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Issue 38 / APRIL 2012
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
A clever take on horror, with a seismically satisfying plot twist.
If there's one man that karma seems to have forgotten over the years, it's Joss Whedon. As the creator of not one, but two television milestones – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – you would expect his subsequent work to receive better treatment. His criti- cally acclaimed sci-fi drama Firefly (often ranked as one of the most original shows to grace our television screens) was famously cancelled before its time, while it's feature length spin-off Serenity received similar praise and similar commercial indifference.
And while The Cabin in the Woods sees Whedon is a producing role, its arrival bears an unsurprisingly turbulent tale. Filmed in late 2009, with a 2010 release date obliter- ated in the face of MGM's bankruptcy, the film may never have seen the light of day had it not been for Whedon's upcoming
directing gig for The Avengers, not to men- tion a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, providing some ample cross-marketability. And it's just as well they did, as Karl Gordon's story of 5 caricatures trapped in a – you guessed it – haunted cabin in the woods is a superla- tive film by any standards and to label it as merely a horror would be unkind. While the film certainly has a few terrifying moments to call it's own, director Karl Gordon is more focused on lampooning a genre he is sick of defending. To reveal anymore of the films literally multi-tiered plot would be to spoil the fun, but not since Wes Craven's Scream has horror been so knowing. Our central sets of characters are all joyful archetypes, and act exactly as joyful archetypes would. That they actually make for quite a sympa- thetic bunch is down to nuanced acting and Gordon's skillful script.
THE AVENGERS April 27th
The Mother of all superhero movies is coming. Directed by The Cabin in the Woods pro- ducer Joss Whedon, Thor, Black Widow, Captain America, The Hulk, Hawkeye and many other favourites will be together on celluloid for the first time.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN
YOU'RE EXPECTING May 18th
Based on the best-selling books by Heidi Murkoff, you can expect big laughs and plucked heartstrings when an all-star cast of couples decide go the family way.
MEN IN BLACK 3 May 25th
Hollywood has had 10 years to learn the mistakes of Men In Black II. Josh Brolin joins the original men in black Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith for this time-travelling romp.
COMING SOON...
