The Book of Eli was not a movie I was initially drawn to when it appeared in theaters. The lone wanderer in a post-apocalyptic world is not my favorite plot line, and the religious tones of the film put me off as well.
I thought I would give it a try though when it rolled into the store. I was surprised at how engaged I became right off the bat. I had forgotten how well the Hughes brothers can direct.
The beginning of the film relies on visuals mostly and that can be a hard thing to pull off unless it is done right. Denzel Washington plays his Eli character with quiet humor that made me like him right away. And honestly it has been awhile since I liked him in anything.
The action sequences were awesome, one in particular towards the beginning actual made me giggle it was so cool. Washington did many of his own stunts for the hand to hand combat stuff, and the results paid off.
Story was good (nice twist ending), hero was good (Washington redeemed himself a bit for me), villain was great (Gary Oldman…can’t go wrong there!), and the visuals were stunning.
This is definitely a movie worth watching!
In brainstorming for the best blog post idea ever, I came across the radically mind-banteringly fascinating gun-dungaree skip hoppin’ idea of picking 5 notable movies we’ve received in the store this week. 5 flavors for 5 days, Monday through Friday or Sunday through Thursday (whatever you like, french fry).
First film. Say Anything. That’s right. Anything you want. This pretty picture features John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler, an average day teen, chillin’ in Seattle, graduating and all that. College is surely on everyone’s minds, sept for Lloyd, whose main concern regards asking out the super smart and popular Diane Court. Featuring that one scene and directed by Cameron Crowe, this movie helped set the 80s as the decade for teenage tomfoolery. Fun fact: when Lloyd drives down 45th, he passes the Guild 45th theater which happens to be playing another Cusack flick, Tapeheads. Reality just got pretty crazy in this mud!
Second film. 12 Monkeys. Originally not conceived as a TV biopic based around the casting dilemmas behind a fictionalized 1960s pop group, 12 Monkeys was eventually adapted by Terry Gilliam as a futuristic sci-fi thriller where a virus has killed millions and survivors such as Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt must live underground. A bunch of stuff happens. Fun fact: Director Gilliam gave Bruce Willis a list of “Willis acting clichés” that he was refused to use during filming (such as the “steely blue eyes look”).
Third film. Memento. Directed by one of my favorites, Christopher Nolan, this film is a crazy ride where Guy Pearce repeatedly loses his short-term memory, relying on sticky notes to remember just what the hell he’s been up to. Throw in some mystery and murder and you’ve got yourself a fascinating driller (drama-thriller… insanely clever, i know). Fun fact: Christopher Nolan originally wanted Alec Baldwin for Guy Pearce’s roll. Let me tell you, it’s a good thing they didn’t have any costumes fitted for the character beforehand… Because Alec Baldwin is pretty large and Guy Pearce isn’t. Okay, not funny. Moving on.
Fourth Film. White Chicks. Directed by Kenan Ivory Wayans, this film features his brothers Shawn and Marlon as two kind of crappy FBI agents who are told to go undercover in an abduction case by disguising themselves as the daughters of a tycoon (hence, “white chicks”). What could possibly go wrong? Fun Fact: The original title of the movie was called the Miltons, in attempts to showcase a more direct spoof of the Hilton family.
Fifth Film. No. Fifth TV Show. No. First TV Show. The Kids in the Hall: Season 1. A wonderous sketch comedy show anyone my age should recognize from reruns on Comedy Central, this Canadian sketch comedy show originally aired in 1988 under the guise of Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. Most of the sketch comedy is wild and out there, reminiscent of Shakespeare, with most female roles being commandeered by the all-male cast. Great late 80s/early 90s comedy. Fun fact: The name of the troupe comes from comic personality Sid Caesar, who, when telling a joke that didn’t go over well, attributed it to “the kids in the hall”.
Summer Time Blues
How The Movies Of Summer Ruined Everything
By Geoffrey Robert Reed
As a lot of you might have noticed, here in Seattle the summertime weather has apparently decided to shun us and not show up at all! This is what Traci Allison my high school prom date did to me, so I’m pretty use to it. (Actually, she did show up that night, with her real prom date Rick Morrison. They raided my dad’s liquor cabinet, and then Rick gave me a swirly in my own toilet. I did not get the rental deposit on my tux back) But don’t worry Seattle! This gloomy weather will pass, and soon you will be basking in the 62 degree, mildly sunny weather that is the Seattle Summer!
Until then, here are some of my top picks of summer movies, and a few things that happened to me while I tried viewing them!
Summer School: (1987) – Mark Harmon is a gym teacher who teaches a rag-tag group of misfit during the summer months in this 80’s comedy from the always reliable Carl Reiner. We have this in stock a Moviecycle! This film makes summer school look like a lot of fun, but believe me it is not. I was a straight A student in junior high, but during my last week of English class, my arch enemy & bully Ryan Carter switched my final paper “Mark Twain: American Hero“ with a paper he wrote called “F**K You Miss Jenkins!” Miss Jenkins was our teacher. I failed her class, and had to go to summer school for 2 months. This meant not only did I miss out on computer camp, but I had to attend summer school class with Ryan every day and endure endless after class beatings. Also, he stole my shoes three times that summer.
Caddyshack II: (1988)- This amazingly funny movie (which we currently have in stock here at Moviecycle) which actually manages to be even funnier that the original, was a box-office smash when it came out. Not only did it breathe new life into the golf-comedy, (or Golfedy as it is now known) it made Jackie Mason a star who had crossed generations as American’s new sex symbol. This film doesn’t have much to do with summer, but it does have a great water-park scene. A mishap on a water slide may seem like comedy gold when it happens in the movies, but believe me, when it happens in real life; nope. For my 16th birthday my uncle Clair bought me a free summer pass to Wild Waves. Man was I excited. I was in line for my first ride on a slide they called Admiral Rampage when a girl in front of me said I could go ahead of her! I thanked her, and jumped into the tube. Moments before I headed down, I felt two hands at the legs of my bathing suit. Yup. She pantsed me. I spent the next 4 hours waiting for my mom to pick me up naked, runnning around the park looking for cover & screaming “Help me! Someone Help me! while crying uncontrollably. It was then that I earned the nick-name “Tic-Tac”
American Pie 2 : (2002)- Those wacky teens in their mid to late 20’s are back! This time the “gang” heads out for some fun in the sand & sun and a bunch of stuff happens that should surprise no one! They also rent a summer cabin, which reminds me of a little story. Summer, 1992. Last day of school. I am cleaning out my locker, and underneath my Crash Test Dummies c.d. I find a note inviting me to share a summer cabin with a bunch of dudes from the basketball team & Heather Davidsondearinton. One of the cutest girls in school! I had my “weekend step-dad” drive me out to the beach the next day. The house was a beautiful summer cabin. As my stepdad drove off, I knocked on the door, my duffle bag & Snoopy Sno-Cone macine at my feet. The Door swung open… Yup. It was Ryan Carter. He pulled out a water gun and shot a thick stream of hot sauce directly into my eyes. As I was doubled over in agony, he pulled me up and handed me a mop and bucket. That summer I was held captive as the in-house janitor. Cleaning up after each party was a nice break from being tied up in the basement every day and night. Oh….and the Snoopy Sno-Cone machine was broken, but not before I was fed a Lemon Sno-cone. (It was really pee, not lemon) We have this movie in stock at Moviecycle as well.
Well. Have a good summer everyone. Don’t forget to drop by Moviecycle to pick up some of your favorite Summertime flicks!