[We ♥ Milla Jovovich]

2012 will be host to a number of franchise sequels and spinoffs. But aside from big budget epics like The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, The Expendables 2, and so forth, there are also sequels to two modestly successful horror franchises on tap.

Next week, Underworld: Awakening marks the fourth entry in the Underworld franchise, while later this year sees the release of Resident Evil: Retribution 3D, the fifth installment in the video game movie franchise. Neither franchise is particularly well-loved by critics, but that doesn't stop fans from turning out each time.

As it turns out, the Underworld and RE movies have a number of similarities in terms of storylines, directorial style, and marketing. In this feature we examine those similarities, what makes these movies so consistently successful and then ask you to vote on your favorite.

You may know her from Resident Evil, and you will see her in the upcoming Stone opposite Robert De Niro, but since the late '80s she's done everything from modeling to singing. Herein, a tribute to one of the great almost-important actresses of our time.

You know her from: The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, the occasional artfully nude photo you will find when you Google her now.

She will become forever cemented in your consciousness because of: Stone (out October 8).

Edward Norton and Robert De Niro may be Stone's stars, but Jovovich is its spirit. As Lucetta, a kindergarten teacher who will do anything to help her arsonist husband (Norton) get parole, Jovovich is a mix of vulnerability and ruthlessness: She talks just as sweetly while pushing a kid on a swing as she does while pushing her hand down a parole officer's (De Niro) pants. She exemplifies the duality of every character in the film, but where others suppress their sinister side, whether out of fear, remorse, or desperation, Jovovich embraces hers. She controls it. Relishes it. And makes it feel volatile and undeniably real. And because of this performance, for the first time, basically out of nowhere, she seems like the kind of actress who could win an Oscar. Maybe not for this role, but someday. [source]