I Am Legend Review

Well, holiday movies this year are two for two in my book. All I'm gonna say is, go see I Am Legend. Just go. You will NOT be disappointed.

The film tells the story of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a virus outbreak that was originally supposed to be a cure for cancer (the cure was an altered form of the measles virus). He is in New York City, which had originally been sealed off because the man-made plague had become airborne. The infected ended up feasting on the uninfected. However, Neville, and his faithful canine companion Sam (canines are immune to only the airborne portion of the virus), remain on the island, as Neville is somehow immune to the virus. The infected cannot come out in the daytime, as their skin is sensitive to any UV exposure.

I will stop the summation of the story there. If I said any more, I would literally be giving spoilers. Sorry for the bare-bones summary, but it was necessary to keep the integrity of the film's plot and story.

Will Smith is awesome. He is perfect for the role. It looks like he bulked up for the movie, and he's pretty ripped. He portrays one of the strongest characters I have ever seen in a movie. For a person to go through what he goes through, and to remain that strong, it's almost unbelievable. But he pulls it off perfectly, as he almost descends into madness, but fights it.

The film (at least the first half) really portrays isolation well. There is some very smart cinematography work here, as many of the camera movements and positions show the complete and utter loneliness that Neville is stuck with. The music is quite sparse as well. Silence is golden here, and as sounds disappear, the tension mounts.

This leads right into the scary portion of the film. Things jump out at you, and the film is quite loud at these points. This will turn some off, and at points I found myself irritated by the fact that I had to prepare to be startled once again. But I found that that was the point of those moments, and I appreciated them a little more after this realization. The movie wants you to be tense and on the edge of your seat. And they definitely get that done.

The movie does dip into the whole zombie film realm, but not as much as I expected. Like I said, things do pop out frequently, and there is a bit of roaring. But honestly, it really is not that bad. I think the movie sort of portrays it like the infection though. You gradually get more and more infected people exposure, but it does not overwhelm you if you fight it.

The only real problem I had with the movie was that it was too short! It could have easily used at least another half hour, if not a full hour. A bit more character development could have been used to the film's advantage. But the film isn't necessarily hurt by the shorter 101 minute running time. It's just that I would have loved more.

This is one of my top picks for the year. Honestly. There is a lot at work here, and though it could be a bit longer, the movie really flourishes at every moment. It was very hard to find something I did not like about it. I feel like this movie can get mixed reactions, but with a sci-fi theme, great cinematography, and great atmosphere, it is one of my favorite movies of the year, hopefully an Oscar bid for Smith, and my highest recommendation.

This doesn't happen very often, but I stand behind my decision...

5/5

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Review

It's been said that I am overly critical and dislike pretty much all movies. I would like to be the first to dismiss these rash assumptions. While I do criticize movies a bit (and review any new releases I get to see), you'll notice that only two of the movies I have ever reviewed have received lower than 3/5. These include The Da Vinci Code, a 2/5 which I still stand by, and Saw IV, a 1/5, and a series which people either love or hate (you can guess which one I side with). Otherwise, the rest of the scores have been 3/5 or better, with many receiving 4/5, and a select few receiving 5/5. Therefore, it should be noted that I actually like and wholeheartedly enjoy the vast majority of the movies I see. However, when I point out flaws, some people take that to mean that I dislike the movie. This is not the case. Just because I like a movie does not mean I think it is perfect. By the same token, just because I dislike a movie, does not mean you have to dislike it as well, nor does it mean that it has no redeeming qualities (see my previous blog for a further dive into this topic). Not every movie is my favorite, and I do not intend to push my favorites on you. I merely give my opinion to invite discussion. Though it appears this discussion moved in a direction I had not intended.

Moving on to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, one of the more interesting movies I have seen. I give a caveat, however. This is not a movie for everyone. It's a Tim Burton movie, and it's probably his darkest yet, surprising though it may be. It's a slasher, a thriller, a horror film, and, oh right, a musical(?).

Sweeney Todd, previously known as Benjamin Barker, is returning from deportation at the hands of Judge Turpin, with a faithful sailor, Anthony Hope, at his side. Barker loses his beautiful wife and daughter, and returns a rather darker figure, that of Sweeney Todd. Vengeance is on his mind, and as a barber, he has access to his "friends," his razor blades. When he returns to his home, he finds that Nellie Lovett has taken up shop as a meat-pie maker (though they are the worst in London). She tells Sweeney Todd that his wife poisoned herself. Todd also learns that his daughter is the ward of Judge Turpin, further fueling his quest for revenge on the judge. Anthony Hope sees his daughter at the Judge's house, and falls in love. He intends to rescue her. Later, after a failed attempt at the Judge's murder, Todd and Lovett go into an operation of sorts, where Todd's victims become the ingredients for Lovett's meat pies. Yes, I'm serious.

The rest of the story you shall learn, if you so wish. Oh and by the way, this is a musical. There is dialogue, yes, but I would say the ratio of music to dialogue is probably split down the middle, maybe leaning 60:40. So, if the story, and the fact that it is a musical have turned you off, then don't learn the rest of the story. You won't want to.

But this musical is probably the darkest I have ever seen or heard of. There's blood, gallons of the stuff, although it's done in an over-the-top way, so it's not overtly disgusting. Still, there's a lot of murder, a lot of throat-slicing, so if you don't think you can handle that, I'd suggest staying far away.

I must say, Johnny Depp is one of (if not the best) actors I have ever witnessed. He embodies Sweeney Todd, and is in top form here. Plus, he is a pretty good vocalist, something I would not have expected. But it's really the character he creates that steals the show. He is just so creepy, so devilish, so maniacal. And he actually doesn't have too much dialogue. It's really his eyes, and his expressions that I was so impressed with.

And then there's Helena Bonham Carter, who basically equals Depp. She is at her best here, being evil, insane, and yet human at the same time. And she has some pretty good one-liners, adding to the dark comedic tone. She and Depp make an unbeatable team. If I was on the Academy, they'd get my Oscar vote.

Alan Rickman, whom most of you know as Snape, surprised me, in a way. His character turns out to be quite perverted, as he plans to marry his adopted daugher (his ward, Todd's daugher). He plays this perverted man quite well, and though he has limited screen time, he makes the most of it.

Oh yeah, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) makes a brief appearance, and then is a victim of the quite gruesome first kill of Sweeney Todd. He's hilarious, as always.

The music is also quite good, partly due to Burton's implementation of it. This is not a bombastic musical, and the music, while plentiful, is not the focus. The focus really is on Todd's descent into madness, and it is really captivating to watch this. Like I said, the music is good, and although Broadway singers these actors are not, they are more than capable of carrying a tune, and they fit quite well. Many of the songs are actually quite funny at times.

Like I said, Burton is in top form. He really makes the story of Sweeney Todd intriguing, and I never got bored. He has created a dark world that supports Sweeney Todd's transformation into a maniacal killer. His London just has so much style, it's infectious. He emphasizes the surreal so much, almost like Tarantino did with Kill Bill. When you say Tim Burton, you'd never think musical, but he definitely knew what he was doing. This is a Tim Burton musical, and you'll know what I mean.

This darkness, however, may turn some people off, especially at this time of year. I found it odd for this to be a holiday release, although I really didn't find myself dispirited as a result. But it is dark, and it is bloody which may turn some people off.

Also, even though Burton elevates it from Broadway to the silver screen, there are some aspects that don't translate as well as others. The love story between Anthony Hope and Todd's daughter, Johanna Barker, feels really tacked-on, as a sort of "I know it's dark, but here's some innocent brightness" feeling. I know it's in the musical, and Burton does his best to implement it, but he doesn't quite nail it, in my opinion. Although it won't really matter, because you won't really care about that part anyway. And there are minute instances where you wish there was no music. But these are few and far between.

Also, and this is a minor quibble, sometimes it is hard to understand what the characters (Bonham Carter in particular) are saying, because they have rather heavy English accents. You never really feel lost, but you'll find yourself laughing when others aren't, and vice versa, because certain people understand different things. It's not a big deal, but it can be annoying. Furthermore, the movie ends rather abruptly, and doesn't really tie everything together. That sort of makes the ending even better, though.

But honestly, this a movie that really doesn't have a cause (when everything else in Hollywood seems to). There doesn't seem to be any political motivation, any social issue at stake, it's just a movie. It's entertainment, and captivating entertainment at that. It's probably Burton's best, and I am not afraid to say that. It's hard to find a movie that Johnny Depp doesn't shine in.

I can sense an Oscar or two for this one...

4/5

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

Well, I am back. Now I may not be back in a big way, as nothing extraordinarily important has happened since I wrote last (unless of course you count Super Mario Galaxy), but I just feel like I needed to write again. Now I know, "Mike, why would you WANT to write again?" Sometimes, I feel like I have to. I mean, I'm a science major, and don't get me wrong, I'm happy with it, but it doesn't allow for a lot of creative writing. But here I am, and here are you. And today I think I'm going to discuss things I just don't seem to understand.

1. Understanding

I know, it's what I'm writing about, isn't it? But seriously, this is one thing I just cannot seem to wrap my head around. Understanding. People just do not seem to have any understanding. That's the only word I think I can use to describe it. First, I'd have to discuss "favorites." We all have them, from sports, to movies, to games, to TV shows. And yet, we can't seem to "understand" why people don't like what we love. It always turns into, "Oh man, this thing is awesome," with someone else to respond, "Well, I don't really like it," only to garner the re-response, "I just don't understand how you can't like it." In my opinion, that sentence is one of the most annoying sentences ever constructed, along with "There's no way you can't like it" and "What's the deal with airline food?" My question to you is, why am I not allowed to dislike it? There are certain things that, for us, we just innately do not like. Some we can explain; others, we just don't like it. But hold the phone, Grandma! You don't like it, but I do! You MUST be wrong. And clearly, this can't be the case. For there are some things we like, and some things we do not like, and some things we hate (Hitler, Bin Laden, Cold Toughs). You need to UNDERSTAND that this is the case. Just because it is your favorite whatever, does not mean it is someone else's favorite whatever.

2. Dreams

Let's be honest, Freud was a sexist buffoon. Oh yes, Freud, clearly me dreaming that I was in a room meant I was dreaming about that memory I have of being in my mother's uterus (my Mom's uterus did NOT look like that; I would remember; I was in it). Anyway, recently I have been having quite disturbing dreams, involving someone dying violently, especially a family member. They are incredibly vivid, incredibly realistic, and incredibly horrifying. But I digress, because I have close friends who have fantastic dreams about things that happen during the day, things that involve other friends, and things so incredibly weird, they're funny. How? I want that! Doesn't everyone want to disappear into dreams that seem like dreams, not dreams that are just miserable visions of what could be? Well I do. And therefore, dreams, I don't understand you.

3. Women

Well, that's obvious.

4. Incredibly Difficult Useless Classes

In case you weren't aware, I recently completed Organic Chemistry 1. In case you weren't aware, Organic Chemistry is a difficult and one of the most persistently useless subjects that one could possibly take, along with upper level Calculus, detailed European History (please, no one wants to hear why King Henry XVIIIVIIIXIIIVIII killed Queen Mary VIIIXXIIIVVIIIX...clearly he wanted to take over wherever she was ruling), and of course, Shakespeare (he might not have even existed!). Of course, these all prove useful if you teach that exact class, but how many people honestly do that? Anyway, my point is, why are classes so difficult that the passing grade is sometimes around 50%? That's failing, for those of you who didn't realize. What good is that doing? Either A.) The tests are WAY too hard or B.) The class is not taught well enough. But of course, there are the "But Mike, maybe you or me or whoever is taking these classes is too stupid to understand it! SOME people do well, you know." False. The people who do well either A.) Memorize the material and don't understand it or B.) Actually understand the material without understanding the use of the material therefore not really understanding the material. For the record, I am the latter. I got an A- (or an A, we will see), in Organic Chemistry 1, and I still cannot find a use for what I learned, ever. Many pharmacists would concur with my observation. Here's some options: Teach better or make the tests easier; WHEW, that was difficult.

5. The War on Christmas

Now I'm not condemning religious equality. Celebrate and advertise whatever you want. But don't try to be rid of this whole holiday time of year. Because you know what Christmas REALLY means? Well, technically it does mean the birth of Jesus, but that's the religious side. Let's be honest (again). It means this time of year. Sure, some people get depressed now, but this is the one time to actually be happy throughout the year. With all the complaining and negativity that circles the world today, the Christmas season is not about singling out religions, or downplaying others. It is about families coming together, giving gifts to others just to see their faces light up, and yes, receiving gifts for once during the year without feeling guilty about it (sometimes I feel guilty about expensive Birthday gifts). So please, try not to be miserable. Believe it or not, you're probably better off than most (hell, if you're reading this, you definitely are). So just don't be so miserable. It's not worth it.

6. Me (and You)

Let's be honest (again). No one completely understands themselves. We all do things that we can't explain, we all dream about things that we wished we didn't (whether they are good or bad), and we all think things we know are insane. But I have come to realize that this is good. If we completely understood everything we did, where would the surprise be? Where would the fun be? So, you may never know who I am completely. I may hide things, I may bite my tongue at times, but I do it for a purpose. I may not even know that purpose, but it definitely is there. Sometimes you cannot question; sometimes things are the way they are. You can't explain everything; and you can't explain everyone.


No, have YOURSELF a merry little Christmas...