I am Legend

Living in the heart of the Irish Midlands with what amounts to limited access to new releases to the big screen means that I am now relegated to reviewing DVD releases as opposed to cinema releases. I'm not sure if it's worthwhile bothering at this stage but seeing as this site is concerned with the things I've seen and read I'm going to persevere!

I had read a review of this film at the time that it was released and had also seen the trailers on TV and had decided that it was probably one that I'd miss. The review called it boring and the trailer seemed to make too much of an effort to make the movie look action packed, which is always a suspicious move to me. So when it came out on DVD we only decided to rent it as we've been starved of movies whilst we await the release of the all the Oscar nominated films! Call it a precursor to the glut of movies I'm looking forward to seeing...

This film surprised me. Considering it's just Will Smith and his canine companion for the majority of the time on screen, and what amounts to a very small amount of speaking opportunities I was gripped by this story. The flashbacks are perfectly timed. Just as I was beginning to get frustrated with the lack of information we begin to get drip fed the back story and a picture of what has happened and where our hero came from begins to emerge.

Smith plays Robert Neville - the apparent last man alive - who is somehow resistant to the virus that has wiped out the population of the earth or changed those who survived into flesh eating zombie/vampires. I'm a sucker for vampire stories so whilst some would dismiss this instantly as sheer nonsense I allowed myself to be carried into the story.

The premise is by no means new (The Omega man and Cast Away for example). But Smith no more than Hanks in Cast Away did an excellent job in drawing you into his story, building a relationship and understanding of his position and his pain and suffering. It highlights to me what a good actor he is.

The story moves at a slow pace which I didn't find boring. I enjoyed the voyeurism of watching his daily routine and part of me was annoyed when the story moved on even though it was of course inevitable.

I don't believe in giving plot lines and revealing story lines here so I'm not going to explain what happens. It's a movie you should watch in a quiet place in order to feel the tension and if you can't abide science fiction don't even bother.

I would recommend this one as I enjoyed it immensely.

The Rose of Sebastapol by Katherine McMahon

I like my historic novels as well as the next girl but I'm afraid that this particular offering by Katherine McMahon just didn't float my boat.

It had great potential as stories go. You have the romance of Florence Nightengale, the excitement of the Crimean War, a thwarted heroine and a dashing young doctor, but for me it was all a bit flat.

The heroine was well drawn as a character and totally unlikeable for most of the book. I found myself rooting for her demise rather than caring about her development as a person. Her love interest was about as interesting as watching paint dry until he goes mad and even then frankly I still didn't care.

This story had little to offer in terms of freshness or interest. It would appeal to some I have no doubt but would not come highly recommended from me.

Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann

Be prepared for a devastating story of loss and death at the very outset of this story. Normally you get a chance to get to know the characters before the author makes you cry over them but I found that I was crying before the end of the first chapter in a twist on the usual tragic love story format.

The descriptions of foreign and often less visited lands in this book is particularly intriguing and beautiful and the author gives the reader a good and lasting impression of places where most of us may never see.

The story does slow down a lot in the middle of the book but you're initial devastation experienced at the beginning carries you through the lull and makes the book impossible to put down.

This is a perfect read if you want to just curl up in silence and lose yourself in somebody else's story or in this case two people's story. It's an ideal weekend hour buster!