Resident Evil: Extinction

Use the Force Alice.  But damnit.  Don't introduce a large cast of characters then kill them all right away.  The pacing of the film is quick, but yet again all I feel is "transition film".  The large cast is introduced, given cursory discovery, the summarily executed, and we're left with a small core no bigger than previous films.  It seems like a waste when more time could have been spent developing the characters that were going to live.

Besides that, my other complaint was with the cinematography.  Why does every close-up shot of Alice appear to be airbrushed?  In one scene as the camera cuts out and back in, the make-up goes one, the make-up comes off.  Repeat repeat.  It's very disconcerting and completely unnecessary.  Milla Jovovich is very pretty with and because of her flaws and all.  There's no need to so crudely hide them.

The next film will be available on Netflix soon.  We'll see where this goes.

Resident Evil: Extinction
2007, 95 minutes, directed by Russel Mulcahy

A Christmas Story

I'm not sure why I watched this Christmas morning, while eating breakfast and opening gifts at my in-laws' house.  I first discovered this film in college; it was a favorite of my freshman roommate and his friends while they were quite drunk.  It's a good story, with some memorable quotes, but it seems barely elevated to a level worthy of a 24-hour television marathon.

A Christmas Story
1983, 94 minutes, directed by Bob Clark

It's a Wonderful Life

My family has watched this every Christmas Eve for 20-odd years.  In the recent past (read, as often as possible) I've been away due to commitments with my wife's family.  This year I was back in time to watch most of it.

It's not that it's a bad film; indeed, it's a truly wonderful movie with fantastic casting, terrific acting, and a solid script.  Sure there are things that seem out of place today, but for its time it pushed boundaries.  (How dare the film end without the bad guy being caught?!?)  I've just seen it Too Many Times.

It's a Wonderful Life
1946, 130 minutes, directed by Frank Capra

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Meh.  All I could think was "transition film".  The introduced Sienna Guillory as Jill, complete with kick-ass action and a custom outfit (presumably from the games), only to have her quickly take the back seat to a more-awesome more-ass-kicking Milla Jovovich as Alice.  I can only assume this was to ensure that, were Ms. Jovovish to bail on the series, the next sequel could retain some semblance of continuity.

Stay tuned; the next sequel is coming up in my Netflix queue.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse
2004, 98 minutes, directed by Alexander Witt

TRON: Legacy

Is it everything I imagined?  No, of course not.  This is someone else's vision of the Tron universe, not mine.  That's to be expected.  What I'm not happy about is the conclusion.  I wanted something definitive, making this the best possible two films in the series.  If it takes 20 years to make another sequel, so be it.  Instead Disney left open the possibility for a quick sequel, something in innately detest.

TRON: Legacy
2010, 127 minutes, directed by Joseph Kosinski

Now I see why Olivia Wilde left House.  Trivia fact: I've named my priest Tron in any computer RPG for the last 20 years; it was also the name of my first prominent GURPS character in high school.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

There's little left of the light-hearted Hogwarts scenes that dominated the first few films.  This is very dark, and very sad - as it must be.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010, 146 minutes, directed by David Yates