The Strain Season Two: The Battle For Red Hook

After failing to capture Zach, Kelly and Eichorst launch an attack on the safe zone of Red Hook which is protected by Councilwoman Feraldo's forces.

Talk about having one heck of a great showdown where we finally get to see a massive group of Strigoi take on a massive group of Humans and in my opinion it did not disappoint. Before getting into the episode I first got to say that the new opening is so damn cool! It looked like pages right out of the comic book and gave us something really different than just the bloody five second opening we have had so far, props to whoever thought this one up. On to the episode the team up between Kelly and Eichorst continues to be really great and I enjoy their scenes together; like the first one where Kelly opens up to Eichorst about her failure and feelings and Eichorst consoling her (plus fuelling her anger towards Nora), it's almost like she is his protégé. Then there was their plan on bringing an army of Strigoi into Red Hook which gave us one of the best action moments in The Strain so far but I will go into this more in a bit. I want to talk first about Fet, Zach and Nora going to the power station to turn back on the power and it made for a really creepy atmosphere with the darkness and the bodies lying around. Kelly showing up was great as well because she had a great fight with Fet such as the part where she took his gun and then trying to infect him with worms from her wounds. As for Eichorst I admit his showdown with Abraham wasn't as epic as the build up for it was implying but it still made for a good team up between him and Eph.

As for the battle of Red Hook it was just so damn impressive and really created the feeling of hopelessness with the lack of personnel to the power outage. This really was Feraldo's episode to shine because she really took charge and brought all of Red Hook together in this massive clash. I mean she had to deal with a lot form the mayor who only wants her to save the rich who then abandons her and dealing with a quick lack of confidence when seeing the numbers they have to battle. Her Captain of her forces (Frank I think his name was and has been in a few previous eps) was great in this as well like the moral talk he gave her and defending the gates. Feraldo then got the citizens of Red Hook together and we saw some great fighting scenes between them and the Strigoi. I also liked the ending as well at daybreak when the main characters got back together, I have read some people's comments saying it was cheesy but I liked it and gave a sense of hope with all the doom and gloom there have been lately. Finally the only thing I didn't like was the Dutch and Nikki subplot because I just don't freaking care about it! I don't care about their damn arguments and I don't care what Nikki has been up to; I hate her character and she has just been making everything awkward since she reappeared. Plus I was right in thinking this subplot was similar to Barbara's on Gotham because Dutch is now all like "I like Fet but I used to be a lesbian so I'll sleep with my ex". I mean are we supposed to care these two are back together? Well I sure don't it just makes me hate Dutch's character now.

Overall a near perfect episode I just wish that instead of a stupid subplot with Dutch and Nikki we could have had one with Gus or Palmer.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: The battle of Red Hook
                   I great episode for Feraldo
                   Kelly and Eichorst
                   The new intro

Let - Downs: The Dutch and Nikki subplot

Gotham Season One: Red Hood

"Bang!"

When several banks are robbed by the Red Hood Gang Gordon and Bullock investigate meanwhile Fish does something drastic and Alfred reunites with an old friend.

Finally get two origins I have been wanting to see for ages; Alfred and the Red Hood Gang and I didn't expect the latter until season two, I'll start with them first and I got to say that the Red Hood Gang is one of my favourite origins so far. I always enjoyed seeing them in the comic and that they are connected to the Joker however I liked that in this the red hood itself became sort of a symbol of power. It was interesting that the gang members fought and killed over it and the way it saved one of their lives, made them famous and gave other confidence made me sort of believe that it could be a kind of cursed object. I do hope the red hood surfaces again and maybe the Joker could be part of the gang in the future; I still believe he was in the last episode and not the kid at the end. As for the gang themselves I did really like them, their different personalities and goals, the cool shootout with the GCPD and that the citizens started to cheer them on as vigilantes; all in all the Red Hood Gang was pretty damn great in this episode. As for Alfred it was of course obvious for a while he had some dark military past but it was great that we got some light she'd on it. He had some great scenes with Reginald like how good friends he is with him but didn't approve of his less honourable method of fight Reginald was teaching Bruce. I think for the next few episodes it might focus on Bruce tracking down Reginald but the reveal of the Wayne board behind Alfred's stabbing was a pleasant surprise and I just wonder how Bruce will deal with them.

Avenge him Bruce!!

As for the rest of the episode Fish's eye stabbing was gruesome and cool and it is great we may see the Dollmaker soon but it felt over the top. I mean is being leader of a group of nobodies in a basement important enough to mess with the Dollmaker or stab her own eye out? However I was more interested in her former comrade Butch whose brainwashing is not what I thought it would be like. He still seems to act like himself but the scars and shaky hands is a reminder that he is different now and very helpful to Penguin by securing some booze for him. I had read some criticism that Penguin doesn't seem to know anything at all but they need to remember that he is young and new at this and I like that the brainwashed Butch is teaching him a few things. Finally the Barbara moment with Ivy and Selina would have been nice if she still wasn't drinking heavily; why do writers (Gotham and Arrow) feel the need to put their female characters through substance abuse? It gets no sympathy from me, especially with Barbara when it is ALL HER FAULT things ended with Gordon, and I just think these characters can go through different crucibles to change. Also props to Selina for wounding Barbara like that; honestly what the hell was Barbara going on about with that whole beauty weapon stuff?

Got to admit that, that is really cool

Overall despite just two minor flaws this was a really solid episode with a great origin story to the Red Hood Gang.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Origins on Alfred and the Red Hood Gang
                   Penguin and Butch team up
                   Fish stabbing her eye out but........

Let - Downs: ...........Might have been too much just to be leader of a basement?
                      Barbara as always

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/

Arrow Season Two: Seeing Red

 

You shouldn't have done that officer

The episode begins at the Arrowcave and Diggle and Felicity are surprised at there is no news on Isabel's death however Roy then wakes up and escapes, so they call Oliver and Sara who are in a hotel together. Thea and Moira argue over her campaign and we then get a Flashback and Oliver says to Moira that he got another girl pregnant while he is seeing Laurel. In the present Roy has been making numerous attacks on people, even on Sin who runs into him and who later tells Sara about it meanwhile Moira tells Sebastian she is dropping out of the running (since she now wants to focus on her family). Arrow and Black Canary find Roy in the clock tower who easily overpowers them (even catching an arrow) before he escapes and kills a police officer. Sara is forced to bring Arrow to a doctor, who actually thanks him for the things he has done, and Thea sees a report on the rampaging Roy while with Diggle. Sara and Oliver later aruge about Roy because Sara thinks they need to kill him and Roy begins to have hallucinations about Thea who wants him to kill her.

"Just remember; no questions doctor"

Oliver asks Moira why she is dropping out of the running and thinks her running for Mayor will be good for Thea and Moira admits she knows Oliver is Arrow and that he does good, in a Flashback Moira bribes the pregnant girl to leave and never tell Oliver, possibly believing he is not ready. Thea then uses Moira's speech at The Verdant to draw out Roy which works and Sara shoots him in the leg but Oiver knocks him out with viper venom. Sara then leaves Team Arrow and Oliver because she thinks she is just a killer and Oliver deserves better and while the Queen Family is in a limo Moira says to Thea that their will be no more lies but before she can say something about Malcolm the limo crashes with another car. Slade then makes Oliver chose who lives between Moira and Thea however Moira steps up, something Slade admits is brave of her, before killing her and leaving. The episode ends in a Flashback where Oliver is told the girl lost then baby but says he wasn't ready to be a father however Moira says she will always be there for him.

"Bet this situation feels familiar, doesn't it boy?"

We got the death of a major character in the series again and unlike Tommy this wasn't saved until the finale. Moira really has come such a long was from season one, she definitely the strongest and most interesting of all the female characters, so it is sad to see her go. I almost kind of thought this was her punishment for all the secrets and lies but despite that everything she has done is for her family, especially in season one and it was nice seeing her do good (running for Mayor) this season. Her death was also handled really well because it forced Oliver to make a choice like he did on the island and I am sure her demise is going to have a lot of repercussions. I am glad Oliver made his peace with her before she was killed (she even knew his secret!) but I wish Thea wasn't still so hostile towards her. The Flashbacks where also a change; it does show Moira's motherly side but it also puts her in a bad light for handling Oliver's child the way she did in my opinion. For those who don't know Oliver does have a son in the comics named Connor Hawke so he might be the child if we ever do see it.

Get through to him Thea!

As for the rest of the episode I really didn't like the finding Roy plot because it felt like filler to me, just to stretch out the episode, which is a shame because he is one of m favourite characters. Plus since he is back in a coma at the end, which was how he started, it almost felt like there wasn't much point in all of it. I also really didn't like Sara in this episode (again a shame because she is one of my favourite characters) because of her willingness to kill Roy and her admitting she is a killer. I just didn't believe any of that because ever since she joined Team Arrow she has become a good vigilante and even spared The Huntress so I just wondered what the hell she was going on about. Speaking of The Huntress, Sara using a gun was a stupid move because we never saw her with them before, now that was acting too much like that Huntress b***h for my liking. I guess that is it for this episode, there just didn't seem like much to talk about because the Roy and Sara moments where just filler.

Goodbye Moira

Overall I will give this episode I higher score than I might have usually given it because of Moira and her death scene.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Moira
                   Flashbacks
                   Roy vs. Arrow and Black Canary was good

Let - Downs: Roy subplot felt like filler
                     Sara just didn't make sense in saying she is always a killer when she has proven she isn't
                     Thea could have been less hostile to Moira

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/     

Film Review: Resident Evil

Thought I'd finally get round to reviewing one of my most favourite film series and video game adaptions; Resident Evil, so here is the first one that started it all. SPOILERS in this because it will be in depth and this is the kind of review for people how have seen this film and the others.

Resident Evil begins with the outbreak of a virus, called the T - Virus, in an underground facility called the Hive. It is owned by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella; one of the largest companies in the world and basically owns the town of Raccoon City that is located above it. The highly intelligent computer program that runs it, the Red Queen, decides to shut down the Hive and seal everyone of the employees down there. The main protagonist Alice (Milla Jovovich) awakens in a mansion with no memory of who she is but is soon dragged into the Hive by an Umbrella commando team led by One (Colin Salmon). Alice must now survive the horrors inside the Hive, try to recover her lost memory and figure out what exactly happened to cause the outbreak.

Some zombie killing action!

Resident Evil was directed by Paul W. Anderson and while I know he has had his fair share of criticism I think he is a really solid director who has a few gems (Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon). While this film is an adaption of the video game series it features a completely original plot not found in the games but none the less uses it's universe. Now this could have been a really bad move but I think it worked for this film because the overall plot was still similar to the games.

Damn, that laser sure made a clean job of it

To elaborate on this it borrows heavily from the story of Resident Evil 2 i.e. a virus outbreak in an underground lab that turns people to zombies. However instead of the virus infecting the city straight away they decided to set it in the laboratory and Anderson himself stated that he didn't want the film to feature any game tie ins because he felt that "under-performing movie tie-ins are too common and Resident Evil, of all games, deserved a good celluloid representation". Meaning he wanted to avoid too may links to the game as possible for this first adaption at least.

Oh Yeah!!

Now did I like that move that Anderson made? Yes I did and that is because I like certain adaptions that create their own story based on original material. If the story is well thought out and done right then it can be great and personally I really enjoyed it; it just felt like Resident Evil to me while not showing an exact same story from the games. There are some things however that I admit must follow the original material exactly because the story is too important to change drastically (Game of Thrones) and there are examples when it is done wrong (almost all original material in The Walking Dead).

"Oh hell no!"

I really liked the cast for this film with my favourite being Milla Jovovich as Alice because she is my all time favourite actress, in this she is smart, sexy and kicks a lot of zombie ass! She does ask a lot of questions but that is because of the loss of memory and a way for the other characters to explain what is going on. She is likable and a strong female protagonist which of course suits the horror film genre, plus we get to see her in some shower scenes and wearing that red dress throughout the film - what's not to like :). She may not be based on any Resident Evil character but she is really well thought-out and woven into the story really well as an Umbrella security agent. In fact before I continue thought I'd point out that the characters is mostly made up of Umbrella personnel and that is probably one of the big appeals in the film for me; a point of view from people working for Umbrella not those who are against it.

Shot them in the head Rain

As for the rest of the cast we have One the Umbrella team leader who I felt was really underused and that was annoying because he is played by such a great actor but at least he has one of the coolest film deaths ever involving the really cool laser grid scene. There's Michelle Rodriguez as Rain a member of the Umbrella team and even though she plays the same character type in everything I've seen her in (a no - nonsense badass) she is one of the ones so good at it that you don't mind. We also have James Purefoy as Spence who is the films antagonist who does a great job but then there is Eric Mabius as Matt Addison a person against Umbrella who even though is good in it I felt his character was just shoved in there so they have someone who is not an Umbrella employee. Lastly there is Martin Crewes as Kaplan the Umbrella team computer expert who I think is a real stand out; he did his part so well and I just found him really likeable.

It may be a short scene but the zombie dogs are badass in this

As for the zombies and other creatures in this film it is all done really well and that is because for the most part it is not done in CGI but with make up and I like that the best for zombies/horror films. It may not be as gory as I would have liked it to be for an adaption for the Resident Evil game but for the most part it does the job really well. The zombies all look the part of zombies even if there is a lack of missing limbs and trailing guts from any of them but I guess there really hasn't been any time for that is they have all been stuck in a lab. I also liked the movement of all the zombies and I guess that is to be expected since they hired professional dancers to play them.

Poor b*****d

The zombies dogs however is adapted perfectly from the video games; not only do they look like the same breed but they sound and act like the did in the games as well. They where never done in CGI (expect to erase an ear or eye) instead they got professional trained dogs and covered them in fake blood and meat that made them look as though they were skinned. Lastly I am glad they chose the Licker for the final boos in this because it is one of my favourite creatures but for the first few scenes it is in it is done in CGI and you can obviously tell that it is. Luckily for the mutated version of Licker they created a full - scale model with actual moving head, lips and tongue that just looks so much better.

You are one ugly mother-!

As for stuff that I admit they could have done better (I mentioned lack of gory but that is really minor) is a proper antagonist. I know Spence turns out to be it but this only happens at the very end of the film because of his loss of memory for the majority of it (plus is motivation is just money). I know that the Red Queen was the one who sealed the Hive but I really don't consider an A.I. to be a real villain in just about anything. However as much as she seemed to be a homicidal b***h it is said early in the film that she was only doing what she was programmed to do to preserve life, even if it did mean to killing a lot. Every Resident game has a proper villain; 1 - Wesker, 2 - The Birkins, 3 - Nicholai/Nemesis, CV - The Ashfords/Wesker, Dead Aim - Morpheus and 0 - Marcus. Those are the only TRUE Resident Evil games in my opinion and I just wished we had one here.

Soaking wet Milla Jovovich - oh yeah!

Two more things that I think could have been changed was that I wish the final fight with the Licker could have lasted longer and been a bit more interesting. I think that they focused just a little too much with the fight between Matt and zombie Rain when we could have seen more of the Licker. However the overall fight was pretty damn cool, really fast paced because it was set on a speeding training and I liked the music that they used to. Lastly even though I really like the cast I kind of wished they could have included just one character based off the video game instead of just a cameo of William Birkin by Jason Isaacs at the end. I think HUNK could have worked really well in this and he could have been part of the Umbrella team.



You can make it Kaplan!

Overall while it may not be perfect I think this film is a great start to the Resident Evil film series even though I know it hasn't appealed to every fan because of how original the plot is compared to the games. Maybe the could have made it more gory and gave the film a better overall antagonist and final fight but I enjoyed it immensely. It is as a lot of some cool gunfights and fist fights against the zombies and the laser scene is just so memorable. This film also worked  thanks to the great cast, action and story that I found to be just as good as the games and I like that they have a great set up to the squeal at the end that obviously looks based on Resident Evil 3.

"Just when I thought I'd got out you pull me right back in"

SCORE: 7/10

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season Three

With the fourth season over half way done I thought I should finally get the review of season three out of the way. As always there are spoilers but its been ages since this has aired so I assume everyone has watched it by now.

This season takes place almost immediately after the events of season two; Stannis has been defeated, the Stark house is in ruins and the Lannisters are more powerful than ever before thanks to the union between their house and the Tyrells, the only other house that could have matched them.
In King's Landing Tyrion Lannister has lost his position as Hand of the King to his father and most of the other power had despite leading the garrison against the enemy, Joffrey Baratheon is to wed Margaery Tyrell and there are many on both sides who agree and disagree with this.
In the Riverlands Robb Stark has broken his marriage contract with the Freys and his army falls apart around him, Jamie Lannister is being escorted home by Brienne of Tarth through the war torn land and Arya Stark has escaped her captors only to fall in to the hands of the Brotherhood without Banners.
In the North Theon Greyjoy is being tortured by an unknown sadist (though it was obvious for those who read the books), Bran and his group run in to the Reed siblings who wish to help them and Jon Snow has infiltrated Mance Rayder's army in an effort to learn their plans.
Meanwhile in Dragonstone Stannis Baratheon is a broken man from his defeat on the Blackwater but becomes more obsessed with the Lord of Light while his loyal companion Davos Seaworth sees only evil in the religion.
Finally Daenerys Targaryen has decided that she must have an army in order to win the Iron Throne and sets sail for slavers bay to by the Unsullied, the most disciplined soldiers in all the world.

This season is based on the first half of the Storm of Swords books which are all two of my favourites in the Song of Ice and Fire series and just like the last two seasons it adapts from its source material almost perfectly. This season also includes some of my most favourite events from the books such as the infamous Red Wedding and the burning of Astapor but also includes some original stuff which is really great. I will now go in to detail about all the highlights of this season and say what was good and what was bad in my opinion.

Firstly there is the Brotherhood without Banners, a group of Robin Hoods basically and who capture Arya near the start of the series. Now in the books if I am honest I really, really hated this group mostly because it just seemed to drag on with them going to different places and not advancing the plot, it just felt like filler and I didn't care for much for their members like Lem and Tom O Sevens (They just annoyed me). However I did like them here in the series because they narrowed down the main members to only three, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr and Anguy and they cut out a lot of their pointless travelling. Thoros of Myr was the standout of the lot as a drunken red priest who has found his faith again, Paul Kaye did a really convincing job of it; he was funny when he was drunk, serious when he had to be and his conversation of Melisandre was one of the best from the season. It was original for the series but I was really glad they added it in because we have not had two red priests confronting each other in the books yet. Also the fight between Beric and the Hound was done just as I imagined from the books as well so I enjoyed all the scenes with Arya and the Brotherhood.

Next what an interesting change from the book was the scenes with Theon Greyjoy and his torturer Ramsey Snow in the North. Those who read the books would know that after Theon's defeat at Winterfell we don't see him for ages and when we do he is already in his new persona of Reek we don't see any of the torture. So this was also a great addition to the series and again some great casting with Iwan Rheon as the psychopathic Ramsey.

Also in the North we finally get the introduction of the Reed siblings Jojen and Meera who should have been at Winterfell during the last season. However they were added in to the plot now quite nicely and we also get more of an understanding of Bran's powers (Which again should have happened during the last season if the Reed siblings were there).

Finally in the North is the events that happen beyond the wall and I have to say there are a few disappointments here. My disappointment with beyond the wall actually started during the very first scene of episode one when they skipped over the undead army vs the Night Watch entirely and after the huge set up they had at the end of season two. Then there was the character of Mance Rayder, while Ciarán Hinds did a good job as him he is quite different than he was in the book. A lot more serious and quiet and he does not even sing! However there were still a lot of great parts; the climb up the wall, the fight between Jon and the wildings, rebellion at Crasters and all the scenes with Sam were great.

Something else I was let down on was during the story with Daenerys across the Narrow Sea. Don't get me wrong when she gets her Unsullied and defeats Astapor and Yunaki those parts were all badass, just like in the book, but it was the re - introduction of Barristan Selmy. While I am glad to see him again because he is one of my favourite characters I did not like that they removed to part from the book were he hid his identity as a man called Astran Whitebeard for a time and was accompanied by a former pit fighter named Strong Belwas. Strong Belwas is gone entirely and while Barristan saves Daenerys like in the book he reveals himself straight away. The subplot of Astran Whitebeard and Strong Belwas, while not crucial was something I was looking forward to.

However something that was absolutely perfect was the journey of Jamie and Brienne through the Riverlands. Some of the best scenes throughout the entire season is with these two, they have such great chemistry together and the way they keep talking back to each other is so amusing. Also when Jamie loses his hand you can really see the character change in him and you even feel like even someone like him can redeem himself and change for the better despite what he has done before.

Before moving to the Red Wedding on I just want to say that something that really annoyed me the most in this season was the death of original character Ros played by Esmé Bianco. I really liked this original character she was so sexy during her nude and sex scenes from season one and during season two when she became more of a business woman of one of Little Finger's brothels she can still be a great character. Esmé Bianco is such a good actress and even though her death portrays more of Joffrey's cruelty it is such a same she had to go because she really fit in to the world of a Game of Thrones.

Now finally on to the Red Wedding, one of the most iconic moments in written history and now one of the most iconic television history! It was so brutal, they held nothing back in terms of the violence during this scene and I'm glad they didn't or it wouldn't have that much of an impact. Compared to the book it may have felt a bit short but that is mostly because most of the background characters who are killed have names and bigger roles in the book and spent more time with their deaths. However something I did not expect was the such brutal murder of Robb's wife; she was stabbed right in her pregnant stomach whole Robb looked on, talk about no mercy. And of course we get the death of Robb at the hands of Rose Bolton and Catelyn by the Freys and I really liked the chilling music of Rain's of Castamere playing in the background while everything was going on. So ends Robbs rebellion against the Lannisters, someone should have told the wolves that "a lion still has claws and mine are long and sharp my lord, as long and sharp as yours".

Very quickly just want to mention some great new additions to the cast; I have already mentioned Ramsey, Mance, the Reeds and the Brotherhood but we also have Anton Lesser as Qyburn (Can't wait for this character to have a bigger role later, those who read the book know what I mean), Clive Russell as Bryden Tully, Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully, Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell (a match even for Tywin) and Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane (perfect casting there).

Overall this season was probably the best one in the Game of Thrones series so far (though the currently airing fourth season is doing really good so far), while it did not have a big battle like in season two I think the introduction of Unsullied and the Red Wedding are just as great. The only let downs were the death of the character Ros and the removal of the Astran Whitebeard subplot but I admit they are only small inconveniences in an otherwise perfect season.

SCORE: 9.5/10