Lady in the Box

Rating:
Summary: A Great Cure for Insomnia
Review: Being a Milwaukeean, and having spent a great deal of time on Lake Michigan, I was intrigued to hear of a movie that is set in my stomping grounds. That is, until I actually saw the movie.

Lady in the Box opens with the first scene taking place at a Milwaukee-famous riverside Pub/Grill Barnacle Buds...the lead character wears a shirt from yet another great, well renowned Milwaukee establishment, Wolski's pub...and if you look carefully, you'll see a boat owned by baseball player / announcer / celebrity, Bob "Mr. Baseball" Uecker. And that's where the links to Milwaukee end.

The characters in the story are weak...sorry little people...they lack the gregorious yet humble nature of Midwestern folk. I was so unimpressed with the lack of character development, that I hoped at least I'd find some degree of humor in it...some sort of enjoyment in a thoroughly poor movie...you know...like watching a campy "B" movie and getting a few laughs off the poor quality of it all. Alas, this simply wasn't the case. I'll give it "1" star...for at least picking a cool venue to do a movie.

Rating:
Summary: Trippy Cool
Review: I thought the movie was worth watching, probably because I like offbeat films to begin with. I remember Darren Burrows from Northern Exposure and he's always interesting to watch. The character of "Tipper" was played by Robert Glen Keith, who I hadn't heard of before and thought he was very interesting. I thought he was so interesting that I researched him and discovered that he has a web site at robertglenkeith.com where I learned more about this mysterious hot actor. Over all the film was captivating and worth a buy or rent!

Rating:
Summary: Lady In The Box is an excellent film
Review: Initially, I went to see Lady In The Box simply because it was filmed in Milwaukee by a Milwaukee director. I didn't expect much and was hoping to see an OK or mediocre film. I came away shocked at the quality of the writing, the direction and the atmosphere of the film. This is one of the best movies I've seen in 2001. It is classic noir with nail munching suspense and great acting. It was an extra bonus to see all the Milwaukee scenery and pick out things that I recognized, but that all took a backseat to the engrossing storyline. I really hope this film is released on DVD and/or video, because it deserves recognition on a national level. It's still at a handful of Milwaukee theaters, but who knows for how long. If you've thought about seeing it, don't wait.