I want to tell you why you should run out and see “The Cabin in the Woods.” I just can’t without giving away its secrets. Don’t worry. What follows is vague, spoiler-free praise.

“The Cabin in the Woods” delightfully hacks and slashes through all the pathetic horror movie clichés that have ruined the genre in recent years. If anyone bothers to make a “traditional” horror movie again, good luck to them. “The Cabin in the Woods” will hopefully act as a restart button for the genre, challenging filmmakers to do better and audiences to expect more. (more…)

Podcasts were a big thing several years ago, so naturally we are just getting into the phenomenon.

Here is the very first edition of the Normdog Podcast. It’s shorter than the one’s you’ll hear in the future. Really, I was just testing the audio quality– it’s predictably terrible.

Each topic will cover a specific topic in the world of entertainment – a recent movie, an older one, maybe a television show, book or general trend we’ve noticed. I’ll be joined by a rotating guest each week, just to keep things somewhat fresh.

We could easily do a video podcast, which I hear is more in fashion these days. I don’t like shaving or wearing nice clothes, so we will keep it audio for now.

Here it is!

Normdog Podcast 1 – Click to Download!

There may not be a movie as depressing as “Melancholia,” a fitting title for a good movie you’re probably better off not seeing.

It takes an intimate look at the end of the world, focusing on the emotional state of two sisters rather than the destruction of national landmarks. There are no sensational news reports, few CGI effects, and not a single kid fretting over the nighttime use of Pull-Ups (I’m looking at you, John Cusack’s daughter in “2012”).

“Melancholia,” directed by the controversial filmmaker Lars von Trier (“Dogville,” “Antichrist”), is more about the state of melancholia rather than a giant gaseous planet on a collision course with Earth (also called Melancholia). It’s available now on home video and is streaming on Netflix Instant starting April 13.

The movie is separated into two parts, the first focusing on the lavish wedding of Justine (Kirsten Dunst). She’s trying her best to be happy, but the combination of feuding parents, unrelenting bosses and her own emotional instability results in a miserable evening that serves as the catalyst for Justine’s pending mental illness. (more…)

The fourth installment in the “American Pie” franchise (eight if you count four straight-to-DVD titles) is predictably one-fourth as funny as the original film.

“American Reunion” brings the horny cast together this time for their 13^th-high school reunion. That’s not a real thing, of course, but never mind. We’ve got numerous raunchy sex jokes and just under two hours to get through them all.

The appeal of the series (the theatrical releases anyway) boils down to a few engaging characters. Hapless Jim (Jason Biggs) still gets himself in embarrassing sex predicaments (sexdicaments?), almost none of them very funny, but you have to appreciate how Biggs will do literally anything to top his previous “achievements.” (more…)