Boxwalla is a really unique subscription box service that offers four different types of subscriptions: Food, Beauty, Books, and Film. Subscribers can subscribe to multiple boxes, or can hop around among the four boxes from shipment to shipment. Fun! I love movies! Boxwalla's website states:
'Art Cinema is Boring.' The Film Box challenges this notion by demystifying the work of the best filmmakers, by creating a context within which to view them.
Boxwalla kindly sent us this box for review purposes. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This review is of the Boxwalla Film, $49.95 every other month, box.
About Boxwalla Film
The Subscription Box: Boxwalla Film
The Cost: $49.95 per shipment (every two months)
The Products: Two films from The Criterion Collection plus an insert are mailed to you. Additional material is emailed to you before and after you have watched the films.
Ships to: U.S. for free, Canada for $11.95, Internationally for $18.95
Boxwalla Film December 2017 Review
Boxwalla's packaging is beautiful! The box is really high quality and very sturdy. It could easily be used for storage or gifts. This letter was included with information about the films that I was sent. I never read it before I watch the movies because I hate any kind of spoiler! I always read it afterward, though, and it is always helpful. Boxwalla sends their film box at the very end of the month.
Film #1: Tampopo - Retail Value $39.95 (found here for $31.96)
If ever a film was a love letter to food, Tampopo is it. This was a really fun film! The basic premise is a woman on the quest to make the perfect ramen to serve in her restaurant, but there are tons of twists and turns and side vignettes, and they are all about food! I really appreciated getting this film after what seems like months of really difficult films. This one was fun to watch and fairly easy to appreciate all the artful touches and deeper levels being communicated.
Please note that I am using the value for the Blu-Ray edition of these films. Subscribers can choose to receive DVD if they prefer, so I requested the DVD copies. Subscribers usually receive Blu-Ray.
Film #2: Certified Copy - Retail Value $39.95 (found here for $31.96)
This is the second film I have ever received from Boxwalla by director Abbas Kiarostami, and I enjoyed both of them. This one was quite different than the first but equally clever. It's the story of a couple that has been married for fifteen years, but it is as if their entire marriage is encapsulated in a single afternoon. It's really interesting, and there are lots of allusions to fine arts which add texture to the story.
Boxwalla is no longer sending a post-film discussion. They have sent various email communications over the past few shipments, but they have not really standardized anything yet. I will keep you posted.
Both movies are part of The Criterion Collection, which is an organization that works to preserve and restore classic and modern films that are considered important. The films are published in editions that offer the highest technical quality as well as fantastic supplemental material.
As it mentions in the email, Boxwalla Film has a discussion group on Facebook! Subscribers can now meet up online to chat about the movies!
The Verdict: This was another awesome box from Boxwalla Film! This month's films were more obliquely enjoyable than some, so it was a nice change of pace for me. Usually, the films are highly cerebral, which is nice, but sometimes it's also nice to just enjoy the obvious art within a good movie. Boxwalla Film is a great way to feed your brain if you enjoy independent cinema!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you will receive the February 2018 box.
Value Breakdown: This box cost me $49.95 + free shipping, which means that each of the films in the box has an average cost of $24.98.
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What do you think of Boxwalla Film box? Which film did you prefer?
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