Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Extinction

            Friday I notice that the second and third “Resident Evil” movies were coming on TV back to back and since I watched the first one Thursday night I was ready to see these. The second movie “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” is about the T-virus spreading into a city. The Umbrella company solution to this is to quarantine the city and drop a nuclear bomb on it in the morning to whip away the virus, the survivors, and any evidence that could be traced back to their company. Umbrella also uses this opportunity to test project Alice and project Nemesis. Project Alice is the same Alice from the first movie but with the T-virus mixed with her DNA. Project Nemesis is Max form the first movie but mutated to the point where he is unrecognizable. Umbrella plans to put them against one another to see which is better. Alice is looking for a way out of the city while Nemesis hunts her down. In this movie the zombie fights where somewhat better because Alice became something more than human which made her fight better. The whole character of Alice changed when it came to the way she fights and her new shoot first attitude.

*I would also have to give “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” a 8 out of 10*

                   Alice

          Nemesis

            The third movie “Resident Evil: Extinction” is about the T-virus spreading across the whole world. In this movie the virus spread to all parts of the world and most of the world is know a barren wasteland. This movie also follows Alice and a few friends she made in the previous movie. The plot of this movie is about Umbrella trying to control the zombies as well as capture Alice to use her in their experiments for a cure to the T-virus. The movie also follows a group of survivors trying to make it to Alaska. The character of Alice has evolved again with the emergence of new abilities that looks similar to telekinesis. Alice has also become somewhat more of a loner. In this movies Alice’s main opposition is the lead scientist for Umbrella who after being infected by the T-virus mutates himself into a zombie human hybrid creature. This movie is slightly less eventful compared to the other movies but it is still just as good. The way this movie ends is with Alice treating the leaders of Umbrella by telling them that she will hunt them all down. Unfortunately the fourth movie was not on TV so I will have to wait to see what happened next. Since I saw the movies so close together I have seen how the main character Alice has evolved for this scared woman with no memory to this invincible killer. In my personal opinion the problem with most movies that have multiple installments is that the characters are stagnant and become predictable and boring to watch. I believe the best characters slowly change as the story is told to show different levels of their personality.

*I would have to give “Resident Evil: Extinction” an 8 out of 10 as well”

Even though I gave them all the same rating I would have to say the first movie Resident Evil is my favorite. I feel that they all are good an each one is different in its own way but I gave them all the same rating because each story builds on the last so I feel it is kind of hard to single one movie out as being the overall best.

Resident Evil

Last night I watched “Resident Evil” before going to sleep. Personally I try not to watch movies like this before I go to sleep because I start hearing random noises. “Resident Evil” is zombies are taking over the world kind of movie. The movie takes place in this underground lab called the Hive. Secret experiments on genetic mutation are being done until a vial of a virus called the T-virus is released. The T-virus brings the dead back to life with only the urge to feed. The Hive is run by a company called Umbrella an when the Hive shuts down they send in a squad of commandos to go down and find out why the facility shut down. They end up fighting for their lives to escape the zombies. Out of the 8 people who went in only one makes it out unaffected by the virus. The one who makes it out name is Alice (played by Milla Jovovich) and through the movie she slowly regains her memories about what Umbrella was doing. In the end Alice along with a man named Max make out but as soon as they do Max begins to mutate. The movie ends with Alice and Max being forcefully separated and taken for experimentation that will not be fully seen until the next movie “Resident Evil: Apocalypse.” The movie was actually better than I thought. The main character Alice started out as this fragile woman then transforms into a zombie killing machine in a dress as she regains more pieces of her memory. One of the only draw backs was that from the beginning I figured that she was going to be most likely the only one to survive. In that aspect it reminded me of how many horror movies always have a girl survive at the end and all of her friends are dead.

*I give “Resident Evil” a 8 out of 10*

The Box

            Today I watched a very interesting movie called “The Box.” The story revolved around a decision to press a button in a box by a married couple (played by James Marsden and Cameron Diaz). If they press the button they get one million dollars and someone they do not know will die. If they do not press the button the box is given to another couple they do not know and the same deal is made. At this point in the movie I began to wonder would I press the button. Could I put a price on another human’s life even one I do not know? If someone offered me a million or even a billion dollars and all I had to do is press a button would I do it? It would be easy to say I would not do it, but do any of us really know what we would do or are capable of when the situation is real? Well I am sure you could have predicted they pressed the button and by doing so changed their lives forever. Interestingly enough the movie ends with two ironic choices. The first being the husband must choose between his son having to go through life without being able to hear and see anymore or shooting his wife so his son’s senses will return. The other choice was that another couple had to deciding if they should press the button or not. The movie was very complicated and when it was over made me wonder what just happened. The movies theme would have to be about the different choices we make in life and how they affect us.

*I give “The Box” a 7.5 out of 10*

The Stepfather

            The movie I watched today was “The Stepfather.” The movie is basically about a man named David Harris (played by Dylan Walsh) who jumps from family to family by seducing divorced women into thinking he is perfect. If the family he is in does not measure up to his standards he kills them and moves on to another family. I thought the way the movie started with him changing his appearance after he murdered his previous family was good at getting my attention. After that I slowly started to lose interest. The son of the new family Harris has sunken his hooks into, starts to figure out what Harris is hiding. In the end, after this fight between Harris and the son, Harris gets away and eludes the police. The movie overall was not that great. The story seems to have everything it needs to be one of those thrillers that leaves you speechless but it fell short in the end. It is a movie that I would watch on a rainy day when there is nothing to do. I have notice that this movie is a remake of a 1987 movie and I hope that one is better than this one was.

*I give “The Stepfather” a 5.5 out of 10*

The World’s Greatest Detective

            Earlier today I was reminded that there is another Sherlock Holmes movie coming out at the end of this year currently titled “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” I am looking forward to this movie because the first movie that came out in 2009 was really good. The first movie “Sherlock Holmes” was fantastic. I personally love detective like movies because I always try my hardest to figure things out before the movie gets to the climax. In the Movie Sherlock is trying to solve the murders being performed by a man named Lord Henry Blackwood who was thought to be dead. After much detective work Holmes finds out that the real culprit, who is pulling the strings behind Blackwood, is Professor Moriarty. Moriarty got Blackwood to try and kill the members of parliament with a machine that will release cyanide gas. In the end it turned out that Blackwood and his goal to kill the members of parliament was just a very elaborate distraction. Moriarty’s true goal was to steal a piece of the machine being used to pump cyanide gas into the parliament building. The movie end with no one knowing what Moriarty is going to do with the piece he stole but hopefully we will find out in the next movie. Robert Downey Jr. played a very good Sherlock Holmes. I would have to say his performance was crazy, insane, and genius.

*I give “Sherlock Holmes” a 9 out of 10*

The Lightning Theif

As I was doing a little spring cleaning I came across a book called “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. It reminded me of when I went a saw the movie version and was majorly disappointed. The book and the movie are about children of the gods and their adventures. This book is about the son of Poseidon who is thought to have stolen Zeus’s lightning bolt. The whole story is about how Poseidon’s son Percy trying to clear his name, save his mother, and stop a war among the gods. While I loved the book, the movie completely butchered the whole story. The movie added characters, subtracted characters, and even added scenes that never happened in the book. The movie changed the story almost completely. I felt as if the movie writers never even read the book or just some notes on it and came up with their own story. If I was the author I would be furious at how my story was distorted into something almost completely unrecognizable. There are 5 books in the series and I hope if they decide to do another movie it will be closer to the books.

*I give the Book an 8 out of 10*

*I give the movie a 6 out of 10*

The Fantastic 4

I have a thing for superhero movies. This past week both Fantastic Four movies were playing on TV, “Fantastic Four” and “Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer.” The first movie “Fantastic Four” is a great movie. It is the basic origin storyline of how the Fantastic 4 got their powers. Also it is the story of how their greatest enemy Victor von Doom (played by Julian McMahon), or better known as Dr. Doom, got his powers as well. The movie shows how each member of the Fantastic 4 dealt with their new powers in the beginning. The one who has to adjust the most to his powers is Ben Grimm (play by Michael Chiklis), better known as The Thing, to his new monster like looks and tremendous strength. Johnny Strom (play by Chris Evans) , better known as The Human Touch, is the first of the group to embrace his powers because he has a more care free or even reckless attitude than the others. The last two members of the group the Invisible Woman Susan Storm (played by Jessica Alba) and Mr. Fantastic Reed Richards (played by Ioan Gruffudd) also did well dealing with their new powers. The whole movie comes to an end when the four unite to defeat Doom and become known as the Fantastic 4.

*I give “Fantastic Four” a 8.5 out of 10*

 The second movie “Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer” was more action based. The whole movie is centered around the Silver Surfer (played by Doug Jones but Voiced by Laurence Fishburne) and the impending destruction of the earth. Doom is even called in to help stop the Silver Surfer from bringing his master the devourer of worlds Galactus. Doom then double crosses everyone and takes the Silver Surfer’s powers for himself. The Fantastic 4 along with the Silver Surfer confront Doom in Japan and stop him while Galactus gets closer to earth. In the end the Surfer risk his life to save the earth from Galactus. I have no idea which movie I like more because they both are great movies and they both have different things that I think make superhero movies great. The first movie has the whole background story of how they got their powers and how they became the fantastic 4. The second movie had more of a plot with the Silver Surfer trying to destroy the world then helping to save it from Doom and Galactus.Both movies are great on their own but I recommend that everyone see both of them.

*I give “Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer” a 8.5 out of 10*

Prince of Persia

            To kick off spring break I went over one of my old friend’s house and watched movies. One of the movies we watched was “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.” I remember I wanted to see this when it first came out but never got around to it. I actually really like this movie because it kind of surprised me in a few parts. The movie is about an adopted prince of Persia trying to prove his innocents in the murder of his father the king of Persia. The adopted prince Dastan (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) comes to find out his uncle is the one behind the kings’ murder as an attempt to still his throne. The whole movie is centered around this dagger that has the power to reverse time which the uncle wants to use to stop his brother from becoming king. Along with the daggers guardian Tamina, (played by Gemma Arterton) Dastan must avoid being captured for the death of his father as well as the assassins his uncle sent after him because of what he knows. One of my favorite scenes is the fight between the two knife throwers over the dagger. (Knife Thrower video below) The only drawback was the fact I saw the ending coming. When Tamina fell to her death I figured Dastan would reverse time to save her life.

*I give “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” a 7.5 out of 10*

Terminator Salvation

I have never seen any of the “Terminator” movies until this week when I watched “Terminator Salvation.” This movie is the fourth installment in the Terminator franchise. Personally I have never been interested in any of the “Terminator” movies but decided to give it a try anyway. “Terminator Salvation” is your basic man vs. machine kind of movie. The machines have taken over the planet under the control of a system known as Skynet which want to eradicate the human race. As you can probably guess this idea did not go over well with mankind so they battle against the machines or Terminators to save their lives. In my opinion the whole robots taking over the world idea is a little cliché. Even though I did not think I would enjoy this movie it turned out to be actually pretty good. One of the main characters Marcus Wright (played by Sam Worthington) is a human/terminator hybrid who was created to lure the rebel leader John Connor (played by Christian Bale) to Skynet headquarters to be killed. In the end Marcus sides with the humans and they fight together to bring down Skynet headquarters. While I did find this movie interesting I still have no interest in any of the Terminator installments. “Terminator Salvation” was good but it did not make me feel as if I should try and watch the other Terminator movies.

*I give “Terminator Salvation” a 5.5 out of 10*

Batman

It has occurred to me that I have talked about the movie “The Dark Knight” but not “Batman Begins.” Like I stated in my introduction “The Dark Knight” is my favorite movie, which is the sequel to “Batman Begins.” In this movie Batman (played by Christian Bale) goes up against Dr. Johnathan Crane a.k.a The Scarecrow (played by Cillian Murphy). After defeating him Batman learns that his former teacher Ra's al Ghul (palyed by Ken Watanabe), who taught him everything is really still alive and behind The Scarecrow. He learns his plan is to release a hallucinogen, a substance that causes hallucinations, into the air to destroy Gotham City. The movie is a little bit more complicated than that but that about sums it up. I have a thing for Batman movies so I had high expectation for this one. I liked the way they had a plot twist with Batman’s old master being the real villain. In my opinion the beat movies will always be the ones that surprise you in the end. “Batman Begins” was a great movie and “The Dark Knight” was a phenomenal movie, which makes me a little nervous about the next Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises,” being a total flop. The movie does not come out till next year and I hope it can live up to its predecessors.

*I give “Batman Begins” a 9 out of 10*    

Push

Key Words-

Watchers-have the ability to foresee the future to varying degrees. As knowledge of the future invariably causes that future to change.

Movers-are powerful telekinetics who are trained to identify the specific atomic frequency of a given material and alter the gravitational field around it, usually causing the nearby air to appear warped. This allows them to move both animate and inanimate objects.

Pushers-have the ability to implant memories, thoughts and emotions into the minds of other people in order to manipulate them. The skill level of the Pusher determines how many people the Pusher is able to control at one time, and how vivid the implanted memories are.

Wipers-are skilled at either temporarily or permanently erasing memory, an invaluable asset in espionage. Experience will dictate the accuracy of their wipes, though there is always the danger that they will eliminate a desired memory.

Today I watched the movie “Push.” Basically it is about people with different psychic abilities. The main character Nick Gant (played by Chris Evans) is known as a mover. He teams up with Cassie Holmes (played by Dakota Fanning), who is a watcher, to take down an organization called Division. Division is a top secret organization within different governments that uses these psychics for their own personal gain. The Division in the move is from America and they are after a drug they developed that enhances abilities. The whole movie is about Nick and Cassie along with a few others trying to stop the leader of Division Henry Carver, (played by Djimon Hounsou) who is a pusher, from getting the drug as well as avenging the death of Nick’s father. One of the best things about this movie to me was how the ending unfolded. Since watchers visions of the future depends on choices we make in life, they had had a wiper erase their memories so no one knew exactly what they were doing. Before they had their memories wiped Nick gave them all a red envelope with instructions on what their part was in the whole master plan. Even though this part is hard to explain in words, it was my favorite. I love movies with these elaborate endings that I can try to guess what is going to happen before it happens. They all had to accomplish task without knowing exactly why they were doing it. Most of the movie is straight forward until the end when they put this plan in to action. Even though I did like how they did the ending the rest of the movie was a little dull.

*I give “Push” a 6.5 out of 10*

I just finish watching “Ninja Assassin” and it was impressive. I like the whole story of the assassin gone rouge but I felt as if the storyline was missing something but I’m not sure what exactly. I thought the movie was awesome overall and was actually surprised at the end when Mika (played by Naomie Harris) was stabbed at the end. When I realized she was still alive it was when Raizo (played by Rain) was carrying her out and I thought about the old man in the beginning who was also stabbed by an assassin before. The one thing that I just could not get over was the amount of fake blood used in the fight scenes. The used a combination of fake blood an animated blood using CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery). For example it seemed like every time someone was cut no matter where or how big the cut at least 20 gallons of blood ran out. At the end when Raizo defeats his old master it’s like a fountain of blood that shoots out of his body like it was the most natural thing.

*I give “Ninja Assassin” a 7 out of 10*

I have included the movie trailer but since it does not show any of the over bloody fight scenes I mentioned I also included a video of one. The one I picked uses a lot of blood but I am pretty sure other scenes have used more.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Iy3Dg3OK4

Iron Man and Iron Man 2

This week since I have seen both “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2,” I will be talking about them both in this post. “Iron Man” was a good movie. Since I am a big fan of superhero movies myself I tend to have high expectations for them. One of my favorite scenes in the movie was when he fought and escaped the terrorist who kidnapped him in the prototype Iron Man armor. Even though I did like the movie I felt as if it could have been better. When I think of superheroes I think of action and “Iron Man” had action just not as much as I expected. The main action scenes in the movie were when he fought in the prototype armor and at the end when fighting Obadaih Stane (played by Jeff Bridges).

I would say “Iron Man2” meet my expectation more. Even though again it really only has two main fight scenes like the first movie it somehow was more entertaining. The two main fight scenes in this movie was the fight against Ivan Vanko/Whiplash and at the end when Iron man and Rhodey/War Machine fight the Iron Man Robots as well as Vanko. Overall I felt both movies were good but I personally like “Iron Man 2” better.

*I give “Iron Man” a 7 out of 10*
*I give “Iron Man 2” a 8.5 out of 10*

Iron Man and Iron Man 2 Trailers.

"Clash of the Titans" was Epic!

 

            I love movies based on Greek mythology like “The Odyssey.” Movies with a monster that needs to be slain by some person with just a sword and a lot of determination are my favorite kind of movies. With that said it was no coincidence that I liked “Clash of the Titans.” This movie was a remake of a 1981 film with the same name. “Clash of the Titans” is the story of a son of Zeus (king of the gods) named Perseus who goes on a quest to save the city of Argos and the Princess Andromeda from the Kraken. Perseus must defeat not only the Kraken but Medusa (can turn people into stone with one look) as well as Hades (lord of the underworld). Throughout the movie Perseus tries to deny his godly lineage, but is forced to face the fact that he is different as he faces each obstacle in his path. There were many good scenes in the movie like when Perseus and other warriors must face these giant scorpion creatures. Another scene I enjoyed was the fight with Madusa. She slowly picked off all of Perseus comrades by turning them to stone until Perseus was the only one left. It is a movie I would definitely watch again and would recommend to everyone. Below I included the movie trailer because I could not pick one scene but the trailer has a part of all my favorites.

*I give “Clash of the Titan a 9 out of 10*

When in Rome

            I decided to watch one more Romance movie before I get back to the action movies I love so much. Wednesday I watched a movie called “When in Rome.” It was about a girl who has kind of given up on love but about 5 guys magically fall in love with her at the same time. There is a little bit more to it than that but that pretty much sums the move up. The whole movie was predictable. The main character Beth (played by Kristen Bell) meets the guy she ends up with in the first 10 minutes of the movie. They do not really get together till the end of the movie but it was obvious they were going to end up with each other. The 5 guys that magically fell in love with her were all weird in different ways and she showed no interest in any of them. Those guys more annoyed her then romance her. The only surprise in the movie was the guy that she obvious was in love with and who was in love with her from the beginning was not under some magic spell like the rest of the guys. There was one part of the movie that I really remember and that was their first date. They went to a restaurant that was completely pitch black so no one can see but the waiters with their night vision goggles. The only reason I remember this part is because their waitress was really creepy. I included a video of the date in a youtube video below.  Overall it was a nice movie but it was not something I would break my neck to see.

*I give “When in Rome” a 5 out of 10*

            As I flipped through channels today I stopped on the movie “Four Christmases.” I was lucky enough to catch it as it was just beginning so I got to see the entire movie. Now again I tend to be harder on movies that have to do with love but I liked this one. It was a comedy as well as a romance movie. A couple (played by Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) that normally takes a vacation during Christmas to avoid both of their families has no choice but to go and spend Christmas with them. Since both of them come from divorced homes they must visit four different houses. Since each parent seems to be a little crazy in their own way it makes things very complicated between the couple as the movie goes on. They find out things about each other that they did not know before and it changes their relationship. One of my favorite parts is when they are visiting his mother, who divorced his father and is now dating his best friend from childhood. ( Talk about awkward ) I also liked when they visited her mother and she had to fight some little kids for a pregnancy test. The movie was good but it was not great. It was very funny but I felt as if it was kind of predictable. I knew that they were going to end up have a big fight that may cause them to break up as soon as they fought about him not telling her he changed his name from Orlando.

*I give this movie a 6.5 out of 10*

I included the trailer because it has the parts from all four households.

The Time Traveler's Wife

            As you probably can tell I mostly like action movies, but every now and again I branch out and watch something different. I was looking for a movie to watch for this week and I ended up watching “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” I do not watch a lot of love stories because I find them to be predictable. Boy meets girl, there is some kind of conflict preventing them from being together, and then in the end they fall into each other’s arms and live happily ever after. I am sure there are some stories that are different but most end up like that. I found this movie to be very interesting. The story is about a man that can travels through time at random to different parts of his life. In his travels he meets his future wife when she is a little girl and at other times in her life. Since he cannot control when he travels through time it puts a strain on their relationship as his wife tries to deal with the circumstances. She has to deal with him time traveling during their wedding as well as seeing his future self dying on the floor in front of her. This movie was a very well thought out love story and I think even those who do not like love stories should give this one a try.

*I give “The Time Traveler’s Wife” 8 out of 10*

"RED" was Killer

            I just finish watching the movie “RED” on DVD. It was great. It had all things that make good action movies. The movie was about a retired CIA agent who is targeted to be assassinated. He and the women he is interested in go on the run and try and hunt down the person who is giving the orders. Since the girl he likes does not know about his CIA past he has to kidnap her to protect her from the people that would kill her to get to him. With the help of some of his retired CIA agent friends he goes up against the FBI, the CIA, and the secret service. My favorite part in the move is when Frank (played by Bruce Willis) gets out of a police car, with his gun drawn, while the car is spinning, and still does not get hit while shooting his assassin. I would suggest that everyone see this movie.

*I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10*

I have included the spinning car scene below that I described above.

Death at a Funeral was O.K.

            Ok this past Monday I watched the movie “Death at a Funeral.” In my head I already told myself that I was not going to like this movie but luckily I was somewhat wrong. In my opinion there was not much to this movie. The plot was very simple with a few funny parts. What made the movie for me was one character named Oscar (played by James Marsden). In the beginning Oscar and his girlfriend almost get hit by a car which causes him to start freaking out. So to calm him down his girlfriend gives him one of her brother’s pills (which is something you should never do) that is wrongly labeled. The pills cause Oscar to start to hallucinate during the whole movie. His hallucinations ranged from just acting and saying weird things to seeing dead bodies move to even climb up on the roof naked. This character made the movie for me with his extreme craziness. Overall the movie was alright. I see it one of those movies that if you see it fine if you don’t that’s fine to.

*I give this movie a 5 out of 10 and James Marsden’s Character a 8.5 out of 10*

I have included a clip were Oscar thinks the coffin is moving and someone is alive inside it.

Inception Blew My Mind

I just got “Inception” on DVD and it was just as amazing as people said it was. It is a move that makes you never want to blink out of fear you may miss something. I find it hard to believe that someone could actually imagine something like this that is so elaborate and well thought out. The movie was like watching a story being told with multiple layers to it. The focused on reality, dreams, and dreams within dreams. It may sound confusing but all comes together when you watch it. I wish I had the imagination to think of something half as good as this movie. It takes you on a journey that you have no idea where you will end up but you never want the journey to end. To quote the movie watching this movie is like being “on a train, a train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter because…” To know how the quote ends you will have to watch the movie.

*I will give this move a 9.5 out of 10. It is a must see.*

Batman The Dark Knight Trailer 1 HD

Introduction

Movies are amazing ways to tell as well as show stories. There is a movie out there for everyone. There is action, comedy, horror, romance, and many others. Movies that make you laugh, cry, scream, or even scratch your head wondering what just happened.

            I’m Antoine Hull and I love watching as well as talking about movies. My favorite movie of all time has to be "The Dark Knight." If you have not seen it you are missing out on one of the best Batman movies ever. I would give this movie a perfect 10 out of 10.

(Rating System: 1-10. 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest score)

I have this movie on DVD and I have seen it a bunch of times. One of my favorite scenes is when the Joker (played by Heath Ledger) blows up a hospital and walks out like nothings is happening.

Joker blows up hospital scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1pyPY8w1TI&feature=related

I tend to watch a lot of movies in my spare time so I have decided to blog about some of them and give my opinion of them just as I did for “the Dark Knight.”