Have a happy one!!!

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I DOGSAT TODAY!!!

Black Lab that crashes into people, just like in my novel.

No murderous government agencies, though.

My review of “Resident Evil: Retribution” (2012)

Blogging my past film reviews from Facebook …

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I’m sorry to have to say it, but “Resident Evil: Retribution” was disappointing — and that says a lot coming from a nerd who really loved this series when many others hated it. Even I can concede that, with this fifth installment, these movies have “jumped the shark.” I can really only give this a 5 out of 10, and that’s probably generous.

Honestly, I had a hard time following what I just saw. Wesker is … a good guy now? Or maybe he’s a bad guy. Are the monsters real, or are they “Westworld”-type robots, or “Star Trek”-style holodeck creations? (There’s a distracting over-arching sci-fi plot device that I won’t bore you with.) Why can the zombies shoot machine guns? Who is Ada Wong? Why is she dressed like Jill Valentine?

This is really just a confusing, cobbled-together pastiche of the superior preceding movies. (And … apparently the original videogames.) Even relatively simple things like makeup effects weren’t all that good.

There were two things that I liked. First, the fight choreography is great as usual. (Although even I know that it’s a bad idea to deliberately wrap a chained weapon around your own neck during a melee.) Milla Jovovich (who is always great, if you ask me) is a great physical actress.

Second, the CGI-rendered “licker” monster was damned good.

Beyond that, there’s not much more to say. If you’re hitting Redbox, I’d suggest renting “Total Recall” instead.

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“Ozymandias,” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ozymandias

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away”.

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My review of “Red Dawn” (2012)

Blogging some of my past movie reviews from Facebook.  As you will see, I am the rare individual who liked the “Red Dawn” remake.  ++++++

WOLVERIIIIIIIIIIIIINES!!!!

I’m sure I’m in a very small minority here, but I was quite happy with this year’s remake of “Red Dawn.” (Man, you should see the HATE for this movie over at imdb.com.) I’d cheerfully give it an 8 out of 10.

It’s not “Citizen Kane.” The plot and characters are thin, and maybe not every member of the cast is the next Anthony Hopkins. And of course no film can really recapture the heart and (possibly pathological) violent escapism of the classic 1984 original. But it was still a good movie with decent amounts of tension, action and fun nods to the original. And Chris Hemsworth does just fine as an actor.

QUESTION. I have precisely zero experience with all things military, and I’m querying those who do. Let’s say one first-world or second-world country invades another, and there are no factors such as racial, ethnic, or religious hatred – and the invader has a professional military (as with Russia or North Korea). Wouldn’t they try NOT to just randomly kill civilians? (This was a centerpiece of the 80’s original – the Soviet antagonists shoot up a high school.) It just seems to me that an invader would want to coerce and subdue an invaded populace. If they just start shooting people willy-nilly, doesn’t that make it more likely the populace would either flee or fight back?

That just always bugged me. Do I analyze things too much?

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A Couple of Quick Thoughts On “The Purge” (2013)

“The Purge” (2013) was a fun, smart, suspenseful thriller with a great sci-fi plot device. And they did a nice job of world building with no special effects and a really good script – it reminds me of a decent episode of “The Outer Limits.” Eight out of 10.

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I was warned when I came to Virginia that there actually are a lot of snakes down here.

Yet my first thought when passing the woods and hearing a mysterious rustling is “WALKER!”

Things go bump in the night when I’m eating cookies.

Paranormal Snacktivity.

A quick review of “The Possession” (2012)

Now THIS was a decent horror movie.  “The Possession” (2012) was a well-directed and capably written yarn about a demon afflicting a divorced family via a cursed box.  It had great acting all around, most notably by the possessed innocent (Natasha Calis) and especially her well meaning father (the talented and likable Jeffrey Dean Morgan).  I’d give it an 8 out of 10.

My quibbles were minor.  This is essentially a Jewish retread of “The Exorcist” (1973), with the Catholic clergyman and demon swapped out for a rabbi and a “dybbuk” (sp?).  If you’ve seen “The Exorcist,” you’ve basically seen this.  There is some CGI-rendered body horror that seemed gimmicky and unneeded.  And I hate movies where divorced families are magically reunited after facing a challenge together.  (Does this ever happen in real life?)

Still, this was a scary flick and a fun watch.  I’d recommend it.

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Nurse Your Favorite Heresies in Whispers