The premise is simple enough: Five friends- Goody two shoes Dana(Kristen Connelly), buff jock Curt(Chris Hemsworth), his girlfriend Jules(Anna Hutchison), shy nerd Holden(Jesse Williams), and dazed and confused Marty(Fran Kranz)- take a weekend trek to a secluded cabin in the middle of the woods with no cell phone reception. See if you can guess where this is heading.

Unsurprisingly, they start getting picked off one by one. Who and why, however, is the well-kept secret that is no doubt responsible for “Cabin’s” ticket sales. Much like Goddard’s previous work, “Cloverfield”, the cards are played close to the chest until the final reveal, capped off by a certain cameo I won’t spoil.

What makes “The Cabin in the Woods” such an enjoyable film is its’ ability to appeal to everyone. Horror buffs will be sent howling at the film’s stabs at those horror clichés they’ve come to know and hate. Film fans in general will get behind the clever premise and likable characters to root for. And by the time the final act rolls around- well, let’s just say when all hell does break loose, nothing is left unexploited.

Whether you’re a die hard fan of the genre or just a fan of films in general, “The Cabin in the Woods” is by far one of the most creative and flat-out fun films you’ll see this year.

DISCLAIMER: “The Cabin in the Woods” is rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug content and sexuality/nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.

Out lashes of The LRA originated a “Holy Spirit Movement”, and “Uganda’s people Democratic army” in 1987 with goals that Uganda becomes a Christian nation, or Theocracy; in which policies would be governed by “immediate divine guidance”, or by those regarded as “divinely guided”.

“The spokesperson of God”, is what Joseph Kony, head of The LRA, proclaims himself as. The LRA uses guerilla strategy to “purify” the Acholi people.

Guerilla warfare refers to military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids and other unrestrained hostilities, all depending on local support. First Kony gained public support but soon turned on locals once in favor of The LRA.

He did so by ordering the abduction of children to become child sex slaves and soldiers in his revolt. The LRA has actively terrorized villagers, killing tens of thousands of people, burning down homes and disfiguring faces in Uganda, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Central Africa, and Sudan.

Kony has been inducted for war crimes by The International Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands; but has managed to evade capture.

According to The New York Times article by Josh Kron and J. David Goodman, American efforts to halt The LRA took place during the Bush Administration in 2009 when he “authorized The Pentagon to send 17 counter-terrorism advisers to train Ugandan troops, and provided millions of dollars worth of aid, including fuel trucks, satellite phones and night vision goggles to the Ugandan army.”Kony 2012

In 2008 Obama ordered 100 armed-military advisers’ deployment to Central Africa to assist in combat against the LRA.

Invisible Children, a non-profit organization, has been actively exposing the LRA’s work since 2003, when filmmakers Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole documented the conflict in Northern Uganda.

Invisible Children has become a widely known group, avid in schools and cities around the world, initiating the aid of Ugandan children in need.

On March 5, Russell posted “KONY 2012”, a 30-minute documentary on the rebels that attracted over 50 million viewers, and generated hundreds of thousands of proceeds the first day, according The New York Times.

The video rapidly spread across Facebook, Vimeo, and other social networking sites, in hopes that “making Kony infamous would only be a click away,” said David Mckenzie, CNN.

Concerns have risen depicting Invisible Children’s spending of funds behind scenes. “Invisible Children spends and brings in millions each year dedicated to officer salaries, film-making costs and travel. As opposed to on the ground programs to help rebuild the lives of traumatized people,” said Mckenzie.

Senior Trang Ly, Borah’s Invisible Children Club President said that Ugandan Government can’t be trusted while war is waging. “The money Invisible Children earns from selling merchandise and collecting donations goes directly to children, and transportation needs to bring about awareness.”

Others have questioned Russell’s accuracy. Although he managed to spread alert of Kony and the LRA in a matter of days, the video fails to mention human rights abuses by The Ugandan military, the degeneration of Kony’s army, and only briefly mentions the LRA’s depart from Uganda years ago.

According to Mckenzie, Russell said he’s far from finished. “We are ready to make this bigger,” he said. Therefore ‘Cover the Night’ will take place in cities around the world April 20, to envelop cities with Invisible Children posters in order to make Kony ‘famous’.

This year, students have another option rather than attending the traditional Borah prom. Diversity Prom, as it has been dubbed, was designed specifically for those students who believe they wouldn’t have a good time at a traditional high school prom.

“Diversity Prom was dreamed up to give the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community a dance of their own where they don’t have to feel discriminated against,” senior Amanda Kent explained. Although the dance caters to the LGBT community, straight allies are always welcome as well, she said.

Senior Marisol Cervantes explained that the Gay-Straight Alliances from all the Boise schools as well as a few from Meridian are organizing Diversity Prom, so the dance won’t be just people from Borah, but from Boise and Meridian schools. As Borah’s Gay Straight Alliance president, Cervantes said she hopes Diversity Prom will build bridges between the schools as well as be a fun alternative.

Cervantes said, “It’s a night where no judgements will be made. No one cares who you come with, what you’re wearing, or the way you dance. Odds are you won’t know half the people there, so that’s just one more reason to be yourself.”

As a joint effort, the planning committee meets every Sunday and works to meet the expectations they’ve set for themselves. Naturally, Diversity Prom would have to live up to traditional Prom, but Cervantes and Kent say they’re doing their best to put a unique twist on the event.

“The theme this year is Black and White Ball. We decided something traditional would be easier to tweak to fit our event,” senior Korey Combs said. The planning committee is going shopping soon to start creating the decorations for Diversity Prom.

Cervantes, planning on attending Diversity Prom with her girlfriend, encouraged everyone who doesn’t want to go to the traditional prom to at least consider Diversity Prom as an alternative. “It doesn’t matter if you come alone or in a group. Everyone else will be there for a good time, so why shouldn’t you go?”

“Unfortunately, the only night we could reserve the Hatch Ballroom is May 5th, the same night as Borah’s prom,” Kent said. “So there is a choice to be made–but whether you go to Borah Prom or Diversity Prom, as long as you go you’ll have a good time.”

“The Hunger Games”  made $150 million in the single weekend following its premiere, according to data from the-numbers.com. By comparison, “Twilight,” often considered the rival of “The Hunger Games,” made almost $80 million in its premiere weekend.  Even “Avatar,” the most profitable movie in history, which grossed over $2.7 billion worldwide, made almost $80 million in its first weekend as well.

Ultimately, because of its appeal to several kinds of audiences, “The Hunger Games” was able to rake in more money than most movies on its premiere weekend.  “It had a combination of both romance and thrilling scenes,” explained senior Carrie Ramos, who attended the midnight release of the movie.

“It appealed to a wider audience,” senior Kyle Hines agreed.

Much of the movie’s success can be  attributed to its highly successful midnight premiere.  In only one night, “The Hunger Games” took in almost $70 million.

“There was a lot of hype leading up to it,” sophomore Kayla Miskiv commented.  “And it didn’t seem too crazy.”

“It’s strangers coming together with a common interest to form a sort of weird family,” Ramos said, defining the essence of the premiere.  “Everyone talks together, and we all get really excited.”

During such a premiere, Ramos has a few rituals that she must perform.  “The theater is always really hot, so I take off my shoes, put them in my bag, and after the movie, I run around barefoot.”  Due to a combination of heat, excitement and utter exhaustion, Ramos decided to take the next day of school off.  “I think I really decided not to go to school after face planting into my TV,” she shrugged.

“Now that Harry Potter is over and Twilight is coming to an end, this is the new big thing for people to freak out about,” explained Miskiv.

Hines was wary of the film because of its basing on a novel.  “Movies from books tend to take a nosedive,” he laughed.  “I’ll just go when it’s in a cheaper theater.”

Despite its forthcoming, both Ramos and Miskiv felt that the movie was an accurate portrayal of Suzanne Collins’ novel.  “Hollywood didn’t violate it,” held Ramos, who was glad that Collins had an integral role in the movie’s screenwriting.

“Everything that they changed was done well and for a reason,” explained Miskiv.  She thought that, despite having some plot points changed for the movie, “The Hunger Games” film rendition was just as worthwhile.

In a highly conservative atmosphere, students who affirm their sexual orientation as something other than “straight” can face increased turmoil and strife through a combination of pressures.  Coming out to their friends, peers, and family can be one of the most difficult tasks for LGBT teens, and societal influences can make their lives even more strenuous.  But in the end, self-acceptance and outside support is the key to comfort with one’s identity.

Art teacher and GSA adviser Jen Compton explained that “having enough courage to realize who they are themselves” is one of the most trying task a gay, lesbian, or bisexual teen can overcome.  She said society can instill a sense of “internalized homophobia” in a teen, therefore increasing the difficulty of their maturation.

“The biggest thing they can encounter is emotional struggle from confusion,” senior Jade Lowber assessed.  She explained that it is important for teens with such a struggle to avoid covering up who they are to make others happy.

“They are affirming an identity,” said senior Marisol Cervantes, an openly lesbian leader of Borah’s Gay-Straight Alliance.  “They are contemplating themselves and don’t know how people will react or think of them differently.”

Junior Oscar Sanchez, who told his family he was gay for his boyfriend, explained, “There’s no girl that can make me feel like my boyfriend can.”  He believes that it is important for individuals to not be afraid of who they are.

As for societal pressures, Sanchez found that many people “try to be cool, but express things badly about different sexual orientations.”

“What they don’t understand, they run away from or assault,” Lowber commented.

Compton stressed that the most important thing a teen can do to escape such assaults is to “find an allied organization and educate yourself on what [your newly affirmed identity] means to you.”

Sanchez added, “If your friends don’t accept you, they aren’t real friends.”

Social Worker Becky Woodland found that a teen’s attitude depends on the support they have.  One with little support can become depressed or even suicidal, while a teen involved with a supportive group and a supportive family at home can feel very comfortable with who they are.

“Support is huge at Borah,” Woodland explained.  “We are a little more open minded than other places.”

“People in Borah’s GSA are not judgemental,” explained Sanchez, who suggested that students having trouble feeling accepted can always find companionship in the club.  “They see people as who they are — human beings.”

“With no family support, teens may hide who they are, become depressed, and their mental health will degrade,” Woodland continued.

Sanchez emphasized the need for familial support, and the need for a back up plan if one finds they have a lack of such support.  “You need to cover your bases,” he explained, adding that his uncle was kicked out at the age of 16 because of his sexuality.  “Now we don’t get to see him a lot.”

“Honest communication is always the key to finding support,” Cervantes added.  “The more [your family] knows, the more comfortable they can be.”

With family perceptions come religious perceptions, and gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens that find themselves part of a heavily conservative religious group can face further assault and pressure.

“Religion is supposed to represent compassion and love,” explained Woodland.  “Some think that being gay is fixable, like diabetes.  It’s the way you are born.  You don’t wake up one morning and say you are gay.”

She explained that it is an individual’s right to challenge given beliefs and figure out who he or she is.  Woodland advised that students who find themselves forced to go to a church that they do not believe in or agree with should glean what they can from the teachings, but not feel pressured to believe.  “You can be forced into going to a physical place, but not to an emotional state.”

She concluded, “Whether you are 17 or 4, you deserve to be loved and accepted.”

As a non-profit organization, Invisible Children’s funds and expenditures are available for public scrutiny.  According to California high school journalist Henry Tran’s article, “Kony 2012 campaign, fraud or revolution?”, only 32 percent of the organization’s donations go to Uganda.  Of course, the organization’s staff must be paid and they need to buy equipment, but it seems questionable less than a third of funds go toward their intended purpose.

Some of the remaining 68 percent of the funds help sponsor documentaries and pay the salaries of Invisible Children staff members, but do not go towards the cause in Uganda.   The public can only see a miniscule portion of what this 32 percent–supposedly used to combat Joseph Kony and save the children in Uganda–is used for.  Viewers watch as the Ugandan children are built schools, given school supplies, and rescued from Kony’s child military.

“Awareness is needed to get money for schools, buildings, and to improve student life,” explained Invisible Children club president, Trang Ly, who appreciates the publicity that such videos bring for the evident problems in Uganda.

Unfortunately, most of this 32 percent is given directly to the Ugandan government, which is just as corrupt as Kony, “who are themselves raping and looting away,” according to an article on moneytrendsresearch.com.

In fact, Kony has not been active or even sighted in the past decade.  No one knows exactly where he is or if he is still alive.  He is a problem; there is no doubt about that, but he is, as Tran put it so perfectly, nothing but a thorn in the government’s side.

The truth is, the situation in Uganda is sensationalized.  Children forced into an army and required to kill is, quite frankly, appalling, but also not as prominent as one might think after viewing the Invisible Children movies.

“The videos show the bad instead of the good,” explained Ly.  To get the best public response, documentary filmmakers show the absolute worst situations in the country.  In reality, Kony’s forces amount to about 250 soldiers and have not been active in Uganda since 2006.

In some charities, there is a chance for the misuse of funds, especially if they travel across the globe.  As for the Invisible Children, “They are dealing with another nation, so funds are harder to track,” Ly assessed.

Junior Mikail Gallegos explained that in charities, “Man always takes his cut for himself and his friends, but a portion always gets there.”  The portion for Invisible Children is less than a third of the original donations.

The situation in Uganda is dire, but less consequential than presented.  Children are being ripped from their homes, but not in the large numbers that the Invisible Children documentaries seem to portray.  There does need to be an end to these terrors.  But Invisible Children is not the answer.

If one wants money to go to yet another corrupt army, he or she should definitely donate to the Invisible Children.  But there are other ways of making a difference.

There are other groups with similar goals, but their money goes toward the more meaningful causes of building schools, homes, and improving Ugandan lives.  Money should not be spent, according to Tran, to “give more guns to madmen so they can shoot each other.”

Overall, the Kony 2012 video was an excellent way to gather public support.  Former Borah student, Sarah Davis, commented, “This video did an amazing job of bringing to light an issue that most people really didn’t know very much about.”

But that is the extent of Invisible Children’s helpfulness for the cause in Uganda.  The rest of their donations help fund rapists, looters, murderers, and pay for the board member Russell’s impending legal fees.

Donors need to be smart about the groups to whom they ship their money and research their money’s destination.  If it helps fund military exploitation of citizens and doesn’t do much to help the actual problem, no matter how small or overdone, it is probably not the most intelligent way to spend one’s money.