ZOMBZANY MEETS BLOOD E. BONES - PART ONE – THE REVENGE OF ‘DOC’ FREAK.

The last series of Zombzany videos that I’ve posted here at Guardians of the Genre - ZOMBZANY AND THE UNDEAD DOC FREAK – took place chronologically just a year prior to the events of this latest series in which  Zombzany encounters an adversary nearly his necromantic equal, Baron Blood E. Bones. This and the several years before and after it are the most well-documented era in Zombzany’s horror host period; mostly because being the somewhat vain not-so-mad-not-so-much-scientist that I am, I stole and saved these video tapes to preserve the encounters that I've had with the Dominator of the Dead. This is another instance in a more-than ten year period in which Zombzany was coerced into hosting a horror movie marathon for a local science fiction fan club and evidently not very well rewarded financially for it.

In the first part of Zombzany Meets Blood E. Bones – Part One -- which I've titled "The Revenge of ‘Doc’ Freak" -- Zombzany is lying prone on a bench outside of his caretaker’s shack on the outskirts of his cemetery. He is sound asleep and snoring loudly. What is unusual about this is that it is clearly day time and normally Zombzany sleeps at this time safely within the dark confines of his underground tomb. Shortly, ‘Doc’ Freak sneaks up on Zombzany and gently pokes him to see if he is truly asleep. Satisfied that Zombzany is not playing possum, ‘Doc’ Freak thanks Myron, Zombzany’s most intelligent zombie slave, for putting the sleep serum that Freak concocted into Zombzany’s coffee the previous evening. Freak tells Myron and Sebastian that they might as well take a brief “holiday”, because Zombzany will be incapacitated long enough for him to put his “master plan in motion”. Waving as the zombies slowly shuffle off to who-knows-where, Freak then leans over Zombzany and carefully removes the magic amulet around Zombzany’s neck. Freak is somewhat intimidated by the amulet, as he knows that it contains some type of dark mystical energy that was transferred to it by its previous owner, Count Dracula. ‘Doc’ Freak jumps for joy as he heads off to look for the location of the grave of Zombzany’s most disloyal slave: Bill E. Bones.

Night has arrived and ‘Doc’ Freak, flashlight in hand, is still looking for Bill E. Bones’ unmarked grave. Finally stumbling on it – almost literally – Freak takes a carton of special ingredients from his lab coat pocket. ‘Doc’ Freak then spreads the “ass-kickin’ rejuvenation formula” on the grave of Bill E. Bones and commands the skeletal zombie to arise from his grave. Mystical smoke clouds the cemetery and suddenly Bones’ hand thrusts itself self out of the ground. ‘Doc’ Freak helps his zombie friend from the soil and places a cape around his shoulders. Freak then takes Zombzany’s magical amulet from his pocket and places it around the neck of Bones. Perhaps blind with the excitement of ousting Zombzany from his own tomb with the scientifically (and perhaps unintentionally magically) reanimated Bones, Freak doesn't notice the considerable difference in weight and stature in his formerly diminutive skeletal friend. Together, Freak and Bones head to the tomb of Zombzany and prepare to become the dominator of their former Master!

THE DEAD – 2010 – A DEAD END

“I honestly can’t recommend The Dead as either an exciting zombie-horror film or as a compelling character-driven drama, so I reluctantly have to advise you to avoid The Dead because it is a dead end.”

Horror and Drama

Starring - Rob Freeman as Lt. Brian Murphy, Prince David Oseia as Sgt. Daniel Dembele, David Dontoh as The Chief, Ben Crowe as the mercenary leader, Glenn Salvage as a mercenary and Dan Morgan as James

Directors - Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford

Writers - Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford

Rated R for bloody zombie violence and gore

Runtime - 105 minutes

There have been so many zombie films made in past decade that it is more difficult than ever to do something different with the genre. I was interested in The Dead because it was billed as “the first Zombie Road-Movie set against the stunning backdrop of Africa, shot on locations in Burkina Faso and Ghana, West Africa.” That alone should have made it visually unique enough to make The Dead worth watching. Unfortunately, its unique setting is all that is remarkable about The Dead.

A U. S. Army engineer, Brian Murphy, is the only survivor of a plane crash off the coast of Africa. Murphy makes his way on foot to a seemingly deserted village and finds and fixes a truck. Getting the truck stuck in the mud, he is suddenly attacked by zombies, but is saved by an African soldier named Daniel. Daniel explains that his wife was killed by the zombies, but is looking for his son, who he told to leave the village during the zombie outbreak. Murphy and Daniel drive off together in the truck. Daniel agrees to drive Murphy to the nearest airport in exchange for helping him look for his son.

A film like The Dead, whose story depends so much on developing its two lead character's personalities and background, is also dependent on the strength of the two actors portraying those characters. Rob Freeman is a versatile character actor who has been featured in over a dozen genre TV programs in the past decade; most recently playing Coach Quigley in Smallville. He has also played supporting roles in Dark Angel, The Lone Gunmen, The Outer Limits, Strange World, Millennium, First Wave, Viper and The X-Files. Rob Freeman has appeared in feature films as diverse as Ten Dead Men, Shanghai Knights, Prozac Nation, New Blood and Saving Private Ryan. I have seen many of these TV series and films, yet I have no recollection of his characters from these roles. It might be a credit to his ability as an actor to disappear into his characters, but I unfortunately think it is more likely that Freeman is just not a very memorable actor. This could explain why The Dead is his first starring role in a feature film. Rob Freeman is perfectly serviceable in his role as a U. S. Army engineer, but he isn’t able to add any gravitas to his character and the entire film suffers because of it. So much of the film is spent with Murphy and Daniel wandering in the deserted landscape and discussing what might be happening in the rest of the world, that without crafting truly three-dimensional characters, the film just drags along.

A zombie film that features the slow-Romero zombies has to rely on character and dramatic tension to create suspense and horror. While the several zombie attacks that appear in The Dead are handled with great technical skill, they still lack any real emotional weight. Blame for this should go to director and writers Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford. Their directorial resumes are pretty slim: They consist of the low-budget thriller Distant Shadow (2000) and the even lower-budgeted crime-drama Mainline Run (1994). I don’t blame the lack of budget on The Dead being less exciting than bigger budgeted zombie films, because the master George Romero has proven that with a powerful script, a low budget can be overcome. The Dead may have been better if the script had explored more of the zombie-infested African setting - and to be fair, it does touch on this in small part. However, too much of The Dead is just our two protagonists wandering the landscape, looking for transportation and moping about missing their respective loved ones.

I honestly can’t recommend The Dead as either an exciting zombie-horror film or as a compelling character-driven drama, so I reluctantly have to advise you to avoid The Dead because it is a dead end.

TECHNICAL: Acting – 6 Directing – 7 Cinematography – 8 Script – 6 Special Effects – 8

VISCERAL: Visual – 8 Auditory – 7 Intellectual – 6 Emotional – 6 Involvement – 7

TOTAL - 69

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION – 2012 – RESILIENT AS EVER!

“While Resident Evil: Retribution won’t go up as my favorite Resident Evil film, it certainly isn’t the worst film in the series either.”

Science-Fiction, Horror and Action

Starring - Milla Jovovich/Alice, Sienna Guillory/Jill Valentine, Michelle Rodriguez/Rain Ocampo, Aryana Engineer/Becky, Johann Urb/Leon S. Kennedy, Kevin Durand/Barry Burton, Li Bingbing/Ada Wong, Oded Fehr/Carlos Olivera, Boris Kodjoe/Luther West, Colin Salmon/James "One" Shade and Shawn Roberts/Albert Wesker

Director - Paul W.S. Anderson

Writer - Paul W.S. Anderson

Rated R for sequences of strong violence throughout.

Runtime - 95 min.

My immediate and initial visceral reaction to Resident Evil: Retribution was one of exhaustive contentment and marginal confusion. While I was still blown away by Paul W.S. Anderson’s ability to create innovative and exhilarating action sequences, I was puzzled by his creative choice to take the plot from Resident Evil: Afterlife and throw it away in favor of a completely different one in Resident Evil: Retribution.

Resident Evil: Retribution opens with the Umbrella Corporation’s attack on the freighter Acadia by a fleet of airships. The Arcadia is being destroyed by the airships, when Alice fires on one of them, causing it to crash into the Arcadia and throwing Alice overboard unconscious into the water.

Alice awakens in an idyllic suburban setting; complete with a husband Todd (who inexplicably looks like Carlos Olivera) and daughter Becky. Zombies suddenly burst into their home, kill her husband chase Alice and Becky out of the house, where they are rescued in a car driven by Rain Ocampo. Their car is hit by a truck and Alice is knocked unconscious once again.

Alice awakens this time alone in an enormous Umbrella base cell. Alice is interrogated and tortured by former ally Jill Valentine, who is being controlled by Umbrella through a red scarab device attached to her chest. Alice awakens again and there is a sudden power failure, which enables her to escape her cell.

Alice exits the Umbrella facility and is a city that looks exactly like Raccoon City. While battling a horde of zombies, she meets Ada Wong, who tells her that she is in a huge facility built by the Umbrella Corporation to recreate the great cities of the world. Umbrella used these to stage zombie attacks, in hope of selling their anti-virus-toxin to the highest bidder, but it was instead taken over by none other than the Red Queen – the Artificial Intelligence Computer that ran the original Umbrella Corporation facility that created the zombie virus in the first place. Alice teams with old and new allies, in an attempt to stop the Red Queen and the zombie plague from wiping out what is left of the human race.

Resident Evil: Retribution feels very much like it is treading water and merely setting  itself up for a sixth and perhaps final film in the Resident Evil series. However, there is actually quite a lot of plot squeezed into all the multiple chase sequences and fight scenes in the movie. I think the reason that the film feels so bereft of plot development is because of its sudden shift in direction and its unresolved nature. The story is also confusing because of the many characters from the previous Resident Evil films that are brought back are not only clones of those characters, but sometimes they are multiples of those clones with both “good” and “bad” personalities. The film’s plot advancement relies so heavily on Alice’s character, that too many times it is unclear to both her and us, what the motivations of the other characters are.

Plot aside, the reason that Resident Evil: Retribution and all the other films in the series have been so entertaining are the multiple fight sequences between Alice and the zombies. While Resident Evil: Retribution certainly has its fair share of these, much of the film is taken up with Alice being chased and fighting with more human opponents. While these are done with Anderson’s usual panache and style, there is a certain lack of accomplishment to them. Every time Alice beats someone, it seems that that opponent is either replaced or made to be an ally. Still, the action scenes are for the most part top notch and definitely worth seeing on the big screen. I did not see it in 3D this time, but it was more from the fact that it wasn’t playing in that format at my local theater than the lack of desire to see it in 3D.

While Resident Evil: Retribution won’t go up as my favorite Resident Evil film, it certainly isn’t the worst film in the series either (that honor still goes to Resident Evil: Apocalypse -2004). Even that film is more entertaining than many bigger budgeted Hollywood films and I will definitely be going to see the next film in the Resident Evil film franchise to see how Alice helps to save humanity from the zombie hordes. 

TECHNICAL: Acting – 8 Directing – 9 Cinematography – 9 Script – 8 Special Effects – 10

VISCERAL: Visual – 10 Auditory – 9 Intellectual – 7 Emotional – 9 Involvement – 9

TOTAL - 88

TRAILER TUESDAY! RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION – 2012 – REDUNDANT OR REQUISITE?

 

Resident Evil: Retribution is an upcoming fifth film in the Resident Evil film franchise and is set to be released September 14, 2012. I’m a fan of all the films and am looking forward to Retribution as well.

 

The Resident Evil is a film series based on the Campcon survival horror video game, which made its debut on the PlayStation in 1996. In January of 1997, Constantin Film bought rights to the first film. After failed scripts by Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero, that film never got made. Sony acquired distribution rights to the film in 2001 and hired Paul W.S. Anderson as writer and director for Resident Evil (2002). Made on only a budget of $33 million, Resident Evil went on to make over $102 million worldwide! Anderson went on to write and produce both Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Resident Evil: Extinction (2007).  Anderson then returned as director for the fourth installment, Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010). After finishing directing The Three Musketeers (2011), Paul W.S. Anderson went back to both writing and directing Resident Evil: Retribution.

There were rumors that this may be the last film in the franchise, but in a recent interview on Collider.com, Anderson hinted there may be more Resident Evil films to come.

Collider.com: We have heard from some of the cast that when you were writing this one you were thinking of a 5th and 6th film and that there was almost talk of you guys filming them back to back.

Anderson: We definitely…there was an earlier discussion about that, but then we just decided to focus on this movie. But if it is that we make another one, I do know where it would go. It would obviously be great to kind of make two full trilogies and then just bring everything to an end.

Collider.com: That is the thing. Your significant other was mentioning that she can only play the character for so long. In your mind, is the 6th film the finale?

Anderson: Definitely. Unless, of course, no one goes to see this one. Then this one would be the finale, just maybe not a very satisfying one. [laughs]

To read even more about Resident Evil: Retribution and other Anderson projects go to:

http://collider.com/paul-ws-anderson-resident-evil-retribution-interview

 

The official synopsis for Resident Evil: Retribution reads thus:

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 (Milla Jovovich), 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. Without a safe haven, Alice continues to hunt those responsible for the outbreak; a chase that takes her from Tokyo to New York, Washington, D.C. and Moscow, culminating in a mind-blowing revelation that will force her to rethink everything that she once thought to be true. Aided by newfound allies and familiar friends, Alice must fight to survive long enough to escape a hostile world on the brink of oblivion. The countdown has begun. -- (C) Sony

 

So, is Resident Evil: Retribution redundant or requisite? If Resident Evil: Retribution is as action-packed as the previous four films, then I’ll definately vote requisite and I for one can hardly wait for this one! I won’t have to wait long, because the film is set to be released September 14, 2012, which is less than two weeks away! Meanwhile, enjoy the latest trailer for Resident Evil: Retribution!

 

ZOMBZANY AND THE MISSING MANIAC: PART ONE – CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

In the first part of Zombzany and the Missing Maniac -- which I've titled "Contractual Obligations" -- Zombzany is standing before his throne in the midst of a heated argument over the phone with his agent, Cain Ram O’Jam. Cain has hired Zombzany out once again to a local sci-fi club for their annual horror movie marathon. Cain insists that this time all the films will be genuine zombie films and live up to Zombzany’s high cinematic standards. Zombzany reluctantly agrees to the engagement and proceeds to prepare for yet another long evening of horror films.

Enjoy Zombzany and the Missing Maniac: Part One – Contractual Obligations.

ZOMBZANY MEETS DOC FREAK – PART SEVEN – REMOTE CONTROLLED REVENGE!

In the seventh and final part of Zombzany Meets Doc Freak titled "Remote Controlled Revenge", back from the undead, with a newly recharged scepter, Zombzany has regained control of his cemetery, his throne and the horror movie marathon. Zombzany decides to replace the final Frankenstein film of the marathon, with a classic zombie film from his private video tape collection. Slowly, he is approached by his most loyal zombie servant, Sebastian. It isn’t until Sebastian is almost upon him that Zombzany sees the control devise on Sebastian’s chest and realizes that he is being attacked.

Shouting in triumph – from a safe distance – “Doc” Freak tells Zombzany that he has taken control of Sebastian with a remote control devise and orders Sebastian to kill Zombzany. Zombzany casts a spell over Sebastian, forcing him back towards Freak. Freak turns up the power on his devise to full power and Sebastian turns back upon his Necromantic master. Zombzany casts a spell of detonation on Sebastian, blowing the device on Sebastian’s chest to pieces! Zombzany then casts another even more powerful detonation spell at “Doc” Freak and blows up the remote right out of Freak’s hands!

When the smoke of the multiple magical explosions clear, Doc Freak is nowhere in sight, so Zombzany returns to his throne to retrieve one of his beloved zombie video tapes and discovers that they were all destroyed by his own destructive spells. The only video not melted down to plastic sludge is another Frankenstein film, which he reluctantly concludes the horror movie marathon with.

Enjoy the final installment of Zombzany Meets Doc Freak – Part Seven – Remote Controlled Revenge!

ZOMBZANY AND MAJOR MANIAC'S SCI-FI MARATHON - PART 4

In Part Four of Zombzany and Major Maniac's Sci-Fi Marathon, Zombzany is informed by his zombie cameraman Myron that a fan letter has arrived in the post. His loyal, but dimwitted zombie manservant Sebastian delivers the missive and Zombzany proceeds to read the letter. As Zombzany reads the letter, he gradually realizes that it is less-than-complimentary on his previous appearance as a horror host. Zombzany becomes so incensed by the letter’s disparaging commentaries that he tears the letter to shreds and stomps off set in a huff. Zombzany soon returns to the set somewhat embarrassed and dashes off a brief introduction to the next film of the Sci-Fi Marathon.

Enjoy Part Four of Zombzany and Major Maniac's Sci-Fi Marathon!

TRAILER TUESDAY! THE WALKING DEAD - SEASON 2!

TRAILER TUESDAY RETURNS FROM THE DEAD!

APROAPRIATELY ENOUGH WITH THE WALKING DEAD!

American Movie Classics brings back The Walking Dead with a second season of thirteen episodes. If you missed out on the first season of six episodes, here is the official synopsis from AMC for season one:

Waking up in an empty hospital after weeks in a coma, County Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) finds himself utterly alone. The world as he knows it is gone, ravaged by a zombie epidemic. The Walking Dead tells the story of the weeks and months that follow after the apocalypse. Based on Robert Kirkman's hugely successful and popular comic book series, AMC's The Walking Dead is an epic, edge-of-your-seat drama where personal struggles are magnified against a backdrop of moment-to-moment survival. A survivalist story at its core, the series explores how the living are changed by the overwhelming realization that those who survive can be far more dangerous than the mindless walkers roaming the earth. They themselves have become the walking dead.

Here is the official plot tease from AMC for season two:

The Walking Dead is back with its much anticipated second season. When we last left the The Walking Dead, the characters were in the midst of a high-intensity struggle to survive, fleeing the CDC as it burst into flames. In Season 2, they are still on the move, facing more threats and obstacles than ever. Rick leads the group out of Atlanta. On the highway, they are stopped by a threat unlike anything they have seen before. The group searches for someone who has gone missing.

There has been some controversy surrounding the second season. In July 2011, series developer and showrunner Frank Darabont stepped down from his position as showrunner for the series, with believed reasoning he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series. Executive producer Glen Mazzara will be the series' new showrunner.  Darabont's sudden departure further sparked controversy in August when The Hollywood Reporter broke a story revealing that Darabont had in fact been fired due to issues of the show's reduced budget and a strained relationship with AMC executives. Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter went off on Frank Darabont being fired as showrunner of The Walking Dead on Twitter saying, “Darabont reacted strongly to slashed budgets. He made mistakes, he was fired."  "No creative in town will trust AMC to back up their artists." "I don't know MW, got no beef with him. Just hate that Darabont is being demonized. No one has the balls to tell the truth. MM gutted AMC.” Regardless of the reasons for the changes in season two’s showrunner and purported reduced budget, I as a fan of the show can only hope that the quality of the show remains as high as the first season.

I have only read the first six issues of the Image Comics that The Walking Dead is based on and didn’t enjoy it enough to continue reading it. The Walking Dead is continuing to be published as a monthly black-and-white comic book series. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward. The comics series has already run to 89 issues, so there is plenty of stories for the AMC TV series to draw on. Readers of the comic have already been warned by producers of the show that the AMC series will not follow the comics series plot exactly.

Season 2 of The Walking Dead premieres with a 90-minute episode on Sun., Oct. 16 at 9/8c. After the first seven episodes air, the series will go on hiatus, and then return on February 12, 2012, where the final six episodes of the season will begin airing.

Enjoy the trailer for The Walking Dead, Season Two!

ZOMBZANY AND MAJOR MANIAC'S SCI-FI MARATHON - PART 2

In Part Two of Zombzany and Major Maniac's Sci-Fi Marathon Zombzany is awaiting the arrival of Major Maniac’s script to introduce the sci-fi movies. It is being received via FAX, which obviously Zombzany knows nothing about, as he is unable to even pronounce the word. The script is handed to him by his faithful zombie servant Sebastian and as Zombzany reads it he realizes that the script is still in Major Maniac’s somewhat eccentric dialect. Zombzany stomps out in a huff and leaves Bill E. Bones to introduce the first film of the sci-fi marathon.

Enjoy Part Two of Zombzany and Major Maniac's Sci-Fi Marathon!

TRAILER TUESDAY! DEATH VALLEY: HORROR AND COMEDY MEET ON MTV!

Death Valley is a new half-hour scripted horror-comedy show on MTV. It follows the nightly routine of police officers in California’s San Fernando Valley filmed in the documentary style of "Cops"; only instead of bad boys these cops deal with vampires, zombies and werewolves. Two episodes have aired so far and the violence is as hard-core as any R-rated horror film, so this show is not for the squeamish. Being a fan of Zombieland, Death Valley shares some of that film's satiric elements, if with somewhat less subtly. If you like your horror-comedy loud and low-brow, with lots of gore, then Death Valley is for you and I qualify it as a definite “guilty pleasure”!

Death Valley's characters are:

Captain Frank Dashell is as crazy as he is dim-witted and spouts nonsense passing as instruction to his officers.

Officer Joe Stubeck  is a family man who tries to keep his younger partner Billy in line and often tries too hard to do the right thing.

Officer Billy Pierce is  a tough young cop who enjoys killing zombies a little too much and is as likely to have his mind on food and sex as he is the job at hand.

Officer Kirsten Landry is the rookie of the staff and is a little leery of the Captain who has taken her under his wing. She is tough and capable and seems slightly out of place among the rest of the somewhat crazy officers.

Officer Carla Rinaldi is a streetwise beat cop, who takes her job protecting the innocent from monsters as seriously as she would from ordinary criminals.

Officer John "John-John" Johnson is the young-tuff of the crew and has is partner Rinaldi's back.

Here is the press release for the show from MTV:

                                                                                                             

Viewers will be taken to a place they’ve never been before, with MTV’s new horror-comedy “Death Valley.” The scripted series follows the ‘Undead Task Force’ (UTF), a newly formed division of the LAPD, documentary-style, as they capture the monsters that roam the streets of California’s San Fernando Valley. In a world where vampires, werewolves and zombies live freely, “Death Valley” is a fun, comedic non-stop thrill ride featuring chases, hardcore kills and bizarre encounters.

“Death Valley” stars Tania Raymonde (“Lost”), Bryan Callen (“The Hangover”), Caity Lotz (“Mad Men”), Bryce Johnson (‘Sleeping Dogs Lie”), Texas Battle (“Final Destination 3”, “Dragonball,” “Coach Carter”) and Charlie Sanders (Funny or Die’s “The Big Dog”). “Death Valley” is executive produced by Eric Weinberg, Austin Reading, Julie Kellman Reading and Tim Healy. Spider One is co-executive producer of the series. Tony DiBari is Executive Producer, MTV and Matthew Parillo is MTV executive in charge of production.

Take a look at the trailer for Death Valley!

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE - 2010 - 3D AND ME!

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE
AN ADDED DIMENSION BRINGS ADDED LIFE!
or
3D AND ME!

by Fritz "Doc" Freakenstein

Way back in February of this year, when Avatar was still raking in millions of mega-bucks at the box office, I wrote a short post about 3D: http://guardiansofthegenre.blogspot.com/2010/02/to-3-d-or-not-to-3-d-that-is-question.html. The gist of the article was that I didn't understand why someone would pay almost twice as much for a ticket to see a film in 3D, which I thought was just a gimmick to make more money. My fellow blogger at Guardians of the Genre had experienced the new 3D technology first-hand and convinced me that I should try it before criticizing it. Over half-a- year later, Professor Photon and I attended a 3D screening of Resident Evil : Afterlife. I'm a wicked big fan of the Resident Evil films and have seen all three of them at the theater, so I felt seeing a film that I had every expectation of enjoying would be the best way to try the new 3D gimmick... er, sorry... technique out.

Before I assess the 3D process, I want to review the film itself. Resident Evil: Afterlife takes place almost immediately after the events of Resident Evil: Extinction. The film begins with an visual feast of a scene of Alice and her army of clones attacking the Umbrella Corporation facility in Tokyo, in an attempt to kill Albert Wesker, who was the villain behind the experiments on her clones in RE:E. The facility is destroyed - and all of Alice's clones with it - but Wesker escapes in an aircraft, which Alice prime has hidden in. This prologue to the film sets  the rest of the film up perfectly and demonstrates just how dedicated Alice is to bringing the hurt on the UC and the corporate baddie that represents it. Wesker averts death at Alice's hands by doing something to Alice which I don't want to go all spoiler here, because it changes her character significantly from the previous film. Alice wakes up alone in the wrecked craft, but eventually finds an old prop-plane which she flies in an attempt to rejoin Claire and the others who flew to Alaska in search of Arcadia. Alice finds Claire wandering a desolate beach in Alaska, but she is alone and has no memory of how she got there or where the rest of the refugees are. This is the one point in the film where you question Alice's course of action, but not enough to spoil the film. Alice flies south with Claire, seeking out more refugees. They spot a few survivors from the air, on the roof of an abandoned prison in Los Angles, but they are trapped there because it is surrounded by hundreds of hungry zombies! Another boffo scene shows Alice landing the plane on the roof of the prison, nearly crashing on impact! The rest of Resident Evil: Extinction involves Alice helping the small group of survivors escape the prison, fighting off hoards of zombies, and eventually trying to the find the elusive sanctuary of Arcadia.

I thought Resident Evil: Afterlife was the best film since the original! Like most film series, the first film is usually the best and Resident Evil (2002) I still consider to be the best of the RE trinity. Not to take anything away from RE: Extinction or RE: Apocalypse, but the first film had a visual style and a building of tension that the other two somewhat lacked. Despite the fact the Paul W. S. Anderson wrote the screenplay for all four RE films, his direction of the first and now the latest film shows that he can use the camera to pace the action and drama of his scripts better than others. I guess I'm a fan of directors who use a stylised form of story telling, which is why I like Anderson's RE helmed films the best. Anderson has directed many other genre films as well; my favorites being Deathrace and Alien vs. Predator (which shares similar claustrophobic settings to RE). Because Anderson wrote the scripts for all four Resident Evil films, this explains the careful continuity between each film, as well as the feeling of one long continuous story over the four film cycle. The Resident Evil films get a bum rap from critics and even some fans, I suspect primarily because they are based on a video game. Most video game films have been dreadful, but the Resident Evil films use the basic premise of the game (which is a good solid sf premise) and some of the characters (which are rudimentary archetypes) as a springboard for a richer world and slightly more nuanced characters. Yes, the Resident Evil films are primarily a series of violent action scenes, but there is enough care given to the characterization, so that their actions are understood, and -- more importantly -- their peril is more greatly felt. If there is any detraction at all from the series thus far, it is a lack of a certain finality to the plot. Like many long running prose fiction series, as long as the point-of-view character (in the case if RE - Alice) is alive, then his/her quest/goal/journey/purpose will continue indefinitely. If you like long running series -- which I do -- this is not a problem. However, I can see how a more casual fan of RE might appreciate more of a definite conclusion at the end of each film and Resident Evil: Afterlife specifically.

Now to get down to the nitty gritty of  this new (okay, new to me) 3D tech! The use of the new "REAL 3D" process on Resident Evil: Afterlife did, I can honestly say, add to my enjoyment of the film. How much did it add? I'd say perhaps 20% more. The action scenes were obviously the segments of the film that benefited the most from the 3D effect. When Alice leaps toward the camera, or throws objects at the camera, these things literally jump off the screen at you! The 3D also helped add depth to the long shots in the film; especially during the flying sequences over the desolate and ravaged cityscapes and landscapes. One thing the 3D process had trouble with were translucent objects. The plums of smoke rising from the ground in many of the scenes looked as though they were floating on their own plane and seemed out of sync with their surroundings. The only scene ruined by the 3D was the (thankfully) brief underwater scenes, where Alice and a few other are swimming through murky water-filled hallways beneath the prison. This scene was so blurry I briefly took off my glassed to see if it looked any better without them (it didn't). Speaking of the glasses: They had been a big concern of mine, because I do wear corrective glasses and I was worried that the 3D glasses wouldn't fit comfortably over them. Fortunately, the black plastic glasses are slightly over-sized and did fit easily over my corrective specks. Overall, the 3D experience was a good one and I would try it again in the future. But -- you knew there was a but coming -- the price for the 3D show was $11.00, which is nearly double what I pay for the matinee showing of the traditional 2D films. I think that if there was only a dollar or two difference in price, I might see even more films in 3D. However, until that time, I'll be seeing 3D only on special films that I think will benefit the most from the process.

There you have it! I give a wicked high recommendation to Resident Evil: Afterlife and a moderate, but still positive review of the new "Real 3D".

ZOMBIE STRIPPERS! - A STEALTH REVIEW BY BILL E. BONES

A STEALTH REVIEW BY BILL E. BONES

ZOMBIE STRIPPERS!
A STRIPOFF OR A ZOMBASTIC SATIRE?

Doc self medicated himself tonight, so that he could get enough zzzs and be plenty rested for Resident Evil: Afterlife, which he is planning on seeing in 3D tomorrow. I don't know if even 24 hours of sleep is enough to energise Freak for viewing Milla Jovovich in 3D and just in case I have his portable cardiac stimulator charged on stanby in the lab. The upside of a doped up Doc is that I, Bill E. Bones, have complete control of Freak's multimedia center tonight! I've taken full advantage of this and watched a flick that even Freak, with his low standards, would be reluctant to watch. Thanks to the high-minded folks at Fearnet, which Comcast provides us with their OnDemand content, I was able to watch Zombie Strippers in HD tonight!

Zombie Strippers, which had a very limited theatrical release in 2008 and then went straight to DVD, is the sort of movie that only a lonely zombie skeleton, such as myself could enjoy. I'd like to say that the zombie chicks in this flick were Bones-worthy, but I'd be lying. What I will say is that this flick has some of the most outrageous zombie action of any film I've seen -- and I've seen a lot of 'em! What passed for a plot in this film is that the government, led by a fourth term George Bush, has developed a serum to reanimate dead soldiers to help America's fight in its war against terror. The experiment backfires, as the reanimated male soldiers become mindless flesh eating zombies. However, at least for a time, the female zombies remain intelligent and coherent. While attempting to control a zombie outbreak, a soldier is bitten and after escaping, he seeks shelter at an underground strip club. After he dies, his zombie hunger strikes and he bits and infects the club's star stripper, Kat. When Kat becomes a zombie, her stripping prowess is increased ten-fold and she quickly converts most of the rest of the strippers into zombies as well. The only drawback to this is that the girls all now need to feed on human flesh in order to sustain their zombie strength. Ian, the club owner, is making so much more money with his undead strippers, that he locks the undead male victims up in the club's cellar. Just as his basement is almost filled to overflowing, the girls go out of control and begin slaughtering the male patrons outright.

Zombie Strippers is smarter than it has a right to be. All I wanted was hot zombie chicks who strip and eat people. I got that, but I also got me some satire aimed at politics, the military and philosophy. Still, what really got my bones jangling were the over-the-top zombie gore sequences! The zomibies are in all states of decay and they are beheaded, dismembered, eviscerated and shot to pieces by every fire-arm imaginable! The zombies get their licks in too, as they bite people in the neck, stomach and every other imaginable extremity -- yes, the male strip club patrons get a lap dance that they won't soon forget. All in all, Zombie Strippers is the ultimate death and sexploitation movie of this decadent decade! I gottta get back to my dirt-rack pronto, because Doc Freak's drug induced nap is gonna wear off soon and I don't want to be here before he's injected himself with some caffeinated stimulant.