December 17, 2007
Will Smith Gets the Finger From New York
Did anyone go see destructo-porn blockbuster, I Am Legend, this weekend? Apparently New Yorkers who saw the movie up close and personal when it was being filmed gave it two thumbs down, or rather -- one middle finger up! amNewYork reports on Will Smith's run-ins with disgruntled locals.
"I would say, percentage-wise, it's the most amount of middle fingers I have received in my career. I'm used to people liking me… [all those] middle fingers, I was starting to think F-U was my name."Shutting down streets, sidewalks, the viaduct at Grand Central and...the Brooklyn Bridge may yield that sort of reaction. Director Francis Lawrence admits they were a "nuisance," but was the end result worth it for New York movie-goers?
Apparently the decision to shift locations from the book's LA to the film's New York was made to "capture the desolate, deserted feel" (we always thought LA was more vapid!).The Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting and Film Commissioner Katherine Oliver made the director's vision a reality and the result was "probably the largest film that ever shot here in NYC."
There were also several shots and locations that had never been done before, such as a scene in which Smith walked down an empty Fifth Avenue and one with him hitting golf balls off a SR-71 Blackbird on top of historic ship, The Intrepid, a feat Oliver euphemistically refers to as the film office's ability to "support and cater to challenging cinematic requests."Smith agrees that this was the only way to shoot, saying, "You realize you've never actually seen an empty shot of New York. It is chilling to walk down the middle of Fifth Avenue. It puts an icky, eerie feeling on the movie when you see those shots." We'd have to agree! Reserve your middle fingers for Carrie & Co. next time.
Photo via a-minor's flickr.
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Not to take the cliche view, but the book was so superior to the film. I feel the movie was just loosely influenced by the book and it was also full of holes. I'd give an F-U to the director/writer who butchered the original, Will Smith did a pretty good job IMO.
So what is the problem here?
NewYorkers are pissed that the movie was fictional? Don't get why would be any angry at all...about what?
First he left West Philadelphia, now this.
First he left West Philadelphia, now this.
It's mostly the people who drive cars when they don't need to that were pissed, especially from the Brooklyn Bridge scene.
Didn't notice the filming.
Guess I'll go see the film.
I'd rather pay to see screenings of big budget special effect movies (my home theatre experience ain't up to snuff yet). The rest I can wait for netflix.
"You realize you've never actually seen an empty shot of New York. It is chilling to walk down the middle of Fifth Avenue."
Didn't Big Willie see his Scientologist guru Tom Cruise walking through an empty Times Square in "Vanilla Sky"?
Like everything else about "I Am Legend," this bragging is Lay-zee.
the ending of the movie didn't make sense. It was too much hollywood science. This is the cure cause I said so. How did the lady and kid survive by themselves? if 2% of the population were immune to the virus how could they amass in a colony if those 2% would be scattered across the globe? this movie was bullshit.
"you've never actually seen an empty shot of New York"
excuse me, but New York was pretty "empty" after 9/11 (talk about eerie and chilling), but I guess those sort of things are not on Mr.Hollywood's radar.
Why does Hollywood enjoy trashing New York so in their movies?
I watched them filming that Mustang driving in Madison Sq Park while waiting to go into a job interview. That was kinda fun. Anyone else remember that scene in The Devil's Advocate where the Street was empty near the end of the movie? Was that CGI?
"Why does Hollywood enjoy trashing New York so in their movies?"
How is this movie trashing New York?
The shots of New York desolate and overgrown were really starkly beautiful. Shame the film went so far downhill towards the end.
I haven't seen the movie yet - did they change the ending of the movie or does it match the book?
From what I've seen just from the trailer, there are a lot of discrepancies with the book, besides the obvious NY/LA thing.