If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

 Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

If you read my Most Anticipated List then you probably know by now that I was really looking forward to this movie and it's been my most anticipated film ever since I saw the first trailer for it. Now having seen Sucker Punch, I'm left with a cocked jaw tapping my hand against my keyboard trying to bring myself to write these words: It didn't live up to my expectations. And I blame myself for that, not the movie.

The reason why I blame myself is mostly due to my opinion of Zack Snyder. I know I'll lose fans for saying this (especially with some of the big film buffs) but I think Zack Snyder is the best working director out there right now and one of the best visionaries since Stanley Kubrick. Kind of a heavy statement isn't it? Well, up until Sucker Punch I had yet to be proven wrong in my opinion. Dawn of the Dead and 300 are in my Top 10 of all time, Watchmen is number 12 and Legends of the Guardians is in my top 30. His films are held in high regard in my household and whenever I get into debates about directors I always tend to go on and on about him. But Kubrick, Spielberg, Lucas, and Scorsese have all had duds before, or at least films that don't live up to the standards of their best and so why shouldn't Zack Snyder? Maybe it was about time he made a movie that wasn't five stars.

 Usually by now I would be talking about the plot, then follow up with a quick analysis and then a score. But this time, it's different. Why? Well when your Most Anticipated Movie turns out to be not the best movie of the year, you tend to want to give it some more thought than usual.

If you've been over to Rotten Tomatoes recently then you will know the critics have not been kind to this film. The local paper where I'm from only gave it one star and it seems like this outpour of hatred won't stop anytime soon. And despite what you may think from reading the first two paragraphs, I DID like Sucker Punch. Was it the epic "Best movie of the year" I was hoping it to be? No. But did it show promise and excel in some areas? Yes. So what worked and didn't work? Let's start with the story.

Sucker Punch is the story of Baby Doll (Emily Browning). That isn't her real name I'm assuming, but her real name, along with the other four girls, is never revealed. The movie starts with her mothers passing which leaves her and her sister alone with their abusive and violent step-father. When the mothers will leaves everything to Baby Doll and her sister, the step-father kills Baby Doll's sister and pins it on her, claiming she went insane and needs to be lobotomized before she hurts someone else. So they send her up to a mental institution where the step-father pays off an orderly named Blue (Oscar Issac) to forge the signature of the head psychiatrist (Carla Gugino) so she can be lobotomized in five days (to keep the detectives investigating the case from asking her questions).

 Before I go on with the plot I will stop and point out a major flaw with the movie early on. That entire scene I mentioned, save for a quick voice over about angels, is silent. That's right, silent. The whole time that scene is going on Emily Browning is singing a cover of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These). Snyder has done this before, most notably with the Comedian fight/death scene in the beginning of Watchmen, but here it goes on for way too long. Snyder's reasoning I think has to do with his emphasis on music in the film (everything pre-sword fighting seems like a giant music video) being an integral part of the film but it comes off as dull.

Anyway back to the plot. Baby Doll arrives at the institution and quickly buries herself inside a dream world, in which her and the other inmates are whores in a whorehouse. The why is never really explained and the transition is jarring to say the least (all of a sudden Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) is Baby Doll and calling cut) but this world is definitely a lot more colorful and entertaining then the real world and it's here the movie starts getting good. In this world Baby Doll is going to get picked up in 5 days by the High Roller (Jon Hamm) and taken to be one of his personal whores. The whorehouse is run by Blue Jones (that orderly from before) and the girls are supervised by the dance instructor/theater director Madam Gorski (that head psychiatrist). One interesting note: the real world is very sparingly used until the end, so most of the movie takes place inside the dream world).

After spending a day there, Baby Doll makes friends with Rocket (Jena Malone) and learns from Madam Gorski that to survive here you need to dance. Due to nerves or something Baby Doll enters into ANOTHER DREAM WORLD WITHIN THE DREAM WORLD while she dances and there meets the Wiseman (Scott Glenn) who tells her a plan to escape. She teams up with Rocket, Sweet Pea (who's Rocket's sister), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), and Amber (Jamie Chung) and their plan is that Baby Doll will dance and while she's dancing, everyone will be so distracted that they can take what they need to escape. And whenever she dances, she enters that dream within the dream world and in there they are a spy/ninja/soldier group that do missions for the Wiseman.

And that is the basic synopsis of the film. No spoilers at all, just the basic plot outline. And in there lies another problem. Did that seem long, confusing and hard to follow? If it did then you are most people. I admire Snyder for doing something original (and by that I mean something not based on another work, his influences from other films are obvious here) but being overambitious can sometimes get the better of people. Eventually it starts sounding like the guy who goes "And then...and then...and then...and then." for two hours, it gets really hard to follow. But Snyder's witty dialogue, his attention to characters and quotable one liners are evident in this movie and I'd be a liar if I said I didn't get a little teary eyed in the end so the story, while flawed, does have promise and is worth sitting through.

The acting is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I've had a giant crush on Emily Browning ever since A Series of Unfortunate Events and she looks stunning in this movie, but acting-wise she just wasn't all there. She doesn't talk a ton (which looking back was probably good) but she always looks really bored or uninterested the entire movie. Abbie Cornish and Jena Malone as Sweet Pea and Rocket on the other hand are fantastic. Rocket is a firecracker with a lot of zing (wow that sounded cheesy) and Malone really shines when she gets to just lay line after line on people. Cornish adds a lot of dramatic excellence as Sweet Pea acting as a sort of watchdog/guardian to the group. Hudgens and Chung are just kind of there and really don't add anything to the group. Issac and Gugino are quite good as well. Issac brings a lot of that pure, demented evil person out and you really love to hate him. Gugino is working a great accent the whole movie and does have some really good moments in the film. Hamm is barely in it but he seems to be enjoying himself and does competently with what he's given.

Now I can't talk about a Snyder film, or at least one after Dawn of the Dead, without talking about the visual effects. One thing critics and I seem to agree on is that the effects are great. They are truly something to behold and are a treat on the eyes. The steam-punk zombies, demon samurai's, orcs, dragons and cyborg soldiers are all really well done and show off how good CGI and make-up have become nowadays. Heck the dragon CGI was so good I kind of felt bad for the dragon. The backgrounds are also beautifully done and each world does feel truly unique. I wish more time would have been spent there, since that's where the film truly shines the most, but what's there IS really good.

So where does that leave us now? We have a confusing, convoluted, story that shows some signs of promise, a mixed bag of acting where the duds are really duds and the stars shine really bright, and fantastic visuals that are a treat to watch. So now comes the big question? Do I recommend this movie? Well when it comes right down to it I do. It certainly has it's problems and it may not be for everyone, but I do think that some of the good can and does outweigh the bad. So in the end I say...

MY VERDICT: SEE IT

"S**t, I'd rather be in Afghanistan."

 Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

If you follow me on Twitter or have read my personal Facebook wall then you already probably know my opinion about this movie in a few short sentences. But a couple short sentences don't cut it here so I'll elaborate in greater detail. Battle: LA is a loud, obnoxious, dimwitted, poorly paced, sci-fi action thriller that has terrible acting, piss poor writing, heavy handed symbolism, non-existent characters, terrible special effects and is seemingly shot by the guy who did the Bourne series after he's taken speed. That said it has amazing, edge of your seat, intense and fulfilling action scenes that, while disorienting, are hard to take your eyes off of. And for that I can't really hate the movie. Fundamentally there is SO much wrong with it that the jaded critic in me wants to throw this under the bus, but the 20 year old guy who loves action movies in me can't get enough of it. My opinions are almost as mixed as the reviews it seems.

 The plot is about as deep as a petri dish but, in the film's defense, it does it's job and doesn't try to complicate things. One day a bunch of meteors fall from the sky and hit Earth. Turns out these "meteors" weren't really meteors at all and instead are spaceships filled with aliens. And these aliens want our water...bad. They don't want to negotiate, they don't want to talk, they just want to get the water and kill everything that comes within a country mile of them. While most countries and cities are devastated Los Angeles seems to be still hanging on by a thread. The military's plan, at least with LA, is to set up a Forward Operating Base (FOB), rescue any civilians still in the city, and then blow everything to pieces. The Marines get stuck with the rescue operation and send Staff Sargent Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), an aged veteran who has a bad reputation for getting people killed, 2nd Lieutenant Martinez, a young but bright soldier, and about a half dozen so characters that are basically nameless (they ARE named but it's hard to keep track of who's who) and are only distinguished by a certain trait (guy from New Jersey, African doctor, black guy with glasses ect) and fight off these aliens in what's basically a suicide mission.

 I gave this synopsis more thought than the movie ever did, that's for sure. Basically it's "AHH LOUD YELLING *SWITCH ANGLES* LOUD YELLING *SWERVE INTO A NEW SHOT* ALIENS!! *BANG BANG* LOUD YELLING." It's borderline incoherent. It's also confusing to look at since it keeps switching directions every five seconds. At one point I thought one character was dead only to realize during a slow moment that he was still alive and that someone else had died. That's never good. I also have the sneaking suspicion that this was written in a day and in all caps. If it wasn't then he never should work in Hollywood again. It doesn't help the acting is stiff at best, unbearable at worst. When a R&B/Hip Hop artist is one of your best actors you have a problem. Eckhart tries his hardest but at his best comes off as overly cheesy and hokey. Michelle Rodriguez and Ramon Rodriguez do okay but nothing special. Michael Pena has a good scene towards the end but it's short and bittersweet.

But with all the negative I have shoved at the film there is one giant positive: the action. It's intense, gripping and it seems like the only time the faults work in favor of the film instead of against it. I was engaged the whole time I was watching the action scenes but I'd be a liar if I didn't groan a little when each one was over, knowing that a talking scene would be coming up next. 

Battle: Los Angeles is not a good film by any stretch of the imagination. If you are willing to sift through the crap and deal with all the fundamental problems this film has on a basic level (writing, shooting, acting, directing) then you will find the diamond in the rough known as the action scenes. It's not much of a consolation but they are entertaining and worth watching, if nothing else in it is.

MY VERDICT: AVOID IT

Change the scheme! Alter the mood! Electrify the boys and girls if you'd be so kind.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Tron has always had a special place in my heart. Despite it's extremely dated graphics (compared to today's standards at least) and it's pretty cheesy dialogue, I always enjoyed the story and the acting, especially that of Jeff Bridges. For a young gaming nerd like myself it was a dream movie. But unlike Star Wars/Trek and some of the other sci-films I loved from my youth, Tron seemed to disappear from the minds of most movie goers. If you asked them they would probably remember it, but it would take a second. Maybe it was because the impact of Tron wasn't as significant as that of Star Wars or Alien but if you ask me it was because Disney was ashamed of the movie. Why? Well in recent months there has been news about the original Tron's conversion to Blu-ray and it being done and released just in time for the second movie's release. Well Disney wasn't having any of that because it halted the films release and pushed it back to an undisclosed date "in the future." On top of that, the once easy to find Tron on DVD, became a rare find that would cost more than 100 dollars to buy from most major online retailers. And how did it become so rare? Disney stopped making copies of the film. It was fine releasing Snow White for the 5th time but not Tron? There's something wrong there.

But enough of my ranting, you came here for a reason, that reason being to hear my thoughts on the second Tron movie, Tron: Legacy. As a fanboy of the original you probably think I'm just going to give this 5 stars and gush about how great it was. But you would be wrong. While Tron: Legacy is by no means a bad film, it is far from perfect and in some ways is a letdown for those who waited all this time for a sequel.

The film's story begins a few years after the original movie. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) escaped the grid and became CEO of ENCOM. In this time he has also pimped the hell out of Tron, releasing video games, toys, and even a movie (cough cough) detailing his adventures in the grid. He's also had a son named Sam, who's extremely fascinated by the grid and one day hopes to follow in his father's footsteps by taking over ENCOM and going into the grid himself. We come into the movie as Kevin re-tells the story of Tron to Sam, right before he leaves to go to work. Kevin leaves and is never seen or heard from again. This devastates the young Sam and despite being the major shareholder of the company, he refuses to take control of ENCOM, even sabatoging it on occasion, almost out of spite for his father's leaving.

One day, right after Sam (Garret Hedlund) gets done sabatoging the newest edition of ENCOM's software by releasing it free to the public (much to the chagrin of the executives), Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) comes to Sam and says that he got a message from his father and that he should go to the arcade and see what it's all about. It turns out to be a trap as Sam is sucked into the grid, just like his dad.

This is when the film gets it's first major fault: the plot after Sam enters the grid. At first glance it seems pretty straightforward, but the more you think about it, the more complicated it really is. The film is so pre-ocupied with it's own lore and how every little thing works, that it can become lost on even the biggest Tron fan. Unless you've read every book or played every game, you will scratch your head at some of the elements of the story. It's not a terrible story per se but there are a lot of moments that are just people explaining the world in great detail. These pad out a lot of the middle part of the grid story and become kind of a chore to watch. If not for Bridges being as great of an actor as he was, I honestly would have fallen asleep.

Since I'm on the topic, acting is a also a bit of a high and low spot for the movie. Bridges, as the mysterious creator Kevin Flynn as well as the main villain CLU 2.0 (they Zemmeckisized him to make him look 30 years old) is great in both roles, playing the malicious dictator and the zen master perfectly. Olivia Wilde is also great, although the writers seem at a bit of a loss as to what to do with her. Most of the time she is just eye candy, staring blankly into space or at Sam and Kevin. But when she does do something she is quite good and it only solidifies my feelings that she is someone who will seriously become a major acting threat in the years to come. But this is where the praise stops. Garret Hedlund as Sam is just plain boring. He's as interesting as dry wall. He delivers his lines fine but there is no umph to him. Bridges just acts circles around him almost to the point of embarrasment.

But the biggest acting blunder is Michael Sheen as Zeus/Castor. Sheen himself is a great actor and I've loved most of his work. But in his 10 or so minutes on screen, he sucks the life out of the movie almost completely and is almost painfully awkward to watch. Imagine Ziggy Stardust with the personality of Jack Sparrow, Alex from Clockwork Orange and Drop Dead Fred combined. While he does deliver one of my favorite lines in the film, almost all of his dialogue is poor attempts at humor mixed with really painful wordplay. His attempts at being clever fail epically and he really almost ruins the movie. That being said his role is short (thank God) and wasn't dragged on for too long.

My only other complaint is that the 3D is used almost exclusivly for depth and not for any real in your face kind of action. The depth is cool but to a lot of people, myself included, the 3D needed more to be significant. The visuals themself though are quite astounding and are almost breathtaking to watch. A lot of time and effort was put into making the visuals as crisp and as beautiful as possible. Colors pop, derezzes are fun to watch, aircrafts and trains look out of this world and the world itself just has a sense of epicness. Throw in one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard by the amazingly talented Daft Punk and I'm willing to forgive the 3D's lack of creativity.

It may not be the spectacular follow up I was hoping for but in the end Tron: Legacy is an enjoyable film and one that I don't regret spending money on. Will I remember it 10 years from now like I will the original? Probably not. But considering the shoes they had  to fill, I respect Disney for at least trying to bring Tron back into the limelight, even if it's only for a brief moment. Oh well...back to the grid I go.

What is going on here?

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

If you listened to The Demented Encyclopedia or have periodically read my site then you will know that I am a huge fan of That Guy With The Glasses, specifically Noah Antwiler of The Spoony Experiment. Well about a month or so ago he posted a Riff (his version of a Rifftrax) of an ENTIRE movie called After Last Season. After a day though the creators asked him to take down the video and instead Noah just posted an iRiff on Rifftrax.com. There was one problem though, I watched the first ten minutes and had to see the end. So I went to Amazon and bought the DVD along with the iRiff and watched it. It was amazing. But out of curiosity I decided to watch the film without the riff and just on it's own merits. Well I can safely say this makes Nudist Colony of the Dead and the Room look like Academy Award Winners.

You're going to be a force for good and a very important sorcerer. But for now, you're my apprentice

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

The earliest film I ever remember watching in the theaters was the Disney classic (and still one of my favorite films to this day) The Lion King. After that, besides religious viewing of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Wars, all I ever watched was Disney movies. And despite loving most of them, the one that always stuck out to me for some odd reason was Fantasia. It was so different from any other film I had seen that it intrigued me from the get-go. The music, not a written story, guided the film and for that, even at a young age, I could appreciate that on a deeper level. My favorite scene from that movie though, or at least the one I could remember the most clearly, was The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Maybe it was Mickie's involvement or the whole spectacle of the thing but it's still stuck in my mind to this day.

So when I heard that Disney had decided to make a live action movie loosely based on that segment I was intrigued. When the crew from National Treasure (Bruckheimer, Turteltaub and Nic Cage) attached itself to the film my intrigue slowly transformed into confusion. But nevertheless the film looked interesting enough so I decided to give it a look.

The story follows Balthazar and Dave. Balthazar (Nic Cage) is an apprentice of Merlin who, in 740 AD, imprisoned an evil witch named Morgana in a magical prison called the Grimhold and was given the task of protecting the Grimhold whilst finding the Prime Merlinian aka the person who would be the successor to Merlin himself. Besides Morganians (the people who want to release Morgana) Balthazar's major threat to the safety of the Grimhold is Horvath (Alfred Molina), a former apprentice and Morgana's partner in crime.

In 2000, Balthazar encounters Dave and gives him a dragon ring which is used as the indicator for the Prime Merlinian. The ring attaches itself to Dave but before Balthazar can do anything, Dave accidentally releases Horvath from the Grimhold (he'd been imprisoned in there) and Balthazar and Horvath are both imprisoned in an urn for ten years. Ten years later Dave (Jay Baruchel) is in college and is confronted by an angry Horvath who demands the Grimhold. Dave throws the Grimhold away and is saved by Balthazar. Now it's up to Balthazar and Dave to retrieve the Grimhold, or at least keep it away from Horvath and all the while Balthazar must teach Dave magic since he could very well be the chosen one.

(My Google spelling exploded while I was trying to write those last two paragraphs. Oddly enough Morgana was the only odd name that didn't get the wrong spelling red line. Huh...)

I don't really have any major qualms with the story to be completely honest. It's nothing that we haven't seen before (training, finding oneself, fighting bad guys) but it was interesting and it kept my interest throughout the whole film so for that I give it credit. It also did provide some laughs but oddly enough not many from Cage. Cage tends to be a comedy goldmine whether he means to be or not but he's a much more subdued Cage then I've seen in recent memory. Instead Baruchel delivers a lot of the laughs. Then again when you sound like Christian Slater Jr and you have as good of a comedic timing as him then whatever you say tends to be funny. And I liked the nods to Fantasia, albeit brief and the re-do of the original scene with the brooms was definitely impressive.

My major problem with the movie actually isn't the movies fault I think. I just wasn't blown away by the whole thing. The acting was good, the effects were pretty, albeit cheap looking on occasion, and the story was good but I just wasn't blown away by the whole thing. It was supposed to be this epic blockbuster in yet it ended up just being a decent fantasy film. I could blame Cage for not overacting the heck out of  his role but sometimes his overacting isn't necessary for a film to be good. Molina was a good villain, but I never really truly felt threatened by him. Maybe it was just me.

Sorcerer's Apprentice is not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, but just not that great either. All the parts work fine but I just never felt that sense of excitement that I feel the film was really going for. If you happen to catch it on TV then give it a look, otherwise I'd wait on this one.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

You're looking for answers but your pride refuses to seek them. I suggest starting here

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Well this was a misstep...If you have been reading along the past week you will know that Uwe Boll has had a pretty good career in the last two years. He churned out 3 pretty good films all with good acting, good plots and a good message. For some reason though his latest film The Final Storm is not on par with his latest films. Only Nick would get this but he's like the latter weeks of Tim Urban on American Idol: he does really well for three weeks and then disappoints (only to go home the next day). Oh well...here's what happens.

The world is now a sucky place. The economy is a lot worse than it is now with more and more people losing their jobs and losing all their money. People have now become more desperate and have started fighting and rioting in the streets. It's a much more violent world and it doesn't help that the climate has gone to hell either. Lately there have been some storms, each getting progressively worse. One day however, two farmers Tom and Gillian, whilst dealing with another massive storm, get an unwelcome visitor named Silas. He seems kinda shady but he's cold and it's pouring out so they bring him in. They all go to sleep shortly afterwards.

Things turn weird however when they wake up the next morning and Tom, Gillian and Silas are apparently the only things left on the Earth. This is weird and an unexplainable phenomenon but instead of exploring that and the possible religious symbolism (flood anyone?) they decide to turn it into a horror film. I mean the first half is really strong but then it turns into Last House on the Left...I don't get it.

I mean his last three films were heavily improved or had really good writing all by Uwe Boll. But this time they bring in Tim McGregor. Tim is a competent writer and the first half of the film is actually really good. Some of my fellow reviewers say it starts off slow but I think it has a pretty good pace considering the subject matter. It's supposed to be slow and methodical. Tim does a good job creating this world and this environment and these characters but it's when he realizes that he hit the money shot too early (the Final Storm which wiped out humanity and all living things) he decides to bail on any semblance of a plot that he had created. Instead of finding out if this was biblical or trying to look for survivors or showing their life as the last people on Earth it turns really dark. I mean they throw in biblical allegories and a few mentionings of scripture here or there but it mostly focuses on Silas for the latter half of the film. Why Silas?

I won't ruin the plot but let's just say Silas looks shady because he is shady. And they make sure to explain why for most of the latter half of the film. And by the end only his character arc was resolved. What about the giant elephant in the room? No? Is there going to be a sequel? I dunno. Someone just please explain to me why Silas's character was more important than the apocalypse. I mean I understand WHY (they explain it well enough) but WHY is HE MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOD SMITING EVERYTHING?

I dunno. It's the writing that ruins it. Uwe does great behind the camera, the effects look good and all the actors are really good. It's a shame. I hate to say this but if Uwe would have just wrote it than it might have been a really good film. As it is it's a film with a lot of promise that fails in terms of plot.

MY VERDICT: AVOID IT

You know, when I was your age, I used to have these awful nightmares.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

I was really hoping on skipping reviewing this one but I guess since I reviewed the first one I might as well review this one as well. In 2007 for some unknown reason the Strauss Brothers, a relatively unknown brother directing duo, along with a relatively unknown writer decided to take two of the biggest names in Sci-fi horror and make a pseudo sequel to the first Aliens vs Predators movie. Does it have anything from the original like Weyland? No...in fact besides the creatures and one brief joke line of "Get to the chopper (which is butchered)" there is nothing that reminds me of the original movies. It's like Fox said they needed a good horror movie but don't want to pay any big names or create new characters...oh look we have the AVP saga, people like that let's make another movie. And to tell you the truth, while I was glad it used more blood and gore and was more like an R rated movie (like the originals)...I really wish this wouldn't have been made.

Here's the story: a predator with a facehugger is shot out into space and is intercepted by a predator ship. The creature becomes a hybrid alien/predator known as the "Predalien" and kills all the predators on board causing it to crash into a small town in Colorado. The facehuggers and Predalien escape the ship and wreak havoc while a distress signal is sent out to the rest of the universe. An ex-con and a small band of people must escape the town or die trying. The basic premise is set up more as a horror film with people fodder for killing so there is no other real plot besides that.

Yes there IS more action in this one than the first AVP and some would actually enjoy that. Me? I found it all quite repetitive and dull. Any fan of the original movies has seen it all before so why do it again? Honestly I can't figure it out. The kills hold no weight, the effects are laughable and overall the acting and plot are just dull.

The only redeeming value is the Predalien and the fact that there is more violence. Otherwise this is just another dull and boring movie just made to cash in on these two once great franchises.

MY VERDICT: AVOID IT

They're not hunting us. We're in the middle of a war. It's time to pick a side.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Anyone who loves sci fi thrillers will know that you can't get much better than the Alien and Predator series. Predator set a standard for action thrillers and redefined the idea of a monster movie and the alien series showed us how awesome Lawrence Henrickson and Sigourney Weaver are. Well that and they created probably the scariest sci fi films ever made. So in the mid 2000s when I heard they were combining the two I was ecstatic! Freddy vs Jason was amazing (compared to their most recent iteration) and the video game AvP was and still is a staple of great sci fi survival horror gaming. But for some reason Paul W.S Anderson just couldn't get it right. It's not that AvP sucks (to some it does but the first one's not bad) but it's just terribly underwhelming compared to the great series they came from.

The story is pretty simple: A group of scientists lead by Weyland from the Aliens series goes into an underground cave area in search for why there was a spike in the heat temperature. When they get there however they realize that they just stepped into the middle of an all out Alien vs Predator war and if the humans get in the way than they die. It doesn't really get more complicated then that and honestly for this kind of movie do you really want it to be extremely deep? Probably not.

The acting is mediocre at best but realistically all any fan of the show cares about is Weyland. Besides that the rest of the cast is basically fodder. The effects are nice but they can be wonky sometimes and the aliens don't really feel natural. Not that they were natural or anything but it just caught me off guard at how fake they looked. The predators look good but seem very subdued in the movie. I blame that on the film's PG-13 rating as well as its idea that the Predators are good guys (WTF?). The action scenes are okay but like everything else very subdued. It was just a run of the mill sci fi horror when you got down to it. A few jump scares but basically kind of dull compared to their original sources.

Overall this movie could have been much better but for some reason Paul WS Anderson felt the need to bring the AVP universe to the younger crowd. Bad decision on his part because this could have been an awesome movie. It's not bad for what it's worth but definitely forgettable.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

Magneto's right: there is a war coming. Are you sure you're on the right side?

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Admittedly I am not the biggest comic book fan in the world. It's not that I don't love comics I do. I am a HUGE Frank Miller and Mark Millar fan as well as a pretty devout reader of anything Batman, Punisher, Spider-man or X-Men related. Can I ramble off useless trivia or issue numbers? No. Can I name every character ever in any of those series? No. But I know enough of each series to appreciate nostalgia and subtle references in film, game and TV adaptations of the comics.

Growing up I watched Batman the Animated Series and the Superman movies. But I always had a soft spot for the X-Men so when I heard they were doing a movie I was excited. They have most of the major staples of the X-Men (Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, Rogue, Jean Grey, Xavier) and they were going up against a decently sized Brotherhood (Magneto, Sabertooth, Mystique, Toad). It wasn't everyone I loved but it was a really good start. Add great writing, great acting, phenomenal CGI and special effects (at the time) and you have a really good movie.

The story of X-Men is a simple one. There is a mutant academy led by Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart). His arch nemesis is Magneto (Ian McKellen) who runs the Brotherhood. Magneto wants to take over the world with mutants and its up to Xavier's X-Men to stop them. There is a lot more to it but for the sake of letting people enjoy the movie and to not bore people with ALL the back story, that's basically the gist of it.

Everything about this movie was done with love and it shows. Granted the nitpickers could complain about inaccuracies and whatnot but those are always going to be inaccuracies. The characters are well developed and thought out. The writing is sharp and mixes great drama pieces with the occasional witty remark. The acting is top notch with every actor giving a great and believable performance.

This was but the first in the X-Men movie series but it will always have a soft spot in my heart. Two could arguably be better but this was the start, the reference point for all the upcoming films and a bar that was set high for everyone else. Sadly two rose to the occasion only for three and Origins to drop down a chasm of suckitude but the first one is a staple of comic book movie history.

MY VERDICT: TOP FILM

She did make a choice, Scott. It was you.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

The first X-Men film was a classic staple of comic book films and a standard set for those to come. Well so when the inevitable sequel was announced it was needless to say that the expectations were pretty high. Well the movie released and it was awesome. In my opinion not as good as the first one but still awesome in it's own right. It took most of the things that were great in the first movie and built them up and made them better. If only that would have been the case with the third one.

But I digress. The story of the second one revolves around William Stryker, an evil military mastermind with a major grudge against mutants. His ultimate goal is to destroy all mutants and its up to the X-Men to stop him.

I realize that's a really short synopsis but the film is mostly full of action. At almost any given moment of the film it is brimming with action, tension and awesome special effects. While the first was more plot driven, X-2 certainly outdoes the first one in the action department. And maybe that's why a lot of people seem to like this one over the first one. Either way though the film is awesome.

So if you loved the first one or want a really good action movie with amazing special effects then this is the film for you. That and after this movie the X Men series takes a giant freefall into oblivion. So check out the first two and skip the next two.

MY VERDICT: OWN IT

They wish to cure us. But I say to you, we are the cure!

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

They could have made a great movie. Taking almost all my favorite mutants from the X-Men universe (minus Gambit but since he was the only saving grace of the next film...) and pit them in an all out war against each other AND the military? AND THERE IS PHOENIX!!!?? This could have been the best comic book film of all time! But no...Brett Ratner had to step in as the new director and Zak Penn (writer of Last Action Hero) had to step in as the writer. So you have a Razzie Award winning writer and the director of the Rush Hour series doing the new X-Men movie....WHY!!!!!??? This could have been amazing and they turned it into a crappy, one-liner ridden, phoned in performed, continuity destroying, idiotic cameo ridden piece of garbage.

As you can tell I don't like this movie. It's badly acted, characters are almost miscast, there are totally useless cameos, all the regulars don't give a crap, the story (Mutants vs Mutants vs Military is really the extent of it with useless plot exposition to make us "care") is weak and poorly written and its just not fun to watch.

I just don't like talking about it. It's a bad movie, don't see it and really unless you thought Transformers 2 was the greatest thing ever made you won't find any enjoyment out of this poorly written crapsterpiece.

MY VERDICT: ABOMINATION TO CINEMA

You can live knowing that the woman you loved was hunted down, or you can join me. I promise you will have your revenge.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Meh...What you expect more?! Fine I will elaborate on this meh. Fox Studios had a good thing going with the X Men series. Granted while the first two were good, the series took a serious plunge with the third one. But because people like loud exploding things that means that the film made a truck load of money. So it came as no one's surprise that there would be another movie. But since the third one was kind enough to *spoiler* kill off almost everyone, there was no way to actually do a decent sequel. So what do they decide to do? Go the prequel route and hope for the best. And because Fox are actually quite good at making money off their films they decided to make the film about the most popular character in the X-Men series: Gambit. Yep Gambit finally makes his debut. But since that was too awesome and would cause mass chaos they instead called it X Men Origins: Wolverine named after the SECOND most popular character. Can you tell I love Gambit? Anywhoo the story is pretty straightforward for those who have READ the comics. For you non comic fans you may be a little confused as the story insinuates that you saw the last three movies and read the comics. But fear not I will straighten it out.

Origins is the story of two brothers (Hugh Jackman and Liev Schrieber). They are mutants with the power of immortality...basically. In other words their healing capabilities are so astounding that they reach 40 and stop aging and don't die from bullets or diseases. Anyway they decide to become assassins working for William Stryker and team up with a group of deadly mutants. When one of the brothers (who would later become Wolverine) has a moral dilemma and quits the group for a life as a lumberjack with the woman of his dreams. When his brother (who would become Sabertooth) kills the woman of his dreams he gets an offer from Stryker to become the ultimate weapon...which backfires on Stryker when he becomes a killing machine known as Wolverine. So with revenge on mind Wolverine must hunt down his brother and avoid Stryker.

Admittedly the plot (to me) wasn't that bad. But for those who have no knowledge of X-Men it could REALLY be a distraction. My major gripes with the movie were the useless cameos. Besides Gambit most of the other cameo characters get whacked. That's when the "What the hell continuity of the series Fox" problem comes back in. Also there seemed to be a lot of filler and exposition scenes that were totally unnecessary. The movie realistically could have been 85 minutes without all the crap parts shoved in there.

But while it may seem I'm being too nice to it its because it's not that bad of a movie. Yes its mediocre and the acting is cheesy and the effects are silly and the plot holes are huge and ect ect but its not THAT bad. I certainly don't recommend it and I'd advise that you stay far away from it, but its not a total abomination. If you MUST see it, fine but you were warned...it's NOT a good movie.

MY VERDICT: AVOID IT

For out of the ground we were taken from the dust we are, and to the dust we shall return!

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

I still don't get it. Why are we so obsessed with the Apocalypse and what happens afterward? Does it really matter since most of us will be dead? I guess in some respects its interesting to see a more simple time with modern weapons and its pretty cool to see what all will come out of it but this obsession is almost as bad as vampires. We have the Fallout series of video games, we have movies like Tank Girl, The Road, The Book of Eli, Doomsday, Resident Evil and countless numbers of books. The difference I think though between this vampire craze and the Apocalypse craze is that the Apocalypse movies are actually good 90% of the time which means they warrant more being made.

This newest one The Book of Eli is a masterpiece. Granted it has flaws (no movie is perfect) but it is damn near close. Directed by The Hughes brothers who are probably best known for From Hell and Menace to Society and written by Gary Whitta (a god amonst gamers for writing the Gears of War games, the Duke Nukem series, Prey and starting PC Gamer magazine) this film is amazing from start to finish. Whether its the action, the cinematography, the story or the style, it all works.

The story of Eli takes place in the post apocalyptic world sometime in the future. Most of the people died in the blast but those who remain either became hijackers/scavengers, cannibalistic or live in one of the few shanty towns they got left scraping for food and water. Eli (Denzel Washington) is a solemn, quiet man who has one goal: walk west. He has been traveling for 30 years and still has yet to reach his destination. But just because he is older doesn't mean he can't put up a fight. He carries around a loaded pistol, a shotgun, detachable bow and arrow and a huge machete, all of which he isn't afraid to use. One day he is brought to a town run by a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman). He takes a liking to Eli but starts hunting him down when one of the barmaids Solara (Mila Kunis) tells him that Eli is carrying around a bible. Carnegie wants the bible and will stop at nothing to get it.

The plot goes on (it IS a 2 hour movie) but to go any further would reach spoiler zone and this is one movie you DO NOT want spoiled. There is some great twists in this movie that actually warrant a second viewing. And its a movie I'd happily sit through again. If not for the new perspective gained by watching the film once than because of the brilliant cinematography and great writing.

What seems to put off most critics it seems is the idea of religion in the movie. Unlike some movies that get huge gripes for being religious, I just don't see it as a problem in this movie. They never shove religion down your throat or say that Christianity is the only way. All it ever is Eli quoting the Bible before he kicks some ass (where I got the quote from) and two prayers he does one of which is used as a plot device to kick the movie into high gear. And if people have problem with quoting-

then this scene would be more highly controversial. Nobody until recently had problems with quoting so I don't see it as a problem now. As for the other non plot device prayer it never really takes away from the movie. And seeing as how the religious aspect seems to confound people the most, I'm here to say that it is NOT an issue or should even be considered an issue for this movie.

All in all The Book of Eli is a great Mad Maxish sci fi action thriller that is a thrill to watch from the first minute to the last minute. This will remain as one of my favorites for the year and considering this is January it gives me high hopes for the other films this year.

MY VERDICT: TOP FILM

I'll be back

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Now its time for my number 1 favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger film of all time-The Terminator. While Conan is the movie that turned Arnold into a star it was The Terminator that turned him into a legend. The Terminator series is the highest point of Arnold's career and people to this day quote him constantly. In fact it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say one of the few things people REMEMBER from these films is Arnold. The Hasta La Vista's the I'll be Back's and all the other great one liners in the movies turned Arnold into a household name, made him even more badass then he already was and even gave him a nickname when he became governor-The Governator.

But James Cameron's first entry into the series, a film series based on a nightmare he had once, is the story of a world 19 years from now. A world where Skynet, a group of robotic creatures have taken over the world and killed off most of humanity. The only opposition and only problems that Skynet have ever had is with a man named John Connor. So to solve that problem Skynet sends one of their Terminator cyborgs (dressed as a human) to kill John Connor's mother Sarah Connor. At the same time the resistance fighters send one of their best Kyle Reese to stop the Terminator and protect Sarah.

That's about as deep as the plot goes and considering this was a completely original idea from Cameron (something he lacked in his latest movie BURN) it is pretty well done. The backstory is well told and explained and actually quite interesting. That and most people love time travel. The meat of the film however is not story but action. This movie is chock full of non stop no holds barred action and its awesome. Yeah there is some action involving Sarah and Kyle that's awesome (towards the end) but most of the great stuff and nearly all of the action comes from the Terminator. He blows holes through people, stabs them, throws them, shoots them, drives cars through buildings, he is RUTHLESS. AWESOME...but RUTHLESS. Add that to one line that will be repeated more than any other line in film history (do I need to say) and you got a great movie.

While this is a great movie it does have slow moments. My only other gripe though is that the sequel was amazing. The third one not so much but the sequel was one of the most badass movies ever. But then why did I choose this one? Its a classic and it MADE Arnold who he is today.

If you haven't seen this movie...do it. There is no reason you shouldn't. Please see this movie. Or I'll be back.

MY VERDICT: OWN IT

Cohaagen, you got what you wanted; you must give those people air!

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Along with Stephen King one of my favorite authors of all time is Phillip K Dick. If you don't know Phillip K Dick is famous for writing great sci fi stories like The Minority Report or We Can Remember it for you Wholesale (just to name a few). Of course since his stories are so well made and have such great futuristic stories it would probably come as nobodies surprise that they would be made into movies. Granted everyone's heard of Steven Spielberg's Minority Report which came out a few years back but one that a lot of people know but maybe didn't know was an adaptation of a Phillip K Dick book was 1990's Total Recall. Yes that Total Recall. For some reason (in my circles at least) Total Recall is considered one of the greatest sci fi films of all time and one of the movies with the highest body count. Its also famous for something else...being an awesome Arnold Schwarzenegger film and if nothing else probably his best actual acting performance. Yes he is a great action star but for the most part his acting can be cheesy. Its genuinely awesome in this one.

The story of Total Recall (based on We Can Remember it For You Wholesale) is that of Douglas Quaid. He is happily married to a wonderful wife (Sharon Stone) has a good job as a construction worker with his buddy (Robert Costanzo) but has bigger dreams. He's lived on Earth all his life and wants to explore other colonies and other planets. He decides to go to a company called Rekall which lets you take a fake vacation. While there he learns that he had already been implanted with a memory device which had erased his memory of the past two months. He then learns that he was a resistance fighter and that his wife and friends are out to kill him. He wants to survive, learn the truth and take down the bad guys. If you know Arnold movies than you know what comes next:

Total Chaos, lots of blood, people exploding, gunfire, human shields and one liners. But its all done in a way that is totally amazing to watch. The story is genuinely interesting to watch and its fun to see how it pans out. The supporting characters are great and the villains are deviously awesome. From minute one to the end its a well acted and well done sci fi action film. In fact it even won an Academy Award for its special effects, an award this movie definitely deserved.

So if you like sci fi action thrillers or just action movies in general or want to see an Arnold movie where he is almost too awesome than check out Total Recall...and Phillip K Dick. His books are amazing.

MY VERDICT: TOP FILM

You are not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora, ladies and gentleman.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

It seems everyone and their grandma is seeing this movie and almost everyone and their grandma loved this movie. Maybe not the 5 star experience that James Cameron was hoping for but plenty of 4-4 1/2 stars to go around. Either way its critically acclaimed, mostly loved by all and called a stepping stone for modern movie technology. Its being heralded as the Star Wars of the 21st century or the biggest innovation in movies ever. The hype machine for this movie was so high that it almost blew New Moon out of the water. Almost...

James Cameron has been working on this movie for years and years now. The man behind the first two Terminator movies, the critically acclaimed Aliens, the Abyss (a guilty favorite of mine), True Lies and Titanic has released his first new movie in 12 years. Loved by many and hated by the same amount this former geek turned film director has made some of the best. He has a nasty temper and is a bit of a pretentious jackass but his work is brilliant. He has won plenty of Oscars and other awards now and even had the gall to shout "I'm king of the world" when he won Best Director for Titanic. Since then he's been re-writing and tweaking his Magnum Opus Avatar until the technology could catch up to his imagination. What is this final product: A remake of Dances With Wolves....in SPAAACCCEEE!!

Clocking in at a staggering 161 minutes long Avatar is one that you need not but the large Coke for. I opted not to see it in 3D for one reason: its a gimmick.

3D has always been a silly gimmick to me. Ever since I can remember I have never liked it. It always hurt my eyes and never really wowed me when it worked. Even at Disneyland with the Honey I Shrunk the Audience in 3D thing I couldn't get into it. The wind on my legs simulating rats was more intense than what was on the screen. And I don't understand why its coming back now! It was big in the 80s for some reason but it was never really liked all that much except for a few cool effects at the time. In the 90s people focused more on the movie and less on the gimmick with not that many 3D movies coming out. In the 2ks though (the 2000s) there has been a surge of new 3D movies with a lot of movies coming out with at least the option of 3D. The first 3D movie I saw was the subpar Spy Kids 3. Some of the effects were cool but lackluster overall. And no TV show or any movie, in my opinion, has ever blew me away or even interested me if it was in 3D.

But I digress. I did not see it in 3D. Before I tell you the story let me jump to the question that everyone has: how are the visuals? In my opinion they are stunning. They really are. I'm surprised at how much was CGI (like 60%) but it was really quite beautiful. The scenery on the planet Pandora is lush, bright and colorful and looks as realistic as CGI can. The same goes with the Na'vi/Avatars. They all look beautiful and quite realistic and almost like real humans or real creatures. But there is that animated-ness that goes along with all CGI heavy films.

Onto the story: have you seen Dances with Wolves? Or how about Fern Gully? If you answered yes to one or both of them then you have your story. But if you answered no then here is a BRIEF description: humans want Unobtanium, it is located on a planet called Pandora, they can't breathe the air so they create avatar beings so they blend in with the native Na'vi people. Things don't go well.

There is a lot of talking and a lot of description/explanation in this movie so I don't really want to bore you with the whole plot because that would be a post and a half.

The acting is wonderful in this movie, even if the plot and dialogue are a bit uninspired. Giovanni Ribisi is a great corporate head, Sam Worthington plays a great protagonist, and Sigourney Weaver is great as well. The acting overall is quite solid and well done. The same goes for the action. Although there isn't a LOT of action, the last half an hour or so are extremely exciting to watch.

Overall its a good movie. Not a great movie or a groundbreaking movie but its still a good movie. Well acted, well designed and great special effects. The story is a bit uninspired but still good anyway. I recommend this one for sci-fi fans who can sit in place for a while.

MY VERDICT: SEE IT

"Admiral! We have enemy ships in sector 47!" "It's A TRAP!!"

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

The epic finale to the greatest sci fi series of all time. Needless to say that it had high expectations. I knew that I had really big expectations since I had just finished Empire Strikes back. And while not as good as Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi is an amazing movie and a great finale to the series...besides one thing...but I will get to that later.

Basically all hell broke loose in the last one, Han Solo got frozen (cryogenic), Vader and the emperor are after Skywalker, Princess Leia, C3PO and R2, Bobba Fett is also after them and they need to stop the second Death Star from being built. Needless to say they do that but there is plenty of awesome action in between it.

Its full of great scenes and great action including the final battle between Luke and Vader with the emperor watching:

but there is one thing that keeps it from being as good or better than Empire: THE EWOKS


The annoying little teddies almost kill the movie for me. I wish the Robot Chicken Bobba Fett scene would have happened to them. THEY ARE SO ANNOYING!!! But either way its a great movie despite the Ewoks and a great finale to a great series.

MY VERDICT: OWN IT

No...*I* am your father!

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Watch this. If it doesn't blow your mind then I will fight you. This action scene as a kid was the epitome of a true action scene and anytime it would snow (or even just for fun) I would reenact this battle over and over. As a member of the Luke Skywalker fan club I would always love watching this scene over and over. Its an amazing battle and an amazing start to the best film in the star wars series: Empire Strikes Back.

Directed by Irvin Kershner this time around (with Lucas writing/producing) Empire takes place a short time after the first movie. The Rebels have taken out the Death Star but the Empire is strong. Vader is obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker and enlists the help of many notorious bounty hunters (including BOBBA FETT) to find him, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, R2 and C3PO. That's all I can really say without giving away major spoilers but the plot has plenty of great twists and a much more darker tone than the first one.

Besides the story and the battle scene in the beginning there is one scene that is engraved in my head and the minds of many other people. Just watch:

It in my opinion is the greatest scene in film history. It is truly amazing in every sense of the word.

If you see only one Star Wars movie ever then it should be this one. The writing, the plot, the characters, the action...it's all there and tenfold. You owe it to yourself to see this one.

MY VERDICT: TOP FILM

The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now *I* am the master.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

The original that started it all. A sci fi epic unlike anything seen before. The movie that captures you and never lets go. Its the film that sparked a newfound love for sci fi films and ushered in a huge following that still goes strong today. What is that film? Star Wars: A New Hope.

Star Wars: A New Hope is the fourth episode in the Star Wars series but was the first to come out. Confusing as that may sound at the time nobody cared. When that black screen with the endless space popped up and John Williams epic music came on and played for the very first time you could care less what was being said. In all honesty nobody reads the entire thing the first time. You see it and skim over major parts but you are too engrossed by this booming music to care. Then that first scene starts. Oh that first scene. You see the spaceship and you see the doors open and the action starts right then and there. Blaster fire, storm troopers, rebel fighters, robots (well R2 and C3PO) and the big guy himself Vader, its all so amazing the first time that it blows you away. And I saw this in the 90s. It doesn't matter what era you watched it in, it was amazing.

The basic non spoiler story to the first movie is simple. Luke has family, well mom. Mom gets killed. Guy named Ben Kenobi comes and says he can wield the force, a mystical power and gets a lightsaber. With the help of two droids, Han Solo and Chewbacca, they hunt down Darth Vader.

It is the definition of sci fi. Or if not its what you see when you look it up in the dictionary. If you haven't seen this shame on you-its a classic. But don't worry. The best is coming up next.

MY VERDICT: OWN IT

The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Dedication thy name is Travis. Or at least that's how I felt going into Star Wars Episode 3. I bought my ticket when the box office opened on the Friday that it came out. I bought my ticket at 9:00 am and the only available showing was at three. I wasn't going to risk getting a crappy spot so I waited in the theater from 9:30 to 3:00, even going so far as to take a nap in one of the auditoriums. I got to know the manager there really well in the time I spent there and got to know most of the staff that worked there. Sad that the theater would be closed down shortly afterwards but now all of the employees and even the old manager work at the new theater that they built about a block down from the old one.

Either way I had to wait a long time and it was a hot day. But eventually we all crammed into the theater and I got a pretty good spot, thankfully not sitting next to a storm trooper with a big helmet. The movie started people cheered their heads off and they all gave a standing ovation after it was over. It was the end of Star Wars until The Clone Wars in terms of movies and really it was the last true Star Wars movie to be released (unless Lucas wants to do a whole episode seven thing). And I was glad to be a part of that experience. Someone that belonged to the Luke Skywalker fan club was now watching the last of the movies.

Onto the movie itself. Believe it or not it was actually much better than the first two in the prequel trilogy. The acting was more believable, the action was tighter and more exciting, the story and Anakin's struggle and ultimate succuming to the dark side was fun to watch and that last battle scene was definition epic. I was genuinely surprised to see how good it was considering the first two. But it was good nevertheless.

My only main complaints seem to be that there at times seem to be too much going on at once and that can get a little hectic. And Hayden Christensen is a bad actor. And he pretty much ruins Vader's reveal at the end. But the full circle plot at the end and that epic lightsaber battle make up for it on all levels. My inner action movie lover loved every twist, turn, jump and hit. My inner drama nerd loved the struggle of good vs evil. And my inner fanboy was going "EEEEEEEEEEEE DARTH VADER VS OBI WAN THE FIRST ROUND!!"

If you only see one of the prequel movies this would be the one. But like I have said you are much better off watching the original trilogy. A good ending to the legacy known as Star Wars.

MY VERDICT: SEE IT