Review: ‘I Am Legend’

Zac:

Will Smith’s newest blockbuster works really well for about 75% of the time and the other 25% is just good. Robert Neville is the last human in NYC, is accompanied by his German Sheppard Sam as they hunt for food and go through their daily routine everyday during the daylight. At night they are forced to lock themselves in their home and hope that the vampire like creatures that roam in the darkness do not find and break in to their house.
The sole survivor narrative inters cuts with a flashback to the day the island was evacuated as Neville tries to get his wife and son out of the city. We also learn that Neville is a military scientist that worked on the virus that caused the pandemic and he tries to find the cure as he moves through his life of solitude.
The movie takes place over the course of only a couple of days and to say anymore would ruin the tension and point of seeing a mysterious thriller like this. The movie though is extremely tense at times and is almost always interesting. When you aren’t on the edge of your seat as director Francis Lawrence takes us through dark and eerily quiet stair wells, you are intrigued by the story to try and figure out how everything went so bad. The movie fails to fill a couple of holes that I would have liked answered but they are forgivable as they aren’t necessarily essential to the story we are watching unfold.
My main gripe with the film is the last 20-30 min or so just don’t work very well. The action set piece is pretty good and works ok, but after a significant game changer (you’ll know what it is), the movie just doesn’t work as solidly as the rest of the material beforehand. But with that said, it’s still entertaining, if not a bit rushed.
The movie as a whole will tug on every emotion you have and will keep you on the edge of your seat through out. Will Smith easily carries the film by himself with special mention to the dog Abby who played Sam as she does a great job at selling the relationship between the too and is character you truly care about in all of this mess.
It would have been nice to have seen a bit different approach to the ending and to divulge a bit more into the mind of a man all alone for so long, but the movie is more than worth seeing in the theater and is an entertaining popcorn flick for the holiday season.

(4 out of 5)

Travis:

Serving as the third movie adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel, I Am Legend stars Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville, the last surviving human being in Manhattan. He finds himself mysteriously immune to the man-made virus intended to be a miracle cure for cancer, but rapidly turns to the dark side and ultimately destroys the human race as we know it. All that is left is a world populated with hyper-aggressive, primitive minded savages, driven by violence and rage. Determined to undo this living apocalypse, Neville searches for survivors by day and diligently seeks a cure from his blood by night, barricaded in his reinforced house while the creatures thrive, safe from the sunlight.

I Am Legend is entertaining, carrying itself with a creative new twist on the twice-told story and with a great performance from Smith. However, the movie is by no means flawless. The action is superb, but do not seek this movie out as a fast-aced, action-packed joyride. The story is wonderfully slowly-paced and deliberate in its careful, day-by-day progression of the life of one man alone in a massive city with only his German Shepard Sam to keep his company. I actually believe this is the movie’s saving grace, but heed this warning to avoid potentially disappointing expectations.

I shall diverge momentarily by jumping straight to the heart of the film’s flaws. I often state with great conviction the following mantra: Just because you have the capability to do something, does not mean it is always the most effective method for accomplishing the task at hand. What does this mean? Applied to I Am Legend, (and, understand that this is not the first movie to receive this criticism) this specifically refers to the subtle overuse of CGI special effects. Here we have a story that is primarily dealing with two basic human phobias; that of being alone and that of the unknown, combined naturally with the fear of the dark. With this in mind, a story such as this plays most effectively on the suppressed exposure to that which we fear. In other words, bring the antagonist to our direct view at a minimum, and as late in the story as possible. Basically, it is simply a matter of less being more.

Secondly, be sure that once we do get a healthy and vivid view of the monsters, make it worth our while. As an audience, if we are going to get an eyeful of a movie monster, it had better be good and yes, it had better be believable. To illustrate my point, I suggest revisiting two great classics of the horror genre; the original Alien movie, and the first installment of the Jaws franchise. In both films, the monstrous antagonists were hardly seen at all until much later in the movie. Once we did get a good dose of the creatures, the effect was far more successful, and ultimately more believable. On that note, I will just briefly mention that I felt the overall execution of the character design was acceptable and rather effective in its simplicity, save one element involving the creature’s leader frequently roaring with such ferocity that his jaw opened and widened to an extent of being absurdly comical. When speaking of the plot itself, I Am Legend carries very well. With this said, there is one major plot element at approximately two-thirds the way into the story, which drew the viewer out of the story. In an effort to avoid spoiling the movie, I will vaguely state that the plot device utilized to introduce the only other surviving human characters into the story is clumsy and distracting. At one point during Neville’s daytime excursions, a surprising revelation is made of the creature’s leader, resulting in Neville’s near death. As a result of this event’s consequences, he seeks to put an end to his misery, only to be saved by a young woman named Anna and a boy named Ethan. From here, the story quickly realigns itself with its previous storyline, ending with a fairly typical, yet effective mainstream Hollywood finale.

I Am Legend succeeds at entertaining the audience as a psychological horror film with the moral essence of science-fiction. The sporadic use of tense action sequences is excellent, accompanied by the type of crowd-pleasing performance we have come to expect from Will Smith. The cinematography and sound are perfectly appropriate, the flashbacks are remarkably well-placed to develop the back story, and if you don’t become thoroughly and emotionally attached to Neville’s perfect canine companion, then I am sorry†¦ you just simply aren’t human.

(4.25 out of 5)

[rating: 4/5]

p.s. the alternate ending really works better for this film on DVD and it would have been nice if it would have been maintained, even if it was a downer of sorts.

It was a National Treasure weekend.

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National Treasure seemed to thump all other competition with 45.5 million over the weekend. Honestly, there is no suprise there for me. However what I am suprised at is the fact that Walk Hard didnt even come in the top 3! Here is a list of the top 5..and Walk Hard.

1) National Treasure; Book of Secrets. 45.5 Million
2) I am Legend. 34.2 Million
3) Alvin and the Chipmunks. 29 Million
4) Charlie Wilson’s War. 9.6 Million
5) Sweeney Todd. 9.3 Millions
..and then bringing up the rear at number 8 Walk Hard with a measly 4.1 Million.

The Worst Rock Movies ever made..no.

So, Blender.com put out a list of the 10 worst rock movies ever made and they listed 2 movies that really pissed me off.

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First off they listed at #5 Rock Star, you know the one with Mark Wahlberg. I actually thought this movie was really good, especially if you liked the glam rock of the 80’s. Bad form blender!

Then, if that wasnt enough they coupled in Radiohead’s ‘Rockumentary’ ‘Meeting People is Easy‘.

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This one shouldnt be on the list for obvious reasons. A) most of the movies on the list are ACTUAL MOVIES, and B) Anyone who isnt a fan of radiohead wont like this..but i sure as hell did. Come on   blender, there is more to music than Britney Spears and Kanye West (not that there is anything wrong with either of those artists).

I am certain that you could have found at least one movie about a boy band, or christina agu..nevermind. Instead you pick movies about Glam Rock(popular music before your magazine was around), and One of the most influential bands of our generation.

Review: ‘Romance & Cigarettes’

Zac:

The long delayed New York based musical by John Turturro finally gets to show its face, and sadly, outside of a few good laughs here and there this one is not a winner.
The film has no direction at all for 2/3 of the film. It feels like a random splattering of scenes most of the time and is just all over the place with no plot line really to follow. There are a couple of good laughs sprinkled throughout, i.e. if Christopher Walken or Steve Buscemi are on screen, but most of the time you are left wondering what the hell is going on. Random imaginary sequences pop in here and there, the dance numbers are fun, silly, and probably the best part of the film, the songs used are ok and usually feel appropriate but still a bit random; its all a bit random. The movie is all over the place so much I really can’t even figure out how to explain it.
The final third of the movie has stability but it stops being funny as James Gandolfini’s character seeks redemption for cheating on his wife as he is slowly killed by his lung cancer. The scenes work, are well done, and are even a bit touching, but again, randomly different then the rest of the film. The movie just never seems to know what it wants to be and we don’t know what to expect ever.
The actors are all a bit over the top and ridiculous but with a cast including Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon, Mary Louise Parker, and the three fore mentioned males you would think this would be a bit better, but it is not.
Turturro’s film has a number of bright spots, but as an overall film, it just doesn’t work. My girlfriend felt like she was in the theater for 4hrs for a 1:45min movie, and she would give it a 3 because she “liked the dancing.” Either way, it’s a major disappointment, and I guess the studios knew what they were doing when they passed on this film for the last couple of years.

[rating: 2/5]

Jet Li, and Jackie Chan..in the same movie..how is that possible

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wouldnt having both of them in the same movie burn the film reels, or at least produce such a light that the film couldnt be seen? Well anyhow such will be the case when these two come together in ‘The Firbidden Kingdom’. Wow, this is going to be on crazy duo together. Like themovieblog said, This is almost as good as Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee being in the Way of the Dragon.

Here is a pre-synopsis  from wikipedia for ‘The Forbidden Kingdown’
  

“The plot is currently unconfirmed but rumor has it that The Forbidden Kingdom is about a New York teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and classic Kung Fu movies. Jason (Michael Angarano), is a boy who is always bullied at school. He is determined to learn kung fu to protect himself. One day in a Chinatown pawnshop, Jason makes an extraordinary discovery – a Chinese staff. It is the legendary Ru Yi Bang staff of the Chinese sage and warrior, Sun Wukong the Monkey King.

A mysterious power in the staff transports Jason back to ancient China. There he meets kung fu master Lu Yan (Jackie Chan). He is unkempt and looks like a beggar; nevertheless Jason becomes his disciple. Later, he meets another kung fu master, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei) and the Silent Monk (Jet Li). The three of them go on to a journey after seeing the staff in Jason’s possession. There has been an ancient prophecy: Sun Wukong the Monkey King, who was jailed under the Five Fingers Mountain by Lord Buddha himself, will one day be freed by a “foreign youngster”, who will return the staff to him. After learning of the arrival of Jason, the Jade Emperor (Collin Chou) immediately sends out his three highly skilled guards led by the White Haired Demoness (Li Bingbing) to get the staff from the boy. So the battle begins and the adventure goes on…”

Quentin Tarantino Presents..

HELL RIDE.

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Wow, I am effing excited about this release. I have seen pretty much all of the QT Presents movies, and they are always good. He is even taking the reigns of Executive Producer on this flick.

Synopsis from wikipedia;
“Larry Bishop will star as bad-ass biker Pistolero, (named after the original title for Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado) who along with The Gent (Michael Madsen) and Comanche (Eric Balfour), hit the road to avenge the death of Pistolero’s old lady Cherokee Kisum (Julia Jones), by the 666ers a rival motorcycle gang.”

PREPARE YOURSELF.

Review: ‘Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead’

Devil’s Leading Men

Zac:

Sidney Lumet’s new film is an interesting take on the crime drama, by taking a small simple crime and examining the consequences of what can happen if everything went wrong. The movie is a very intimate look into the lives of everyone involved and can be even more intimate than most crime films due to the interconnections between all the characters we focus on.
The movie opens with Andy, Phillip Seymor Hoffman, having some raw powerful sex with his wife Gina, the very naked most of the time Marisa Tomei, and while seemingly a bit gratuitous at first, by the end of everything it is the reason that everything that happens in the film happens in the first place.
Also involved is Hank, Ethan Hawke, who is a divorced supporting dad who is a little short on cash all the time, as well as Charles, Albert Finney, the owner of a “ma and pa” jewelry store.
The second scene we see is the robbery itself, and when it goes south, Hank has to flee the scene, as he escapes we flash back 3 days using a cool little transition and this is how the story is told through out the film. Once Hank’s story catches back up to where it went back, we might see a bit more or we flashback to see one of the other three leads perspectives over roughly the same time frame. A few scenes overlap and based on what we learn from the flashback those scenes have a bit more weight and we see them from other angles the second time around.
The acting is top notch most of the time and there are some twists and turns as you go. Hoffman is the best here, because he is awesome, and he gets to work with a broad range of emotions and has the most going on as a character. His scenes/story is full of long takes and sadness compared to the others, and while good, can be hard to swallow sometimes. Hawke’s performance is the most frantic and plot driven, as he was directly a part of the robbery, and he does work as usual. Tomei is pretty much a naked sex craved woman the first half, but does a great job telling a lot about her relationship with Andy in the opening scene. We don’t divulge into her character that much and I think we missed out on some good material, especially with the relationship situation she is in and getting to see what she thought about everything could have been really interesting; we only get to see a touch of that in a really great scene towards the end. Finney is good as well most of the time, but he has some really awkward moments, and is sadly just getting to old I think. His mouth does some weird things and took me out of the movie a couple times. I know this sounds mean, but it was very visually distracting a couple times, especially in the climax, it looked like he was having a stroke or something.
In the end, the movie drags a bit occasionally but never long enough to disinterest and the story is compelling, engaging, and well thought out. The acting is good and there are occasional bits of laughter through out which help lighten the mood. But a bit of an open ending might upset some, but it works for me. In another year this movie might have faired better, but with so many good movies out right now it pales in comparison; definitely at least worth renting, and seek it out in theaters if your a crime fan, as its a interesting take on the genre.

(4 out of 5)

Travis:

Director Sydney Lumet returns to form with Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, after what I consider to be one of the longest directorial droughts in movie history. It’s no surprise, however, that his return evokes movies like Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico, which made him an icon of 70’s cinema.

The story follows Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a washed up banker, as he drags his brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) into a personally disasterous criminal belly flop, which they hope will set them both free of their miserably unsatisfying lives. Hoffman is both frighteningly numb and pathetically desperate as a drug-addicted, financially drained bank employee who plots *spoiler* a robbery of his own parents’ jewelry store as a way to free himself and his wife (Marisa Tomei) from their empty suburban, middle-class lives.

The slightly non-linear story unfolds in a way that intrigues us with a slowly revealed trail of mishaps and consequences, which eventually lead to the ironicly poetic and disturbing climax. Everyone becomes a victom to Andy’s greed and self-loathing. Scenes are played with such emotional mastery, they are difficult to watch yet we cannot break ourselves from our attachment to these characters. We truly want to feel sympathy for Andy, but we are left at every turn hating him more. Certainly we will see Oscar nods for Hoffman, possibly for Hawke and maybe even for the screenplay.

(4.5 out of 5)

[rating: 4.25/5]

I’m a Lebowski..but are you?

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Well Folk’s, i just picked up a copy of the ‘I’m a Lebowski, You’re a Lebowski’ as so far, its damn funny. Its got interviews with the cast, info about Lebowski Fest, and just other random Lebowski goodness. So lets break it down; If you love The Big Lebowski, If you frequent Lebowski Fest, then you MUST go out and snag this book. You can snag it for like 10 bucks from amazon.com. So what are you waiting for..go get it!

Here is the synopsis from amazon..“If you recognize the phrase I don’t roll on Shabbos or The Dude abides, then you’ve seen The Big Lebowski, filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen’s tribute to the detective genre starring Jeff Bridges as a bowling-loving stoner named The Dude who accidentally gets mixed up with kidnappers, nihilists and other strange Coen brother–style comic types. A financial and critical bomb released in 1998, it has since gained a devoted cult following, due in no small part to the efforts of this delightfully obsessive book’s authors, the organizers of Lebowski Fest, a traveling celebration that combines the good vibes of a Grateful Dead concert with the fervor of a Star Trek convention. Like a typical Dead concert, however, the book is a lot of fun, but will seem uneven to all but the hardest-core fan. Highlights include insightful interviews with principal actors, including Bridges and John Goodman (I think that’s the favorite thing I’ve ever done in my life). Unfortunately, the authors also feature various unsuccessful attempts at capturing the film’s quirky humor (How to Dude-ify Your Car) along with too many long and repetitious interviews with various Lebowski fanatics. (Sept.)”

Movies that id like to see redone..

When I was 13 i loved watching the remade version of Romeo and Juliet with Dicaprio and Claire Danes. It always made me wonder why they hadnt redone movies like Willy Wonka(now redone), and The Wizard of Oz(its only a matter of time).

The other movies that most people wont enjoy as much as I would if they were to be remade are.

masters.jpgHe-Man masters of the universe. I know, I know the first one was Super Cheesy(but in the 80’s I LOVE IT..and still do) why would they remake this one? Well, I dont think they went far enough into the movie. There was very little character development and that is partly because there was supposed to be sequels. Dolph had to do all of his own stunts, and hell the movie’s funding got pulled before they even shot the final fight scene. They didnt get a chance to explore She-Ra, Orko, or Skeletor that much. It was also supposed to be shot on Eternia, not planet earth. So as you can see, I think a remade version of this movie would be awesome, if done right.

As of right now Joel Silver is currently doing production on this movie, and it seems like they are going do some of the same effects that they did in 300. Should be good.