14 September 14, 2004 THE RETRIEVER INSIDE Oranges Band at Ottobar’s 7th20 A modern spin on Hamlet17 Sky Captain a futuristic vision16 Features Joe Howley, reporting from Scotland21 Resident Evil sequel delivers sex Life Goes On smoothly appeal and shameless escapism GRANT HUANG cop with a badass rep and a really bad still as she bears down on it. Alice then Retriever Weekly Editorial Staff Lara Croft complex. She’s hot stuff, so leaps off the cycle, the cycle hits the lick- hot that when word breaks out on the er, and Alice does a somersault in midair Milla Jovovich has got herself radio that undead monsters are running while simultaneously whipping out her some nice legs. They’re long and svelte amuck in the city, she gets right down two pistols and shoots the careening and look mighty good when she’s got to business. Valentine exchanges her cycle plus licker. The whole damn thing no pants on, a happily frequent occur- high heels for some combat boots, pulls explodes in an obnoxiously huge fireball rence in this sequel to 2002’s Resident on a familiar-looking tight white tank- and Alice lands on her feet, twirling her Evil. Both films are, of course, based on top, straps on some thigh holsters and guns into their holsters, looking mighty the popular and long-running series of Colt .45’s, and proceeds to bust through pleased with her bad self. Resident Evil video games, albeit loosely. the door of police headquarters, shoot- If you read the paragraph above As expected, Resident Evil: ing every zombie there in the head. and find yourself wondering stuff, like Apocalypse shamelessly flaunts the sex Valentine meets up with a bevy of how Alice knew precisely when to crash appeal of its female stars and turns out other motley survivors when evil through the stained-glass window of a to be little more than an action film Umbrella honcho Major Cain church on a motorcycle to save some with horror-themed trappings. (Thomas Kretschmann) orders the city people she never met before, you prob- Nevertheless, the film is content to be quarantined due to the threat of con- ably won’t like Apocalypse a whole lot. If just that, and as such has enough clever, tamination. There’s Terri Morales, a you find yourself wondering why the well-crafted action scenes to balance out Raccoon City news reporter (Sandrine licker monster (which moments before the lame, childish action scenes and a tottering plot. Besides, when things got stupid and plot holes grew too Darla Mercado [Retriever Staff] wide to ignore, I found a worthy dis- HoCo band stays humble: Solid muscianship makes for a Life less ordinary. traction in alternating between check- ing out Jovovich’s legs and my date’s DARLA MERCADO legs. times and we’d watch MTV every Leggy women aside, Apocalypse Retriever Weekly Staff Writer day–like every stupid kid does. One day picks up right where Resident Evil we were watching Green Day on TV, leaves off, centering once more on the Life has been good for local band and we just decided to start a band. evil doings of Umbrella, a massive cor- Life Goes On. After several years of Three and a half, four years later, he porate conglomerate whose stellar doing small shows throughout Howard finally got a guitar, and I bought a piece profits hide an insidious bioweapons County, the band’s popularity has of shit drum set. We met this guy program, evidently their ticket to gained enough momentum that the named Mike in high school, who intro- world domination. Or some such. boys now open for bands such as My duced us to Glenn [Smith], our bassist. In the original Resident Evil, Chemical Romance and RX Bandits. We took off from there, but we’ve had Umbrella scientists accidentally release Listing a set of musical influences that changes with members after that. a bio-weapon called the “T-virus” in range from Bouncing Souls to Green one of Umbrella’s top-top-top-super- Day, Life Goes On demonstrates their Where did you get the name Life top secret weapons research labs. It musical tastes in the eclectic sound of Goes On? seems that the weapons of mass their music. Greg: We started off as Yellow 5, destruction aren’t buried beneath the Their show at the Ottobar on which lasted for about a week. Right sands of Iraq, they’re (cue menacing September 5 revealed the progress that before our first show, we signed up for a voice) right under your backyard, and Life Goes On has made since their hum- new bassist because Glen had to move they turn hapless civilians into flesh- ble beginnings. Where they once were to Howard County. Anyway, the guy hungry zombies after killing them! casual and amateurish, they are now who signed us up for the show put us In any case, everyone inside the professional and distinct. However, Life down as “Scrap,” which we thought lab dies, turning into zombies, and the Goes On still maintains the humble idea was a stupid name, but it stuck for requisite elite paramilitary unit is that no matter how far they get in their about six or seven months. Eventually, Courtesy of Constanstin Film ordered in to contain the outbreak. Girls with guns: Milla Jovovich and Sienna Guillory star as Alice and Jill Valentine in music careers, they’ll always be the same Glen came back into the band, and Though the team apparently succeeds Resident Evil: Apocalypse local boys. Paul just suddenly came up with “Life in the first film, in Apocalypse, the T- Life Goes On opened their six-song Goes On.” I think we were talking virus gets out somehow and infects the Holt), Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr), an had been leapfrogging along the church set with “On Through City Limits.” about Corky [from the TV show, Life general population of nearby Raccoon Umbrella soldier with a heart, and L.J. walls like Spiderman, dodging bullets They were playing for a packed house, Goes On]. We were a three-piece for City, an allegedly isolated metropolis (Mike Epps), a random black civilian left and right) stood idly around like a and the audience, which mostly consist- about a year or so, until we met that looks a whole lot like Toronto, who fulfills the tired stereotype of being deer caught in the headlights as a big ed of underage listeners, seemed mes- Christopher Hyder, who fit in perfectly. Canada. Jovovich reprises her role as the minority character who supplies motorcycle charged it down, then you merized by guitarist Chris Hyder’s Chris: It’s been a year-and-a-half, Alice, a survivor from the first movie comedic relief with stupid one-liners. definitely won’t like Apocalypse. And if melodic riffs and the harmonious voice and they still call me “rookie.” that has since been the victim of further Apocalypse’s plot involves these you just found that whole stunt too of Paul Marciano. The eclecticism of Greg: One day you’ll be a full Umbrella experiments, giving her individuals banding together to try and infantile for words, then you ought to their music provided parts for the audi- member of the band.... superhuman reflexes and strength. save the daughter of Dr. Ashford (Jared stop reading right now and make a ence to sway to, to sing along with, and It’s been said that when Harris), who promises them a way out mental note never to see this movie. to two-step to, providing an experience Do the four of you collaborate when Hollywood decides to make a sequel, of Raccoon City as long as they bring Clocking in at one hour and 33 that every crowd member seemed to you’re coming up with the music? they take what worked in the first film her home to him. minutes, Apocalypse was ultimately enjoy. Some audience members even Greg: Sometimes. Glen and Chris and up the dosage for part two. In Even given this fairly simple prem- entertaining, though my patience was knew the entire set of songs, and sang will have their rock-out emo sessions, Apocalypse, director Alexander Witt has ise, Witt manages to ham it up with strained towards the end. In the last fif- along through Life Goes On’s entire and they’ll come up with something to taken that philosophy to heart. We’ve silliness nonetheless; my preview audi- teen minutes or so, I counted no fewer show. work with. The rest of us put our two got not one, but two scantily-clad hot- ence howled with laughter in one scene than three opportunities for the movie True to their laid-back and friend- cents in later: Paul will write the lyrics ties running, jumping, and generally where Alice explodes through the to gracefully fade to black and roll the ly attitude, the band members had no and cry a bit. Next thing you know, we blasting everything that moves, all the stained-glass window of a church astride credits, but instead it continued to problem answering a few questions have an awesome song put together. while looking good in their tight a sleek motorcycle, just in time to save shamble methodically onward like oh, I about the past and future of the band: clothes. the other ragtag survivors from a grue- dunno, say a zombie before finally end- What inspires you to write? In addition to Jovovich, the virtu- some fate. She then proceeds to race the ing on a heavy-handed plot twist that How did you guys get started? Paul: Ladies.