Resident Evil: Extinction (Russell Mulcahy)
Milla Jovovich returns as zombie-killing soldier Alice, who's obsessed with bringing down the Umbrella Corp. When a series of viral outbreaks nearly wipes out all of mankind, Alice and a small band of survivors are left to roam the ruins of Las Vegas, battling the undead … and their own extinction. Oded Fehr, Mike Epps, Ali Larter and R&B singer Ashanti co-star in this final installment of the sci-fi trilogy.
Well let's seee: Milla Jovovich is one of the most beautiful women on the planet, and for ninety minutes she shoots and decapitates zombies while sweating and wearing revealing clothing.
10000000/10
A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater)
Keanu Reeves shoulders another futuristic role in director Richard Linklater's sci-fi thriller based on Philip K. Dick's novel. Working as an undercover cop in a world where almost everyone is addicted to Substance D -- which produces split personalities in its users -- Fred Arctor (Reeves) sets up an elaborate sting to nab a notorious drug runner named Bob. But little does Fred know that "Bob" is … his alter ego.
Probably the only Philip K Dick adaptation that actually feels like a Philip K Dick novel. This is one of my favorite movies. The scenes between Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr are hilarious. Dick always slipped a little bit of dark humor in his work and Linklater captured it perfectly.
Keanu's best work since Point Break.
10/10
Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright)
A top London cop (Simon Pegg) is ready to die of boredom when his superiors transfer him to a sleepy English village to work alongside a blundering but well-meaning young constable (Nick Frost). Craving some real action, the big-city bobby may just get his wish when the town begins to stir with a series of grisly "accidents." Is foul play afoot in this seemingly idyllic hamlet? Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) directs.
Speaking of Point Break...
This movie is what it is - Shaun of the Dead but action instead of horror. I love the Bad Boys II and Point Break references and parodies. What I like best is that this movie count stand alone as a good action/buddy comedy instead of just being a parody. My only problem is two hours is a bit long for this sort of thing.
7/10
Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck)
When a 4-year-old girl goes missing in Dorchester, one of Boston's toughest hoods, private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) reluctantly agree to take the case. But the investigation proves tougher, riskier and more complex than they could have imagined. Ben Affleck's directorial debut, adapted from the Dennis Lehane novel, also stars Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman and Amy Ryan (in her first Oscar-nominated role).
Nothing to say that hasn't already been said. I liked this movie..a lot. Casey Affleck was definitely bad ass. I was really into the fact that his partner was also his...wife? Girlfriend? Whatever. But that it didn't complicate matters at all when doing the job. Affleck wasn't constantly looking after her, and she was a confident/respectable female that didn't end up like a dike Michelle Rodriguez/Angelina Jolie type character.
The whole time I kept thinking, "holy shit I can't believe Ben Affleck directed this."
9/10
movie count 12/156
The Divine Invasion (Philip K Dick)
Philip K. Dick asks: What if God--or a being called Yah--were alive and in exile on a distant planet? How could a second coming succeed against the high technology and finely tuned rationalized evil of the modern police state? The Divine Invasion "blends Judaism, Kabalah, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity into a fascinating fable of human existence"
This is supposed to the second in the VALIS trilogy. VALIS is one of my favorite books, so I obviously decided to read this. It is not so much a sequel, as it is one of the three books Dick wrote that had more to do with religion/metaphysics than with sci-fi. Apparently as he got older he really started to care about finding that ultimate TRUTH, and VALIS is a bit of an 'autobiography' in a sense. He began thinking he was having information from the future being beamed at him from a computer in the future and/or from the dog star SIRIUS. These books are the result VALIS was a steady read with a Gnostic theme, where as this one was more focused on Jewish mysticism and the ideas just seemed too scattered..especially if one isn't familiar with the subject.
6.5/10
The Revival Of Magick (Aleister Crowley)
This collection of essays and articles, many of which first appeared in Vanity Fair and other magazines and journals, shows the wide range of Crowley as an essayist. His subjects include mysticism, magick, humor, social satire, drugs, psychoanalysis, religious fundamentalism, "pop" occultism, art, divination, mythology, and drama. Also included are several passionate essays and epistlatory letters on Crowley’s new religious philosophy, Thelema.
I much prefer Crowley when he is writing about the philosophy and theory of magick...I'm not a big fan of ceremonial robes. Anyway, for all his faults, this guy mastered the English language. His essays are poetic and his poetry has always been underrated. On a technical and academic level, I didn't learn too much I already know. What I did gain from the book was Al's subjective insight into many things relevant to the "Great Work."
7.5/10
book count 9/104
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