Terminator Salvation (2009) - Movie Review

Terminator Salvation is my second favorite movie of this series. I like it because it actually tells the story of the war between humans and machines, or at least a little part of that war. However, I was a little upset that John Connor (Christian Bale) was not the leader of the human resistance, just a unit leader, but by the end of this installment that will be rectified.

The special effects and graphics are very good. The fight scenes are pretty awesome. The script and plot are very good. I like that the scars on John Connor's face we have come to see on all the actors who have played him are explained.

According to IMDB.com fans have given Terminator Salvation an average score of 6.7 stars. I actually give Terminator Salvation 9 stars, I couldn't wait for the war between humans and machines to be depicted. That is why this is my second favorite of these movies. Perhaps the scores have been so low because time-travel wasn't a part of the script, or was it? How did Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) die in 2003 and wake up in 2018?

There are many great scenes in this movie that I liked, however, I will only describe three (as usual).

My first favorite scene is when Marcus meets Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and Star (Jadagrace). It's a little sparse as far as action or speaking go, but it is the first time we see Kyle as a teenager. And really it is the first time we have seen this character since the first movie. Although, there was a scene in T2 that didn't make it to the theatrical version where Kyle comes to Sarah in a dream.

The next favorite scene is when Marcus escapes from John Connor's resistance compound. He is helped by Blair Williams (Moon Bloodgood). He has to escape in order to rescue Star and Kyle, but really he has to escape because it has been discovered that he is a Cyborg. But he is not like the Terminators we have come to know. Marcus has a human mind and heart, but everything else is robotic. John Connor goes against everything he believes in in order to save his father, Kyle; John lets Marcus go hoping that Marcus can help save Kyle.

The last favorite scene is when Marcus gives John his heart. Marcus had been a convicted murderer in 2003, and was sentenced to death by lethal injection; which was carried out. However, he was revived by CRS aka Skynet, to infiltrate the resistance. But, Marcus redeems himself, both as a human and a machine by giving John his heart. I believe this is where the salvation comes in. Marcus is the salvation of everything; he helps save Kyle, he helps save John, and he ultimately helps save the resistance.

I almost forgot. Kate Connor (nee Brewster) is played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Bryce is Ron Howard's daughter. I think this was a great casting choice. I have liked everything that I have seen her in. It doesn't hurt that she is a redhead, which is my favorite hair color. Or, more accurately, she is usually a redhead.

These are my thoughts on this damn good movie. What do you think?

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) - Movie Review

Of the four Terminator movies this is my favorite. I like Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines because it actually tells the story of how the machines takes over. I get that the first two movies are an important part of the story but to me they were a shadowy prelude to this movie.

The graphics are just as good, if not better, as the graphics in the second movie. And a hundred times better than the first movie. The premise of this movie is very well thought out, especially when the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) explains that the apocalypse was only delayed not averted. The Terminator says that the apocalypse is inevitable.

According to Internet Movie Database movie fans that have rated this movie has rated in on average 6.4 stars. I however, have to give this 9 stars out of 10. I gave it 9 stars because the evil Terminator was a woman this time, and she was hot. Also, there were many great scenes, even the one where the good Terminator has to get clothes. Yes, I know Arnold is naked in this scene and I shouldn't be talking about this, but it is funny that he goes into a local strip club... on ladies night. The Terminator scanning for appropriate clothing is hilarious. However, I did like the evil Terminator looking for clothes more to my liking.

The three best scenes are as follows, at least in my opinion.

The first scene I liked was the scene in which the evil Terminator (Kristanna Loken) tracks down John Connor's lieutenants, before they become his lieutenants. I don't like that she is killing these people. What I like is that she is so methodical and cold. The best part is when she comes to the animal clinic looking for Kate Brewster (Claire Danes), but finds John Connor (Nick Stahl).

The next best scene takes place just after the first favorite. It's the chase scene where John is driving the animal clinic's truck with Kate in the back. The evil Terminator is driving a Terex-Demag AC 160, better known as a crane truck. The good Terminator is driving a motorcycle. The good Terminator is knocked off the motorcycle but ends up hanging from the end of the crane. However, he ends up getting knocked off the crane by a fire engine. The sequence of this scene is nothing short of remarkable.

The third and final best scene is when the two Terminators are fighting at the airforce base Kate's father, General Robert Brewster (David Andrews), is commanding and in charge of Skynet. The fight scene is fairly awesome and a little drawn out. There is a breakaway scene that shows Kate and John escaping, Kate grabs a machine gun and shoots a mini-plane robot thing. Kate looks at John and says "what?" John replies, "You remind me of my mother."

Let me know what you think.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) - Movie Review

Though I love the Terminator series, this is my least favorite of the four movies. Terminator 2: Judgement Day takes place about twelve years after the first movie. In this movie we find that John Connor (Edward Furlong) is living with foster parents because Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is in an asylum for trying to blow up a computer company.

The graphics for this movie were far better than what the graphics for the first Terminator movie were. They ought to be, the budget was just over $100,000,000 compared to $6,500,000. That is quite a lot of difference.

Anyway, even though this is my least favorite of all four movies I do have some favorite parts. But, before I list them I want to say that I could have gone a lot longer in my life with out seeing the naked asses of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Robert Patrick. That said I think I can list my favorite scenes without ever having to reference those scenes again.

My first favorite scene is when The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) walks into the road house to get clothes (oops, I'm referring to Arnold being naked). The Terminator takes out five or six bikers. One of the bikers pulls a knife and the Terminator disarms him and stabs the biker through the shoulder and pins him to the pool table. After the Terminator gets clothes and takes a motorcycle, the bartender come out to stop him with a shotgun. The Terminator disarms the bartender and takes his sunglasses, but leaves without further harm to anymore humans.

My next favorite scene has to deal with when The Terminator and the T-1000 and when they first find John Connor. The fight between the two terminators is pretty good. However, I like the chase scene through the storm canals better.

The last scene I like is the scene when the T-1000 is defeated. It's a pretty drawn out elaborate fight scene that sees him fall into a vat of molten metal. Unfortunately for the Terminator, and John, that isn't the end of the movie. The Terminator must be destroyed, so he is lowered into the same vat of molten metal.

I give this movie 7 stars out of 10. I didn't like how Sarah Connor was extremely butch and gung-ho, I understand it, but I didn't like it.

The Terminator (1984) - Movie Review

The Terminator is a classic! Yes, I said a classic. Of the four movies so far this is my third favorite, behind the third and fourth movies.

The graphics are just what you would expect from a movie that was made in the early 1980's. At the time the graphics were state of the art. However, today they are antiquated, which makes this a classic.

The story was unique. Before 1984 there were scripts and plots that had robot that looked robotic, or monsters that looked like monsters. In 1984, James Cameron gave us The Terminator, a machine that can't be "bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

The script revolves around Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) who is the mother of John Connor, a future leader who fights and eventually defeats Skynet. Skynet developed technology to travel back in time in the hopes of killing Sarah Connor to prevent John Connor's birth. The human resistance sends Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) to save Sarah Connor and stop, if possible, the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

As always I will list my three favorite scenes. As this movie has been around for nearly 30 years I have no issue in including any scene from the beginning to the end.

The first scene I liked was when Sarah is in the nightclub waiting for the cops. She is being followed by Reese and the Terminator. When the Terminator walks by the table Sarah happens to drop something on the floor and bends over to pick it up. The Terminator eventually sees Sarah and moves in for the kill, but Reese intervenes.

The second scene I liked was actually all of the flashback scenes for Reese. They were flashback scenes for Reese but would be flash-forwards for us. It gets a little confusing for when you talk about time travel.

The third scene I liked was the final scene when Sarah defeats the Terminator. Reese is killed when he puts a pipe bomb in some of the Terminators gears. The resulting explosion kills Reese, cripples the Terminator, and injures Sarah. Sarah defeats the Terminator by crushing it.

Before I finish this review I do have something to say. I could have gone my whole life without seeing the naked asses of either Michael Biehn or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I give this 8 stars out of 10.

The Expendables 2 (2012) - Movie Review

Expendables 2 was a lot better than the first movie, the number of action stars who were cast in this movie increased and for the better. I like the addition of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Liam Hemsworth, Chuck Norris and Nan Yu to this movie; as well as the expanded roles of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. The plot was better than the first movie as well.

The script itself could have been better, at least as far as some of the dialogue, but for the most part was pretty satisfying. I have mixed feelings about some of the actors saying lines that the another actor said in other movie series. For instance, Bruce Willis says "I'll be back" to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Arnold says "Yippee-ki-yay."

I have several scenes I like in this movie, but I will only describe three.

The first scene I liked, or really the first part of a scene I liked was the end of the rescue scene at the beginning of the movie. The Expendables are sent to rescue Dr. Zhou (Wenbo Li), they complete the mission, but also rescue Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger). To escape the compound that Dr. Zhou was being held hostage in the Expendables use some powerlines as ziplines. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) end up on the ground surrounded by enemy soldiers, they are ordered to drop their weapons and they do, Barney holds his index finger pointed out like a gun and does the motion of shooting the soldiers with his finger. The soldiers are shot but by a sniper named Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth).

My next favorite scene is when the Expendables are on their plane heading to Albania. Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren) attempts to flirt with Maggie (Nan Yu), but she rebuffs him. Maggie, however, befriends Billy the Kid just to spite Gunnar. Billy tells Maggie why he left the Army and it pretty much effects every member in the exact same way, not a dry eye was had within ear shot.

Another favorite scene is after Billy is killed by Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme) the Expendables vow to hunt Vilain down. The Expendables end up staying the night in a mock-New York City training center somewhere in Eastern Europe, probably a hold over from the Cold War. The next morning as everyone is getting ready to attack Vilain's group, Gunnar is still asleep on the floor snoring away. Barney yells out and wakes Gunnar up, to which Gunnar bellows "You Rang". I found this to be very hilarious.

I won't tell you how this movie ends because it was that good. I will tell you that Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis played a huge role in the finale of the movie.

I give this 9 stars out of 10. The blood still looked fake.

The Expendables (2010) - Movie Review

Expendables was not exactly my favorite but I would have to say that for the most part it was a decent action movie. With the amount of actors that were cast in this movie that had huge success in other franchises it was a little bit of a disappointment for me to see this movie at the level it was. I would have expected better.

That being said, there are a few scenes that I found pretty good. Incidentally these are the most action packed scenes of the entire movie. Go figure.

The first scene I liked was when Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) fly down to Vilena, an island in the Gulf of Mexico (fictional, of course). They are doing reconnaissance for a job to take out the dictator of the island. Ross and Christmas witness local soldiers terrorizing the citizens of the island and being directed by James Munroe (Eric Roberts) and Paine (Steve Austin). The best part of the whole scene is when Ross and Christmas escape the island, but end up taking out the dock area they landed their plane. The do this, Christmas first fires Browning M2 Aircraft machine guns quad-mounted into the nose of the plane. Then fuel is dumped on the dock, dousing the remaining soldiers and Munroe and Paine, Christmas then fires a M8 Flare Pistol at the dock to ignite the fuel.

The next scene I liked was when Christmas gets home he goes over to his girlfriend's house only to find that she, Lacy (Charisma Carpenter) is seeing another guy. Lacy explains that she only moved on because even when Christmas was home he wasn't really home, and that she really didn't know him. But the best scene for this little triangle is when Christmas goes to Lacy's house and discovers that her boyfriend, Paul (Hank Amos), has hit Lacy. Christmas and Lacy get on his motorcycle to go have a chat with Paul. Paul is playing basketball with a five or six other guys when Lacy and Christmas show up. Christmas takes out every single one of them, leaving them alive, but tells Paul that the next time he comes near Lacy and lays a hand on her he will deflate all of Paul's balls.

The best scene by far is the scene in which Ross and Christmas, along with the other members of their mercenary force, storm the President's Palace on Vilena. They are doing this to take out the dictator, General Garza (David Zayas), as well as Munroe and Paine. They are also trying to rescue Sandra (Giselle Itie'), General Garza's daughter. Near the end of the scene Munroe has a gun pointed at Sandra and he asks Ross why he was coming after him; Ross answers that he was coming for the girl not him, and then shoots Munroe several times before Christmas throws a knife through his chest.

Another great scene is the chase scene through the city the Expendables live in. I hate that the 1955 Ford 100 truck that Barney Ross was driving got destroyed, I like older vehicles like that one. The fight between Yin Yang (Jet Li) and Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren) at the end of this chase scene was pretty cool.

I think I named all the headliners. Oh wait! I forgot Bruce Willis as Church and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Trench, they weren't in the movie for very long, a total of about 7 or 8 minutes.

Anyway, this could have been a hell of a lot better. The graphics, especially the blood splatter from gun shot wounds, was exaggerated; probably to allow for better visual effect, but it looked fake. I guess that was the point. A lot of the weapons were pretty cool. I like the weapon that Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) used. Sorry, I forgot a headliner.

The script was OK. Tool's (Mickey Rourke) story of being in Bosnia (?) was touching, especially when he started to get choked up.

Anyway, I give this movie a 7 out of 10 stars. It could have been way better.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) - Movie Review

For the Star Trek purists out there Star Trek Into Darkness must have been a slap in the face. I call it a masterful rework of a classic in which one of the evilest characters to come out of the Star Trek universe, ever, was once again matched up against the Enterprise crew and her captain. J.J. Abrams outdid his work in the first movie of this new series when he reworked the script of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan to create Star Trek Into Darkness.

As this is a movie that came out this year I will not tell you how it ended. But, what I will tell you is that if you watched The Wrath of Khan and then you watch Into Darkness, you will either be pleasantly surprised at some of the reversals in what happens to some of the characters, or you will be pissed off beyond compare. I doubt there is any in between.

What I will do is tell you about three scenes from the beginning of the movie up to about the half way point. I liked that the same cast from the first movie was back with some additions that were pretty good as well as visually appealing, I'll explain that later.

The first scene I liked was when Dr. "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban) and Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) are supposed to be observing a primitive alien species. Unfortunately, a volcano threatens to destroy the planet and it is decided to "freeze" the lava before it can do it's job. In the process of stopping the volcano Spock (Zachary Quinto) is trapped inside the volcano. After escaping the indigenous peoples of the planet Kirk violates the Prime Directive by directly affecting the development of the civilization when he reveals his ship to them. The primitive aliens abandon their religion and begin to worship the Enterprise. This is pretty funny. Spock says the line "The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few." This line was said by Leonard Nimoy as Spock in Wrath of Khan, and Leonard Nimoy said it again in The Transformers Dark of the Moon as Sentinel Prime.

Another scene I liked was when Spock mind-melded with Admiral Pike (Bruce Greenwood) as Pike lay dying. Pike had been wounded by John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), who turned out to be Khan. Later it is revealed that when Spock did his mind-meld with Spock he felt fear, anger, confusion, lonliness and that he had felt these emotions before when Vulcan was destroyed. He vowed never to feel these emotions again which is why he couldn't comprehend why Nyoto Uhura (Zoe Saldana) was upset with him for taking the risk he did to stop the volcano.

Another scene I liked is when McCoy and Dr. Carol Marcus (Eve Alice) attempt to see what is so special about the photon torpedoes they were given to launch at Khan to destroy him. I won't tell what was so special, just know that this was a nice twist. At the same time, I think it was amazing what Kirk sent Scotty (Simon Pegg) to investigate. Again I won't give away what he found.

Eve Alice is what I meant by visually pleasing. She was the lead actress in one of my favorite comedy movies, She's Out Of My League. Very funny. She is very attractive and in my opinion an underrated actress because of her attractiveness.

Again J.J. Abrams brings amazing graphics and rewrites a script to make a masterful epic movie.

I give Star Trek Into Darkness 10 stars out of 10 stars.

Star Trek (2009) - Movie Review

Being a Star Trek fan does not mean you have to be a geek or a nerd. It just means you like one of the most profitable Science Fiction  franchises of all time, only rivaled by the Star Wars franchise. I understand that there are some people out there that will say that they hate one of these two franchises, I am going to say something that will make them vomit. I am a fan of both franchises. Why can't you be a fan of one and a fan of the other?

That being said, I actually liked Star Trek. I think J. J. Abrams did a fantastic job breathing new life back into this franchise. He took all that we know about the universe of Star Trek and turned it on it's ear. J. J. Abrams was very smart about it, too.

I don't want to give too much of the movie away because I think that it should be experienced rather than read about. Therefore I will give a couple of scenes that I like but I won't give too much detail. That said I will only tell you about scenes from the beginning to the middle of the movie.

One of the best scenes of the first half of the movie is when young James T. Kirk (Jimmy Bennett) is driving his step-father's (?) vintage automobile, basically joy riding, when he is about 12 years old. The step-father calls on the in-dash phone and starts yelling at James to return the car, James hangs up. A police officer (robot?) gives chase and tries to pull James over, James takes a side road. The road he is on now ends at a deep ravine. James turns the steering wheel to the left, opens the driver's door and leaps from the car. The car falls over the edge into the ravine, but James is safe and as he stands the robo-cop asks his name. The way James answers is pretty funny as he says his name with dignity, and a little haughtiness.

The next scene I liked was when an older James Kirk (Chris Pine) meets Uhura (Zoe Saldana) and Bones (Karl Urban). James meets Uhura in a bar. Some Star Fleet cadets intercede in his attempt to get to know her better, yeah like that would have happened, by starting a fight with James. James was able to handle himself pretty well, at the beginning, but eventually the six on one odds caught up to him. He is saved from a severe (severer?) beating by Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Captain Pike offers James the opportunity to join Star Fleet, but the offer is refused. Thinking it over James joins Star Fleet. When he joins the other cadets on the transport ship he sits next to Bones and they strike up a quick friendship.

The third scene I like is the one in which James beats the Kobayashi Maru. The Kobayashi Maru is a un-winnable test in which the crew of a star ship has to rescue the crew of another, but there are several enemy ships surrounding the crippled ship. James has taken this test twice before but he has gained an advantage... he cheated by reprogramming the test. James wins, but he is brought up on charges of cheating and breaking the honor code of Star Fleet. James asks to face his accuser, Spock (Zachary Quinto) comes to the front of the auditorium. The scene ends not long after this, but I still like it. It's also two scenes.

I give this movie 10 stars out of 10. The graphics are beyond phenomenal. The plot and script was great. As I said before, J.J. Abrams was able to breath new life into this franchise. Also, it doesn't hurt that Leonard Nimoy had more than just a simple cameo role as Spock Prime.

Despicable Me (2010) - Movie Review

How could anyone not love Despicable Me? I couldn't stop laughing long enough to actually watch the movie and understand the plot. But I did.

I am by far not a Steve Carell fan, but I am learning to love his movies. I liked Evan Almighty and 40 Year Old Virgin, they were pretty funny. Unfortunately, and I am probably in the minority, I never could get into The Office.

Anyway, I loved this movie. There aren't any parts of this movie I didn't like. I thought the animation was awesome. The script was great. The voice overs were exceptional.

The best part of the whole movie is... the minions. How could you not love these guys? I thought it was hilarious when the minion who floated out of the skylight kept showing back up. Or the three that went to the store dressed as a mother, father and baby to get a unicorn for Agnes (Elsie Fisher).

My favorite scene of the whole movie has to be when Gru (Steve Carell) gets talked into stopping at the amusement park. I couldn't stop laughing. The best part of that whole scene is when the three girls are trying to knock over the spaceship, but can't. The Carnival Barker (Jack McBrayer) makes condescending comments about how they can't knock over the ship. Gru takes it upon himself to win the top prize... a unicorn bigger than Agnes. Gru pulls out what I can only describe as a laser pulse cannon and fires at the spaceship. He basically disintegrates the whole booth and says, "Knocked Oooover!" Awesome!

I can't even pick any other scene I liked because I liked them all. Well, I didn't like the end. You know where the credits start rolling and you have to get out of the seat or turn off the DVD player. That was my least favorite part of the whole movie.

I give this 10 out of 10 stars.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) - Movie Review

Of the three movies this one is by far my favorite. I like this one because it actually has more intrigue than the other two. I say that because in this one we find out that there have been many secrets kept both from the Autobots and by the Autobots. Of course there have always been secrets on the side of the Decepticons, but why wouldn't there be when they only exist to deceive.

One thing I didn't like about this one was Megan Fox wasn't in it. However, Michael Bay made up for it by casting Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in a new role as Sam Witwicky's (Shia LeBeouf) girlfriend. So my disappointment is short lived, especially with the shot of Carly (Rosie) walking up the stairs wearing, what I believe to be, Sam's shirt over just her in her panties. After all Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was a model, and presumably still is, so this is something she has done in the past.

I don't want to give the ending away so I'll just describe the scenes I liked in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

The first scene I liked was when the assassin robot named Laserbeak kills Jerry Wang (Ken Jeong). Laserbeak throws Jerry out of an office building window. As Jerry is falling he falls right by a window that Bruce Bezos (John Malkovich) is looking out of. Bruce immediately heads for Sam Witwicky and tells him that he won't mention anything that he may have seen in the men's room. (Don't ask, just watch.) Moments later Laserbeak, who had transformed into a photocopier, transforms and starts attacking humans. Laserbeak is specifically looking to either kill or capture Sam. But Sam escapes.

The next scene I liked was when Sam attempts to save Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy) from being captured by the Decepticons. Unfortunately, it is not known by NEST, Sam or Optimus Prime, that Sentinel Prime had joined the Decepticons. The line he uses is "You simply fail to understand, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." I couldn't figure out where I had heard that line before, then I thought of who said it. Leonard Nimoy said that exact line, well not the "You Simply fail to understand," part, but the rest, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Don't you love when they recycle lines like that, especially making the actor who said it nearly 30 year before say it again?

The rest of my favorites are when Sam, Lennox (Josh Duhamel), Epps (Tyrese Gibson), and several others infiltrate Chicago. They are trying to stop Sentinel from bringing Cybertron to Earth, basically turning Earth into their new Cybertron. There is a scene where Sam, Epps and several others are in a sky-scrapper that has been partially knocked over, that is a pretty cool scene.

All I have to say about all three of these movies, and the new set of movies Michael Bay is putting together with a different main cast, is if you can't find something about these movies to like, then you might not be the Science Fiction, Action or Transformers fan you think you are. Not saying you to be any or all three to like these movies, but it helps. Hell you could be a fan of CGI and get something out of this movie you like.

I give this 10 out of 10.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) - Movie Review

I liked this Transformers movie better than the first movie. Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen has a better plot line than Transformers, regardless of what other people say. There are actually two plot lines in this one; one where Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) and Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) delve deeper into their relationship and the other the continued civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Yeah I know, not the best combination of plot lines, especially for a Sci-Fi movie.

In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen we learn more about what started the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. A long time ago Optimus Primes ancestors visited Earth in order to harvest energon, which comes from the sun, any sun. However, when it was discovered that there was life on Earth, the Primes decided to leave Earth alone and find a new source for energon. Unfortunately, one of the Primes refused to accept this decision and tried to harvest the sun anyway. The other Primes defeated the one, forever after known as the Fallen, and to prevent him from ever turning on the machine again they decided to hide the matrix. The matrix is pure energon and it is what powers the machine that would harvest the sun. To hide the matrix the remaining Primes sacrificed themselves and entombed it in a mountain cave.

Yeah, I know. It's called Science Fiction for a reason.

Now the parts of this movie I like have a lot to do with Sam Witwicky. During the first half hour of the movie he finds a shard from the cube that was destroyed in the first movie stuck to the shirt he was wearing at the time. He kept it as a souvenir. He gives the shard to Mikaela for safe keeping before going off to college. When he gets to college he finds out that his roommate is an alien robot paparazzi wannabe, but decides to go with the flow... especially since he can't get another room assignment. Sam and his flatmates go to a party where Sam meets Alice (Isabel Lucas). Isabel is extremely interested in Sam, apparently. Bumblebee, in Camaro form, comes to warn Sam that the Decepticons have located the remains of Megatron and another piece of the Cube. Sam refuses to get involved. The next day in an Astronomy class Sam reads his text book in less than a minute and attempts to correct his professor... he is asked to leave. Sam figures out that when he touched the shard from his shirt the information was somehow transferred to him. Also maybe some superhuman abilities.

Again, I know. It's Sci-Fi.

Another part of this that I like the take charge side of Sam that emerges as he tries to figure out where the matrix is. He enlists the help of his girlfriend, Mikaela, even though she is upset that she caught him making out with Alice. Fortunately for Sam, Alice turned out to be a robot that could change into human form. I think Mikaela forgave Sam for that indiscretion. Sam also enlists the help of his roommate, Leo Spitz (Ramon Rodriguez), and former Agent, Simmons (John Turturro). Together, with the help of Bumblebee and a couple of other Autobots and a turn-coat Decepticon they figure out how to read the symbols that Sam keeps seeing. They end up going to The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum near Washington, D.C. to take to Jetfire (Mark Ryan). Jetfire turns out to be a reformed Decepticon and helps Sam and the others by transporting them all to Egypt.

The next scene I like is when Sam is trying to get to Optimus Prime to revive him. First he has to get his parents to safety and tells them to take Mikaela, but his dad, Ron Witwicky (Kevin Dunn), tries to stop Sam from going. Sam's mom, Judy Witwicky (Julie White), tells Ron that he has to let him go. Mikaela refuses to leave Sam, so they run to Optimus. Along the way they are picked up by Major Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and his team. While they make a run for it Sam runs in the direction of Optimus as everyone else goes a different direction. As he is running a Decepticon is shooting at him, one of the shots hits the ground near him and blows him off course, and apparently when he hits the ground he is dead. As he is lying there with a medic trying to revive him, with Mikaela crying over him, Sam has an out-of-body experience where he takes with the Primeval Primes (Say that 10 times fast!). The Primes tell him that he has the ability to revive Optimus, he always had it. At that point he wakes up. It's not all of this that I like, technically it is, but what I really liked was way back at the beginning of the movie Mikaela was trying to get Sam to say "I Love You", but he wouldn't; as he is laying there, apparently dead, she says it to him, then he wakes up his first words are "You said it first." Sucker!

A lot that I am not describing is pretty damn funny, so I would suggest watching it. You know some critics don't like Michael Bay because he puts beautiful women, sometimes too many, in his movies. I just say that that is our society. I bet you the same critics, mostly women, who complained about the beautiful women in these three movies had no complaints about Twilight with Robert Pattinson or when Taylor Lautner was walking around with his shirt off. Hypocrites!

Anyway, I give this a 9 out of 10 stars. I don't know what could have made it better. I'm sure some of you have an opinion. I'd like to hear it.

Transformers (2007) - Movie Review

In 2007, Michael Bay brought to the silver screen a favorite cartoon series of mine from when I was a kid in a live action version of the Transformers. Many people have found fault in this movie and the two subsequent movies. I like these movies in their entirety.

The first movie introduces the audience to the different characters. Who, men mostly, wouldn't have wanted to meet Bumblebee, Optimus Prime or even Megatron; I'm sure there are a few women out there that can say they would. We also meet Sam Witwiky (Shia LeBeouf), Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), Captain William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Agent Simmons (JohnTurturro).

It is hard to think of these movies as serious or action movies when there are so many jokes, comic relief scenes, and prat-falls. Shia LeBeouf is very good at doing prat-falls and having a that kind of background help him be able to play his character very well. However, I think that as you move from one movie to the next you start seeing Sam Witwiky become more mature.

My first favorite scene is when Sam finds out that his car is in actuality a robot that can transform into a Camaro. At one point Sam tries to escape his car because he doesn't understand that the car is a friendly robot, not yet anyway. Sam grabs his mom's bike and tries to outrun his car. At one point he doesn't see a crack in the sidewalk; he ends up flipping over the handlebars right in front of Mikaela, who he has a crush on. It is only when the Camaro saves Sam and Mikaela from another robot that can change into a police car that they begin to trust him. Later Sam finds out that the cars name is Bumblebee.

Another favorite scene is the awkward scene when Sam is looking for his Great-Grandfather's glasses. The other Autobots are anxious to get the glasses and they end up taking out the electricity to the entire neighborhood. Sam's parents come up to his room because they wanted to make sure he is OK. Sam's mom, Judy Witwicky (Julie White) asks him if the reason he had locked the door was because he was masturbating. It is after this conversation that Mikaela reveals herself hoping the conversation would stop being embarrassing... it doesn't.

I like this movie because it brings to "life" a favorite cartoon from my childhood. I try very hard to make up my own mind about movies and other entertainment without reading reviews of others. I have read articles describing what some reviewer or another had to say about this movie but I take it with a grain of salt. I like what I like. I try not to write a bad review if I can help it.

That said, I give this movie a 9 out of 10 stars. I don't know what could have made it better to get that last star.

Tombstone (1993) - Movie Review

If I were to list my all time favorite Westerns, Tombstone would definitely be at the top. I even love the director's cut that was release not to long ago that explained some missing pieces. Some critics have compared Tombstone with Wyatt Earp, which came out a year later. I believe this is an unfair comparison since Tombstone dealt with the events that happened in Tombstone, AZ and Wyatt Earp spanned more of Wyatt Earp's life before Tombstone, his life in Tombstone, and a little of his life after Tombstone.

I love this movie because everything was made to look authentic. The facial hair was real, which is awesome... no fake hair on these guys faces. There is a scene with a thunderstorm that roles in and... it's real.

One of my favorite scenes is when Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), Morgan Earp (Bill Paxton), and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) first meet Curly Bill Brocious (Powers Boothe), Ike Clanton (Stephen Lang), and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). In this scene Wyatt is dealing a faro game and he has just signed an autograph for a patron. Curly Bill grabs the autograph out of the man's hand and reads it. Ike jumps in and says that "law don't go round here." Wyatt informs him that he is retired. Johnny Ringo joins the conversation by looking at Doc Holliday and saying that he must be Doc Holliday. An exchange between the two ensues that could have gone wrong when Ringo draws his gun and begins spinning it. However, Doc uses a cup to diffuse the situation by spinning it in the same manner Ringo did.

Another favorite scene is when Ike and Frank Stilwell (Thomas Arana) follow Wyatt and the rest of his family to Tucson to take Morgan's body to California. Ike and Frank are tasked to kill Wyatt and Virgil. Before they can complete their task Wyatt kills Frank. Wyatt walks up to a cowering Ike and takes his spur and cuts him at the corner of the mouth. Wyatt informs Ike that he is now a U.S. Marshall and that he is going to hunt down every Cowboy and kill them.

The scene at the OK Corral is amazing. It is as close to what really happened as the film could get it without going back to October 26, 1881. I won't describe it because I wouldn't be able to do it justice and I want you to watch the movie if you haven't or again if you have.

There are other scenes I liked as well. The movie itself is very good. This would have to be my absolute favorite Western movie of all time. I like this movie so much that I have remembered many of the various lines. Many of the lines Val Kilmer spoke as Doc Holliday are great, including, "I'm your Huckleberry".

I give this 10 stars out of 10. I love this movie. I also recently read an article that told a story in which the original director was let go from this movie. A new director was hired and the production company whittled the script down significantly. Kurt Russell is also responsible for rallying the other actors and crew to finish the movie, said the same article.

TAPS (1981) - Movie Review

I just finished watching T*A*P*S for the first time in many years. It was, and still is, a powerful movie. The different characters were wonderfully written and played very well by the different actors.

If you have never seen this movie I suggest doing so.

I liked the whole movie. The story line was phenomenal. It's about a military school called Bunker Hill Military Academy and it's students. At the beginning of the movie it is the end of the school term and the start of summer vacation. Some of the students are staying for the summer, including Cadet Major Brian Moreland (Timothy Hutton), Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer (Sean Penn), and Cadet Captain David Shawn (Tom Cruise). The school's superintendent is General Harlan Bache (George C. Scott).

Moreland is newly promoted to Cadet Major at the beginning of the movie. He is friends with Dwyer and Shawn, and he tries to emulate General Bache. At the commencement ceremony for the out going senior class General Bache reveals that the board of trustees have decided to close the school at the end of the next school year. They want to make way for a condominium complex.

One very powerful scene is when the remaining cadets are having a dance. Some local teens are harassing arriving guests and the cadets. Moreland politely asked the teens to move along. One of the teens walked up to Moreland and threw a punch. As Moreland and the other cadets are defending themselves one cadet runs and gets General Bache. As soon as Bache attempts to stop the melee one of the teens jumps on his back and grabs for his sidearm. The teen gets the handgun loose from the holster and pulls the trigger. Bache didn't know that there was a live round in the chamber. The teen who first attacked Moreland was shot in the chest and died instantly. The police are called and Bache is taken into custody.

The following day the board members come to the academy to do inventory of the weapons located there. Moreland realizes what is going on and before the sheriff comes to confiscate the arsenal, Moreland takes them. Moreland wants the academy to stay open. He and the remaining student body take control of the academy and refuse to surrender. At one point, Moreland's father comes to negotiate the surrender, it does not go well.

Even though Moreland is friends with both Dwyer and Shawn, the animosity between Dwyer and Shawn is very evident. In one scene it is revealed to Moreland that Shawn has given orders to shoot anyone coming over, around or under the walls by the sentries. Moreland barely blinks, saying that those were the proper orders to give. The tension on Moreland gets to be too much when twice several students leave, when asked, rather than stay to defend their school. As time goes on, one student is burned in an accident after the power was turned off and another student was shot because the National Guard unit that arrived thought he was firing at them (he wasn't).

After Moreland finds out that Bache passed away from a heart attack Moreland begins to question whether he and the other cadets are doing the right thing. Dwyer attempts and succeeds in talking Moreland into surrendering. Shawn has other plans. The power really goes to his head and he starts firing on the National Guard. The National Guard returns fire and eventually kills Shawn. Moreland attempts to save Shawn but is killed also. Dwyer carries his friends body from the barracks followed by Colonel Kerby (Ronnie Cox).

This is a adrenaline filled movie that ends very tragically. It's about teenagers, who are sent to a military school for one reason or another, taught to be soldiers and defend their rights. But they misread what they are taught, and end up in a world of hurt. The movie ends with the cadets surrendering and Dwyer carrying Moreland out the front gate.

I like movies like these. I like how it actually has a plot that goes from A to Z. The acting in this movie is pretty good. I give this 10 stars out of 10. Even though it is a dated movie, and some of the sentimentality is different between the time it was made and today, it's still pretty good.

Inferno by Dan Brown (2013) - Book Review

I just finished Inferno yesterday. It was very good. I like the way Dan Brown weaves this mystery thriller with religious and historical imagery. He describes the places and events so well you think you are actually there.

It has been a while since I read the other three Robert Langdon books, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and The Lost Symbol. Inferno had a different feel to it as Robert Langdon was mostly "out of it" all day having suffered a gunshot wound to the head. The wound caused him to lose at least two days worth of memory.

The book itself takes place all in about a 24 hour period as Robert Langdon wakes up in a hospital. He doesn't understand what happened but is told he was shot. Within minutes of his regaining consciousness Robert and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, escape the hospital because the person who shot Robert has come to finish the job.

Robert and Sienna flee to her apartment, and then across Florence, trying to figure out why someone is trying to kill Langdon. There are many clues, including a small projector that was hidden in Roberts coat. The projector activates by being shaken; the image is... well read the book to find out. Dan Brown does an exceptional job of describing the image and eventually what is wrong with the image.

There are many twists and turns all through the book. I will not give them away as I believe in allowing the reader to make his or her own opinion of the piece. Suffice it to say, I loved every minute of this book, though there were some dry drawn out areas, but it worked.

Dan Brown was, yet again, able to weave a story of not only complicated characters, but of fascinating historical places, events, literature and people. Reading his books makes me want to follow in the footsteps of his characters. Not necessarily act out the events in the books, but see where it is that he is describing, or read on the historical events and people he has written about. I have Dante's Divine Comedy on my list of books to read. I might just do so soon.

I give this book 10 stars out of 10 stars. It was very good, exceptional.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) - Movie Review

Not sure how I feel about G.I. Joe: Retaliation. I have some mixed feelings. When I think about watching the cartoon of G.I. Joe as a kid there were never any casualties. I know expecting that in a live action movie like this one is asking too much, but one of the main characters, Duke (Channing Tatum), is killed in the first 20 minutes or so.

I do have to say that the special effects are pretty good in this movie, not up to par compared to the first movie, but acceptable. The firefly explosives are interesting, the nanomites are present still (at least as far as Zartan is concerned), and some of the weapons are pretty cool. But over all, it felt like everything was scaled back somewhat.

All of that being said, there are still some pretty cool scenes that I liked very much.

The first scene I liked is the scene where Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Jinx (Elodie Yung) travel to a mountainous retreat to retrieve Stormshadow (Byung-hun Lee) to answer for his crime of killing his Master when he was still a child. A lot of the fighting that Jinx and Snake Eyes have to do are done on repelling ropes. The scene ends, or at least continues, when Stormshadow is brought before the Blind Master (RZA) and it is revealed that Stormshadow did not kill his Master... I won't reveal who did, you'll have to watch the movie.

Another scene I liked was when Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) and General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis) are sent to rescue the President (Jonathan Pryce). Colton laying down in the El Camino bed and popping open the tailgate while firing his machine gun taking out the guards was pretty cool. However, Jaye did something she probably shouldn't have done. Again, watch the movie to see what she did.

Another scene I liked was where Stormshadow avenged his Master. But I won't tell you who it was he killed. I also won't tell you what he did to avenge his Master.

I didn't like the fact that Ripcord, Scarlett, The Baroness, General Hawk, Heavy Duty and Breaker are not in this movie. I don't like that Duke is killed. Nor do I like that Destro is left in prison by Cobra Commander. But I am not meant to. I don't remember Firefly (Ray Stevenson), but he was pretty cool in the movie, at least his firefly explosives were cool. It was interesting to see the ninja society that Snake Eyes belongs to and their dealings with Stormshadow. No offense to the male characters that didn't come back, but replacing Scarlett (Rachel Nichols) with Jaye is at least an even trade. Replacing Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) with Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), technically not a replacement but..., I wondered why Roadblock wasn't in the first movie.

After all of that, I give this movie 6 stars out of 10.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) - Movie Review

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra stars (in no particular order) Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans, Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jonathan Pryce and several others. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Cobra Commander, although he doesn't reveal himself until the end as the mastermind behind the whole story of the movie. Cobra Commander played everyone off each other as best he could, but eventually was caught. Oops, I gave away the ending. Wait, if you have ever seen a G.I. Joe cartoon or read a comic book, then you should know that either Cobra Commander is caught or escapes. One of his lieutenants is usually caught as well.

I do have many favorite scenes in this movie but what I like the most is the special effects. The plasma cannons are pretty good, and the way the editors slowed them down for full effect was pretty cool. The nanomite warheads taking out the Eiffel Tower was pretty awesome. The different weapons that each character used was pretty cool, like the suits that Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) war running across Paris to stop The Baroness (Sienna Miller) and Stormshadow (Byung-hun Lee). I also liked when Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) was injected with nanomites in order to change his face to look like the President (Jonathan Pryce).

One of my favorite scenes is when The Baroness, Stormshadow and Zartan locate the G.I. Joe base and attack. They are there to steal the nanomite warheads for McCullen (Christopher Eccleston), who actually made them but wants them for himself. After a long fight The Baroness and Stormshadow escape successfully with the warheads.

My next favorite, the best scene, is the chase scene through Paris. There is a lot going on in this scene. You have Snake Eyes (Ray Park) on top of or underneath the vehicle that The Baroness and Stormshadow are in. Duke and Ripcord are chasing after the same vehicle wearing suits that enhance their every move. Duke and Ripcord even jump over, or through as is the case for Ripcord, a train. The train incidentally flipped the vehicle in which The Baroness and Stormshadow are in. The scene culminates with Stormshadow firing one of the warheads at the Eiffel Tower. The nanomites eat half of the tower and many other metal objects before Duke is able to hit the kill switch.

I am only going to describe two scenes this time, since I described some of the special effects and the weapons that were used by some of the characters.

I give this an 8 out of 10 stars though, even though I liked the special effects. There just wasn't much of a story. The writers, director and producers tried to put in some of the back stories of many of the characters, but it just didn't work for me. If it wasn't for the special effects, and Rachel Nichols as Scarlett, the score would be lower. Rachel Nichols is hot, more so as a redhead. Just my opinion.

Angels & Demons (2009) - Movie Review

Angels & Demons is yet another movie which I liked very much. It is a sequel of The Da Vinci Code, but The Da Vinci Code is barely alluded to. Only mentioned as "recent events" or some other vague wording, but I guess that is by design.

Angels & Demons is very good because it deals with the murder of the Pope and the kidnapping of four Cardinals. The Cardinals are being held captive and the kidnapper has said he will execute them one at a time starting at 8 pm and then at 9, 10 and 11. At midnight a antimatter device will obliterate Rome.

Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is back and asked to find the antimatter container.He is joined in this hunt by Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) because she is the scientist that created the canister to hold the antimatter, and she can change the batteries of the container to prevent the explosion. Langdon and Vetra are also joined by Inspector Olivetti (Pierfrancesco Favino) because he believes that Langdon is the best hope in finding both the canister and the four Cardinals. Carmelengo Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor), Commander Richter (Stellan Skarsgard) and Cardinal Strauss (Armin Mueller-Stahl) round out the top of the character list, well except for the assassin (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) who doesn't have a name or at least it is never revealed.

My favorite scenes are fairly good scenes. The first is the scene when Langdon saves the final Cardinal from being killed. Langdon witnesses the Cardinal being thrown into a fountain to drown. Jumping into the fountain, Langdon dives under the water but is unable to help the Cardinal alone because he has been strapped to a dolly with weights. Langdon grabs tube that is pumping air into the fountain to give the Cardinal SOME air. Eventually some nearby pedestrians come to Langdon's aide.

The second scene I like is really a collection of scenes. I like Langdon's search for all the alters of science in or at which the Cardinals will be sacrificed on. At one time Langdon basically tells Commander Richter to, basically, help or get out of my way. Langdon also tells them all that he was asked to help by them, he implied that he would stand by or go home if they didn't give him some mutual help.

The third scene I liked was when Langdon enters the archives of the Vatican a second time. This time Vittoria is not with him, but Chartrand (Thure Lindhardt) is present to make sure Langdon behaves himself this time. Alluding to the first time Langdon and Vittoria are in the Archives and Vittoria rips a page out of a pamphlet. Anyway, this time when Langdon and Chartrand are in the Archives they are trapped inside one of the sealed rooms when the power is being turned off in an effort to find the antimatter canister. The power being turned off turns off the air being pumped in the room. Chartrand tries to call for help on his two way, but the room is lead lined blocking any signal. Langdon topples a large shelving unit against a window hoping to break the glass, it doesn't work. Langdon then grabs the hand gun of the unconscious Chartrand and shoots the glass, it too doesn't appear to work. Langdon climbs up on the shelving unit in frustration and passes out. The glass has been weakened by the weight of the shelving unit, Langdon and the shots from the gun, and eventually breaks, allowing air to flood in to the room.

There are other scenes I liked, but I won't describe them here. The reason I won't describe them here is because I would much rather you watch the movie. The script if very well written. Dan Brown's research into the practices of electing a new Pope is great.

I can't wait until the next Robert Langdon adventure. The next one should take place in Washington, D. C. and a couple of other places along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Unfortunately there is no information on when The Lost Symbol will be released.

I give this movie 10 out of 10 stars, for the storyline and all of the action.

The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Movie Review

There are few movies or books that are as controversial as this one, and this one doesn't even have nudity or much swearing in it. Dan Brown did a wonderful job weaving a fictional story with historical facts to tell the story of The Da Vinci Code. Some of the historical facts are true, some of them have been interpreted in such a way in order to tell the story. The Da Vinci Code is of course a novel and now a movie.

I love this movie because it has suspense, murder, mystery and history. I love the historical twists that have been added in order to tell this story. I love how Dan Brown tries to tell the story by showing that Jesus could have been married and had children, or at least one child, and that that child survived to adulthood and had children and so on. It also tells of the story that that child's bloodline, Jesus's bloodline, survived to the present day.

The first scene I like is the scene where Silas (Paul Bettany) hunts down Jacques Sauniere (Jean-Pierre Marielle) and kills him. The reason I like this scene is because after Silas shoots Sauniere, Sauniere leaves a message that only Robert Landon (Tom Hanks) could decipher. Landon does so with the help of Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou).

My next favorite scene is when Bishop Manuel Aringarosa (Alfred Molina) is trying to get the Shadow Council to give money to pay for the information that would lead to the Holy Grail. It is surprising that Aringarosa and his fellow council members are aware of what the grail actually is, Mary Magdalene. Aringarosa vows that once he gets the location of the grail he will destroy all documents as well as the sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene.

My most favorite scene is when the heir of Jesus is revealed to the audience as Sophie herself. I like this scene because it shows her lineage and those of the group that has protected her line for over a thousand years, including the man she thought of as her grandfather, Jacques Sauniere.

I know this movie and the corresponding book has drawn the criticism of many critics because it calls into question the divinity of Jesus. I ask, though, why couldn't Jesus have had a wife and a child and still be divine?

I give this movie 10 out of 10 stars.

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) - Movie Review

I hate this one, NOT! This is my favorite of all of the Resident Evil movies. Why? How could you not like a movie that has Alice (Milla Yovovich) as a mom in some scenes and dressed in a skin tight leather type outfit? I will never make excuses about appreciating the female form.

I didn't like the opening sequence. It was decided to take the attack by Umbrella on the ship Arcadia in backward slow motion. It gave me a headache. I liked that you got to see the attack in both directions, eventually leading to the capture of Alice, but I could have done without the backward slow motion.

When the movie first begins we see Alice is married to Carlos. Yes, I said Carlos! As in Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) from the second and third movies. But Carlos died at the end of Resident Evil: Extinction. However, he is back Resident Evil: Retribution. And as Alice's husband. If that isn't mind boggling enough, Alice and Carlos have a daughter.

Carlos is attacked in their home, but Alice and Becky (Aryana Engineer) escape. They climb into their attic and eventually make it outside where they see chaos erupting in their suburban neighborhood. Alice and Becky almost get hit by a car driven by Rain (Michelle Rodriguez). YES, I said Rain! But, Rain died in the first movie, you say? Well she's back! As Rain, Alice and Becky drive off, being chased by the undead, their car is t-boned by a garbage truck. Alice and Becky leave Rain in the car, believing she is dead, and take refuge in a nearby house. Alice hides Becky and she is eventually attacked by her husband, Carlos. Of course I like this scene because it depicts Alice as a regular woman, wife and mother, with no hint of what she really is.

The fight scenes are pretty damn good in this movie. Like the first scene where Alice is fighting a group of Chinese undead. She uses a chain with a lock and a handgun with two, what looks like, ten or twelve round clips to kill about ten or twelve undead. Another pretty good scene is when Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) and her security team track down Alice and Ada Wong (Li Bingbing). Alice had found Becky in the same house as before, that is where Jill found Alice, Ada and Becky. I won't go into detail about this scene, but I will say that it is pretty good. The Moscow fighting is pretty good also.

I like the final fight scene best. It has Alice fighting Jill. Both are evenly matched, but Alice eventually takes the scarab device on Jill's chest off. Luther West (Boris Kodjoe) and Leon S. Kennedy (Johann Urb) fight with the evil Rain, who has injected herself with a solution that includes the T-Virus. Rain eventually kills Luther, apparently, but Alice shoots at the ice under Rain's feet and she falls into the water. Rain tries to climb out of the hole but is dragged back into the hole by some undead.

I give this Resident Evil movie 10 out of 10 stars. I can't wait for the next movie coming in 2014. I hope it is as good or better as Resident Evil: Retribution.

Starting soon...

 As you may have seen I am a fan of all kinds of movies. I have nearly 1500 movies on DVD or as a digital copy. So far I have only reviewed 34 movies ranging from the 1920's to the present and a lot of different genres. Therefore I haven't scratched the surface of my collection, which continues to grow.

Some of my collection includes television series and documentaries. I will be including in my reviews television episodes and documentaries, as well as continue to review movies and books.

The three television series to the left are three of my favorites. I almost never go a day without watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory. TNT, TBS and other TV stations allow me that luxury, even though I own all six seasons. I love this series. I of course love Kaley Cuoco, or Penny, her character.

 The West Wing is my all time favorite television drama series. I loved almost every single episode. I liked the interaction between all of the characters from the lead characters, the ones who are in almost every episode, to the recurring characters.

I loved the scandals. A President who never disclosed that he had MS. A chief of staff who was outed as a recovering alcoholic. Also, a Mexican American running for and winning the Presidency.

I of course have several favorite episodes and characters. I do have some characters that I could do with out. My favorite characters are Charlie Young, Donna Moss, Josh Lyman, President Bartlett and Matthew Santos. My least favorite characters are Kate Harper, Will Bailey, Bob Russell and John Hoynes; though they all have their moments.

MASH is one of my favorite comedy television series. The way the writers played each character off each other, is pretty damn good. All the characters, Hawkeye, Hotlips, Colonel Potter, BJ, Trapper, Charles, Frank, Klinger and Radar are awesome characters. All the recurring guests stars are perfect as well. I especially like Dr. Sidney Freedman.

Let me know what you think as the reviews come out every couple of days or so. I appreciate feedback.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) - Movie Review

Again, I love these movies! Milla Yovovich is back and better than ever, especially when the movie starts with multiple Milla Yovovich's in the character of Alice as clones of the real Alice.

Resident Evil: Afterlife tells the story of the last of the human population that remains after the undead takes over planet Earth. It's not a story of defeating the enemy, it is the story of surviving. Some survive longer than others.

Because this is the fourth movie of five, with a sixth one in the works, the fight scenes have to be more elaborate, the story has to be more involved, and the rest of the movie has to be action packed with little breathing room... and that's what we get in Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Alice is back and she has a few friends, at least at the beginning. Alice brings several clones with her to attack the base for Umbrella in China. They are successful in gaining entrance to the facility and killing at least a hundred or two of Umbrella's Chinese contingent, but their main objective is the chairman of Umbrella himself, Albert Wesker. Wesker, played by Shawn Roberts, escapes the facility, setting off a cleansing explosion to rid him of the Alice clones and hoping that Alice herself is among them. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you decide to see it, Alice lives. She attacks Wesker as he is trying to escape, but Wesker has a surprise. Wesker injects Alice with a serum that neutralizes the T-Virus and reverts Alice back to being JUST human. Alice thanks Wesker. The plane they are in crashes and we see only Alice has apparently survived. Of course this is my first favorite scene, but you knew that.

My second favorite scene is a short one. It's the scene where Alice and Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) are in the Yakovlev Yak-52, a Russian aircraft, and they are attempting to land on the roof of a prison in Los Angeles. They are successful, but just barely. Luther West (Boris Kodjoe) helps by running across the prison roof in time to jump up and grab the tail of the plane pulling it back down before the plane topples over the edge of the roof. Pretty good scene.

The third of my favorite scenes is when Alice and Chris Redfield, Claire's brother, go to the armory of the prison. To do this they have to swim down two floors and over several yards because the sump pumps need electricity to work and the electricity has been out for a long time. They are joined by Crystal, played by Kacey Barnfield, and make it through the water. Before they can get away from the water too far, Crystal is attacked and taken. Alice and Chris (Wentworth Miller) make it to the armory; Alice is impressed.

Since my second favorite is a short scene, I'll give a bonus favorite. My fourth favorite scene is the fight scene between Alice and Wesker, along with Claire, Chris, Bennett, and two infected dogs that Wesker seems to be able to control. Alice ends up knocking Bennett (Kim Coates) out and kills both dogs. One of the dogs is killed when Alice kicks a large piece of falling glass towards the dog who has jumped towards Alice. The glass impales the dog, killing it instantly. Alice then defeats Wesker, and leaves with Claire and Chris, leaving Bennett locked in the room with a seemingly defeated Wesker.

A short bonus favorite scene is when we see Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory) for the first time since the second movie. However, she is only in the final scene of the movie. Jill is the commander of a strike force sent to the ship Arcadia to recapture all those on board, especially Alice.

I give this movie 10 stars out of 10. I loved it! I thought it was the best one yet. How could it get better? Read the next review on Resident Evil: Retribution to find out.

Oh, I forgot to mention the scene with the eight foot tall mutant. It takes place in the shower. At some point the mutant knocks some water pipes out and water is flying everywhere. This scene is awesome because Claire and Alice are now fighting the mutant in skin tight wet clothes. AWESOME! Hey, what can I say, I'm a guy. Get over it!