I, Robot (2004) or, Robot Trouble!

♥♥

 

Will Smith looks extremely sour in a leather jacket on this metal-toned poster for Alex Proyas' I, Robot

Chicago 2035: A policeman starts investigating the death of an inventor who was central in the now widespread use of robots, and the implications become dangerous.

 

I, Robot is written by Akiva Goldsman (The Dark Tower (2017)) and Jeff Vintar (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)) and directed by Alex Proyas (Spirits of the Air: Gremlins of the Clouds (1987)).

It is ironic that a film which displays the cold and eerie nature of robots itself seems robotic. Will Smith (Men in Black II (2002)) is the politically correct figurehead on this action picture that's so chockful of clichés that is almost hurts to watch it.

The vision of the future offered here is exceedingly optimistic, - the energy aspect alone is a joke. The performances and execution are generally sexless and lacking in flavor, as well as thoroughly cleansed of any semblance of movie magic. The quality that I, Robot does have going for it are the impressively created CG robots, which are frightening.

 

Related posts:

 

Alex Proyas: 1994 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

The Crow (1994) - Proyas' unpleasant, exploitative, shameless and ugly turkey 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 120 mil. $

Box office: 353.1 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.94 times its cost)

[I, Robot premiered 7 July (Los Angeles) and runs 115 minutes. Smith was paid 28 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from May - October 2003 in British Columbia, including in Vancouver, in California and in Chicago, Illinois. The film opened #1 to a 52.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4), grossing 144.8 mil. $ (41 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 33.8 mil. $ (9.6 %) and the UK with 32.9 mil. $ (9.3 %). The film was nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar, lost to Spider-Man 2, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Proyas returned with Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey (2006, video) and theatrically with Knowing (2009). Smith returned with a voice performance in Shark Tale (2004), Club Oscar (2005, short) and theatrically and physically in Hitch (2005). I, Robot is rotten at 57 % with a 6.0/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of I, Robot?

Practical Magic (1998) or, Witch Sister Trouble

♥♥

 

The two female stars send catty eyes from this playful poster for Griffin Dunne's Practical Magic

Two sisters who are (naturally) diametric opposites return as adults to their witch aunts, when the one sister's happiness has suddenly ended, and the other sister has fallen in love with a dubious Bulgarian.

 

Practical Magic is written by Adam Brooks (Beloved (1998)), Akiva Goldsman (Winter's Tale (2014)) and Robin Swicord (Matilda (1996)), adapting Alice Hoffman's (Second Nature (1994)) same-titled 1995 novel, and directed by Griffin Dunne (Addicted to Love (1997)).

It is a strange film to look back on, and in today's Hollywood environment also incredible as a strong constellation of almost only female stars in a film without a strong pre-existing IP, made on a gigantic budget. Sandra Bullock (Speed (1994)) impresses, mostly, however, by making such an outlandish universe as this concrete and seemingly believe in it. As a viewer I didn't buy a second of it, but Practical Magic has a certain bizarre attraction in its changes from horror to humor to romance, changes that it performs without much success.

The witches are good women, whose power is embraced by their surrounding society here in a film with high production values that best case don't help it, and worst case ruined it.

 

Related posts:

Griffin Dunne: 2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Fierce People (2005) - Wittenborn and Dunne's savagely under-appreciated coming-of-age gem
An American Werewolf in London (1981) - Landis' great, funny, scary werewolf favorite (actor) 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 75 mil. $

Box office: 68.3 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.91 times its cost)

[Practical Magic was released 16 October (North America, India) and runs 104 minutes. Nicole Kidman (Dogville (2003)) was paid 6 mil. $ for her performance in the film. Shooting took place from February - May 1998 in Washington State and in California. The film opened #1 to a 13.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#3), grossing 46.7 mil. $ (68.4 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Dunne returned with Lisa Picard Is Famous (2000). Bullock returned in Welcome to Hollywood (1998); Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Practical Magic is rotten at 23 % with a 4.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Practical Magic?

I Am Legend (2007) - Lawrence's overrated apocalyptic slush

♥♥

Will Smith is a lone warrior in a septic-colored, apocalyptic future New York on this poster for Francis Lawrence's I Am Legend

In New York a military scientist lives isolated all alone in a world ravaged by a rampant virus, as he tries to find a cure. 

I Am Legend is written by Mark Protosevich (The Cell (2000)) and Akiva Goldsman (Silent Fall (1994)) and directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine (2005)), adapting Richard Matheson's (The Comedy of Terrors (1964)) same-titled 1954 novel, which was previously adapted as The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971).
This big horror-action feature has quite a few CGI animals, quiet periods with only Will Smith (Hitch (2005)) and his German Shepherd dog friend, an unexplained catastrophe and ugly monsters that are a mix of zombies and vampires. The big scenes in Manhattan, which were visibly shot on location, are the best in this otherwise a bit dull and poorly written movie: Smith's character is self-contradictory and not basically solid, and Legend has a strange scene that uses Shrek (2001) pasted into it, as well as a strange religious angle. I Am Legend reeks of major studio slush.

Related posts:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

 Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 150 mil. $
Box office: 585.3 mil. $ 
= Big hit (returned 3.9 times the cost)
[I Am Legend premiered 5 December (Tokyo, Japan) and runs 101 minutes. Its development was very long, starting in 1995: Warner Bros.' development was fixed on Ridley Scott and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but a huge budget and related flops made the production escape fruition. As Smith got involved, he asked Guillermo Del Toro to direct, but he passed in favor of Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). The film was green-lit without a script in place, and rewriting continued during shooting, which took place in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles, California from September 2006 - March 2007. Lawrence insisted upon shooting on location in New York. One big scene on the Brooklyn Bridge cost a record 5 mil. $, involving 1,000 extras, 250 crew members and 160 National Guard members, as well as Humvees, Strykers, boats and many other vehicles. The monster creatures were initially supposed to be portrayed by actors, but Lawrence changed his mind, and digital creatures were instead created at a great cost. The film opened #1 to a huge 77.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, a new record for a December opening, and it stayed in the top 5 for another 3 weeks (#2-#3-#3) and grossed impressive 256.3 mil. $ (43.8 % of the total gross). It was the 6th highest-grossing film of the year domestically. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 51.6 mil. $ (8.8 %) and Japan with 40.2 mil. $ (6.9 %). The film missed a Chinese release, as US films were temporarily shut out of the market, although Smith himself tried to alter this. It was still the 7th highest-grossing film globally of the year. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to two notches better than this review. It sold in excess of 7 mil. DVD's in North America, making an additional 126.2 mil. $ as the 6th bestselling DVD of 2008. Lawrence returned with Britney Spears music video Circus (2008), 3 episodes of Kings (2009, TV-series), Lady Gaga music video Bad Romance (2009) and theatrically with Water for Elephants (2011). Smith returned in Hancock (2008). There was talk of a prequel, but it hasn't yet materialized. I Am Legend is fresh at 69 % with a 6.3/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of I Am Legend?

The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Howard's first Brown adaptation is a popcorn thriller hoot

♥♥♥♥

 
+ Best Paris Movie of the Year 

QUICK REVIEW:

Renowned Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconography Robert Langdon is flown in from the States to the Louvre in Paris, where an old man has been killed with mysterious signs engraved into his chest. - About a very old secret!

Rarely has a film been surrounded by more hysterical fuss than was the huge adaptation of Dan Brown's (The Lost Symbol (2009)) bestseller The Da Vinci Code (2003). It was greeted with scorn at its Cannes premiere and protested against and banned in nearly a dozen countries because of its supposedly blasphemous content. Akiva Goldsman (A New York Winter's Tale (2014)) wrote the screenplay, and Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon (2008)) directed.
Despite all the hullabaloo, mostly terrible reviews and controversy, Da Vinci Code is an exciting and entertaining, huge, broadly appealing picture, just as it should be. The international cast is impressive, counting Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan (1998)), Audrey Tautou (Dirty Pretty Things (2002)), Jean Reno (Léon (1994)), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind (2001)) and more, but it is especially Ian McKellen (Mr. Holmes (2015)), who spreads joy in it, playing a mad atheist.
The flash-backs can seem endless, and the film is very long (running 146 minutes in the theatrical version, (a 174 minute extended cut also exists!)) But Brown's Jesus theory is well-spun and thrilling.

Related posts:

Ron Howard: Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2006 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

A Beautiful Mind (2001) - John Nash given the Epic Treatment  
Backdraft (1991) - Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie 
American Graffiti (1973) or, Cruisin' Modesto '62 (actor)

Watch the hype-fueling trailer for the film here

Cost: 125 mil. $
Box office: 758.2 mil. $
= Blockbuster
[Despite the reviews and attacks from the Catholic church, or perhaps to some degree because of the controversy, audiences flocked to the film and made it the 2nd biggest hit of the year, only bested by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. It had a 77 mil. $ opening weekend in North America, the best ever for both Hanks and Howard. It grossed 217.5 mil. $ (29 % of the total gross) in North America and was a massive hit worldwide. Leonard Maltin called it "a letdown in every respect", while Roger Ebert was in line with Film Excess and gave it 3 out of 4 stars, stating "it works." Its less successful sequel Angels & Demons (2009) is also a fact, and the two will soon be followed by Inferno (2016), the 4th Langdon novel, and the 3rd to be adapted by Howard, with Hanks.]

 
What do you think of The Da Vinci Code?

A Beautiful Mind (2001) - Howard gives mathematician John Nash the Epic Treatment

♥♥♥♥♥

Russell Crowe stands alone as the mysterious genius in a world seemingly moving fast around him on this poster for Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind

American Nobel Prize Laureate mathematician John Nash's story is an incredible one. As told in epic biopic A Beautiful Mind, it spans from his academic years at Princeton University, his paranoia against the Russians during the Cold War as well as periods of great love and mathematical achievements.

A Beautiful Mind is made by great Oklahoman filmmaker Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon (2008)), who really hit the jackpot with this very finely made film, which is written by Akiva Goldsman (Winter's Tale (2014)), based on the same-titled 1998 non-fiction book by Sylvia Nasar (Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius (2011)). 
Russell Crowe (Proof (1991)) and Jennifer Connelly (Inventing the Abbotts (1997)) both give masterful performances in the leads, and in supporting roles especially Paul Bettany (Blood (2012)) distinguishes himself as Nash's make-believe friend.
The sound, script, and entire concept of Howard's film is Epic with a capital E. The visual style is handsome and made with great ingenuity, making the film a joy to watch. The cinematography is by Roger Deakins (Thunderheart (1992)).
The epic-mindedness stands out perhaps a bit too much towards the end of A Beautiful Mind, wherein the film is tidily put into a narrative frame, and Nash quotes several of his old lines from years before, shown earlier in the film, which is a bit cheesy. - Howard is that kind of relentlessly mainstream, - sometimes entering the sentimental, - director, who at times attains greatness, which A Beautiful Mind is still a sure example of.

Related posts:

Ron Howard: Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)
The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Howard's first Brown adaptation is a popcorn thriller hoot
Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
EDtv (1999) - Phenomenal cast shine in Howard's witty mega-flop
Backdraft (1991) - Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie 
American Graffiti (1973) or, Cruisin' Modesto '62 (actor)  
  

Get a sense of the film's epic determination from its trailer here

Cost: 58 mil. $
Box office: 313.5 mil. $
= Big hit
[A Beautiful Mind premiered 13 December (Beverly Hills, CA) and runs 135 minutes. Producer Brian Grazer bought the rights to Nasar's book immediately after having read an excerpt of it. He wanted Howard to direct and had to wait until the filmmaker's schedule allowed it. Shooting took place in New Jersey, including at Princeton University, and in New York from March - July 2001. 90 % of it was reportedly shot chronologically. The film veers considerably from several aspects of Nash's real life. It opened #16 to a 367k $first weekend in 11 theaters in North America, where it later spent 6 weeks in the top 5 (#2 (behind The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) -#2-#3-#3-#4-#-#5) and grossed a huge 170.4 mil. $ (54.4 % of the total gross). The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 14.2 mil. $ (4.5 %) and Germany with 13.8 mil. $ (4.4 %). Real-life Nash praised the portrayal of mathematics in the film but was unhappy with the creative licenses it took in portraying his life; especially in its making medicine the savior for him; in reality Nash battled his mental illness without the use of medicine. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this one. The film was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 4: Best Picture, Best Actor (Crowe lost to Denzel Washington in Training Day), Supporting Actress (Connelly), Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing (lost to Black Hawk Down), Makeup (lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) and Best Score (James Horner (The Karate Kid (2010)) lost to Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings). The film also won 4/6 Golden Globe noms, 2/5 BAFTAs, 1/4 AFI awards, 1 Grammy nomination and many other honors. IMDb's users have rated it into its top 250 list at #144, wedged in between masterpieces Room (2015) and Casino (1995). Howard returned with The Missing (2003). Crowe returned in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). A Beautiful Mind is certified fresh at 74 % with a 7.23 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of A Beautiful Mind?