The Cabin in the Woods (2012) *****

What happens when you bring Joss Whedon (“Firefly”) and Drew Goddard ("Cloverfield") together? Same thing that happens when you play a tape recording of an old, Sumerian incantation (see “The Evil Dead”). You get something scary, funny, and absolutely amazing. Goddard is mainly known as a writer, with credits including the excellent monster flick “Cloverfield” and the outstanding "Bad Times at the El Royale." He knew Joss Whedon from writing episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Whedon, of course, needs no introduction. The two joined up to write what they hoped would be both a celebration and a critique of the horror genre.

I've been debating how much to say about the plot, without ruining the zany surprises. Basically, five friends head out to, you guessed it, a cabin in the woods, for a fun weekend. It doesn't turn out to be much fun. Let's just say they unleash horrible forces that will be familiar to horror fans. Meanwhile, one of the friends, despite constantly smoking weed, starts to realize that outside forces are influencing events.

And that's all I'll say. The surprises in this film are too delicious to ruin with anything as quotidian as a plot summary. From the very first scene, this movie will have you scratching your head, and it's best to go in knowing as little as possible. Even as confused as I was in the early scenes, it quickly became apparent that Cabin is way more intelligent than the standard horror film.

For horror fans, half the fun will be picking up on all the classic horror films referenced in the movie. The story most closely resembles Sam Raimi's 1981 classic “The Evil Dead,” but Cabin is littered with Easter Eggs from other films.

For non-horror fans who can deal with the gore in this movie, the payoff is a wickedly-funny critique of the horror genre and the audiences who lap it up. Cabin owes a debt in that regard to "Scream," another horror-comedy that deconstructs horror tropes. The background story of Cabin, however, is quite original. It invites us to examine ourselves to understand why horror films always seem to feature certain themes. Sex and nudity, of course, never go out of style. As one character laments, “Your basic, human needs disgust me!” A bigger question, though, is why we get so much satisfaction from watching young people suffer and die. As Drew Goddard opined in an interview, "Why do we feel this need to marginalize youth on screen? Why do we feel this need to idealize youth, and then slaughter them?" Another question is, why do so many horror films make a point of featuring a “Whore” and a “Virgin?” The Whore is a sexually-active, young woman, who usually is the first to die. The Virgin has to suffer tremendous horrors, but because she doesn't have sex, she may survive them. What's the lesson there? What underlying cultural values does that speak to?

Our art teaches us, and it also reflects us. Art can open our eyes, make us think, and teach us empathy. When it gets lazy, however, art may simply allow us to wallow in age-old prejudices and screwed-up double standards that we don't even realize we have. This is why art criticism is as important as art itself. “The Cabin in the Woods” works as both art and criticism, which is why it's a modern classic.

5 stars out of 5

Booksmart (2019) ***

In Olivia Wilde's directing debut, Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein play high-achieving BFFs on the last day of school. Having spent their school years buckled down, working hard, and notching academic achievements, they are smug in the knowledge that their hard work will put them miles ahead of their jock/stoner classmates in the game of life. They are stunned to discover that many of those slackers are also getting into Ivy League schools. Feeling like they may have done high school all wrong, the friends have a wild night trying to get to a graduation party that they view as their last chance to party. The adventure opens them up to new experiences, while testing their friendship.

If you feel like this sounds a lot like the 2007 movie "Superbad," you aren't alone. In interviews, Olivia Wilde has made known her displeasure at the frequent comparisons, blaming them on gender bias. The problem is, “Booksmart” pretty much IS a female version of “Superbad.” You would have to be blind to miss the similarities, and to top it off, Beanie Feldstein is actually the sister of “Superbad” star Jonah Hill. After watching “Booksmart,” I actually assumed that Wilde had intentionally done an adaptation of “Superbad,” so I was nonplussed to find her bitching and moaning about critics making the comparison.

The biggest difference between the two movies is that “Superbad” has an infinitely better supporting cast. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera get huge assists from Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fogell), Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Emma Stone, and Joe Lo Truglio, and even the actors with small parts knock it out of the park. (Remember the liquor store clerk, or the crazy fight guys at that one party?) “Booksmart” has an undistinguished supporting cast, and has to rely entirely on the charms of Dever and Feldstein.

So, “Booksmart” is pretty much a low-rent, female version of “Superbad.” I feel that justice demands making this completely clear, what with Olivia Wilde out there whining about gender bias. Is it any good? Fortunately, yes! Dever and Feldstein are hilarious together, and the movie is a fun, raunchy comedy. It's not a classic like “Superbad,” but you could do a lot worse. I suggest you take a break from studying, and check it out!

3 stars out of 5