Playing this week... 01/21/08

I know I missed a couple weeks, but give me a break - i was in the Bahamas. And getting ready for the release of the novel (which, of course, you need to buy. Do it. It's on the right. You see it!)

I Am Legend 8.5
An action movie with a brain is the best way to describe the third adaptation of Richard Matheson's classic novella. Will Smith carries a film void of characters in a way reminiscent of Tom Hanks in Cast Away; from the onset his is a story we care about. The set pieces are gorgeous (the empty, overgrown streets of New York are haunting) while the effects leave a little to be desired. Obviously Weta and ILM were busy when the studio was sourcing the CGI - the 'dark seekers' look like rubber muppets. Purists will be disappointed with the derivations from the source material, but this is Will Smith at his best - don't be surprised if he sneaks in for an Oscar nod the way Johnny Depp did with the first pirates film.

Equilibrium 3
Further proof that there are no bad actors - just bad scripts. Okay, maybe Taye Diggs is still a bad actor, but come on. Hailed as a cult classic even before it was released (re: Nacho Libre) and a superior version of The Matrix, equilibrium is one gigantic disappointment after the next. Bale is believable as Cleric, a robotic cultural assassin, and the gun-tana is worth a look, but the story is so ludicrous and rife with insincerity that it's almost too much to stomach. Case in point: during on ten-minute stretch we're forced to endure a scene where Bale has to decide whether or not to sacrifice his puppy, his wife and his child for the good of the Father. It's a country ballad, circa 2071. There's a reason why Miramax has been a joke for almost a decade.

Eastern Promises 9.5
A cinematic sucker punch, even for those who thought they saw it coming. Cronenberg, always an awards darling, has tapped into Viggo Mortensen DiCaprio-Scorseses style to bring us the most devastating director-actor team in recent history. This is straight up drama/thriller fare, but it will make you squirm more than any of the helmer's previous efforts, The Fly included. Without spoiling the fun, I'll just say that you'll never look at a bathhouse the same way again. Filming half the film in Russian/Ukrainian is a clever device, though someone should have kept an eye on the dubber. Not sure why we need to see {speaking in Russian] on screen every time the actors speak in Russian. A little redundant, me thinks. Sure to be another awards-season darling. Watch out, Atonement.

Family Guy - Blue Harvest 7.5
I'll admit, I'm neither a diehard fan of Family Guy nor Star Wars (I think I've only seen each movie like, three times). Even as a casual observer this was a good time and a heck of a leap in quality over regular family guy releases. You can tell that the guys involved are junkies and or slaves to all that is Sith and Jedi and they really went all out. There are enough funny jokes and current culturally relevant jokes to keep an ordinary viewer happy and enough inside reference to please the fanatic. Even the title itself-Blue Harvest-is an inside reference to The Return of the Jedi and the secrecy surrounding that film's production. That being said, it's still an episode of Family Guy. If you love it, you'll really love it. If you don't you won't. Pretty simple, really. I fall somewhere in the middle-the 'meh' zone.

3:10 to Yuma 10
A fine example of what is essentially perfect entertainment. Why people keep saying the western is dead is beyond me. Three of the finest films released this year-Yuma, Assassination of Jesse James and Seraphim Falls are genre films. Reviewers are split on which film is better-this or the 1960's original-but either way, it's brilliant. Crowe is a masterful villain, Bale does his finest and arguably most sympathetic work as a leading man, and Peter Fonda is simply creepy. In a good way. Supporting cast is brilliant, led by the ever-impressive Ben Foster. The only blip on this kid's career is playing angel in X-Men 3- and that's saying something. Story is top notch and simple and the pacing is frenetic. ONLY blip on this film is the woeful casting of Luke Wilson as a slave-driving gold miser. That's about as appropriate as Stone Cold as United States President. I'm sure that's in the works from WWE Films.