009.
Director is the same from donnie darko, one of the most irratating movies ive ever seen and worth a closer look as i found. The box watches like a twilight zone episode made into a two hour movie. Following the release of the all female helmed horror anthology xx on february 17 th, diabolique magazine caught up with writer jack ketchum to discuss his original short story the box which inspired one of the installments. Normadiaz and arthur lewismarsden, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift. Im going to read the short story if i can get my hands on it. Sep 17, 2009 the box opens up with a new poster and clip oct 28, 2009. Richard kelly explains his weird film the box to us. The other night i watched the 2005 movie stay with ewan mcgregor, naomi watts and some other guy ryan gosling. Unfortunately this movie has little to no plot and really doesnt need an explanation in my view. Moon is a 2009 science fiction film directed by duncan jones and written by nathan parker from a story by jones. The box is more straightforward than darko, however admittedly, not difficult and like that film, anchored by some strong but subtle performances. Customers who viewed this item also viewed these digital items.
The only reason i watched it is that so many people come to this site looking for an explanation of that movie. I added the box to my netflix queue thanks for calling my attention to it. The box opens up with a new poster and clip oct 28, 2009. It was written and directed by richard kelly, the man behind the cult classic donnie darko and. Norma and arthur share the same biography as kellys parents. The cowboy, the monster and the box have been variously passed off as products of the movie s original conception as a tv series ie. Lewis family finds a box on the porch of their house. Wrapped all in brown paper, it arrives just before the moment private school teacher norma lewis cameron diaz discovers her sons tuition will no longer be a discounted perk.
Enigmatic thrillers with highconcept premises can lead to cinematic highs like the usual suspects, and those with scifi overtones can be cerebral like the underappreciated minority report, but this movie doesnt share those qualities. The box is a 2009 american psychological thriller film based on the 1970 short story button, button by richard matheson, which was previously adapted into an episode of the 1980s iteration of the twilight zone. If youve seen the movie then obviously you wouldnt. Even though the box got a not entirely embarrassing 48 from rotten tomatoes, the film has gone where few movies have ever gone before it earned a big fat f from cinemascore. The film then opens up in 1976 with norma cameron diaz and arthur lewis james marsden cuddling in bed and awaking at 5.
However, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world, someone they dont know. And since cloud content management works across your entire organization, you simplify critical processes that span every. People who saw the box 2009, would you push the button. Setting the box aside the two, along with their young son walter sam oz stone, go on about their day. Based on the 1987 japanese film hachiko monogatari, as well as on a true story, hachi. If you value money more than life you will sell your soul, but also. Ive read the wiki page on it and i get what the plot is, but im still not clear on the nosebleeds and the employees and the other things that werent mentioned in the wiki page but were in the movie. Jan 17, 2002 mulholland drive is a twisting, turning road that tells a story of the history of hollywood.
Both films feature a box that represents the unfathomable heart of the film. But if you make a preposterous movie that isnt boring, i count that as some kind of a triumph. Norma goes downstairs and looks through the peephole, seeing a black car drive off. The film was written and directed by richard kelly and stars cameron diaz and james marsden as a couple who receive a box from a. The film begins with a cia internal memo being typed across the screen. Zone id think oh i press it and it kills someone i dont even know then they give me a million dollars and give the box to. If you enjoy generally creepy weird shows and are ok with them not delivering an explanation. However pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world. Movie plot ending explained moon is a 2009 sciencefiction film directed by duncan jones, who has directed films like source code and warcraft. This one begins as traditional science fiction and branches out into radio signals from mars, nosebleeds, sartres theories about free will, amputated toes, nasa, the national security agency, wind. The box is a test administered by aliens through mr. This film, directed by richard kelly, is based on the 1970 short story button, button by the sciencefiction writer richard.
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