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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Big Hero 6 (2014)

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I really enjoy it when Disney tends to think outside the box in the realm of a certain genre. While “Big Hero 6” is definitely a Marvel and superhero movie, it’s also a really bold and off the wall tale about revenge, family, and the very thin line between justice and pure evil. “Big Hero 6” is an underrated feature from the Marvel canon that I really hope garners a sequel because the material here is just too ripe for a one and done feature film. The characters are just too damn interesting and by the time the film was done I wanted more from this rag tag group of geniuses. And that’s what I also enjoyed about “Big Hero 6” is that our heroes have a clear moral code they operate by and they do it with their brains.

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Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection “F” (2015)

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“Dragon Ball Z” is back and it’s about as niche as ever! Which is to say that only hardcore fans of the series will love with “Resurrection ‘F’” has to offer them; everyone else will likely just appreciate the animation. It’s a truncated and very fast paced feature length film and one that I quite enjoyed. While I’ve always been hard on the series over the years, “Resurrection ‘F’” was a slimmed down and very breezy action film that reminded me why I was a fan such a long time ago. It also has a really good sense of humor about itself with folks like Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan settled in their domesticated roles, forced in to combat with a superior foe.

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Big Match (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

Director Choi Ho’s “Big Match” is probably one of my favorite action movies of the year. It’s a wonderful amalgam of action, comedy, and thrills acting on a fast pace with a multi layered story of a man running against the clock. Choi Ik-ho is a man kicked out of professional soccer for rough housing and enters in to MMA to get his aggression out. With the help of his big brother Young-ho, Choi Ik-ho has become one of the greatest fighters of modern times. He’s kept under tight supervision by his big brother, a retired MMA fighter. But when he suddenly disappears, Ik-ho is suspect number one. Young-ho is suspected of being murdered, and Ik-ho is arrested.

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Pixels (2015)

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“Pixels” was a creative and eerie short film that took the concept of video games and turned them in to actual threats on reality. In the proper hands, the adaptation could have been “Scott Pilgrim” meets “Ghostbusters” with a hint of “Attack the Block.” Sure it’d have been silly, but it also could have been a lot of fun. Perhaps even a classic. The first thing to remember is that “Pixels” is an Adam Sandler movie first and foremost, so the viewer has to wade through a ton of Sandler nonsense to get to the actual point of the narrative. Sandler is a man child, as always, who attracts the attention of a beautiful woman out of his league and has a connection to children. He hangs out with his childhood friend who also happens to be the president of the united states. A lot of the juicy roles handed to Sandler’s friends, while Sandler himself seems lethargic through most of it.

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Assassination Classroom (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

It’s not often such a weird movie manages to win me over, but lo and behold “Assassination Classroom” really did. I doubt I will be back for the sequels unless I have to, but for almost two hours I was thoroughly entertained by such a richly developed and fun action movie. It avoids almost all of he clichés of an action movie, while also diving head first in to them, and sets up a bunch of storylines within its one hundred and ten minute duration. Based on the hit manga of the same name, “Assasssination Classroom” tries to fit in a bunch of threads in its run time and succeeds for the most part. The premise is so daffy and off the wall I could only gaze in sheer disbelief as two screenwriters approached this with sincerity.

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Batman: Season 2 Part Two (DVD)

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Part two of the Adam West Batman series is probably my favorite installment so far, as it includes the famed crossover between The Green Hornet and Kato with the Caped Crusader. I always considered Green Hornet to be the superior series, so it’s a blast watching the pair of superheroes team up to stop what is a considerably lame villain. Granted, I would have loved to see them tackle the Joker, but beggars can’t be choosy.

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