Apocalypse nowish

[gwyn]

Man, movies not to watch on back to back nights, especially when you're already in a state of depression and anxiety about the incredibly sorry-ass state of the world: I Am Legend and Cloverfield. Even worse, don't follow up with a chaser of Battlestar Galactica 4th season midpoint finale. (Also, reasons No. 3,481 and 3,482 not to live in NYC.)

I get frustrated that no one seems able to actually take Matheson's incredibly cinematic tale and make a movie that's true to the story. But at the same time, I found Will Smith's loneliness and increasing insanity to be really evocative and haunting. The movie stayed with me, which was unexpected. Even though it's not the movie I want, it was still worth watching, and it's one of the rare horror thrillers I've seen in the past few years to stay with me.

And you know, Cloverfield was fun to a certain degree, but I find that my need to know why always trips me up in enjoying these things. I'm like Gwen in Torchwood's Countrycide ep -- I just have to know WHY. And I want to know why the monster -- was he like Godzilla, created out of nuclear waste and toxins? Was he a project of the military? I must know but the movie didn't tell me! (This isn't only movies, either -- I have to know why people are batshit or stupid, too. You know that thing with the crazy fracking woman who went to Wiscon with the intention of humiliating people, and that whole firestorm last month? I always want to find her and just ask her, "What is WRONG with you?" Because man, I even looked up some of those behaviors in DSM IV and I couldn't really find a category for her, so crazy is her shit, and I feel like I must know how someone could be that deranged and not be in a state-run facility. It just eats at me, the not knowing.)



Oh, Col. Saul Tigh, how are you so awesome? You are the second definition of awesome in the dictionary, right after Bill Adama. I have never believed you were a cylon, because cylons are not awesome, and you are. Now you've gone and changed the whole thing with your awesomeness.

Comments

I Am Legend

[cattraine.livejournal.com]

Yes, Smith made the movie for me. That sheer loneliness and slow unraveling...very poignant. It even made me overlook the "How the hell did those two drive onto Manhattan with the bridges gone?" plot hole.

[earthdogue.livejournal.com]

The original ending of I am Legend might cheer you up a bit *g*

Opinion seems to be this original ending is far superior to the theatrical ending

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35857


The clip at aintitcool does not work anymore but this one does

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1140912/i_am_legends_original_ending/

[ixchel55.livejournal.com]

And you know, Cloverfield was fun to a certain degree, but I find that my need to know why always trips me up in enjoying these things.

That was probably the most common reason behind most of my customers not liking the movie (those that watched despite the camcorder-like shaking).

Except most people wouldn't get it. They complained that there wasn't any reason for what happened. (Significantly different than your needing to know why.)

I would counter that there's a reason for everything, the audience just wasn't made privy to it. We were seeing things from the perspective of some poor schmuck on the street who was witnessing it firsthand without any background intel.

If it helps at all, in the extras, the creator of the monster was envisioning it as an immature being that (I think, awoke in the ocean depths) and was confused and hurt.

But then again, maybe not. *G*