MOVIE REVIEW: THE PURGE

A family living in a gated community fight to defend their home against vicious attackers during the one night each year when all crime is legal in this high-concept thriller from writer/director James DeMonaco (Staten Island). In the not-too-distant future, rampant crime and prison overcrowding have inspired the U.S. government to implement a unique solution to restore the peace: Each year, for a 12-hour period, any and all crime becomes permissible as police put their jobs on hold, and hospitals close their doors. It's called the Purge, and remarkably, the annual event leads to drastically reduced crime and record-low unemployment levels throughout the rest of the year. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: James DeMonaco

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder, Adelaide Kane

Release Date: Jun 07, 2013

Rated R for strong disturbing violence and some language

Runtime: 1 hr. 25 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

The Purge is a bit of a throwback to those 70’s sci-fi dystopian future set films, think Charlton Heston, which were high concept delivered in schlock packages. Writer/Director James DeMonaco’s film has a lot on its mind and there’s nothing subtle about it. Ignoring some of the more obvious logical holes, yearly destruction of infrastructure hardly seems productive, you can appreciate the ideas being thrown out about class warfare and humanity’s perchance for violence. DeMonaco throws these ideas out but never fleshes them out, missing a massive opportunity. Instead he opts for more blasé home invasion story which works well for what it is. The cast turns in workman performances with Ethan Hawke seemingly yearning to flesh out his home security sales man with greater depth. Lena Headey gives one of her better performances, showing a tad more range than she usually does. They all provide the audience proxies to root for as the tension grows especially during a minor twist near the end. DeMonaco moves his film at a brisk pace, before you can think about anything too much it’s over. It leaves plenty of questions unanswered some of which could be addressed in a sequel (early box office numbers nearly guarantee one).

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: V/H/S/2

The search for a missing teen leads two private investigators into a derelict house littered with mysterious VHS tapes in this sequel to the hit horror }\anthology} VHS. As the detectives scan the videotapes in search of vital clues, what they find instead is a series of tales so shocking they are driven to the edge of madness. Genre specialists Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Jason Eisener, Edúardo Sanchez, Greg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, and Gareth Evans lead viewers on a terrifying ride into a world where your worst nightmares come true. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Jason Eisener, Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sanchez, Gareth Evans, Gregg Hale

Cast: Adam Wingard, Lawrence Levine, Kelsy Abbott, Hannah Al Rashid, Fachry Albar

Release Date: Jul 12, 2013

Rated R for for bloody violence, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, pervasive language

Runtime: 1 hr. 36 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

I was fairly impressed with the impressive anthology V/H/S even though it was a tad overlong and a tad choppy. The 2nd entry turns in a more streamlined effort with fewer entries but higher quality overall. So let’s dissect each segment on their own.

Tape 49 – Wrap Around story

The weakest part of the film is the most thankless as well. It’s barely fleshed out more than the original and still doesn’t provide any sort of cohesive center. The story is weak and fairly predictable. It comes off as intrusive and superfluous.
Phase I Clinical Trials
Adam Wingrad’s entry is fun and has a fun sense of humor. It lacks any real scares relying too heavily on cheap jump scares. It’s fun but forgettable.

A Ride in the Park

Eduardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project) & Gregg Hale give the zombie genre a nice little twist. Their short has some nice energy while giving us a first person account of the life span of a zombie with humor and a surprising bit of emotion.

Safe Haven

Gareth Huw Evans, the wunderkid who directed The Raid, gives us the film’s best short of the group. Its head and shoulder above the best in terms of story and technical skill. It starts off slowly but quickly builds to crescendo building some nice teeth gnashing tension and giving us some truly gory images. The latter portion of the film keeps 1-uping itself with insanely creepy images. This probably should have been saved for the last segment because it’s a tough act to follow.

Slumber Party Alien Abduction

Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun) gives a dog’s eye view of an alien abduction. He uses plenty of practical effect and lighting resulting in a decidedly 80’s feel. The short is fun but the idea is limited. The scares begin to repeat themselves as it goes on, just changing locations as it goes.

In the end, it was a smart move to use only 4 segments. The quality of each is stronger and even the weaker ones are still fun. I’d personally love to see a third entry because this series can give us some gems like Safe Haven which I hope they make into a full length movie someday.

B+

[Guest Review] David Castillo’s Review of THIS IS THE END

Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel star as themselves along with Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, and Craig Robinson in this end-of-days comedy that finds the actors hiding out with James Franco in his apartment as the apocalypse decimates L.A. outside. Featuring cameos by Jason Segel and Emma Watson, the Sony Pictures film features the directing debuts of Rogen and frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Release Date: Jun 12, 2013

Rated R for crude and Sexual Content, Brief Graphic Nudity, Drug Use, Pervasive Language and Some Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min.

Genres: Comedy

Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg

Cast: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson

Review:

Haven't we seen this already a year ago, ironically also with Jonah Hill, written by the same duo (Rogan/Goldberg) who gave us "The Watch"? That’s what I thought when the first trailer hit the internet the day before the supposed Mayan apocalypse last December. While "The Watch" was somewhat a disappointment, this is by no means comparable.

The first 20 minutes of the movie IS the 2 red band trailers, which works perfectly since its gets those scenes out of the way and we can get to the central plot of the movie. The audience’s main point of view is Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogan with the rest of the assembled stars supporting. While we will probably never know how these stars are genuinely, they play their parts superbly well; giving us the feeling we know them personally.

The tough part of doing a review for this movie like this is not giving away too much while critiquing it, so I’ll break down the performances. Sometimes having a huge all star cast can make it difficult to balance, here I have no complaints. Jay Baruchel, to me, is the anti-Michael Cera, yeah, he plays the same roles but is always likeable. His leading role in “She’s Out of My League” was overlooked by most audiences and hasn’t really been in any major movies since. Some have even forgotten his brilliant performance in the equally star studded “Tropic Thunder”. Seth Rogan, is being Seth, but his input in the script allows him to take some genius jabs at himself (“where was that in The Green Hornet”). Franco is better known for his dramatic roles in Spiderman, Milk, and 127 Hours but he’s shown he can be funny in comedies like Pineapple Express and Your Highness. Here he does a great job as the party’s host, believably playing his as incredibly hard headed. Danny McBride does what he does so well, being a jackass. McBride pulls it off hilariously well, so much so that you’ll want to kick his ass. McBride and Franco share one of the best scenes in the movie. It’s so good that some of it had to be improvised, it was that good. Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson do take a backseat in supporting roles but they still do solid work.

This is The End currently has Rotten Tomato rating of 93%, that’s before the mass media reviews are be published before next week’s release. When it’s all said and done, I’d predict it’ll end up in the high 70s/low 80s%.

Did it live up to my expectations? To be honest, they were sky high after the red band trailers and while it didn’t reach those heights it’s still a VERY good movie.

A minor complaint I had with the film was some slow pacing primarily, some sections in the middle but that’s it.

Of course, this movie isn’t going to be for everybody but if you liked some of Judd Apatow’s hits like Knocked Up, Superbad or Pineapple Express, then you’ll have a blast with this.

2013 hasn’t been a great year for comedies with Movie 43, The Haunted House, Scary Movie 5, 21 & Over, and The Hangover 3, This is the End is easily the best comedy of 2013 and worth the watch if you’re a fan of the cast’s previous work.

It’s worth mentioning that this has THE most epic cameo in the past 5 years, period! Hopefully nobody spoils it for you!

4 out of 5 stars

Easter Egg (Extra Tidbit)

Since this was released by Colombia Pictures, they were limited on what previous work can be mentioned from each star. There’s no references to the highly successful Universal Studio films Knocked Up, Superbad, Jason Segal’s work on How I Met Your Mother or Craig Robinson’s work on The Office.

If you want to see more of Jay Baruchel’s recent work, check out his independently written film “Goon” starring Sean William Scott., it’s on Netflix Instant Stream.

[Trailer] Insidious: Chapter 2

I personally enjoyed Insidious, until that final act where the tone shifted wildly. The trailer was one of best horror movie trailer I’d ever seen and got me excited about a film I didn’t care about up till that point.

The sequel’s trailer isn’t quite as impressive but I’m still curious to see where the story goes considering the way the first one ended.

MOVIE REVIEW: JOHN DIES AT THE END

When a powerful new drug opens the gateway for an inter-dimensional invasion, the only two people on the planet capable of saving mankind are a pair of dubious amateur exorcists. Adapted from author David Wong's cult novel of the same name. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Don Coscarelli

Cast: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman.

Release Date: Jan 25, 2013

Rated R for gore, Drug Content, Bloody Violence, Language and Nudity

Runtime: 1 hr. 39 min.

Genres: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

I wish I could tell you I understood what John Dies At the End is about but I just can’t. Its plot is like Interview with a Vampire meets batshit crazy. The interesting thing is that it’s funny and engaging. The film has a strange kind of energy that lets you overlook the fact that none of the plot makes much sense at all. If you just go with it, it’ll lead you down an inventive and original path. The two leads, Chase Williamson and Rob Mayes, supply the film a charismatic energy that hard to ignore. Williamson has an interesting energy, crazed but focused while Mayes looks like he’s a lost Hemsworth brother. The always enjoyable Clancy Brown has a small supporting role which could have been greatly expanded to the film’s benefit. The film leaves the door wide open for a sequel so maybe we’ll see more of him and maybe some plot.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: FOR GREATER GLORY

The Cristero War serves as the backdrop of this historical drama following a group of devoted Mexican patriots who risk their lives to defeat an oppressive regime, and defend the freedom of future generations. Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Eva Longoria, and Peter O'Toole star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Dean Wright

Cast: Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Santiago Cabrera, Rubén Blades.

Release Date: Jun 01, 2012

Rated R for some Disturbing Images and War Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 23 min.

Genres: Historical Epic, Historical Film, War Adventure

Review:

Mexican history is filled with revolutions and martyrs, real life heros who lived and died heroically for their beliefs. This rich history seems ready made for Hollywood epics but Hispanics are have never gotten a landmark film to hang their hat on. While its heart is in the right place, For Greater Glory is a overstuffed, underwritten and filled with needless melodrama. First time director, Dean Wright, never lets his film breath. His heavy handed direction turns this true story into a hallmark movie hitting every cliché you can think of. He under utilizes an impressive cast of a Hispanic actors and actresses. The script doesn’t do Wright any favors. The characters are underwritten and the main plot is unfocused. The story meanders listlessly as it moves from character to characters while never allowing the audience to get close to any of them. Sadly, the whole production is impressively staged and costumed even though I’m still confused why it wasn’t shot in our native Spanish. A few emotional beats hit home near the end, mainly due to a rather dashing Andy Garcia, but it’s not enough to salvage this misfire.

D+