The Box is a film by Warner Brother’s Pictures that was released late last year, about a couple that are struggling financially (Who isn’t?) and they have a creepy old guy come up to them, played by Frank Langella who I might add plays a great old creepy dude, and propositions them. They can get $1,000,000 just by pressing a button on the box. Well who the hell wouldn’t press a button for a million bucks? I’d press a million of them if that was all there was to it, however in the film there is a catch, it would be a pretty boring movie if there wasn’t a catch. That catch is that if they press the button one person in the world will die. Now they don’t know who, they just know it woun’t be one of them. I haven’t seen this movie, but I will, so you are left wondering whether it will impact them from a loved one dying, or if some share cropper in Namibia will drop dead when they push the button, and perhaps there will be some sort of butterfly effect that might have an impact in their lives, but in perhaps a very acceptable way. So this is their dilemma, do they press the button and have their financial woes lifted and kill someone, or do they not press the button and spare the person whose life is marked for termination.
I just gotta say that if this proposal was made to Kathy and I, it would be the most boring movie ever. We would have said no way, no how, take your box and go fuck yourself! But perhaps when you live in a city with 10 million people and you get callous to murder and death, the choice becomes less clear. I don’t know, but I will rent the movie one of these days and learn their fates, and find out whether they pressed the button or not. I did find a box on my doorstep this weekend that thankfully had none of these moralistic strings attached…
This was the box I had been waiting two long months for. What was inside?
Really fancy packaging! The kind of really fancy packaging that holds a dozen bottles in place…
Lots of really delicious bottles, none of which are available in Idaho!!! So what was the take?
Well, let’s see what we have here. A Bottle of Old Curmudgeon and KBS from our friends at Founders, Yum! A bottle of Weyerbacher Heresey that my brother Jim raved about, a bottle of Black Chocolate Stout from our friends at the Brooklyn Brewery, a Pennepot Belgian Quad which won Peter’s beer brawl over at Simply Beer, and a bottle of River Horse Milk Stout. Not bad, but there was more…
OK, so on the “lighter” side we have a bottle of Weyerbacher Insanity their delicious barrel aged ale, a Tokio Stout (Notice the misspelling on the bottle) from those crazy Mother’s across the pond at Brew Dog, some Sherwood Forest stuff (I couldn’t get out of this without Jim sending me one of his BOTM Club average brews), a couple from our friends at Troegs, their Nugget Nectar, and yet another beer brawl winner of the session beers, their ale, and rounding out with a Victory Prima Pils.
Not a bad haul at all, and I have to send my deepest appreciation to my brother Jim who packaged and sent “The Box” with all the delightful goodies. It will be headed back to him in a few weeks with a similar bounty that he can’t find out his direction, and probably a few that he can, but might not think to pick up for himself. Thanks Jim, You’re the greatest!
-Don
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
No problem, Don. That’s the best All-Star line up I could muster (minus the Sherwood Forest Beer of the Month Club clunker, of course). To tell the truth, it was a little hard to pack those babies into the box and send them out of the garage where they belong (and I can drink them).
Oh well, it’s fun to share, especially stuff you can’t get out there. Enjoy!!
That’s an awesome care package Don! BTW, they push the button and some guy in Iceland dies while hiking up a volcano. Tragic stuff.
Scott, you did not just give away the ending of this movie for me!!! If I know you that statement is only half true. And yes it is an awesome care package!
SWEET SCORE! Black Chocolate Stout is one of my favs.
I’m looking forward to it! Might throw it in tonight, who knows?
Black Chocolate is good stuff. This is a cool gift from your bro. My brother and I are planning on trading some stuff when we meet up next month. He’s been picking up some stuff for me and vice versa. It’s nice to get this stuff once in a while.
Yeah we’ve done it one other time, and I think this is what Jim meant by the best thing from the BOTM Club was the Box!. We’ll get a lot of use out of those boxes!
I still contend that the boxes (three of them) were the best thing to come from the BotMC!
What was in the third?
The Beer of the Month Club for March was more of the same – more lite beers for noobs. Some stuff from Heavy Seas I’ve never see on the shelves up here (we get their imperials and special stuff which is usually decent) and some other stuff from this brewery that makes beer and stuff. Nothing noteworthy. I couldn’t muster the excitement or the disgust to marshal the bottles for a photo shoot, so they’re just sitting in the garage, waiting for someone who doesn’t like good beer to visit my house.
Looking at the contents of the box, I realize it is the perfect snapshot of where my love affair with beer was in February 2010 – many of my favorites at that specific moment. Like a beer time capsule that you’ll guzzle down, Don. Hmmm…so much for history!
Mmmmm…History tastes Goooodddd!
Sorry, Don. The guy who dies from the button pushing was in Norway, not Iceland. Still a cool gift! Curious what you’re take on the River Horse Oatmeal Stout is going to be.
I bet he had one of those awesome Icelandic (or Nordic) sweaters and a massive beard, right? And he clutched his chest and said “uh, shoorinvilvguud!!” and fell off the mountain. Actually, do they even have mountains in Norway? Maybe he drown in a fjord…
I’m also curious to see what Don thinks of the RiverHorse. I thought it was decent, not spectacular, but good for a Jersey brew.
I guess I’ll have that one tonight. Had the black Chocolate Stout last night. It was good, but a lot of people just raved about it, I thought perhaps because of that my expectations might have been a little high.
I thought it was just okay as well – nothing too mindblowing, like a Southern Tier Chokolat (or however they spell it). It’s a good example of a chocolate stout, but a little too down the middle for me.
Jim, that’s too funny! To non-beer people, those beer will appear exotic! Any Saranac?
Thankfully, no Scott. No Saranac. Most of the other stuff they’ve sent has ranged from forgettable to tolerable, but none of it has been interesting. At least the box is reusable.