Sunday, April 29, 2012

Rated D - The Cabin in the Woods

Once in a great while a blog comes along that changes your life... and until you find it...

Welcome Back to Rated D!

This past weekend, Erika and I skeptically ventured out to see "The Cabin in the Woods".  SPOILER ALERT:  Five college co-eds journey into the woods for a fun filled weekend and I literally don't want to spoiler anything else besides that.

Now when you think of the term "horror movie", the simple title of this flick is probably what comes to mind.  Let's see:  There's the jock, the slutty one, the stoner, the sensitive guy, and the girl next door.  Then there's the ominous cabin that is off the map... CHECK!  The creepy old guy they run into along the way... CHECK!  And the drugs, alcohol, and poor decisions... CHECK, CHECK, AND CHECK!  This movie has all of these things and so much more...

If you don't like scary movies, you're in luck because this one isn't really scary.  If you are sick of the gross out "torture porn" like "Saw" and "Hostel", you are again in luck, because this one isn't too gory.  And if you're tired of movies that bring nothing new to the table, well, you should start buying scratch tickets because you are again in luck.

Two clever writers and fans of the horror/sci-fi genre Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Drew Goddard (Cloverfield) have teamed up to bring us a movie that is just as much of an homage as it is a parody of the movies they grew up on.  To tell you much more of the story would be doing you a disservice, and trust me, I was as skeptical as you probably are, but this is a great one to enjoy in the theaters.  Between the title and even the preview, this movie screams, "haven't I watched this before?"  No.  No you haven't. 

The performances from Bradley Whitford (Billy Madison, My Fellow Americans) and Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, Burn After Reading) are enough to justify the price of the ticket alone.  The movie certainly wasn't perfect and the special effects leave a little something to be desired, but if you're looking for a well-made, well-acted film and a refreshingly clever script, this is definitely a good one.

Recommendation - 4.5 out of 5 - Fun Fun Fun

D'S LIST  
This Week's List... In Honor of Green Week!
Movies with Green Characters

1.  Hulk/The Incredible Hulk (2003 & 2008) - The Hulk - "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry..." or when I'm made into movie... twice... in less than five years... Now don't get me wrong, the Ang Lee/Eric Bana version was absolutely terrible while the Louis Leterrier/Ed Norton was... uh... I don't know how to finish that sentence because I didn't like either one.  Anywho, if you if you only see one hulk movie this decade... um... go see "The Avengers" where this time The Hulk will be played by Mark Ruffalo!

2.  Shrek (2001) - Shrek - This hilarious, twisted fairytale featuring that lovable, flatulent ogre not only spawned three sequels, but also inspired a hit broadway musical.  Plus, it gave Mike Myers yet another chance to feature his Scotish accent.  "Heed!  Pants new!"  

3.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) - The Turtles - Who knew a movie about mutated turtles and a rat practicing martial arts in the sewer would be so gritty and dramatic?  This flick was probably about as realistic as you could make that subject matter which was a huge difference from the sequel which featured a cameo from Vanilla Ice and a very special rap.   

4.  Spider-Man (2002) - The Green Goblin - Speaking of superhero reboots... This superhero franchise was pretty darn good until the third installment came along.  The Spider-Man saga has always required a suspension-of-belief but there's a difference between that and ridiculous.

5.  Monster's Inc. (2001) - Mike Wazowski - Another great animated flick with some great Disney flair and the comedy of Billy Crystal.  I'm just now beginning to realize how many green characters showed up in the millenium...

Still Haven't Seen It?
The Hangover: Part 2 -  
If you saw the first one, you saw this one already.  I had heard this about the movie from many different sources but I was still really surprised when that was truly the case.  Sure there's a couple of little differences but generally speaking, the story is pretty much the one you already know. 

The whole gang returns for it and there are a couple of laugh out loud moments, but for the most part you are distracted by the idea that you already know how the movie is going to end.  If you are a huge fan of the original, fear not, because they don't skimp on the gross outs or the F-bomb punctuated screaming rants... just this time they're in Thailand and Paul Giamatti shows up... yep that's about it.

Next Time on Rated D:
The Five-Year Engagement:  It's been too long since I've seen a good RomCom in the theaters!

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