The Purge: Anarchy

Now that I have almost caught up on Masterchef Australia, I finally get around to watching actual films again. And already I am back to watching horror film.

This new chapter in a franchise that could probably go on forever, because - let's face it - this story could actually go anywhere (time and place). And why not, as long as it is this entertaining.

The Purge: Anarchy is set in 2023 and the setting - rather than the gated community of part one - is a big city, where a random group of strangers end up on the street together for some reason or other. First saved by a man out to take revenge on his son's killer (by car), they end up making their way through the night in unity. They have to fend off the usual suspects as well as military - because the people do not kill each other enough, therefore threatening an increase of poverty and the New Founding Fathers can't have that - only to end up in the middle of a family argument carried out with guns.

They constantly stumble from the frying pan into the fire, ending up as game for the rich and the beautiful. This time around, the government and the purgers doing their dirty work with and for them have a new opposition seeing through their tactics. And they fight back.

Although starting from the same idea as the first part, this is a very different film that may be missing the claustrophobia of the previous film but adds a number of new threats to the people who just want to make it through the night alive.

6/10

This Is the End

Jay Baruchel flies to LA to hang out with his old friend Seth Rogan. After an evening of weed, munchies and video games, Rogan drags Baruchel to a party at James Franco's house. Baruchel is reluctant to go because he is not into the LA scene and doesn't like Jonah Hill, who is at the party, as well. And so, apparently, is everybody else - Craig Robertson, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Christohper Mintz-Plasse, David Krumholtz, Michael Cera, Aziz Ansari and - unbeknownst to the host - Danny McBride.

Baruchel, upset with Rogan because he did not stay by his side at Franco's place, gets his friend to go to a nearby convenience store. While the two are in there, the apocalypse kicks off. They rush back to the party but nobody inside has noticed anything awkward happening at all. As they try to piece together what the two are on about, the earth shakes so fiercely that even the party guests notice this time. They storm outside and stare at the staring Hollywood hills when a sinkhole opens up in the front yard, swallowing most of the onlookers.

Baruchel, Rogen, Franco, Robinson, and Hill make it back to the relative safety of the house, where they board up, check up on the limited food and drink supply and spend an uneasy night. When they get up the next morning, Danny McBride, who has spent the night in the bathtub and has no idea what is happening, has used up most of the supplies making breakfast. So, things do not look rosy for our survivors.

As they cannot leave the house they pass the time doing drugs and making cheap sequels to their previous films. Then suddenly, Emma Watson breaks her way into the house. At first, everything is rosy until Watson goes to rest in Franco's room and they guys outside discuss the weirdness of the situation and making sure that they would not come across as 'rapey' with only one woman in the house. Watson only catches part of the conversation, mostly the word rape and gets out of Dodge, keeping everyone in check with an ax.

When water dwindles, they try to get more either from the basement or a neighbor's house, which requires them to leave the building in ones and twos. They start to get attacked by a demon, possibly the devil himself (you know, this being the apocalypse and all), who also has sex with Jonah Hill, who for the remainder of his life in the film is possessed.

What follows is deaths, mayhem, the expulsion of Danny McBride, ascensions to heaven,  and the Backstreet Boys.

6/10

California Suite

The film follows four different story lines set in the same hotel, all of people either sparring off with each other verbally or - in one case - going at each other with everything they have.

My favorite coupling is played by the wonderful Maggie Smith and the equally wonderful Michael Caine. Smith plays actress Diana Barrie, who is in Hollywood because she was nominated for her first Oscar. Incidentally, Maggie Smith herself won the Best Supporting Actress award for this role.

Also out west is Jane Fonda, who flew in to meet with her ex-husband (played by Alan Alda) because their teenage daughter ran off. The pair has to settle the question of where their daughter will spend the year before going off to college.

Then there is Marvin Michaels (Walter Matthau), who is in town for his nephew's bar mitzvah. He spends a night out with his brother, who is something of a womanizer and - as a favor to Michael - hires a hooker for him. The hooker gets drunk on Tequila and Michael is unable to raise her in the morning in time before his wife arrives.

Lastly, two couples spend a vacation together, but they don't appear to have any fun at all. They trash the rental car, one room reservation got lost and it all dissolves when they spend the morning playing a mixed double of tennis. Then one of the wives hurts her ankle, a bottle of perfume breaks and the glass gets stepped in, a head is hit on the cabinet door, fainting spells, a few swings with a tennis racket and a brawl between the husbands concludes the trip.

Funny.

7/10

Tales from the Crypt: The Sacrifice

Insurance salesman James sells life insurance to rich asshole Sebastian Fleming. Soon after he starts an affair with his wife Gloria and together they hatch a plan to kill Sebastian. They do so by throwing him off the balcony.

Since Sebastian had not yet signed the papers the police have no reason to suspect murder and file the case away as an accident. So far so good. Unfortunately, as soon as the police has left, old family friend Jasper shows up to commiserate the new widow.

He also shares the information that - since he has been in love with Gloria for a long time - he had rented a place right across the street to at least see her every once in a while. Also, he takes the occasional picture with a long lens camera and he just happened to snap a few of James throwing Sebastian to his death.

Jasper threatens to give the pictures to the police unless he is allowed to "share" Gloria with James. They agree, but James has a hard time dealing with the situation and eventually kills himself. Which was the plan all along. Gloria and Jasper ride off into the sunset together.

3/10

Winged Creatures (aka Fragments)

This is the story of a random shooting spree in a diner and how the survivors deal with what they have been through.

The waitress, probably not a good mother to begin with, neglects her infant son and tries to get close to a doctor, who left the diner just before the shooting started. In fact, he held the door open for the shooter on his way out. In the aftermath, he starts giving his wife medication that cause her massive headaches.

The black guy, who apparently just go the news that he suffers from cancer, starts to have incredible luck and takes it into a casino where he wins massively before getting in bed with the wrong people and having his arm deliberately broken by them.

The daughter who loses her father goes all born again Christian (as if Dakota Fanning wasn't annoying enough simply by being Dakota Fanning) and tells tale of her father's bravery. Her friend simply stops talking altogether, until the very end when he finally makes her tell the truth about her father's 'bravery'.

Aiming to make you cry, which doesn't quite work. It is just too sentimental.

3/10

People Like Us

After his estranged father dies, selfish hot shot (with money and possibly pending legal problems) Sam finds out he has a sister he never knew about. He is supposed to get in touch with her and give her and her troubled 11-yr. old son Josh $ 150.000,--. Sam, needing the money and generally upset, wants to keep it for himself but is still curious about this unknown family branch.

He starts stalking her, basically. He worms his way into her life and of course she mistakes his brotherly feelings for something different until he eventually spits out the truth. They clash, she throws him out, takes the money, moves to a new house.

Thanks to precocious little Josh, however, they manage to reconnect and make peace.

...and they all lived happily ever after. You know, just like in real life.

3/10

Seven Psychopaths

This is possibly the most ridiculous film I have seen this year.

It is the story of screen writer Marty (Colin Farrell), who is stuck in writing his latest screen play and also has a serious alcohol problem. His best friend is Billy (Sam Rockwell), an all-out weirdo who makes a living kidnapping dogs and having the more trustworthy looking Hans (Christopher Walken) return them for "lost dog" rewards.

One day they acquire little Shih Tzu Bunny. Bunny turns out to be owned by gangster Charlie, who loves and misses his little doggy so vewy, vewy much.

And then...all hell breaks loose.

Scenes from a screen play in progress, gun violence, incompetent criminals, weird rabbit stroking psychopaths (Tom! Waits!), former Viet Cong posing as murderous priests, imaginary shoot-outs, actual shoot-outs and - most hilariously - a man refusing to put up his hands when faced with a machine gun wielding henchman.

6/10