The Agency's Posts

Oscars 2013: An 'Argo' night at Academy Awards: For the second straight year, the movie business fell for itself. "Argo"— in....
Read More>

'Side Effects' a first-rate brain tease: "Side Effects,"Steven Soderbergh's tightly wound mind game, is definitely worth....
Read More>

Christian Bale in Talks to Star in 'Everest': Baltasar Kormakur is attached to the direct the true-life adventure film. Christian Baleis....
Read More>

Paladino Casting - Workshop for Kids!: PALADINO CASTINGis offering audition technique classes which will enhance and improve your child's....
Read More>

Snitch: Film Review: Although it sometimes accompanies fine films such asZero Dark ThirtyandArgo,the phrase “in
Read More>

Rihanna's River Island Fashion Show: What the: The pop princess made her designer debut at London Fashion Week, which some called "hideous&quo
Read More>

New roads open for 'Downton Abbey': The Season 3 finale paves the way for some much-needed conflict and tension next season.....
Read More>

Beyonce offers rare personal glimpse in 'Life Is but a Dream': Beyonce lets fans into her personal life in the new HBO documentary, but make no mistake -- she's....
Read More>

'Beautiful Creatures' has brains and bewitching cast too: Richard LaGravenese's 'Beautiful Creatures' adaptation of the bestselling young-adult series....
Read More>

Movie Review: 'A Good Day to Die Hard' an uninspired effort: Playing everyman action hero John McClane for the fifth time, Bruce Willis seems to be just going....
Read More>

Ashton Kutcher: Steve Jobs was my 'hero': Ashton Kutcherhas been gettingrave reviews from audiencesfor his role in a biopic about Apple....
Read More>

Grammys 2013: Where lip-syncing is off-limits: Strutting the stage in her white tuxedo jacket, shorts and sparkling top hat,Taylor Swiftopened....
Read More>

Melissa McCarthy leads 'Identity Thief' to biggest opening of 2013: Melissa McCarthystole the show at the box office this weekend, proving she has the star power....
Read More>
Review: 'The Cabin in the Woods' is Joss Whedon's inside joke
Posted on: 04/17/12
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

'The Cabin in the Woods' runs through all the scary-movie genre's cliches with a wink and a nudge. The satire displaces much of the thrills and chills, although there is lots of blood



You'd think by now college kids would know better than to head to an isolated cabin deep in the woods for a laid-back weekend of beer, swimming and truth or dare, because… cue spooky music … as everyone knows by now most of them are destined to die, falling to their blood-soaked ends like dominoes: One. By. One.

Actually that's exactly what longtime horror-making buddiesJoss Whedon and Drew Goddard are counting on — that everyone knows all the tricks and tropes in the scary movie playbook. Because really"The Cabin in the Woods" is an inside joke — a one-way ticket to all the genre's worst nightmares told in a very tongue and cheeky "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ('92 movie, TV series, multiple spinoffs, all conceived by Whedon) style.

The laughs come easily, the screams not so much. It's as if the filmmakers got so wrapped up in the satire they forgot to include the intense sensation of rising dread that creates all the thrills and chills that are part of the attraction.

The jock, the blond, the nerd, the good guy, the "virgin" — they are all there — with Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth,Fran KranzJesse Williams and Kristen Connolly slipping right into their stereotypes. Now if that brand of humorous horror homage sounds a little too much "been there, done that" — "Scream 1,2,3,4," say — Whedon and Goddard have a few more tricks up their sleeve.

The new wrinkle in time is some FBI-like black ops that may or may not factor in to the health and well-being of the blond, the jock, the nerd.... It allows the filmmakers to take some digs at Big Brother-styled surveillance, reality TV, GPS-technology and other high-tech horrors that a wired world, and some weird thinking, might spawn. The setting is mission control with everyone settling in to monitor the cabin action in wide-screen comfort, though whether it's sanctioned snooping isn't clear for a while. Truman (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford), with white shirts, ties and big-shot worries, are the men in charge, at least of the office pool and making sure the pizza gets delivered.

It all begins innocently enough with good girl Dana (Connolly) mooning over the professor who dumped her and packing weighty textbooks instead of a bikini. Her friend and roomy Jules (Hutchison) has just gone blond, a look that totally works for her football-playing hunk Curt (Hemsworth). Marty (Kranz) is the dope-smoking geek who turns up late but is likely to be early on the chopping block, and Holden (Williams) is the new guy, both stud and dean's list material, so a marked man as well.

All the actors do a decent job with whatever is thrown at them — usually sharp objects. There are some clever cameos to watch for and someone will no doubt eventually compile a list of the many horror movie references thrown into the grizzle and guts.

Goddard, who directs from a script co-written with Whedon, sets the tone from the beginning with a lot of quirky camera angles — you may be tempted to try to adjust the screen like a crooked picture. But there's no time really because that ever-diminishing group of friends is quickly forced to face off endless evil, including — but not limited to — zombies, aliens, fearsome monsters, graves, ghosts, grim clowns, grim reapers, dead-eyed dolls, SWAT teams, janitors, more zombies.

There is a lot of blood — in fact it's hard to think of many scenes that don't have a lot of blood.

Making his directing debut with "Cabin," Goddard, cinematographer Peter Deming ("Drag Me to Hell") and production designer Martin Whist ("Super 8") have packed the dark shadows and tight spaces of the cabin world with countless nostalgic touches — if you can call weird porcelain dolls, rusted chains and rows of knives nostalgic.

betsy.sharkey@latimes.com


COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal