Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

You have to appreciate the kind of world that “Wreck It Ralph” creates, paying homage to the vintage video games of the gamer culture, and building on that to introduce some very entertaining characters, with some complex issues about self worth, and what defines them. Though very derivative, “Wreck It Ralph” is a fun movie, especially for an ex-gamer like myself, and the director and writers really keep their target audience in view, while also giving some nods to the folks that grew up with the classics, offering endless Easter Eggs that help flesh out this rather unique tale of a bad guy seeking to show that he’s much more than a destructive force.

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Escape From Garden Grove (2014)

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I like how director Mathilde Dratwa’s short tale of coming of age and growing up doesn’t try to be anything but itself. Right until the very end, it’s a cute and very bittersweet tale about accepting adulthood, and the grim realities of being an adult. Sometimes we have to forgive, sometimes we have to forget, and a lot of times running away from problems solves nothing. Martine Moore is adorable as young Sophie, a teenage girl who breaks in to Garden Grove old folks home to break out her grandmother Faye. Faye is a bit eccentric and somewhat odd, but Sophie only feels solace in confiding in her and her alone.

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Hangman (2014)

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Crew B and Freddie Wright’s short film about a seemingly sentient hangman game is probably one of the more creative short horror films I’ve seen in a while. Normally directors are prone to sticking to the classic devices of a Ouija Board or other oddities, but director Wright sticks to an odd game of Hangman to paint the future. And surely enough it becomes a Pandora’s Box that doles out terrible fates.

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Everything I Know about Filmmaking I Learned Watching Seven Samurai [Paperback]

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” is one of the most influential, if not the most influential movies ever made. It’s a masterpiece of epic cinema that not only helped usher in foreign cinema, but also displayed a talent for storytelling that went beyond the reaches of ninety minutes. Kurosawa inspired many American directors, as well as his own contemporaries to try for their own cinematic epics, and to this day, the template for “Seven Samurai” has given influence to the creation of many great films like “Galaxy Quest,” and “The Magnificent Seven.” You can feel author Richard D. Pepperman’s love for Kurosawa’s film pulsating in every page of his book.

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Kill Zombie! (2012) (DVD)

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Eventually the way film culture is progressing, every country, continent, and region in the world will have their own zombie film. The problem is that the great zombie movies are so few and far between that we’re left with a lot of really terrible wastes of potential. “Kill Zombie!” is the perfect example of great potential and no pay off. Granted, the concept is creative, and the surprise ending is ridiculously clever, but the movie is much too tedious and uneventful to really consider the aforementioned elements redeeming factors. “Kill Zombie!” is the Belgium set horror comedy about the zombie apocalypse that channels a lot of its favorite zombie movies.

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The PC Thug: Bidding an Exasperated Goodbye to “Warehouse13”

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“Warehouse 13’ was one of the last science fiction oriented scripted series of the Syfy channel in America, and it’s finished its run. Airing on a network that now only cares about making and saving money at the expense of quality by pushing more unscripted fare, “Warehouse 13” was given an unfair eviction notice; one not deserving of a series so entertaining, rich in character and mythos, and filled with a flawless ensemble cast. “Warehouse 13” was a light hearted mix of “X-Files” with “Friday the 13^th: The Series” and a touch of “Moonlighting” for good measure.

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Sleepaway Camp: Collector’s Edition (1983) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

One of the interesting aspects of “Sleepaway Camp” that’s managed to keep it legendary is that, despite not being a very good horror movie, it garners a shocking surprise ending that no one saw coming. Even during its initial release. Though it’s mostly common knowledge among horror buffs, if you’ve never been aware of the closer to “Sleepaway Camp,” you’re in store for a pretty haunting final scene that will boggle your mind. Despite the low tech approach, it still warrants a gasp from me to this day and is a worthy turn of the screw that earns the entire film a place on any horror fans’ collection. Scream Factory gives the new Collector’s Edition the absolute best treatment possible, and it’s nothing short of an impressive re-release for horror fans both old and new.

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