Last Vegas (Movie Review)
11.1.2013 | By Jack Rico |
The “1-4-0”: #LASTVEGAS is a mix of The Hangover meets The Bucket List. You’ll laugh more than expected and the cast just shines through the screen. Read More
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11.1.2013 | By Jack Rico |
The “1-4-0”: #LASTVEGAS is a mix of The Hangover meets The Bucket List. You’ll laugh more than expected and the cast just shines through the screen. Read More
10.11.2013 | By SBC Staff |
*Updated December 2025
The “1-4-0”: “MACHETE don’t make good sequels.” He’s a great character who ran into a stale script full of retread jokes and too much dialogue. It’s not as funny anymore.
I really love the cast. Among assembling a who’s who of Hispanic Hollywood actors, Demián Bichir and Sofía Vergara steal the show. I also must confess that Lady Gaga was very good in the brief moments she was on screen. She made her scenes look effortless. I think she has a future in the business, if she so desires it.
The characters that director Robert Rodriguez concocted for this franchise are all for the most part memorable. Add the hilarious fake trailers with their grainy 70’s grindhouse look and Machete Kills has something to offer to fans of the exploitation genre.
For a B movie, Machete Kills delivers a high degree of craft, ingenuity, and some great laughs, like the “hanging” scene. You will appreciate the effort, but the script ultimately got away from the director.
Machete is recruited by the President of the USA (Charlie Sheen) to head into Mexico and stop a madman Cartel boss from blowing up the White House with a nuclear missile.
The performances from the lead ensemble are the strongest element. Bichir and Vergara bring a level of energy that carries the film through its slower moments. The visual style remains consistent with the first entry, maintaining that specific 1970s aesthetic that fans of the series enjoy.
When crafting humor, it really is hit and miss. It looks like Rodriguez brain-drained every great joke on the first movie. In this mediocre sequel, we see jokes being recycled to poker face reactions and too much dialogue that should have been truncated.
This contributed to an uneven flow, and the movie felt a bit on the long side. The whole magic of the first film was based on Danny Trejo’s deadpan brilliance, but he was also given extremely imaginative scenarios to work with. Most of the humor here seemed to have worn out its welcome.
Nay. If this was a great movie I’d say pay for it, but there is much better comedic fare out there worth your hard earned money. Machete Kills isn’t a bad movie, it’s just not as good as the first one. I’d wait for this to hit home video.
10.5.2013 | By Jack Rico |
The 1-4-0: Best. Movie. Of. The. Year. ‘Nuff said. When James Cameron says that Gravity is “the best space film ever done,” well, what else do you have to say? In my humble opinion, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is the best space movie I have seen. It is perfect. Read More
10.2.2013 | By SBC Staff |
The “1-4-0″: 12 Years A Slave is one of the best and most emotionally arduous, punishing 2hrs you’ll experience in a movie theater this year. Its level of cruelty will break you. Read More
09.27.2013 | By Jack Rico |
*Updated 2026
In 2026, when romantic comedies are being remeasured against modern dating fatigue, Baggage Claim feels even more stuck in the old formulas Jack rejected.
09.24.2013 | By Jack Rico |
Updated May 2026
In 2013, Don Jon plays like a blunt romance movie for men. All porn, swagger and New Jersey Shore energy. In 2026, with looksmaxxing, dating anxiety and algorithm feeding what masculinity is and should be everywhere online, its obsession with how men see themselves feels newly current.
09.20.2013 | By Jack Rico |
The “1-4-0” Take: “Days of Thunder” is good, but “Rush” is arguably the best racing film you’ll see. It boasts a well-crafted script, excellent acting, and is thoroughly entertaining. Read More
09.14.2013 | By Jack Rico |
The “1-4-0”: #TheFamily is a mafia movie with a funny bone. It surprisingly manages to be very entertaining with a good balance between comedy, action and suspense. Read More
09.6.2013 | By SBC Staff |
This Friday I spoke to Luis Jimenez about Vin Diesel’s new movie RIDDICK as well as the two new US Latino movies MISSION PARK and TIO PAPI. What is the best movie for you? Here’s the audio below and find out for yourself!
Peliculeando airs every Friday at 9:50 a.m. giving reviews on the latest film releases in Spanish with some English thrown in. You can listen to my segment live on Univision Radio’s X 96.3FM in New York or the web by visiting: http://luisjimenezradio.com.
09.5.2013 | By SBC Staff |
Updated May 2026
Mad Men meets 1950’s Paris but with more romance and wit. That’s what you can expect with this wondrous, intoxicating romantic French comedy. Read More