Roger Corman (1926-2024)

Posted on May 12, 2024 by Felix Vasquez

Hollywood, filmmaking, horror, indie film, pop culture, the language of film, the understanding of art, the understanding of filmmaking, none of it would be the same were it not for Roger Corman. He’s a juggernaut that’s left behind a massive legacy and imprint on how we view movies. He will be very sorely missed.

He is survived by his wife Julie and children Catherine, Roger, Brian and Mary, and the countless legions of fans, film buffs, and aspiring filmmakers that he’s inspired with his enthusiasm for film, and love of storytelling.

Thank you, Roger Corman.

Rest in Power, sir.

Thank You, Paul Reubens (1952-2023)

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Felix Vasquez

I was born in 1983, so I was at that point in time where the eighties was just on its way out as I was growing in to adolescence, but I very fondly remember a lot of the decade. I remember how much I loved the comedy of the decade mainly because I grew up around a dad who exclusively lived on a diet of comedy. So I watched Weird Al, and Ernest, and Elvira, and Alf, and Robin Williams. Most of all I watched Pee Wee Herman. Pee Wee Herman played a huge role in my life as a comedy fan and a fan of just entertainment in general. There was a period in the eighties and early nineties where Herman was just an massive icon. I didn’t really catch his stand up material.

But I was there for “Pee Wee’s Playhouse.”

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In Memory of George A. Romero

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Felix Vasquez

People usually laugh when I tell them I have a mortal fear of zombies, but for many years I did. I had a mortal fear of the walking dead, for reasons I can’t really explain. Fears are meant to be irrational. I can however pinpoint to where it may have all started, and it was with George Romero. One of my earliest memories as a kid was when my dad took a four year old moi to visit a friend of his, who watching this horror documentary on VHS. Mid-way through the footage there was the epic finale of “Day of the Dead” where the humongous horde of zombies is slowly descending in to the military bunker with light cast upon them.

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In Memory of Adam West

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Felix Vasquez

Adam West was always one of those actors who was there popping in and out of my life, entertaining me since I was old enough to remember. Two of the main reasons why I formed such a humongous obsession with superheroes and comic books were because of “The Super Friends” and the Adam West version of “Batman.” Adam West had the classic movie idol looks with the chiseled features and swept back brown hair, and for such a very long time he was Batman. By day he was, of course, a millionaire and playboy known as Bruce Wayne who hung out with his ward Dick Grayson, but by night he’d slide down the pole alongside his sidekick and transform in to Batman. Batman was a crime fighter who wore spandex and a cape and cowl that bore penciled in eyebrows.

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Five Great Bill Paxton (1955-2017) Performances

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Felix Vasquez

Bill Paxton could play any character. He could play anyone, at any time, from anywhere. He was a cowboy in the old west, he was a soldier in the future fighting aliens, he was a tornado chaser, a leather clad vampire, a slimy car salesman, an obnoxious big brother, a dad burdened with the knowledge of demonic entities, a punk, et al. He could be anyone. I am one of the many kids who grew up watching Paxton give riveting performances on film, no matter how big or small the role was. Paxton was a man who could appear in any time period on film and you bought his performance and his place there.

By all accounts, Paxton was a very nice and warm man who loved his fans, and treated everyone with immense respect. I was born in 1983, so I was old enough to remember a time where Paxton was in a lot of movies, and was a constant face on film. He’d just pop up, and it was a pleasant surprise every single time. Paxton even helped invent a ton of imitators who would walk around screaming “Game over man! Game over!” over and over and over. It never got old.

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My Favorite Alan Rickman (1946-2016) Performance

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

It does not make me happy to discuss yet another fine performer dying to cancer, but rather than dwell on death and the cruelty of the disease, I’d rather talk about my favorite performance from the great Alan Rickman. Rickman was an amazing actor who could bend any role to his will and lend either great humanity or great menace. Surely enough my favorite performance from Mr. Rickman is from one of my favorite action comedies “Galaxy Quest.”

As Alexander Dane, he’s a man forced in to the eternal typecasting of a Spock-like character named Dr. Lazarus, and finds purpose as a hero who inspires many with his character’s classic catchphrase, which manages to inspire his alien cohorts to stand up against their alien foes. It’s a wonderful and funny role performance only Rickman could deliver. He’ll be sorely missed, may he rest in Peace.