The Cabin in the Woods - Review

 "DO NOT read the Latin!"

The Cabin in the Woods makes for a great time at the movies.  Its success depends largely on a knowledge of basic horror stereotypes.  As in any run-of-the-mill horror movie, we're presented with "the whore, the hero, the scholar, the fool, and the virgin" (the movie's vocabulary).  The filmmakers use these and other familiar horror staples to flip the genre on its head... and then some.  Right from the get go, we're clued in that this is no typical horror movie, but we don't know what's in store for the next hour and a half.  To say the film takes an unexpected turn is quite the understatement, but it's hard to say too much else without spoiling the fun.  Suffice it to say that we essentially get a metaphorical peek behind the curtains into the imagination of horror film directors.  The film poses the question of free will in horror films.  Are the characters in horror films really given the option of free will, or are they stock characters who essentially are written to do drugs, drink alcohol, have sex, and then get killed?  The film poses this and other questions as it picks apart the horror genre to create a film that's both imaginative and fun.  I love and appreciate movies that surprise viewers with something unexpected.  The Cabin in the Woods certainly does just that.

They're not like something from a nightmare.  They're something nightmares are from.

SPOILER ALERT: In The Cabin in the Woods, the facility employees in the film act as stand-ins for the film's creators, pulling the strings along the way to manipulate the characters.  The "ancient ones" could be the horror film audience itself.  We've been around for years (as long as the genre has existed), and we've grown accustomed to the typical horror film.  As Marty states in the film, maybe it's time to give some new life a chance.  Filmmakers like Goddard and Whedon are certainly allowing exactly that - breathing new life into the horror genre and subverting it to no end.  The film was fittingly released on Friday the 13th.

5 out of 5 (because it's just so darn fun)

Lawless - Review

"We're survivors.  We control the fear.  Without that fear, we're as good as dead."

At the beginning of Lawless, we meet three brothers who have reached legend status in a small, southern town.  But they aren't the "good guy" type of legend.  Just the opposite is true. They have instilled a fear in the townsfolk that sparks whispers of their wildly brutal actions.  The brothers subscribe to a sort of self-fulling prophecy of immortality - if believe themselves to be invincible, they become invincible.  These strikingly different men are brought to life by three similarly distinct actors - Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke.  Tom Hardy shines again as a quietly terrifying yet sympathetic character, while Jason Clarke's character is more openly dangerous and wild.  Shia does a fine job as the youngest and most innocent of the brothers; obviously his character has the biggest arc as violence surrounds and consumes him.  Surprising things happen to each of the brothers, and their dream of "immortality" becomes more and more uncertain.  Each one's fate is perhaps the biggest surprise of all.

However, these characters exist in world where plot is secondary to style and mood.  It's largely OK for the plot to be a bit flimsy in a genre that depends much more heavily on atmosphere.  I do wish the film had fleshed out the Gary Oldman-as-a-badass-gangster plot.  It felt like the talented actor was included in the world of Lawless almost as an afterthought and wasn't given his due screen time.  The film also makes it difficult to root for the characters at times.  Luckily, the female characters (Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska) create a great foil for the brothers and help establish some balance to the otherwise male-dominated genre.  It's never unclear who we're supposed to root against (clearly the flamboyant Guy Pearce character).  But the brothers commit such violent acts that we feel a little guilty condoning their vengeful deeds.  Regardless, the film creates several nice set pieces and successfully creates the stylized world of the western.  While Lawless doesn't reach the level of immortality that it sets out to, it's still a great exercise in genre and atmosphere.

3.5 out of 5

Celeste and Jesse Forever - Review

You want to be right or you want to be happy?

Celeste and Jesse Forever gets off to a great start.   We're presented with a montage of images that give us the bullet points of the title couple's relationship.  It's like flipping through a photo album where the people start off happy and deeply in love, separate, and then attempt to regain happiness together as best friends.  Celeste and Jesse still love each other, but are no longer IN love.  Their friends don't understand and disapprove of their post-break-up relationship.  The film begs the following question: can two people stay together ("forever") even after breaking up?  It's like a character study, but for a relationship.  Both members of the partnership explore new potential lovers (some with shockingly bad results), but can't seem to totally avoid one another.  The story is refreshing and attempts a level of honesty that many films do not.  There are a few sub plots that could've been withheld and wouldn't have been missed, but the originality and outstanding soundtrack distract from the film's flaws.  Of course I won't spoil what the relationship status of Celeste and Jesse is at the end of the film.  That's not really the point anyways.  It's about two people who discover new ways to find each other and continually redefine their relationship.

4 out of 5