Cabin in the Woods - Grading, Discussion, Spoilers

[Trekker4747]

]No, it wouldn't, and it wouldn't have made sense, since Dana was not a virgin and her friends knew about her affair with her professor. But a man was never going to be given the role of the Virgin, whether he actually was or not, just like a man was never going to be given the role of the Whore, even if he were an actual hustler or gigolo[. And a woman was never going to be given the role of the Scholar or Athlete/Jock, even if she were the most intellectual and educate or the most athletic. The whole point is that these roles are very specifically gender-defined. Notice that none of the male stereotypes are related to sexuality, but the two female stereotypes are all about sexuality. Women must be classified either as Virgins or Whores, with all the value judgments and fetishization that goes with it. The movie's criticism of these damaging stereotypes wouldn't work if it ignored their inherent sexism.

(Spoiler Code Removed Because, Well, Thread Title and All.)

Exactly. The archetypes they "cast" didn't need to perfectly fir the role just satisfy it enough for the purposes of the ritual. The Director at the end (Sigorney Weaver) admits as much when she calls Dana "The Virgin" and gets a "Virgin? Me?!" in response. "We work with what we got."

Dana was "virginal enough" for the ritual and whatever manipulations they hard on her in the meantime satisfied the ritual needs. Curt wasn't really a jocky ass and the blonde girl really wasn't a ditzy slut. They were all being manipulated to satisfy those roles for the ritual.

 

[DevilEyes]

F
The "extremely satisfying payoff" in The Hunger Games isn't there because it's not supposed to be, since it's only the first book in the trilogy and sets up the tensions of the rest of the story.

Problem is: the movie structured in a way that doesn't tell you anything about a trilogy.
So, if you don't know about that fact going in (like me), the ending just infuriates you to no end. ("Huh? That's it? This barbaric game is just going to continue? What the hell was the point then?")
The first part of the trilogy should feel like a first part, not a one shot.

How would the movie possibly tell you by its structure that they are sequels, other than the fact that the ending doesn't feel like an ending at all and that it's obviously setting up sequels? I knew the movie was based on a book but I didn't know if there was one book or more when I went to see the movie, but at the end of the movie I was sure that it was the latter and that there must be sequels.

And what kind of ending you expect to see? Everyone suddenly deciding to overthrow Snow and doing it over the space of 5 minutes without any blood being shed? Snow suddenly becoming nice after having a Christmas Carol-like epiphany and abolishing the Hunger Games?

 

[Ayelbourne]

And what kind of ending you expect to see? Everyone suddenly deciding to overthrow Snow and doing it over the space of 5 minutes without any blood being shed?

No, but some hints that Katniss had sparked a rebellion would have been nice.
Yeah, there were people rebelling earlier, but that got put down fast and was a non-issue by the end of the movie.
Look at The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo was still on his mission and Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas had just given themselves a new mission. You just knew that this was far from over.
THG: Katniss wins and goes home. Plot of the movie done. Nothing has changed.The end.

 

[DevilEyes]

And what kind of ending you expect to see? Everyone suddenly deciding to overthrow Snow and doing it over the space of 5 minutes without any blood being shed?

No, but some hints that Katniss had sparked a rebellion would have been nice.
Yeah, there were people rebelling earlier, but that got put down fast and was a non-issue by the end of the movie.
Look at The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo was still on his mission and Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas had just given themselves a new mission. You just knew that this was far from over.
THG: Katniss wins and goes home. Plot of the movie done. Nothing has changed.The end.

Any rebellion that was to start that quickly and in such an unplanned way would've never had the slightest chance of success and was going to be put down very quickly. What would have you preferred to have seen as the ending? Katniss wins, then the President gets the report of another spontaneous rebellion and looks worried, as if his forces can't put down that rebellion very easily as well, and they leave it there with rising inspirational music? Or worse, reports that there are spontaneous rebellions all over Panem and that Snow is genuinely concerned? I would have cringed at such a naive ending, which would've made it look, if you see the movie on its own, as if everything is simple, and the people in the Districts didn't rebel before just because they were cowards and morons, rather than because the government has the power and the weapons to crush them like bugs and obliterate their homes. The only rebellion that would have a chance would have to be huge and carefully organized and planned and certainly couldn't happen right away.

The rebellion in District 11, which isn't in the book, was obviously added exactly to show what even a small act of defiance that everyone could see could inspire people to rebel, and what an important figure Katniss might become, and that was very heavily hinted with Haymitch's warnings/instructions to Katniss, Snow's icy interaction with Katniss and the attention he's paying to her Mockingjay pin, and sinister and angry expression at the end.

 

[Ayelbourne]

Katniss wins, then the President gets the report of another spontaneous rebellion and looks worried, as if his forces can't put down that rebellion very easily as well, and they leave it there with rising inspirational music? Or worse, reports that there are spontaneous rebellions all over Panem and that Snow is genuinely concerned? I would have cringed at such a naive ending, which would've made it look, if you see the movie on its own, as if everything is simple, and the people in the Districts didn't rebel before just because they were cowards and morons, rather than because the government has the power and the weapons to crush them like bugs and obliterate their homes. The only rebellion that would have a chance would have to be huge and carefully organized and planned and certainly couldn't happen right away.

So let Katniss get contacted by some kind of underground resistance movement at the end. Works for me. Or let her start a resistance movement. Works too.

The rebellion in District 11, which isn't in the book, was obviously added exactly to show what even a small act of defiance that everyone could see could inspire people to rebel, and what an important figure Katniss might become, and that was very heavily hinted with Haymitch's warnings/instructions to Katniss, Snow's icy interaction with Katniss and the attention he's paying to her Mockingjay pin, and sinister and angry expression at the end.

Yes. And then nothing comes of all that in the end? District 11? Already forgotten at that point.

I'm sorry, it just didn't work for me.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I really liked this movie, so it gets an easy 'excellent' from me. I've never seen a horror movie where we've got behind-the-scenes machinations that the audience is let in on. Lots of tropes and expectations turned on their heads. Great stuff. Not much to add to what's already been said. One scene that sticks out is the beginning when our two guys are riding in the golf cart, having a dull conversation that's not worth paying attention to, then one of them says to the other... "Are you even listening to me?" then BAM! We see the movie title. Good way to toy with the viewer.

Oh, and I now see where Ethros' avatar comes from.

 

[Trekker4747]

Yeah, on first viewing it was fun to wonder where everything was going between the cabin stuff and the stuff in the control center. Was this a reaslity show? What's going on? And we eventually find out that it has more sinister motives when someone is killed and eventually it's a ritual. And though it's been done before I loved the playing on the tropes of the genre and how things were manipulated to ensure they happened a certain way. (Slut dies first, everyone illogically decides to split up, the "virgin" is the last to survie and either lives or dies.)

Also some very Whedon-esque writing. Like when the intern is having an aloud conversation with himself on who to bid on with the monster/scenario and the operations guy just says, "More than anything else I just want this moment to end."

 

[Pindar]

Amzaon have pulled the UK version of the blu-ray as it seems to be faulty and are waiting for re-authored disks to become available.

I haven't read the whole thread so this may have already been mentioned.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Yeah, I' wondering what's happened with mine, I got the dispatch email but I'm not at home to send it back to get a replacement.

 

[Pindar]

Yeah, I' wondering what's happened with mine, I got the dispatch email but I'm not at home to send it back to get a replacement.

I think I am going to have to assume that from now on everything is going to come out fucked up and remember never to pre-order anything.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Yeah, I' wondering what's happened with mine, I got the dispatch email but I'm not at home to send it back to get a replacement.

I think I am going to have to assume that from now on everything is going to come out fucked up and remember never to pre-order anything.

No Joss commentary on the Avengers Blu-ray, crappy mastering on the Cabin in the Woods discs. Rather annoyed about this.

 

[Ethros]

Yeah I had a look in my supermarket yesterday, and they had the DVD but none of the Blu rays. Then I got home and read about that, so I guess they've all been pulled from the shelves for the time being.
Ah well, at least they're dong something about, and fast too. I imagine it will be back in stock in the next couple of days

 

[inflatabledalek]

Oh bugger, haven't watched mine yet, it'll be annoying if I have to take it back to Tesco. Anyone know exactly what the problem is?

 

[Ethros]

Apparently it freezes at various points throughout the film, I think I read it happens at chapter breaks. (This is just the blu-ray though, the DVD is said to be fine)

 

[inflatabledalek]

It only happened about five times on mine, it wasn't too annoying so I may not get round too taking it back as I am a very lazy man...