The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I really appreciate how director James DeMonaco has a second chance to fully embrace his absurd premise of the Purge a year later, and now seems to finally get it. The only way a film like “The Purge” could be any kind of fun is if it embraces its exploitation and darkly comic roots, and “Anarchy” achieves just that. DeMonaco also makes a case in the opening that you really don’t need to see the first movie to understand what the film is aiming for. Truthfully, unless you have a real weakness for home invasion films, “The Purge” can be skipped entirely. Director James DeMonaco blames a lot of the first film’s problems on budget constraints and really gets to explore his premise more with a wider scope, and better grasp of his own idea this time around.

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The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Way too often have I invested time in a martial arts film only to find the sequel is pretty much just a repeat of the same beats from the original. Thankfully “The Raid 2” is a wonderful and seamless extension of the original Gareth Evans’ crime thriller. Evans returns to deliver what is now a much more complex narrative based around deception, the mafia, and a very elaborate revenge ploy that promises to bring down even the most valiant heroes in the story. Evans manages a very fluid timeline that makes “The Raid 2” a very good chaser for the powerful first action entry. Immediately after the massive raid in the first film, we find out that things never quite worked out too well for hero Rama.

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A Shot in the Dark (1964)

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

There aren’t many comedies that can reduce me to tears like “A Shot in the Dark” does. It’s one of those rare incredible comedies where every element from the story to the characters is so pitch perfect, it’s astounding. Character Clouseau even breaks the fourth wall at one point, destroying the momentum of the final confrontations. But he gets away with it so slyly, because Peter Sellers’ timing, matched with his physical comedy is flawless and genius. Even if you’ve never seen a Pink Panther movie, getting acquainted with Jacques Clouseau is a breeze because Sellers and director Blake Edwards establish him with subtle idiosyncrasies and almost no dialogue.

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22 Jump Street (2014)

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Guest Contributor

21 Jump Street was a film that I thought was funny on its original viewing, but I didn’t find it as hilarious or over the top hysterical as many others did. Recently, however, after two current viewings, two years later, I’ve come to discover that it is a very funny movie and it holds up incredibly well. Needless to say, I was excited to see what they were going to do with 22 Jump Street and I was excited to be spending more time with these characters. It’s hard to deny their chemistry and it is back and in full force with 22 Jump Street.

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Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

One of the hallmarks of my youth in the nineties, “How I Spent My Vacation” was the credit Tiny Toons finally got, even if it was just on home video. That was okay, since the real fans of the series could take home their favorite Tiny Toon pals and re-visit their wacky summer time and time again. I must have seen “How I Spent My Vacation” a hundred times on VHS, and thankfully (much like the series) the movie holds up surprisingly well, and is still very funny. “How I Spent My Vacation” follows the group from “Tiny Toon Adventures” as they all are pulled in various directions for their summer vacations.

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Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Joseph Zito’s 1984 treatment of “Friday the 13th” really should have been the final film in the series. While I do love the “Friday the 13th” movie series dearly, there’s a considerable drop off in quality after “The Final Chapter” as you can sense the writers trying to bring Jason back with as little absurdity as possible. “The Final Chapter” is one of the last really excellent horror romps that focus on character dynamic and family, and surely enough it’s still a very strong horror film where Jason Voorhees is an unstoppable killing machine.

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Profoundly Erotic: Sexy Movies that Changed History [Paperback]

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

It’s the last book from Joe Bob Briggs, and for his final outing in the publishing world, he follows up “Profoundly Disturbing” with the equally excellent “Profoundly Erotic.” The final book reviews a series of erotic movies, all of which aren’t exactly pornographic or erotica per se. They’re instead very adult films that deal with sexual politics and the undertones of sexual repression. As usual Joe Bob Briggs is as insightful and informative as ever, and it was ultimately a breezy read to finish.

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