Tag Archives: Joss Whedon

Evil Dead (2013)

19 Mar

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Sam Raimi’s 1981 picture The Evil Dead is rightly regarded as a classic of the horror genre, a pitch perfect, no-budget thrill ride suffused with terror yet tinged with knowing humour.  Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead is less a remake or sequel and more of homage to Raimi’s pioneering spirit and in fact to horror as a whole.  Given the nature of this beast it is wholly derivative, yet the fact that it still delivers what feels like a fresh take on a genre that has veered towards either torture or the paranormal in recent years is welcome and in these meta, post The Cabin in the Woods times that is an impressive feat in itself.

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Excision (2012)

12 Nov

 

The subversion of genres and their tropes is something many filmmakers attempt.  Commendable as such efforts might be it’s incredibly difficult to get right.  Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods was remarkable in its gumption, throwing knowing winks and nods at horror fans and thumbing his nose at the lazy, insipid torture porn that has come to dominate the oft maligned genre.  Thankfully, newcomer Richard Bates Jr’s pitch black suburban body horror Excision, whilst not thematically or stylistically similar to Cabin is another fine example of an original, refreshing take on the genre that titillates and surprises in equal measure.

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THE LOWDOWN WEEK 16

1 May

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UK film fans Assemble! Despite sporting the worst film title in recent memory, Avengers Assemble hits our screens this weekend and will do phenomenal business. Genre geeks will fuel the numbers given that both 3D and 2D versions are on offer, but Joss Whedon also lends the pic crossover appeal that will draw filmgoers regardless of whether they’ve seen Thor, Iron Man et al. Whedon’s pic pits our heroic troupe against intergalactic mischief-maker Loki who is seemingly intent on taking over the world (now where have I heard that one before?) and as expected explosive havoc reigns. Yet pithy bickering and a razor-sharp script ensure that this is superior to much of what has come before.

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Avengers Assemble (2012)

21 Apr

Comic book fans have eagerly awaited a cinematic outing for superhero troupe The Avengers ever since Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios, announced in 2005 that Marvel would effectively take ownership of their universe and begin producing its own films.  Five films later; two instalments of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor and the time has finally come for our heroic misfits to join forces and fight a common enemy in Joss Whedon’s Avengers Assemble.

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The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

12 Mar

Five years ago in a review of 28 Weeks Later I extolled the virtues of Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, describing it as “genre busting” and praising it for reviving and redefining the horror genre, even going so far as to call it “ a wakeup call” to the industry.  Well, if Boyle’s intelligent and sophisticated zombie romp did indeed succeed in doing that, then Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods can only be described as a landmark, watershed moment in film history, because this is such an innovative, brave, inspired and original entry into the horror oeuvre that nothing will ever be the same again.

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