Spitfire and Jester Talk Cinema

[Jester]

Hello, I'm Jester one half of the new movie review duo of Spitfire and Jester. I figured since we are both movie fiends, yet with 2 totally different tastes in movies, we would make for an interesting pair to review movies. We are also friends, so even though there will be disagreement, there won't be (much) blood. Spitfire agreed to partner up with this thread and so here we are. We will start by offering a (belated) review of "I am Legend" staring Will Smith. (Belated mainly because I had yet to see it until last night. ) I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment on our discussions.


I went to see "I am Legend" last night because I hadn't seen it yet. (That and Thursdays at the Cabot theater are free popcorn night....score.) But anyway I finally went to see this movie after hearing mixed reviews. My sister hated it. Professional reviewers liked it. I was skeptical. I had seen the other 2 adaptations of Richard Matheson's novel staring Charlton Heston and Vincent Price in the role of Robert Neville, so I expected I wouldn't be surprised by anything in this film.

Oh, how wrong I was. "I am Legend" succeeds where the other to movies fall a little short. It freakin' spooked me. There were several scenes where a loud noise or a well placed movement made me jump, and as I've said I've seen "Last Man on Earth" and "Omega Man". Smith plays Neville well, and unlike Heston and Price isn't completely alone for most of the movie. Will's Neville has his dog Sam (short for Samantha, I literally didn't know this was a female dog until she was injured in the middle of the movie). She helps keep him sane, of course that is until he is trapped (surprisingly, considering they are assumed to be mindless) by the "zombies" and she is forced to defend him, succumbing to the modified measles virus. I admit my heart sank to see Sam hurt, maybe it's because I'm an animal lover.

Later Neville tries to kill himself after losing his only companion, only to be saved by 2 other virus plague survivors. Neville is literally alone for maybe hours before he snaps completely. Man he's not very emotionally stable. One of the survivors, a woman named Anna, says that she and the young boy with her, Ethan, are heading to a survivors camp in Vermont and want Neville to go with them. Neville says he must finish what he started and fix what happened to New York. Near the end Neville's home is attacked by those infected by the virus and they attempt to kill Neville. He helps Ethan, Anna, and a possible cure to escape while sacrificing himself in the process.

All in all I liked this movie. Will Smith does an admirable job portraying the last survivor in New York. The expansive abandoned New York showed just how lonely his existence must have been. My only real gripe is with the "creatures" themselves. They are obviously CG characters and though they do look a lot better than the infected from "Omega Man" (I swear they look like they had a flour fight.) it's still very obvious that they are not real. But still I would recomend this movie to the 3 other people who still gotten of their lazy backsides and seen it. It's not "Citizen Kane," but it's a fun movie to see on free popcorn night at your local theater.

[Peanut]

Fail/10

AMIRITE!? LAWL!

[Spitfire]

I'd seen this flick awhile ago. I didn't want my brain bugging me so I turned it off during the course of the movie. At least I tried to, then the monsters came out. When Smith entered the building to get his dog back I was sitting on the edge of my seat thinking "This movie just got good." They did that scene really well, and when he goes up the staircase and sees the group of them huddling, that was creepy. The whole scene was great till you see the close up of the monster and it's a giant CGI mess. The main thing that pisses me off about the whole thing is they could have pulled it off without CGI. The monsters didn't need to open their mouths super wide.

But my gripes with CGI aside I felt the movie was rather bland. I would have much preferred he stayed alone the entire film. The dog was a fine addition and in fact some of the scenes with the dog were really good, mainly the one where he loses her. The shots back to his family were alright I think it would have been better suited as one big flashback because after the first one I knew exactly what was going to happen. I've never read the book or seen the other films so I can't compare the two I just based everything off of how it was as is. I don't think they played on his insanity enough. He's the last man on Earth as far as he knows, he was way to mentally stable, even if he slips a little at the end.

The fight towards the end was another thing that angered me. He sets up his house like a fortress with UV lights all over the outside but fails to put them inside the house. He's a scientist I'd expect him to be smarter then that.

Since I don't want to ruin anything I'll address this next issue via spoiler tags

Spoiler:

His death was pretty badly done. It felt like at this point they had run out of ideas and were looking for ways to end it. Football tackling the alpha male with a grenade made for a very bad scene. Then finding out there's a whole city of humans out there, who now have a cure.

To me the ending was just to happy for the tone the movie had. A movie with this subject matter needs a horrifying ending. It was to easy to go the happy route.

Aside from a few good scenes this movie fell flat on it's face for me. To me it's another example of "Missionary Position Film Making" in other words, boring, basic, simple, film making. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they haven't seen better "end of the world" films.

[Mecha Cow]

So...are you guys, like, going to discuss the movies with each other or what? All you seem to be doing now is posting your seperate conflicting, unrelated opinions, in the wrong section for that matter. o_O

[愛]

Way to put it in the wrong section. I moved it for you.

This is kinda weird, but if you wanna do this, no one can stop you.

[Jester]

Yeah, I noticed that, and I asked Krang to fix it, thanks to Ai for the fix.

Now back on topic. Movies like this always suffer from that lack of logic, Spit. I just lovced how easily the UV lamps outside his house were taken out. I think that may explain the nbot having UV lights in the house, he put all his hope in the extreior UV lights.

I'll agree that the ending was kinda lack luster, but from what I've read of the "alternate ending" this is the darker the 2. In the other ending Neville returns the cured "zombie" to the alpha male, and he escapes with Anne and Ethan. That would have been even more hokey.

Like you said, if you turn off your brain, and just sit back and watch the movie, it's an OK watch. I'd much rather sit through this again than "Good Luck Chuck" or "Superbad."

[Mr. Snackpants]

Originally Posted by Jester

Yeah, I noticed that, and I asked Krang to fix it, thanks to Ai for the fix.

Now back on topic. Movies like this always suffer from that lack of logic, Spit. I just lovced how easily the UV lamps outside his house were taken out. I think that may explain the nbot having UV lights in the house, he put all his hope in the extreior UV lights.

I'll agree that the ending was kinda lack luster, but from what I've read of the "alternate ending" this is the darker the 2. In the other ending Neville returns the cured "zombie" to the alpha male, and he escapes with Anne and Ethan. That would have been even more hokey.

Like you said, if you turn off your brain, and just sit back and watch the movie, it's an OK watch. I'd much rather sit through this again than "Good Luck Chuck" or "Superbad."

I know you don't like Superbad but they can't even be mentioned in the same sentence. I mean it's a Dane Cook movie

[Jester]

Touche' Mr. Snackpamnts. Even Jessica Alba's awesome beauty couldn't keep that steaming load of a movie from stinking.

[syd]

I don't like that ending either,I can't understand.0xo
And overall the movie is simple but orderly and compact,but if you ask me I won't see it twice,but if you ask me I think it would be a successful CGI anime movie, and of course,NC-17.

[Mr. Snackpants]

Originally Posted by syd

I don't like that ending either,I can't understand.0xo
And overall the movie is simple but orderly and compact,but if you ask me I won't see it twice,but if you ask me I think it would be a successful CGI anime movie, and of course,NC-17.

No one even asked you once, let alone twice.

[Peanut]

I can tell this thread is going places!

*toilet flush*

[Jester]

Isn't everyone entitled to one lousey idea?

[ThirdMarioBro]

Yes, just as much as we are entitled to ridicule your idea.

[syd]

Originally Posted by Mr. Snackpants

No one even asked you once, let alone twice.

.................................................. ...............

[Krang]

Let's get back on topic, please. Also, Spitfire and Jester have barely had a chance to get this thread started, so give it a chance before posting your criticism about their idea.

[Kunoichi_Haruko]

Oh I know-- can you two give us a head's up on which movies you'll be reviewing in the future?

[Jester]

Yeah, eventually we'll get it figured out. maybe we'll send eachother the post prior to actually posting it, so the rebutal is more....well....not just two conflicting reviews.

[syd]

What gives here?0xo
I don't get a single clue...I mean first of all there're the concrete reviews of Jester and Spit running through,and then almost of a sudden Oh It's In The Wrong Section,and then there's Oh Don't Know What Are You Talking About,and then Oh Ridicule Your Idea,then No One Ask You,then K. showed up,then Request For Then Next Movie Review...*excuse me for exploding*

[AquaParade]

Originally Posted by Kunoichi_Haruko

Oh I know-- can you two give us a head's up on which movies you'll be reviewing in the future?

You're signature makes me wanna pick up those figs haha. How are they? Anymore good pics?

[Kunoichi_Haruko]

Originally Posted by LeoInRed

You're signature makes me wanna pick up those figs haha. How are they? Anymore good pics?

I love the figures. Nicely articulated, IMO. I'll have to look in my photo album to see if I made any other nice pictures....