The Murders of Brandywine Theater (2015)

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

It’s refreshing in this day and age that some indie filmmakers aren’t just content with splattering the audience with red ooze and goo and calling it a horror film. There are some filmmakers that really want to convey a story, and Larry Longstreth seems to be one of those directors who aren’t happy with just grossing people out. “The Murders of Brandywine Theater” is a complex, and very unique horror film that isn’t just eerie, but it’s also damn spooky to boot. To say Moxxy is a creepy antagonist really is underplaying the top notch puppetry that’s put to work here. Moxxy seems very rigid when we first see him, but soon enough he not only begins to take on his own life, but his limited expression make him a menace to be reckoned with.

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Spider (2007)

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Nash Edgerton’s “Spider” has a cruel sense of humor to it, but one that I loved. It’s definitely reliant on a simple formula, but also very dependent on a chain effect that garners disastrous results in the very end. I was cringing, I was in disbelief, and by the very end I was laughing awkwardly for all the wrong reasons.

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Don’t Go in the Woods… Alone! (1981) (Blu-ray/DVD)

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“Don’t Go in the Woods… Alone!” is one of the Video Nasties that renders the slasher genre completely inept with a film that’s nothing but splatter fodder. And bad splatter fodder to boot. Representing the worst the slasher sub-genre has to offer, “Don’t Go in the Woods… Alone!” is bereft of a storyline, common sense, and even likable characters. The only two people that manage to survive our hobo serial killer are two of the most grating heroes pictured in the genre.

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Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“Birdman” is by no means a subtle dissection of the life that Michael Keaton has led after his role as the iconic Batman on film. Once a very respected and comedy actor, his role as the dark knight kind of stifled his developing film career, and he unleashes his obvious bitterness and resentment toward the art of acting and the rise of fame over talent with “Birdman.” Alejandro González Iñárritu’s experimental drama is brilliant and absolutely mind blowing In the way it both mocks the superhero movie craze, while also conveying a sense of resentment toward its success. Keaton’s character Riggan Thomson sits in his dressing room before a play he’s gone nearly broke to fund, hearing on the news about Robert Downey Jr garnering millions to play a superhero. There with his own thoughts, Riggan dwells on how ahead of his time he was and how he may never be able to reclaim the ears thanks to his age.

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Tusk (2014)

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

With “Tusk,” director Kevin Smith completely rips off Stephen King and Tom Six, mixing together “Human Centipede” and “Misery” in to one really awful concoction that I was barely able to make it through. Serving as a simultaneous ad for his crappy podcast, this time rather than James Caan as a respected writer, Justin Long is an amoral moronic podcaster whose own celebrity status has transformed him in to a fame obsessed pseudo-Howard Stern. Much like Kevin Smith. I can only laugh at Smith’s self-congratulatory inference that today’s podcaster is the modern storyteller like the writer. But hey, at least he got to squeeze in obligatory cameos from his and Johnny Depp’s daughter.

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Would You Rather (2013)

Posted on November 13, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Let’s face it. Everyone has a price. It doesn’t matter how moral or just you think you are. At the end of the day someone will put down a price for your will, or strength, and you’ll eventually cash in on what they can offer. Whether money, sex, or possessions, everyone walks around with a price tag. And while “Would you Rather?” is by no means an amazing thriller, it really does succeed in commenting on the cruelty of humanity and how much people will endure for some cash.

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Grave Shivers (2014)

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

It’s hard enough to produce a decent anthology horror film, but director Brent Sims composes a trio of horror tales with a fourteen minute window. You wouldn’t think it were possible since a lot of anthology movies get ninety minutes and botch it big time (ahem—“Tales from the Hood”), but director Brent Sims’ horror anthology short isn’t just a success, it’s an impressive horror film altogether. Filled with imagination, excellent plot twists, and incredible special effects, “Grave Shivers” is a dark horror comedy that delights in offering audiences the unexpected.

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