Cube: Thinking Outside the Box

A cast of six protagonists, a single set of which Rubik would be proud, and a group of Canadian first-time film-makers designing a project which became a most unexpected commercial success.   The DVD commentary of this movie is jaunty and hilarious as the creators joke about doors that wouldn’t open, fake body parts left lying about, and the shoestring budget on which the film was made.   What they don’t tell you is perhaps what we most want to know – what is the cube? 

The Cowboy, the Monster, and Opening the Blue Box in Mulholland Drive

 

…We are such stuff
As dreams are made of, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.

(Shakespeare’s The Tempest, IV, i, 156-8)

Of all the unexplained phenomena and dramatis personae of Mulholland Drive (including the blue-haired theatre patron, Mr Roque in his glass basement, and the black book, for example), there have been three caesurae which have provoked the most discussion and confusion.   They are the mysterious Cowboy, the creature who lives behind the Winkies diner (and has been affectionately dubbed ‘the Monster’ by fans), and the voracious depths of the metallic Blue Box.

The Flying Car in Grease

What on earth (or off it, in this case), is the point of the red and chrome convertible, complete with happy couple Danny and Sandy, taking off into the wild blue yonder at the end of the movie Grease? Don’t despair – let us study some other case histories, and see if we can’t come up with a few suggestions.

What is in the Pulp Fiction Briefcase?

I love this question. I love the moments in the movie when the characters gaze in awe at that strange, golden, mysterious something that we too could see, if only the camera would pan around a little…

The answers viewers and fans have proposed have ranged from insane to ingenious. Let me open the briefcase and show you a few.