About All That Cabin in the Woods Buzz....

Cross-posted on and commissioned by Film.com

Ever since Cabin in the Woods had audiences freaking out at Butt Numb a Thon and even more so at SXSW (and for many of us, way before then), it's been perhaps the most buzzed about original film of the year. While running errands a couple days ago, two employees and two customers began talking about the film, seemingly prompted by nothing, discussing whether or not it will be like say, Saw, or something more subversive. So for the confused or uninitiated wondering what this buzz is all about, let me break it down for you - spoiler free of course.

The Hold Up

Cabin in the Woods was originally shot in 2009 for MGM, and when the studio went under, the film just kind of hung around for a while, wondering if it would ever see the light of day. So it's not like Cabin just popped up a couple months ago and people started gabbing. Some of us have been anticipating this film for *literally* years. Anticipating an ORIGINAL film for years is extremely rare. So when Cabin started screening, most notably at Butt Numb a Thon, and word on the street was that it was balls out amazing, well, you can imagine how difficult it became for us geeks to contain our excitement. While the hold up was initially so frustrating for us all, a lot of positives ended up coming out of it other than the long period of time to simmer in anticipation, including enough of a chance to resist 3D conversion (thank goodness for that) and the GIANT strides that have happened for the people involved since wrapping. 

Joss Whedon

Certainly this applies to Joss Whedon. Once and to a certain degree still, a geek's geek, beloved by a very specific niche audience, who everyone else ignorantly turns a nose up at, now Whedon is about to enter the arena of household name-big budget-massive franchises. If Cabin had been released when intended, maybe his involvement would have been brushed off by the more mainstream audiences. But here, in 2012, mere weeks after Cabin hits theaters, so will The Avengers, directed by none other than Whedon himself. The Avengers has already put Whedon on the map outside of the geek crowd. Remember when I mentioned hearing employees discussing Cabin a couple days ago? One of them got more interested the moment someone else mentioned that the writer is directing the Avengers. 

Chris Hemsworth

Not to mention the cast! Since wrapping, Chris Hemsworth went and oh you know, became Thor, NBD, and apparently ultimately got the job because Whedon called Kenneth Brannagh and recommended he give Hemsworth another shot. Then as luck would have it, Whedon and Hemsworth reunited to shoot The Avengers. Hemsworth has a huge following now and brings a star element to the film that previously didn't exist. I'm personally excited for the film to open so people will see what Kristen Connolly (who holds a masters in drama from Yale, whatwhat) can do and start propelling her towards stardom. 

Former Buffy/Angel Writers Taking Over The World

Continuing the trend of former Buffy writers taking over the world, Cabin in the Woods is Drew Goddard's directorial debut. Since Buffy's end, we've seen David Fury writing and producing for Lost, 24 and Fringe, David Greenwalt creating and showrunning Grimm, Jane Espenson writing for Once Upon a Time, Dollhouse, and Battlestar Galactica and showrunning Caprcia, Marti Noxon writing Fright Night and writing/producing for Mad Men and Glee, Drew Z Greenberg executive producing Warehouse 13, and the list goes on and on. The writing room for Buffy and Angel was the breeding ground for greatness and the proof is in the pudding. 

#discoverthesecret

Word on the street wasn't just that the film was great, but that it is important to not know anything going in. I echo this statement and hope you have done your best to avoid all trailers and simply know you are going next weekend. I went in 100% cold and was astonished at what I found. Other people will argue that the film is unspoilerable for reasons that will become clear to you, but I disagree. I think part of the wonder of Cabin, part of its genius, sits in the audience not knowing what exactly to expect, which simultaneously makes it impossible to market and yet all the more desirable to dedicated genre audiences.  If you *have* seen the trailer, don't worry, it's only the tip of the iceberg, but if you have managed to avoid it until now - keep it that way. But what builds more buzz than being told by multiple sources that you MUST see it before it gets spoiled for you and know NOTHING going in? OhgodIwanttoseeitagainrightnow.

Husband Bulge

Aside from being shrouded in secrecy, which certainly adds to the draw, the film is also intensely quotable. Most of the quotes at least to me, act as a spoiler, so best to only engage in a quote-off with other folks who have seen the film, but at least one of them, "husband bulge" spoils nothing while still being incredibly specific and reminiscent of some great moments in the film. Bring a pen and paper cause some of these lines you will not want to forget. 

It's Not Based On Anything and Not A Franchise

!!!!!! Huzzah for original genre material! ORIGINAL GENRE MATERIAL!!! That's enough on its own to get me buzzing.

It's Fantastic
In case you were wondering....:)

Are you planning on seeing Cabin in the Woods, opening today nationwide? Have you managed to avoid knowing anything about it? What excites you about the film? Sound off below!

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Book Review: Whedonistas! A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them

To be truly considered a formidable geek, one has to have experienced a mind altering, bridging on unhealthy, obsessive love for at least one movie and/or television show before reaching an age where one is cognisant enough to understand that it may not be "cool". Something that cemented in one's psyche the idea that loving a piece of fiction is not only valid, but something to be celebrated, something that isn't full of shame, but pride. And fandom doesn't ever come down to one artist or one universe. Fans of all ilks bond because of a mutual understand that loving a property - any property - enough to be compelled to dress up as characters, write fan fiction, own way too many collectibles, watch every episode multiple times, so on and so forth, is totally, 100% acceptable and awesome. It's why I've always loved conventions so much. We're all there because of how much we love a genre property, and whatever that property is, we support each other, sans judgement. If your specific corner of fandom overlaps with someone else's, than hey, even better.

For me growing up, my first loves were the original Star Wars trilogy (a tale of profound obsession that I will save for another time) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Buffy aired during the exact years I was in middle school and high school and while I took fandom vacations into other things like Xena, The Matrix, Scream and Spiderman, Buffy was my constant. At age 12 I had a life goal to own every piece of Buffy merchandise every created, and between seasons 1 and 2, I think I actually did accomplish that, for a few months at least. Between seasons 2 and 3, I met the whole cast at Comic-Con and wrote a poem about it. I loved Xander, Oz and Spike. I wrote fanfiction. I listened to "Once More With Feeling" until I knew every word to every song. Buffy was always there for me, no matter what I was going through and I'm still grateful to Joss Whedon for giving me characters to look up to, a group of friends who would die for each other (and have) to remind me that just because I didn't have it yet didn't mean I never would, and love stories of all shapes and sizes, all meaningful, whether born out of friendship, initial attraction, hate, respect, common interests or zero common interests, I learned from each one. I wanted to be successful to get the chance to one day be a part of something like Buffy. It was the impetus for so much in my life - *all* positive.

But I don't think about this often. In fact, I hadn't thought hard about Buffy in a while, not since rewatching the first two seasons with my roommates at the time 4 years ago. But last week I got my hands on a copy of a new book, Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them and it awakened something in me. Here is a book filled with essays, an "eclectic and exciting collection of essays that touch on nearly all aspects of the shows, the fandoms and the people to whom they made a difference", written by writers, artists, and fans alike, that flooded me with memory and emotion of my time watching Buffy. And while the pieces on Buffy connected with me the most on the surface, every essay, no matter the subject, felt familiar, like a part of my brain being explained and explored. I haven't even seen all of Firefly, yet I found myself tearing up during Dae S. Low's "The Browncoat Connection", in which Low details finally finding a group of people to connect with in her fellow Portlandian Browncoats.

More after the jump



This is a recurring theme in Whedonistas - finding connections through Whedon fandom. In one of my favorite selections, "A Couch Potato's Guide To Demon Slaying: Turning Strangers Into Family, Buffy Style",  Heather Shaw details the comings and goings of roommates and how the roommate dynamic seemed to always parallel the ever changing family dynamic on Buffy, and how this eventually led to Heather meeting her husband. In "My European Vacation, A Love Letter/Confession", Kelly Hale writes how fellow Buffy fans were the only ones there for her when her life fell apart and gave her the strength to get back up on her feet.

While many of the writers are women who have careers as authors and credit Buffy and their own Buffy fanfic as a gateway drug (seriously, it's fascinating how so many of these women, myself included, note that Buffy was the last genre work that provided them with an overwhelming sense of needing to write fanfic, to get into the characters heads, to play with the already established themes and dynamics), there is also the librarian who suddenly found her job something to be proud of, the ordained minister who made me rethink the snap judgements I have often held for those who work in religion and the aerospace engineer who sees such great inspiration in Firefly's Kaylee that it made me appreciate Mal's "mei-mei" even more than I thought possible.

Aside from the personal stories, including one that brought me to tears as the author details how "The Body" almost single handedly got her through the day her brother-in-law committed suicide and how relating to Buffy's depression in "Once More With Feeling" was what began to pull her back into normalcy, there is plenty of theory, including analysis of how Mal Reynolds fits into the myth of the old west, a feminist defense of what happens to Penny in the third act of Dr. Horrible, how Buffy is best to watch during a time of education, of growth and constant changing, and Angel is best to watch during those aimless years, post college, how Buffy altered the landscape of romance fiction, why monsters go good and why good guys go dark, how Angel plays with the notions of masculinity. how the varied characters of Dollhouse represent the many stages found in adolescence through adulthood and so on. There is even insight into what it was like to be a fan of Buffy and Angel, living in the UK, where the episodes weren't readily accessible, a tracing of Dr. Horrible fandom, from the beginning of the writer's strike to the release of the DVD and a detailed account of what it was like to work on the first Watcher's Guide, the author receiving more or less unlimited access to the Buffy set, cast and crew, before things like publicists and success got in the way. Not satisfied? There are interviews with Jane Espenson and Juliet Landau as well.

It was a thrill to read each and every one of these essays. I especially loved seeing which themes/moments got the most mention (found family, real world femininity, Buffy's table-turning opening scene, The Shanshu Prophecy from Angel, Kaylee's shindig dress, Dark Willow flaying Warren) as well as which episodes were most frequently referenced (Buffy's "The Body" and "Earshot", Angel's "Not Fade Away" and "A Hole in The World", Firefly's "Out Of Gas" and "Objects in Space"), and which characters were most often mentioned as favorites (Wesley?!). One of my favorite themes was that of the "non-believer" discovering the Whedonverse. Early-dismissal-turned-devouring-of-seven-seasons-in-two-weeks-straight is the technical term for this, I believe. Despite having been a Buffy fan from the beginning, I still very much relate to this, as my best friend mercilessly made fun of me throughout all of middle and high school for watching Buffy, but is now one of the biggest Joss Whedon fans I know and can't believe herself that there was a time she doubted.

With a book like this, a collection of essays, you could easily pick and choose which ones to read. You could go straight to the ode to Oz ("We're Here to Save You") or directly to the bit about Illyria giving Wesley closure before his death, ("The Kindness of Monsters") although careful, you may cry and/or gasp with reminder of that episode's brilliance, but I recommended reading each one in order. Much like a successful mix CD, there is a flow that feels specific and cohesive. And even if you were only a huge fan for one of Joss' creations, I guarantee that won't stop you from enjoying the essays about his other work. Sure didn't stop me from loving every minute I was reading this collection and getting to know the women behind it.

These women are younger, older, gay, straight, professional writers, amateur writers, from all over the country and a few from across the pond too, but they all have one very big thing in common - Joss Whedon has affected their lives with his creations. Whether emotionally or practically, he made a difference. No one who contributed to this book of essays would be the same without Whedon and neither would I.

If you feel like re-falling in love with the Whedonverse, if you're still in love with it and miss it, if you want to get jazzed up for the Avengers, if you want to get a fellow a fan a gift they will eat up, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Whedonistas! A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon by the Women Who Love Them
Edited by Lynne M Thomas and Deborah Stanish
Mad Norwegian Press
Released March 15, 2011
Buy a copy here

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Friday Wrap Up [Comic-Con 2010]

Didn't have time to actually write anything up Friday night, so I am now attempting to remember anything that happened that day. I can't even remember how Scott Pilgrim ended, so, good luck self.

- Walking Dead Panel. Got into the room just in time to see them reveal the first footage from the pilot. It was PACKED. And there we so many people outside who didn't make it in, it was astounding. Check out our write ups here and here.

- Barenaked Ladies perform the Big Bang Theory theme song. In passing from the 6quad room w/ Walking Dead, over to Hall H to catch what I could of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, I passed through Ballroom 20 just in time to catch the Barenaked Ladies come on stage and lead the audience in a theme song singalong. The cheering was so loud, it instantly gave me a headache. Impressive, BBT fans. Impressive. Wish I could have stayed for the entire panel!

- Joss' Ballroom 20 Talk. He only got 45 minutes, which broke everyone's hearts, but the 20 minutes I got to catch of it were fantastic, as always. Featured a surprise appearance by Nathan Fillion, who asked a question in disguise, then revealed himself, set to thousands of fan squees. I started the camera rolling right after that happened and caught this nice moment:

- Passed through the B20 greenroom just in time to see Anna Torv again, who I kept seeing over and over everywhere I turned at the convention, each time in a different, gorgeous outfit. I sense a girl-crush forming.

- Ran back and forth between the Falling Skies panel & the Girls Gone Genre panel. FYI - Noah Wyle is really hot. Like. Hot. He's aged well. He looked good. He looked real good. And the GGG panel turned away what looked like hundreds of fans - fingers crossed there is a second installment next year in an even bigger room.

- WBTV Party. Walked away with a belly full of chicken skewers & specialty cocktails, a badass gift bag, a photo of @eruditechick and Mischa Collins and the sneaking suspicion that the guy who introduced us to Collins was not in fact a "business man" as he stated. It wasn't until the next night at the EW Party that I realized who our new friends really was. ... I'll let that stay mysterious with only this clue: I did end up giving him an Inception top and he did end up tweeting about it. :)

-From Dusk Til Con. Friday night won the weekend of parties (though Thursday's Lucasfilm bash came close), rivaling last year's wonderful EW party experience. We started a dance party with Joss Whedon & co and really, what more do you need than that? We were having such a good time over in Whedonopolis, we neglected to even say hello to the Chuck cast. Oops. Of course, we all forgot to take a gift bag when we left, but we heard they were awesome. We also had the pleasure of finally meeting some of our favorite twitter friends. The evening ended at Syfy's Cafe Diem with the director of Shoot Em Up. Though last year's Don Glover versus John DiMaggio Tracy Morgan impression-off still remains the greatest Comic-Con late night dining experience of all time.

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