Gerstmann-gate!

This is not a post about movies, but about the recent commotion regarding the firing of Jeff Gerstmann, revered former editor of Gamespot.com because he gave video game Kane and Lynch a thumbs down. Kane and Lynch producer, Eidos, was previously advertising the game on premium spots on the front page of Gamespot. You can sort of guess what went down.

I've been waiting for a while for somebody to put together an article about this, that compiles all the events that have transpired since Gerstmann's departure and maybe bring further clarity to the whole thing. Sam Kennedy from 1UP.com may have just done that with this posting on his 1UP blog. It's pretty substantive, up-to-date (it includes Alex Navarro's recent resignation) and also revealed what Gerstmann and former Gamespot founder Vince Broady are up to next.

Anyway, check it out if you care.

I Am Legend - Book and movie comparisons (Spoilers!)

(Warning! Spoilers ahead!)

Just finished reading I Am Legend. Looking at the thickness of the book, I thought it was a novel, but in fact it's a short story. The rest of the book is a compilation of other short stories by the author, Richard Matheson. I didn't know this until I finished reading the I Am Legend portion. Imagine my surprise when less than a quarter through the book, the story suddenly ended!

The big difference between the book and movie is not just that the original hero wasn't a black dude, but the book is really actually about vampires! Fear of garlic, crosses, sunlight, the works. The great thing is that the author uses scientific reasoning to explain how vampirism works, and why they feared the abovementioned objects, which at first glance seems a little illogical. The movie used very, very little of these stuff, but concentrated more on the "last man on Earth" concept. Also, I think it's probably the best and ultimate vampire story I've ever heard or read about. It makes Anne Rice look really stupid.

As for the ending, well, it's like those Twilight Zone kind of ending. It's not something stupid like I woke from a dream or he goes into the next dimension or something. Though a little shocking (and an ironic joke), it still makes perfect sense that it ended that way. But it's also very sad and depressing. Everybody seemed to like the book's original ending, but it might be too much for regular folks at the cinemas, because they'll be so disappointed at the outcome after all the hard work and sacrifice Robert Neville made.

Terminator - The TV Show!

I did enjoy Terminator 3 as an above-average sci-fi action flick, but I can't deny it still felt watered down, like, you know, Terminator for kids. Not only was it PG-fied, they also made Arnold do a "talk to the hand" joke. Past Terminators had jokes, but they're often cool ones (e.g. "He'll live."), not silly shits like this. But what could be worse than a Terminator Part 3 is not Terminator Part 4 (which they're actually making right now, with Christian Bale as great military leader John Connor), but an even more watered down television series.

But reactions have apparently been positive for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. There are still criticisms about the show's disregard for certain Terminator lores established in the movies, while completely ignoring everything that happened in Terminator 3 (e.g. Sarah Connor is still very much alive). No idea whether anything from the show would eventually tie up with the upcoming movie sequel (this is not a Terminator fansite... Google up one, you lazy bum). I'm not really hot about the series' re-use of the femme bot, which has a boring design compared to the classic 800 Series Model 101's endoskeleton, ass-kicking skills aside. But then again, one of the few things I'm a big sucker for are action chicks (e.g. Resident Evil, Underworld, Alien, Aliens, etc.), which is why Underworld 1 and 2 will never get Sucks from the BMF. Ahem. The series' poster (see above) looks enticing enough... I'm game to find out how much asskickery they managed to sneak into the PG world of mainstream TV.

Stars Lena Headey (the Spartan queen from 300) as Sarah, Summer Glau (River from Firefly/Serenity) as the femme bot, the dude from Judging Amy, some One Tree Hill-typish kid (sigh) and a couple of beefy men.

Spoovans' edited review of I Am Legend

I've finally found some time to edit Spoovans' I Am Legend review. It's one of his better written reviews of late. It needs more humour though, or at least more Car Freak-related quips on the Mustang or whatever else that Will Smith drove in the movie, which is really Spoovans' area of expertise. I'd hope he writes something about cars and their relationship with cinema someday, but he has been real busy building a career (and making lots of dough) with a marine company of late, so that someday could take a while to come.

Here's the unedited review if you missed it.

Movie reviews from BigMovieFreak.com

In case you missed them, here are some inconsequential ramblings about the movies I've seen recently:

I Am Legend
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Hot Fuzz
Hitman
The Wolfman (1941)
Shoot 'Em Up

And one from the inimitable Will2k:
Big Bullet