Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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AUGUST 20-26, 2014 UCW 21 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The Purge had a budget of three million, paltry compared to the nine million spent to bring The Purge: Anarchy to the big screen. Consider, however, that to date The Purge brought home an 89 million box office, while in its opening weekend The Purge: Anarchy earned over 33 million. To put those numbers in context, the other big release of the third weekend in July, Sex Tape, had a budget of 43 million and only brought in 17 million during its opening weekend. I guess I'm trying to make two points here. (1) The Purge: Tax Evasion should be arriving in theaters next July (2) Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz should fire their agent because Sex Tape is apparently exactly as stupid as it looks. One year after the events depicted in the original film, various citizens prepare for the annual Purge while various forms of exposition remind the public that the annual event lowers unemployment and poverty levels. In Los Angeles, waitress Eva Sanchez (Carmen Ejogo) fields several inappropriate remarks from co-workers and passers-by about their non-specific plans to kidnap and rape her. Eva hurries home to her daughter Cali (Zoe Soul) and her dying father (John Beasley). He all but writes a suicide note across her shirt, then retires to the bedroom and orders that he not be disturbed. The scene is clumsy, unnecessary to the rest of the plot, and serves as a throwaway they probably planned to cut if the movie ran too long. The action shifts to a couple named Shane (Zach Gilford ) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez), on their way home after running unspecified errands. I can't imagine what errands would keep them out until mere hours before the Purge — if I lived in that reality you can bet I would schedule my annual trip to my secure bunker in the middle of nowhere to coincide with the night before all the crazies have free rein. Unless of course I had someone to kill. For example, there's a guy named Leo (Frank Grillo) who's out and about, planning to purge with the best of them. This happy wanderer just happens to pass by Eva and Cali's apartment building just as they are being dragged into a mysterious white van. Being a chivalrous sort he leaps from his car and shoots the bad people, thus ending Eva and Cali's troubles for the evening. Too bad he left his oddly customized car (it's covered in a steel diamond plate pattern of some kind) unlocked. You see, just as he is leaving his unlocked car to go save the ladies, Shane and Liz come running by looking for a place to hide. See, when they made the poorly considered choice to stay out late before Purge commencement they caught the eye of a gaudily masked gang of ne'er do wells, which resulted in their car breaking down and them being chased downtown by said gang members. When Leo gets back to his car, young ladies in tow, there is a brief standoff that mostly involves his screaming and everyone else in the car cowering. At least, until one of the kidnappers turns out to be not dead, and recovers sufficiently to spray Leo's car with a machine gun of some kind. When Leo realizes his car is wounded he agrees to take his new friends to a safe haven in exchange for a car. Clearly, there is no car but he pretends to believe them. Not that it matters. Once they get to their safe haven it becomes clear that Purging isn't limited to disaffected youth, and our heroes are forced to escape yet another shoot-out. This lands them in the hands of the same kidnappers that have been grabbing people all night, so we'll finally get to find out what that's all about! The last interesting thing that happens is the appearance of Dwayne (Edwin Hodge), the mysterious stranger from the first film. Overall, I liked that one better. Bigger Budget, Bigger Purge The Purge: Anarchy (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. FTCC Children's Center Current Openings for Full-time & Part-time Care! A 5-Star Nationally Accredited Facility that serves children from age 6 wks through age 5 Center is open 7am-5:30pm Monday - Friday and follows the FTCC calendar for holiday and other closings. (910) 678.8503 www.faytechcc.edu/childrens_center/ Education for Life NOW ENROLLING! Full-time and Part-time care!