At three minutes in length there isn’t a ton of set up to “ATM” but it does have the particular feeling of a creepy past or SCP. The idea of a sentient ATM feels like something out of a dream but becomes a nightmare for a poor man one day. Director Ooullo’s experimental animated film is a mix of stop motion, absurdist humor and live action to form a tale about experiencing our wildest dreams and the whole idea of the sword of Damocles.
Author Archives: Felix Vasquez
Imaginary (2024)
Take a bit of “Insidious,” a dash of “Annabelle Comes Home” with a heaping spoonful of “Pinocchio’s Revenge” and you get what is another dull genre installment from Blumhouse Pictures. Once the beaming genre studio, Blumhouse seems to be contractually obligated to release at least two horror movies a year, no matter what, and “Imaginary” feels like more of an obligation than anything. It’s a convoluted, and often dull movie that seems to really want to be a cerebral tale about PTSD and mental illness.
But mid-way you can sense the producers intervene when the narrative suddenly veers off in to a more commercial dark pseudo-Gaiman horror fantasy involving magical beings, and a weird dimension for imaginary creatures.
El Halcón (2023) [Cinequest 2024]
I appreciate what director Arlene Torres was going for with “El Halcón,” but her short drama is something I just couldn’t click in to. While there’s a lot of interesting potential in stories revolving around Latinos in lower class Los Angeles, “El Halcón” is tough to watch mainly because it’s so centered on trite story beats and over schmaltzy melodrama. I could never really empathize with or connect with any of the characters, as everything in “El Halcón” felt so disingenuous and forced. Everyone feels over rehearsed or struggling to build this friction that could enhance the narrative’s whole sense of tragedy.
Bunny to the Moon (2023) [Cinequest 2024]
The team of Akira Maynard, Sammy Liu, and Justine Fong really do create something so unbelievable and special with “Bunny to the Moon.” It’s a classic tale about friendship, companionship, and the idea of sacrifice and learning to care for oneself before caring for others. Although the “Bunny to the Moon” does suffer from a run time that could have used at least ten more minutes, the short is beautifully animated and feels so much like a callback to films like “E.T.” or “My Neighbor Totoro.”
Ricky Stanicky (2024)
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Peter Farrelly’s latest comedy has multiple screenwriters to its credits, and boy, it watches like it. “Ricky Stanicky” starts out as a silly comedy that snowballs in to a painfully unfunny, overlong, and confused mess that is only saved by John Cena. Even though Cena isn’t funny either, he at least looks half awake most of the time as folks like Zac Efron and William H. Macy basically phone in this mess of a movie. There are so many sub-plots and comedic bits that are abandoned mid-way during the movie where it felt like the writers were trying to squeeze out as much from this goofy one note premise as possible.
Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Haredevil Hare (1948)
Haredevil Hare (1948)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Michael Maltese
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Ben Washam
I freely admit that I have never been a fan of Marvin the Martian.
Yes, Yes, I know He’s one of the few ancillary characters from the Looney Tunes stable who’s managed to carve out his own niche. Back in the nineties he had his merchandise, and kitschy clothes and managed to set himself apart from Bugs to become his own character and he’s only appeared in five shorts, total! Just five. The thing I remember most about Marvin was that my cousin had this obnoxious alarm clock that he played over and over, first for our amusement and then just to get on our nerves. All in good fun, though. In either case, Marvin had his own corner of the universe with others like Michigan J. Frog and Tazmanian Devil, even appearing in many of the movies.
Dune (2021)
Frank Herbert’s lengthy scifi trilogy are a series of books that Hollywood has tried again and again to conquer since their initial release. From Alejandro Jodorowsky’s mythical attempts, to David Lynch’s less than stellar effort, and so on, “Dune” is that one series of books Hollywood has been aching to grab some money off of. For Denis Villeneuve, he’s the perfect director to film such an elaborate, complex, and exhaustive science fiction story. “Dune” never quite turns out as great as it has every bit of potential to, but it’s saved primarily thanks to the stellar performances from an all star case and Villeneuve’s remarkable direction.