It seems that everyone in Mystic Falls conjured up a family reunion on the same day. Alaric was reunited with his almost-brother-in-law Kai Parker, Caroline was reunited with the twins and Bonnie reunited with Enzo.

Kai Parker, probably one of the best villains ‘The Vampire Diaries’ has seen, returned to Mystic Falls without the ability to taste or feel anything due to his purgatory-like state. He is stuck between Hell and Earth but still has the ability to siphon as he did when he walked amongst the living. Unfortunately for Kai, Cade is hunting the escaped prisoner. So Kai seeks refuge from none other than Damon and Alaric. Kai offers to help Damon and Ric kill Cade in exchange for helping him stay on Earth. Damon comes up with another idea. He tells Kai to wake up Elena and in exchange he will help him. He tells Kai that his forgiveness may atone his sins and allow Mr. Parker to rejoin the living. In reality, Damon just wants to use Kai to get Elena back and then kill Kai.

Also on the verge of being killed this episode was Stefan. He was reunited with a very familiar face; Dorian. Turns out Stefan killed his family during his run in Chicago with Niklaus Mikaealson (Klaus) and compelled Dorian to forget about it. Unfortunately for Stefan (and Matt/Caroline who have to clean up his mess), when he became human all those people he compelled began to remember the truth. Dorian in a fit of rage makes Stefan dig his own grave and then proceeds to shoot Stefan in his side.

On the other side of town Bonnie continues to call out to Enzo. She was then interrupted by a suspicious phone call from Damon. He called asking her if there is a way to bring someone back from hell and she figures out that he is with Kai. She then takes matters into her own hands and decides to pay a visit to Cade in hopes of saving Enzo. Bonnie’s psychic abilities are now in full force. So much so that Cade can sense it and wants to teach her how to use them. He tells her to channel her rage and anger as it is what fuels her power. Bonnie is able to find Enzo and he isn’t in hell. He is actually inside a private dimension created by Bonnie in order to protect him from Cade. Enzo is hiding out so that Cade can’t claim his soul. Cade then uses his powers on Bonnie to try and figure out where Enzo is hiding and subsequently learns that Kai is now back on Earth.

Kai is slowly beginning to die again. He starts bleeding from his nose and coughing up blood. Damon and Kai are able to figure out that killing and eating evil people is enough to sustain Kai for now.

Out in the woods Stefan was also on the verge of death. Cade pays him a visit and tells him to let go, offering to give Caroline a mortal life without Stefan. Stefan, like anyone else, doesn’t want to die and lives to see another day. He then hands over files linking him to hundreds of murders, to Dorian. Allowing him to choose his fate. Stefan then tells Caroline he may leave Mystic Falls…. Alone. Could this be the end for Steroline?

Bonnie reaches out to Enzo one more time and is finally reunited with him.

Across town, Caroline is reunited with the twins and learns that they are losing control of their powers. One accidently harms Caroline and the other almost sets her on fire for hurting mommy. Yikes! Is this because of Selene or is it something else entirely?

The twins’ uncle Kai used his own powers to siphon energy from Damon. He claimed that the he needed his energy to resurrect Elena. Instead, after catching on to Damon’s true motives, he used that energy to make him and Elena invisible and/or disappear.

Next Week:

Stefan has to kill Cade but at what cost? Will there be consequences for others, like Elena?

Kai hurts Caroline in the armory

Damon’s suffering begins

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The post Reunited and it’s Sort of Good – ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Recap: “The Lies Will Catch Up To You” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Joining the land of the living this week was Stefan Salvatore. Unfortunately being mortal comes with a ton of grief/pain and flashes of all the horrible things Stefan did when he was doing Cade’s bidding. Stefan’s escapades in the last couple of months got him in trouble with the law and now because he is human he can’t compel himself out of the situation he is in. Therefore, he is arrested but not for long thanks to his fiancée (?) Caroline. As they exit the jail Stefan and Caroline overhear a little girl reporting her missing mother. The woman was the real estate agent that Stefan attempted to kill. Luckily for the little girl her mother survived by escaping into the woods. Stefan and Caroline find her but not before the woman stabs Stefan, fearing for her life once again.

Caroline feeds the real estate agent her blood in order to save her but when she tries to do the same for Stefan his body rejects it; a side effect of the cure. Vampire blood can no longer heal him. Stefan tells Caroline to let him die. Obviously she isn’t going to and tells him that he needs to redeem himself and fix all the mistakes he has made. After he is all stitched up, Stefan tells Caroline he is unsure about their future. He can’t see himself marrying Caroline because their lives will be different. It isn’t what he wanted. It is what he expected. As usual, Caroline is willing to stay by his side. Will these two work it out or will Steroline be done for good?

Speaking of couples that are over for good (R.I.P. Benzo), Bonnie is grieving the loss of her beloved Enzo and ignoring all her friend’s calls. However, she is reunited with her mother Abby (Persia White) after Caroline gave her a call to tell her what happened. The two begin to lay Enzo to rest but Bonnie stops when she hears Enzo calling out to her. She tells Abby she wants to save Enzo and possibly resurrect him (remember the other side is gone and neither one of them have their witch powers).

Abby hears him calling out as well and the two call upon Enzo to give them a sign. He does. Turns out Bonnie opened a door to where Enzo is. He is suffering and in pain. Abby tells Bonnie they need to bury him to close the door and that it is not Enzo but a darkness reaching out to Bonnie. Bonnie only wants to rescue Enzo and doesn’t care if she gets hurt in the process. She is taken by the darkness which unfortunately forces Abby to set Enzo’s body on fire in order to close the door and save her daughter. She tells Bonnie to say goodbye and let Enzo go for good.

Back in Mystic Falls Cade pays Damon another visit. He wants Ethan’s journal in exchange to allow Stefan to live out his human life before he reclaims his soul. If not Stefan dies at midnight. Damon accepts the deal and heads to the armory to collect the journal. For once Damon was upfront about his motives and deal with Cade. Unfortunately Alaric won’t hand it over and kills Damon (again) in order to stop him.

Alaric, Matt and Dorian lock Damon in a chamber and trigger Matt’s memories to find out what is inside the journal by using hypnosis. We step back in time once again. Turns out the Maxwell’s were working with the Bennett witches and the bell is infused with Bennett witch magic. We also see some of Ethan’s code. He sends a message to Beatrice Bennett that says: “Dear Bea, your courage will save us all” (major foreshadowing!)

Moments later Sybil introduces herself to Ethan and takes him to a room in the armory full of the sirens treasures; the same room where Dorian and Matt found the journal. Selene then arrives and they force Ethan to add the tuning fork to the bell. Sybil also shows Ethan a weapon that can potentially kill Cade. Unfortunately he is sirened to not speak a word about the bell or the weapon that can kill the devil.

Ethan may not be able to say what the siren sisters have told him but can write it. He encodes a message for Beatrice and gives it to her. He begins ringing the bell just as Matt did. Beatrice calls upon the towns’ people for help. The towns’ people sacrifice themselves to keep the hell fire from spreading. Due to the trauma Matt begins to have a heart attack. Damon gives Matt his blood in order to save him.

All the towns’ people die and the bell remains; the blood of 100 souls is on Ethan’s hands. Beatrice then locks the sirens in the cave on the armory. They force Ethan to kill Beatrice if she won’t set them free thus forcing her to lock Ethan in the room in order to save herself. Ethan tells Beatrice that he knows how to kill the devil but he cannot say. Once again he codes it in his journal. Unfortunately Damon steals the journal before Alaric and tow can find out how to do it for themselves.

Damon hands Cade the journal but not before asking if anyone has ever earned their way out. Cade burns the journal and tells Damon he doesn’t want to give him false hope. So that’s a no.

Bonnie finally returns to Mystic Falls and Matt is waiting on her door step. He shares his condolences and Bonnie tells Matt that she doesn’t want to carry on without Enzo. She doesn’t think she can do it. Matt tells her to try and find comfort in the fact that Enzo loved her and will always be with her. He also lets her know that their families are tied together.

Stefan also comes home, only to change, and then plans to head over to Bonnie’s house but he isn’t sure what to say. He asks Damon for advice. Damon says she is a much better person than Stefan and him. She will eventually forgive him but it will take time. Stefan then thanks Damon for saving his life and allowing him to undo the damage he has done. Before he goes he asks Damon if there is a chance for redemption. Damon lies to his younger brother and says absolutely.

Stefan arrives at Bonnie’s house but is tased by someone before he can ring the doorbell.

Damon returns to the armory and says he isn’t apologizing for saving his brother. Turns out the reason Damon gave the journal to Cade was because he already knows how to kill him. He just needed confirmation that the information he had was viable. Damon shows Alaric the relic that has the means to kill Cade. Thanks Sybil! The two celebrate/begin to plan Cade’s murder when they are interrupted by none other than:

KAI PARKER!!!!!!!!!!

via GIPHY

Next Week:

We find out who took Stefan.

Kai offers to help kill Cade, also says hello to Elena and offers to bring her back (right before Alaric attempts to kill him)

If he’s back does that mean he came through the same portal as Cade? Who else came through if that is the case?

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The post Matt Meets His Ancestor Ethan Maxwell – ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Recap: “What Are You?” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The 5^th installment of the Underworld franchise hit theaters January 6^th. Kate Beckinsale reprised her role as Selene in Blood Wars. Theo James and Charles Dance also reprised their roles as Thomas and David, two members of the Eastern Coven. New comers Tobias Menzies (Marius) and Lara Pulver (Semira) took on the role of antagonists this time around. Marius taking the crown as “the big bad” of the film.

Following her killing of vampire Elders in Underworld: Awakening, famed Death Dealer Selene has become a fugitive hunted by both factions (Lycans and Vampires) of a grueling war that rages on. The vampires are seeking revenge for Selene’s crimes, while the Lycans, armed with a new leader Marius, are seeking Selene’s daughter Eve, whose blood is the key to creating an army of vampire/Lycan hybrids that could end the conflict. Selene is rescued by David after she is attacked by a pack of Lycans and later the duo receives word that Selene has been granted clemency by the Eastern Coven in return for her training a new army of death dealers to defeat the growing Lycan army.

New director, Anna Foerster, chose to keep the classic blue/black tones the franchise is known for while attempting to introduce a new story line. However, Underworld: Blood Wars failed to deliver. Jump cuts and rough editing techniques in addition to the dark lighting made some of the movies bigger action sequences hard to follow. The pacing of the film also varied; at times it was painstakingly slow and at other times, especially toward the film act of the film, it felt rushed. The action of the film itself wasn’t that exciting compared to previous films and the script was almost solely reliant on exposition. The first half of the film had almost no action and was used primarily to set up the Sacred World; a new world that was briefly introduced but never fully divulged into. The same goes for the Nordic Coven, Marius’s background and why Eve’s blood is so magical.

There was so much Underworld: Blood Wars could have tapped into that would have made for a more interesting story plot/action wise. However, longtime fans of the franchise will be pleased with Selene’s plot line, action sequences and enhanced powers, along with another fan favorite’s true lineage revealed. Newcomers to the franchise may find this movie rather lax and leave with many questions. One question both longtime fans and newcomers alike will find themselves asking: will we see a 6^th Underworld movie? The ending of Blood Wars sure set us up for one.

What did you think of Underworld: Blood Wars? Sound off in the comments.

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That’s right ladies and gentlemen. The final installments of Underworld & Resident Evil hit theaters in late 2016 and early 2017. Underworld: Blood Wars is set to release on October 14^th, 2016. The film is currently in post-production. No trailer or plot has been released yet.

The film is directed by Anna Foerster (Independence Day, Pitch Black, The Day After Tomorrow) and written by Cory Goodman (The Last Witch Hunter, Priest), Kevin Grevioux, Danny McBride, and Len Wiseman (Underworld, Underworld: Evolution). Kate Beckinsale will reprise her role as Selene, along with Theo James who will be back on screen as David and Charles Dance who plays Thomas. As of right now there is no mention of Scott Speedman’s (Michael) return to the saga. However, there is hope. In Underworld Awakening (2012) we left of with Selene going to find Michael but only finding an empty cryogenic cell with Eve sharing his vision and learning he is on the roof. Selene, Eve, and David run to the roof only to find Michael is gone. Selene narrates, concluding that she will find Michael and take back the world from the humans and lycans, so the vampires can rebuild themselves as the humans declared war. Also when looking at the cast list on IMDB, we can see Trent Garrett is playing the hybrid version of Michael. Keep your fingers crossed that we will see Speedman reprise this role!

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is set to release on January 27^th, 2017. This is film is also currently in post-production. No trailer has been released but we do have a plot summary. According to IMDB, a summary from Screen Gems/ Constantin states:

“Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, humanity is on its last legs after Alice is betrayed by Wesker in Washington D.C. As the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead hordes, Alice must return to where the nightmare began – Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse. In a race against time Alice will join forces with old friends, and an unlikely ally, in an action packed battle with undead hordes and new mutant monsters. Between regaining her superhuman abilities at Wesker’s hand and Umbrella’s impending attack, this will be Alice’s most difficult adventure as she fights to save humanity, which is on the brink of oblivion.”

The film is directed and written by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Retribution). Milla Jovovich will star once again, as Alice, along with Ali Larter who plays Claire Redfield.

First photo of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Behind the Scenes photo of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Stay tuned to RESPECT. Mag for updates! In the meantime you can join me in re-watching all the movies in both series.

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The post Final Installments of ‘Underworld’ & ‘Resident Evil’ will Hit Theaters Soon appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.