Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[DSig]

And although it has great supporting actors and a very good script, for me it comes down to Ellen Page.  I loved her in Hard Candy .. then when I saw Juno I *knew* that she wasn't a one trick pony.  She is fascinating to watch on the screen and seems to have a wide range for her talent.

[samuelrichardscott]

American Pie (1999)

I was just 15/16 when this first came out and there is a reason that this has become known as the teen sex comedy of my generation. Likeable characters, very funny situations and moments of sincerity show why the genre found a bit of a comeback after its success. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Resident Evil (2002)

I played these games when I used to be a gamer (these days, just casual) and like most I absolutely loved them so when news first hit that they were turning it into a movie I had my apprehensions. Movie adaptations of videogames haven't exactly set the world alight afterall. Although this movie isn't phenomenal, I do think they did a very good job though. I liked the cast and think Milla Jovovich did the best overall, but James Purefoy and Michelle Rodriguez were also above their usual standards. The special effects were good, action free-flowing and although a lot of liberties have been taken, it did stay true to the basics of the Resident Evil world and was structured as a prequel to the game storyline well. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

A pretty good follow up IMO which sees Jill Valentine make her first appearance, played by Sienna Guillory - one of the key characters from the game. Like the first, the action is quite non-stop, the special effects are good and the mix of the action/zombies is done well. The sets look amazing, really capturing a city taken over by a virus well. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

The third was a total turn in setting and one that I really enjoyed. Travelling through the desert in an attempt to reach Alaska, there is again plenty of action to keep you going, especially when they go to Vegas for supplies. One thing I really liked with this one is seeing the armoured cars in convoy as it reminded me of Mad Max. Of course, we get some returning cast members and also the first appearance of new ones such as Claire played by Ali Larter and K-Mart played by Spencer Locke. What can I say, I'm a fan of the series and it's all just good-natured brain-at-the-door fun. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter are back again, this time having made it to Alaska and finding out that the safety from the emergency broadcasts was a lie from the Umbrella Corporation. The zombies have changed slightly - some of them have their faces pull apart before they attack - but the best monster in the film is the axe man. If you're a fan of the previous movies, you'll enjoy this one too. I should note that the 3D was very good also. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Overview:
The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex.

My Thoughts:
I think the Resident Evil movies are quite good fun. Completely brainless, but fun nonetheless. I caught the latest entry today in the cinema in 3D and I have to say, the fun has carried on. Whilst the story itself is mediocre at best, it doesn't stop you being blown away by the lightning pace from start to finish and some fantastic special effects. I'm neither for or against 3D but here it worked very well indeed for the most part and added some real depth, though some of the 3D bits were a bit amiss in the fight scenes. I really enjoyed having Michelle Rodriguez back, and of course Milla and Sienna were both present too. The style has changed for the better IMO, with some nice attempts at giving it a videogame feel at times and the ending has left me wanting more with the awesome cliffhanger. Overall, it was a good laugh, and I enjoyed it. Recommended, but for RE fans ONLY. 3.5/5

Just rewatched this movie and have to say the 3D is just effective on my home cinema as I remember it being at the cinema.

[samuelrichardscott]

American Pie 2 (2001)

All the cast members return for this one where the guys rent a house for the summer. Like the first, there is some good comradarie between them and some very funny moments, usually involving Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan. Cast wise, the only real downside is Chris Klein. He comes across as a nice guy in interviews and the like, but he has the talent of tree (and not even that of a walking one from LOTR). Still, he can't spoil this from being a better than average teen sex comedy. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

American Wedding (2003)

For me, this is the worst in the series. Stifler started to get a bit tiresome, the characters hadn't really developed much at all outside of maybe Jim and Michelle and long-running jokes didn;t quite gel so well. However, there are also plenty of positives. There are some very funny crude moments as usual, some embarassing situations and the arrival of Michelle's sister Candice played by January Jones which added some amusing characteristic role reversals between Stifler and Finch. Rent it. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

American Reunion (2012)

Although there have been four films since American Wedding, Reunion brings back the original cast for the first time in nine years and it was just as funny as ever. Jim and Michelle now have a kid, Jim's dad is widowed and other characters are married, TV personalities or still unsure of where life will take them. The cast gel well together, the crude humour is still there but has kind of 'matured' to fit the situations of thirty year olds and we get some new totty in the way of Dania Ramirez, Katrina Bowden and Ali Cobrin. Recommended for fans of the series. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

A Liar's Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python's Graham Chapman (2012)

Hmmm, I'm not the biggest Monty Python fan in the world, but I was hoping I would get more enjoyment out of this one. The basis is that Graham Chapman's audiobook is used with animated sequences from 14 different studios - an interesting idea, but the mish mash just didn't do it for me. Interestingly there is a commentary made from Graham Chapman's interviews so he is back despite being dead since 1989! The 3D was a mixed bag also and how good the 3D was depended massively on the animated style that was being shown. I'll say skip the feature though. 2/5

[samuelrichardscott]

My Soul to Take (2010)

I really enjoyed the opening moments to this movie. It set up a chilling vibe and had some good action/gore. Unfrotunately, it didn't hold true to the whole movie and when we move to the cast of youngsters it feels less tense and more like any standard kill flick. It's as by-the-numbers as you can get and quite frankly I had hoped for more from Wes Craven. 2.5/5

[Achim]

Actually, it is interesting what kind of reputation Wes Craven has, based on his infamous first film, then on The Hills Have Eyes and of course A Nightmare on Elm Street and only once refreshed through the Scream series. Although personally I also quite enjoyed The Serpent and the Rainbow (or so). At this point he has made more movies people (fans...) don't like than what they like.

[Jimmy]

Too bad so many people doesn't know about Angela the Fireworks Woman his second movie... Look nothing like anything he had made before or after, a very sad drama about a forbidden love story between a brother and sister.

It is the first film him and Peter Locke did together before returning to the horror genre with The Hills Have Eyes.

BTW I hope that didn't come as a surprise that they did work in the adult industry. Another one well known producer who got his start in it is Sean Cunningham.

[samuelrichardscott]

Thanks for the recommendation Jimmy. I'm going to look into it tomorrow.