Film Review: The Cabin In The Woods

Certificate: 15 (strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity)
Directed By: Drew Goddard
Cast: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford
Budget: $30 million
Runtime: 95 minutes
Trailer: Watch

For a horror movie The Cabin In The Woods doesn't exactly start in the most conventional manner. We are introduced to two bantering white-collar workers named Sitterson (Jenkins) and Hadley (Whitford) as they make their way through a high-tech facility, their link to the film's paranormal premise unclear. What do they have to do with five generic suburban college kids about to embark on a weekend getaway to the sticks? Soon enough, all becomes clear.

There's not much one can reveal about The Cabin In The Woods without spoiling what is a fantastically original and witty concept. Rest assured however, it's brilliant. What one can reveal though is that this is essentially a film deconstructing the horror genere, a self-referential post-modern horror flick in the same meta mould of Scream 4. Cabin is completely self-aware in the most whimsical fashion, picking up on nuances and fallacies which will delight those sick of the formulaic structure of horror movies nowadays. Dumbass college kids? Check. Secluded retreat not on any map? Check. Eerie log-cabin packed with spooky knickknacks? Check. The archetypes are all here; athletic alpha jock, book smart best pal, sexy slut, stoner and down-to-earth protagonist, but these are merely formalities as the film takes a delightfully unexpected fork in the genre.

Indeed, such courtesies don't last long as our two bantering co-workers get to work in ensuring subsequent events run smoothly. This is utilised to clever effect, a device which writer Drew Goddard and producer Joss Whedon's use to level devastating criticism at the genre and all it's predictability. They waste no time in highlighting this link to our two technicians as they ironically hold to light conventional horror tropes for indelible scrutiny. In the cold light of day, one is forced to ask themselves who, or more importantly why, people continue to watch the same high-school teens get devoured by zombies / werewolves / vampires / mermen over and over. Indeed, the blitheness with which Sitterson and Hadley treat the deaths of the victims says less of their own reactions and more about the audience's. Namely the inherent dispensable, dehumanised nature of horror cannon-fodder as well as genre writers' banality and failure to create empathetic, emotional characters the audience can invest in.

Goddard and Whedon have managed to highlight and mock almost every horror cliche to darkly comic effect. By the end of the film you could accuse The Cabin In The Woods of forgetting its duties to genre subversion by descending a little bit into convention, but it always maintains that element of never taking itself too seriously. This is fun, funny and originally pleasing stuff and could well be considered the best 'horror film' of the year.

Film Review: Friends With Benefits

Friends With Benefits is the second film this year about fuck buddies. Following in the footsteps of No Strings Attached, there seems to be a shift in direction for rom-coms in this post-modern era where the done thing is to mock the traditional format's enshrined conventions. And yet everything it tries to do for reinventing the genre all inevitably comes full circle when you realise that, hang on a second, this is a rom-com.

Dylan (Timberlake) is a successful web designer based in LA recently dumped by his girlfriend on account of being too emotionally unavailable. Jamie (Kunis) is a corporate headhunter in New York, also recently dumped for being "damaged" and having a too idealistic view of love. Both vowing henceforth to act like George Clooney in a bid to not get hurt next time round, the two meet when Jamie sets Dylan up for an interview at GQ magazine. The disillusioned couple become friends and soon hitch upon a plan to service each other without any of those pesky emotions getting involved.

Friends With Benefits ultimately falls foul of the same serendipitously cliched trap Hollywood lays for all its rom-coms. It must follow the formula where one person expresses unreciprocated love, only for the other person to realise they've made a huge mistake whereby the third act they kiss and make up through some grand gesture at an iconic location. There's only one manner in which a film of this nature will be allowed to end, and that's where everything is resolved in a way that will never happen to you. That's not to say that Friends With Benefits isn't fun, but for all it does to profess its difference it eventually succumbs to the same cliches and consequently feels a little hypocritical. Indeed, it goes great lengths to scorning rom-com norms, even inserting a little mock film featuring Jason Segel which rips on every shibboleth used in the genre. Of course this movie wouldn't really work if Dylan and Jamie did their business and went their separate ways at the end, no harm done. Those irksome things called emotions have to get in the way and send their initial agreement down shit creek without a paddle. Consequently it means the characters become slaves to the stereotypes they seek to smash whereby the end was never really in doubt.

But! And yes there is a but! Friends With Benefits has a spark which is much to do with its fantastic cast and script. Timberlake for one seems to be carving out quite a name for himself as an actor, turning out decent performances in The Social Network and Bad Teacher. He's equally adept at Dylan, a slightly effeminate meterosexual with intimacy issues. Kunis also glimmers as an insecure old romantic looking for the same true love shown in the very films she mocks. The banter between the two is sharp. You know when you look back on a moment and you think "fuck, that's what I should have said"? Well, these two cats will say the right thing at the right time without fail. Indeed, Timberlake and Kunis' chemistry add a vitality to proceedings which sets this film apart from the other mush in the genre. You just enjoy watching them, and that's almost enough. The supporting cast are also fantastic. Woody Harrelson is superb as Tommy, a vivaciously gay colleague who offers Dylan the chance to join him and "troll for cock". Likewise, Patricia Clarkson steals more than a scene as Jamie's alcoholic, free-loving Mum while Jenna Elfman is perfect as Dylan's world-weary sister. However, the quietly understated role of Dylan's Alzheimers afflicted father, played by Richard Jenkins, is pure gold. In his lucid moments Mr. Harper grounds proceedings by offering his pearls of wisdom. In his not-so-lucid moments he's running about with his trousers round his ankles.

While Friends With Benefits doesn't add anything new to the genre but it still manages to make this overused formula entertaining. The cast is excellent as is the onscreen chemistry. It's cute and enjoyable (if these things don't already sicken you) and a hell of a lot better than this year's earlier attempt, No Strings Attached. Timberlake and Kunis bring a glib, relaxed aura, never taking themselves too seriously which only makes them more likeable. They just do it better than Kutcher and Portman. If No Strings Attached were the missionary position, Friends With Benefits is the Kama Sutra.