Author: James Harleman
Taking the familiar backdrop of the ALIEN universe he helped create in 1979 and the themes of creature confronting creator in Blade Runner, director Ridley Scott stylishly revisits these basic human questions in the gripping film Prometheus. In our last post,…
What do YOU fear? 33 years ago, ALIEN brought about an incredible combination of science fiction and horror that burned through multiple decks of our psyche and ultimately hatched a franchise and phenomenon that stands…
As we’re preparing a book based on the theory, application, challenges and practice of what we do here with Cinemagogue (hoping to inspire more replication, transformation, edification and even evangelism) I tried to choose some…
“There’s something wrong with Andrew.” Chronicle (now available on Blu-Ray and DVD) takes the best of found footage films like Cloverfield, the original heart of the quality-sagging series Heroes, and gives us a more intimate look…
Muppets’ creator Jim Henson passed away on May 15, 1990 but his legacy lives on. I think a lot of people were initially skeptical when The Muppets trailer debuted, uncertain if the franchise could –…
“I’ve got red in my ledger; I’d like to wipe it out.” We can’t call our musing about The Avengers‘ narrative themes “fully assembled” without addressing the most obvious line stated by Natasha Romanoff, admitting…
A friend of mine challenged my assertion that Loki was the best of the Marvel movie villains. As we debated (imagine the verbal equivalent of hammers, shields, and repulsor rays) it became clear he thought…
Were we made to be ruled? In our last post, we looked at Loki’s challenging assertion in The Avengers film: the idea that we were born to kneel, that we crave subjugation, and that we…
“Kneel before me. I said… KNEEL! Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.” – Loki
Were we made to kneel?
Let’s examine this, shall we? It’s not a particularly American sentiment, certainly. Even Optimus Prime would argue that “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings”. We don’t generally think of bowing to an Emperor or pledging our subservience to be in line with freedom (whereas other cultures have and do). Our first response to Loki’s statement is one that looks less like bended knee and more like a particularly raised finger. I suspect there will be rowdy cries of “hell, no!” in the theaters in response to Loki’s assertion.
The problem is, there’s truth in his words…
“KNEEL!” “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation… You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.” While…
While it’s not my favorite Marvel movie, I believe it’s the best-made of the Marvel movies thus far (we’ll see what Avengers does this Friday). From pacing to editing, story to cinematography, Captain America capitalizes…
The Cabin in the Woods takes a step back from the stereotypical horror movie to look at those who watch this classic, recycling narrative, this movie’s meta-commentary provides unique insights and conversation starters on why WE culturally create and watch scary movies, what it appeals to or appeases within us (and others) and what part “sacrifice” plays in dealing with humanity and atoning for our corporate transgression.
Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly/Serenity and other endeavors involving Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon are sure to be pleased by this film, and I think it deserves three stars. Its content, however, is not for everyone.
The video review dances around the details and avoids the big spoilers: we’ll follow up with a spoiler-laden, written review later this week for those who want to go deeper. For more on why we engage scary movies and the horror movie in general, read this post.
Watch the review of The Cabin in the Woods on Youtube or on Cinemagogue here…