Well it took me a year later and I finally watched the meta first master at work, Wes Craven. Yes folks, I watched Scream 4. I'm well aware that New Nightmare is the one of the ones that started it all and so I give the man his due. But clearly I'm in a Cabin in the Woods state of mind and having seen that beaut of a flick before Scream 4 has warped my tiny little horror mind.
Here's a few tweets I shelled out while watching.
@jadedviewer Watching scream 4. It's amazing there hasn't been product placement from Verizon claiming excellent 4g coverage in woodsboro
@jadedviewer Chromeskull should be asking for royalties from scream 4.
@jadedviewer The thing about scream 4 is even though the characters are knowledgeable
of horror flks they still follow the conventions. It's meta to a pt
That last tweet sums up what I kinda thought. But here's a WTF List to add to it all.
1.) The intros were quite catchy I must admit. Though I love my bimbos blonde and perky
2.) I can't believe they brought back the originals....kudos.
3.) I can honestly predict the killers in the first 15 min. I'm fuckin uncanny X-Men with a lame super power.
4.) I hope one day Emma Roberts does Pretty Woman 2
5.) Hayden Panettiere's mandatory wardrobe in any movie or TV show should be a cheerleader's outfit
6.) I guess I'm getting tired of the movie within a movie references...that or I'm old
7.) Have all the noobs seen the original trilogy?
8.) Clearly they are pointing out the fact the hatred of the American horror remake system. Oh Dimension, you are so fuckin guilty yourself
9.) Thank goodness for these films or Neve Campbell would be at the tent at Chiller Theatre in NJ
10.) The movie cop ineptness is a thankless job. It's hard to this stupid.
11.) This clearly had the best phone coverage of any horror movie I've ever seen. No dropped calls!
12.) They still have cinema clubs in high school?
13.) I'll admit, I've never seen Peeping Tom.
14.) The knife still looks fake (pun intended)
15.) The end monologue and motivation from the killer is daftly clever. It's scary in a way that makes you think.
16.) The victim fodder still do the most horror cliche-eey things. Alison Brie doesn't stay in her car? Call 911? Though her chest jiggling makes me happy
17.) I'm thinking the Ghostface outfit isn't the most comfortable slasher uniform.
18.) I know millennials watch the horror classics I grew up watching and laugh at them.
19.) The horror trivia had me SMH.
20.) Scream 4 is part meta, part remake zingers
Scream 4 wasn't bad. I actually liked it and I had no doubt Craven/Williamson would make a film worthy of the name. It's a repackaged, re imagining of the original and it made me smile for it's witty self awareness. But all in all, it's a sequel and I've come to accept what this franchise is.
I always thought Billy's line was brilliant.
"...don't you blame the movies. Movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!"
Actually, that's not the case anymore. It seems in Scream 4, it makes them copy the original.
Directed by Drew Goddard Written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon
The Cabin in the Woods was suppose to come out on February 5th 2010. It didn't. The poster and trailer were released December of last year. We had to wait 2+ years for this to come out. As a hoarder and fanboy of all that is Whedon, I was getting annoyed and was losing any hope that this movie was ever going to be released. They delayed it to 3D it. Joss and Drew cried foul. Would we ever see this???
And yes we all would. But as April 13th approached, I knew Cabin would be my must see movie of the year. I was having Whedon withdrawal and even though he was giving us Avengers, it was mainstream Joss. With CITW, we were getting vintage Joss. Teamed with Drew Goddard (a Buffy/Angel alum writer/director) we were going to get the answer to that age old question...
"What would happen if Joss Whedon (and Drew Goddard) wrote a horror movie?"
And beyond my wildest expectations, The Cabin in the Woods is the best horror movie of 2012. To go even further, it probably is the best horror comedy of the last 10 years. My fellow jaded viewers, CITW is better than Scream (sorry Wes) and all its bastard children. Tucker and Dale vs Evil hinted towards a meta aware horror comedy but CITW goes lights years beyond that.
Simply and concisely summarized, Cabin is a meta self aware revolutionary horror comedy that takes those structured horror cliches, be it the stereotypical characters, the irrational choices, the set direction and the mythos and goes all man behind the curtain on it. Joss and Drew go all Wizard of Oz-ing on the horror genre and it's so brilliant, so awesome and so fucking clever you will leave the theater in a state of pure happy happy joy joy bliss and understand why #CabinintheWoodsisEPIC was trending on Twitter.
It's a horror reference machine, sending you cameos, trends and cliches a mile a minute and it asks you to get it. Do you get it? Do you understand the parody of what you're seeing? You don't? Then go ask somebody. Go watch the Universal classics, the slasher franchises, the Kubrick masterpiece. Then you'll understand why Cabin is going to spawn it's own genre and some bastard children of it's own. Boring Plot-O-Matic
Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.
Awesome Review-O-Matic
Of course, the movie is about 5 friends who go to a cabin in the woods. But in the opening scene (in classic Whedon fashion) the twist which is SUPPOSE to be in the middle of the film is the one that starts you off. Any way of plot points and spoilers will ruin the movie for you so I will now not mention much of it (like CTK @ Planet of Terror did in his review). What I will do is answer my standard Q&A when I review a slasher film (because I'm jack full of spaz tuna) and also go in a bonus round, let's cyberchat in the comments. Go, go gadget Q&A!
1.) Does the movie have..... a mysterious, insanely strong, ridiculed as a child, deformed, inbred redneck slasher?
Check...and it has so much more that I'm getting giddy and a horror boner talking about it.
2.) Gratuitous, over the top, super fleshy nudity?
Check. Rated R motherfucker. They're real and they're spectacular.
3.) Stereotypical teenage caricatures with a few old people who die gruesome and horrific over the top deaths?
Check. A blonde bimbo slut, a stoner "fool", the dumb jock, the smart guy and your standard prepackaged final "virgin" girl. Oh how you will howl with laughter at Fran Kranz's performance as Marty, the stoner. He spews Whedon-logue as good as Xander Harris.
4.) No Plot?
It's really a trick question as of course there is a plot and it's fuckin awesome. When you drank a can of New Coke, you know it's just a version of the original formula. Oh how I love the original formula. Classic Coke with a twist of sassy.
5.) Kills by our slasher that make you go "Fuck yeah!"
Check. You will yell out in delight and make a mess in your pants. You will see a lot of fanboy O faces.
6.) Gore, lots of it. Like serious decapitation, dismemberment, impalement, hatchet frenzy steroid rages and blood shooting out at various penetration wounds, limbs a flailing and mindless splatter and mayhem?
Check. There are LOL scenes of WTF by the various "things". The blood and splatter are top notch. Lots of everything I said above with a point that may impale your brain. Hint hint.
7.) Geeky leader who takes charge of the hapless group as they try to escape who befriends the hot girl who knows about the "legend" (there's always a legend no one believes)
Wow. Joss get out of my head. This describes our stoner Marty to a tee. Though the legend is more of the "Here is what the fuck is going on" to his friends and the audience. Marty is using is sight beyond sight. That's the real power of weed. 8.) Funny yet ill timed dialogue but also various quips and one liners that are funny only the first time around (yet somehow funny again when you buy the DVD and only when you're stoned)
Check. The Whedonesque dialogue complete with Buffy speak is as always fuckin brilliant. Sure, "teenagers" are spewing dialogue written by 30 and 40 somethings but it has always worked when done by the Whedon players. The jokes are spot on timely and hilariously LOL. The play on words and reverse logic make it all the more fun. It's dialogue and conversation that is probably written in a conventional way and then Whedon-ized to make it funny. Remember, Joss actually talks like this.
9.) Gratuitous cameos of horror legends (a famous man of the box, classic Universal monsters, Kubrick tweens) that make you flash a metal sign and do the Beavis and Butthead pseudo head nodding.
Check. SPOILER ALERT!!! This link here will give you all the info you need.
9a.) Final girl goes all final girly?
Check. But it's the final girl we see at the end playing "Le Director" that you'll be cheering for.
10.) Wildly ambiguous ending that can be used to warrant a sequel?
The Cabin in the Woods will be remembered as a game changer in the world of horror. It's a horror movie within the making of a horror movie. The Whedon elements are pure mythological magic, where he introduces something new to an audience that has long forgotten or chosen to forget why we all love the horror genre.
Goddard and Whedon break down into the slasher formula and ask the questions we've all asked before, during and after the movie. We've always questioned character motivations, absurd coincidences, elaborate backstory and heroic save the day moments but never has it been put in a movie so brilliantly and with such style and and LOL zingers.
A new generation of millennials has now been introduced us to the topsy turvy world of Hellmouth 101.
Nude-ipedia
A spectacular pair of mangoes
Gore-ipedia
Mucho slaughter via slasher weaponry Mucho victim fodder via various slasher methodology
WTF moment
SPOILER ALERT!!! (scroll over to see) ----> (I'll never see unicorns the same again)
The Jaded Viewer's Final Prognosis
The Cabin in the Woods is clearly the film to beat as best horror movie of 2012. So many Buffy/Angel/Dollhouse alum I was oozing Whedonesque Fanboy-isms like a motherfucker. Everybody go see this movie. NOW. Drop what you're doing and see it now. Why are you still reading this?
The logo of this blog will always be loved here at the jaded viewer. And as such, I've always kept you up to date on what's been going on with our favorite Belgian action star. From his last movie, Assassination Games (see review here) to his reality show, I'm always keeping tabs on the Muscles from Brussels. So having discovered the trailer for his latest movie (nope not The Expendables 2) I figured you all needed to know what's the what with JCVD.
Here is the trailer for Dragon Eyes which also stars world class martial artist Cung Lee. Seems JCVD is making Cung Lee do all the work as he plays mentor Tiano. Here be the plot:
In St. Jude, drug dealers and corrupt cops have destroyed an urban neighborhood. But newcomer, Hong, has the fighting skills and moral vision to save this town from itself.
As we all wait for The Expendables 2 (oddly JCVD plays "Jean Vilain") Really? How original! He's got a few other films lined up. "Welcome to the Jungle" is a comedy starring his two kids (yup they're back) and he sports one hell of a porno-ey mustache.
Jean Claude says Hi from Puerto Rico.
And his final film is completely out of left field. We got into sci fi territory and he will be in a movie called U.F.O. Here be the plot.
Five young people realise one fine morning they are robbed of functioning mobile phones, radio and electricity. While they try to escape this situation on foot, they happen to see a huge flying saucer. Soon the civilisation as we know it starts to break down and the five friends find themselves in the middle of an anarchic turmoil.
You gotta admit, he's really hitting all the different genres and it all might turn out to be awesome. If I get to see a spinkick, that'll make my day.
@TheRaidUS is the equivalent of seeing a 100 car pile up, head on collisions and fiery mushroom cloud explosions. It's fuckin awesome
It's rare to see an action movie that says, fuck the characters and the plot! We're not going to waste time developing our characters or explaining the plot. Instead, we're going to give you non stop action for well over 100 minutes and it's going to be some of the most insane stuff you have seen in a while.
Remember when you first mesmerized by Tony Jaa in Ong Bak? Well The Raid is Ong Bak on fuckin steroids and fully armed with nuclear explosives. It's bar none the best action movie I've seen in the past decade.
Boring Plot-O-Matic
The plot is simple. SWAT Team are told they have to take out a ruthless crime lord in an old tenement building. The building is heavily guarded by 1-800 Henchmen and house lowlifes, thugs, addicts and pieces of shit. It also has a few good Samaritans who our remaining cops will meet later. All you need to know is humans with lady parts are at a minimum. You're going to see glorious violence in a Just Dance choreography that is pure awesomeness.
Awesome Review-O-Matic I said it would revolutionize the action movie and I wasn't wrong. You may not know the name Iko Uwais but you will after seeing The Raid. Move over Tony Jaa, your 15 minutes are up. I first saw Uwais in Merantau, Gareth Evans first flick featuring Silat Harimau the Indonesian martial art. I'll admit, it had some stellar action scenes but it was full of boring drab plot and story and had staged action scenes that seem to appear out of nowhere.
But The Raid is floor after floor of non stop Silat in closed quarters, rooms with many breakable objects and ferocity of throwing your enemy against the wall numerous times. Uwais is a skilled tactician playing our hero cop and the synchronized ballet of Silat on Silat violence via endless henchmen are a sight you won't fuckin forget.
The man who steals the show however is Yayan Ruhian who plays Mad Dog. Dude is like the Nate Robinson of the film. He's barely 5'8 from the looks of it but his Silat skills are fuckin stellar. In the penultimate scene, he battles Uwais and his "partner" in well over 15 minutes display of kicks, blocks, punches, blocks and gallery of lightning quick Silat-o-pedia of moves.
And don't get me started by the point blank violence. Holy fuckin shit. Here are things I've never seen before:
Execution of 4 men via point blank gunshots to the head (and one via hammer)
Silat battle ending in multiple gunshots to the face
Machete wielding fight scene
Rude Awakening neck breakers
I mean check this scene out.
This is a badass flick that destroys all semblance of what action porn should be. It defies the genre by be unrelenting and ferocious. It doesn't apologize, it says FUCK YOU and gives you more of what you want. It has moments of pure suspense and anxiety then delivers one screaming kick after the other.
The Raid Redemption is the one action movie you need to see this year. Gone is Thai action. Indonesia is the king of action and Gareth Evans and Iko Uwais are sitting on the throne.
Nude-ipedia
Puhlease.
Gore-ipedia
Mucho gun trauma Mucho broken bones trauma Mucho head, arms, legs trauma WTF moment
Uwais takes on EVERYBODY!!!!
The Jaded Viewer's Final Prognosis
The Raid is out now in limited theaters. It's a must see, no ifs or ands about it. It's the pinnacle of the modern day action flick. It's why it's getting a release here. The Raid may have been overshadowed by that movie with kids killing kids, but leave it up to the adults to give us grown up violence.
I've been giddy for a week now as I've wanted to share with you my big news. As you all know FEARnet is about to premiere Holliston, their new scripted original series starring Adam Green and Joe Lynch. But what you don't know is they are about to announce a new show called The Fear Club and I've been cast as one of the contestants in the pilot episode!
It's unfuckinbelievable! I'm crazy excited. I'm going to have to brush up on my horror trivia and knowledge in the next few weeks. I think I'll be able to handle everything they throw at me but foremost I wanna represent the horror blogosphere! Fuck yeah. I don't want to be one of those retarded reality contestants that's dumb as shit. I wanna show they picked someone who knows what's the what. Horror blogosphere.....represent!
Here's the press release so you know what the deal is. It should be released in the next few days.
Cable's premiere horror destination, FEARnet television breaks into the reality TV genre with “The Fear Club”. 3 lucky horror fans every week will have the opportunity to test their knowledge, skills and love of horror movies in a competition that will push them to their limits.
“The Fear Club,” FEARnet’s first original reality show will visit famous horror movie landmarks and real haunted locations where contestants will have to perform stunts, answer trivia and face their worst fears. Executive Producer George Hitchens describes it as “The Amazing Race” meets "Fear Factor”. "We're going to put these diehard horror fans in situations they've never been in before" says Hitchens.
The series will feature 3 horror fans plucked from across America and sent to famous horror movie landmarks as well as real life locations known for their paranormal activity. After a series of tasks, trivia questions and a final stunt, the last survivor will win a cash reward and be featured as a FEARnet blogger on FEARnet.com.
Stay tuned for more announcements to come. For more information, head to FEARnet.com.
I've been told that one of the contestants is from Los Angeles and works as a special effects designer. The other is from Austin and is a college student. My bio is I am a freelance writer for various movie and TV websites.
I was sent an e-mail from FEARnet as it looks like they were scoping out horror bloggers specifically. I had to fill out a questionnaire and film myself in a 15 minute video describing why I'd make a good contestant. After a phone interview, I went to a casting call in NYC, answered a few questions, did some role playing and met the producers and staff. A few days ago I got a call that I was cast.
Crazy right? I don't know what to expect but I'm going to be sure to let you know how it all plays out. I'll be tweeting and updating the jaded viewer Facebook page when they fly me out to wherever I'll be going. I've got a big contract I gotta read up and sign their waiver forms. I think I really should read the fine print just to make sure they don't bury me alive or some shit.
I'm not a fan of claustrophobia. Make sure to watch when it premieres!
***The Fine Print***
Did you read that entire post? You did? Wow that's awesome. Isn't this going to be awesome? Are you going to watch? No? Fuck you. But you should know one thing. April Fool's!!!! Hahahahaha. ! Did I fool you? C'mon you should have known what today is. Thanks for playing!
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