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Rottenwatch: Book of Eli (GAF meltdown incoming?)
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wadsworth said:
Crap. That's basically the premise of a story I've been working years on.
I liked it. Will watch it a second time (maybe tonight *AD) just because of the twist. Has a definite Sixth Sense kind of tug that's pulling me me back to see the movie from a different perspective.
DeadFalling
Member
Gary Whitta said:
IDK If you are willing to answer this question or whatever, but what were your thoughts on all the
product placement? Specifically, that the movie always made sure to show off that Beats by Dre logo :lol
Marked spoilers even though it really isn't one, just kinda made it stand out that much more for me since I had heard it was pretty bad before going to see it.
Movie could have been a lot better I think, if it didn't have
such a predictable/two dimensional middle. The opening and ending were awesome, but it just got sorta predictable/typical action movie-ish around the middle.
I loved how the religion was handled in this movie and I'm a pretty die-hard agnostic/non-religious type.
It acknowledged that it causes a LOT of problems in the world, may be our eventual downfall and that it is taken way out of context and misconstrued by a lot of people/priests/preachers. Still, its core values and shit do mean something and can create hope for a lot of people who don't have much else in their lives.
the first book they printed off the re-invented/re-created printing press of the new world being the King James Bible, just like it happened the first time around, nice way to go full-circle.
did Eli rewrite any part of the Bible when he recited it?
Snowden said:
Wow, way to be a fucking ass.
DeadFalling
Member
double post 
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
Snowden is always hostile in his posts. It's best to ignore him.
Snowden is always a fucktard.
Regarding Solara's ability to
Regarding Solara's ability to
drive, how do those 7 year olds who joy-ride their parents' Toyotas learn how to drive? It's not like cars are not intuitive. If a child can figure it out after seeing people drive I would say that an adult could figure how to steer and move forwards.
Sir Hamish
Member
saw this last night and really liked it. every scene involving the totally random
got a tonne of laughs
cannibal dumbledore and wife
DeadFalling
Member
Oops, also forgot about that
way fake rowboat scene. WTF happened there :lol , and there was also another point where to CGI looked really bad, had something to do with a broken bridge but can't remember where exactly.
Napoleonthechimp
Member
Jayge said:
Especially if it's an automatic which even children can drive.
Tornado Condor
Member
:lolSnowden said:
Pyke Presco
Member
Well, I am not picky when it comes to movies. If there are action scenes, swords, guns, explosions, car chases, alien invasions, or any other blockbuster style trope I'm pretty much sold on it. You have to fuck it up really bad for me to not like a film (for example, I actually enjoyed Transformers 2. If the twins had not tsken ~50% of the Autobot screentime I would have thoroughly enjoyed that movie in spite of all its shortcomings, instead of just liking it.)
So needless to say I really liked Eli. Yes, there were some problems with it, specifically some of the combat sequences in lieu of "the twist", though the film does go out of its way to point out some of how he does it. Keep in mind that I actually knew of the twist going in due to following this thread, so I specifically tried to find sequences that would be contradictory with it or that would show it in a Sixth Sense/Shyamalan(sp?) style. As far as I can tell, as long as you're willing to accept a little (twist spoiler/plot spoiler)
, then there is no point in the film that outright denies the twist is present the entire film.
For example, in the town shootout:
Likewise with the house fight:
Now, admittedly, there has to be some suspension of disbelief in order for the movie to work. Regarding the twist,
and he has been wandering for 30+ years since the flash through generally hostile territory, so he probably got pretty good at combat. Maybe he was a soldier before the flash and thus had extensive combat training, and now he has had 30+ years to hone his skills. Not to mention (plot spoiler)
Yes, it gets a little fantastical, and sure, there might be some unexplained "plot holes" which could be handled by a little outside help, but I still thought it was a good enough movie.
Addressing some other complaints:
Regarding his surprise at the closet at the start:
Regarding the house/graveyard:
Great work Gary Whitta, I thoroughly enjoyed the film! Look forward to your future work!
So needless to say I really liked Eli. Yes, there were some problems with it, specifically some of the combat sequences in lieu of "the twist", though the film does go out of its way to point out some of how he does it. Keep in mind that I actually knew of the twist going in due to following this thread, so I specifically tried to find sequences that would be contradictory with it or that would show it in a Sixth Sense/Shyamalan(sp?) style. As far as I can tell, as long as you're willing to accept a little (twist spoiler/plot spoiler)
divine intervention/daredevil style echolocation or blind-sight
For example, in the town shootout:
Eli does not fire his gun until after the shots have started. He cannot locate the enemy until after they have fired their guns, and so he totally ignores all the guys on the ground since they dont have ammo, he only picks off the snipers on the rooftops after they have already shot.
Likewise with the house fight:
Eli specifically tells the old folks and Mila to not fire their guns, since if they start shooting he wont be able to pinpoint where the enemies shots are coming from. He specifically never shoots anybody that has not just fired their gun or is making noise.
Now, admittedly, there has to be some suspension of disbelief in order for the movie to work. Regarding the twist,
he is basically Daredevil from the comic universe (Marvel?)
it seems that Eli actually had the voice of God guiding his travels, so perhaps a little divine intervention was helping him out?
Yes, it gets a little fantastical, and sure, there might be some unexplained "plot holes" which could be handled by a little outside help, but I still thought it was a good enough movie.
Addressing some other complaints:
Regarding his surprise at the closet at the start:
I thought he was mostly jumpy from the fact that the door busted off its hinges and crashed to the floor, not so much the dead body hanging in there. Though he may have been able to smell the corpse anyway, depending on how long it had been sitting there
Regarding the house/graveyard:
He specifically did not know there was a house down there. As far as he knew they were just on a clifftop, and once Solara said "Do you think anybody lives there?" he says "Oh, I dont know. Lets go find out" as if he didnt even realize there was a house there. Likewise with the graves, he probably had no idea what was being shown to him, though I think the old man may have mentioned that there were graves there, and if he hadnt then for sure Solara said it. He probably figured out the cannabilism simply from the womans jitters, the traps in the house, and the general niceness of this couple in such a cruel world; they were probably out for something.
Great work Gary Whitta, I thoroughly enjoyed the film! Look forward to your future work!
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Oh wow, this clears up a lot of the issues I had with the film. Very good stuff.Pyke Presco said:
It annoys me that people are sucking Garys dick just because he posts here and it annoys me that people shit all over it just because he posts here. If someone made a good indie or short film there would be twice as much cocksuckers here no doubt praising him for the effort and supporting his endavour and encouraging him to go on but only because this is a major production all bets are off it seems and its lame. Don't get me wrong from his posts I always thought he was kind of a douche but his posting here should not cloud judgement of the movie. That goes both ways, to the positive or the negative.
I know not everyone is guilty of this, but the culprits are bloody irritating.
I know not everyone is guilty of this, but the culprits are bloody irritating.
going to watch it in a few days.
got a question tho.
since garry whitta has worked on video games and was/is doing Akira, does he bring any uncommon video game/anime/manga elements to hollywood?
the doom movie tried to do first person shooter mode and that was lame. i'm not looking for that.
iunno, i just love epic anime and can't wait for battle angel by james cameron.
got a question tho.
since garry whitta has worked on video games and was/is doing Akira, does he bring any uncommon video game/anime/manga elements to hollywood?
the doom movie tried to do first person shooter mode and that was lame. i'm not looking for that.
iunno, i just love epic anime and can't wait for battle angel by james cameron.
silverbullet1080
Banned
What makes you think so?Sinatar said:
It was mentioned that Eli was guided by god, but that's it, there was nothing beyond his own words that proved it. It's not like god made an appearance or anything.
-COOLIO-
The Everyman
wow, recovering my password was an adventure.
anyway time to catch up, first of all fuck you lsslave.
second:
like Feep mentioned, just because someone is highly acclaiming or critical of the movie does not mean it's because of gary. one of the things ive learned from this forum, is that anything can be highly polarizing.
but with that said, anyone that is hyper-critical of the movie in a brash, hyperbolic way is being a jackass. we all know the writer posts here, and just like in any other community, one is expected to respect the other members. if you dont get this, youre a social idiot. if you don't respect this, youre a jealous, bitter, attention-seeking asshole.
anyway time to catch up, first of all fuck you lsslave.
second:
Kosma said:
like Feep mentioned, just because someone is highly acclaiming or critical of the movie does not mean it's because of gary. one of the things ive learned from this forum, is that anything can be highly polarizing.
but with that said, anyone that is hyper-critical of the movie in a brash, hyperbolic way is being a jackass. we all know the writer posts here, and just like in any other community, one is expected to respect the other members. if you dont get this, youre a social idiot. if you don't respect this, youre a jealous, bitter, attention-seeking asshole.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
I actually think that GAF has been pretty fair to the movie. The general consensus seems to be that it's kind of cool-looking and has an interesting premise but that the script is a bit weak in terms of its internal consistency.
Great Rumbler
Member
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
Most of the components of the movie are pretty good, like the overall direction [although there were some weird edits that made it feel like some scenes were missing], the music in some spots, the look of the world, the action scenes [although I thought they were all too short], and Denzel's acting and on-screen presence.
But the script was the weakest part, in my opinion; too many things that you just had to accept as divine intervention, some inconsistencies, the twist ending, and how it didn't really tread any new ground in the genre.
Spiderjericho
Member
Maybe, they'll make an extended directors cut to insert some of the gaps that were cut. Also, the music at the beginning and end is so great. Too bad there isn't an OST for the movie (though to be honest, I haven't looked).
And poor Denzel, Training Day, Man on Fire...and now this.
And poor Denzel, Training Day, Man on Fire...and now this.
Gary Whitta
Member
There is a soundtrack album, it's on CD and iTunes.
EDIT: beaten by costanza AGAIN!
EDIT: beaten by costanza AGAIN!
Fleet of Foot
Banned
All right, I just got back from seeing it and really liked it. Sure there are plot holes (the "twist" being quite a huge plot hole in itself) but despite all that, I liked it.
One hole I haven't seen people point out:
I also didn't think the people in this situation worried nearly enough about where their next drink of water was going to come from. Water is more important than anything in that situation. The rich people have it but most of the people aren't rich. Where are they getting their water, 30 years after this happened?
Like I said, overall I really liked the movie. Congratulations to Gary.
One hole I haven't seen people point out:
Eli would have known that as soon as Carnegie opened the book, he was going to realize it was in brail (and be pissed). It doesn't make sense that after all Carnegie went through to get the book, he would have gotten back in his truck and driven all the way bay to town before trying to open it. He would have realized right away it was locked and said "Hey how do I open this?" before he shot Eli. He would have forced Eli to open it and of course the movie would have gone on quite differently from that point.
I also didn't think the people in this situation worried nearly enough about where their next drink of water was going to come from. Water is more important than anything in that situation. The rich people have it but most of the people aren't rich. Where are they getting their water, 30 years after this happened?
Like I said, overall I really liked the movie. Congratulations to Gary.
Phoenix's Rage
Neo Member
Man. I really liked this movie. Really dig the soundtrack and will be getting it for sure.
Gary, can we get a Book of Eli FAQ/Commentary post? Like your thoughts on what wasn't completely reflected on screen that your script intended to?
Gary, can we get a Book of Eli FAQ/Commentary post? Like your thoughts on what wasn't completely reflected on screen that your script intended to?
Pyke Presco
Member
Fleet of Foot said:
Note that the spoilers deal with the end of the film, so do not highlight them if you havent seen it.
Obviously regarding the spoiled text above:
Honestly, I dont think he was terribly concerned about getting it open. The fact of the matter is, he knew what was inside it, so there wasnt really any rush. He could wait until he got back to town before opening it. After all, the man had been waiting for decades to get the book, what was another 8 hours while they drove back to town? You could clearly see that Carnegie was just happy to have it in his possession, from him kissing the leather binding to his misty eyed reverance of what he held in his hands. Plus, he could clearly see ti was locked. The solution: either get the key, or have a locksmith open it. Yeah, he probably should have taken Eli's pack, but since he had a tinker in town anyway to open the lock, who cares.
Fleet of Foot
Banned
Pyke Presco said:
No way man. He hadn't seen that book in 30 years. It was the most important thing in his life. He finally got it and didn't even want to flip through the pages? I don't buy that. And if in fact he did notice it was locked right away, that would have been his only concern: Make sure I can open this.
Pyke Presco
Member
Fleet of Foot said:
He mostly wanted it so that he could use it to control the townspeople. He still knew the basic tenets of what it taught, but he wasnt pining after it because he loved religion and had forgotten some prayers to god, he wanted it so that he could use the fear of heaven and hell to strike terror in the hearts of the populace and bend them to his will. He was going to need to get back to town and write some notes, devise a plan of attack on the malleable minds of the uneducated, and generally set out his course. He didnt need to read the first book of genesis in the next three hours before sundown. He was probably just devising some schemes in his head during the ride back. Or maybe he didnt realize it was locked right away. His vision clouded with tears at finally holding the power over the weak willed in the palm of his hand, and his entire thought process was "1)Get back to town. 2)Plan how to control the populace. 3)??? 4) Profit." Then, once they had hopped in the truck and had turned back to town, he noticed the lock and just said "Fuck it, I'll get it opened in the morning." His restructuring was going to take months, possibly years anyway, one more evening wasnt going to kill him.
Fleet of Foot
Banned
Pyke Presco said:
I understand your argument and I assume this is the film's argument as well. I'm not going to argue with you about what his motivation was; all I'm saying is, I don't buy it and to me it's a pretty huge plot hole.
Alright I did see it and I did enjoy it. The score was freaking awesome. I'm just going to spoiler tag my thoughts because they are going to be scattered throughout.
The twist wasn't like a WOAH crazy moment for me. I did think it was pretty cool though. I do like how it was delivered though with the book being in brail. Being a non religious person I thought it was fine in that aspect. I can't wait to see the movie in blu-ray. There was some awesome looking scenes in the movie. I didn't feel bad about Eli dying at the end. The movie made it like his time was up. He wanted to go. His mission was finished and he spent a damn long time trying to get it done. I want to see all the special features explaining some of the stuff.
Also, I loved the movie! Dunno if it's one I'd buy, but I'm really stingy about dvd purchases... but I'd definitely watch it more in the future. The theme of
isn't really done much. Love the setting, soundtrack, eye-candy, and the action was great, although well-choreographed fight scenes aren't too rare these days. Silhouette fights are always especially welcome.
Also, about some of the complaints:
religion being a positive or negative thing in different hands
Also, about some of the complaints:
Holy cow, have you guys never seen an action movie before? Or never been a fan of Zatoichi, Daredevil, or Ninja Scroll (I can understand disliking the latter in comic book or movie form, though)? The idea of a blind man having heightened sense and using sound/smell to fight isn't new, but if you let yourself believe it's possible for the sake of a movie, I love it. You can believe Jesus helped him if you want or whatever, but that wasn't really the point of the movie--whether Eli is really on a mission from God or not, the movie seemed to be about the preservation of all forms of knowledge and that religion has the potential for good and bad. I really enjoyed it--a pretty original post-apoc film that borrows a lot of timeless elements
HUELEN10
Member
I had 4 paragraphs written up to post, but I get mistaken and wrongfully accused of being a shill of things I like, so I have decided to keep it short in the best interests of myself.
It's powerful, it touched me, and it moved me. It started this decade in movies off to a superb start in my personal, and I hope it gets recognized by those that "matter" in the long run, screw the haters. I said I'll keep it short, so that's all I will say for now. Superb, absolutely superb.
EDIT:
It can't come to BD soon enough.
It's powerful, it touched me, and it moved me. It started this decade in movies off to a superb start in my personal, and I hope it gets recognized by those that "matter" in the long run, screw the haters. I said I'll keep it short, so that's all I will say for now. Superb, absolutely superb.
EDIT:
It can't come to BD soon enough.
HUELEN10 said:
The sonic thread has been no good to you... but here we are in agreement here
Great movie IMO. Not quite worthy of the holiday season, but an impressive film. Makes me wish the Hughs did more stuff. Good writing, direction, cinematography, and music--and mostly good acting (more character development and Kunis' acting/written role would be my main issues there).- Status