The book of Eli

[sdzero]

This one looks very interesting. It may very well be the first hit of the new year.

http://thebookofeli.warnerbros.com/

Quick Note: Gary Oldman looks different in every movie. He is like a camaleon.

[Kaligraphic]

Because of the lack of exposition in the commercials, I made up my own plot for it. In my version, Washington is a Jew who must safeguard the wasteland's last copy of the Torah. He is being hunted by people aligned with prosperous yet despicable cults seeking to destroy the law that is prophesied to destroy them.

If this turns out to be the real plot, I will be rather surprised.

[Nate]

Man. I remember back in the day, movie trailers would like...tell you what the movie was about. They'd have this cool announcer guy, named Don LaFontaine, who would give a brief summary of the movie as the trailer showed scenes from the movie.

But since he died I guess all we get is fight scenes set to Carmen Miranda. That's cool too. It turns it into a little game, like "Hey kids, can YOU guess the plot of this movie? Will you be interested in seeing it? WHO KNOWS!"

Eh anyway this movie just kinda looks like a Mad Max ripoff. Nothing special.

Quick Note: Gary Oldman looks different in every movie. He is like a camaleon.

I was going to respond to this comment and say that it was totally wrong, but I take it back. It's completely 100% accurate.

See, chameleons don't actually change what they look like, just their color. A superficial appearance. The chameleon still looks exactly the same, just a different color.

And it's the same with Gary Oldman. He looks exactly like Gary Oldman in every single one of his movies, just with superficial changes. Just as the chameleon is instantly recognizable despite its color changes, Gary Oldman is instantly recognizable despite his wardrobe changes.

Oh Gary Oldman. You so crazy.

[Maledicte]

Carmen Miranda? What's that?

(are you sure you don't mean Carmina Burana?)

And I wholeheartedly agree on the Gary Oldman analogy.

[Nate]

No, I meant Carmen Miranda, y'know the woman who wore that big fruit hat and danced the samba.

By which I mean, yeah, that was a brain fart, and it was supposed to be Carmina Burana. Basically the POWERHOUSE EXCITEMENT opera music with the choir of women yelling that's been popular since the first Spider-Man movie (at least I'm 90% sure that's the movie that started this trend).

That's what I get for posting at 5:30 AM after no sleep.

[Cap'n Nick]

[quote="Nate"]No, I meant Carmen Miranda, y'know the woman who wore that big fruit hat and danced the samba.

By which I mean, yeah, that was a brain fart, and it was supposed to be Carmina Burana. Basically the POWERHOUSE EXCITEMENT opera music with the choir of women yelling that's been popular since the first Spider-Man movie (at least I'm 90%]

And here I was Googling furiously for what would have to be the most hilarious trailer ever.

[Roy Mustang]

From the trailer, it looks like 2012 part 2: The Aftermath!

[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[Kaligraphic]

O Fortuna from Carmina Burana has been the standard SUPER DRAMATIC EPIC MUSIC at least since the 80s.

Everybody sing with me - you know the words!
[quote="O Fortuna"]O Fortuna
velut luna
statu variabilis,
semper crescis
aut decrescis]

[bigsleepj]

From the trailer, it looks like 2012 part 2: The Aftermath!

[spoiler]What, you mean the part where you invade us?[/spoiler]

[Scarecrow]

Anyone see this yet? Since it's release I've been even more interested in seeing this. From what I heard, it's pretty pro Christian? I'll probably see it next weekend but I was just curious peoples thoughts about it.

[Cognitive Gear]

Anyone see this yet? Since it's release I've been even more interested in seeing this. From what I heard, it's pretty pro Christian? I'll probably see it next weekend but I was just curious peoples thoughts about it.

It could go either way. It's simultaneously critical of some aspects of religion while also praising other aspects. I can't go into it without spoiling the entire movie, though.

[Davidizer13]

From the trailer, it looks like 2012 part 2: The Aftermath!

Funny you should mention that, because there's a TV series in the works that is exactly that: A direct sequel to 2012 in the movie's aftermath. Proof. To me, it just sounds like a ripoff of Lost, but whatever.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Er. What? That doesn't sound anything like LOST, more like Jericho. LOST isn't about surviving after the apocalypse or whatever.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

: Gary Oldman looks different in every movie. He is like a camaleon.

It's one of the reasons I love him so hard. That and generally speaking, I have never felt anything but adoration for any role he's played. My nickname for him is "Chamelon face." Ironically, this is the first time I've recognized him instantly.

I got to see it, and honeslty I was shocked. I figured it would be religious just based on the title and what little I could find in the trailer but I was assuming they would take a generic route and have it be some sort of prophetic "book that will save the world" that was written right before everything ended, Buuuuuuut...

[spoiler]It's the Bible![/spoiler]

This movie was... Erhm... The best word I can think of is authentic. It was a genuinely Christian message, but nothing had been dilluted to reach the masses. It was ugly, gritty, there was cussing, gore out the ears in some parts, and more than one instance of implied rape. They were aiming to show that civilization was gone and replaced with almost total anarchy (the kind where most of the world has gone nuts and what areas of community you can find are held together by fear of a warlord).

The movie doesn't preach, at least not aloud, but it does display a character who is upstanding and incredible, with a little depth, and definite flaws but for whom he has placed total and utter faith in God. It treats God as a real and palpable creature, willing to participate in the events of the world in a way that matters without any sort of "Ten Commandments" showy displays of power.

Another thing, I feel, that added to the authenticity of the movie was the admission that Religion is viewed as an evil thing by many. In fact, the book in question was largely destroyed after or just before the world ended, due to accusations of the divisions it causes, and how it is a primary source of strife. Kind of people reaching out for the world depicted in Lennon's "Imagine" only to have it nuked away at the last second. The catch here is, that it's an admission that men use God's works for evil, not that God Himself is the force of evil in the world.

I... just want to gush greatly about this movie, but I don't want to spoil too much. What I've mentioned you can largely gather within the first twenty minutes of the movie, so I'm not giving away too much. That's just the setup. One of the hallmarks of a good post-apocalyptic movie is that it's not the way the world becomes how it is that's important. It's what a small group of people do in that circumstance that matters. P-A movies, when done right, should be character dramas about personal struggles in the face of a savage existence, and I think this movie does that well.

Now... I won't suggest this to everyone. This isn't Narnia in how everything is glazed over and friendly. Nor is it the Passion with big words used in place of what should be big actions. The movie is gritty, with lots of cussing, strong touch of violence, and a bleak setting. It doesn't come outright and say it's a pro-Christian movie. This is not one you're going to likely find pushed by any Christian bookstore, and it's certainly not the sterilized media we see so often in our circles. If you feel you can handle these things, you'll find a movie that you may very well enjoy.

Honestly, I took a group composed entirely of non-christians aside from my wife to see it (Because I had no idea what it was about lol) and everyone there loved it. The group ranged from me - a follower of God needing a good message - to some mild agnostics who were former Christians but found they could not be certain of anything - to a good friend of mine who is openly distrustful of Christians because of actions committed against her and her family by various Church groups (but who genuinely wants to believe people are good regardless). All of them loved it and were touched by the message it spreads.

[Radical Dreamer]

I'm actually really interested in seeing this. I read an article from Christianity Today that interviewed Denzel Washington, who is a strong Christian, and I think the movie sounds really interesting. Washington says that he always tries to find roles where he can push some sort of positive, Christian message through it, and I'm curious to see what this movie has in regards to that. My brother saw it a few weeks back and loved it, so I'd like to check it out sometime soon!

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Edit: If I had any more spoilers I'd be in The Fast and the Furious.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I haven't seen the movie yet (it's not out here in Australia) but it certainly looks and sounds very intriguing.

Here are two short films (5 mins each) that give Denzel's character and Gary Oldman's a bit more depth. Look under the LOST TALES tab at the top of the screen.

http://www.thebookofeli.com.au/site/