janks46 Film Review: Lady in the Box (2001)Production Company: Doomed Productions Ltd. Director: Christian Otjen Screenplay: Christian Otjen Cinematography: Jerry Holway Producers: Holly Mosher, Jerry Holway and Christian Otjen Main Cast: Darren Burrows, Robert Knepper, Mark Sheppard and Paige Rowland DVD Release:The Asylum Home Entertainment Rating: R for violence, language and brief sexuality Run Time: 107 minutes------------------------------------------------------------- It's not every day production of a feature film is centered in the Midwestern gem-of-a-city, Milwaukee. Local filmmaker Christian Otjen has done that though. He's filmed a tight, gritty noir thriller on the shores of Lake Michigan. Lady in the Box asks this question: What is $500 really worth? Darren Burrows (TV's Northern Exposure) plays Jerry, a simple lakeside tavern bartender who finds himself in the middle of a whole heap of trouble. His best friend, Chris (Robert Knepper) is along for the ride as any good friend would be.The premise is simple enough. A stranger, played maliciously by Mark Sheppard, offers Jerry $500 to dump a large trunk in the lake in the middle of the night. No questions asked. Jerry, against his better judgment but poor enough to entertain the thought, agrees to the proposition. Easy enough, right? Wrong. He returns home to find his girlfriend missing and blood covering the apartment. It doesn't take Jerry long to assume it was his girlfriend in the box he dumped in the middle of the lake during the night. Plot-twists follow in this Hitchcock-inspired mystery.Although the film was made on a low budget, production values are outstanding. Director Otjen has a good feel for the genre and builds suspense ably. The atmosphere of the film is one of its highlights. It really feels like it could be happening to any of us. Shot mostly at night in Milwaukee and around the lake front taverns, it is often difficult to see what's happening on film. I'm sure this was intentional, to create the right mood, but a little more light would have been better and wouldn't have sacrificed the atmosphere of the picture.Overall, Lady in the Box is a good film, a B-thriller, with added bonus because it was filmed right here in good old Milwaukee.Added Note: The previous review was for the theatrical version of the film. The DVD release by Asylum Home Entertainment leaves me wishing for a little bit more. It's presented well, in picture and sound quality. However, my issues are with lack of extras (there is only the theatrical trailer) and the cover art. I wish Asylum has stuck with the original poster art instead of the cheesy, grade-Z horror movie cover it chose. In addition, and this is only a pet-peeve of mine, but the credits listed on the back of the DVD is pathetic. No mention of Doomed Productions, which made the film. No mention of the DP or Music. Bottom Line: Film gets a B-, DVD gets a D.

metaman As Anthony Bourdain said... "I wanted to stick my head in a bucket of lye, pull my eyeballs out and jump off a cliff." This summarizes my feelings about this pathetic waste of human effort. Artless, self- indulgent, thoughtless, and just bad. Bad beyond comprehension. What else can I say? If you are unfortunate enough to be in an area where this piece of idiotic trash is playing, please, please have mercy on soul and avoid at all costs.

dsgriep Because the movie was considered to be a low budget film, we went to see it on opening night and were very surprised. The movie was very good. We had the opportunity to watch part of the taping and meet Darren Burrows and other sound crew members. We thought the movie kept you guessing the entire time. Despite the lack of Hollywood studio scenes and fancy special effects, the movie never lost its grip. It was also exciting to see the various familiar sights around Milwaukee and the local establishments mentioned in the credits. Great Job!!! We give this movie a rating of 8 out of 10.....

CptPtnia Being from Milwaukee, I was interested in seeing this film. Since the bar that the main character works at in the film, "Barnacle Buds", is owned by a friend of mine, I was doubly curious, and rushed out on opening night to see it. I mean, how often are movies filmed in good old Milwaukee, WI. (And how often will I have a friend make a cameo? Hasn't happened since "Major League"!)I had no idea what to expect. I really didn't even know what kind of a movie it is until I saw it. What I got was a wonderful little film noir, a whodunnit type murder mystery filled with little twists and turns, and just a few laughs. I was surprised how riveted I was in wondering, "how will they get through THIS situation?"On the negative side, there were some very predictable moments, and the movie was obviously filmed on a low budget. When you see a police car appear while they have evidence in the car, of course they will be getting pulled over for something...but this does lead to the movies funniest moment, so it is forgivable.I have given "Lady in the Box" 7 out of 10 stars....(I am a very tough with giving out my votes. 7 is considered in the "Very Good, but with some problems" range). Go see it, it is an entertaining 2 hours.