Insidious Chapter 3 (2015)

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I hope Blumhouse and James Wan quit while they’re ahead because so far, “Insidious” has been a strong trilogy of horror films. While the first is still the best, “Chapter 3” is a strong follow up that succeeds in creating its own level of terror and suspense, while also giving us the origin of Elise and her team of Tucker and Specs. Most prequels don’t normally work, but “Chapter 3” does, mainly because it doesn’t rely too strongly on foreshadowing to the first film. It includes a wink and a nod every now and then, but they’re thankfully used in moderation and with clever effect.

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Insidious Chapter 2 (2013)

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I was perfectly happy to have “Insidious” end on the dark note that it did. I didn’t need any further emphases on what had occurred because it was very self explanatory. However, I’m glad that “Insidious Chapter 2” explains what occurred while also expanding on it, and building on that dark note to create an even darker note. “Chapter 2” doesn’t top the original, but in a Hollywood currently obsessed with trilogies, I’m thankful that “Chapter 2” feels more like an extension of the mythos rather than a cheap cash grab. Everything is essentially the same as we saw it from the first film with harsh tones of red and blue filling every crevice of the nightmarish world James Wan creates. We’re also able to dig deeper in to the Further to explore what lies within the darkness and how it can rot souls.

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Under the Dark Wing (2014)

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

If there’s one complaint I can lobby at “Under the Dark Wing” is that I really would have loved ten more minutes for exposition. Director Christopher DiNunzio unfolds an interesting story with considerable ambiguity that audiences might enjoy, but I think ten minutes more would have lent the film more dread. In either case, “Under the Dark Wing” is still an eerie and fascinating horror drama that focuses on dread placing it front and center.

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Hellions (2015)

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

It’s pretty sad when you sit through a horror movie and the only thing you can take away is the delight of seeing another talented “Degrassi” alum taking on the horror genre. Chloe Rose was one of my favorite characters of the series, and its fun to see her tackling more complex material. “Hellions” is ultimately a mixed bag that presents brief glimmers of greatness, but constantly stumbles in to sheer mediocrity and incoherency. To make matters worse, the film ends without any real clarification of what we’d just seen. Bruce McDonald seems to be building up to something, but then just shuts the film down before we can make sense of anything we’d just seen.

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Random (2015)

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Cindy Maples really has a clever film on her hands here that I hope storms festivals soon enough. I didn’t know what I was expecting with “Random, but surely enough I was happy with what resulted in the end. Maples is a very talented director with a skill for exposition and characterization, while also telling a story that’s quite gripping.

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The 5 Best Moments of Marvel’s “Daredevil” Season One

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

There’s always been something about me and underdogs. I love rooting for the underdogs. Even as a kid who loved comic books, while my friends were buying Punisher, Wolverine, and Batman, I was spending my time on Darkhawk, War Machine, Night Thrasher and Superman. The last character is iconic and a household name, sure, but he wasn’t in regular circulation in my circle of friends that collected comic books. It’s been hell being a fan of “Daredevil” for many years without proper justice paid to him. Surely, Frank Miller did an amazing job with him for a few years, but watching other characters get big screen treatments while Daredevil literally got short handed was irritating.

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Entourage: The Movie (2015) [Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“Entourage” is probably the first movie I’ve ever wanted to punch. It’s also the only movie I’m sure that if I punched, my fist would probably smell like Axe body spray for a few weeks. “Entourage” is certainly a movie. It had a beginning, a middle, and an end, and had actors in it, and a script. I’m assuming. I’ll just lay it all on the floor right now: I have never seen a single episode of “Entourage” even though I am familiar with it. For folks that would argue that you have to be a fan to understand and or enjoy this film, I would argue that that excuse only highlights how terrible this movie is.

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