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“Cabin in the Woods” is about a group of five college kids who spend a weekend trip being hunted down one by one. (Photo special to The Voyager)

“Cabin in the Woods,” which was released last Friday, is not your typical horror film. It mixes science fiction, slasher themes and ancient mythology into one film to create horror.

Directed by “Lost” scriptwriter Drew Goddard and co-written and produced by Joss Whedon, who is most famous for creating the TV series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Cabin in the Woods” has all the main ingredients to create a modern-day scary movie. But there are multiple twists and turns to keep the viewer interested in the storyline and to focus less on the blood and gore.

The first scene of the film introduces two government scientists, played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, discussing America’s position in some sort of global competition, hinting that more is going on than what meets the eye.

The next scene shows five college kids driving out to a relative’s cabin located deep in the woods of Deliverance Country.

Along with this typical scenario are the typical characters: Holden (Jesse Williams), the nerdy black guy; Jules (Anna Hutchison), the easy sorority girl; Marty (Fran Kranz), the pothead; Curt (Chris Hemsworth), the alpha-male football jock; and Dana (Kristen Connolly), the virgin.

After the group gets settled into an outdated, creepy cabin, they soon find the cellar and its strange contents.

Meanwhile, the government agents are back at their headquarters somehow controlling different scenarios happening in the cabin.

In the cellar, Dana finds a ragged diary dated in the 1900s that has a perturbing passage in it that she reads aloud, which then leads to the villains: redneck zombies.

The blood and gore come shortly thereafter. The body count rises, and each character dies some gruesome death by sharp objects and relentless zombies.

The film flashes back and forth between the government bureaucrats and the unlucky college kids getting slaughtered. The connection between the two groups becomes clearer as the officials push buttons and move levers that control the woods that the victims are in.

Soon, there are two characters left, the virgin and the pothead, who seem to figure out that they are in what they think is some sort of disturbing game.

They find an escape and end up in the government headquarters, where all hell breaks out. What they thought was a game is actually not.

The plot gives way to another twist, more villains, and ancient mythology.

“Cabin” isn’t going to scare you out of your seat, but it has a good number of horrifying surprises and underlying humor to make this movie something familiar, yet
different.

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“Mirror Mirror” is a classic fairy-tale with a very modern twist. The story is told from the point of view of Snow White’s wicked, power-hungry step-mother, the queen, played by Julia Roberts.

Growing up the heir to her father’s throne, Snow White, played by Lily Collins, is forced to bow down to her controlling stepmother after her father disappears in the woods.

While under her father’s rule, the town was thriving, and the people were always singing and dancing with happiness. Businesses were growing, and people were able to take care of their families.

After her father’s disappearance, the queen ran the land and the spirit of the people into the ground. She  constantly taxed the town’s people to support her lavish lifestyle. And she treated Snow White as if she was in violation of the law just by breathing too loudly.

When the handsome Prince Alcott, played by Armie Hammer, comes into the picture, the queen sees his wealth as a way out of the deep hole she has dug for herself.

But there is one problem– Snow White. From the moment their paths cross it’s clear sparks are flying between the two. Snow White figures that she can persuade the prince to help her return the town to how it was.

A few changes from the traditional story of Snow White are apparent in the film. For one, the Seven Dwarves have a total makeover. Banished from the town by the queen as “undesirable,” the dwarves were once professionals who turned to robbing people who passed through the woods as a means to survive.

Another difference was that in the movie Snow White was never under a spell. I mean, I was waiting for it, but nothing. A familiar moment comes up near the end, but does not follow through.

I’ve never been a fan of traditional Disney princess movies, because they all seem the same to me. However, “Mirror Mirror” was a breath of fresh air. The changes made it more entertaining and more enjoyable.

It’s more than just another princess story. There were lessons on self- acceptance and believing in yourself. I appreciated that.

It wasn’t what I expected, but it was a pleasant surprise. Especially the ending. I would definitely recommend adding this movie to your list of movies not to miss.

Mariah Whittaker
Staff Writer 

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Eric Sheffer Stevens, Elizabeth Olsen and Adam Trese investigate creepy happenings in Olsen’s family vacation home in “Silent House.” (Photo special to The Voyager)

When I first saw the preview for “Silent House,” I thought, “Great, another horror film about a haunted house. Just what we need.”   But I have to say that as the movie progressed, it did not disappoint.

“Silent House” is directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, who also directed “Open Water,” a similar film.  Like “Open Water,” “Silent House” has only a small cast of six people, which is really all the movie needed to make it effective.

The movie is based off a Uruguayan film called “La Casa Muda” and opened with the main character Sarah, who is played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s younger sister, Elizabeth Olsen, helping her dad and uncle rebuild their old family vacation house so that they can sell it. However, the mold in the kitchen doesn’t seem to be the only unwanted nuisance in the house.  The house, which lacks electricity and has all the windows boarded up, becomes a living nightmare for Sarah.

Olsen’s character begins her 85 minutes of pure terror early on in the film. The creaks and bends of the house were the only sounds heard, which added to the suspense.  Olsen did a great job of displaying the fear on her face, and her acting was superior for a horror film.

While the small sounds and loud bumps added a lot to the film, I felt it was the cinematography by Igor Martinovic that made the movie work. The whole movie is cut to feel like it was shot in one take, which takes a tremendous amount of editing skills.   This was an effective tool for this movie because the viewer gets to move along with the character, such as falling when she falls and jumping when she jumps.

I could only find one downside to the cinematography. The camera often focused solely on one character and blurred out the rest of the screen.  When the character began to move, I felt nauseous from the blurred out screen, and without a break in the film, it was hard to stare at the screen the entire time.

The final part of the movie comes fairly quickly since the film is only 85 minutes long.  The twist can be figured out early in the final part, but the movie keeps the viewer’s attention, and its twist is something that hasn’t been over-played by past horror films.

“Silent House” is a good choice to watch if you want a quick scare and a nice plot twist without too much thinking.  I would recommend seeing this movie in theaters though since the surround sound and dark setting added an extra scare.

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Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston meet many eccentrics at Elysium, a rural commune where free love rules. (Photo special to The Voyager)

During the past month, previews of the new comedy, “Wanderlust” starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, could be seen on almost every channel during primetime television.

The previews brought laughs at uncomfortable situations and promised the audience an original comedy filled with uproarious content. But “Wanderlust,” produced by comedic genius Judd Apatow and written and directed by David Wain, does not live up to its potential.

New Yorkers George (Rudd) and Linda (Aniston) are a married couple who both lose their jobs. They decide to pack up their belongings and move to Atlanta, where George’s older brother, Rick (co-writer Ken Marino), runs a port-a-potty company, because George has a menial data-entry job waiting for him there.

While on the way to Atlanta, the couple spends a magical night at a bed and breakfast called Elysium with a group of what can only be described as “hippies.” When Rick’s materialistic lifestyle overwhelms the troubled couple, they go back to the welcoming, free-love-practicing Elysium. You can take the New Yorkers out of the city, but can this new retreat take New York out of them?

Rudd’s performance as easily flustered, hesitant George truly pulls out the laughs from this film, while Aniston’s portrayal of Linda tries to support and add to Rudd’s comedy but fails to impress.

Having Apatow, who is known for writing and directing “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and Wain, who is known for directing “Role Models,” which also starred Paul Rudd, the film was bound to live up to its “R” rating. Unfortunately for Apatow, who is known to straddle the thin line between raunchy and just plain disgusting, “Wanderlust” clearly jumps past the line of disgusting and heads straight for disturbing because of the number of shots of male genitalia throughout the film.

Although there are some times when the audience may erupt with laughter, those moments are not many and are stretched far within the film.

The film’s preview revealed some of the funniest scenes, thus automatically setting the audience’s expectation level higher than it needed to be.

This film is simply not Apatow’s and Wain’s finest work, when they can usually create uproarious laughter in the theater. If you are tired of cliché and obvious plots, there is a big probability you may end up loathing “Wanderlust.”

Katherine Cordero
Contributing Writer 

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Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams star in “The Vow” portray a couple that is in a car accident that leaves the wife with no memory of their relationship. (Photo special to The Voyager)

It’s a completely crazy hypothetical scenario that crosses the mind of anyone in a relationship, but everyone knows it’ll probably never happen.

Paige (Rachel McAdams) loses her memory in a car accident and has no memory of her relationship with her husband Leo (Channing Tatum).

I think it’s safe to say that the ladies are going to love it. They’re going to cry throughout the movie, and most of them are going to force their boyfriends to see it.

Having been in that scenario myself this past weekend, I’ll admit that I had my doubts before going into the theater, but the movie wasn’t all that bad.

The movie attempts to show Paige and Leo meeting for the first time and falling in love, but it fails pretty miserably.

It takes a little more than smiles and giggles to convey love, and that’s all the pair of actors offered.

After the car accident scene it gets pretty cheesy. Leo’s voice begins narrating about his theory on life.

Tatum, the punk down-and-out white basketball player from “Coach Carter,” narrates about his theory on life.

Give me a break.

It does get better though. McAdams does a great job of making the audience buy into Paige’s struggle and understand how awful it must be to be in her shoes.

Of course, McAdams is not a stranger to the scenario, having played the role of Allie in the “The Notebook.”

For those who forgot, Allie struggled between rich parents who didn’t like her poor boyfriend, a rich fiancé and a loss of memory, too.

In “The Vow,” Paige has some serious family issues and her last memory before the accident was being engaged to her ex-fiancé. Way to be creative, Hollywood.

However, despite the overwhelmingly similar plot, the two movies are different.

Tatum does a good job of showing his struggle by being compassionate at times and blowing up with frustration at other moments. Thank goodness he’s not as pathetic as Noah was in “The Notebook.”

All in all, if it weren’t for a Valentine’s Day promise to my girlfriend, I wouldn’t have seen the movie in a million years. Girls, if you want to cry your eyes out and get lost in a heartbreaking romantic story, it’s the movie for you.

Guys, if you can bear through Tatum’s cheesiness and make it to the scene where he finally throws a punch, it’s not that bad of a movie.

And it’s based on a true story. So, if that one-in-a-million crazy hypothetical scenario does occur, check out “The Vow” to see if you have a chance at a happy ending.

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“Man on a Ledge” was almost what I thought it would be.  I didn’t know much about the movie before seeing it, but it turned out to be exactly what it advertised to be.

The movie follows a man who stands on a ledge in order to distract people from a heist taking place across the street that will ultimately prove his innocence.  Almost like “Ocean’s Eleven” meets “The Fugitive.”

I honestly don’t have anything bad to say about the film.  It was dramatic, fast-paced, and it considerably believable.   Plus, it had the wonderfully talented Ed Harris and that one guy from “Avatar” (Sam Worthington).

But there is an interesting point that needs to be addressed, and that is our slight obsession with self-inflicted dangers.

At the beginning of the movie, the main character climbs on the ledge and for the majority of the movie, stays there.  He gathers a good-sized crowd the longer he stands, and even a larger one when he throws money into the street.

But there were several occasions when people yelled for him to jump, not in the theater (I would have left if that had happened) but in the movie.  So it raises the question whether or not, we, as a society, are sick enough to watch a person die in such a gruesome fashion?

Even so, I enjoyed most of the movie.  I remained curious enough to stay until the end and then was surprised how quickly the movie ended.  I don’t know what I expected, but I did expect more.

The story was compelling and fairly realistic.  The acting was pretty good.  The cinematography and effects were excellent.

I really liked that the characters were all very human, instead of flawless, there was actual human emotion that went with their mistakes.

But to be quite honest, it was hard to relate to the characters, or to even invest in them.  Sure they were human, and they faced difficult circumstances, but I didn’t feel much of a connection with any of them.

But even though I liked it, be warned: The trailer gives you the entire gist of the movie.

Josh Cooper
Contributing Writer 

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Mark Wahlberg, left, and Ben Foster scheme in “Contraband.” Wahlberg’s character travels to Panama to smuggle millions to save his brother. (Photo special to The Voyager)

Baltasar Kormakur’s “Contraband” is an action- packed thriller that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.

Mark Wahlberg plays Chris Farraday, an ex-smuggler well known in the streets of New Orleans as a beast when it comes to illegally transporting contraband.

Farraday makes a life change for the better — trading in the risky and violent street life to start his own security- alarm business and make an honest living for himself, his wife Kate, played by Kate Beckinsale, and their two sons.

Chris’ good streak is interrupted when Kate’s irresponsible and naïve younger brother Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) botches up a cocaine transport for Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), a dangerous hothead serious about one thing — getting money.

The plot thickens when Chris has to take on the role of “Captain Save’em” to help his brother- in-law out of the dangerous drug web he’s gotten the entire family caught in.

Chris’ father pulls some strings to get Chris and Andy added to a cargo ship crew headed to Panama. After reuniting with some old friends who are down with the transporting game, Chris has a plan to bring back a huge shipment of counterfeit money to pay off Andy’s debt to Briggs.

Racing against time, they go through everything from a jaw-dropping gunfight with the police, to Briggs stalking and harassing Kate to make a loud and clear statement to Chris about what the consequences will be if the money is not paid.

In the climax of the movie, Chris learns that Briggs is a small fish in a bigger deal and makes shocking discoveries about friends, loyalty and the high stakes of greed. Then comes a surprise ending.

I’m normally not a fan of high-action movies, but I found myself clenching the armrests of my seat, yelling at the screen. The movie definitely delivered what the trailers teased.

Mariah Whittaker
Staff Writer 

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Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried run from time-keepers in the new film, “In Time.” (Photo special to The Voyager)

A refreshingly talented cast and a thrilling plot you actually haven’t seen before are the main reasons to go see “In Time.”

The action-packed film stars young and familiar faces Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy. It was written, directed and produced by Andrew Niccol, the mastermind behind movies like “The Truman Show,” “Lord of War” and “Gattaca.”

In this futuristic plot, time is the new currency. A person is genetically built to live only to age 25. After that, a bright green clock begins ticking down in the skin of one’s wrist and survival is dependent upon how much time he or she can afford to buy. The rich live forever, and the poor die young.

The movie begins by following Will Salas (Timberlake), on his typical day at work in the ghetto of a town named Dayton. After a tiring day, he and a friend go to a local bar, where rich man Henry Hamilton is introduced.

The neon numbers ticking on Hamilton’s arm read over a century of remaining life.

When minutemen, the Mafia of this time-dominated future, attempt to steal Hamilton’s time, Salas intervenes. After Salas takes him into hiding, Hamilton feels indebted to him. While Salas was asleep, Hamilton gave him the rest of his time.

Until this point in the movie, the plot was interesting, but slightly weak and predictable. Anyone could have guessed what Hamilton was going to do. From that point forward, however, the film took a sharp turn for the better.

Salas uses his newly gained time to buy his way through time zones, designated towns and cities numbered by financial status. After reaching New Grenich, the city at the top of the food chain, Salas enjoys the luxury of his riches and falls in love with Sylvia Weis (Seyfried), the daughter of the richest man in the city.

In several humorous and action-packed stunts of carelessness and bravery, Salas and Weis struggle to reach their goal of spreading the time to the poor while running from time-keepers, a police force led by Detective Raymond Leon (Murphy). Their mission echoes an admirable mindset of equality. In Salas’ words, “No one should be immortal.”

Although there are some cheesy love scenes, luckily they don’t last long. They actually provide a balance between the action and the humor of the film.

In a thunderous sequence of high-speed chases, laugh-out-loud drama and edge-of-your-seat action, “In Time” makes the perfect drug for any adrenaline addict. Timberlake and Seyfried are a winning team. Their acting abilities shine in this film so much that when you are leaving the theater, you may be tempted to look for a green, ticking clock in the skin of your wrist.

Nicole Yeakos
Staff Writer 

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“Paranormal Activity 3” is a prequel with nothing to offer but the early history of the sisters from the first two movies of the franchise.

In our look at the young lives of Katie and Kristi back in 1988, the going is slow at first.

We are introduced to Dennis, their stepfather, and Julie, their mother in a documentary-style attributed to Dennis’ profession as a wedding videographer.

Katie is played by Chloe Csengery, Kristi by Jessica Tyler Brown, their mother by Lauren Bittner and their stepfather by Christopher Smith.

As the first person to notice strange noises in the house, Dennis sets up one video camera in his bedroom and one in the girls’ shared bedroom. He even creates a device he creates from a small fan to allow a third camera to pan between the living room and kitchen, all to document any strange activity.

The video camera that moves is a nice touch, adding more suspense to the film because the audience has to devote more time to looking for abnormal activity in each room as the camera switches views.

Then Toby, Kristi’s “imaginary friend,” is introduced, and it becomes apparent that he is the source of the paranormal activity. Dennis pushes Kristi to talk about the secrets that Toby makes her keep in a strange manner. Predictably, Julie brushes off her daughter’s imaginary friend as a childhood stage.

The entire movie depends on the suspense of what will happen at night with the camera on, and  what does happen will make you jump at least once when a lamp breaks or a figure appears in a corner. Other than that, however, the movie is predictable.

Each scene sets up the next paranormal event, and toward the end of the movie, the paranormal activity becomes more violent, as expected, and the entity gets more physical with inanimate objects, such as furniture, than in the first two films.

The visuals are consistent with the other two movies, but strange sounds are used more often in this movie to play on the audience’s sense of hearing.

Besides the small use of comedic relief in “Paranormal Activity 3,” it is what you can expect from TV trailers and the previous two films in the series directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.

The fact that the audience knows the sisters will survive the situation does not add to the must-see aspect of this film.

On the other hand, the end of the movie does make way for what could be another prequel, but this extended documentary-style series can only keep viewers’ attention so long.

Jade Hoy
Staff Writer 

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“Our Idiot Brother” is a Paul Rudd movie.

In fact, it’s a distinctly Paul Rudd movie, complete with one dimensional characters, recycled jokes and a plot as unbelievable as it is predictable.

Rudd plays the perennially upbeat and fool-hearted Ned who, at the film’s opening, is “entrapped” into selling marijuana to a uniformed police officer.

After a brief stint in prison, Ned is released early for good behavior, and the film’s story begins.

Having fallen out of favor with his girlfriend, Ned is forced to bounce from one sister’s couch to the next as his painfully good natured outlook causes problems for all.

Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel play Ned’s three sisters. Rashida Jones, Adam Scott and Steve Coogan round out what really is a great cast.

Sadly, the writing leaves most of them little to work with.

The movie does not fail entirely as a comedy though, as there are some original laughs to be had, mostly in the form of situational humor. Rudd’s performance, though, is one we have seen before, as he plays a bumbling version of what his film career would lead the audience to believe is his actual personality.

Ned is Rudd’s go-to character, an average, lovable guy who unwittingly messes up some facet of his life, multiplied ten fold. Perhaps it’s just the hair and beard, but he seems to be reaching for Jeff Bridge’s “The Dude” Lebowski despite lacking the acting chops to be convincing.

Odds are, the movie will do well at the box office with the young male demographic, as Zooey Deschanel and Rashida Jones share a make out scene.

Like much of the rest of the movie, however, the scene lacks any real substance beyond the surface.

It’s there for a cheap thrill, without any of the taboo-breaking quality of, say, the Britney and Madonna kiss at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

If you’re a fan of Paul Rudd, there’s no harm in seeing this movie. He is its star and the whole film is catered to making him look good.

You’ll laugh but not too hard and not at anything you already haven’t laughed at before.

Will Isern
Staff Writer

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