The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods – 95Min – R

There is a formula to horror movies and this movie is not going to deviate from that formula, or is it? This movie is unapologetically dripping with the entire playlist of horror movie clichés. It was co-written by Joss Whedon which means that not everything is as obvious as you might believe. It's a new take on tired material, but it’s still not fresh enough to pull the “camp” out of this campy trip to the cabin. I enjoyed many parts of this film and I really liked the new perspective but not enough to give it more than a yellow light.

Roommates Dana (Kristen Connolly) and Jules (Anna Hutchison) are planning a getaway weekend to a cabin. They are going to be joined by Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Holden (Jesse Williams) and Marty (Fran Kranz). They drive up to the cabin and along the way they get a menacing warning from Mordecai (Tim De Zam), a gas station attendant that tells them they should take care up there. They arrive and start to enjoy themselves when the cellar opens up and they find a book that has a phrase that when spoken awakens the previous owners who were cannibals and are now zombies. Much mayhem ensues.

Drew Goddard directed this film and with Joss Whedon as a co-writer it has everything you need to be an excellent television show. I know it’s a movie, but the timing of the laugh lines is paced in such a way that it felt like they were relieving the tension almost too often for a film but just right for a TV Show. Please understand that I think the writing is awesome and the talent of the filmmaker shows through as it’s a very well made film. I expect more from this writing team than recycled ideas from television shows they have worked on in the past.

I have struggled with writing this review because I so desperately want to love this movie. When your favorite creative team gets together you want to have more than just average experience. Maybe the fault is mine? I see them as creative gods and really they are just like us. When many of the projects you work on are held in such high regard when you do just a good movie it pales in comparison to the body of work.

Spoiler Warning!!!! These Spoilers will overrun you with a warehouse full of nightmares!!!!! Click on this link to see the spoilers!!!!!!

The fact that this movie was all about the people who manage the sacrifices was a great take on the tired and over-used horror movie formula. It was hard for me to figure out what was really going on and I think that was done to keep me engaged. It was a good mix of the main story of the teens in the woods, and the intertwining of what was really going on. They presented more and more information as the events unfolded.

Love, love, love the speaker phone bit. That scene was excellent, I rarely laugh out loud at movies at most they get a grin, but this had me. The betting pool was great I can see people who work in an environment like that would need to have some fun. Making out with a stuffed wolf head…Allow me to quote a Geico commercial. “eeeew, seriously, that is so gross.”

The biggest problem I think I had was the fact the main feel of this film was an amalgam of Angel, Buffy, Dollhouse, and Lost. I could see this movie fitting into a season of any of these shows. It’s the end of the world…..again. They need to come up with a new thing to write about.

Amy Acker is awesome. Love her skill at characterization. It is also nice to see Bradley Whitford again. Brian White is someone I am going to have to seek out and watch his other films. His differences in characters from Good Deeds to this film are different enough that I want to see what other films he has done.

What movie have you really wanted to love but was disappointed by in the end because it was good but not as awesome as you expected?

Good Deeds

Good Deeds – 110 Min – PG13

This is my first Tyler Perry film. I enjoyed so many aspects of it, but I had a big problem with one key point. I am having a problem with really giving my true feelings because the problem I have is wrapped in a blanket of spoilers. I can’t explain why I am giving this rating in the upper part of my review I have to go over it in the spoilers section. Click on the highlighted section below to expand the spoilers. I try and keep them away from the viewing public. I wanted to give it a green light but there are some points I can’t overlook, so it falls to a yellow light.

Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) is the CEO of a company his dad built. He is living his in a mental fog with absolutely no passion and or spontaneity. His is the very model of doing what is expected of him. His brother Walter (Brian White) is the opposite of that; he is only still employed because Wesley has promised to look out for him. Wesley is engaged to Natalie (Gabrielle Union) and they are completely perfect for one another but have absolutely no passion.

Lindsey (Thandie Newton) and her daughter, Ariel (Jordenn Thompson), have just been evicted from their apartment. Lindsey is struggling to keep things together and protect Arial from the harsh realities of living on the streets.

This story is about how Wesley and Lindsey meet and change each other’s lives. This movie highlights how many people can be depend on your life. It’s easy to get wrapped in what is expected of you that you lose your individuality in those expectations. You have to strike a balance between what is required of you and what makes you, you. This movie shows us what happens when you lose that balance.

Tyler Perry is known for his roles he performs in drag but I think that might overshadow his work as a writer. He has some very strong messages that people can relate to. When watching this movie I am reminded of the same feelings I get when I watch a Frank Capra movie. Really well developed characters in some thought provoking situations.

Spoiler warning!!!!
Behind this click is why I downgraded this film.

The end of this film failed the journey leading up to it. Let me explain. We have a story of one person who has lived his entire life for his father's memory and for his mother's expectations. We see him completely change his life and his mindset. He is a completely different person by the end of the film. We learn that you have to live for yourself and not be burdened down by the expectations of others.

Wesley celebrates this change in his life by asking the woman who was the catalyst for this change to run away to Africa and dig wells for villages. This woman is a single mother of a seven year old girl and when she was given the offer to run away with this man she just met, she said no.

I completely fell in love with this movie when she said no. I though this is the movie that will reflect real life and not fall into the trap of giving the sellout happy finale. She made the right choice for her and her daughter because going with him would mean living for his expectations and not her own. At the airport he does not see her running to the plane in a final scene, because she has already boarded the plane and is waiting for him. I lost all respect for this movie.

It would have been better if they kept their relationship going via letter or web cam or something. He lives his life and she hers, and they grow separately but they also grow a deeper relationship. We could see them reunite, with each of them learning a lot about themselves and becoming more secure people.

One thing I really like about this movie is how it kept honesty to how people should act even if they are falling out of love. They did not go and have an affair with other people but worked out the differences before moving on. There are so many great things about the movie get let down by the sellout ending.

What movie have you seen that you loved until something made you think differntly about the movie?