TyT's Film of the Week : The Cabin In The Woods

Films in the horror genre are a kind that usually doesn't require common sense or character arcs to carry their stories from start to finish.  Generally, they establish a cast of unassuming victims...I mean characters, set up a location that steps them out of their comfort zone, introduce a mentally deranged murderer or evil supernatural entity and start scratching names off the cast list as blood and body parts begin to pile up.  So, the genre becomes predictable, stale and played out as more and more "original" horror films saturate the silver screen.  Let's face it, horror is the only genre besides pornography that can survive solely in bargain bins and strait to DVD scenarios.  In a world where every horror film has to do with predictable plot twists and overused, over-dramatic chase sequences, there is rarely a true horror film worth praising.  Then, something like The Cabin In The Woods shows up and blows the damn doors wide open.

If you are an avid horror fan, you may not like what The Cabin In The Woods has to offer because you may believe the writers to be poking fun at you.  I assure you, Joss Whedon (yes, the director of next month's The Avengers) and Drew Goddard (LOST, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) are not trying to make fun, but instead attempting to break the horror genre out of the tired, monotonous gutter that it's been in for years.  They're trying to surprise you in the most honest and original way.  I believe they do this brilliantly while they tell a horror tale and scratch names off their own cast list.

Cabin fills a good chunk of screen-time for jokes.  Not dick or ass jokes, but the twisted, perplexing ones you can't help but crack up while you ponder it's true intention.  The script is layered like that and if we dissected the whole thing, it would look like the rubix cube house from the movie's poster. (See Here)  The thing about it is, the jokes are funny and the film is fun as hell.  I relate to when everyone went to see Saw and realize the rules of a horror film had changed or rather that you could have a gory, excessive film while bringing a mind fuck element into play.  The Cabin In The Woods just does it by acknowledging the over-exhaustion in the genre.  Every plot hole and imaginative gap in a horror film, brought right into focus...but then beaten to death with the awesomeness of what you could do with a self aware horror house.

The acting was downright amazing.  Richard Jenkins (the Dad from Stepbrothers) and Bradley Whitford (Evil Erik from Billy Madison) kill and Chris "Thor" Hemsworth has so much fun.  The real star of the story is Fran Kranz, who know one will know.  He was in Whedon's FOX show, Dollhouse and a cancelled sitcom (Welcome to The Captain), but I loved him in both of those.  Naturally, I was excited to see him in the cast of college friends going to a cabin in the woods, but his character was the funniest and you'll believe me as soon as he's introduced.

The fact of the matter is, The Cabin In The Woods is the smartest horror film, perhaps, maybe of all time.  I know, real official statement, but the film carries itself with a hollowed self scope.  When expanded, it becomes a monster of its own devices and that's when you'll have the most fun.  This is definitely my favorite movie of 2012 thus far.  I plan to own it on blu-ray the second they stock it on shelves, but for now, I think I'll go back and see it again.  No, I'm not weird...it's just that damn good!


TyT's Verdict:  OMFG, YES! (aka better than Hunger Games)


Find TyT on Twitter @bakstar_inc or through Those Dudes @ThoseDudesShow and check out Those Dudes Podcast at www.ThoseDudesShow.com!

TyT's Film of the Week : 21 Jump Street

Greeting all,

TyT in the house, coming back to you with another installment of TyT's Film of the Week!  This week, I've chosen the recently released television remake film comedy adaption, 21 Jump Street.  Let's get cracking.

Bottom line, this film is hilarious.  I had a chance to see the midnight showing of it with some friends and we all agreed about the comedy content of the flick.  It's fresh, smart writing with fits of raunchy behavior, but mostly carries that whole awkward swagger of the modern age that we've come to enjoy (originally brought about with The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up).  I know a lot of us are fed up to the forehead with remakes and reboots and "re-imagined" versions of shit we've already seen, but 21 Jump Street goes after this tired approach understanding and empathizing with the audience here.  This leads the film to blossom as a story for today's audience, based around the plot structure of 80's at home audience.

For those who don't know about the film, it is the story of two baby faced cops (Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill) who are fast-tracked into a secret police operation where they will go undercover as teenagers.  They need to find the supplier of a new brand of synthetic drug being dealt at a local high school.  Needless to say, it seemed as if Tatum would be out of place in a comedic role.  Before this, he's done action or romantic films with a few dramas thrown in.  Fortunately for us, the kid is at the top of his game here and at times overpowers Hill and the rest of the cast with his comedy chops.  That's not to say Hill is bad, he's great too and as one of the writers of the story, it clearly has his brand of comedy built in.

At it's base, 21 Jump Street, makes a case for lower budget films (it rang in at $42 million to make) that don't need shallow characters played by mega stars and senseless CGI or pyrotechnics (though there are a few fireworks) to draw a crowd.  The jokes land, the characters are well established and likeable.  The story, however been there and done it it is, is brought together by all of this and turns out to be well worth watching.  Add in a strong cameo from the one and only Johnny Depp and you've got yourself a well balanced comedy that overshadows anything Adam Sandler has come up with in the last decade (sorry Sand-man, you're lack of enthusiasm shows).

This film has taken Jonah Hill five years to find it's way onto screens and that is evident in how much care and love is put into the work.  It's a win for those of us who want more Step Brothers and less Couples Retreat.  It's also somewhat of a loss, because Hollywood won't see the content of the comedy or the high caliber care put into making 21 Jump Street work, they'll only see the box office receipts and critic buzz.  They'll see the wrong things and continue their pilgrimage down the reboot path without regard for what the world needs (fresh ideas).  We don't need more John Carter, big budget flops ($250 million cost against $30 million opening weekend) we need more thin budget films with heart and characters and plot structure and scripts that weren't written with crayon.  21 Jump Street is that kind of film and I'm glad to have it, but I don't know that Hollywood will see the same sort of victory that audiences will.

TyT's Vertict : Must See, Bitches!

Hit TyT up on Twitter @Bakstar_Inc or @ThoseDudesShow and be sure to check out Those Dudes Podcast on www.ThoseDudesShow.com

TyT's Film of the Week : HUGO

Alright kids,

TyT in the bloggosphere to bring you a weekly blog series for all you Those Dudes fans out there (so like, two people).  If you've heard the show you know I am a man of many references and most of which are extremely obscure or just downright random.  So I figured I would give you all a little insight into the cinematic chasm that is my endless knowledge and passion for film.  So, I will bring you weekly installments of what I'm calling : TyT's Film of the Week.

Each week, I'll pick a different film whether it be in theaters, recently released to home video or just an old classic I feel you need to know about.  Not all will be praise-worthy, but I promise each selection has been picked to help to either expand your filmic knowledge or at very least, keep you from seeing a real piece of shit.

Let's get started shall we.  This week, I've chosen the recent 5 time Oscar winning film...HUGO.

For those who don't know what Hugo is, it is a fantasy fiction film adaption of the novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written by Brian Selznick.  The film is directed by arguably the greatest American director (or greatest period) ever, Martin Scorsese.  If that name is unfamiliar, you should probably just kill yourself because I can already tell you don't know shit about movies, but I'm sure you'd seen some of his films (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Departed, Goodfellas, The Aviator, Mean Streets, Casino,Gangs of New York, The King of Comedy, Shutter Island, and he is also responsible for bringing Boardwalk Empire onto television).  The film has a number of amazing actors, including and especially Ben Kingsley, Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Sasha Baron Cohen (yes, Borat) and of course Hugo himself, Asa Butterfield.

The film plays in a fantastical way mainly because Scorsese has a fantastical vision of the novel and story.  At it's heart, Hugo isn't about flashy things or big budget ploys to make money, it's about enduring love of artists and their dreams.  Meanwhile, the whole thing is spirited towards the heart and the healing of broken things. That is not to say the film doesn't look great, because it is perhaps the best looking film of the year and definitely earns it's Oscars in Visual Effects, Art Direction and Cinematography.

I think the thing I enjoyed about it, besides of course the love song to one of the founding pioneers of film, is how unique Scorsese's vision is and how separate it is from his hard, gritty gangster films like Goodfellas and The Departed.  The movie works hard to build the story in the right way while keeping the characters relevant, all the while proving that a beautiful film doesn't have to be short on story or heavy on explosions (MICHAEL FREAKING BAY).  Where so many studios now-a-days don't give a shit about bringing a story to life and building a strong connection between the audience and the characters on screen, Hugo does only that while it tells the story of an orphan boy who lives in a Paris train station and attempts to rebuild a automata (robot) as a way to rebuild himself.

What the film boils down to, at it's rawest form, is that dreams are something worth having and without them, you may never find your way in the dark, reality that is life.  Each character has their own dreams, each character deals with these dreams in their own way, but the whole film plays like a blue tinted dream itself, while keeping it's feet on the ground.  You won't see this kind of affection from a Transformers or a Twilight movie, because they filmmakers and producers don't give a damn about sending a message or making something worth testing time.  They're after dollar figures and capitalizing on the audiences willingness to pay money to see poorly executed everything.  I suppose we are to blame for that, because we are the ones who  put up the cash.

Hugo is not that.  Hugo is anything but that.  Hugo is the work of a film genius, who genuinely cares about quality and story and wanted to get a great story out.  Scorsese went way out of his niche mainly because he is the kind of diverse auteur who can, but also because he believed in what the story of Hugo Cabret was and wanted to share that with the world.

I've heard one of two people say the movie is slow paced, which I don't believe is the case here.  I do, however, believe we have forfeited what cinema is about in order to be entertained by mindless fireworks and flat, nonredeemable characters.  We'll never get back to the days where a filmmaker's labor was made from love and money lines or box office receipts, but with Hugo, at least it's good to know some of them are still after making art and dreams.

TyT's Vertict : Must See, Bitches  


Hit TyT up on Twitter @Bakstar_Inc or @ThoseDudesShow and be sure to check out Those Dudes Podcast on www.ThoseDudesShow.com

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