Review: I Am Legend - Directed by Francis Lawrence
Rated PG-13 for violence and frightening sequences

This was one of the movies I was most looking forward to this year. Simply being a big-budget Will Smith sci-fi thriller was enough to get me into the theater, but I had high hopes that I Am Legend could very well be the USA's equivalent of 28 Days Later.

In director Francis Lawerence's I Am Legend, military scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith) struggles to exist as the last man on Earth in the wake of an apocalyptic virus. Hunting and gathering during the day, he retreats to his laboratory at night to test possible cures on the vampire-like infected. But with a trusty dog his only companion, Neville soon finds himself growing increasingly paranoid.

The American 28 Days Later? Not quite. There are similarities to be had, but in exchange for an increase in scale and polish, I Am Legend loses much of the dreary atmosphere and tension that made 28 Days Later a horror classic. Still, for fans of one-against-millions zombie holocaust movies, Legend is definitely worth consideration.

Had it not been for the final 20 or so minutes, I Am Legend would have been...well, legendary. It starts out quite strong, focusing on the day-to-day life of Neville and his dog. With dialog at a minimum, star Will Smith shines at driving the story with action and facial expression alone. Kudos to Smith for bringing so much emotion and soul to a movie most actors would pass off as a meaningless popcorn flick.

I found myself feeling considerably turned off by the film's final act, however. Whereas the opening bits portray an excellent sense of isolation and dread, the ending reeks of action movie mindlessness. Also, the heavily computer animated infected humans had me feeling disappointed.

A great film up until the final act, I Am Legend comes to a close in mediocrity. Still, I can honestly say that it features one of my favorite Will Smith performances yet. Also, it's far more enjoyable than I, Robot.

Rating: 7 / 10

The K-Files - Rollye James

It has dawned on me that I haven't been commenting on Coast to Coast AM much anymore. The simple explanation for this is that I haven't been listening much lately.

I refuse to jump on the hater bandwagon that has rolled into the Internet as of late, so the reason for this isn't so much that I'm opposed to listening, but rather that there are just far too many other hobbies competing for my time. Therefore, to keep current with the latest happenings on C2C, I rely on forum discussions and my fellow BoA columnists. Now I just have one question for you commentators out there: Where's all the buzz for Rollye James at?

I sat down this past Sunday night and listened to my first full Rollye James episode. I gotta say that I dug the show. Dug it a great deal...Full Article.

Review: No Country for Old Men - Directed by the Coen Brothers
Rated R for strong violence and harsh language

You know those kinds of movies that have you leaving the theater with an utter sense of dread? The kind that make the world seem just a little less bright? Well No Country for Old Men is just such a movie.

In the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men, Vietnam vet Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad and walks away with a case full of hundred dollar bills. However, he soon finds himself being hunted by Mexican hitmen, the local sheriff, and one of the greatest villains in all of cinema.

There's a line in the movie in which Brolin asks, "Who's this guy supposed to be, the ultimate badass?" I can think of no better word to describe Javier Bardem as the psychopathic Anton Chigurh. A heartless killer with a twisted sense of morals, his weapons of choice are a silenced shotgun and some kind of compressed air puncture device--and damn if he doesn't know how to use them. Everything about this performance is unsettling, from Javier's unusual accent to his calculating stare and demeanor. Not since Hannibal Lecter has pure evil been so frighteningly portrayed on film.

Case in point, for no particular reason other than to satisfy his own warped view of the world, Chigurh lets the flip of a coin determine the fate of a gas station attendant. The dialog between the two is the kind of mixture of dark humor and gut-wrenching suspense that you wont soon forget. You can just see it in Bardem's eyes that he's capable of anything.

This movie is polished. Through and through. Every scene, every piece of dialog, even every movement by each character...all glimmering from the Coen Brothers' astute attention to detail and meticulous planning. It is the kind of suspense thriller that grabs you--heart and mind--from start to finish and even a bit afterward.

Simply put, No Country for Old Men is unlike any movie you will see this year. With a superb and spot on cast, this captivating crime narrative will have you begging for more. Definitely worth multiple viewings, do yourself a favor and see it at least once on the big screen.

Rating: 5 / 5

The K-Files - Mass Effect

For those that know me, it is pretty obvious that I am a fan of science fiction. Movies, books, television, and video games...I like it all.

Most recently, my attention has been focused on BioWare's Xbox 360 role playing game, Mass Effect. Set in a not too distant future, it is a game about humanity finding its place in a larger galactic community. At its core is a varied group of alien races--everything from religious squid things to sentient AI--with which to interact. As far as science fiction in video games is concerned, Mass Effect has a sense of depth and complexity just not heard of in the medium.

Like all good works of science fiction, Mass Effect has me thinking about the future. What kind of civilizations are out there for us to find? And just how will first contact go down? I'm dying to find out...Full Article.

Beowulf - Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Rated PG-13 for action violence and brief nudity

What an altogether odd experience Beowulf is. A fully CGI 3D movie, it was, if nothing else, unlike anything I had ever seen in the theater. Though I'm not sure if that's really a compliment.

Based off the epic Danish tale, Beowulf follows the exploits of a tough-as-nails warrior as he battles a deformed troll and its daemonic mother. Surprisingly enough, this is enough to fill almost two hours worth of movie.

I had never seen a 3D film before, so I wasn't sure what to expect with Beowulf. The required glasses--which cost an additional $2 on the price of admission--were made of a black plastic far superior to the classic red/blue paper doodads of years past. Still, their one size fits all design caused a rather large area of rawness on the bridge of my nose and quickly grew uncomfortable. Also, although I had a bit of a headache going into the film, it was far worse afterward.

In the context of the movie, the 3D was sort of a mixed blessing. At times it added a sense of scale and depth to certain shots, but at others it came off as a tacked on gimmick of, "Oh wow, that spear is coming right at meeeee!" Too many scenes were designed to do nothing else but showcase the 3D technology. Had this been designed as a traditional film, I believe both the runtime and cinematography would have been more enjoyable.

Also worth noting, the CGI felt terribly inconsistent. There were moments when graphics were so photo-realistic that I forgot I was watching a computer generated film. However, other shots were cartoonishly bad--more akin to something you'd see in Shrek. Moreover, animations were often jumpy, stinted, and altogether un-lifelike.

An average piece of work at best, Beowulf is the victim of too many gimmicky technologies. Also, the overly drawn out pacing may have you squirming in your seat.

Worst Scene: A laughably bad fight sequence between Grendel and Beowulf in which the titular character strips nude to do battle--thus forcing a series of well placed obstacles to appear in front of star Ray Winstone to prevent full-frontal nudity. Sort of like the infamous scene from The Simpsons Movie, only more cringe inducing.

Rating: 6 / 10