Rating: ****.5 ( 4 and a half out of 5)
Year: 1997

Plot: The Village People and a mentally retarded man awaken to find themselves in an odd room that takes the shape of a cube. There are doors in all 6 surfaces that lead to other rooms that are exactly alike, with the exception of the ambient light color and the occasional homicidal booby trap. They have had all their possessions stripped and have been put into jumpsuits. They have no idea why or how they got there, or what the hell they are supposed to be doing. They laugh, they cry. They get each other killed and occasionally try to rape each other. Good times all around.

Review: The acting is terrible. The script is even worse. How then, can I justify 4.5 stars? Because the idea is f’ing brilliant. With the combination of no-name actors, simple technical effects, and a set that pretty much consisted of one room, the producers were able to make an innovative and eminently watchable movie for a very small amount of money. They did obviously spend some cash on the cgi death sequences, and they were worth every penny – the opening sequence plays like a Tool music video. It’s hard not to get creeped out while watching this… it preys on so many common fears: claustrophobia, xenophobia, confusion, and helplessness. And plus, it has lots of fun math-y-ish themes, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Munchy Suggestion: Ham and Cheese cubes with some Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Mustard… No. 7 mustard… get it?