Entertain Me (9/23/10)

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WATCH ... RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION

If any of you out there have seen and enjoyed "Resident Evil: Extinction," then you've been waiting for three years now to see what happens with the Umbrella Corporation, our heroine Alice and her roomful of incubated clones.

For those of you who haven't seen it: Alice is a zombie-killing superhuman machine, thanks to her body's inexplicable reaction to a virus that caused the rest of the world to turn into flesh-eating monsters. As of the end of the previous film, she now has numerous clones at her disposal, created by the Umbrella Corporation to use as an army against the zombies.

Her objective in this new movie is to find the safe haven Arcadia and destroy the Umbrella Corporation, which released the virus in the first place. The last movie in the "Resident Evil" series, though lacking in the script and plot departments, was fun to watch as purely mindless, zombie-slaughtering pandemonium. This newest installment is several steps down from its predecessor, and even the video game-like action sequences don't quite redeem it.

The suspense you are left with at the end of the last movie takes about eight minutes to resolve, and then time goes on fast-forward. Alice finds her old friend Claire, sans memory, and they end up befriending a motley group of survivors living in an abandoned prison. Basically, they kill a bunch of zombies.

Only the strong/lucky/attractive survive, and they kill the bad guy. But then he comes back. So they kill him again. He comes back to life, so they kill him yet again. The ending is another cliffhanger, leaving you wondering what could possibly come after "Resident Evil: Afterlife".…"Resident Evil: Post-Afterlife?"

– Sarah Hansell

WATCH ...THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

"There is something about fashion that can make people very nervous," Anna Wintour, the Chief Editor at Vogue, explains in the ninety-minute documentary "The September Issue."

Perhaps it is the high priestess of fashion herself that puts everyone on edge when it comes to fashion, as we have seen in Meryl Streep's depiction of her in the "Devil Wears Prada."

However, this documentary, which follows the Vogue editor through the drama of piecing together the 2007 September issue, shows a softer, funnier version of Wintour that will make any fashion fanatic adore her.

This documentary allows us to follow Wintour and her top-of-the-line fashion team around the world to London, Paris, Rome and New York as they put together the fattest issue (over five pounds in weight) of Vogue to date. The fashion, the drama and the glamour will leave you drooling.

– Caitlin Yilek

LISTEN TO ... SERJ TANKIAN

I hear the opening piano keys to Serj Tankian's new album and I'm hearing free-form jazz at first, wondering if I have the wrong CD. Serj's unique voice suddenly echoes through my speakers and I know I am listening to his new album, "Imperfect Harmonies." Serj Himself describes this as ‘electro-orchestral-jazz-rock.' The crazy thing: perfectly describes the album. Even crazier? It delivers.

Tankian, as you know him from System of a Down, launched a successful solo career with his album "Elect the Dead," meeting many critical reviews. Serj Tankian has not only left his old sound behind, but has expanded upon both his and his audience's palette. "Borders Are..." is a politically fueled anti-Wall Street song that allows one to reminisce of his orchestral single "Sky is Over" from Elect the dead. "Beatus" is one of his most experimental songs to date, and it gets stuck in your head effortlessly.

This is not to say that the whole album is perfect nor is it for everyone out there. "Reconstructive Demonstrations" is overly ambitious and drags on before it's halfway over. The album seems a little dry right in the middle, but the first and last thirds of the album are a treat to listen to. Fans of System of a Down will like it for Serj, but may not like this drastic turn in sound that he has taken.

Overall, Serj Tankian meets and exceeds expectations with how he has evolved and with what he brings to the table. "Imperfect Harmonies" is more than just an album, it's a rock ‘n roll philharmonic presentation that only Tankian himself could've dreamed of. I give it an 8 out of 10.

– Kirby Wigton

KDUP News Director