Review of Buried (2010) by Robby T — 15 Feb 2012

I don't get it.

I don't get why a movie should be rewarded for telling a story without actually using the visual potential of it's own medium.

I don't get how anyone can enjoy spending over an hour watching Ryan Reynolds scream, cry and incompetently handle his situation while trying to make me feel sympathetic in every contrive manner possible (I have kids! I'm an innocent contractor! I'm getting fired right before I die! My mom doesn't remember me!).

Maybe it's a film that can only be appreciated by claustrophobics or some sort of political/social allegory for victims in Iraq but I just couldn't get "into" the box with Reynolds on any level.

Honestly, I found the whole ordeal quite funny. It's basically Ryan wiggling in a box and then dying while the audience goes "OMG WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HIM", like watching an escape artist wiggle his way out of a straight jacket over a shark tank... except that doesn't take over an hour and probably has less political/emotional bullshit connotations.

Seems like critics will praise anything that'll try unconventional stylization or direction.