Ruby Weaver (Marisa Tomei) is tired of being the “enabler” in relationships and has decided to give up the role of doormat. She’s also on the verge of giving up on love. But a sweet, small-town guy, Sam Deed (Vincent D’Onofrio), changes her mind, and it seems Ruby’s finally found a sane boyfriend. Or has she? Soon, Sam’s divulging that he’s a time traveler from the year 2470 … and Ruby must decide whether love conquers all.
Why would I ever watch this film ? Two reasons: I am a Vince D’Onofrio (Law and Order Criminal Intent) fan, and I like quirky films. Of course that is redundant because D’Onofrio is synonymous with quirky. Rate this date flick a B. Some of the girl-talk conversations are insipid. But the idea behind the film is fun and the projections of what the future holds are thought provoking. Should I tempt you: He comes from Debuque Iowa which is on the Atlantic coast. Now are you interested ?
Oscar-winning director Francis Ford Coppola spins a unique love story that combines elements of suspense and science fiction. Set in pre-World War II Europe, the film follows an academic (Tim Roth) who’s metaphysically altered after being struck by lightning. This begins a spiritual journey through time toward divine love, a journey in which the professor grows younger and more enlightened even as his nation is on the brink of war.
Francis Ford Coppola takes chances, judging from this pseudo-sci-fi film. Such a slow, quiet, strange, imaginative film will not be to everyone’s taste.
After our hero is struck by lightning at the age of 70 his body transforms into a younger man who can speak many languages and has other powers. He also now has a double of himself and they converse a lot. He outwits the Gestapo who want him for experimentation. After the war a woman much younger than our hero is struck by lightning and becomes his partner. She goes into trances and speaks languages that are progessively more ancient. The hope is that eventually she will speak the proto language from which the other languages developed. But each trance ages her. So our hero has to leave her in order that she regain her youth.
Hope I didn’t give away too much, but with limited viewing time at your disposal, you probably don’t want to watch this unusual film.
A terrible virus has spread across the planet and turned the human
race into bloodthirsty monsters. Mankind’s only hope for survival
is scientist Robert Neville (Will Smith), the one person left
unaffected by the epidemic. When he’s not fighting for his life
against the hordes of the infected, Neville searches for a cure
to reverse the virus’s effects — all the while battling his own
doubt and despair as he spends every day alone.
In 1954 Richared Matheson wrote the book “I Am Legend”. It has been made into a film three times: “The Last Man on Earth”, “The Omega Man”, and “I Am Legend”. It explored the notion of vampirism as a disease.
OK, OK. Yes, it sounds like a high-school film. And yes, I was ready to chuck it after 10 minutes. You have to like apocalyptic science fiction to enjoy this. It starts out slowly. But wait … the tension really builds (what is that lurking just around the corner ?). Will Smith gives a terrific performance as a very very very lonely man (his dog Samantha means everything to him). Maybe it’s an anti-SciFi predjudice, but I have to give this film a B.
