Day Shift, a horror comedy featuring Jamie Foxx and Dave Franco. A vampire hunter finds himself in dire straits after killing the wrong vampire. It has its moments, both from a comedic and action angle.

 

Day Shift, a review. 

    I did not expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. I'm a big fan of comedy horror, throw in some decent action, and I'm invested. Jamie Foxx is his usual charming self, a family man who hunts the undead and is pretty good at it. The action is frantically paced, with impacts that feel real, and the vampires are impressively acrobatic and vicious. The relationship between Foxx's Bud and Dave Franco's Seth is one of the highlights, closely followed by Snoop Dogg's Big John. This is primarily a comedy action film with horror elements and has decent world-building, with the premise being built on vampires being a real menace and hunters existing to deal with them.

    Bud is a hunter of vampires and does his best to manage his work with his family. The film opens up with Bud taking on an elderly woman in her house, shooting her moments after she confronts him about being in her home. After impacting the bathroom wall, she gets back up, her face changed, the hole in her torso begins to close, and Bud reloads his shotgun in readiness. What unfolds is a blistering fight between Vampire and Hunter with some awesome sequences, the agility and flexibility of the undead making this a spectacle. Bud wins, taking out a younger vampire with a well-placed silver wire and collecting the fangs. Bud quickly changes, using what is available, as he needs to cover his scent. Returning home, we see him use some powder in the shower, which seems to cause him pain. To his family, Bud runs a pool cleaning service, and his daughter dotes on him. Unfortunately, Bud and his wife are no longer together, and she lets him know she is thinking of moving to Florida and taking Paige with her. Bud is against them leaving, but Jocelyn says they can only stay if Bud can come up with $10,000 by Monday. So, with fangs in hand, Bud goes to see a friend, Troy, to sell the fangs. However, he won't get anywhere near enough to cover these expenses, and the only way to get the money is to go to the Union. 

    The Union is where the majority of vampire hunters work. It is an organisation that specialises in hunting the undead down and buying and selling their fangs. There are caveats with that, and Bud had already been kicked out from the Union before. His only way back in was with help from his friend Big John, played by Snoop Dogg. The Black Cowboy is cool, so cool that every woman wants him, and every hunter wants to be him. Snoop Dogg carries that off well, with his innate charm shining through, even if he says little. However, Ralph is the head of this branch of the Union, and he doesn't like Bud. He agrees to his return as a favour to Big John, but he must have a representative overseeing him. And here we get introduced to Seth. Seth is a bookish character, knowing all the lore but without field experience. Despite a poor initial meeting, they are paired up. Unfortunately for Bud, an Elder vampire, Audrey discovers that her daughter has been killed. Her daughter is the vampire Bud beheaded at the beginning of the film. Audrey is now on the hunt for Bud.

    As the pair set on their first hunt, we see how unprepared for this Seth is, the poor man peeing himself and vomiting after his first run-in with actual vampires. The scene is played for comedy and works well. The pair are an oddball match, but Bud takes well to the younger man after some time. Franco is amusing and sweet as Seth, with a manic energy to him at times. Bud is weathered and cynical but loving and attentive to his daughter and wife, even with their separation. Unbeknownst to the pair, Audrey is closing in on them, and she is powerful, with a workaround developed so she can go out in the sun for short periods. She soon closes in, and we are rushed into a final confrontation that sees Bud, Big John, and a newly turned Seth take on Audrey with help from another vampire.

The film is fast-paced, with a great combination of action and comedy that amuses and captivates in equal measure. There is a great deal of lore scattered throughout, handed out in easy-to-digest pieces of dialogue, enough to get the interest of the viewer but not overwhelm them. The leads do a great job as ever, with Jamie Foxx working well with Franco. I would have liked to have seen a deeper look into the world of the vampires, but what we got was enough to make them interesting. The set piece in the house with the hive of vampires featuring the Nazarian brothers has to be my favourite in the entire film.

I'd give this 6.5 out of 10. It is enjoyable, with great action and more than a few laughs. I'd watch it again, especially on those rainy afternoons when you just want something fun to watch. This an easy recommendation to any fan of action comedy or comedy horror.

Resident Evil 4: Remake, a review. One of the best games in the series remade and, somehow, improved. A game I spent a silly amount of time playing first time around, and couldn't put it down once I started again.

 

Resident Evil 4: Remake, a review.

    Resident Evil 4 was a masterpiece and still is. The original garnered praise from fans and critics alike and is probably the best game in the series. After the remake of Resident Evil 2, there was hope that more of them would be remade, and four seemed like an obvious choice. They went on to remake Resident Evil 3 and, though it is a beautiful game, was a step back on what had been achieved with Resident Evil 2. There was worry that they would be unable to remake 4 in all its glory. Thankfully, that proved to be an unfounded fear. This is one of the best games they have ever made, an improvement on the original in many ways. With the recent release of mercenaries mode, the gaming experience has expanded and proven to be a great addition to the single-player experience.

    Opening up six years after the events of Raccoon City, Leon has been sent to track down the President's daughter, Ashley Graham, in Spain. It's not a spoiler to say that things don't start well for our hero and inevitably get worse for him. The game's story stays close to the original, with minor alterations, a missing boss, and changes to some level designs. The gameplay and graphics have been updated, and it now plays like any modern title. And speaking of the graphics, this game is beautifully made, and even on my near potato of a desktop, it runs brilliantly. I experienced no issues with the game, no bugs or stuttering that has become commonplace in recent releases. There have been several changes to the gameplay, with the use of the knife now a vital part of your playthrough. A well-placed parry can keep you alive, staggering your attacker and leaving them open to a melee counter. Thankfully the shooting is fluid, and the ability to actually move whilst aiming makes it easier than I remember. All the guns return from the original, though some of their specs have changed, and there are different ways to find or unlock them now. The merchant returns with his familiar catchphrase still in use and proves as handy as ever. The most obvious change comes with how Ashley now plays. No longer the pain that made the game frustrating in some sections. She feels like a real character now, with decent voice acting and better writing. Leon remains his witty self, with many of his one-liners still in place. The voice actor is the same as the Resident Evil 2 remake, and though I prefer Matt Mercer's version, he does a great job. Some characters have had redesigns and have improved on what was done in the original. In most ways, the game is a significant improvement on the game released in 2005. The bosses remain a highlight of this game, with Salazar and Sadler being chief among them. I would have preferred they kept in some of the previous dialogue between them and Leon, but that is a nitpick on my behalf. There have been complaints about the new voice actor for Ada, but I saw no issue with her performance.

    I have sunk many hours into the game, though I lack the skill to become one of the many speedrunners posting videos on youtube. I loved the game the first time, and I feel the same about this version. It is instantly replayable with a new game plus, using all you have unlocked in your first playthrough. This was one of the best things about it the first time around. And with them adding Mercenaries mode back, there is more fun to be had. And we will be getting Ada's campaign at some point which was a great highlight of the initial release. Replayable has remained a core element of this entry.

    This game is easily 10 out of 10, and I recommend it to any gamer, not just fans of the original. This is a great game that hints at the next entry in the series heading for a similar remake, which is something I look forward to. I hope that they continue the series after Village, taking lessons from the process of making these remakes. With recent successes, it appears that they have hit on a winning formula. Though 3 was a bit of a disappointment by comparison. I will continue to enjoy playing this entry, racking up more game time, and hoping that Resident Evil 5 is in development.