The Cabin in the Woods

 

This film was a pleasant surprise...

The Cabin in the Woods seems like a typical horror film, however, it actually enjoys turning the genre on its head.  It's about five college students who go to a cabin for spring break, only to meet their inevitable death.  You think you've seen this film a thousand times with different variations, but trust me, you haven't.  Let's just say, premeditated murder has been taken to a whole new level.  This film stars Chris Hemsworth (a.k.a. cutie), Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Franz Kranz and Jesse Williams.

All the actors did a great job.  I enjoyed the approach the writers and creators took to this film.  They incorporated humour and horror, which was refreshing for me.  The idea that people were watching each death without a shred of remorse was definitely a comment on the media in our world today -  a nice touch.  I would also like to add that I absolutely loved the beginning.  I thought it was a really light way to start a potential horror film.
Now, let's get to the actual problems of the film, because they weren't that small.

The ending was too ridiculous for me.  It went from interesting, intriguing, to flat out - "are you kidding me?"  The killer unicorn was probably my absolute favourite.  Yes, that's right, a killer unicorn.  Who would have thunk it?

The story lost my respect towards the end.  Too much of a stretch that didn't really resolve itself.  I do, however, like how they set up the stereotype of the characters - the stoner, the virgin, the football star, the not so virgin, the book worm - and then they mock that stereotype for you, so you don't have to.  I enjoyed that. 

Therefore, other than the ending, this film is worth the watch.  I give it 7.8/10 for being unique, fun, and extremely entertaining.             

The Hunger Games

As a reader and fan of the novels, I was impressed...

The Hunger Games, based on Suzanne Collins' novel of the same name, takes place in the future, where a part of the world is divided into 12 districts.  Every year, two tributes are chosen from each district to fight to the death in front of millions. This acts as a reminder of the Capitol's power over its people.  This film stars Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Jennifer Lawrence did a great job playing her character, leaving subtle traces of shock, strength and fear.  The men in this film also did a great job with their acting.  The stage set was wonderful and detailed as well.  There was some unnecessary tweaking to the story, which irritated me because it wouldn't have been a big deal if they just left it the way it was.  For example, the whole reason Katniss gets the mockingjay pin is changed in the film.  I would think something that obvious would have remained the same, but I guess I was wrong.

As for the film as a whole, I felt for those audience members that knew nothing about the books or their storyline.  The film does not do enough to keep them involved with what is going on and why events are happening, which is preventing specific audience members from enjoying the film as much as everyone else.  This is the fault of the film makers, having the assumption that everyone is in tune with the storyline. 

I also want to comment on the romance element.  I think it did not get its due in this film.  It was completely rushed through and unclear, therefore, unbelievable (and this is coming from someone who read the book and enjoyed it).  I realize the main character is faking her feelings most of the time, but both actors seemed like they weren't sure how to approach those scenes, and the writing/editing/direction, didn't help either. I guess what I'm getting at is that the actors seemed uncomfortable with those scenes, entering a drastic change from the rest of the film.  The film should have transitioned much better into romance. 

My advice -stick closer to the novel and save yourself the risk of messing up too much.

All in all, a great film.  I appreciated all the effort put in to it and I'm looking forward to the second installment.  I really hope it keeps up with its newly formed standard. I give this film 8.3/10.