Tag Archives: Mystery

Run, Hide, Die (2015) (DVD)

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I’m a little exhausted with indie filmmakers setting every horror film in the eighties based on some hope that if it’s set in a nostalgic decade, the film will in effect be a gem. It’s not enough to show characters playing classic Nintendo, and walking around with neon colors. “Run, Hide, Die” garners a lot of inexplicable elements, from the eighties setting that adds nothing to the overall narrative, right down to the title that in no way reflects the film at al. It adds up to a pretty miserable dramatic thriller that poses as a horror film, and fails to deliver on every aspect. It spends too much time on characterization, offers no interesting villain, and just delights in being melodramatic when it should be terrifying.

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Fast & Furious 7 (2015)

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“It’s never goodbye…”

It’s shocking that not only is “Fast & Furious 7” not only the best entry in the series yet, but it’s also one of the best movies of the year. It’s exciting, it’s engrossing, it’s fun, and goddamn, it’s a heartbreaking last go around for Paul Walker. I say this as someone who openly hated these movies after the first film, but here I am years later, getting teary eyed at the end of a “Fast & Furious” film. In fact, this is also one of the most human sequels of the series, since it deals a lot with consequence, and revenge. Shortly after “Fast 6,” the group finds out that their latest heist has granted them a death ticket. The brother of Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) has come to wreak unholy vengeance on Dominic Toretto and his crew.

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Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

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Unlike “The Expendables,” which purports to bring all stars together and pit them against perilous circumstances, “Fast and the Furious” is the film accomplishing the concept. It’s rid itself of the pretenses of being a franchise, and has embraced the fact that each movie is just a two hour episode of an extended series, and has brought together all of the best stars from the previous movies of the “Fast and the Furious” movies. It even has its own opening credits. And what’s more is that the stakes are raised more and more with each movie right down to the potential for a child’s life being risked.

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Batman vs. Robin (2015) (Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital]

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I, for one, really hated “Son of Batman,” not only for its ridiculously convoluted take on giving Batman a son, but for Damian Wayne. Wayne is the son of Batman, born from Batman’s worst enemy’s lineage, and he’s still a petulant little shit. Although, to its credit, Wayne isn’t as bad here as he was in “Son of Batman.” That’s mainly because rather than an egomaniacal petulant little brat, he’s now a confused little brat with an ego that’s used to cover up his identity crises. He is after all confused about who he is and is now taking up a new identity he has to adhere to. I didn’t want or care to see a sequel to “Son of Batman,” but thankfully, “Batman vs. Robin” was a convincing argument to give it a chance.

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

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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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Big Hero 6 (2014)

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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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The Case of Hana & Alice (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

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FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

Shunji Iwai’s “The Case of Hana & Alice” is apparently an animated prequel and adaptation of a much beloved indie titled “Hana and Alice.” The pair of women are almost like pop culture’s most iconic best friend in its home country, and this film chronicles how they met and became the best of pals. You really don’t have to see the original film, claims much of the press releases, but I’ll say that it might just help. Surely, there aren’t many references to the original film, but the original actresses return to voice their younger selves, and this might be exciting to folks that love the original film. For me, it was just a nice little bit of lip service and nothing more.

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