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"Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Old 09-26-12, 12:29 PM
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"Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14






Buried (2010)



Selected by edwardnortonfan



IMDB ENTRY

NETFLIX WATCH INSTANTLY

These "October Horror Movie Challenge" threads are for the discussion of the films in the 31 FILM SUBSET list.

MAIN THREAD | LIST THREAD

The plan is for everyone to watch this film on the October day in the thread title, and to start discussing it the morning of the following day.
You may start discussion early if you want, but the preferred plan is for this to be as much of a group exercise as possible, with all of us viewing it "together" and discussing after.

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Even if you haven't watched it in years, or are not participating in the Horror Challenge, please feel free to chime in.



Spoiler tags are unnecessary in here, so if you have yet to see the film BEWARE OF SPOILERS.

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Old 10-01-12, 05:33 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

I know I'm jumping the gun, but curious as to how this got voted in. Really enjoyed the movie, but didn't see this much as a horror film. Really good drama film, but interesting...
Old 10-01-12, 11:06 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Originally Posted by jacob_b
I know I'm jumping the gun, but curious as to how this got voted in. Really enjoyed the movie, but didn't see this much as a horror film. Really good drama film, but interesting...
I can see it being borderline for horror but never conceived of it as a "drama" (it's a one man movie that takes place in confined space). In my book any movie that primarily features some one buried alive in a coffin leans towards horror, regardless of how unusual. I enjoyed watching Buried in the theaters because the environment with limited lighting and few breaks from it felt really atmospheric pulling viewers into the coffin through the big screen, I am looking forward to revisiting.
Old 10-06-12, 12:03 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

If I were in that dude's shoes I'd find the situation pretty damn horrific. Thanks to whomever recommended this great flick!
Old 10-14-12, 05:37 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Rewatched Buried today and it holds up well. My only beef is that some of the cell phone calls are overly dramatized where he just gets immediately/unrealistically shot down and some of the awkward political commentary but those also keep things going. I wish there was a commentary or more in-depth making of because I'd be curious to hear about the shooting techniques or if Reynolds had to camp out in a box for a lot of the filming. According to imdb.com...
Ryan Reynolds states that he suffered from claustrophobia towards the end of filming (much like the character he is playing). This was mainly due to the fact the coffin he was in was gradually filled with more and more sand as filming went on. He describes the last day of shooting as "unlike anything I experienced in my life, and I never ever want to experience that again."

Last edited by Undeadcow; 10-14-12 at 10:36 AM.
Old 10-14-12, 07:47 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

I was concerned that this wouldn't be considered "horror enough" to get in, but I've never seen it as anything but a horror movie. It had me rocking back and forth crying, and I freaked out for days afterward with nightmares. Of course, I've been terrified of being buried alive ever since I was a kid and Edgar Allen Poe had me convinced it was something that was likely to happen to me. The hopelessness of the situation and the terror involved, plus the "torture by hope" at the end really got to me. "Torture by Hope" is short story I read as a kid in a horror anthology about a prisoner who finds his cell left open and escapes, slowly sneaking out of the prison, growing more and more excited by the prospect of freedom, until he sets foot outside and his captors surround him and explain that they allowed him to think he was going to escape the whole time only to crush his spirit when he found out it was all a setup. There was an editor's note at the end of the story explaining that many people might not think it was a horror story, but it was included in the collection because the thought of being allowed to have hope only to have it snatched so cruelly away made it one of the most horrifying stories the editor had ever read. That story reminds me of this movie, and it also informs a lot of what I think about horror in general. I tend to classify movies as "horror" if they horrified me in some way even if most people wouldn't consider them "horror movies." when I first heard about 'Buried" it was in Entertainment Weekly magazine, and the article called it a horror movie, and I knew it would bother me because of the "buried alive" aspect of the story, but that gut punching ending is what firmly places it in the "horror" camp for me. Much like another movie I consider horror that people argue with me about, a movie called "Right at Your Door," the situation is so horrific to imagine that it haunts me more than a lot of movies that are supposed to be scary.
Old 10-14-12, 07:59 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Horror all the way IMHO, and a darn great one at that! Thanks Lillian, I've been meaning to see this one since release.
Old 10-14-12, 09:54 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

I saw this a while back in a double feature with 127 hours and talk about an uneasy movie night. I'm not entirely claustrophobic but I would definitely go crazy being in as tight a space as this guy was, it's intense what the actor had to go through to act in this. It was so uncomfortable for me at times I almost turned it off as it felt too real, I actually got antsy haha. I would classify it as more of a horror movie than a thriller in this case just feels that way to me of course it could go either way depending on how certain people percieve it.
Old 10-14-12, 10:07 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Totally wasn't expecting the ending. Not normally claustrophobic but now find myself taking very deep breaths. Kudos to edwardnortonfan for suggesting this little gem.
Old 10-14-12, 10:32 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

I'm glad people are enjoying it (well, not sure if "enjoying" is the word, but it's a great little movie). I'm being a big wimp and putting watching it off until tomorrow. I freaked out so bad the last time I watched it that I'm hesitant to put myself through that again right away. Last night I had a pretty detailed nightmare about "The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence" so I'm sure my imagination would run amok with "Buried."
Old 10-14-12, 11:54 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Just watched this for 2nd time. Still has replay value. Great acting by Ryan and being the only one in the film isolated the whole , thought he did a fantastic job. It also has one of the messed up endings like The Mist.
Old 10-15-12, 02:54 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

This was a really good movie. I was going to skip this one because it didn't sound like horror to me. However, this is a very horrific movie. I think this might be the most disturbing movie yet for me this month. The ending to Dead of Night was up there also.

I think the worst thing about the movie is it had a couple of over the top moments and the ending was predictable. I know companies can be assholes because lets face it they are people, but cutting a guy off while he dying in box. The movie could have been better balanced if the company guy said we'll take care of your family.

I think this is third movie I've seen about people buried alive. I think this is the best one yet. A little preachy though.
Old 10-15-12, 09:54 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Buried, the feel-good movie of the year! Ouch, what a downer. I totally agree that this movie is appropriate for the challenge, it's quite horrific and intense. A couple of the scenes really got to me, like when Reynolds called his mother. I thought Reynolds did a really good job in what had to be a difficult performance. It's quite challenging to carry an entire film by yourself, but I never felt bored while watching.

I agree that the semblance of hope at the end was the most cruel jape of all. I really thought he would be rescued. I kind of liked the symbolism that played out as a critique of the war and our foreign politics. One thing confused me, who was the woman that was assassinated on the cell phone video? It seemed like Reynolds knew her. At first I thought it was his wife but she had a different name, was it the first woman he reached on the phone? Or the woman that his company accused him of having an affair with?
Old 10-15-12, 10:09 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

She was another contract truck driver. I believe she was the women the company accused him of sleeping with also.
Old 10-15-12, 10:34 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Originally Posted by Baron Of Hell
She was another contract truck driver. I believe she was the women the company accused him of sleeping with also.
I see, thanks.
Old 10-15-12, 12:37 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

I saw this movie sometime last year. I commented to another person that if they thought that a movie with Reynolds stuck in a box for 2 hours wouldn't bring it they would be wrong. On the blu, one of the extras is a making off and it shows the many different boxes used for filming based on the different angles etc. really interesting. Although I didn't watch it for this challenge is a movie that does stick with you.
Old 10-15-12, 05:12 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14


Ryan Reynolds spends an hour and a half buried in a box in the desert somewhere in Iraq. We spend it, every minute of it, in the box with him. In many ways, Buried is a marvel. The ingenuity required to hold an audience’s attention with only one character to work with (and he’s in a wooden box that’s about the same size and shape as a coffin) is substantial, yet director Rodrigo Cortés and writer Chris Sparling manage to pull off this difficult feat with amazing dexterity. For me, the MVP award for crew member goes to James Muñoz, whose work as sound designer and supervising sound editor really created an incredibly immersive sound field. It seems odd to praise a film that takes place in a box for its sound, but that aspect of the film, more than any other, really puts the viewer into the head space of the main character. Still, even though the film is really quite amazing, it’s such a downer to watch that I don’t expect to see it very many more times. It’s just too draining. However, if you loved Open Water, Buried might be the feel-good film of the year for you. It’s NOT recommended for claustrophobes, ophidiophobes*, or claustrophobic ophidiophobes.

*I had to look it up; now you have to look it up. Fair is fair.
Old 10-15-12, 05:34 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Like many I didn't have very high expectations for a movie that takes place inside a wooden coffin for the entire 90+ minute duration and I'm not exactly someone who'd be inclined to join the Ryan Reynolds fan club any time soon. Still, this film shattered my expectations on both counts. You've got panic, fear, suspense, claustrophobia, terror, hopelessness and even a bleak 1970's style ending ...that's a recipe for a horror film. The IMDB mislabeled this one, IMO. Even I'll admit he gave one helluva performance.

Excellent pick, edwardnortonfan!
Old 10-15-12, 09:23 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

There are many reasons to buy a movie ticket, spending 90 minutes in a box with Ryan Reynolds is generally not one of them, but I was really knocked out by this movie. I don't know if it entirely works (it's fascinating how it tries to follow screenwriting rules while still confined, and is quite successful), Reynolds puts on one hell of a one-man show, and it takes the premise farther than I ever would've possibly thought it would. The sound design was fantastic, I watched the 2.0 mix on my home computer and it was terrific. My father is claustrophobic and ophidophobic, so he should stay far, far away. I'm something of a claustrophobe, I thought it was really fascinating that the movie managed as much as it did. It's so nihilistic, especially its ending, but it's certainly a fascinating movie that shows that sometimes imagination can trump a budget.
Old 10-18-12, 06:56 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

I was hesitant thinking it was not a horror movie, but I was wrong. Real life horrors might be scarier then an movie, and that ending... Fucked up.
Old 10-22-12, 05:07 PM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Damn, I am way behind on the subset films. Anyway, thought this was an excellent movie. Very well shot and claustrophobic as hell. I was actually kinda glad when it was over with just so I could take a breath and get up and move around.

I am an unabashed Ryan Reynolds fan and thought he did a great job here. The biggest miss I found with the movie was the dumb conversation between him and his company. Thought it felt forced, out of place and it just took me right out of the movie. The ending to the movie is fantastic as I love bleak endings because you just don't see them too often.

Great movie but don't know if I will be in a hurry to experience it again anytime soon.

My rating: **** out of *****
Old 10-29-12, 11:17 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Originally Posted by edwardnortonfan
I was concerned that this wouldn't be considered "horror enough" to get in, but I've never seen it as anything but a horror movie. It had me rocking back and forth crying, and I freaked out for days afterward with nightmares. Of course, I've been terrified of being buried alive ever since I was a kid and Edgar Allen Poe had me convinced it was something that was likely to happen to me. The hopelessness of the situation and the terror involved, plus the "torture by hope" at the end really got to me. "Torture by Hope" is short story I read as a kid in a horror anthology about a prisoner who finds his cell left open and escapes, slowly sneaking out of the prison, growing more and more excited by the prospect of freedom, until he sets foot outside and his captors surround him and explain that they allowed him to think he was going to escape the whole time only to crush his spirit when he found out it was all a setup. There was an editor's note at the end of the story explaining that many people might not think it was a horror story, but it was included in the collection because the thought of being allowed to have hope only to have it snatched so cruelly away made it one of the most horrifying stories the editor had ever read.
Sounds like at least two episodes of The Prisoner.

Originally Posted by edwardnortonfan
...that gut punching ending is what firmly places it in the "horror" camp for me.
One of the worst parts of the ending flies right over some people's heads (or, leastways, over the heads of two of my friends): that the box they do locate is that of the man mentioned by the voice-on-the-phone as one of his recent successful rescues.

So, in other words, not only do they fail Reynolds, but the only hope he gained over the phone was false hope.


Originally Posted by brianluvdvd
I am an unabashed Ryan Reynolds fan and thought he did a great job here. The biggest miss I found with the movie was the dumb conversation between him and his company. Thought it felt forced, out of place and it just took me right out of the movie. The ending to the movie is fantastic as I love bleak endings because you just don't see them too often.
I found it worryingly believable.. What took me out of it slightly was whose voice it was on the phone!
Old 10-31-12, 08:40 AM
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Re: "Buried" Reviews/Discussion - 2012 Horror Challenge: Day 14

Great movie and definitely one I'll look forward to coming back to again. Several favorite moments--I don't have an extreme phobia of snakes like many folks I know, but that sure had me on edge. And the ending was well executed.

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