The World's End (2013)

One more round?

When a group of friends reunites in their home town to recreate a 'legendary' pub crawl (12 pubs, one night, The Golden Mile!!), things just aren't the same.  Suspecting something to be amiss, the group makes some strange discoveries.  And the rest is pure hilarity.  This is another great comedy from Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost.  Referencing their previous collaborations (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and bringing new humor to the table, The World's End is truly funny.  Funnier than H.F., but not quite as funny as S.o.t.D, But still, a laugh out loud romp through a small English town with surprising results.  It also has a couple of the best action sequences that I've seen in a while. 

The World's End smashes its way to 4 out of 5 stars

Director: Edgar Wright
Writer: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, David Bradley,  
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 81%

Oblivion (2013)

S.S.D.D.

Jack and Victoria live on a post-apocalyptic earth which had been devastated by alien invaders.  Everyday Jack does his job as a patrolman and mechanic. When a mysterious ship lands on earth, Jack learns secrets that he was never supposed to learn.  Tom Cruise does a good job in his role, although his performances rarely vary from role to role.  Speaking of playing the same role, Morgan Freeman is a great actor, but I honestly get tired of seeing him in pretty much every other film playing almost the same type of character.  There had to be someone less cliche and more suited for this role than him.  However, for a big budget Hollywood sci-fi film, Oblivion is a respectable crossover of the 'alien invasion' and 'post-apocalyptic' genres.

With more than enough mystery, action, and suspense to be interesting, Oblivion gets 3.5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Writer: Karl Gajdusek, Michael Arndt, Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo
Rotten Tomatoes: 54%
Metacritic: 54%

World War Z (2013)

Don't say the zed word!

People start turning into zombies.  Worldwide chaos ensues.  Brad Pitt helps to save the day.  Having read the book and loved it, I was skeptical about a film being made from it.  And while the film version is very different than the book, it is still pretty great.  It is rare than a big budget Hollywood action film keeps my attention like this one did.  The first and third acts of this film were dripping with tension.  The story was great, the acting was great, the zombies were great, everything was great.  The high caliber scribes and very able director deliver a very satisfying addition to the zombie genre.  And even though the zombie craze may fade away someday, this film will remain a great film which will stand the test of time. 

World War Z claws its way to 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Stranger Than Fiction, Quantum of Solace)
Writer: Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom), Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos (The Killing), Daniella Kertesz
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 63%

The Divide (2011)

when people stop being polite... and start getting real...
When an apocalyptic event descends on the Big Apple, a small group of survivors take refuge in the basement of their apartment building.  Trapped with no hope of escape, knowing that the world outside is a post nuclear wasteland anyways, the group hunkers down.  The situation is grim, but the survivors actually manage to make it worse.  This film takes place almost entirely in a basement. The director's use of the confined space is impressive (think Buried or The Exam).  The tone  is reminiscent of Tres Dias and Bellflower and has an ambiance similar to Alien and Sunshine - gritty, scary, out of control, and little depressing.  This film is powerful.  Watching it is like being run down by a truck that you know is going to hit you no matter what you do to escape.  The only thing that keeps The Divide from getting the maximum 5 Poblanos is pacing - the middle of the film drags a tad; 10 or 15 minutes less of this film could have made an improvement.  Nonetheless, I think it is brilliant and I absolutely loved it.

The Divide gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Xavier Gens
Writer: Karl Mueller, Eron Sheean
Starring: Lauren German, Michael Biehn (Grindhouse, Tombstone, The Abyss, Aliens), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), Courtney B. Vance, Rosanna Arquette
Rotten Tomatoes: 26%
Metacritic: 28 out of 100

Bellflower (2011)

Crazy, just plain crazy
Woodrow and Aiden are obsessed with building a flame thrower.  They dream of being Mad Max.  They have dreams but their lives are going nowhere fast.  Bellflower is thoroughly depressing and a bit brutal.  It is also awesome.  This film was made for only $17,000, which is surprising because the production quality is so good.  The story is engrossing, the characters intriguingly tragic.  Not for the faint of heart, but worth it for everyone else. 

Bellflower sets the place on fire with 4 out of 5 Poblanos

Director: Evan Glodell
Writer: Evan Glodell
Starring: Evan Glodell, Tyler Dawson and Jessie Wiseman
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 72 out of 100

Stake Land (2010)

After the plague
The world had been infected by vampirism.  Humanity struggles to survive.  Martin is found by Mister and taught how to survive.  They are headed north towards New Eden, a refuge for humans.  The film chronicles their trip north.  This is a serious film reminiscent of the best post apocalyptic stories.  For a film that I knew very little about, this was surprisingly good.  A genre film mixing vampires, action, horror and post apocalyptic elements, Stake Land succeeds in being an entertaining and engrossing genre film that never descends into cliche.  Thanks to Twitch for the great recommendation.

Stake Land goes right to the heart with 4 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director: Jim Mickle
Writer: Nick Damici, Jim Mickle
Starring: Connor Paolo, Nick Damici, Danielle Harris and Kelly McGillis (Top Gun)
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 66 out of 100

Tres Dias (Before the Fall) 2008

I see the human dark potential
A meteor is hurtling towards the earth.  The governments of the world have known about it and have attempted to stop it.  Unable to do either, they announce the imminent disaster to the general population three days prior to the impact.  And people go bonkers.  A little bit of suspense, a fair dose of brutality, and a whole lot of bleakness, Tres Dias is interesting, although not necessarily enjoyable.  This is the bastard cousin of Melancholia.  The two films share a premise - a large object will collide with the Earth and destroy it.  But Tres Dias shows how bad people can get when things look bad.  Not my favorite film ever, but not bad for F. Javier Gutiérrez's first feature film.

Tres Dias gets tres out of cinco Poblanos!

Director: F. Javier Gutiérrez
Writer: F. Javier Gutiérrez, Juan Velarde (original story)
Starring:  Víctor Clavijo, Mariana Cordero and Eduard Fernández (Biutiful, The Skin I Live In)
Rotten Tomatoes: Not reviewed by critics, 53% (audience reviews)
Metacritic: Not reviewed

The Divide trailer

The Divide is an apocalyptic thriller and, dang, this looks like one intense movie.  Read what Twitch has to say about it and then watch the trailer.