The People Under the Stairs: Collector’s Edition (1991) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I think it’s because of the inherent madness and weirdness of “The People Under the Stairs” that it’s managed to age so much more than previous Wes Craven outings. On the surface it looks like a typical horror movie, but deep down it’s a wacky, darkly comic, and obscenely weird horror movie with some truly great performances. As is the case with most nineties movies it even has a touch of “Home Alone” sprinkled within its “Alice in Wonderland” themed narrative. I’m surprised that I really liked “The People Under the Stairs” since years ago when my dad bought it on VHS back in 1991, I thought it was absolutely terrible. Thankfully the movie has held up a great deal and is one of the most original films in Craven output of very unique horror offerings.

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A Christmas Horror Story [Fantasia Film Festival] (2015)

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Emilie Black

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

In the town of Bailey Downs, strange things are afoot on this Christmas Eve. Surely, it must be the Holiday Spirit, that good feeling most people get around the end of the year making them want to be nice, to be generous, to be… Or maybe it’s something much darker as this eve is bloody and filled with mayhem of all kinds, something akin to what one would expect on Krampusnacht.

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Hot Pursuit (2015) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD]

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“Hot Pursuit” is another in a long line of half baked festering “Midnight Run” wannabes where our two cast members fail to live up to any expectations of chemistry we might have. For all their talents, Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara can’t muster any kind of friction or tension between them. Instead they come off as bickering harpies that fail to do anything but annoy. And “Hot Pursuit” tries harder than anything to create some memorable laughs, and barely comes up with a chortle in the duration of its goofy ridiculous narrative.

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Fantastic Four (2015)

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I’m not one of the people who were hoping for “Fantastic Four” to be a bad movie, but I’m not surprised it’s a bad movie. FOX has proven to be so embarrassed by Marvel’s original property, that I’m actually surprised “Fantastic Four” isn’t simply called “The Four.” It takes all opportunities to rework the source material, so who’s to say this wasn’t suggested at some point? When you fail to properly adapt source material (that I still say is impossible to adapt in to a good film), you can’t really be surprised when too many cooks feed us “Fantastic Four.” It goes without saying that “Fantastic Four” is a lousy movie. It’s a movie about four people whose worst enemies are themselves, and face off against a foe that looks like HR Giger’s version of OZ’s the Tin Man.

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Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Sue me but it’s pretty cool to be seeing a Hispanic man playing Superman for once; if only for one time in an Elseworlds tale. “Gods and Monsters” is set in an alternate DC Universe that has its own Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, and damn it they’re not the clean cut superheroes and titans we know them as. Imagine an alternate fate for the trio of titans. What if Zod programmed his DNA in to Superman and Superman was taken in by a Mexican farming couple rather than Kansas farmers. Imagine if Wonder Woman was from the new gods, and Batman was actually a bat like man who sucked people’s blood.

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Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon (1985)

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

It’s hard to express why I love Berry Gordy’s “The Last Dragon” so much. I have loved it for years ever since I was a small child and used to watch it religiously on network television every time it came on. Perhaps it’s the minority hero, perhaps it’s the Bruce Lee idolatry, who the hell knows? With “The Last Dragon” I stopped asking why I loved it a long time ago and just embraced it as one of my all time favorite action films. Yes, I said it’s one of my all time favorite action films. It’s not just a film but it’s an experience to boot. Taimak’s performance as Bruce Leroy is just so genuine and fun it’s hard to really rag on his presence here.

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Into the Grizzly Maze (2015) (DVD)

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

It’s a shame that “Into the Grizzly Maze” didn’t get a wider release, because while the cast is strong, director David Hackl delivers a very strong survival thriller. I’m not going to claim it a masterpiece, but for what it promises, it’s a damn solid action adventure that’s set against the backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness. Much like “The Edge,” it’s mainly a movie about men confronting their personal demons while battling a giant ferocious and cunning bear that has decided it’s had enough with humanity. After illegally poaching a bunch of bears, a rogue bear has decided to strike down any and all intruders, and begins slaughtering conniving hunters and officers alike.

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