Ricky Jay is coming up aces

DECEPTIVE PRACTICE: THE MYSTERIES AND MENTORS OF RICKY JAY (2012)

Magicians can perform all sorts of tricks with cards and sleight-of-hand techniques. Then there are the street magicians, David Blaine being the most remarkable I've seen. But then there is someone like Ricky Jay who can bring two single dollars together and create a two-dollar bill! He can also manipulate cards in such a way that a club can become a spade or a heart or whatever just by simply turning the card over in one single swoop.

"Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay" takes a close, finite look at Ricky Jay's sleight-of-hand and his favorite magicians who have informed his amazing abilities, although his own early life remains a bit of a mystery. He was Ricky Potash from Brooklyn, NY and was something of an amateur magician at age 7 under the tutelage of his grandfather, Max Katz (also an amateur). When his grandfather passed, Ricky abandoned the family (who did not think much of his passion) and went on to dazzle the world with his own brand of magic. It led to appearances on the Dinah Shore Show, books, movies roles such as "House of Games" and "Boogie Nights," and a spectacular one-man show called "Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants" (directed by David Mamet) where he astonished the crowd with his card manipulations. The film also provides amazing footage of Ricky Jay's mentors and influences including magicians such as Dai Vernon, Slydini, Cardini (a monocle-wearing magician who coughed up a deck of cards repetitiously), Charlie Miller and Al Flosso (hilarious clip from "The Ed Sullivan Show" features Flosso releasing coins from Ed's nose).

A lot of "Deceptive Practice" is indelibly fascinating and riveting to the core - you literally get an insider's view on insights into magic without the reveal of how the tricks are performed. Watching Ricky Jay shuffling his cards is an absorbing experience, especially when he lays out four aces with ease. Hearing from a British journalist on Ricky's ability to conjure a block of ice at a restaurant table is awe-inspiring - how does someone just conjure a block of ice? Watching Ricky, from age 7 to more recently, perform his acts invite incredulity - just watch how he crumbles a piece of paper to form a...oh, check it out for yourself. "Deceptive Practice" amazes and astonishes us, providing just enough insight into the world of magic to make you wonder "How is he doing this?" His family background and the insights into the man himself are closed-off to us (perhaps his intention) but his sleight-of-hand and his knowledge of foremost magicians of the past is tantalizing enough for ten documentaries. You can see why this man would probably not be allowed in any casino.

Do not boogie with this Doc

INHERENT VICE (2014)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Paul Thomas Anderson has metamorphosed into an eccentric director of late. His last film, "The Master," was a puzzling and perplexing work that aimed to be far more ambitious than anything he had created in the past. Nothing wrong with that but it was not a complete dramatic success for me, though certainly watchable and fascinating. "Inherent Vice" is puzzling, perplexing and downright obnoxious in its attempt to be a Southern California noir comedy but the noirish ambitions are muted and the comedy is not fittingly humorous.

Joaquin Phoenix (in yet another role that redefines idiosyncratic) is Doc, a low-rent private detective who spends more time smoking pot than solving cases. His ex-girlfriend, Shasta (a truly bewitching Katharine Waterston), inexplicably tells Doc to help prevent the kidnapping of her newest boyfriend, a wealthy real-estate developer named Mickey Wolfman (Eric Roberts) - he will apparently be kidnapped by his wife who plans to have him committed to an insane asylum. I say inexplicably with regards to Shasta because Doc is an incompetent detective who is ready for nap time. Situations spiral from bizarre to the terminally weird, but not in the David Lynch manner or even the Robert Altman vein of "The Long Goodbye" (one of a few direct inspirations for this film). There is the Joe Friday-type, Detective Christian F. "Bigfoot" Bjornsen (Josh Brolin), who expects Doc to act as informant. To make matters worse, the whole LAPD hates Doc and pushes him around on occasion. There are many more characters floating in and around this mess, including a coked-up dentist (Martin Short), several Nazi bodyguards, massage parlors where the girls have sex at inopportune times, a schooner called the Golden Fang, and Brolin's ice-cream-sucking popsicle detective literally eating marijuana while busting down entrance doors to Doc's hippie-loving existence. Shasta also pulls a disappearing act, or maybe not, but it will barely register to anyone trying to follow this nutzoid screenplay. Not even the most unreliable of narrators, a girl named Sortilège (Joanna Newsom), can help us. The humor is also strangely absent.

Robert Downey, Jr. was originally cast as Doc and he would've made this film far more fun. Joaquin Phoenix has been misdirected by Anderson twice now, but this time the actor gives a performance that is the equivalent of an endurance test, like pins slowly scratching a blackboard. Phoenix is also miscast, seeming far too intellectual with those penetrating eyes and severely mountain-sized mutton chops to play such a nitwit like Doc. Except for one moment where Phoenix fakes a scream, he is either too stoned or too unintelligible or both. Same with the rest of the cast - I like eccentric characters as long as they contain a form of humanity. These characters, based on Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel, are cartoonishly ghastly creations who whisper secrets that only they can comprehend - we are left in a muddle of a puddle.

In terms of creating a sustained mood and a very specific time and place, Paul Thomas Anderson has managed that as well as anybody could. The atmosphere of Southern California exists in a haze and maybe that is his point - marijuana haze is all there is in this early 70's tale and Doc breathes it in aimlessly. But there are slivers of something more emotionally grounded, particularly Shasta who has one erotic romp with Doc that will remind many of Anderson's "Boogie Nights." Even in Anderson's beautifully sustained long takes, nothing clicks and we sense something's amiss. Some may find this absurdly hazy movie intoxicating - I found it stultifyingly suffocating. 

Inherently patriotic and troubled soldier

AMERICAN SNIPER (2014)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

The sniper sets his sights on an Iraqi woman and a young boy, perhaps her son. She hands him a grenade. The sniper shoots her dead first. The boy runs towards the American soldiers. He is killed. But before such a startlingly intense and sweat-inducing scene is completed (and your hands will turn clammy), we see the sniper as a young boy trained to hunt deer seguing to his later years as a rodeo cowboy. His girlfriend cheats on him. He signs up to be a Marine, becomes a trained SEAL and marries a woman who swore she would never marry a SEAL. 9/11 occurs and Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper, simply magnificent without being showy) goes to fight and we come back to the grisly scene that starts the picture.

"American Sniper" unfolds with uncommon clarity and narrow, sharp focus, much like the main character's titular job. Based on a 2012 memoir "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" by Chris Kyle (who was killed by a veteran he tried to help), the movie unfolds at a brisk pace yet it is also unhurried, snapping with precise, artfully rendered scenes of war in four different tours of duty and the homefront where PTSD clearly settles in, almost like an emotional unraveling of suppressed emotions. Kyle's wife, Taya (Sienna Miller) has two children and is pretty much on her own to raise them while he feels he has to "protect his country" and continue to become a "legend." His purpose is patriotic, at the expense of his own family. Only Kyle sees that war is not just hell, it is downright nasty and dirty and unbecoming. He feels he has to complete his duty and kill the savages that have taken the lives of his fellow soldiers. It dawns on him that this war may not cost him an amputation or death, but it is amputating his spirit.

Clint Eastwood is a legend in his own right as well, crafting one of the finest films of his career. I would not call "American Sniper" the "Unforgiven" of war movies but it is hardly a propagandistic war movie (as some critics have alleged and, yes, I am talking to you Matt Taibbi) where we raise our American flags and salute the one-dimensional hero and cheer for the murdered enemies. Bradley Cooper, an actor I am slowly discovering to be a solid gifted actor, and director Eastwood are interested in three dimensions - war is not presented as just and fair in this movie, it is presented as cruel and sadistic. I would not call "American Sniper" one of the great war films but it is one of the great character studies of war itself, that is the strategy, the plan of attack, the kills, all in unifying formation. Only Chris saw the inherent flaws in that this particular war is unpredictable, and it affects him far more deeply than he may have thought. The other battlefront, unfortunately for him, is home. 

Super-Soldier in Citizenfour conspiracy thriller

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

It is clear to me that Marvel Comics has got its foot in the right place when it comes to cinematic comic-book interpretations of late. The wickedly funny "Iron Man Three" was among the better entries, not to mention the fantastically escapist and grand "The Avengers." Sometimes there is a misstep - "Thor: The Dark World" comes to mind and "Iron Man 2" was not as much fun as the original or as its second sequel. Most of these movies may appear to be disposable yet "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is the underdog, a supremely exciting sequel to the patriotic warm hues of 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger." It is ambitious and buckets of comic-book flavoring fun but I sense that its political implications aimed a lot higher and were not followed through.

The musclebound super soldier, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), is now working for S.H.I.E.L.D but something is rotten at the core of the top-secret agency. The eyepatch-wearing Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) also senses something is afoot - he is right since S.H.I.E.L.D has been compromised but by whom and why? A certain Project Insight may have something to do with it, and we get preliminary speeches about satellites, massive gun ships and World Security Council members discussing pre-emptive strikes and national security. Hey, it is not exactly Edward Snowden's whistleblower stuff but it is nice to see a pop movie engaging in such issues of national importance. Nevertheless, before more can be said, Cap America is back in action, wielding his armored shield with ease. Action scenes are more startling than before, especially the highly intense scene with Nick Fury trying to evade the agency's gun-toting minions while driving a bulletproof vehicle. Meanwhile, Cap partners with the luscious, dreamy-eyed and tough-as-nails Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) as they are on the run, discovering that a terrorist organization known as Hydra has been preparing since the days of WWII for a New World Order by making their citizens surrender privacy for security (Alex Jones would have a field day with this).

You want glorious action in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," you got it in spades. You want a political conspiracy tale that feels consistently urgent, you got it. What elevates this material above the usual is the crucial, topnotch casting of Robert Redford as the villainous senior S.H.I.E.L.D official Alexander Pierce, who shoots his own maid without blinking an eye. Just as surprising is the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), a brainwashed super-soldier from the WWII days, once frozen in ice, who used to be buddies with Steve Rogers - he is a masked, black-clad assassin who carries small disc-like explosives. He is a good match for Steve's pro-WWII, pro-America, strong values superhero - this Winter Soldier is a brutal lightning rod of vengeance. In fact, both heroes seems out of their element in the modern era of government surveillance and New World Order paranoia. Who do you trust?

If I find fault with this otherwise splendid and fantastically plotted "Captain America" sequel, it's that the paranoia angle could've been spruced up. When we get to an overextended action climax where gigantic CGI ships (known as Helicarriers) explode in smithereens in unison while watching Cap and his pal Falcon (Anthony Mackie) fly up and down and engage in far too many fistfights, the subtext gets lost somewhat (Marvel, we need not always feature so much high-octane action). Most intriguing are the dialogue scenes that carry a lot of snap, especially Cap's conversations with Alexander and Nick Fury, or his intimacy with Scarlett's Black Widow (their flirtatious dance with words in between action scenes is sweet). Don't get me wrong - this movie is terrifically designed with a terrifically punchy performance by Chris Evans as Cap (he has matured into the role gracefully). I just wanted more political thrust and exposition - action is not the only element that keeps this rousing super sequel afloat.

Love is for those who believe in it

ORIGINAL SIN (2001)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally review from 2001)

While watching the over-exaggerated histrionics and sexual nature of "Original Sin," all I could think of was how much more I admire Stanley Kubrick's wildly panned last hurrah, "Eyes Wide Shut." If you recall, "Eyes Wide Shut" was the infamous film starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman that dealt with jealousy in a marriage and sexual innuendos. Except for the de-eroticized orgy, most of "Eyes Wide Shut" left sexual romps to the imagination. It was all done with class, style and sophistication and left audiences puzzled and frustrated, particularly since one was not privy to seeing Kidman and Cruise in their birthday suits. "Original Sin" delivers on its promise of promiscuity, sex and tons of nudity - yes, Angelina Jolie is naked throughout this film. And so is the leading romantic star Antonio Banderas. And it is all about as sexy and erotic as any episode of "Red Shoe Diaries."

Based on the novel "Waltz into Darkness" by Cornell Woolrich, the film begins with a Cuban coffee planter, Luis Durand (Antonio Banderas), who is ready to marry a mail-order bride. His interests are primarily lustful since he does not believe in love ("Love is for those who believe in it.") Durand meets the bride named Julia Russell (Angelina Jolie) although she looks nothing like the photograph she sent him. This should be cause for alarm but Durand is, after all, rather smitten (hey, it is Lara Croft after all!) They agree that they can't trust each other since he told her he was a worker at a coffee plant, not the owner. What is striking about this scene is how lovingly composed it is. Director Michael Cristofer ("Gia") takes a cue from Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence" by showing us Durand's subjective glances at the striking figure of Julia, dissolving from shots of her hair, lips, eyes, hands, etc. After seeing this sequence, I was convinced that Cristofer was going to rein us in on one heck o f a full-blooded, passionate love story. Not so.

What starts as a sumptuous mood piece quickly degenerates into heavy, over-the-top melodrama. Julia is not what she seems since she takes Durand's money and splits. Durand is heartbroken, so much that he is ready to kill her only to then realize he is actually ready to kill for her (?). He hires a private investigator (Thomas Jane) to find her, though the investigator has already been looking for her for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who loves melodramas of this type. Revelations take place as does twists and turns, all foreseeable if again, you have not lived in a monastery for the last twenty years. Oh, yes, but we do see Banderas and Jolie cavorting in the nude in high-angle, softly pornographic scenes that only made me yawn. To call this eroticism is to forget what true eroticism is - consider the lovemaking scene between Greta Scacchi and Tim Robbins in "The Player," which is as erotic as they come where are all you see are their faces in complete ecstasy. Even Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris" had a modicum of nudity. The sex scenes in this film play like a Playfold centerfold with Jolie at its center - it is no different than any soft-porno film you might catch late at night on HBO.

Perhaps "Original Sin" was meant to be melodramatic (I have not read the book nor seen Truffaut's original film version) but it is so high-pitched complete with a grating soundtrack of Spanish songs that it becomes a chore to sit through. Banderas succeeds in making Durand a torn man and I do enjoy watching Jolie, a stunning screen presence. They just do not have an iota of chemistry and since the characters are so one-dimensional, it is hard to care about them. Thomas Jane's role is crudely overdone and simply too cartoonish. The ending is such a howler and so nearly parodic that the whole audience erupted in laughter. "Original Sin" simply needed to be dialed down a bit for its own good.

This movie is drugs

A SCANNER DARKLY (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Films like "A Scanner Darkly" confound expectations and deal with subject matter that audiences would rather not respond to. That is a shame because "A Scanner Darkly" is one hypnotic, overcaffeinated drug trip of a movie. Call it "The Matrix" as seen through the eyes of drug addicts.

And speaking of "The Matrix," Keanu Reeves plays Bob Arctor, a narc working undercover. He lives in a house with roomates who talk about drugs or do them, or philosophize about mundane things (such as how many gears are in an 18-speed bike). Rory Cochrane plays Freck (looking like a disheveled mop), a guy who in the opening scene imagines bugs crawling around his body. There is also Woody Harrelson as a freaked-out paranoid who believes everything Barris (Robert Downey Jr.) tells him. They are all taking the drug Substance D, which consists of a red pill that turns you into a paranoid wreck. You might be paranoid too if you saw conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ranting and raving on the street, or Winona Ryder as a blonde dealer who refuses to be touched and seems to shapeshift into some other girl when having sex. Oh, yes, and the undercovers wear scramble suits, which allows them to look like living, breathing, alternating holograms. However, these suits are only worn in police stations or conferences. Meanwhile, the narcs have to undergo routine blood tests to be sure they are not consuming the drug they are trying to bust other people for!

Think of "A Scanner Darkly" as the animated, psychedelic version of 1991's "Rush" and you'll get a good idea of what to expect. Based on Philip K. Dick's novel, "A Scanner Darkly" is difficult to sit through at times, and other times it is exhilarating. The film was rotoscoped from its original print - basically, everything was shot live on DV and then animated. For director Richard Linklater, it is the second time he has employed this approach - the first time was in the unique "Waking Life." That will make audiences more or less receptive to the visuals, depending on one's tastes. This technique often works beautifully, especially the scene with the bugs or the philosophical mumblings of Barris (besides, Robert Downey, Jr. is always fun to watch, animated or not). I also love the scenes with Winona Ryder, who accentuates the hypnotic quality of her voice as much as her face. The scramble suit can be a bit much too endure since it is used repeatedly. And Keanu Reeves, dare I say, often mesmerizes precisely because he is animated.

A film like "A Scanner Darkly" largely depends on your tolerance for the subject matter and the visuals. If you are like me and enjoy both, then you'll like the film. Some have called Terry Gilliam's wildly overstated and unwatchable "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" a movie that isn't about drugs - it is drugs. Well, "A Scanner Darkly" doesn't aim as high as one might hope into any insights on addiction, but it understands the nature of addiction and what it does. Yes, this movie is drugs.

Original Pin-Up Girl

THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE (2005)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

You've seen the countless photographs, posters and T-shirts. There are also those famous color films, particularly "Teaserama." We are talking about the original pin-up girl, the one and only Bettie Page, the God-fearing Nashville girl who became a tigress in a time when sex was too controversial (and still is). Mary Harron's newest film, "The Notorious Bettie Page" is an attempt to understand the era that represented Bettie Page and it largely succeeds, but it lacks a dramatic focus on the central character.

Bettie Page (Gretchen Mol) is the black-haired girl with the famous bangs who has dreams of becoming a Hollywood movie star. She does try her damnedest, including going to acting school, but men mostly see a desire to photograph her. First, she is photographed in dresses, then slowly in bondage situations, sometimes wearing black leather and black boots, and sometimes nothing at all. Through the 1950's, Bettie treats all these sexual photographic situations with a wink, as if she knows she is in on the joke. Consider a couple of scenes where the photographers shoot some film of her mimicking a spanking on another scantily-clad female. In other words, all the photos, pin-ups and color films she made are not hardcore at all (though they were considered smut and illegal back then).

Bettie does suffer a few traumatic incidents. In one intense scene, she is gang-raped. What makes it intense isn't so much that director Harron pans away from the trauma of it - it is Bettie's face that shows her acceptance of what men want. And through the scant scenes shown of her failed marriage and boyfriends, Bettie never seems to be truly affected by what she does for a living - she is too innocent and naive and goes on with the show. She remembers her father sexually abusing her but she never lets it intrude on her job of looking sexy with a black leather outfit and a whip.

Director Harron shows a nostalgic reminder of the era in terms of the atmosphere and look of the 50's - the exquisite black-and-white and Technicolor photography is about as good as it gets. The clothes, the costumes and the graininess of the era is wisely paid attention to in great detail. In the end, perhaps, I wish there was just as much attention paid to the character of Bettie Page. Page is portrayed as winsome, sexy, innocent and Mol shows all those layers with aplomb. But there isn't much more to the character, and no real focus on some measure of pain she might be feeling because of her past sexual abuse. Perhaps the real Page didn't feel it because she refused to exhibit it or talk about it - this is the repressive 50's after all. She seems agreeable to any man asking her for a date, and even asks a man out during her days in Miami. But Harron is not interested in a character study - this is merely a character we are asked mainly to look at and see her as the icon she later became.

And as for Bettie Page's notoriety, there is only a wisp of it in the story. Page was never asked to testify in the Senate hearings on her pin-ups or her films - they didn't need her since the case against such perversions were categorically seen as an anathema to the culture. It was a crackdown on pornography by Congress, which continues to this day.

"The Notorious Bettie Page" is an alluring, visually dazzling film to watch but it doesn't involve us in Page's life. The film doesn't vibrate with energy about such a tantalizing rare subject - it assumes a conservative pose on such matters. At times, it feels like it is a film made by Congress rather than a tantalizing filmmaker like Mary Harron, who showed explosive fireworks with fiery character dynamos in "American Psycho" and "I Shot Andy Warhol." I enjoyed the film for its rare glimpse of a forgotten subject and for Gretchen Mol's credible performance. In many ways, the film can stand as the iconic portrait it is, along side the merchandise of Bettie Page. That in itself is more ironic than notorious.

Hey Bud-dy, not bad for a Weasel

PAULY SHORE STANDS ALONE (2014) 

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I could never stand Pauly Shore comedies. His weaselly, laid-back shtick, his basic stand-up act that transferred to films, always had me grating my teeth and sighing. I found him to be insufferable and unwatchable, though I never once watched any of his stand-up. "Pauly Shore Stands Alone" is directed by the comedian, now in his mid-40's, and it shows him on a Wisconsin/Minnesota comedy tour dealing with enlarged prostate issues and seeking sex with alleged groupies and a club booker named Patience.

Pauly describes right at the start of the film that he has some money problems, and is thinking of selling his home on the Hollywood Hills (he currently rents out his massive mansion). His mother (Mitzi Shore, who owned the Comedy Store) is sick with Parkinson's, thus also complicating his relationship with his siblings. Pauly goes on a comedy tour at strip clubs and other venues where comics often get their feet wet, not when they are in their 40's. Of course, I could be wrong since Pauly's reasoning is that comics should venture out to places where the real people live (and presumably at strip malls, too). We see only brief clips of his stand-up act; instead more time is spent watching him urinate than tell jokes (to be fair, the jokes are juvenile at best yet they made me smile more than any of his substandard movies did).

Still, despite a melancholic air of desperation about this documentary, the very feeling that Pauly is still known around the country and he has major fans (including one girl who wears a "I Love Pauly" T-shirt and bites his ass on stage) brings him much needed cheer from the family difficulties back home. I felt a little sympathy for the Weasel, but do not ask me to revisit his crappy movies again. 

Violent extremes saves the day

THE PURGE (2013)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

It is hard to fathom if Americans today feel their free will is restricted. If a 12-hour period existed where they could engage in any crime and not get arrested, would they? I dunno but I highly suspect that murdering people for fun is on anyone's agenda, unless you already have a propensity for murder. "The Purge" is set in the year 2022 where murder is allowed during the so-called 12-hour "Purge" night - you can kill, rob, cheat, steal at your heart's content and no police or hospitals are on hand to provide help. The bigger question is would just anyone do this, or is everyone willing to commit heinous acts because they can?

Ethan Hawke is James Sandin, a home security specialist living in a nice home with his family (he has built an addition with the help of selling security systems in the neighborhood). Tension is already in the air because, on this given night, the Purge begins and that means having those steel shutters clamped down all around the Sandin residence. Lena Headey is James's wife, who is very concerned but holds her emotions in check. There are two kids in tow: Charlie Sandin (Max Burkholder) is the technological wizard who crafts a night vision camera inside of a mutated baby doll (the film's creepiest image), and Zoey (Adelaide Kane) is the teen girl who allows her boyfriend to sneak in to her bedroom. All is well until the Purge occurs and one suspects that in this luxurious suburbia, nothing much happens. That is until a homeless guy screams for help with a posse poised to kill, comprised of neighboring yuppies wearing masks. Guess who allows the poor homeless man inside?

"The Purge" is strong stuff for a while, extremely well-acted and tightly paced with a promising premise. This story could have gone in any direction - what if the Sandin family turn against each other? What if Zoey's boyfriend (who sneaks in before the Purge) tries to kill his girlfriend's father? What if the homeless guy is not what he seems? There are many what if scenarios but the one that the filmmakers chose is not the best. Instead of evoking the moral implications of murder as free will when allowed by the state, "The Purge" becomes a blood-drenched and occasionally bloodless thriller. Executions are aplenty and though there is major suspense in the very notion of a home invasion thriller, there is not much surprise. This is the kind of movie that Sam Peckinpah could have made in his sleep, yet Peckinpah would have relished the very premise itself. The movie avoids it and avoids asking tough questions. It is all about the murders and one after another occur in unison, thereby eliminating the very tension it began with.

I am not completely dismissing "The Purge" (and Ethan Hawke has made some fascinating films of late) but it is disappointingly thin. It could have been the "Clockwork Orange" of the 2010 era, evoking America's need for a bloodthirsty country to cut down on population once a year and bring unemployment down to 1% (boy, President Obama would have loved that percentage). By the time we get through the high mortality rate, "The Purge" is nothing more than an average home invasion movie.