I, Robot (2004)

Director: Alex Proyas
Starring: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell, Bruce Greenwood

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I'll be honest: I had lower than low (subterranean, in fact) expectations for this movie. It could have been a toothless man painting a cow for two hours and I would've thought, "Ya know...this is better than I was expecting it to be." To my surprise they went ahead and stuck with the robots, and I'm pretty damn glad. Not only was it not terrible, I actually enjoyed myself. They probably could've gotten a better actress to play the "robot shrink", but she really didn't have to do anything besides say science stuff. I'm sure there was only so much she could do with the material.

Another confession: I'm also kind of a sucker for robot stories. Ironically enough, I hated the movie Robot Stories, but I'm probably the only person on Earth who enjoyed A.I.. I'm down with that Matrix-style pop-philosophy. When I go into an action movie and come out thinking about...well, just thinking at all, I'm pretty glad.

You can tell from the commercials that the film has great visuals in spades. Just watching Sonny (who did NOT MURDER HIM!) speak and move is incredible; his head and body aren't entirely opaque so you can actually see everything that makes him move. It's pretty hot shit.

It's a good thing I, Robot looks incredible because the story doesn't make any sense...at all. You know those movies that have you thinking one way the entire movie and then throw you the curve at the end? This movie's like that except most of the movie you're thinking the story's pretty interesting, and then the end makes you think that the event that triggers everything is absolutely ridiculous. I won't reveal anything, but for those that have seen it: what's so hard about picking up a goddamn phone? Or making a drive to a person's house to have a conversation? You know what I'm talking about.

On an unrelated note, two bottles of beer will apparently be $46.50 in future Chicago. I hope I never live to see the day.

July 17
The Grove, late afternoon

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