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The Book Of Eli, a review by dfmorgan

The Book Of Eli

Year: 2010
Director: The Hughes Brothers
Cast: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis
Overview: Eli walks alone in post-apocalyptic America. He heads west along the highway of Death on a mission he doesn't fully understand but knows he must complete. In his backpack is the last copy of a book that could become the wellspring of a revived society. Or in the wrong hands, the hammer of a despot. Denzel Washington is Eli, who keeps his blade sharp and his survival instincts sharper as his quest thrusts him into a savage wasteland... and into explosive conflict with a resourceful warlord (Gary Oldman) set on possessing the book. "We walk by faith, not by sight," quotes Eli. Under the taut direction of the Hughes Brothers (From Hell), those words hit home with unexpected meaning and power.

Watched: 3rd Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: An excellent film which I enjoyed very much. I had guessed what the book was from the overview and that was confirmed less than halfway through but the twist with the details of the book and Eli himself I didn't spot coming. Gary Oldman to me seemed to play the bad guy character very much as he did in other films, Zorg in The Fifth Element and the detective in . Denzel Washington played Eli with a laconic, laidback ease but with power when necessary. Mila Kunis I haven't seen before but she came over not too badly. The imagery with the bright sunlight and washed out backgrounds came over well especially with the subtle change at the end when Eli reached his destination. One section I wasn't too sure off was the scenes at the remote farm with Michael Gambon and Frances De La Tour, when Gary Oldman and his gang arrived it reminded me the house shootdown in Clint Eastwood's The Gauntlet.

My Rating: An excellent 4

Dave

(From Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews on July 4th, 2010)

The Prestige, a review by goodguy

The Prestige (2006) Written by: Jonathan & Christopher Nolan, based on a story by Christopher Priest Directed by: Christopher Nolan Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine DVD: R2-DE Warner (2007) My rating:

IMDb Summary: A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy.

The Prestige is a clever construct in a pedantic and unambigous way, and it hammers home its meaning with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Upon rewatching, the movie's first line "Did you watch closely?" becomes plainly insulting, because their is no longer a twinge of confusion or surprise to distract from its unevocative blandness. Still, the period dressing is nice to look at, the acting is solid, but overall it's an underwhelming affair.


(From goodguy's Watch Log on July 25th, 2010)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

18. Double or Nothing
Original Air Date: 4/22/2002
Even as Fred, Cordelia and Angel come to Gunn's aid when a demon arrives to collect his soul, Wesley realizes his actions have cost him his job and his friends at Angel Investigations.

Guest Stars:
Mark Lutz
Jason Carter
Patrick St. Esprit

My Thoughts:
And we have another episode I enjoyed. This one is less on the season long arc and more a stand alone episode. I must admit I got a kick out of what Gunn sold his soul for. I somehow forgot about it since I last watched it.

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on March 15th, 2010)