If You Go Out In The Woods Today, I'm Sure You're About To Die

I love the works of Joss Whedon. Buffy was one of the first shows I got into and started collecting on VHS (remember when that was a thing?), and it lead to Angel, my absolute all time favourite TV show. I still hope for a Firefly return, I eagerly await the release of Dollhouse Season 2 down here (speaking of DVD's, I really need a copy of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog) and The Avengers was a knock-out.

So naturally I was excited for The Cabin In The Woods. Before I even knew he was involved, I was intrigued. When I found out he was co-writing and producing, my response was basically “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!”

But does it live up to expectations or have I put too much faith into this movie?

Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz) and Holden (Jesse Williams) are college students who go to a remote cabin in the woods for some vacation time. What they didn't count on was being the focus of an operation, completely unknown to them, in which they are expected to die.

Normally, I post things here and there to talk about a movie's ending, with the spoiler tag and such. But even though it's mentioned heavily on its own TVTropes page (Hell, the page is split into “Safe Tropes”, which are the Tropes used but you have to highlight the blank sections for the spoilers, and “Spoiler Tropes”, which just outright tell you what direction the ending is heading for), I will not spoil the ending or even bring it up, except for this one remark I want to make: it is the best ending for a horror movie I've seen since Drag Me To Hell (and on the subject of that movie, I freaking love it).

But I guess I may have spoiled how I feel about this movie a little soon. Yes, I love this film. Some of that MAY be due to the fact that Joss is involved. OK, a lot of it, because of the concept and writing. But nevertheless, this is a fantastic horror movie.

But here's the thing: while the acting is great, what I remember most is the concept itself, and how it's handled. This movie might as well be called “We Take Standard Horror Archetypes And Play Around With Them”.

For example, despite the five being set up as stereotypes, they exhibit traits that don't keep them pegged down in their pre-determined roles. Curt is set up to the your average jerk jock, aggressive and stupid. However, the character is well-meaning, friendly and smart. You'd only say he's the jerk jock because we've seen that character type for so long, we've come to expect it.

The movie impressed me early on with a scene in which Dana is undressing in one room, and Holden is watching briefly through a two-way mirror (which Dana does not know, she thinks it's an ordinary mirror), before letting her know he can see her. Now, he could have just kept on watching and made faces like he was getting aroused, but he did the gentlemanly thing. That makes him awesome and and he's easily my favourite character because of his chivalry.

Just because the acting isn't what I loved about the movie doesn't mean the film is slack with that aspect. Chris Hemsworth continues to be awesome (or should that be “begins his awesome”, since this was filmed in 2009), Fran Kranz brings the funny in, and hey, it has Amy Acker, what more do you want? Well, actually, I do know one little thing I want: more Tom Lenk! Seriously, if I had one complaint, it would be he needed a bigger part!

Thematically, the film runs with the idea of society forcing us into roles and labels (something the operators of the experiment count on) but sometimes, we rebel. And what makes it even more brilliant is that they choose this particular time to assert their independence when they are being relied upon to fall INTO their pre-assigned roles, for the sake of... well, not revealing that here, but suffice it to say, there is a lot of table turning here.

It's also a bit of a jab to the audience, who come expecting slaughter and gore, like the characters are gladiators in a Colosseum and we are the spectators cheering for the lions to come out.

Now, I do love me some Saw-style films, but for a few different reasons, not the whole “BLOOOOOOD! GIVE ME MOAR BLOOOOOD!” sense. I love horror movies for the atmosphere, the idea that things could change at a moment's notice, and that almost no one is safe anymore. Of course, bad horror films will still fall into a formula, and from there, the only thing it can coast on is how cool the villain is/the kills are.

The Cabin In The Woods instead offers to challenge our perceptions of not just the roles of society and the stereotypes we place on people, but on the way horror conducts itself these days. In this movie, the characters get treated with respect, and not like cattle sent off to die. The experiment operators are us, and we are the experiment operators.

Joss has always had a knack for creating three dimensional characters that keep surprising us, and this is no different. He and co-writer Drew Goddard (who also directed, so let's be clear about that, since a lot of people think Joss himself directed it) have done wonders in making us care about what happens to the people in this movie, and the movie is all the stronger for it.

An easy 4.5 and an outstanding film not just for horror, not just for Joss' career, but for 2012 films. I never got the chance to experience it in the cinema, but I'm glad I own the DVD.

And with that, I'm down to my last five films of the year. Now to pick which is next.

Recruit A Team Of Heroes With Attitudes

Well, we've looked at all five films leading up the massive crossover film, The Avengers. The dominoes are lined up, the cogs in the machine are all aligned. We've waited four years. But is it a case of a coming together of the greats, or is there still some assembly required?

Before we get into that, let's go over the Avengers as a team in the comics: in September, 1963, Thor's arch-nemesis Loki tricks the Hulk into destroying a railroad track, which leads to Hulk's friend Rick Jones sending out a radio call seeking help, a call which Loki diverts to Thor, in the hopes of drawing him out. What Loki didn't expect was that the distress call would be answered by more heroes: Iron Man, Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, they all defeated Loki and decided to become a team. And it took all of two issues to lose a member, in this case it was Hulk, who left because he realized his unstable personality was a source of great fear for his team mates. But a few issues later, Captain America would be found and he would become a long time member of the team. And the rest is history. A long and confusing history, especially with all the different Avenger teams.

Now, if you don't read comics and know little about them, you're probably wondering who the Hell Ant-Man and The Wasp are. Well, the answer is: they are two characters who had better appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the years to come, because they are great. But that's for another time.

For this film, our team is instead made up of Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, the only change in actors for this film, with Lou Ferrigno providing the voice for the Hulk himself), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), brought together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), to take on Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his alien army. Also joining the fray is Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), a high ranking S.H.I.E.L.D agent, and we also see the return of Coulson (Clark Gregg), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), as well as more voice-work from Paul Bettany as Iron Man's AI program, JARVIS.

And... well, OK, I pretty much described the plot right there. They come together, settle their differences and they fight some bad guys.

And you know what? I love every goddamn minute of this movie. From the moment Iron Man ended, I knew this movie was going to be monumental. After five movies, the anticipation just rose even higher. Every scrap of information relating to this movie pointed to it having enough momentum to actually be the greatest Marvel movie ever, to be something that would shape how Marvel's movies would be for ages to come. And considering how this came out in the same year as the currently-the-worst-film-I've-this-year-based-on-rankings Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, it's almost like Marvel are trying not only to wipe away their embarrassment but overcompensate.

The aspect I love the most, the key to this whole film, is the blending of the different styles from the respective films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man's solo segment before the team comes together is hilarious but also sweet, since he's spending time with Pepper. Cap's is solemn and you can tell he's just begging to get back into the action, but there's also drama as he is a man out of time and that weighs heavily upon him. Thor appears later in the film but there's a strong dramatic tone with his first few scenes, especially those with Loki. And Hulk (well, when he's Banner) is funny, but darkly so and showing how he's grown accustomed to his surroundings. As for those who didn't have their own movie, Black Widow's segment is like something out of a spy movie, and it's funny, though Hawkeye doesn't get much of a back-story, if any at all (probably my only real nitpick with the movie, but that's only if I need to have something against it. The good heavily outweighs the bad, so much that the bad is virtually non-existent).

Acting-wise, everyone carries on their role and proves yet again why they have made these roles their own. Mark Ruffalo is the exception, but only in the part about carrying on the role, since he's taking over the role. And how does he do? He may just be better than Edward Norton in this role, and that's a mean feat! He's got Banner's sense of meekness down, and his sardonic wit. And he's also the first actor to actually “play” Hulk, as in, motion capture and such and DAMN! When Hulk smashes, he REALLY smashes! As much as I loved the Hulk in his previous film, he's a sight to behold in this and for anyone who thinks he can't hack it in another sequel, you will damn well apologize right now, because this movie proves that not only does he deserve another sequel, he NEEDS it.

Cobie Smulders is the only other major new player and I have to say at this point that I LOVE How I Met Your Mother, and I consider it the best show currently on TV, and I love her character in the show. And while she's not always on screen here, I loved seeing her here and seeing just how badass she could be. Also, now she shares something with HIMYM co-stars Alyson Hannigan and Neil Patrick Harris: working with Joss Whedon (more on him later)

Coulson FINALLY gets a bigger role, and he even reveals his inner fanboy about Captain America. Yeah, that guy keeps getting awesome.

But Hiddleston... holy crap, that guy borders on scary! I think it's his smile. That damn slasher smile... it's really bad when he smiles, it means he knows something you don't. And you never want that. While he was great in Thor, he's even better here and he made for a worthy adversary.

Now, Whedon. I love the man's work. Buffy, Angel, Firefly, all classics (though I have yet to see Dollhouse, because they haven't been released on DVD down here, which pisses me off. And I just found out we're not getting a cinematic release of The Cabin In The Woods down here, it's going straight to DVD. Well, it better bloody well be soon, justice must be served!)\

But while his direction is spectacular, his best work is in the script. I kept thinking “Oh that is so Whedon!” at some of the funniest bits, since they remind me of Buffy and Angel, like the deadpan way people snark at each other, or the random humor that takes a little tension out of the scene but not so much as to undermine it, but rather to get us to relax before the drops the hammer (no pun intended).

For example, in one scene, Tony's hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D's database and spouting off all sorts of information, and one thing he says (very matter of factly) “And that guy's playing Galaga and thinks no one can see him”. A few minutes later, we watch as a guy switches his screen back to a game of Galaga. Priceless.

Or this, I love this exchange:
Thor: He's my brother
Black Widow: He killed 80 people in 2 days
Thor: He's adopted

The timing of that, I couldn't help but crack up.

But I can't share my favourite scene for fear of spoilers. I will say this much: despite Iron Man being the funniest character within the movie, Hulk wins with the laugh-your-arse-off moment for the entire affair. It's towards the end. You'll know it when you see it, even though it's in that third act that Hulk gets even funnier.

And the action... oh Lord, is it ever sweet. There's gunplay, sorcery, tech, projectiles and good ol' fashioned fisticuffs. Sure, the battle at the end (not a spoiler, you so know there was going to be a huge one) is epic, and doesn't overstay its welcome, but it's the fight between Thor, Cap and Iron Man that I love the most. Egos clashing, power flowing, the darkness around them, the intensity, it's magic. Especially the end of it.

I could go on all day about it but since it's not out in America at the time of writing, it would be disrespectful of me to do so, since I'd run the risk of spoilers. But I'd like to end on this closing statement:

Everyone that was involved in this movie: you're not leaving. You will damn well come back and do a sequel, no ifs, ands or buts. I know most of you are under contract anyway, which is great, but the rest I don't know about. I know Joss has been offered the chance to direct again should it arise but it's obviously early days. Nevertheless, you can't leave. You all created magic with this film. I was never bored, never insulted and I now consider this the greatest Marvel movie ever.

Whether or not it will be the best movie of the year remains to be seen. As much as this film is an outstanding triumph, the Caped Crusader's next (and last for the live action interim) is its biggest threat. And Nolan always has a trump card. That being said, The Avengers has raised the bar for crossovers and team-up movies. Even if the Justice League movie gets off the ground, it will not be able to beat this. Marvel crafted this to perfection, taking it's time, letting things build up and putting in little clues here and there as to what was coming next. It resulted in a massive pay-off, one that will never be replicated, not until the next time this team is together.

Take all the time you need to, Marvel. You rewarded our patience and we'll happily wait again. Easily 4.5/5, richly deserved.

Well, that wraps up this week devoted to the Avenger film and its tie-in's. Hope you enjoy this movie as much as I did. And a little tip: once the credits roll, it begins with a montage of close-ups of the character's costumes and such, listing the actors for each respective character. After this, the traditional post-credits scene plays, hinting at what's to come (and my jaw dropped at the reveal of the figure who had their back turned to the audience for that scene). So, after that, you can leave if you wish, since there's nothing else after the next set of credits (yes, I stuck around, on the off chance there was some kind of teaser for Iron Man 3) but on the plus side, I got to hear a bitchin' new song from Soundgarden, called Live To Rise. I must have this song. And I will.

So, next week, got something big and special planned, and something completely different from what I've done before. But I won't be saying a thing until next week.

Xander, That's Not The North Star, That's An Airplane (Part 1)

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Friday, November 18th, 2011 at 7:07 pm)

You ever watch something on TV that you have on DVD and have seen several times before but you end up watching the rest of the episode/movie anyway and you feel the urge to watch the entire thing again? I had that recently. I was sitting down to dinner before going to work and while channel surfing, I saw an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and since there wasn't anything else particularly engaging on any other channel, I kept watching to determine what episode it was. It ended up being I Was Made For Loving You, a season 5 episode involving a robot (not the first robot to appear on the show either) and a rather enjoyable one at that.

For those not in the know, here's the skinny: Buffy is a young woman who is destined to fight off the vampires, the demons, the monsters, the things that go bump in the night. She is the latest (at first) in a long line of vampire slayers. With her friends, she is not alone as she tackles high school (initially) and the forces of darkness. The show ran for seven seasons, from 1997-2003 and is still fondly remembered today. The legacy even lives on in comic book form, with season eight having finished and now season nine is currently being written. And of course, the show had a spin-off with Angel (which I will discuss another time)

I could go on about the show but, partly inspired by re-watching that episode and my best friend's own blog post about Buffy (http://daveherndon.blogspot.com/2011/10/buffy-vampire-slayer-discussed.html#comment-form), I have decided to do my own top ten list of favourite episodes, over two blogs.

Before we get into that, of the TV series itself, here is how I rank the seasons, from best to worst:

6, 3, 5, 2, 1, 7, 4

Oh and I should point out there may be spoilers so if you have not yet watched the show or are still on the early seasons, you have been warned.

Now, for the episode list itself, we'll do in reverse:

10. Graduation Day Part 2 (Season 3, Episode 22)

Season finales are of course a big deal for any show though only two have made my list. The key theme is ascension. Not just for the season's villain (literal in his case as he transforms from man to demon), but for Buffy and her friends too as they graduate high school (as the title states) and thus, they ascend into adulthood of sorts.

I think my favourite aspect has to be the fact that throughout the seasons, Buffy and her friends have been unable to stop the ascension or the villain's plans and are up against a wall in trying to vanquish him. However, by the episode's end, she not only has a plan, but she got the whole student body in on it, even though she's never really fit in. A nice pre-cursor to her leadership role in season 7.

The action is top-notch and it has one of my absolute favourite lines of the show: “Fire bad, tree pretty”

9. Storyteller (Season 7, Episode 16)

Despite how serious the show is and how it handles mature and complex issues, Buffy still has razor sharp wit and in some cases, creates whole episodes of hilarity. Like this episode.

Newly reformed Andrew (one of my favourite characters of the franchise, hands down) takes up the bulk of this episode, with video camera at the ready to film Buffy and her potential slayers as they train for an upcoming war.

Like some of the best episodes, it is capable of putting you into hysterics one minute and then make you sad in the next. Andrew stops denying the truth about what happened to his former friend (a friend he killed and refused to take the blame for) and thus, he grows a little. Character development is a huge part of why this show is so damn good.

8. Crush (Season 5, Episode 14)

In which ensemble dark horse Spike confesses his love for Buffy, who just reacts with outright disgust. A funny episode, though it's dark. Also notable for being the last non-flashback appearance of Spike's former lover and sire, Drusilla.

7. Forever (Season 5, Episode 17)

The episode right after the very infamous shock of The Body. While many fans will state this as a favourite (indeed, The Body is an extremely fine piece of work and were this a top twenty, it would have been here no doubt), the aftermath deals more directly with Dawn and Spike's perspectives, with excellent dialogue between Buffy and Dawn and both Sarah Michelle Gellar and Michelle Trachtenberg act the Hell out of their scenes.

6. Once More With Feeling (Season 6, Episode 7)

If you're not a hardcore fan, you probably still know the name Once More With Feeling. But if you're not in the know, it's the musical episode. A fantastic musical, too. And it actually goes to great lengths to explain WHY everyone's bursting into spontaneous song and dance routines, with lampshade hanging on the types of songs found in musicals and the measures of success (basically, Anya asking different questions like if a certain character's song could be considered a breakaway pop hit).

Throw in a smooth, sophisticated demon as the “villain” (I'd be hard pressed to call him that, he doesn't seem entirely evil) and you have a highlight for the series. Incidentally, my favourite songs are Under Your Spell, Rest In Peace and Walk Through The Fire. And yes, I know the words to each of those off by heart...

Next time, the top five. Will yours be there?

If The Apocalypse Comes, Beep Me (Part 2)

(Please note: the following blog was originally posted on my old blog Why Yes I Am Quite Random, Why Do You Ask?, a blog I can no longer access for some unknown reason. This is being put at the start of each blog I'm uploading, in case anyone comes across the blog and accuses me of plagiarism. This is explained further in my introduction blog.

The following was originally posted on Saturday, November 19th, 2011 at 2:09 am )

And welcome back. If you've read my previous blog, you'll know that I'm a fan of the show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and in fact, a huge Joss Whedon fan (though I haven't seen Dollhouse yet, because no one will announce when the DVD releases are heading my way...)
So, without further ado, the final five to make up my top ten favourite Buffy episodes. Maybe someday I'll do a top ten least favourite list or even a general overview. Probably not until next year, though.

5. The Replacement (Season 5, Episode 3)
I consider Xander Harris a role model of sorts, one amongst many. He's not the brightest (but very, very far from stupid), he lacks special powers and he usually gets the short end of the stick. But he has a heart and determination so powerful, you could weaponize it and devastate a small army. So, I am a big fan of any episode in which he is the focus and his positive aspects shine through. In this episode, he discovers that despite his shortcomings, he is capable of moving up in the workplace and getting an apartment all on his own gumption. He grows a lot too, and his comforting Anya when she worries about their future is really touching.
Also, the antagonist, the demon Toth, I really liked him. He had a certain dignity to him and his plan (split Buffy into two separate beings, one being weaker and then kill the weaker one to destroy both) is genius. Of course, it doesn't quite work that way but that's through no fault of his own.

4. Grave (Season 6, Episode 22)
The other season finale to make it here and oh man, this is an edge-of-your-seat kind of affair. While it still tries for an “the entire world is doomed” type of ending, it's a LOT more personal when you look at who's involved (no spoilers here, I will not ruin it for anyone yet to see it). I nearly cried with this episode, mostly due to Xander (seriously, when I was younger, I wanted to BE Xander Harris when I grew up) and there's a hilariously wonderful moment with Buffy and Giles just laughing and discussing things. The best of all the “heavily serious” episodes of Buffy.

3. Life Serial (Season 6, Episode 5)
This and the next two episodes are nearly gag-a-minute affairs and they work so well because of it. Whether it's Buffy being annoyed at college, losing her construction job after one day or wanting to scream out in agony in retail, the humor is never absent for long. And her encounter with a mummy hand... oh, that is the sweetest plum of all “Fingers sold separately”

2. Intervention (Season 5, Episode 18)
After the heavy atmosphere of the previous two episodes (the aforementioned The Body and Forever), some levity was needed and it came thick and fast with this episode. Another robot is seen and this time, resembling Buffy. Sarah Michelle looks like she's having the time of her life playing the constantly perky and smiling sex-bot, while delivering such lines like:
“You are recently gay”
“It's Spike! And he's wearing a coat!”
“Spike! You're covered in sexy wounds!”
And one of the greatest exchanges of dialogue ever in Buffy, with everyone's favourite capitalist supporter, Anya: “Anya! How is your money?” “Fine! Thank you for asking!”
Throw in one of Tara's best lines “What are you kidding? She's nuts!” and some great acting from James Marsters and you have a nearly unrivaled gem

1. Something Blue (Season 4, Episode 9)
While season four may be my least favourite season (oh wow, the military is up to something involving monsters, yawn), this episode downplays that aspect and just decides to go in for some hi-jinx. Willow's spellcasting causes odd things to happen, like Xander becoming a demon magnet and Buffy and Spike suddenly deciding to get married (they fall in love, eh? Hmm... have to wonder if that wasn't planned from the start, considering where things end up at the show's conclusion) and it's just a hoot.
And, interesting trivia, Buffy wants Wind Beneath My Wings played at her wedding.

Well, there you have it. I haven't read all of the season eight comics but what I have read has ranged from average to excellent, so it's definitely worth checking out (especially the second arc, No Future For You. I want a Giles and Faith spin-off live action series. NOW.)

So, any fellow Buffy fans care to name a few of their favourites?