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Reviews
Into the Park (2022)
A thrilling chase movie
Into the Park was alot of fun to watch. The film stars De'Variyay Harris as Bryson Harris, Kris Ari'elle Smith as Wynter Harris, and Michel Wakim as Tom Laurey. It was a thrilling suspense film that starts off slow but once they get into the park it's alot of fun. I love the mystery behind what could be happening to the characters in the park. You really care about the characters in this film and desperately want to see them get out. Mi'Chelle Nelson was very good at handling suspense. The direction was well handled in regards to building tension. Tom Laurey's death was epic. If you're a fan of escape thrillers, definitely check this one out.
Craving (2023)
A fun night in
This film is a special treat for you if you're a fan of 80's monster movies. It reminded me heavily of the 2019 film VFW. Even though VFW is not a monster movie, the aesthetic of Craving was very similar with it's lighting and single isolated location of a night club. But it's great stuff. I really like the slow build up it takes to get to the monster so it doesn't over stay it's welcome. It is done entirely with practical effects, which I love and am a huge proponent for. No CGI here. It's obviously a guy in a rubber suit but that's part of the vintage throwback so it works. The look of the costume is also very cool and detailed. I love the character's backstory and how it ties into the third act of the film. Great film to check out if you're a fan of 80's action horror movies.
Toxic Impulses (2022)
A thriller that entertains!
This film was a lot of fun. The acting was solid by everyone across the board. The dynamic among the family worked perfectly. Benedikt Sebastian was the highlight performance for me. The best aspect of the film for me was the music. It was loud, especially during the bank robbery scenes, and made you feel very uneasy, which means the film did it's job for those moments. The cinematography was excellent. The more intense scenes utilized handheld shaky camera footage, which was very effective. I'd love to see what this director can do with a heist film on a bigger budget because he hits all the right cylinders on what makes these types of movies very intense.
The Purge: 7:01am (2019)
The most improved tv show of the year.
For us Purge fans, the ones who stuck with it through the first season, the second season had us asking "Are we watching the same show?". In the past, The Purge franchise started to become pretty formulaic. The four films would primarily only take place from beginning to the end of the purge night excluding a 20 minute exposition before commencement. We hardly had a chance to see what goes on to our characters during the other days of the year. The first season of the television show was pretty much the same formula as the 2 hour movies but stretched into 10 hours. A ton of flashbacks were added as well. This gave the show a very sluggish and dull pace. You'd spend some episodes wondering if the plots have even progressed at all. But it seems that the writers really took notes on the complaints of season 1 to deliver a far more unique exploration of the universe with much needed fast paced energy and suspense, as well as an attempt to address questions that previous installments have shyed away from explaining. In every single episode of season 2, there were major plot progressions for each of the stories.
The season premiere started in the middle of purge night with an introduction of new characters. We saw as Ryan, Esme, Ben, and Marcus navigated their way through the night. That purge kickstarted their own stories throughout the next year for the following purge. There was Ryan, who was a money heist trying to help pay for his ill mother. Esme, who was trying to investigate why one of her dearest friends were supposedly murdered during the purge. Ben, who escaped a God mask wearing rapist by murdering him on purge night and is slowly progressing into a psychotic killer. And Marcus, who is investigating a failed hit on him during the purge.
There would always be a fun little mini story happening before the intro. In the season 2 finale, Ethan Hawke reprises his role as James Sandin from the original film. It was a fun and nice little callback treat. This episode gave an action packed and shocking finale for these main characters. Some are given a happy conclusion, some are given a tragic conclusion. Some are even left open ended. They all feel right.
The acting was superb from beginning to end of the season. Max Martini, Paola Núñez, Derek Luke, and especially Joel Allen, doing exceptional work.
As far as I'm concerned, Season 2 of The Purge leaves that problematic Season 1 in the dust. It is a show that has truly found its rythym after a rough start at first. I hope there is a Season 3. Will any more movie characters return? Will any previous season characters return? What other times and places of the purge will we see? The further possibilities on what could be explored are endless.