I Am Legend (2007)

               I Am Legend              

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  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.

REVIEW:  Richard Matheson’s 1954 novella is updated to 21st-century New York in this big-budget Will Smith vehicle.  A cure for cancer causes most humans to mutate into vampire-esque monsters.  The effects are eye- popping and Smith is generally up to playing the last man standing, but the script seems to miss the point of the original story and falls apart down the stretch.  Mindless fun with no payoff at the end.

3.5 stars
HAWK

It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974)

          It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown       

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  Charlie Brown, Linus and the entire Peanuts gang are off on a lively Easter egg hunt. They suspect they’ve spotted the Easter Bunny … but the trouble is, he looks a lot like a certain beagle who’s near and dear to Charlie Brown’s heart. Is it truly the Easter Bunny, or is it just the irrepressible Snoopy playing a trick on the kids?

REVIEW:  The Peanuts crew return with an Easter special, in which they rip off their own earlier Halloween special.  Linus talks Sally into believing in the Easter Beagle, since she obviously never learned anything from the Great Pumpkin fiasco.  The disc also comes with It’s Arbor Day Charlie Brown, where the kids go nuts and plant trees and flowers all over Charlie Brown’s baseball field.  Mwah-mwah MWAH mwah mwah!

4 stars
Ashley (via HAWK)

Yogi the Easter Bear (1993)

            Yogi the Easter Bear           

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  Hide those pic-a-nic baskets! Yogi and his diminutive buddy, Boo-Boo, must save the Easter Bunny, who’s been kidnapped by a bunch of ruffians out to ruin the holiday. But will they manage to free the bunny before Mister Ranger ships them off to a Siberian Circus? Hey, Yogi is smarter than the average bear! This Hanna-Barbera cartoon won the Film Advisory Board Award. Also included is the animated short “Yakky Duck in Easter Duck.”

REVIEW:  Yogi Bear, like The Flintstones and The Jetsons, with their laugh tracks and their cornball antics and cut-rate animation, often strike me as relics of another age.  This Easter special is certainly nothing to write home about.  The typical nonsense about pic-a-nic baskets is swapped out for some convoluted hogwash about polluting corporate types trying to kidnap the Easter Bunny for personal gain, while Mr Ranger Sir is trying not to let kids be disappointed at the annual Easter celebration.  It’s never really funny, although it’s diverting at times.  Too bad, Yogi could’ve cashed in on one of the few holidays not dominated by Charlie Brown or those polluting corporate Rankin-Bass folks.

2.5 stars
Ashley (via HAWK)

Family Guy: Blue Harvest (2007)

          Family Guy: Blue Harvest         

NETFLIX SYNOPSIS:  A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the cast of “Family Guy” stepped into the plot of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope — and the result is this hourlong epic that kicked off the show’s sixth season. When Princess Leia (Lois) is captured by Darth Vader (Stewie), Luke (Chris) risks his life to save her. Aiding him on his quest are Chewbacca (Brian), a well-spoken Wookiee, and Han Solo (Peter), a bumbling spice smuggler.

REVIEW:  My dad’s a big-time Star Wars geek.  He watched the first Star Wars movie like 30 times at the theater when he was a kid, I guess because they hadn’t invented DVDs yet and this was before High School Musical or something. To this day I can’t watch Star Wars without him blurting out: “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy,” or “Stay on target!  Stay on Target!”  Anyway, he really yucked it up over this Family guy parody, which I have to admit was pretty funny.  The episode was obviously made by huge star Wars fans — most scenes are almost shot-for-shot recreations of the movie.  Every notable scene from the movie is skewered, some better than others but that’s the nature of most parodies.  The Family Guy folks fit in well with the story line, but even if you’ve never watched FG you’ll be able to follow along just fine.  You overly sensitive parental types might want to take note that deleted scenes have been added, including more swearing than you can get away with on TV, even on Fox.  Still, there’s plenty of funny stuff here for Star Wars geeks or just casual fans.  Don’t believe me?  I find your lack of faith disturbing….

4.5 stars
Ashley (via HAWK)