Cabin in the Woods (***1/2 out of ****)

So here is the most entertaining movie of the year in a lot of ways. It's the best in its weird genre since Drag Me To Hell. The thing about about Cabin in the Woods is that it's everything a horror film should be if it goes to one end of the spectrum. There are two horror films in a way.Tthose built up with utter dread that are earth shattering terrifying (Ex. Alien) or they are entertaining in a variety of ways. Cabin in the Woods is hilarious, scary, fun, action packed, thrilling, sexy, original and familiar. Above all else it is what a good time at the movies should be.

Without going to much into the story (you need to see it for yourself, with no spoilers) it's a story you think you've seen before. A group of college students (every actor nailing their role) go up to a remote cabin... well in the woods.... for some partying and fun. It's something straight out of The Evil Dead. However things aren't what they seem. You can speculate where the story goes from here, I'm sure the film will throw something else at you to keep you pleasantly guessing.

Cabin in the Woods is widely original and familiar at the same time (like I said earlier). The film seems to take just about every horror cliche and make it wickedly exciting. The film is devilishly meta in that the characters and the audiences both are aware of how things will play out. It's the most fun you might have at the theater all year long.

***1/2 out of ****

Lockout (** out of ****)

Standard action movie right here. Nothing more and nothing less. Guy Peace plays Snow, a wrongly convicted prisoner in the year 2037. In this not so distant future, all prisoners are sent to space in a giant space station jail. A riot occurs and the prisoners take the station as well as hostages. One of them is the president's daughter who is there on a goodwill mission (you gotta love that cliche). Snow, considered the best at what he does, is assigned to get into the station and rescue Emilie (Maggie Grace). The film has a nice look to it, the space sets bring a fresh feel to the action movie. The fact the film more or less Snake Plissken in space gets some bonus points too. However the film is littered with plot holes that may be explained only through the audiences imagination. Snow is too wisecracking for his own good,  nothing special fight scenes, and rehashed cliches makes Lockout feel all to average, but not necessarily bad. Once again it's the standard action movie you see every month.

** out of ****

The Raid: Redemption (***1/2 out of ****)

Film as an art form should stimulate the mind in some sense. The Raid (As it was originally called) is a pure adrenaline trip. A take no prisoners, balls to the wall and ultimately kick-ass action film. An action film is art in a lot of ways. The fighting choreography is like a dance and The Raid has it all.

Twenty elite SWAT members head into an apartment building with a crime lord as their target. The apartment is haven for criminals were scrum can rent a room, no questions asked. The SWAT members move floor to floor to get to the top and capture the mastermind. Well things do go smoothly and a bloodbath wall happen. 

The Raid is a cerebral encounter. Pulse-pounding music, dazzling fight scenes and characters that appropriately fit their role. The story is bland, but the movie is meant to be watched as a thrill ride. The fight scenes are brutal, fun and brilliant all at the same time. The Raid is the action of the year, one of the best in ten years even.

***1/2 out ****

Jeff, Who Lives At Home (*** out of ****)

The Duplass brother's make their films just right. They have an "Metteur en scene" (signature style) to filmmaking that is easy to love. Their films including The Puffy Chair and Cyrus all have this certain simplicity. They're all relative simple stories filled with characters that move with passive goals. Instead of creating giant problems, the Duplass brother's fill their stories with plain ideas and let the audience judge for themselves how attached they'll become to the story.

Jeff (Jason Segal) lives in his mother's (Susan Sarandon) basement smoking weed and watching Signs on repeat. He's looking for his destiny and any little connection to this goal is something worth chasing. He goes on a little errand one day that he believes will turn into the destiny he's been looking for. This goal causes him to cross paths with his brother Pat (Ed Helms) who suspects his wife (Judy Greer) is cheating on him.

Duplass Brothers are a mix of comedy and drama, but never does it lose its charm. Jeff, Who Lives At Home is not a feel good movie in a classic sense. Roger Ebert said it's a "sort of feel good movie". That seems about right. You'll laugh and come to care for these characters problems. That's it's goal and it success quite well.

*** out of ****

Wrath of the Titans (** out of ****)

Wrath of the Titans is film that plays tricks on the mind. Not in terms of a confusing story but through entertainment. Here is a film that contains actors with great talent. Sam Worthington, Roasmund Pike, Toby Kebbell, Edgar Ramirez, Bill Nighly, Danny Huston, Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson make Wrath of the Titans a kind of fun ride but only because of their presence. Their talent can't save a film that is barley strung together. Perseus (Sam Worthington) must stop Kronos from escaping Tartarus and along the way fights all sorts of Greek mythological creatures. However it's easy to wonder why certain actions aren't taken to avoid all this destruction (of course those plot holes can be solved through simple thinking, you won't expect that here). This is decently entertaining, contains some fun action scenes. However that doesn't mean it's a well constructed film. Just some occasional fun and then some waiting for more action since the story won't be stimulating you.

** out of ****