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7/10
Worse than you deserve, but still better than you'd expect.
22 December 2007
I'll make this quick, giving this film about as much of my time as it deserves. That sounds demeaning, but I don't mean it to be. Bottom line, if you're thinking of seeing a movie called 'Aliens vs. Predator,' you not only know pretty much what to expect, but you also clearly have nothing better to do. The title of this movie says a lot.

With that in mind, this film is a faintly pleasant surprise. It's no masterpiece by any vestige of a stretch of the imagination, but it's about as good as a film called 'Aliens vs. Predator' could be. People complain about the crummy plot and the butchering of the mythos of two highly revered sci-fi franchises, but aren't these foibles implicit to the title? What did you expect walking in?

Frankly, I'm glad there was a new storyline, shabby or not; it kept me much more interested than if they had tried to somehow combine the stories without warping them -and how exactly they might have managed that is a profound mystery to me.

To reiterate, you know pretty much all you need to know from the title. You're going to get some flippant action scenes involving characters who are largely disposable, punctuated by the occasional reference to the respective franchises and the traits of their respective monsters. Thing is, the action is a lot more well done, and the characters a lot less disposable, than a movie of this nature deserves. On top of that, many of the special effects are fairly top notch, paying the alien and the predator as much respect as possible, considering the bastardization inherent to letting them versus each other.

You already know, before reading this review, whether or not you plan to see it. I'm just saying that if you do, you'd be unreasonable to find yourself disappointed.
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Blood Omen 2 (2002 Video Game)
Kain's back in full force, good as ever!
28 January 2003
(The following will reveal minor elements of the plot)...... Blood Omen 2: 3.5/4......... Goodness, what a game this is! Kain has reprised his role as the nobleman turned Vampire from the original Blood Omen, and this time he's angry! The game itself looks great; filled with demons, aliens, zealous humans, and, of course, Vampires. The environments, while graphically moderate are filled with intrigue. The gameplay is both entertaining and VERY violent. But, the lopping off heads and the running through and the blood-sucking provides an almost relaxing release from reality. All in all, very fun. Gameplay is further enhanced by the addition of such "vampirical" abilities as floating, turning into mist, possessing people, telekinesis, and "immolating" people with your eyes. I very much enjoyed this game. It relives stress, provides an in-depth, dark, almost noir-style story that motivates you forward, and shows a dark and gothic environment that provides plenty of mystery, blood, and adventure. My advice: PLAY THIS GAME!
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10/10
Spielberg's Still Got It!
28 January 2003
(The following may reveal elements of plot)

Minority Report: 4/4

Oh, I f I tried to stress enough all the wonder and fanciness of this film, this would go on for several megabytes.

It's wonderful!

The story revolves around detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise)who works for the department of Precrime; a division of the DC police department that uses three precognitive individuals to predetermine murders and stop them before they happen.

The chief complication arises when it is predetermined that Anderton himself will commit a murder in about thirty-six hours, and the chase is on. Anderton goes to many lengths to clear his name.

He learns of a variable called a "minority report," a possible seperate future that might find him innocent, and so he races to find his.

The world Spielberg creates here is one filled with wonder and ingenuity, like magnetic cars, three-dimensional televisions, and billboards that scan your retina to adress you personally.

The story is just as wonderful, an electric blend of action and intrigue. This is as close as Spielberg's ever gotten to film-noir. The movie is a whodunnit, (or more rather, a "whowilldoit") with a new piece of the [VERY CLEVER] story revealing itself at every turn.

Some of the scenes are filled with such whimsicality that only Spielberg could make them work. Like a chase through a car factory...Anderton falls onto the production line, and a car is built AROUND him. He then uses the car to drive off and escape his pursuers.

Or when the police, suspecting Anderton to be in a particular building, they fill the building with little, mehcanical, three-legged "Spyders" that retinally scan everyone in the entire building, checking for a particular fugitive.

There are also several elements where pradoxes of time and the universe come into play; afterall, almost the entire film is based on the premise that "just because you stopped it from happening doesn't mean it wouldn't happen." VERY entertaining, indeed!

But I've said too much. The bottom line is that this movie is just so wonderfully well-done, so masterfully orchestrated, that I advise you at all cost, without restraint, to SEE THIS MOVIE!
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