If you have enough interesting ideas for a watchable seven minute short film but decide to stretch it out to feature length by simply directing your performers to "walk down the hallway slower...No, even slower than that." you would probably end up with this film. Other directorial notes must have included "Stare longer"; "Wait longer before you speak"; and "Cross the room as slowly as you can - don't worry we're not cutting away!" For the record I am a fan of the long lingering take; of strange original visions; of movies that want to play with complex themes and concepts. And here they might have been going for all of that, and just stumbling badly in the process. Watching patiently is one thing- suffering pointlessly is another. Full disclosure; I finally shut it off after an hour eighteen but unless there was an epic scene with flying penguins, exploding elephants, and a chorus of dancing robots after that I can think of no reason to have subjected myself to further boredom.

It really is a shame when you see something and see a really good idea behind it ... but as the movie goes on realize that it does not do it justice. It's really a shame and the rating from other viewers seem to confirm that sentiment. We get a drama with Science Fiction and mystery touches. There are quite some neat ideas in this movie, even the "repetitions".

But even when you find out about some of the twists (which in itself are really nice), they never blossom into something bigger. It might have to do with budget restraints or other problems/issues I'm not aware of (maybe producers interfering, maybe the screenwriter and/or the director going off the rails. Whatever the case, this feels very burden and the acting may be decent, but can not save this from falling of the cliff and shattering ... A real shame ...

Pretty good repeating time travel premise mystery that never quite gets it right.

It's the old "would you kill Hitler in retrospect?" scenario, except without Hitler. Something's definitely wrong here. People have been hurt. People have died. People will die. "Black Hollow Cage" is a dark, moody, seether of a film, that bends an original linear tale with subsequent plot twists. It is clever, perhaps a bit too much for its own good.

There is a father, a cold, meticulous gent. There is a daughter, a proper girl with explosive teen rages. There is a house, an architectural marvel of glassy modernity in the middle of a bush. There is an odd black box that cranks up the sci-fi angle. And there are a couple of visitors, sketchy and unsettling. Oh and a talking dog. Did I mention the talking dog? There's a talking dog.

The looping begins, history is revealed, and an inevitable conflict arises. All this is played out in careful steps, brooding cinematography, and a creepy soundtrack. "Black Hollow Cage" just needs a better, tighter bow on the final present to wrap everything up, and to explain the talking dog.