As you probably already know, I took last week off. I apologize to those of you who came looking for my predictions and did not find them. I hope you found something else good to read. I also hope that you all had a great Halloween! It is now time to get back into a rhythm as we start steaming towards Thanksgiving. To that end, this weekend brings us our first holiday film of the season. It will be weird seeing a Christmas film this early, but it is not the first time and it will surely not be the last.
The Box. (2009, 115 minutes, PG-13, thriller) This should be interesting. Richard Kelly is a talented filmmaker who has the skill to be an A-list type guy, but his last film was a glorious mess (Southland Tales). This movie will be a big test for him as a new voice. It looks like it could be a winner. Based on a story by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend), it tells of an offer made by a mysterious man (Frank Langella). He arrives with a box that has one button on it. Press the button and someone will die, but you will also receive one million dollars. Would you do it? The cast also includes Cameron Diaz and James Marsden.
A Christmas Carol 3D. (2009, 96 minutes, PG, animated) One of the trailers I saw said this was one of the greatest ghost stories ever told. I never thought of it like that, but it may be true. It is a very familiar story that has been told numerous times over the years. Will this add anything? I am not sure, but I am curious to see it. Director Robert Zemeckis has been doing interesting work with the motion capture technology. It is also curious to see there there are not nearly as many remake complaints about it. Plus it's in 3D!
The Fourth Kind. (2009, 98 minutes, PG-13, fantasy) When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought it was going to be some sort of Syfy Channel movie. Come to find out it is going to be on the big screen and seems to want to replicate the success of Paranormal Activity. I do not think it will, but it still looks like an intriguing film. It recreates stories from Nome, Alaska, where there are reports of alien abductions. Not only that, everything in the film is supposedly backed by archive footage. I do not necessarily believe this, but if used creatively it could make for a compelling film. It does not hurt that I am a skeptic to begin with, although I am not so arrogant to believe we are alone in the universe. In any case, I am hoping for a decent movie.
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