Trois 2: La Boîte de Pandore

Yawn.

This is yet another painfully boring movie that tries to get by on soft-core pornography and (oh so shocking!) S&M themes to keep the viewer interested. Imagine the worst episode of "Red Shoe Diaries," I mean the absolute worst, with black actors. This movie is worse. Another viewer cleverly equated this to "Eyes Wide Shut." The is much similarity, although the dismal, slow-moving EWS is FAR more interesting than this turkey.

The dialog was probably written in less time than the movie spans. Seriously.

Actual porn movies have better scripts and less wooden acting.

I gave it a "2," only because the opening sequence was pretty well done.

Avoid this one like the plague.

The independently produced PANDORA'S BOX finally made its way to a big screen in Columbia, SC in December 2002. Knowing that it was a follow-up to TROIS for director Rob Hardy, I didn't expect much, but I did expect to see an improvement in overall quality from what I saw in TROIS. PB failed to meet that expectation. In fact, I thought the quality of the film was worse than TROIS and anybody who thinks PANDORA'S BOX is good has very low standards for films.

Produced in Atlanta, PANDORA'S BOX appears to have been shot on a shoestring budget. The plot is pretty good but the script is so bad-- there are several grammatical challenges and lame dialogue at times-- the film never has a chance. Add some very flat acting and mediocre cinematography and you have the makings of something that is, well, not enjoyable.

Michael Jai White (Spawn, Half Past Dead), Monica Calhoun (The Best Man, The Player's Club) and Kristoff St. John (The Young and The Restless) star. All are decent actors in other films and on television but even their talents can't save this bad script. I was quite disappointed. Model Tyson Beckford also appears briefly in the film. No acting skills here. Just a body that most women would kill to see naked. And, they can in this movie.

Unfortunately, I saw a lot of flesh in the film that would have been better kept clothed. Calhoun is not the near perfectly shaped young woman she was in THE BEST MAN. At times, she looks as if she was in the early stages of pregnancy when the film was shot and we're still shown her bare belly. Crystale Wilson, who also appeared in THE PLAYER'S CLUB with Calhoun, is absolutely horrible in this film. She too should have kept her clothes on in the film or made the director hire better makeup and lighting artists. Her stretch marks were quite unappealing as was her mustache.

PANDORA'S BOX does have moments. Small flashes of brilliance. For instance, the opening scene is gripping. It's one of the few well shot sequences in the film. Sensual and suspenseful. For the most part, though, this film is woefully bad. So bad, one of the people in our group walked out midway through. He couldn't take it anymore and went to the lobby to play video games.

If this is the best Rob Hardy can do, he should pursue another career. I have a feeling he won't be able to sucker folks back to theaters to see another effort.

The movie starts off - upping the ante. Where there was no real nudity in the first Trois movie, the sequel kicks off things with a scene that does not cover up anything - no pun intended. And including Michael Jai White in the movie - that Dude has some serious charisma. If you are into men, you probably will also like other qualities in/on him - mainly physical ones I assume.

That being said, the main female character is also someone you won't mind looking at. So getting these two together sounds like a perfect match. Of course this being a "Trois" movie, there is more to it than that. You have another man in this case - a man who seems not to love his wife ... there are a few things going on. Most are predictable. The twist is too I reckon - maybe not from the start, but there is a reason for that.

Metaphorically speaking, what begins as a tennis match abruptly becomes a one hour and forty-four minute game of chess (pronounced `chest'). But, perhaps that's what's wrong with this production. It's about forty-four minutes and one pair of breasts too much. Unfortunately, just like its predecessor (Trois), what coulda, shoulda, and woulda falls by the wayside of an underdeveloped script that's punctuated by lackluster acting.

Exceptional casting, however, sometimes redeems poor writing. But, in the case of `Trois 2,' the principals are written into such a `small world,' the logic inherent in each character action has to be questioned. At least by all who see beyond the T&A.

Personally, I tried very hard to stay intrigued by the visual affect of Black actors making moves in something other than a slapstick chitlin' circuit genre. But, here, the creative team gave new meaning to something other than something being old, borrowed, and blue. Unquestionably, there's `sampling' from `Jagged Edge' (the movie), `Consenting Adults,' `Basic Instinct,' and `Body Heat.'

As a matter of fact, `Body Heat's' William Hurt and `Trois 2's' Chrystale Wilson/Tyson Beckford even share the same last name characterwise. Duh! And, just why did Kristoff `Young and the Restless' St. John's character have to be named `Victor?' Duh!

But, then and again, when considering the `monstrous' performance of a certain other `tit-illating' actress who wound up becoming an award recipient, indeed, Pandora's box is symbolically wide open for who knows what.

After the on slaught of the summer blockbuster bull of films,there is one film that is very entertaining and for once a breath of fresh air that is strictly for adults from the director who brought us "TROIS". However,this one is on the same wavelength as Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT,but it goes even further into the abyss of erotica--and for once this is one film that shows characters of color engaging in sexual scenes. However,the sexual scenes that are displayed here are not for the faint of heart---since this is a movie that is STRICTLY ADULT--so leave the kids and teenagers at home!

Its amazing that it was very good,since you have a brillant cast of performers here including superb leads by Monica Calhoun,whom gives the performance of her acting career(which is something this actress would never do since she always plays the second banana in feature films,but wanted to take her acting to the next level in a leading role)as a psychiarist who goes into a web of sexual intrigue,money,and murder from which there is no way out. However,the movie was very good and its playing in limited release in selected cities across the country(which opened nationwide September 27th,2002)but its a movie that should not be missed by a long shot,but remember this is not for the faint of heart!

This is also a rare opportunity to catch this director's current project which will be more intriguing and even darker than his previous efforts since we need more of that are catered to adult black audiences and also to bring a new format of black cimema to the next level. Kudos to you, Mr. Rob Hardy!