The Box (3 Stars)

Amazon Friday #17

I admit that I chose this film today because I watched "Donnie Darko" earlier this week. "Donnie Darko" was the first film made by Richard Kelly. "The Box" was his third and final film. I bought it when it was first released on DVD, which was 2010. I watched it once before I started writing my blog in September 2010, so I never recorded my thoughts in writing. All I remember is that I didn't like it, and it was one of the DVDs that I gave away before moving to Germany to 2016. It's offered with Amazon Prime now, so I could give it another chance.

The story's premise is fascinating. A mysterious stranger gives a married couple a box with a button. They're told that if they press the button they will be given a million dollars, but at the same time a person they don't know will die. The film is set in 1976, so it would be a value of $4.8 million today.

How would you react if you were given a deal like that? How would I react? Is the life of a complete stranger worth a million dollars? Would I have a clear conscience, because it's nobody that I know? According to the statistics, 7000 people die in America every day, so one more person wouldn't make a difference. The stranger doesn't even say that the death will be in America, so it could be someone the other side of the world. Who cares? There are no consequences.

I honestly don't know how I would decide. It depends on so many factors in my life. At certain times in my life I might have decided one way, at other times the other.

The lesson of the film is that there are always consequences. Pressing the button is committing murder. Just because I'm not holding a gun in my hand, it doesn't mean I'm not a killer. The button is my murder weapon. In the film punishment comes swiftly. The person who dies is someone who previously pushed the button. The stranger doesn't tell anyone that.

I would have preferred the film if it had stuck with the moral questions. It adds too many ideas, and in the end it's not satisfying. I don't regret giving away my DVD. I've forgotten who I gave it to. Maybe the person who owns it now enjoys the film more than me.

Success Rate:  - 0.9

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Sonic the Hedgehog (4½ Stars)

Amazon Friday #12

Yes, I know it's Sunday. You don't have to remind me. I missed my Amazon Friday film two days ago, so I'm catching up now. The reason is simple. My son Benjamin was visiting me. He's also a member of Amazon Prime, so when he visits me he wants to watch one of my many films on Blu-ray. I picked "Horsemen of the Apocalypse" for him. I'd already selected "Sonic the Hedgehog" for Friday, so I'm watching it today. Better late than never. Isn't that what they say?

This is a comedy caper based on a video game. A blue hedgehog called Sonic flees from enemies on his homeworld and hides on Earth; specifically, he hides in Green Hills, Montana. He avoids detection for ten years, until one evening he accidentally creates an electromagnetic pulse while playing baseball with himself. There's a power outage in the whole of the Pacific North West region. The government calls for the eccentric scientist Dr. Robotnik to find the cause.

This is a wonderful film that kept me laughing from beginning to end. Jim Carrey's portrayal of Dr. Robotnik annoyed me at first, but I got used to it as the film progressed. I have to compare this film with "Godzilla vs Kong", which I watched in the cinema yesterday. The plot is just as infeasible, but in the context of a comedy it's acceptable. Despite being a comedy, all the main characters are fully developed. This is how a film should be made.

Success Rate:  + 1.8

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Robot & Frank (4 Stars)

The film takes place in the near future. Frank is a retired burglar, who is beginning to suffer from dementia. His son is worried about him, so he buys him a robot to do the house chores and look after Frank's health. Frank despises the robot, until he realises that the robot can aid him in returning to burglary. At that point a friendship develops.

This is a cute little film. Veteran actor Frank Langella makes Frank (the character) sympathetic to the viewers. Among critics the film has been widely praised, but the reception among film fans has been lukewarm. That's strange. I would have expected it to be the other way round. Maybe the general public finds the idea of intelligent robots too far-fetched? Just wait a few years. This will happen faster than we expect.

Portrayals of dementia are scary to me. My greatest fear is that when I get older my mental capabilities will lapse. My mind is my greatest treasure, and I would hate to lose it. I'd rather be unable to walk than unable to think straight. I had an elderly friend who was losing his mind. It was so sad. Everyone knew it except for him.

Sex Drive (4 Stars)

Ian is a normal young man who lives in a small town and works selling donuts. But he has a problem. He's still a virgin. He meets a girl online who promises to go all the way with him, so he steals his brother's car and sets off on a nine hour drive to meet her, accompanied by his best friend Lance. Unfortunately he bumps into his best female friend Felicia as he leaves, makes an excuse about going to see his sick grandmother, and he can't prevent her jumping in the car with him.

What starts out as a typical teen farce surprises with a number of humorous situations. The car breaks down on the way and they are taken in by an Amish community. Many of the young people are currently in the period of Rumspringa, a time between the ages of 16 and 18 when they are allowed to sample worldly pleasures before deciding if they want to keep the Amish faith. Ian, Lance and Felicia are invited to a wild Amish party consisting of rock music, alcohol and drunken nudity. But they can't stay. The online lover is waiting.

As teenage coming of age comedies go, this is one of the best.

Click here to watch the trailer.