Book Of Eli

[blackraven]

I saw this film yesterday and its a great film, GO SEE IT! Its a winner but another post apocalypse film about faith in God and starting over. It will probably win a few awards and Denzel W. was great as usual.

[Feanor]

I saw this film yesterday and its a great film, GO SEE IT! Its a winner but another post apocalypse film about faith in God and starting over. It will probably win a few awards and Denzel W. was great as usual.

If we start over, I propose that we skip the faith in God part. I don't think it's worked this go-round.

I might check out Book of Eli, though.

[blackraven]

The movie is a little conflicted where religion is concerned because it alludes to the fact that religion lead to the apocalypse briefly.

Stick with the movie till the end, it all ties together.

[Troy]

I like apocalypse porn more than most people and this movie really looked interesting to me. Then I started to read up on it . . . I was fascinated by this line in a British review:

"There’s some ace post-holocaust action, but you can’t help feel you were invited to a party with fizzy pop and cream cake and got suckered into a sermon instead."

Almost every review shows varying levels of disdain for the film's "bait and switch" sermonizing.

I'm stunned to find out that the "book" in this movie is a bible! Everyone's fighting over a bible? The most reproduced book in human history and there's only the one copy left? That's more than a little ridiculous. Feanor's right, the last thing we need when starting over is the same old religious dogma! It's pathetic, really.

The best handling of the religious implications of the post-apocalypse was in the book "Earth Abides" where the second and 3rd generation survivors couldn't care less about the old world ways and basically become indians. Man, I love that book.

[blackraven]

Troy, you need to lighten up man, it only make believe, a MOVIE! If you could not figure out in the first 20min of the movie that Denzel has supernatural powers and the book was a bible then I don't no what to say. Eli was basically a modern day Moses. Just the name of the Movie should tell you there is some religion involved. And they told you in the movie what happened to all the religious books. I guess Fahrenheit 454 was a stupid movie because all the books were being burned!

You want to talk stupid movie, lets talk about Avatar which I liked for what is was, fantasy entertainment, but not by a long shot is it the best picture of the year.

[audio amateur]

I didn't really know what to make out of the trailer it just looked like an action flick but i couldn't tell it had Christian references. I might check it out.

[blackraven]

AA, there is a lot of action in the movie in brief spurts. The movie sort of has that original Mad Max movie thing going on and there really isnt a lot of religious talk going on, mainly just implications.

[Troy]

Troy, you need to lighten up man, it only make believe, a MOVIE!

Yeah, a movie with an agenda. The christian aspect has been seriously played down in the advertising and previews.

You want to talk stupid movie, lets talk about Avatar which I liked for what is was, fantasy entertainment, but not by a long shot is it the best picture of the year.

No argument from me, read the Avatar thread. Sure was pretty tho.

[Gerald Cooperberg]

Yeah, a movie with an agenda. The christian aspect has been seriously played down in the advertising and previews.

Meh, Children of Men was a post-apocalyptic film that was adapted from a novel that had Christian undertones and that was great. I think this movie's bigger offense is being boring and all too familiar, at least from what I've gleaned from friends who have seen it.

-Coop

[Troy]

Meh, Children of Men was a post-apocalyptic film that was adapted from a novel that had Christian undertones and that was great. I think this movie's bigger offense is being boring and all too familiar, at least from what I've gleaned from friends who have seen it.

-Coop

I loved Children of Men. What christian undertones in the movie? Honestly I don't recall any and I've seen it 3 times. The movie stands by itself, the content of the book is irrelevant when talking about the movie.

And even if there were any undertones, were they as obvious as ridiculously obvious as "a fight over the last copy of the bible?"

[Gerald Cooperberg]

I loved Children of Men. What christian undertones in the movie? Honestly I don't recall any and I've seen it 3 times. The movie stands by itself, the content of the book is irrelevant when talking about the movie.

Well, the central plot point of a virgin birth, for starters... but yeah, I think the themes were more apparent in the book. I think we're agreeing. I was just trying to point out that religious messages and themes aren't necessarily a dealbreaker in this genre if done well and with nuance, which they obviously aren't in Eli.

-Coop

[Troy]

Saw it last night.

I enjoyed it's scorched-earth visual style and thought Washington and Oldman were very good in their roles, but absolutely despised the overt christian values forced on me. It totally ruined the movie for me. Part of me loved the whole Road Warrior, The Road, Deadwood quality of it, but the relentless sermonizing in the 2nd half, culminating with the most embarrassing and stupid Malcolm McDowell role I've ever seen, wow, what a preposterous movie.

And I gotta say, Mila Kunis was ridiculous. The worst casting I've seen in years. She was just too cute and perky for this world. Adorable and perfect in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and That 70s Show, but all wrong here.

What a turd.

[Auricauricle]

NPR (National Public Radio) aired a conversation with the Hughes' brothers this morning, who were really quite adept at explaining their rationale for making the movie and discussing some of the rather disturbing religious/philosophical context in it. Although the Bible is used as a vehicle, is it really the driver of the movie, or is the desire of (Carnegie) to use the book to further his aims the prime mover? I should like to think that parsing these two—equally compelling and plausible—forces apart might make the religious sentiment more palatable and the more secular message much more appealing…

[Troy]

What drives the movie is the conflict between Eli and Carnagie over possession of the bible. Eli wants it for good, though how, is never explained and Carnagie wants it for evil, to use it as a tool to control the weak-willed masses. Guess which one wins out. It was heavy handed, obvious and pandering. Secular? There was very little content in this movie's themes that could be called secular. It was a thinly veiled "GOOOO Jesus!" story.

[Auricauricle]

That would be too bad, then. If that's all it is, I may as well go ahead and rent out some Charleton Heston flicks...Think some folks are beginning to see the Haiti Disaster and other current events as signs of The End of Times?

[Troy]

Think some folks are beginning to see the Haiti Disaster and other current events as signs of The End of Times?

We're such a silly species.

[Auricauricle]

Don't you think you're raising the bar just a tad too high?

[Rich-n-Texas]

That would be too bad, then. If that's all it is, I may as well go ahead and rent out some Charleton Heston flicks...Think some folks are beginning to see the Haiti Disaster and other current events as signs of The End of Times?

"The Big Lebowski" you dummy!!!

I still want to see "The Book..." anyway 'cause I'm a HUGE Denzel Washington fan. Maybe I'll rent "Training Day" first to warm me up.

[Troy]

Don't you think you're raising the bar just a tad too high?

Someone has to.

And yes, The Big Lebowski is one of the best movies made in the last 20 years. Gotta see it if you haven't.

[nightflier]

'Wonder what the discussion would be about if it was the Torah, or the Qur'an, or heaven forbid, the Tripitaka... Of course, Denzel would need more than a backpack for that one.

[Auricauricle]

And yes, The Big Lebowski is one of the best movies made in the last 20 years. Gotta see it if you haven't.

You have seen my avatar, have you not?

[nightflier]

You mean that's not you in your avatar pic???

[Troy]

You have seen my avatar, have you not?

Doh! Sorry, my eye was too red.

[Auricauricle]

Yeah, yeah...those herbs and spices will do that!

[nightflier]

Didn't anybody tell you that smoking parsley tastes like crap?