Sequels can be a hit or miss but when it's part of a series I love, I don't mind watching the film when it comes out. Originally, I had planned to write this piece in a more descriptive post. However, since there has been some time since I've seen the film and when it came out, I've decided to create this as a smaller review. This mini review is for the fifth sequel in this action-horror franchise: Resident Evil: Retribution.
The Premise: Set after the events of the last film, Alice (played by Milla Jovovitch) has been taken hostage by the Umbrella Corporation. Trapped underground at a secret Umbrella research facility, Alice must try to escape from the horror within while a band of allies (which include some familiar faces) on the surface work their way down the facility to free her. Also at the helm of the story is Alice's former ally and now Umbrella-controlled agent Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), who reemerges as a main character in the film franchise since Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
The Results: 3.5/5!
The Resident Evil film franchise is heatedly debated among fans. Half criticize the series for not following the storyline precise while others praise it to be a new interpretation. I'm always open to new creative elements and can distinguish the difference between a film series and the actual video game series - it doesn't bother me much. I loved the previous four films in the series so I naturally wanted to watch the fifth film. Overall, I think it was alright. The special effects and action sequences were amazing, dialogue was a tad bland and the plot was basic at best. It felt more of "filler" film where it's just a placeholder to explain the events between the last film and the thrilling final conclusion in the sixth film. The negative aspect of the film is the slow-motion sequences. These moments were continuously overused and made the experience feel drawn out. Normally that would be a good thing but with a bare plot and minimal dialogue, a third to half of the film could might as well be ONLY slow-motion action sequences. However, I'd still recommend watching the movie. I still liked it and for a good popcorn film near Halloween, it's nice to watch something with zombies.
The Resident Evil film franchise is heatedly debated among fans. Half criticize the series for not following the storyline precise while others praise it to be a new interpretation. I'm always open to new creative elements and can distinguish the difference between a film series and the actual video game series - it doesn't bother me much. I loved the previous four films in the series so I naturally wanted to watch the fifth film. Overall, I think it was alright. The special effects and action sequences were amazing, dialogue was a tad bland and the plot was basic at best. It felt more of "filler" film where it's just a placeholder to explain the events between the last film and the thrilling final conclusion in the sixth film. The negative aspect of the film is the slow-motion sequences. These moments were continuously overused and made the experience feel drawn out. Normally that would be a good thing but with a bare plot and minimal dialogue, a third to half of the film could might as well be ONLY slow-motion action sequences. However, I'd still recommend watching the movie. I still liked it and for a good popcorn film near Halloween, it's nice to watch something with zombies.
Tuesday only means one thing: I'm watching a discount movie tonight. Though on a serious note, it's also the next edition of my Tuesday feature. Every Tuesday (or whenever on a day I feel like searching around YouTube), I find three videos that feature music in one way or another.
A music video, parody or even a segment from a television episode or movie. Sometimes I find an old song from the 90s and decide to highlight it for the week.
The 12th post is going to be a little special as two television shows I watched last week caught my eye. Plus, there's Carly Rae which is always special.
The three videos this week are:
1. "Good Time" by Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen
2. "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone (performed by Carly Rose Sonenclar on The X Factor)
3. "It's Time" by Imagine Dragons (performed by Darrin Criss on Glee)
The finale is only a couple of days away and the final 3 have been chosen. Unfortunately for this unlucky houseguest, he was blindsided with only one week to go. It's one thing to be evicted in the first few weeks but to make it (almost) the entire three months and get evicted near the end must be a bitter pill to swallow. He played a pretty athletic game early on and surprisingly was a member of almost every powerful alliance.
With only the finale left to go, there is just one more jury spot left to be filled. Until then, the sixth jury member and latest person evicted from the game is Shane, the 26 year old house flipper from Vermont.
Let's Meet Shane...
On Day 1, Shane was selected by Big Brother 12 veteran Britney to be on her team along with Willie and JoJo. While his team suffered in the early weeks with Willie's expulsion and JoJo's eviction, Shane proved to be a tough competitor by winning the first three Power of Veto (POV) competitions and the third Head of Household (HOH). Shane joined two powerful alliances: the 'Silent Six' (Shane/Britney/Dan/Danielle/Frank/Boogie) and the 'Quack Pack' (Shane/Britney/Dan/Danielle/Ian). However, he proved to be closer allies with his former coach Britney and Danielle. He made it to Week 9 but HOH Ian placed him on the block against Jenn. He won his fourth POV of the season and removed himself. Unfortunately for Shane, it was a double eviction week and Dan convinced the next HOH Danielle to remove himself from the block. Shane and Danielle believed the plan was to evict Ian while Dan had another idea. On Day 69, he cast the only vote to evict Shane.
Why Did He Lose?
Shane agreed to a bad decision. With only four people left in the house and his best-friend holding both HOH and POV, it should have been an easy week for him. He was practically guaranteed a Final 3 spot. Dan (who was nominated) convinced Danielle that removing him from the block would be the best decision and that he was on board to evict Ian. Danielle agreed to the plan and confirmed with Shane, who hesitantly agreed as well. What Shane didn't know was that Dan had wanted Shane out of the house instead of Ian. By agreeing with Danielle to remove Dan and subsequently making Shane the replacement nominee, Dan had all the power to evict Shane from the house.
Shane agreed to a bad decision. With only four people left in the house and his best-friend holding both HOH and POV, it should have been an easy week for him. He was practically guaranteed a Final 3 spot. Dan (who was nominated) convinced Danielle that removing him from the block would be the best decision and that he was on board to evict Ian. Danielle agreed to the plan and confirmed with Shane, who hesitantly agreed as well. What Shane didn't know was that Dan had wanted Shane out of the house instead of Ian. By agreeing with Danielle to remove Dan and subsequently making Shane the replacement nominee, Dan had all the power to evict Shane from the house.
How Could He Stay?
Shane didn't plan on evicting Dan; he was going to evict Ian. He should have never agreed with Danielle to take Dan off the block. His best move to stay in the game was to remind Danielle that he had her best interests in mind and would follow through with the plan. There was no point in using the POV if the alliance of Dan/Danielle/Shane was truly intact. He needed to reiterate to Danielle that she could trust him and that he wanted to make the last vote.
Last Thoughts...
Every houseguest should follow this one rule: never agree to go on the block. Being a 'pawn' is just a nice way of saying that the HOH or the house might consider evicting you if things don't work out. To be fair on Shane's part, he thought he could trust Dan but let's be real... after everything that happened this season, he should have known better. I hope Shane has fun at the jury house and that he can finally end his showmance.
Two houseguests were evicted this week but the first was eliminated days earlier. She has played the role of floater quite well until she chose a side after being nominated on the block. Unbeknownst to the majority of viewers, nobody really noticed her until the numbers started to dwindle. It's a great strategy that has worked well in the past.
Since this evicted houseguest has been voted off in the latter part of the season, she'll return on finale night to decide which player will win the prize. She will be the fifth jury member. The next person evicted from the game is Jenn, the 37 year old musician from Brooklyn.
Let's Meet Jenn...
Jenn is the tattooed former member of the metal rock band, Kittie. On Day 1, she was chosen, along with Frank and Ian, by Big Brother All-Stars winner Boogie to be on his team. Jenn sat pretty in the background for the majority of the game and played the role of house floater; rivaling such notable floaters from previous seasons. When the coaches entered the game, Jenn felt abandoned by her former coach and relaxed with other floaters Wil and Ashley in the backyard. She really started to play the game during Week 6 when Head of Household (HOH) Shane made her the replacement nominee against Boogie. In Week 7, she won the critical Power of Veto (POV) that saved Dan from eviction but after Ian won HOH two weeks later, he made Jenn his target. On Day 67, Jenn was evicted by a vote of 2-0.
Why Did She Lose?
Jenn played the majority of the game in the background - I'm not even sure if she knew she was playing Big Brother. After she was nominated by Shane, she started to gain some sense and learn more about how to play. It was very reminiscent of Porsche last season but Jenn didn't have any top-tier alliances left to help her. Wil was evicted, Ashley campaigned against her (also evicted), Boogie was gone and Frank was recently sent packing. She did have the alliance of Dan and Danielle who legitimately worked with her for a Final Three deal. However, Ian (the HOH) was still pro-Quack Pack alliance and made Jenn his target. Dan, Danielle and Jenn had originally planned to get out Ian but were forced to target Shane (much to Danielle's dismay). For the plan to work, Shane couldn't win POV but he did and Danielle was the replacement. She had more friends in the house and the Quack Pack alliance still dominated in numbers. Jenn was never really part of any powerful alliances early on and since she only started playing halfway through the game, none of her connections were there save or help her.
How Could She Stay?
Jenn needed to make the right moves. Without any of her previous friends left in the game, she had to rely on herself and the only smart move left was to get Ian to turn on Dan. The Shane/Danielle alliance was powerful but the Dan/everyone alliance was an epic monster. With him out of the way, everyone else had a better shot to win. Jenn should have confronted Ian and give some sense to the kid and explain that Dan was a fire that needed to be put out. The Quack Pack alliance had to be split up and Dan blindsided but it never happened. Dan's Mist worked again.
Last Thoughts...
Jenn's experience can be explained in one word: mysterious. Nobody noticed her, she barely had any airtime, could not win a single competition except once, and never was the target till near the end. I liked her as a character (and to a lesser extent, a competitor) later on but it irritates me when houseguests (who never watched a single episode before playing) get a chance to play. When she realized she was in a game, Jenn really started to play but it was too late in the season. Luckily for her though, she won't have the record as most useless player who did nothing all season - that's still Adam from Big Brother 13.