I have to say I was, to my surprise, pretty into the first half or so of I Am Legend, the latest adaptation of Richard Matheson’s classic novel, this one starring Will Smith and a dog. Not that it came close to the awesome apocalyptic weirdness of The Omega Man, the 1971 take on the story starring Charlton Heston, but this movie’s portrayal of an abandoned, overgrown New York City looked pretty awesome and Smith did a fine job of portraying the loneliness and desperation of being the last man on Earth.

I was almost willing to forgive the fact that the zombies in the film were completely identical and not at all frightening bald video game bad guys. But my opinion of the film went way down with the total crap-out of an ending, when the film becomes a bullshit parable of faith in God. The DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the film include an alternate ending that’s not much different in tone. Less God movies, more bleak apocalypses please! They’re more fun. And probably better for the human race in the long run anyway.

Also out this week is the third installment of Warner Bros.’ excellent Gangsters Collection box sets. Though the titles in this edition aren’t likely to be familiar to most moviegoers—Black Legion, Smart Money, Picture Snatcher, Lady Killer, Brother Orchid and The Mayor of Hell—their stars include Jimmy Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. What’s more, each disc features a “Warner Night at the Movies” program specific to the year of the film’s release, with newsreels, musical shorts, cartoons and trailers. This is a truly fantastic way to package old films, especially the lesser known ones.

Looking back a little further, the Forbidden Hollywood series continues with its second collection of pre-Hays Code films (featuring stars like Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, Clark Gable and Bette Davis) dealing with subjects like divorce, adultery and other saucy subjects.