The Demolisher (2015) [Fantasia Film Festival]

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

I really do want to see more from Canadian director Gabriel Carrer, mainly because “The Demolisher” brought back waves of Nicholas Winding Refn and Michael Mann with it. “The Demolisher” is a slow burn and really stellar revenge thriller that picks up after an admittedly sluggish first half hour. “The Demolisher” picks up steam and collides in to an all out assault of blood shed, gore, and violence that help to explore the crumbling of a man’s sanity. Evocative of films like “Ms. 45” and “Death Wish,” Carrer channels the idea of trauma and its lasting effects and how it can toy with one man’s idea of justice for his beloved wife. Continue reading →

I, Madman (1989) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

Tibor Takács’ “I, Madman” kind of snuck up on me when I first saw it twenty years ago. I was primarily invested in the movie for the whole idea of fiction coming alive. I had no idea it would evolve in to a gruesome slasher and Giallo. That’s not a set back for me, but it’s really surprising how “I, Madman” looks and flows like a living comic book, but is never shy about grue and gore.

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Robot Jox (1990) [Blu-Ray]

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

I’m very lucky that I don’t have any nostalgic connection to “Robot Jox.” I merely know it that that giant robot movie from Full Moon/Empire, and nothing more. Watching it without the rose colored glasses allowed me to appreciate it for what it really is. It’s silly, it’s unusual, but damn it it’s a lot of fun. I can see watching this as a double bill with “Arena.” We just don’t have nearly enough giant robot movies in America, and “Robot Jox” is that one movie that has its heart in the right place. It’s too big for its britches, but it utilizes old fashioned technology to depict a future where robots decide the fate of countries.

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“Drained World” Pilot

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

The apocalypse is the big order for the day, and there’s no sign of entertainment in that sub-genre dying down any time soon. Even Web Series are approaching the sub-genre, and the newest is “Drained World.” Normally I’m rough on web series and demand unique content, and “Drained World” seems to fit my needs so far. The twelve minute pilot is filled with a lot of questions and some healthy ambiguity that I hope gets settled with more episodes in the future.

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It Follows (2015) (DVD)

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

It’s always a thrill when an indie horror movie, a good indie horror movie, manages to take America by storm. “It Follows” is the big horror indie of 2015, and for good reason. It’s a creepy, intelligent, complex, and occasionally terrifying glimpse in to a nightmarish world where having pre-marital sex results in dire consequences. Particularly there’s the demon simply identified as It. Maika Monroe is great and absolutely gorgeous as Jay, a young girl who goes out with a guy named Hugh on a date. After they hit it off they have sex in his car, and Hugh proceeds to kidnap Jay. Rather than harm her, he explains that during sex he’s passed on a supernatural curse, and he explains the rules on how to evade the demon. One of the main guidelines being that sex passes the curse on and she must find someone to sleep with to save her own life.

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Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf (1985) [Blu-ray]

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

There are two reasons to watch “Howling II”: The sheer utter hotness of Sybil Danning, who walks around throughout the film in a tight leather leotard that makes her look like a Batman villain. And Two: The utterly inept performance by the one and only Reb Brown. It’s a long way to go from Dee Wallace to Reb Brown, but hot damn the creators of the sequel to “The Howling” are more than up for the challenge to remind us which of the pair is more convincing as a human being. “Howling II” is the official sequel to “The Howling”; it’s a goofy, wonky, and camp laden werewolf picture hell bent on celebrating the new wave movement by literally handing us European new wave super villains that happen to be a cult of werewolves.

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Spider Baby (1967) (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray/DVD]

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

If I had to pick a cult film that I’d take with me on a deserted island, it’d either be “Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”, or Jack Hill’s “Spider-Baby.” It’d probably be the latter if I was pressed. I fondly remember being introduced to “Spider-Baby” as a child, when I used to sit down to watch “Horrible Horror” with Zacharly. I always found the scene of Jill Banner slicing and dicing poor Mantan Moreland to be one of the sickest bits of horror cinema I’d ever witnessed. Years later, I was happy to watch the film in its entirety, and thankfully Jack Hill’s dark horror comedy hasn’t aged a single bit.

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