Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976)

Roger Moore's only onscreen stint as Holmes paired him with Patrick Macnee as Dr. Watson (his first but not last time in the role). Moore is simply Moore with a deerstalker and pipe, prancing about hurriedly when there's "devilry afoot!" Macnee gives his character a trait, but forcing a voice that sounds like the morning after a potcheen binge was an odd way to go about it.
The story has Moriarty, butt-hurt and angry he vows to commit the crime of the century, one that Holmes will be powerless to solve, thus demeaning the esteemed hero and sullying his reputation. What follows has some interesting twists and turns, and the manner in which Moriarty (a miscast John Huston) uses the Baker Street sleuth's investigative drive against him is a shrewd plot device. Overall, there are better and worse Sherlock films than SH in NY.

2½ profundities out of 5

The Omega Man (1971)

The second adaptation of I Am Legend (1954) isn't entirely faithful to its source, but it’s a classic of the genre, nonetheless.
The opening sets the tone perfectly: Heston cruising empty streets; timed long shots capturing and silently translating into imagery the way he feels; showing him as a small, solitary cog in a great, abandoned machine.
The way it drip-feeds information to the viewer is complemented by the benefits and harrowing realities of being the last man.
Rosalind Cash adds a beneficial 70s Harlem-culture sass to the overpowering, white, militaristic attitude that the gun-happy Heston exudes.
The enemy is more dangerous this time because it can rationalise its own situation, forcing us to ask the question: when the diseased outnumber the healthy, who should be counted as outcast?

4 cleansings out of 5