62 - The Cabin in the Woods

    A handful of college friends go for a weekend at a secluded cabin, where evil, aided by a well-run organization, stalks them.
    I wanted something good.  It’s a rarity, I know.
    What’s so impressive about this movie isn’t just the cleverness of the plot, or the layered way you can interpret a meaning behind the story.  It’s also how well the direction handles shooting the different layers of the story.  When we get the sequences of the kids getting packed up, or approaching the cabin, or goofing off in the car, it’s all shot in a different way from the way the material for the complex material is shot.  It’s a careful balance, because if it were too wildly different, it might make the movie feel awkward.  Instead, it actually reinforces one of the core ideas of the movie - placing the audience in a voyeuristic position.
    It’s a shame that such a unique movie is effectively destined to be the only one like it.  I can’t imagine a sequel to this movie existing, and I can’t imagine any other movie trying to imitate it successfully.