The Cabin in the Woods

ZIP. This is the amount of will I had to watch this up until Late Thursday night when I first watched the trailer. I read a few things and saw where RT had it at a staggering 93%, then I felt more than intrigue. I will say this film combines several genre's, but Horror still wins out as the majority genre. I had heard Comedy, Thriller, Twists, and more. What I was expecting, Tucker and Dale/ SOTD, was not necessarily the case. It did have remnants of those films, along with The Truman Show (and I'm pretty sure the writers throw that reference right in our face), but it really had a very predictable ending...but I will say I was still guessing as to how it would end right up until the actual end. It really started out very surprising to me. First off, I had no idea Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins would play an intricate part in the comedy aspect of this film. Those two are always welcome in any film. Then we have Thor, Chris Hemsworth, in a surprising role coming off of Thor and also Huntsman. He gets to be the goofy Jock, and he does very well at it. Cabin is 2 movies. The first half is a completely different film from the second half. I think I would have liked it better than I did if it could have continued the first half theme through the credits, but I will say the u turn it takes, also is fun to watch. Bloody as all, but fun. This is proving difficult to write without spoilers, but I will do my best. When these 5 friends go on vaca to The Cabin, they expect nothing more than a quiet weekend, but then they accidentally open pandora's box. Now they must fight for their lives and figure out what is going on. To be able to watch someone's head get ripped off one minute, then laugh out laugh at a quip the next is just good writing. It does this the whole movie. Extreme violence to extreme comedy in back to back scenes. Very well done in that aspect. Cabin also is not short on tributes to other films of the genre. I saw a similarity to The Ring, and I am 99% sure the Underworld Lycan is on screen, but I must say the unicorn is my favorite part. No lie, Unicorn!! We are given the ultimate goal of the film in a descriptive speech from everyone's Hollywood Sci-Fi Queen (Not gonna Spoil it), and then the film ends. I' am not sure I agree with the RT score on this. I cannot seem to figure out why critics LOVE some films and HATE others, when essentially they are the same. I did enjoy it, and it was very well written. I will end this by saying I HATE Horror films and Slasher films, but this is not either. This was good even though it had those aspects much of the time. 
I will watch it again once on video to see if I missed any of the jokes. 
NBM rates The Cabin in the Woods - Awesome

Goon

Once again I was privileged to see a movie from the comfort of my own home, vodka in hand, while everyone else who wants to see it must go to an alcohol free theater. I win. Besides that, Magnet Production company does something that is super brilliant. They release their films On Demand 1 month prior to a nation wide release, and then 2 days before that release it is free to view for one night only on HDNET. I have been able to watch some great films and pass along the word that they are definitely worth the time. Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil was the first movie I saw early and as brilliant as it was, Goon is just as good and may be a tad bit better all around. Goon is based on a true story. Very loosely based,  but nonetheless. It is the story of Doug Glatt (Sean William Scott). He is a nobody in a family of doctors. He is dumb, and he knows it. What he doesn't know is how valuable he could be to a third rate amateur league, local hockey team. When he is presented with 2 options while watching a game, he chooses to demolish a player who enters the stands, rather than to get his ass beat. The film is extremely well written, with the exception that some of the foul language is completely unnecessary. The dialog stands on its own, and the film uses lots of physical comedy to get the point across, so although I LOVE Jay Baruchel, most of his dialog took away from the film. When Doug gets a call from the Hockey coach to come try out, he figures why not. He can't skate at all, and he has never played hockey, but he can fight. He will become the teams enforcer. An Enforcer is put on the ice to intimidate and take players out of the game by means of a cracked skull or what have you. He spends 90% of his time in the penalty box, which means he is doing his job. The fight scenes are indescribably good. I have seen lots of fight scenes in films, but some of these had me laughing to tears, and it was literally a one punch fight. It gets bloody at times, but it's realistic. The director does a superb job at making this violence funny. Luckily for the viewer, the film also has heart and a really good plot about one man trying to find his place in this world. Doug displays the ultimate amount of loyalty for his team, and his character seems unchangeable. The film is not only about the beginning of Doug's career as an enforcer, but it also revolves around another enforcer's career coming to an end. Ross Rhea (Liev Schreiber) is an enforcer on the brink of retirement, but his eye has been caught by the new comer Doug. He respects Doug, and Doug him, but it is inevitable. They must fight. A passing of the torch of sorts that, oddly enough, both are looking forward to. Doug is, because he is gonna prove he fears nothing, and Ross is, because no one has ever NOT been afraid of him. It is a sweet movie, which is weird to say about this subject matter. I was blown away at how good Goon really turned out to be. The perfect match of physical action, verbal comedy, and physical comedy - Goon is a Win, Win, Win.

NBM rates Goon Phenomenal