Degrassi Of The Dead

I admit I was excited when I first heard about Degrassi's upcoming Halloween special. Being not only a fan of the show, but also a zombie movie enthusiast it was a dream come true. And for a little bit it was.

The plot consists of most of Degrassi turning into zombies after eating genetically modified foods (an inside joke to an older episode) The only survivors are Peter, Jay, Manny, Paige, and Ash who are barricaded inside the school with no one to rescue them. This non-canon episode is fun and a great escape from the usual Degrassi fare.

It would have been a great half hour of fun but instead we only got 15 minutes. And I had to sit through at least 2 of those god awful promos for that insipid About A Girl show. The remaining minutes were occupied by some bland as toast behind the scenes nonsense.

But it still was good fun if you are interested you can watch it in it's entirety on The N.com.

Return To The House On Haunted Hill

Simply awful and boring. This sequel takes place 8 years after the events in the first (and far more superior) film. Ariel Wolfe (Amanda Righetti) is stunned to learn of her estranged sister Sara (not played by the lovely Ali Larter) has taken her life. The murders of the previous film had been blamed on Steven Price and no believed Sara's insistence that it was the act of ghosts.

Ariel meets archaeologist Richard Hammer who insists that Sara was planning to go back to the house to find a priceless idol. Ariel doesn't believe him until she finds a journal that her sister mailed her prior to her death. However Ariel and her boyfriend are kidnapped by evil archaeologist Desmond (Erik Palladino)and taken to the house. Richard, his lover, and his assistant are also in the house looking for the idol. The house wakes up and wackiness ensues.

While the deaths were creative, the characters are too boring to root for. This film lacks the suspense of the first one as well as the creative casting. The idol storyline seems forced and really brings to movie down. The ending was predictable as hell complete with the tacked on ending threatening the viewers with another sequel.

A major annoyance is that they do not even hint at what had happened to Eddie Baker (Taye Diggs) who had also survived the film alongside Sarah. It's called continuity people.

The Reaping

As far as religious end of the world films go this one is pretty good. It stars the always fetching Hilary Swank as Katherine Winter. Katherine is a former minister who lost her faith after the slaughter of her family.

Now a debunker of miracles she and her assistant Ben are called to the small town of Haven, Louisiana after the river begins to run red with blood. The blame falls on a strange girl named Loren (AnnaSophia Robb) whose brother mysteriously died at the exact moment the rivers turned. Now Katherine has to deal with her faith or there lack of in order to find out the truth.

This is a fun, suspenseful film that has great character development and great use of atmosphere. Hilary Swank is wonderful and AnnaSophia Robb (best known for her role as Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) is haunting in her role as Loren.

While hampered with a slightly predictable ending it's a great film to watch if you are in a suspenseful mood.

Whisper

Whisper is hands down one of the better horror/suspense films I have seen in awhile. It stars Josh Holloway (Lost) and Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break) with a great performance from Blake Woodruff (Cheaper By The Dozen 1 & 2)

Holloway plays ex-convict Max Truemont who just wants to settle down and go legit. His dreams of owning his own diner go up in smoke after his felonious past interferes with his getting a loan. Max eventually agrees to kidnap a young boy and hold him for ransom. Along with his reluctant girlfriend Roxanne (Callies), Vince, and and ringleader Sydney they keep the boy David (Woodruff) in an isolated cabin.

However there is more to David than meets the eyes. And soon he begins to play on their emotions and slowly turns them against each other. This movie in a word awesome, it doesn't insult the viewer and actually is a great and original story. The actors really embody their roles making you actually care what happens to them what happens to them. Woodruff is wonderfully creepy while Holloway proves he can carry a movie.

Resident Evil: Extinction

I have to go right out and say it I hated Resident Evil: Apocalypse. I found it boring, over convoluted, and a seemingly tacked on ending. What made it all the more offensive was that I adored the first Resident Evil.

When I heard there was a three I faced it with mild trepidation. It could be a great movie that totally makes up for the Apocalypse or it could bomb royally making me regret shelling out the money to see it. Thankfully it was the latter.

The movie's plot borrows a lot from the video game Resident Evil: Code Veronica. It has been 8 years since the last film (though at one point it is stated as only 5). The T-Virus has spread all over the world turning the planet into a desert wasteland. Alice is now on her own trying to hide from The Umbrella Corporation who is tracking her every move. Meanwhile Dr Sam Isaacs is cloning Alice in the hopes of finding a cure for the T-Virus. The casting is top-notch Milla Jovovich is as awesome as always, Oded Fehr and Mike Epps return to their roles from the previous sequel. New characters include singer Ashanti as Nurse Betty, the always wonderful Ali Larter as Claire Redfield, and a great debut by unknown Spencer Locke who plats K-Mart.

The movie is action-packed, fun, and definitely a good movie to see. It has a cliffhanger ending that actually makes you yearn for a Resident Evil 4. My only quibble has to do with the whereabouts of Jill Valentine and Angela Ashford who not mentioned at all in the movie despite the returns of L.T. and Carlos.

But all in all it is a movie I heartedly recommend.