I Am Legend

There’s an awful lot of stupid in this movie. It’s (probably) not Will Smith’s fault; the first half of the movie, when it’s mostly just him (and the dog) doing his thing--really, carrying the action--the film is quite good, almost fascinating. But then things really start to go south about two thirds of the way through...and, as it is with most of life, the problem is other people. Compound the OP problem with some really bad storytelling turns that ultimately make no sense at all, as well as a major, last-shot logical blunder, and you wind up with a movie that feels much worse than it actually is. Ultimately, it’s just a real lost opportunity. Hardly legendary stuff.

Suicide Squad

Why was this movie not what it was cracked up--pun intended--to be? The fatal flaw in its underlying logic. No matter how much viewers may appreciate the entertainment value of the villains in superhero movies, they are ultimately rooting for the good guys. Hence, you have a problem when there really aren't any good guys--such as with this piece of work. It also doesn't help that there are other problems here: too many characters of at least some consequence (a few of whom are relatively unidentifiable, or identifiable only to the nerdiest comic book readers); confusing action sequences that don't seem to really move things along; and even recycled visual motifs from earlier DC movies that make this one look unimaginative in comparison. So the MEOW is dangerously close to a HISS; why then a mediocre review instead of a just plain thrashing? Well, this flick does score points for Margot Robbie, who does solid stuff with the character of Harley Quinn. But overall, this is about as bad as you can do with such a simple template; a few more of these and the comic book movie trend may at last see its death knell arrive.

Concussion

Solid, earnest, and convincing in its premise that the NFL knew and didn’t care. Will Smith really does give a tremendous performance; if you remember back to some of his earlier works, it can be hard to reconcile those performances with the portrayal presented here. And that’s a good thing. As for the moral, maybe some of the viewers will have reservations about watching football in the future; I suspect, however, that it won’t change anything, or at least not that much. You should still see this film anyway, just so you know what you’re supporting.

Shark Tale

Here's a prime example of how familiar voices are distracting in animation. The story would have played much better with less famous actors supplying the sounds. And, of course, a little more "snap" in the story would have helped. There are good moments, but too often the story...flounders. (I know, I know...) On the other hand, there's nothing egregiously wrong here, and some fun can be had, if you don't expect too much. It's probably not worth the price of admission (or a download), but let's call it a decent "catch it on a rerun" show.

Men In Black II

Well, it's not the utter waste of time it could have been. And what it lacks in originality it certainly makes up for in brevity (gotta love a movie that barely clocks in at 90 minutes, especially in these overblown days). Mostly, it supplies a decent number of smirk-worthy moments, and if you expect no more than that, you'll do fine.

Ali

Very stylishly done, but you expect that from director Michael Mann. The story is told more visually than textually, but the tale still comes strongly across. And Will Smith does an astounding job of capturing The Champ's enormous charisma. A very strong effort.

Enemy Of The State

Surprisingly good. Lots of fun, and perhaps the first movie where Will Smith really made a case for himself as a true movie star.