Last year THE PURGE became a surprise mega-hit, shot on a budget of $3 million and making over $64 million at the domestic box office. The concept revolves around a future in which one night a year, for 12 hours, all crime is legal… it’s a way of letting people vent their frustrations, and (in the universe of the film’s story) has resulted in almost no crime during the rest of the year. Needless to say with the success of the first movie, a sequel was inevitable. But unlike its predecessor, which takes place entirely in one home, THE PURGE: ANARCHY takes the story out into the streets, and directly into the line of fire. I had a chance to sit down with Zach Gilford (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, THE LAST STAND) to chat about his role in the movie, in which he co-stars with his real life wife Kiele Sanchez, playing a couple who get trapped on the streets when the annual Purge begins. As they try to survive the night, they find themselves paired up with a few others, and eventually end up working together as a team in hopes of survival in the face of incredible odds. The interview was done immediately after I participated in “The Purge Breakout Experience”, a haunted house-like attraction that was going from city to city in which groups could find themselves working together to solve scary puzzles and hopefully make it out “alive”… our group didn’t fare so well, but the experience itself was rather fun, and really captures the feeling of these kinds of movies. Zach had also gone through it, so you’ll hear us talking about how fun it was at the start. I first met Zach through our mutual friend Scott Porter when I visited the set of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, and he was just as nice as could be… I’m happy to say he still is. If you liked the first PURGE, check out the sequel this weekend, it’s pretty solid stuff.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
