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kenjariA while back, Other Kenjari and I watched a couple of movies.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
This was a very enjoyable action thriller, and pretty much delivered on everything you might expect of a Mission Impossible movie. There were many terrific action sequences, especially the very long one that takes place on the exterior of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. That whole sequence really made use of Brad Bird's Pixar-honed skills and imagination. I also liked the way the plot had the team pretty much fail multiple times before finally vanquishing the villain - it made the payoff more meaningful and really brought home how much the team had to operate on their own, without any institutional support.
Even though the Mission Impossible films have been, up to now, largely a vehicle for Tom Cruise, this one felt like much more of an ensemble piece. Much as I hate to admit it, Cruise can still bring it as far as an action movie goes. He's fun to watch in spite of all the weird religious cult stuff and drama-filled personal life. Simon Pegg was really good in his role as the computer expert on the team - it was part serious and part comic relief, and Pegg struck the balance really well. Jeremy Renner was great, too. I loved him in The Town and The Avengers, and he was just as good here. I especially liked Paula Patton's role, since she was not, refreshingly, set up to be a romantic partner or even source of sexual tension with or for any of the male characters.
Cabin in the Woods
This movie is clever and scary and funny. And I can't say any thing else without
Wow. This film takes the entire horror genre and subverts it at multiple levels. On one level, it's your typical bunch of teens going out to a cabin for a nice weekend of drinking, flirting, and sex and running afoul of eldritch horrors. On another, it's a parody of horror films. On yet another level, it's a damning commentary on the entire genre and its fans. The basic premise is that the group of college students have been set up by a shadowy organization in charge of offering up a yearly sacrifice to some horrible Ancient Ones so that they will not run free and enslave/devour humanity. This sacrifice takes the form of running some hapless people through a standard horror scenario, giving the Ancient Ones not only a blood sacrifice, but some sadistic entertainment as well. Each of the sacrifices must fill the slot of a horror movie character stereotype: the promiscuous woman, the brainy one, the alpha male, the final girl, etc.
The organization is pretty big and typically corporate, with various departments, a large staff, security, and even a new trainee. It controls the environment with a series of special effects-type mechanisms, including the introduction of chemicals to affect the teens' behavior and mental states. Despite the nature of their work, the organization's staff is a lot like corporate employees anywhere, to hilarious effect.
The main plot is driven by the teens' (or, the two who survive long enough to do so) discovery of the organization and unraveling of the way they're being manipulated. They manage to turn the tables on the organization, and even get the full explanation from the head honcho. Since the head of the organization is played by Sigourney Weaver, we get treated to the best meta ever, when Weaver explains the final girl concept to the final girl - it also serves as the second Alien reference of the movie. See how this works on multiple levels?
In fact, the entire film is rife with references to horror films both well-known and obscure. In addition to the Alien bits, there are brief references to Carrie, The Shining, Hellraiser, It, and Ringu, among many others. And, of course, the cabin itself is a reference to Evil Dead II.
The best part was that I did not see any of this coming - I was expecting something more along the lines of Shaun of the Dead or the Scream movies. Thus, I had a lot of fun figuring things out and going along for the ride.I also enjoyed the commentary on the repetitive nature of horror movies and the critique of why we watch them.
Seriously, do not read these spoilers unless you've seen the movie.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
This was a very enjoyable action thriller, and pretty much delivered on everything you might expect of a Mission Impossible movie. There were many terrific action sequences, especially the very long one that takes place on the exterior of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. That whole sequence really made use of Brad Bird's Pixar-honed skills and imagination. I also liked the way the plot had the team pretty much fail multiple times before finally vanquishing the villain - it made the payoff more meaningful and really brought home how much the team had to operate on their own, without any institutional support.
Even though the Mission Impossible films have been, up to now, largely a vehicle for Tom Cruise, this one felt like much more of an ensemble piece. Much as I hate to admit it, Cruise can still bring it as far as an action movie goes. He's fun to watch in spite of all the weird religious cult stuff and drama-filled personal life. Simon Pegg was really good in his role as the computer expert on the team - it was part serious and part comic relief, and Pegg struck the balance really well. Jeremy Renner was great, too. I loved him in The Town and The Avengers, and he was just as good here. I especially liked Paula Patton's role, since she was not, refreshingly, set up to be a romantic partner or even source of sexual tension with or for any of the male characters.
Cabin in the Woods
This movie is clever and scary and funny. And I can't say any thing else without
Wow. This film takes the entire horror genre and subverts it at multiple levels. On one level, it's your typical bunch of teens going out to a cabin for a nice weekend of drinking, flirting, and sex and running afoul of eldritch horrors. On another, it's a parody of horror films. On yet another level, it's a damning commentary on the entire genre and its fans. The basic premise is that the group of college students have been set up by a shadowy organization in charge of offering up a yearly sacrifice to some horrible Ancient Ones so that they will not run free and enslave/devour humanity. This sacrifice takes the form of running some hapless people through a standard horror scenario, giving the Ancient Ones not only a blood sacrifice, but some sadistic entertainment as well. Each of the sacrifices must fill the slot of a horror movie character stereotype: the promiscuous woman, the brainy one, the alpha male, the final girl, etc.
The organization is pretty big and typically corporate, with various departments, a large staff, security, and even a new trainee. It controls the environment with a series of special effects-type mechanisms, including the introduction of chemicals to affect the teens' behavior and mental states. Despite the nature of their work, the organization's staff is a lot like corporate employees anywhere, to hilarious effect.
The main plot is driven by the teens' (or, the two who survive long enough to do so) discovery of the organization and unraveling of the way they're being manipulated. They manage to turn the tables on the organization, and even get the full explanation from the head honcho. Since the head of the organization is played by Sigourney Weaver, we get treated to the best meta ever, when Weaver explains the final girl concept to the final girl - it also serves as the second Alien reference of the movie. See how this works on multiple levels?
In fact, the entire film is rife with references to horror films both well-known and obscure. In addition to the Alien bits, there are brief references to Carrie, The Shining, Hellraiser, It, and Ringu, among many others. And, of course, the cabin itself is a reference to Evil Dead II.
The best part was that I did not see any of this coming - I was expecting something more along the lines of Shaun of the Dead or the Scream movies. Thus, I had a lot of fun figuring things out and going along for the ride.I also enjoyed the commentary on the repetitive nature of horror movies and the critique of why we watch them.
Seriously, do not read these spoilers unless you've seen the movie.
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no subject
Date: 2013-06-10 03:13 pm (UTC)also all of the other nods to other horror movies I guess. And the Japanese part. XD
no subject
Date: 2013-06-13 05:00 am (UTC)