40. The Cabin in the Woods
M.K.: Lots of smart people seemed to enjoy this gleeful horror send-up. Smart people have even written smart essays on the film's critique of capitalist rationality, which is a point in its favor. It's doubtful, for instance, that you could gin up a debate between revolutionary Marxists and Commentary magazine on the subject of The Vow. Even if you did, I'm pretty sure nobody would mention Schumpeter.
But without giving away spoilers, engaging the debate over Use versus Exchange Value, or deploying the concept of Rechenhaftigkeit (whoops! too late!), I will say that Joss Whedon's romantic nihilism rubbed me wrong in all sorts of ways. The opening half of the film toggles between deft parody and mysterious riddle; the back half is pure droning agony. Fun, maybe, for horror aficianados, CGI engineers, and Whedon fanboys, but that's about it.
K.H.: I didn't see this, but Fran Kranz was in my college Italian class.
M.K.: Where did you go to school, again?
M.K.: Lots of smart people seemed to enjoy this gleeful horror send-up. Smart people have even written smart essays on the film's critique of capitalist rationality, which is a point in its favor. It's doubtful, for instance, that you could gin up a debate between revolutionary Marxists and Commentary magazine on the subject of The Vow. Even if you did, I'm pretty sure nobody would mention Schumpeter.
But without giving away spoilers, engaging the debate over Use versus Exchange Value, or deploying the concept of Rechenhaftigkeit (whoops! too late!), I will say that Joss Whedon's romantic nihilism rubbed me wrong in all sorts of ways. The opening half of the film toggles between deft parody and mysterious riddle; the back half is pure droning agony. Fun, maybe, for horror aficianados, CGI engineers, and Whedon fanboys, but that's about it.
K.H.: I didn't see this, but Fran Kranz was in my college Italian class.
M.K.: Where did you go to school, again?