Book of Eli

The description of "post apocalyptic" usually steers me far, far away from a movie. Blade Runner? Ick. I Am Legend? No thanks. Mad Max? The PostMan? Omega Man? No, No, NO!!

But one of my Facebook friends (Hi Julio!) posted that he had gone to see The Book Eli, and that it was good. "And by the way," he said, "The Book of Eli is the Bible, and its the last one on earth".

OK, then. I'm in.

This..ahem.."post apocalyptic" tale stars Denzel, as Eli, a lone stranger, traveling westward, protecting a sacred book. He's survived for 30 years by hunting small animals and finding supplies and water wherever he can. When he reaches a small town run by powerful mobster, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), he is offered a job to stay and work for the mob boss. And when Carnegie sends Solara, (Mila Kunis) a young girl, to spend the night with Eli to "convince" him to stay, she sees the book. This happens to be THE book that Carnegie has desperately been looking for. But he wants it in order to gain control of people. Eli, on the other hand, has been "told", by a voice in his head, to take the book and go west. So he leaves, and the pursuit of The Book begins.

The Book of Eli was filmed in a dark, ashy, color, which really enhanced the idea of a dismal earth. It was also quite a violent. Unfortunately, telling you any more will only spoil the story. But if you can hang on through the darkness and violence...it is a beautiful story with a beautiful end. You could say the journey will be worth it for the destination. This movie is a must see.

TOOTH FAIRY

For about the first half hour, I was thinking this was the corniest movie I'd ever seen, and that it was geared for very young kids. I also thought that Dwayne Johnson and Ashley Judd didn't have a lot of chemistry as a couple.

But then I found myself laughing out loud and really enjoying it! Which is good, because I wanted to like it. I think Dwayne Johnson has been good in these kinds of movies - such as Race To Witch Mountain or The Game Plan. (Kinda reminds me of Vin Diesel in The Pacifier...which I loved!)

Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a washed up former pro hockey player that is now playing in the minors. He's been nursing a shoulder injury for years, and hasn't even attempted a goal in 6 years. He's come to the point where he thinks dreaming is pointless. The only way to happiness and satisfaction, in his opinion, is to lower your expectations. He's been dating "Carly" (played by Judd), a single mom with two kids. But he's afraid of commitment - he's afraid of trying and failing. And so his relationship with Carly is suffering.

One night, he tries to tell Carly's daughter, Tess, that there is no tooth fairy - because he doesn't see the point in a childish fantasy. Carly stops him, but later that night, he gets a surprise. He is transported to...hmmm, well, I guess you can call it "Tooth Fairy Land". He is informed by the Tooth Fairy in Command (Julie Andrews), that he has to work as a tooth fairy, in order to pay off his debt for the offense of trying to destroy a child's belief in fantasies/dreams.

This is kinda where the movie starts to get good. Derek isn't allowed to tell anyone he's a tooth fairy, so when he gets a call to pick up a tooth, he starts to sprout wings, and he's got to go - in a hurry! Since he has to leave at a moments notice - without being able to explain - this adds even more tension in his relationship with Carly.

But its fun to see how he scrambles to do the job - especially since he's gotta do it right, or else he gets more time added to his "sentence". And the "tools" he receives to do the job, are pretty funny - especially when he uses them.

By the way, Billy Crystal makes an appearance. He looks different, but his voice and style are unmistakable.

It was rated PG, and it really was a clean movie. I loved that Derek never spent the night at Carly's house. While Tooth Fairy was a predictable movie, it was cute and funny. It was a little corny, and I was definitely glad that I didn't pay to see it at the theaters. AND..I still think that Ashley Judd and Dwayne Johnson had NO chemistry! BUT..it was a nice, clean movie to settle down and watch on a Thursday night at home.

LITTLE BILLY'S LETTERS, By Bill Geerhart

This was a fascinating read. And really, an original idea, as far as I'm aware. Little Billy's Letters is a compilation of letters and responses to those letters, by some of the most famous people in the world.

But here's why its so entertaining..."Little" Billy is actually an adult, pretending to be a child in the letters he writes. He sends letters to everyone from Donald Rumsfeld, to Charles Manson, to Tori Spelling, to the Lucky Charms Leprechaun.

He asks Charles Manson for his advice on dropping out of school, and receives a very chilling, strange reply.

He asks Robert Shapiro for advice on how to clear his name for destroying his sister's doll (Billy claims he's innocent and that the dog ate it). Mr. Shapiro replies with a long letter outlining various tactics Billy could employ, such as using DNA from the dog's mouth.

Yep...I said it was fascinating, didn't I?

Each page includes a photo of Billy's letter, some brief information about the person or organization he's written to, and a copy of their response. It's amazing to think that he actually got responses from all these people!

Its a quick read, something you can pick up, read a few pages, and then put down. My son gave it to me for Mother's Day along with the receipt, just in case I wasn't interested. But I read one of Billy's letters and was hooked til the end.

*One last note...Little Billy obviously grew up to be a liberal democrat, judging from some of the comments he writes about certain politicians and religious figures. But dont let that deter you from giving this book a try! Its fun and...did I already say...fascinating?