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People these days seem to take violence in films with a truly moronic moral perspective. During the 70s there were a lot of hiperviolent films. We had Taxi Driver, for example. We had Halloween and the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre. We had Death Wish. There were no Twitters or Facebooks back then, and there wasn't this big 'violence in movies is bad' trend going everywhere. There were films about school bullies getting what they deserved, and there was a lot of blood and irresponsibility going on (Cannibal Holocaust is one example), and nobody went berserk at public schools the way it's been happening lately.

So… It's 2013 and we get a violent film with superheroes on it.

I am 38 and my wife is 20, and we were both requested to show an ID to enter the screening for Kick–Ass 2. When I came out of the theater I was asking myself if all that was really necessary. This is just a fun movie to sum it up. Come on… We had lots of gory stuff back in the 80s. Things that Fangoria was too proud to show in all it's bloody covers and there was (almost) no backlash from that. Are we far more stupid these days? Why do we need to be so politically correct in every bowl of cereal we eat and every word we spit? It is really moronic to blame entertainment for our own mistakes. I am a big fan of ultraviolent films, things like Martyrs, Irreversible or Taxi Driver, and I had never intended to exact on another human being what I saw in those films. So cut the moral speeches… It's something that has to do with education. Entertainment is not there to educate. You're the ones who have to educate your kids. Take responsibility.

So… The film is amazingly funny and satisfying. I entered the theater with a little bit of fear that they could've ruined one of my favorite superhero movies ever, and it wasn't like that at all. The original Kick-Ass is by far more intelligent than it's sequel, and I think it has to do with the script. At the start of Kick–Ass 2 there's a lot of mediocre screen writing going on. With no action whatsoever, you can clearly see the actors struggling hard to deliver those cheesy lines. In that sense I figure my fears were met, but once the plot moves forward, with Hit–Girl struggling with her mentor and the things she considers to be justice, the film settles itself into overdrive and becomes pure guiltless fun. There's a lot of blood on this one, and in some ways it works the same path as it's predecessor, which I won't go into on this review since it could spoil the plot.

Jim Carrey is magnificent here, as Moretz, Taylor–Johnson and Brown (amazing to have him here again)… But Mintz–Plasse was a little bit of a letdown. Even though he's got some really funny moments, his character turns into some kind of an annoying evil guy which is not really interesting. That wasn't the case with Red Mist.

In the end Kick-Ass 2 is like a bigger version of the first one, with more characters (most of them we don't really get to know) and the same kind of action and, even though it doesn't feel like it's the same movie all over again, it's not that original either.

So, if you want to ride this ride just expect to be thrilled, nothing more. You won't get the same sense of wonder as you did with Kick–Ass, but you will be having loads of fun. Oh… yes!

We have to face the fact that most of the praise for this movie comes from the brilliantly filmed stoning sequence itself. It is truly gripping and sad, even though it doesn't come close to what a real martyrdom like this looks like. For me that part of the film did the trick. But it is not the only important issue we have to confront. Seems to me as though director Cyrus Nowrasteh was far too keen on getting to the execution of Soraya, while leaving the plotting against her almost untouched and played like a soap-opera (even his camera angles are quite uninspired when you compare them to what he does during the actual stoning). And the conspiracy against Soraya is as important as her sacrifice, that is the core of this tragic story: why and how. In the end we feel really moved by her horrible death, but there is no deep study into her surroundings and the people she shared the village with. Her husband comes off as a James Bond villain instead of a real person totally void of compassion and filled with self-interest. In Nowrasteh's mind, her husband is evil the way Darth Vader is evil, but we never really see him as a human being deprived of emotions. He's just there for us to hate. It is a real pleasure to watch Mozhan Marnò's performance as Soraya, as her eyes and dignity reveal so much about the nature of a woman we will never know for real: a mother, a daughter and a humble and pure citizen. Shorheh Aghdashloo is quite a powerful force and drives our fears and wrath as an audience, all pointed towards these self-centered people who end up killing a woman just because she is a woman and an inconvenience. Make no mistake: you will feel moved. It is impossible not to be affected by the subject matter. But the film lacks vitality and a better study of the factors that led to Soraya's demise.

Unsettling, beautiful, sad, violent and insanely imaginative. Santa Sangre is an experience and not a movie. It's so heavy in it's atmosphere and the whole intensity of it's images strikes you with no mercy, you will feel numb after watching it. Few are the films that can claim to confront the audience with their inner beasts, and this one's a nice pill to swallow if you're into that kind of thing. I don't think you should understand it, but more likely to live it. To bring it close to your mind and find whatever you have hiding in there. You know the story from all the reviews out there. And maybe you want to know if it's really worth watching if you're looking for some strange cult film after trying so many times and finding a lot of frustrating wannabe stuff. Well, this one's worth the hype. I put it right there with Buñuel's Un Perro Andaluz and David Lynch's Ereaserhead. It is demonic and seductive and will show you a side of Mexico you never get to see in recent crap like Amores Perros or Y Tu Mamá También. I'm sorry, but it is Santa Sangre the one that delivers the actual Mexican landscape of flavors and odors. It's decadence and sheer beauty. If you thought Lost Highway was too weird, then stay away from this one. But if you couldn't get enough of Lynch's mind and style, then you should kill to get a DVD copy of Santa Sangre. You will get stoned by all the amazing things and sounds it throws away at you.