Night of the Wild (2015)

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

“Night of the Wild” is a lot like those terrible seventies nature run amok movies. It’s badly directed, horribly edited, has terrible continuity issues, and garners some inadvertent camp. All that’s missing is an obligatory nude scene. “Night of the Wild” is brimming with potential, beginning with a premise that could have amounted to a great movie. A mysterious green meteor crash lands on a small farm town spreading its meteorites. Suddenly the local animal population begin turning on their masters, becoming violent murderous monsters. Without explanation or warning, now the humans must fight to survive and figure out a way to make it out of their town. “Night of the Wild” pretty much dips in quality after the first ten minutes, creating a story that the budget and resources couldn’t possibly afford.

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Neighbors (2014)

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Director Nicholas Stoll’s comedy at least has entertainment value going for it. It may not be the most consistent or tonally even film of the year, but it’s kind of fun when you get down to it. That’s mainly thanks to Zac Efron and Dave Franco that save the movie from being another self indulgent Seth Rogen improv-athon. Rogen literally can’t play anyone but Rogen anymore, even when playing an alien from outer space, but the supporting cast for “Neighbors” really keeps the film from diving in to abysmal depths and keeps it a notch above mediocre. That also includes Rose Byrne, and the hilarious Carla Gallo.

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Northpole (2014) (DVD)

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Part one in an apparent movie series from Hallmark Entertainment, “Northpole” is a cute film about Christmas, and trying to preserve the happiness. Literally. It’s a simple and down to Earth movie that celebrates the more entertaining aspects of the holiday, while also building on a new hero in the form of elf Clementine. Bailee Madison is the definition of adorable as the rambunctious cherubic elf, desperately trying to keep the North Pole from dying what with the happiness of Christmas fading away in a sea of unfortunate cynicism. “North Pole” depends on Madison’s enthusiastic performance, and as always, she steals the movie. “North Pole” has its fair share of silliness, but it’s a fine Christmas movie with amusing quirks that I sat through with ease.

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Near Dark (1987)

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

What I love about Kathryn Bigelow’s “Near Dark” is that it doesn’t glamorize vampires. It doesn’t paint them as pop stars, millionaires, or aristocrats. In reality the group of vampires that roam the South here could be mistaken for dangerous transients. Their lives are a series of contradictions that paint them as despicable but somewhat empathetic villains. They have immortality, but burst in to flames in natural sun light. They have fantastic powers, but they have literally no choice but to roam the world looking for new prey. “Near Dark” is very much an eighties relic like its lighter counterpart “The Lost Boys,” and still hasn’t shown its wrinkles. Draped in glorious shades of blue and gray and given a haunting score from Tangerine Dream, “Near Dark” is a vicious vampire film about a young man trying to maintain his soul and keep his humanity in tact.

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Nothing Left to Fear (2013)

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“Nothing Left to Fear” is the prime example of a horror movie that has nothing to offer, and tries to cover it up with fancy special effects and clunky metaphor. The problem is that even those gimmicks don’t work to conceal what is an amateur, tedious, and pointless remake of “The Wicker Man” where another group of people or persons become the sacrificial lambs to religious fanaticism. We know they’re the sacrificial lambs because when our characters The Bramfords arrive in their new town, they see a lamb being sacrificed. Get it? Foreshadowing! Symbolism!

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The Next Karate Kid (1994)

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I guess we all have to have our stumbling blocks to get to the top, and Hilary Swank has what is one of the more tepid reboots ever concocted. I’m not above a reboot of “Karate Kid” with a girl this time. I’d actually prefer a gender swap in the interest of a new character dynamic. It’s just sad that said reboot completely misses the point of the original film. And kind of drags Mr. Miyagi out from the eighties to deal with a frustratingly annoying main heroine this time around.

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The Normal Heart (2014)

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Director Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of the acclaimed Larry Kramer stage play “The Normal Heart” is a stunning and often grueling drama that thankfully never sugarcoats the painful illness it touches upon. It’s a human drama about human beings stricken with a horrific disease that reached pandemic proportions in the 1980’s and was generally ignored by the media and the government for many years. “The Normal Heart” is a tough watch because it is also the first chapter in an ongoing war that continues to affect the world and is still generally ignored, and dismissed as hopeless by many to this day.

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