The Cabin in the Woods

My View:   The Cabin in the Woods (2012)   Five friends need a break from their hectic life and decide to get away to a remote cabin. Soon, after arriving, they discover there is a secret hiding in the basement – a secret they will regret discovering. The best way I can describe this film is it's like nothing you have seen before - a horror movie with a ton of comedy in it.  As groundbreaking a TV show that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was (Director Drew Goddard and Producer Joss Whedon, were the forces behind that show) this is a cutting-edge and innovative film.  It’s the best film I have seen this year and has a highly inventive plot about which I can’t go into too much detail so I don't give away surprises.  And, there are many surprises in it!  This is one of those films where, after I saw it,  I wanted to immediately buy another ticket and see it again.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Cabin in the Woods Website

My View:   Life Happens (2012)   Kim (Krysten Ritter), Deena (Kate Bosworth) and Laura (Rachel Bilson) are three roommates living the single life in L.A. Things are going great until, after a one night stand, and Kim becomes pregnant. But, the girls are determined to keep up their lifestyle, even with a baby in the house. Ritter co-wrote the film along with the director, Kat Coiro, and they have done a phenomenal job creating a smart, funny comedy that is a new take on the L.A. dating scene. Bilson (Heart of Dixie) steals the movie as the twenty-something virgin who is constantly taking sexually explicit jobs like with a limo service where she is the driver and has to wear a French maid outfit.  Ritter is adorable as the dog-walker who tries to keep an active social life and raise a baby at the same time.   My Rating: Full Price   Life Happens Website

My View:   Lockout (2012) A man named Snow (Guy Pearce) has been wrongly accused of committing a crime. To get his sentence reduced, he “volunteers” to go on a suicide mission where he must break into a high security prison to save the President’s daughter (Maggie Grace) who was taken hostage during a prison uprising. The catch…this prison is in space. Guy Pearce is the reason to see this film, as he is constantly spouting out great one- liners while killing the bad guys. This is a heavy on the action film that is enjoyable, though the ending wasn’t quite as satisfying as I wanted it to be.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Lockout Website  

Family Faire:  The Three Stooges (2012) In the movie edition, Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), Larry (Sean Hayes) and Curly (Will Sasso) are back, once again, trying to save their childhood orphanage when they stumble upon a murder plot. But, as with anything the Stooges get involved in, things get crazy, and they just might be the next big stars of reality TV. While this is a Farrelly brothers (There's Something About Mary, Shallow Hal), it's really a family movie, but only kids under the age of ten are going to enjoy it. The film feels at times like a bad 80’s sitcom, and you get tired, very quickly, of the Stooges poking each other in the eyes. The best thing about this film is Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) who plays an angry nun. The film has a running time of 92 minutes, but I would swear it’s much longer than that.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   The Three Stooges Website

Indiefest:   Detention (2012) This film is a comedy where the student body of a high school is having to deal with an axe-wielding serial killer named Cinderhella, who is slowly killing off students. Shanley Caswell plays Riley, a not very popular girl at the high school who is secretly in love with popular boy, Clapton (Josh Hutcherson). Riley becomes a target of Cinderhella, but no one believes that she is being attacked because the unwritten rule of slasher films is the popular girl always gets it first. This film has just about everything in it including Spaceships, aliens, time travel and the possible end of the world.  Any film that with a bear boarding a space ship can’t be all bad.   My Rating: Full Price   Detention Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Cabin in the Woods:  Diving Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Five-Year Engagement ( 2012) Jason Segel and Emily Blunt play a couple whose never ending engagement causes problems. From Director Nicholas Stoller who did Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) which also starred Jason Segel.   The Five-Year Engagement Website

Until Next Time!