MOVIE REVIEW: "I AM LEGEND"
art and review by Phillip Seahorn
Starring:
Will Smith,
Alice Braga,
Dash Mihok,
Salli Richardson-Whitfield,
Charlie TahanDirected by:
Francis LawrenceProduced by:
Erwin Stoff,
Michael Tadross,
Dana GoldbergI went to see this movie at Ronnie's yesterday ( a true hidden gem).
I had to digest this movie for a couple of days, as it is a mixed bag.
Will Smith should be up for a Acadamy Award.His performance was excellent as a man descending into madness from extreme loneliness and depression, and severe stress from fighting off canabalistic creatures hell bent on eating him and his dog.
But this movie is not a sci fi action flick, or a survivalist flick, or a gory horror (think "Alien") type of movie.Hollywood actually tried to market this movie as ALL THREE.
However, this movie is not at all any of these, but a psychological study in the nature of the need for humans to have companionship.
Thsi movie explores this, much as the original novel from which this movie is taken from does.
But it is the technical aspects of this film that fall short.
First off, there were just too damned many closeups of Smith's face.Digital movies should not have a lot of closeups.I really don't care to see the color of a actor's nose hairs.
Second of all, the CGI.
It looked just like a fucking video game.
A BAD VIDEO GAME.
There is one scene in the the third act in which you could SWEAR you were watching a demo for a video game.
And what the fuck is up with using Smith's real kids in his movies?Talk about fucking ego!
Overall, not a bad movie, but it could have been MUCH better if they had went for the horror action mix.
But that would not have allowed the Oscar calibre performance of Smith as a lonely man going insane.
THE SEAHORN MOVIEMETER: "C" for the flick,"A+" for the acting
DVD REVIEW: "BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR"
by Phillip Seahorn
This is Oscar quality work.
Simple as that.
The wierd thing is, this "tele-movie" was actually released in a few theatres in various cities in the United States.
This movie is the best "redemption" movie I have seen in a long, long time.
They really should have relesed this nationwide, which would have put it in Academy Award contention.
There has always been wierd shit going on with this new incarnation of "Battlestar".
They tried it on prime time NBC, which flopped horribly.And yet, this movie has a fan base of people from all walks of life, not just the "geek" crowd.
This is because of the exceptional writing on characters that is a first with a sci-fi vehicle ( well, they did it with"Star Trek", but it took twenty fucking years) which drives this "reimaging "of a 70's sci-fi show.
With this DVD,"Razor" is the one that takes Galactica to a whole new level.
I'm not going into the plot, but the young leading lady, with the sexiest voice I have heard in a long time, should be up for a Emmy, and a fucking Oscar.
Not since "Ripley" has there been a chick like this.
Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen plays Kendra Shaw, a member of the infamous "Pegasus" crew (get the DVD), and she is simply incredible.
She makes Starbuck look like a freshly spanked Japanes schoolgirl, and shows such depth in acting that she would be up for a Acadamy Award if the motherfuckers had faith in this movie and showed it in more theatres!
The special effects are Hollywood movie level, which is why this thing is a mixed deal. A "Tele-film" film with Hollywood production.The Cylons you get are new and old school.They are rendered in CGI incredibly.Adds more depth to the "man in tin suit" feel of the Cylons of the 70's series.
Not only does this movie stand as a film on its own, it kicks the franchise right in the nuts.This movie stamps the fan loyalty, and should create a whole new fan base in all those people who find this in Blockbusters and such.
It's that good.
THE SEAHORN MOVIEMETER:"A+" if ONLY they had the kahonies to show it in more theatres, this movie would be up for a Oscar!
