The Book of Eli

Goolphipp award: 3.5 (Worth 11 Bucks)

Goolsby:

When I watched this movie I was not focusing on the religious aspects.

The plot was fine. The acting was great. The shooting style fit well. All in all though, I expected more. I did appreciate the little details. I liked how the water source was provided by cave lakes. The post apocalyptic world that was created was in sync and complete. I appreciate the survival aspect of this movie. I also liked an old couple that we meet towards the end of the movie. I love resourceful characters.

Phipps and I had to agree to disagree when discussing the ending of this movie. I won't give it away since it is the main point of the movie... but I would be interested in what other people had to say about Eli's revelation.

From a non-religious view, I think the ultimate message or messages, that this movie gave were well portrayed and placed. What I took from it was - What do you have left when everything is gone? What do you really need when everything is gone?

Goolsby overall: 3

Solid movie.

Phipps:

I thought this movie was out together well. Everything made sense from the post-apocalyptic point of view. I've heard people complain about the color palette, but it makes sense if this certain "flash" bleached and burned the world. The cinematography was highly stylized, and that bugged me through most of the movie, until the plot explained it. Although, the fighting in this movie was smartly choreographed and planned. It was quick and dirty. Let's talk plot. Yes, this movie is about the last Bible on earth, but this is not a religious movie. The Book is merely a plot device, and it works well. It doesn't beat you over the head, yet the Book of Eli won't offend Christians. It walks the middle of the road quite well. Of course, the cast was top notch with Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman leading the pack. Okay, now that I've talked about all the main points, I'm going to get a little more personal. I'm going to own this movie someday. I was a little afraid of the use of the Bible in any way, because historically, films have done an amazing job at misrepresentation. This movie did not misrepresent the Bible, which I appreciated, being a Christian kid myself. I was simply amazed at this movie. It reminded me of the power of God, and I prayed and cried all the way home. This movie just made me love God more. I want to say more, but it would spoil it. All I can say is this movie is worth seeing.

Phipps overall: 4

Taught me something, it was smartly done, and I'm going to buy it.

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G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Goolphipp Award: 2.25 (See the Cheap Matinee)

Goolsby:
Why do they make movies that are geared for kids PG-13? This movie was not for adults, it failed to keep me entertained or interested. I could see how kids could be entertained by it, but I just about gave up half way through. The only reason I half watched was because of a surprise Joseph Gordon-Levitt who plays "The Doctor." Of course I must also mention Channing Tatum. The more I think about it, I think that the actors were lured in by their own boyhood memories. I think most people over 20 will go see it because of its nostalgia aspect.

The whole thing was just too much CG for me to handle. If money was the issue they should have made their sets smaller, covered less expansive and useless "cool" shots, and focused on delivering some real stuff. If you're going to do a completed CG movie, than do it, don't try to mix one part live action, with fifteen parts CG - its bound to end up looking like a Bedazzled giant sloth. Poor movie. It had potential, and was ruined. The plot was well thought out, flowed fine, but ruined by the over use of the green screen.

As far as violence goes - it was fine. I think adult fighting is okay, but there were some kid-on-kid fighting scenes that I think would be a bad influence on the kiddies. Other than that, I only noticed one or two curse words. The lead female was of course put in tight tight clothing, unnecessary again. Bah. Bah. Bah. This movie needed to make up its mind. Adult or kid, not this mix-n-match stuff. I mean look at the toys! This is for kids, but yet compiled and rated PG-13. Weird, a toy Channing Tatum and Gordon-Levitt. Welcome to the world of plastic forever. Ugh. Thank you Joseph Gordon-Levitt for keeping me awake.

Goolsby overall: 2.5
No excuses. Try harder next time.

Phipps:
I was super excited for this movie. Action, action, action. I dismissed the speculation about GI Joe's lack of critical review, because I've known many movies that are actually better than the critics think. Here's the breakdown:

1) The storyline of the movie was great. I've got no complaints. Non-stop action. It was generally fun without being cheesy or cliche.

2)I I was okay with the casting and performances. Channing Tatum has always done well in action sequences, and because this was basically non-stop action...it was nice to see him in his element. Dennis Quaid's strut was a little strange, but I expect that was a nod to the show that went over my head. Sienna Miller always plays the mean girl perfectly. And well, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is just having a stellar summer.

3) I was okay with the outfits. I was okay with the occasional corny line. After all, for all intents and purposes, this is a superhero movie - certain things are expected and allowed.

4) I was not okay with all the CGI-ing. When you CG an air craft carrier - which included no special gadgets or action shots, you lose my good graces. That was the big example, but there were tons of little things that were fakey looking. I suppose the film-makers just didn't take the time to figure out how to integrate CG and real stuff a la Lord of the Rings style. The big fly CGI spoiled the whole experience. Miniatures, people!

5) As Goolsby said, the kid-on-kid action was unexpected and a little disconcerting. I would want any kids to be 10+ when they see this...by then they should know that hitting other kids is no bueno.

Close, but no cigar. I'd definitely advise to see the cheap showing on the big screen...I think this movie will look abnormally lame on your TV if you wait for DVD.

Phipps overall: 2
Gosh, try filming with miniatures next time.

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