Stephanie, I totally agree with your point about that "zombie" (they were closer to traditional vampires in the book - there was even a scientific rationale for using stakes to kill them) trying to get his mate back. I'm not sure why Neville probably refused to see that; maybe he HAD to believe they were purely animals to continue on. I think the fact that he used dogs, and duplicated the trap that Neville set up indicates there's something going on in the way of intelligence. I also think the way they filmed him killing Sam the dog was powerful. It was like he was killing the last living connection to his family.

THE QUIET EARTH was quite good (imagine I AM LEGEND w/out zombies with a touch of NO EXIT thrown in), but it's been ages since I saw it.

Yeah, I was quite surprised how well the dog killing worked (as an audience member). I normally hate pet killings in films because it's just so... naff, normally. But I was actually invested in that scene. I think it's a good film for Will Smith because it proves he can open a film BIG where he isn't playing Will Smith.

I'm not skilled enough to quote spoiler font but I think Frank hit on exactly why killing the dog was so powerful - it was the last connection to his family. And I think you knew he felt that way because of all the other things you had seen in the film - the going in the dark to get the dog, the "eat your vegetables", giving the dog a bath in the tub.

One thing I thought was particularly well done was how, in the beginning, you sense that there must be some danger. Then you see him taking various precautions wrt his scent and closing the doors, and you hear these noises but you don't really know if they are real or memories, then you see the zombies/vampires in their dark space, and then the movie switches to night time and all that scary stuff. You don't actually *see* anything scary for quite a long time.

I've read that electrical power would fail almost immediately (like within a day) if there were no one at the power plants to keep them running. I assume plumbing would work considerably longer, but eventually unrepaired mechanical problems would knock that out as well. Fortunately, a single person's waste would be pretty easy to manage, it's carrying supplies of fresh water that would be a bitch.

Low-acid canned food might get you through the first few years (high-acid and canned meats don't last beyond 18 months), but after that you'd need actual crops and some expertise in canning your own preserved food for the winter.

This surprised me:

SF&F Films Strong At '07's End

SF&F movies held strong on the last weekend of 2007, with Alvin and the Chipmunks taking second place with $30 million and Will Smith's I Am Legend in third with $27.5 million, the Associated Press reported.

Hollywood will finish the year with record revenues of about $9.7 billion, up from the previous best of $9.45 billion in 2004, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Alvin lifted its total to $142.4 million. Legend has climbed to $194.6 million.

What surprised me is that Alvin and the Chipmunks is considered SciFi/Fantasy....

What surprised me is that Alvin and the Chipmunks is considered SciFi/Fantasy....

Dear dog, has it come to that?!?! Alas, my poor genre....

We finally watched V for Vendetta on New Year's Eve (fear the old married couple). I was fairly impressed. I loved the book, and I thought it was a pretty good adaptation. They left out a couple things, but nothing major, and the changes for the movie I had no quibble with.

I'd heard Portman's performance was great, but I was dubious...however, great job. Some of her scenes were tremendous. Weaving did a yeoman's work communicating through that costume (and never once made me want to say "Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.").

The relationship between V and Evey, which had been problematic for me in the book, came across in the movie as very Beauty and the Beast, and thus worked for me a lot better.

I really loved V for Vendetta. It took a few days and a second viewing to come to that conclusion.

Yeah, I gotta say, I loved "V for Vendetta". I was concerned because I'm a big fan of the book and wondered if it would translate or if they'd make it too much of an "action film", but they remained true to the heart and pace of the story and the "updates" made a lot of sense.

Portman as Evey just rocked IMNSHO. And the "prison scene"...man. So glad they kept that true.

This is one movie I just don't understand Alan Moore getting all pissy and Alan Moore-ish about. Of all his properties that have been turned into films, I thought this was the most true to the source.

the prison scene

Killed me. The back story of the "girl in the next cell" made me cry and cry.

What surprised me is that Alvin and the Chipmunks is considered SciFi/Fantasy....

Run into many talking/rapping chipmunks in everyday life, do we?