(mild spoilers)
Not gonna be your normal review, by the way. PLUS I am bound by my inner theater maven and will NOT give any of the plot away. Let someone else leak the twists; it’s not going to be me. I am also not a fan of the horror genre in general, usually finding it a pointless and incredibly, insultlingly stupid waste of time. There are some great exceptions (Slither comes to mind) but on the whole, usually you couldn’t pay me to go to the theater just to watch a bunch of dumb teenagers get carved up for no good reason.
That said, let us begin.
CABIN IN THE WOODS, which has been in movie studio limbo for nearly four years (due to MGM’s bankruptcy, not because of anything wrong with the finished film itself) was released, appropriately enough, today on Friday the 13th. A very twisted and uniquely cerebral horror film, it is the brain child of Joss Whedon and his personal cadre of writer and producer friends, and features several of his favorite actors.
It was, in the beginning, eye-rollingly dumb in its seemingly obvious character set ups – except even this was done in such a clever and… manipulative... way that these tropes became something altogether different – it begins to alternately make fun of and somehow pay homage to the very stereotypes it skewers.
It is laugh out loud funny, jump out of your seat scary, startling and brain teasing because you keep thinking you have it all figured out, and sometimes just downright strange and creepy, CABIN IN THE WOODS not only turns the horror genre on its ear, but has an absolutely maniacally gleeful time doing it. It is a twisting, turning, jaw dropping roller coaster ride with more spirals and loops than… well.
The funny thing is, you are in on the joke in the beginning, which surprised me, so I was wondering if there really was anything left to reveal… you know what the BIG DEAL is right up front – more or less – and so there aren’t too many more big surprises, right? Not so fast, Kimosabee. I swear I was afraid to lift my water bottle to my mouth once things got… going, I was sure something would happen and I would spray half the audience!
Enough about the plot; I really, really can’t say anything else without spoiling it. The production values were a little uneven, usually excellent, sometimes mind-bendingly awesome (that was one crazy “elevator”!!), and sometimes a little fuzzy around the edges like they ran out of money or lost interest on their way to the next crazy scene. The heart of the film also not quite up to the standard I expect from a Whedon project, but it may be I was expecting too much after four years of waiting for this release.
Do NOT go if you are in any way squeamish. Do not take the kids, no matter how much they love Buffy; there are some seriously twisted scenes. I am not giving anything away if I tell you that in this horror movie, some folks die in pretty gruesome ways.
I also guarantee it will be talked about by horror aficionados for years, and by those who, like me, thought the genre had nothing really original to say anymore. With Joss Whedon’s name all over the movie, I should have known better.
My rating: 8.5 out of 10
Just Musing,
Susan
Friday, April 13, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
“MIRROR MIRROR” Movie Review
4/1/12 (Minor Spoilers)
Taking a well known, well since the Disney version of 1937, fairy tale and twisting it, making sure that it never takes itself too seriously, MIRROR MIRROR was a delight.
Dominating the first half in every possible way, Julia Roberts was obviously having the time of her life playing the evil, vain and petulant Queen to absolute perfection. Every pretty snarl, roll of the eyes and bored, “I am surrounded by idiots” look played off of the incredible, lavish costumes. The movie suffered a little when she was not on screen, for while the entire cast was game, Roberts was so completely at home in the setting and role that even terrifically comic performances by Nathan Lane (Brighton), Arnie Hammer (The Prince who keeps losing his shirt) and all of the dwarfs (really should be dwarves, but that’s a quibble that goes back generations) could not completely save the faltering second act.
Lily Collins as Snow White was lovely, if a bit clumsy and rather weak of character; I would have liked to see more of the spunk and fire she demonstrates at the very end earlier on. And I do admit to being shallow enough to want to pluck those eyebrows, just a little bit.
Many very, very funny scenes and hilarious lines were scattered throughout the film, like candy gaily dropped along the path that we as an audience eagerly scooped up, but the story’s darker themes were barely skimmed over, leaving a bit of an incomplete feel to the film. When absolutely everything is played for laughs, then there is nothing to lose, and therefore, there isn’t really anyone to root for.
The real menace was, of course, the Queen, and just as she was getting to the place where she could expose her really, really “dark side”, she was cut off and her part of the story was essentially over, apples at wedding notwithstanding. ALTHOUGH, Puppy Love, hilarious! The effects were really wonderful, especially the Mirror, and making the mirror image, well, who it was, was a master stroke.
On the whole, the movie was like an apple, tart, juicy and quite delicious, but needing just a little something more to make it a real meal.
(My Rating: 7.5/10)
Just Musing,
Susan
Taking a well known, well since the Disney version of 1937, fairy tale and twisting it, making sure that it never takes itself too seriously, MIRROR MIRROR was a delight.
Dominating the first half in every possible way, Julia Roberts was obviously having the time of her life playing the evil, vain and petulant Queen to absolute perfection. Every pretty snarl, roll of the eyes and bored, “I am surrounded by idiots” look played off of the incredible, lavish costumes. The movie suffered a little when she was not on screen, for while the entire cast was game, Roberts was so completely at home in the setting and role that even terrifically comic performances by Nathan Lane (Brighton), Arnie Hammer (The Prince who keeps losing his shirt) and all of the dwarfs (really should be dwarves, but that’s a quibble that goes back generations) could not completely save the faltering second act.
Lily Collins as Snow White was lovely, if a bit clumsy and rather weak of character; I would have liked to see more of the spunk and fire she demonstrates at the very end earlier on. And I do admit to being shallow enough to want to pluck those eyebrows, just a little bit.
Many very, very funny scenes and hilarious lines were scattered throughout the film, like candy gaily dropped along the path that we as an audience eagerly scooped up, but the story’s darker themes were barely skimmed over, leaving a bit of an incomplete feel to the film. When absolutely everything is played for laughs, then there is nothing to lose, and therefore, there isn’t really anyone to root for.
The real menace was, of course, the Queen, and just as she was getting to the place where she could expose her really, really “dark side”, she was cut off and her part of the story was essentially over, apples at wedding notwithstanding. ALTHOUGH, Puppy Love, hilarious! The effects were really wonderful, especially the Mirror, and making the mirror image, well, who it was, was a master stroke.
On the whole, the movie was like an apple, tart, juicy and quite delicious, but needing just a little something more to make it a real meal.
(My Rating: 7.5/10)
Just Musing,
Susan
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