Video Schmideo

Video Schmideo, a little video store across the street, survived the demolition next door. In celebration that it was still there, I decided to rent a couple of videos. I chose "Alexander" and "I, Robot".

"Alexander" was a bust. The History Channel did a better special on Alexander the Great than the movie. Plutarch's life of Alexander seems absolutely riotous and thrill-a-minute compared to the movie. In the movie, Alexander had to rape his bride on their wedding night. If Alexander was so Great, then why didn't she swoon?

"I, Robot" was an interesting pastiche and modernization of the Isaac Asimov novel which I read when I was about 14 or so. Plus, it was set in 2030 Chicago. Will Smith, always a good movie action hero, played a Chicago cop who tries to discover why new model robots have turned authoritarian and murderous. He had one line in the movie I thought was memorable, but I've forgotten it, so I guess it was not all that memorable. I thought the best acting job in the movie was by Sonny the good robot with a little bit of soul. He should have had a bigger part.

All in all, I regretted not watching Mystery Theater on PBS and then some Sci Fi Channel stuff.

I think I'll check out an audio book at the library next Saturday in the spirit of exploring alternative media.