Back Stage: Reviews of the Good ('The Cabin in the Woods') and the Bad ('Detention')

This week's Screen Grab column at Back Stage surveys eight movies coming out this weekend, and I'm sad to say most of them aren't so hot. Blue Like Jazz, L!fe Happens, The Lady, Lockout (hey, a Luc Besson double feature), Detention ... yeah, there are some duds out there. So why not take a chance on Monsieur Lazhar? Or The Cabin in the Woods? You can read my complete rundown here.

'The Cabin in the Woods' Review

One of the toughest things about writing a review of The Cabin in the Woods is ... writing a review of The Cabin in the Woods. Loathe as I am to reveal plot spoilers, it's pretty darn hard to discuss this horror-comedy without delving into story specifics. (Wired put it best when they called it "The Coolest Movie No One Should Be Talking About.") But I found a way around such problems for my spoiler-free Gawker review. But, seriously: Avoid all trailers and commercials. As DJ Shadow once said, the less you know, the better.