Richard Kelly's latest sci-fi film, The Box, is an unexpected delights, one of those fantastic, small sci-fi films that somehow escape notice.

I haven't seen Kelly's previous film, the post-apocalyptic Southland Tales, but The Box is based on one of my favorite Richard Matheson stories. Starring Cameron Diaz (ugh), James Marsden (okay) and Frank Langella (yes!), The Box is about a couple who receive the titular box, which grants wishes -- but takes human lives as fuel.

It's the Matheson connection that has me hooked. Sure, Hollywood's made some poor stabs at Matheson's genius lately, mainly through their adaptation of I Am Legend. But Matheson was also one of the formative visionaries behind The Twilight Zone and one of the greatest writers the genre has to offer. Even a bad adaptation is worth my interest.

Kelly Wraps The Box [SciFi Wire]