Dr. Strangelove Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

There’s nothing funny about nuclear war. Unless you’re Stanley Kubrick, Peter Sellers, and George C. Scott and then, okay, it’s hysterical. Director Stanley Kubrick opts this time for a darkly satirical and often menacing film about American politics and what happens when the wrong orders are put out that will eventually bring the world to its knees. When America’s officials retreat to “The War Room” to sort out this nagging problem, Buck Turgidson and President Merkin Muffley attempt to find a course of action that will please all parties.

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Carrie (2013)

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

If there’s anything I can say about the remake of “Carrie” is that it’s at least better than the 2002 version. It’s more focused and sleeker. I remember reading on many articles that director Kimberly Pierce was planning to deliver a new and dynamic version of Stephen King’s “Carrie” that differed greatly from Brian DePalma’s iconic horror masterpiece. I’d love to know what happened during the entire development of this film because watching it, all I saw were callbacks to the original DePalma movie. Surely, there’s the addition of the internet and a small riff on cyber bullying but it’s really just a riff on DePalma’s film.

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Harvey (1950)

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“Harvey” is another one of those non-conformists dramedies that asks what the harms is in being a little different. In a time where normality and conservative thinking were a standard, and psychology was still a new aspect of society, “Harvey” is yet another wonderful tale about a unique individual who changes the lives of everyone around him. That’s all thanks to the small ounce of magic he brings to people that have convinced themselves they’re normal, but really aren’t. While “Harvey” fancies itself as a dramedy, it’s first and foremost a light hearted romp through fantasy and imagination, and will often inspire raucous laughter from viewers.

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Hot Times at Montclair High (1989)

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

If you’re going to try and mimic one of the most successful teen comedies of the eighties, at least have the budget to back it up. “Hot Times at Montclair High” is one of the lamest rip off of “Fast Times” I’ve ever seen. It’s one of those films that takes every chance to copy from the previous film, except it fails to deliver what made the film such a success. Like great writing, engaging characters, comedy, and a truly interesting series of narratives and sub-plots.

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Lone Survivor (2013)

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Director Peter Berg is really a fan of his ‘rah rah America’ films. Whether it’s about football, alien spaceships taking on American military, or accounts of an actual military operation, he’s a man who loves his patriotic dramas. It’s not to discount that what happened in “Lone Survivor” was without its heroism, but “Lone Survivor” is in the end a mediocre military drama and just a sub-par human drama, that fails to focus on the human aspect of its story. I’m not opposed to films about patriotism or celebrating the armed forced, but the soldiers at the core of the dilemma that ensues lack that humanistic aspect that could inspire us to really root or empathize with them.

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On Bullying and the “Epidemic”

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

If you think the issue of bullying in America has been widely overblown, then you’ve never been bullied properly. I don’t mean mocked for having weird hair or glasses, I mean viciously bullied. Violently bullied. I spent three years of my life being bullied and humiliated relentlessly to the point where I swore to bring a knife in to my school. More on that later. Not everyone is lucky enough to have parents who’ll talk them down for a few hours. But then often times, kids do have wonderful parents that can’t hope to understand what they’re enduring, and the violence occurs in the same frequency.

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Nightbreed (1990): The Director’s Cut [Blu-ray/DVD]

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Thanks to the advent of home entertainment and a wonderful company like Scream Factory, director Clive Barker is finally able to realize his original vision for the cult horror film “Nightbreed.” While the film itself has gained momentum and respect over the years as a dark and morbid tale of monsters from the underworld facing human cruelty, Barker’s experience making the movie was a bitter one he often recollected with anger and sadness. With his Director’s Cut, he’s not only able to salvage old footage that he was forced to edit out of his narrative, but he re-structures “Nightbreed” in to practically an entirely new movie. One that’s better than the original cut.

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