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Reviews
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013)
A solid movie with great acting and direction
I'm usually not a fan of inner-city dramas, but this one is different. There's no overt political message--in fact, in that regards it comes off more like an impassive documentary: you are the disembodied eye, witnessing the lives of two young abandoned cubs as they struggle to survive in one of the harshest environments in the country. There's no finger-pointing, no cliché'd "bad guy"...in fact, (almost) everyone is a "bad guy" at one point or another, except for Pete (the voice of innocence, acquainted to the local Hell by a more seasoned Mister).
The acting by the two young heroes is fantastic--particularly from Skylan Brooks, who (I'm sure) will be gracing our screen for decades to come.
The directing is both solid and refreshing--Mr. George Tillman Jr.'s style features is a wonderful change from today's prevalent "cut to another scene every half seconds" style. He's not afraid to dwell on a seemingly-unrelated scene to fill in atmosphere, and he doesn't insult the audience by explaining what is clearly implied. His is a name worth remembering as well.
This movie is well worth a watch--I doubt many will find fault with it, as it shares some resonance with almost everyone.
The Book of Eli (2010)
Far better than the ratings would infer
This movie was far better than I would have expected, had I come to this website first. You'll notice that the majority of the people that gave it bad ratings did so on the basis that they oppose Christianity (or at least their perception of Christians). To be fair, a lot of people may like the movie because of it's subject matter (I may share this bias).
The movie itself is atmospheric--the majority of it filmed portrayed in a kind of dark, sepia-like tone. The acting is excellent for the most part--Denzel Washington delivering solidly (what else is new), and Gary Oldman providing an excellent villain (on this matter, I was pleasantly surprised--usually, Oldman's villains are way over the top with their odd mannerisms and eccentricities to the point that they're almost cartoonish; this character was far more subtly played). The action sequences were engaging--particularly the melee combat scenes. Best of all, this movie has a twist ending a la The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense, that almost makes you want to watch the movie again to watch for hints of it.
If you have strong opinions against Christians or Christianity, you probably won't like this movie...although it certainly acknowledged the other side. If you're neutral, Christian, or can simply take a movie for it's entertainment value...then you will probably like it. I certainly did.