Hey Richmond! Go to the movies!

Richmonders, celebrate the latest hometown success! Go to the movies, and check out Richard Kelly’s The Box.

My husband and I went to see The Box on opening night with some friends. We didn’t realize how little people knew about this film and its Richmond connections until Cameron Diaz, who stars in the film, says the line, “Are we ever going to leave Richmond?” The entire theatre gasped around us, and suddenly all of the little clues began to be noticed. In the kitchen, a 1970-something Ukrops Christmas calendar hangs on the wall. The country club is called Maymont. The skyline of downtown Richmond and the I-94/64 interchange with the Main Street Train Station flash between scenes…

This may be screenwriter and director Richard Kelly’s third film – the award winning, cult classic Donnie Darko and Southland Tales were his first two – but you can tell he’s still a Richmonder at heart. Check out his full story, a la Richmond Magazine.

To give you an idea of the genre, The Box is based on a 1970 short story by Richard Matheson called “Button, Button,” which was also made into a Twilight Zone episode. Thoughtfully done, suspenseful, eerie, and intriguing, you’ll walk out of the theater chatting. Existential philosophies of Jean Paul Sartre, moral dilemmas, suspense, humor, and lots of Richmond make it a must see.