The Bad Influence Speaks

BIS Review: Cabin in the Woods

Staring Kristen Connolly (Dana), Chris Hemsworth (Curt), Anna Hutchinson (Jules), Fran Kranz (Marty), Jesse Williams (Holden), Richard Jenkins (Sitterson) and Bradley Whitford (Hadley).

Bless Joss Whedon. Cabin in the Woods is an homage to every horror movie ever made. Whedon takes all they classic tropes and gives them a slight twist. He must also love Evil Dead because there’s a strong ED vibe throughout the entire movie. A review I read called it “a horror movie within a comedy within a horror movie” and they’re right. It isn’t outright funny, but you will be laughing outloud (and some will be nervous “holy crap” laughs).

Being Joss Whedon there are also easter eggs scattered through the movie. You can find a listing of some at Viewer Discretion Advised (there are spoilers in the link so be careful). There are also appearances by various Whedon alums such as Amy Aker (Angel) and Tom Lenk (Buffy, Angel). I think there were others because some of the character actors looked familiar.

My mother chose to go along with me to see it which was surprising. She doesn’t like horror movies (and I hate to go to them with her because she asks questions). My sister and I have gotten her hooked on Joss Whedon works though including Firefly. We both loved the movie. When we left the theater we couldn’t stop smiling and talking about it. As mom said, “now that’s a happy ending.” And it was a typical Joss Whedon happy ending.

I still don’t get the unicorn though.

Spoiler section ahead. [ You can always count on Joss Whedon to create a smart, layered production that makes the viewer think while keeping them entertained. The first few minutes, while a little dull, gives contrast to later in the film when the characters are forced into their roles. Dana is very definitely not a virgin since she slept with her professor. Jules is smart and playful but not a sex kitten. Curt gives excellent recommendations for reading material for Dana's classes (and is apparently a sociology major) and not a sexist jock. Holden is an athlete but becomes the "egghead." Marty, while a pothead, is not the fool as he grasps the situation first and remains in control. Whedon takes what are generally not well fleshed out characters and gives them depth.

I'm a massive Evil Dead fan so I was thrilled that he pulled so much from it. Everything about the cabin screamed Rami and then on the betting board mentioned deadites. Whedon's nods to others movies from the genre are respectful with a touch of self deprecating humor.

I think this is going to be one of those movies that you can watch repeatedly and find something new each time whether a reference to another movie or a new aspect of the sociopolitical commentary that is scattered throughout Whedon's work.

Now I just need someone to explain what movie the unicorn was referencing. I still don't get that as a nightmare. ]

Hump Day Quote: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Life was so strange. Seldom did it make sense. As her brother would say, 'life isn't a puzzle to be solved. It's an adventure to be savored. Let every challenge be a new mountain to climb, not an obstacle to get in your way and stop you. Yeah, it'll be hard, but once you reach the summit of it, you'll be able to see the world for what it really is. And at the top, it never seems to have been as difficult a feat to climb there as you first made it out to be. Most of all, you'll know that you beat that mountain, and that you rule it. It does not rule you.'

Sherrilyn Kenyon, Chronicles of Nick: Infamous

Eureka: The Real Thing

Season 5, Episode 2

 

The crew continues to struggle with their new lives in the virtual world but still come together to face a dragon. Meanwhile in the real world, the town continues the month long search for the Astraeus. Ming Na guest stars.

Fargo: Mythical is just another word for not yet discovered.

 

Jo: Two hundred and eighty six bucks. Hmmm...thanks universe.

 

Carter: So help us or shoot us, but we're following that trail.

 

Holly: You don't ever want to have sex again, do you?

Comments:
1) Maybe I just don't have patience with teenagers but Kevin annoys the crap out of me. He is so judgmental, condescending, impulsive and has no concern for anything but what he wants. In other words he's a normal teenager. If teens like that don't get smacked down and taught to face consequences, they grow up and become politicians. So people, please, verbally smack down your teens.
2) It's been a year since their return in the virtual world? No one acts like it. Their relationships haven't evolved as much as they would have in a year. In that amount of time, Allison and Zane would have come to grips much better with Jo and Carter's relationship.
3) Erica Cerra looks great with her hair down.
4) Where's Jack's hidden key in the jail cell? He used to have one there in case he locked himself inside.
5) Spoiler time: [ Ha! I knew Wen would be the villain. She swooped in in such an aggressive fashion with the project that she had to have something up here sleeve.
Also, this episode gave me a South Park moment but more foul mouthed with "Oh my God, you killed Holly. You fuckers." I was agape in shock at Holly's death. How are they going to explain that to all the other crew members in the virtual world? Will they just say she died of the dragon wounds and jump to a funeral? ]
6) Don't look at the last two pictures if you don't want to catch another spoiler. I'll have the link back to the main page before them so you can avoid it.
7) Also I'm not sure if that close up of the dragon is CGI or puppetry, but it looks amazing.

Eureka Quotes Main Page

Pictorial spoiler below. Proceed at your own risk.

 

 

 

 

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

 

The long time Marvel favorite character, Wolverine, finally has his origins story told by Marvel Studios. In 1845, young James Howlett discovers there is something different about him when the man he believed to be his father is killed. On that night he discovers unusual powers and a brother. Together they fight side by side, never aging, until James steps away from the violence for a new life as Logan. Victor, his brother, and their former team try to bring him back to the fold, but with Logan things never go as planned.

 

Cast:
James/Logan/Wolverine....Hugh Jackman
Victor Creed..................Liev Schrieber
Stryker.........................Danny Hudson
John Wraith..........................will.i.am
Kayla Silverfox..................Lynn Collins
Fred Dukes....................Kevin Durand
Bradley..................Dominic Monaghan
Remy LeBeau..................Taylor Kitsch
Agent Zero...................Daniel Henney
Wade Wilson.................Ryan Reynolds

Quotes:

 

James: You love her after one night?
Fred: She's a gymnast.

 

Wade: Great. Stuck in an elevator with five guys on a high protein diet. Dreams really do come true.

 

Stryker: If you didn't have that mouth, Wade, you'd be the perfect soldier.

 

Stryker: Your country needs you.
Logan: I'm Canadian.

 

Heather: I think there's a naked man in the barn.
Travis: Yep.

 

Travis: You know what happens to men who go looking for blood?
Logan: What?
Travis: They find it.

 

Logan: You wanted the animal, Colonel. You got it.

 

Logan: Fred Dukes? That looks like the creature that ate Fred Dukes.

 

Logan: This is your idea of an idea?

 

John: I'm going to go cover the back in case he rabbits.
Logan: I'm not going to fight him.
John: Yeah, right.
Logan: What? I get in fights with everybody?
John: Don't dogs kill cats?

 

Victor: Ooo, shiny.

 

Remy: No one's going to snoop around a nuclear reactor. They think it's going to turn them into freaks.
Logan: Like you.
Remy: Right.

 

Logan: Well if it makes you feel any better, this is really going to hurt.
Remy: Well, yeah. It kinda does actually.

 

Stryker: Well, I've noticed nothing motivates the men in your family like revenge.

 

Victor: Nobody kills you buy me.

 

Remy: When you said you were going to kill everyone, I thought you may just have been exaggerating.
Logan: Do I look like a man who exaggerates?

Comments:

Logan is so much of a giant question in the previous 3 X-Men movies, it's nice to finally have some information about his past such as when he was born, where he got his jacket and moniker, and how he ended up with the adamantium in his body. This isn't to say that having these answers didn't create more questions. I've noticed that with the Marvel movies they don't always play well with the timelines of the comics or stay consistent with the other movies. (I'm just really getting into the comics so I don't have great examples of that particular issue beyond the general feeling of "huh, but what about...?"). An example of some of the inconsistencies involves Kayla's sister, named Emma in the credits, who has "diamond hard skin." This main part of this movie takes place in what, the late 1960s/early 70s? Emma is a teenager in it. Yet X-Men: First Class which is mid 1960s (if I remember correctly) and Emma Frost, a psychic with diamond hard skin, is an adult has has been working with Shaw for years. From the presentation, I think they're the same character but nothing matches up well. Another conflict between the two movies is Xavier. The age conflict is the same for him. Scott Summers is a teen in this one but not quite middle aged in the first 3 X-Men movies. Gambit is early 20's here but I know he is involved with Rogue in the comics and Rogue is only a teenager in the first movies which are set much later. Then you've got Deadpool (I've read a lot of Deadpool in the past year). Timeline wise I guess it would work out with the comics and they have the personality down (Ryan Reynolds makes such a great Wade Wilson). My problem comes from the skills Stryker gives him. In the comics, Deadpool never had Wraith's teleporting skill or adamantium or swords in his arms. So I don't know how this is going to work out when they do the Deadpool movie. Of course with history of inconsistencies Marvel Studios has in their movies, it probably won't matter.

This is not to say that I don't love Marvel movies. I think 90% of the movies I post about here are Marvel. I've really enjoyed what they've done so far and am excited about what's coming next. It just makes my geeky, little brain explode when things aren't consistent.

Other thoughts on this area:
1) Gambit is my favorite X-Man and Taylor Kitsch makes a marvelous Remy LeBeau. Now I want a Gambit focused movie.
2) Wolverine and Deadpool are my next favorites.
3) Liev Schreiber has an amazing voice. Very deep and spectacularly hot.
4) This really wasn't a movie for great dialogue even though it has a pair of characters known for their comments (Logan with his terse one liners and Wade with his quirky, insane chatter). It does very well with intense action sequences though.

Pictures:

Note: All rights to screen captures and quotes lies with the creators, writers, and producers of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and with Marvel comics.

Eureka: Lost

Season 5, Episode 1

 

Allison and the Astraeus crew find themselves back on Earth after a disastrously short take off, but they find things aren't as they seems. They've been gone for 4 years and Eureka is a vastly different place.

Fargo: Gangway. First!
Zane: That's mature.
Fargo: Douglas Fargo, first human being on Titan, baby!

 

Jack: If it makes you feel any better the terrible twos lasted til she was five which was brutal.

 

Holly: Ooo, looks like the crown of an orc king.
Parrish: And this is just the scale model. The big one could turn the entire orc army into bunch of pussy cats.

 

Holly: Whoa. This is intense.
Fargo: What the frack happened?
Zane: Carter stole my girlfriend.
Fargo: Seriously?
Carter: No. Well....Zane! Bigger issues.

Comments:
1) I'm just going to consider Wil Wheaton, Felicia Day and Kavin Smith as part of the regular cast of the show and not mention them as guest staring in the episode descriptions.
2) Oh Fargo. Why'd you have to be that annoying person that tries to say/post "First" instead of contributing.
4) Damn, Kavin Smith does creepy well. Maybe it's a little because we're so used to Andy always being cheerful and helpful, but this twist makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Wil Wheaton does a great job of it too. That over the top cheerfulness makes one think an alien is going to burst from his chest or something else shocking.
5) I remember Kevin Grazier, the science adviser for the show, talking about it on a panel at Dragon*Con (in 2007 I think). It was the first year for an Eureka panel at the convention so there weren't any actors there. He commented that the writers were going to make "Jack work to get Allison" and that it probably wouldn't happen until the very end of the series. I wonder if that is still the plan and that Allison and Jack will end the series together.
6) Do the Martha drones look cylonish to anyone else?
7) Highlight for spoilers: [ I rewatched the last half of season 4 about 2 weeks ago and wondered if Beverly Barlow had anything to do with the Astraeus vanishing. How are they going to have this all work? Are they only going to show the false world that exists in the crew's minds or are they going to overlay this with the search to find them in the "real" world? The writers do like to take this show to extremes in terms of reality and seem to like alternate timelines. It should be exciting to see how it all plays out. ]
8) I'm going to be a bumbling mess when the last episode airs. Eureka has a huge place in my heart. It's going to be painful to let go.

Eureka Quotes Main Page

Hump Day Quote: Simeon Strunksy

No man is really depraved who can spend half an hour by himself on the floor playing with his little boy's electric train.

Simeon Strunksy, No Mean City

Hawaii Five-0: Ha'alele

Season 2, Episode 20

 

An abduction and murder calls into question the long ago conviction that has a closer impact on Max than he initially lets on. Meanwhile, Steve leaves a "Dear Danny" letter and heads off in search of Joe White and the truth.

Danny: If I find out you're lying, I'm going to come back here and put you in a mayonnaise jar.

Comments:
1) Those ropes were too thick with all the knotting to cut through with a piece of glass in that time frame (or probably even at all).
2) I don't like how CBS is spacing out episodes. It's like they didn't plan it out well in advance so we're keep having multi-week long breaks between new episodes. They should just end the season by playing out the remaining 3-4 episodes in a row.
3) While I still like the show and enjoy it, I'm having a hard time coming up with comments for it. Of course, I'm so burnt out from work that I'm having a hard time with that for all shows.

Hawaii Five-0 Quotes Main Page

Hump Day Quote: Amy Berg

A great story is not told through the eyes, it’s told through the heart and mind.  It makes you think and feel.

Amy Berg, Bergopolis Tumblr post: This is why I love the Nolan brothers

Being Human: It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To

Season 2, Episode 13

 

Season 2 finale.
Josh, Aidan and Sally all try to find ways out of their troubles; each of them choosing violent actions that don't turn out quite like they expected.

Sally: You two are totally about to go on separate killing sprees for women. That is so hot.

Comments:
1) Sally, queen of the inappropriate comments.
2) This really was a WTF episode with characters taking paths that were vastly different that the preferences they had shown before. I'm still not sure what to think of it.
Now to the spoiler area. Highlight the underlined area to read.
3) On Henry: [ I'm surprised that Henry keeps trusting and forgiving Henry (though Henry does seem to make an effort to help). I'm not sure here if he ratted Aidan out in this situation or just failed to take out all the guards. "I'm so sorry, Aidan" can read both ways. The red rag was in place though so he may have squealed. From the looks of him hanging on the hook, he's probably going to regret even knowing anything about the situation. ]
4) Mother and Suren: [ I thought my mom and I had issues. Wow. Torturing her to teach her a lesson. Asking her to kill her lover and the only man who has ever supported her. Killing your own daughter. That is one fracked up bitch. Aidan's line "now you have to live with what you did" and reminding Mother that she killed the only being that ever loved her was a nice touch. ]
5) Aidan: Actually I don't think this one needs a spoiler. That was the sweetest thing when he visited Suren's burial spot every year on the anniversary.
6) The ending: [So Aidan is buried. Sally is in limbo and thinks she made a mistake. Who knows what happened with Josh, Nora, and Ray. Either one could have shot anyone of the three. Hell, Nora could have shot herself to get Josh to stop trying to save her. I hate it when they go to black and then have a gunshot. That's a cheap closing. ]
7) I wonder how the writers are going to dig themselves out of this next season. One thing's for sure, you can't call this a "remake" of the UK version.

 

Being Human Quotes

Supernatural Season 6 Commentary: Episodes 1-4

While going through season 6 of Supernatural, I'm going to do something a little different. Instead of including the commentary on the same page as the episode, I'll do a page of commentary for multiple episodes (or 1 disc from the DVDs). This should help compact things down a little since I have quotes posted for the first half of the season already. At this point, I'm just doing screen captures for those episodes and then quotes and captures for the second half of the season. Links for the commentary will be posted on the Supernatural Commentary Page.

 

Exile on Main Street

In the premiere episode of the 6th season, Dean finds that not only has Sam returned from the cage in Hell, but that he has been back for a year without telling Dean. Both he and Bobby use the excuse that Dean finally had a normal life that they didn't want to disturb. I think that's a bit of a cop out though. For so many years Dean's whole existence and reason for continuing on was Sam. So while he did manage to cobble together another life and have a family, I don't think it ever was "real" to him. You can tell from his nightly checks around the house, that he didn't believe it was real and was worrying that it would be taken from him or disappear. Actually, I don't think Dean knows how to be happy. His life has been surviving horrible situations. When could he have learned it?

This episode also brings Campbell relatives into the mix. They are just like Sam and Dean, but Dean can't fathom trusting them when he didn't know they existed (although they worked in the same community). I do enjoy seeing Corin Nemic and Mitch Pileggi again.

Did you notice that nice symbolic touch when Sam and Dean were fighting the djin? Sam, in his fight, smashes pictures of Dean, Lisa and Ben symbolically destroying Dean's new life which his return will do in a much slower manner. I think that while Dean will end up missing his quiet life he was never going to feel comfortable in it.

 

Two and A Half Men

Damn that man looks good with a baby.

Sam pulls Dean away from his life with Lisa and Ben and into another investigation. In this case, families are being killed and infants kidnapped. No one is sure exactly what is going on until Sam discovers a link to the security company and saves an baby.

Not knowing exactly what is going on or how to care for a baby, Sam drags Dean in as back up and is shocked to see how well Dean can handle things.

When it comes time to decide what to do with the baby, Sam is all for handing it over to Samuel (their grandfather who is back from the dead), but Dean just doesn't trust it.

While Dean may have some severe trust issues, his instincts are usually good (with the exception of pretty women). There may be more to his distrust and dislike of his Campbell kin that just not knowing them.

 

The Third Man

The return of Castiel!

Dean meets up with Sam to investigate some biblically charged deaths of 3 small town cops who may have been crooked. Cas responds to Dean summons (and not because he missed Dean) and the three set out to track down an angel who has been selling stolen Heavenly relics.

I tend to forget how much of a bad ass Cas really is. He is so reserved and confused over mortal matters that you can miss he is a weapon of Heaven and, like most angels, can also be a dick. 

Balthazar may be my second favorite angel. He is so delightfully and unapologetically immoral. He actually reminds me of a partying Crowley a little. Sebastian Roché is wonderfully charming.

Wow is Jared Padalecki is ripped. That must have taken some major effort to gain all those muscles. I wonder what program he used.

 

Weekend at Bobby's

Steven Williams (Rufus), Kim Rhodes (Sheriff Mills), and Mark A. Sheppard (Crowley) guest star in this episode.I don't count Jim Beaver (Bobby) as a guest star. I think of him as a regular character. It feels like he's always been around (of course he did show up half way through the first season and we're now on season 6).

If I had to choose a favorite supporting actor for the series, it would be Mark A. Sheppard hands down. He plays the best bad guys with that drawling voice, precise delivery of sarcasm, and roguish glint. This also makes Crowley one of my favorite characters for Supernatural. He is so unapologetically, and frequently gleeful, about being bad yet he almost treats the guys like family. A sick and twisted family, but family none the less.

I also like the comparison of Bobby and Crowley as being similar. They found a piece of themselves in each other and provide a nice support of only having each other to bitch to about their lives. They also say "Balls" and Ballocks" in the exact same tone of voice.

Supernatural Commentary Main Page