tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post2834669040218281763..comments2023-10-24T01:19:24.492-04:00Comments on Little Worlds : He walks alone: The Book of EliRichard Bellamyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-91887600505213540242010-12-28T18:36:54.570-05:002010-12-28T18:36:54.570-05:00Stephanie, thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoye...Stephanie, thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed the movie. And, yes, I knew it was <i>Once Upon a Time in America</i>.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-33569095827713059072010-12-28T12:04:09.548-05:002010-12-28T12:04:09.548-05:00I saw the movie today for the first time. After re...I saw the movie today for the first time. After reading the posts about the tune that's being whistled, I went back and checked the closing credits. It is Once Upon A Time In America. I love The Book of Eli. Even if I wasn't religious, I would still love this movie based on the original concept and storyline.Waverunner2009https://www.blogger.com/profile/17702088824517908100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-21019583758892688282010-02-02T14:09:41.156-05:002010-02-02T14:09:41.156-05:00Thanks, Scott. Yes, I enjoyed those Western elemen...Thanks, Scott. Yes, I enjoyed those Western elements and the oral tracition theme. I'd love to be able to memorize a whole book. I liked the action too - enough of it but not too much.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-43595844857326011702010-02-02T14:00:25.849-05:002010-02-02T14:00:25.849-05:00Even though I found the movie to be fairly awful, ...Even though I found the movie to be fairly awful, it's become endlessly compelling in its Western influences (which kind of make sense; given that society is trying to rebuild itself, they'd have to go through stages of civilization), and especially the idea of Christianity being spread through oral tradition until the printing press was developed (and the question of what changes might've befallen the Bible as a result). While this is basically ripped direct from history and transplanted post-Apocalypse, at least this was an action movie with <i>some</i> intellectual heft.<br /><br />Oh, and I was mighty impressed with the action scenes, particularly the shootout at the house and the super-wide shot of the car exploding.Scott Nyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724578529259302208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-37628594758341032112010-01-31T19:25:43.184-05:002010-01-31T19:25:43.184-05:00Actually, Babba, I was going just on my knowledge ...Actually, Babba, I was going just on my knowledge of Morricone's music, but take a look at this -<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1037705/movieconnections" rel="nofollow">Once Upon a Time in America (1984)<br /> - one of the characters repeatedly whistles Ennio Morricone's theme to Once Upon a Time in America</a>.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-72951552146254672492010-01-31T17:50:25.299-05:002010-01-31T17:50:25.299-05:00Thanks for the comment, but are you sure on that t...Thanks for the comment, but are you sure on that tune? Sure sounds like <i>Once Upon a Time in America</i> to me.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-21457124293078683052010-01-30T19:49:44.477-05:002010-01-30T19:49:44.477-05:00Good review, just one correction the guy in the ca...Good review, just one correction the guy in the car is whistling a tune from Lonely Sheppard by Gh. Zamfir, not Ennio Morricone.<br /><br />Sheers!Babbahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12755982596887601946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-64004622450780653822010-01-22T14:03:12.322-05:002010-01-22T14:03:12.322-05:00His character is an interesting one - in an enigma...His character is an interesting one - in an enigmatic Western, taciturn hero sort of way. I liked that. Yes, reviews were bad. EW's was a D, and I felt a little dumb. I could see what they were saying, but I still had a good time. That's what it's all about - you have a good time seeing the movie (<i>Knowing</i>) or you don't (<i>The Lovely Bones</i>).Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-5061734790904164622010-01-22T13:50:55.092-05:002010-01-22T13:50:55.092-05:00Well I guess not surprised that it would appeal to...Well I guess not surprised that it would appeal to you, but surprised (based on the reviews) that it delivered. And as good as Denzel might have been, I was a little skeptical at the ads saying he's "never been better". I mean did he really have that much to work with?Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-53070916201706327732010-01-22T10:29:00.392-05:002010-01-22T10:29:00.392-05:00Why surprised? I'm a sucker for post-apoco-cin...Why surprised? I'm a sucker for post-apoco-cinema. I loved <i>I Am Legend</i>. This is similar - but grimmer, more like a Western. I loved the Western trappings. And Denzel gave the film strength.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-59617633575708283842010-01-21T23:07:25.300-05:002010-01-21T23:07:25.300-05:00Wow, was not expecting you to come out with a posi...Wow, was not expecting you to come out with a positive take on this one, but of course I haven't seen it. I've liked previous Hughes Bros. movies but I'd like them to get back to urban stories. At least this is an attempt at an original story, though, and the reviews have been more mixed than decidedly negative. Maybe I'll eventually catch up to it.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-62291015892573892972010-01-20T21:21:52.288-05:002010-01-20T21:21:52.288-05:00It would have been nice if Eli had shown us his pi...It would have been nice if Eli had shown us his piece of metal!<br /><br />I agree. When it comes to butt-kicking, invincible heroes like Eli, etc, etc, the suspense factor is definitely compromised. Most action movies these days just can't deliver the suspense. That seems to be a lost art.Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-3777500696169112382010-01-20T15:55:43.813-05:002010-01-20T15:55:43.813-05:00(spoiler alert) I thought the showdown might have ...(spoiler alert) I thought the showdown might have been a reference to the conclusion of <i>A Fistful of Dollars</i>, when Eastwood's character has a convenient piece of metal under his poncho, but otherwise I agree. Is Eli resistant to bullets then? Why doesn't Oldman's character shoot him in the head later, allowing Eli to live on indefinitely gutshot? If Eli always has a supernatural reason to live, then where is the suspense or drama in anything he does? He will always win anyway.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-64363106322716353562010-01-20T12:33:45.152-05:002010-01-20T12:33:45.152-05:00Thanks for your thoughts, FilmDr. The Children of ...Thanks for your thoughts, FilmDr. The <i>Children of Men</i> thing didn't occur to me but, wow, it's so obvious - and the water crossing suggests the crossing from disaster and chaos to hope.<br /><br />You know, ultimately, I enjoyed the religious side of this film, which kind of works well along with the whole reverence of books thing that I always dig.<br /><br />Interesting thing about the burning of the Bibles. I thought maybe the war had been an Islamic (when McDowell places the Bible in his collection, he places it near or next to the Koran) vs. Christian sort of thing - so people blamed the war on religion and burned any symbol of it. Then the film seems to make the statement that religion can be used for bad (Oldman) but it also is full of good. <br /><br />As far as implausibility goes - it bothered me that it's never explained how the shots that hit Eli's back in the town showdown don't do anything to Eli. Kevlar vest? And when somebody's got a Kevlar vest, or body shots ain't working for some reason, why don't they shoot the sucker in the head???Richard Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12397053921647421425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5929352816561809263.post-30825518242363660812010-01-20T11:10:37.023-05:002010-01-20T11:10:37.023-05:00Excellent review. You make good points about the ...Excellent review. You make good points about the Western influence, but I was bothered by the way the film alludes to <i>Children of Men</i> in places (especially the small boat scene), the incongruity of Mila Kuni's whole chic LA survivalist look, and the general emphasis on the Bible. Is this a Christian movie? Why would people go around destroying Bibles after the nuclear destruction of most everything? The movie kept on piling on implausibilities until I found myself missing <i>The Road</i>. The treatment of Washington is so hagiographic, it reminded me of Costner's egregious sanctification in <i>Waterworld</i>.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.com