The Basket is a straw-and-bamboo container as big as a barrel, which can catch items like a hopper.

Baskets cannot actively transfer items to-and-fro like Hoppers; they only catch items landing on their open face. However, they can be placed sideways, and perhaps even facing down, allowing them to be more versatile as collection stations than Hoppers.

Of course, downward-facing Baskets cannot simultaneously catch items and be extracted from with Hoppers, but there are plenty of sideways extractors in the Modded Cinematic Universe. :P

Sneak-right-clicking a Basket will close its open face, blocking item insertions. Or maybe just redstone to close it?

The Basket is now working as an inventory, and fetching items from a custom hitbox.
Only one thing left:

• Make the item collection hitbox be directional