The Book of Eli

Don't fret about there being nothing on TV when you can be catching up on movies! Get in on my Summer Netflix challenge or get your hands on one of this week's new DVD releases.

When in Rome

When in Rome is definitely one of those movies a romantic comedy lover won't be able to resist renting. No, it's not Oscar-winning material, but it is a cute, frothy slapstick confection that's fun enough. This is thanks to leads Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, who are united by the coins of a magic fountain that make men fall in love with Bell. Yes, I know how dumb that sounds, but I enjoyed the silly flick for its laughs and goofball cast, which also includes Will Arnett and Dax Shepard. The DVD extras include a blooper reel, deleted scenes, and two music videos.

16%

Youth in Revolt

Michael Cera treads both familiar and unfamiliar character territory in his Youth in Revolt dual role. As awkward teen Nick Twisp and his suave altar ego Francois, Nick sets his sights on his dream girl, and Francois gets him in more trouble than Nick bargained for. It all makes for an irreverent, if uneven, adaptation of CD Payne's novels. Zach Galifianakis and Justin Long provide cameos in the comedy, which is worth seeing just to watch Cera leave his comfort zone by playing a mustachioed Casanova. Extras on the DVD include a commentary track, deleted scenes, and the actors' audition reels.

69%

To see one more new release, just read more

After passing Titanic last week as the highest grossing film of all time, Avatar continued to add to its box office tally over the weekend with a hefty $30 million. New films Edge of Darkness and When in Rome couldn't unseat James Cameron's phenomenon, as each took in a respective $17.1 million and $12 million for second and third place.

Rounding out the rest of the top five was Dwayne Johnson's kid comedy The Tooth Fairy with $10 million, and The Book of Eli with $8.7 million.

Now, the question remains: what film will finally take Avatar down?

Photo courtesy of Fox

I feel like a broken record by this point, but Avatar earned the No. 1 spot at the box office again this week, raking in $36 million to add to its growing total. Coming in second place with only half that was Legion, starring Paul Bettany, which debuted with $18.2 million.

Denzel Washington's The Book of Eli followed close behind with $17 million in its second week in theaters, while new family flick The Tooth Fairy saw $14 million. Finishing out the top five was The Lovely Bones with $8.8 million.

Looks like the majority of audiences agreed with you to pass on Extraordinary Measures. The Harrison Ford feel-good movie bowed with a disappointing $7 million for seventh place.

Looks like there is no stopping Avatar! The film had a very good weekend — not only did it take home record-breaking wins at the Critics' Choice Awards and two Golden Globes, it also took the top spot at the box office with $41.3 million. Thanks to the new sales figures, the movie is closing in on the $500 million mark domestically (and getting closer to unseating Titanic as the highest grossing film of all time).

In second place was newcomer The Book of Eli with $31.6 million, followed by The Lovely Bones with $17 million.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and Sherlock Holmes continued to hold on to their places in the top five, earning $11.5 million for fourth place and $9.8 million for fifth place, respectively.

Denzel Washington has the sort of actor intensity needed to play an apocalyptic superhero, and The Book of Eli positions him as such. Dressed in shades with a machete at his back, he swiftly slices at his enemies while showing no expression or sign of sweat. He's like a Bourne for the new dark ages: precise, robotic, and killing in order to survive after a war that destroys most of the earth (and its inhabitants).

You're never sure when Washington is going to throw a man to the floor or smash a head against a counter, which fills the storyline with surprise jumps and gives it a degree of intrigue — just who is this guy? But despite such entertainment value, the tale wavers on the side of ridiculous when it should be gripping. To hear why, read more

Today at Comic-Con, Warner Bros. provided a closer look at some of its most-anticipated upcoming films. In a packed 90 minutes, we got sneak peeks at Where the Wild Things Are, The Book of Eli, The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes. The panels were chock-full of celebs, which made for a lot of fan excitement and some interesting questions (including multiple marriage proposals for Megan Fox and Cameron Diaz). Here are my thoughts:

• Where the Wild Things Are: We didn't get a full panel and Q&A for this one, but the clips were more than enough to satisfy fans who have been dying to see more of Spike Jonze's newest project. I was so excited to find that the scenes were just as touching and mesmerizing as as the film's trailer. Basically, I can't wait for Oct. 16!
• The Book of Eli: This morning I showed you all the trailer for the movie, but having the cast on hand was even better. Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman seemed to have a great relationship — the perfect balance of mutual respect mixed with a lot of goofing around. When asked what it was like to work together, they quipped:
  

  Washington: "It was like good sex. We had a ball together. Sometimes we do the scene as English gentlemen . . ."
  Oldman: "Sometimes you do it with the slang African-American, sometimes it's the English gentleman, sometimes it's the thespian . . . like good sex."

  It should be awesome to see these two duke it out on the big screen. Oh, and Oldman also revealed that he'll start filming the next Batman next year — adding "But you didn't hear it from me."

Want to hear about The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes? Of course! Just read more

At Comic-Con today, I'm hoping to learn more about The Book of Eli, a forthcoming post-apocalyptic film starring Denzel Washington. The first trailer for the film — one of many dark movies coming over the next few months — has hit the web, and it definitely does look spooky.

The trailer sets up the basic outline of the story: Washington stars as Eli, one of the only survivors left on Earth. He possesses a book that holds the secrets to rebuilding humankind. As his voiceover solemnly intones in the trailer, some would kill to take the book from him; he will kill to protect it from falling into the wrong hands.

The cinematography is what's really catching my eye in this trailer. Everything's shot in tones of green and gray, with deserted roads and broken overpasses and other signs of a civilization deserted. The fight scenes are filmed almost in shadow, with the figures standing out as black outlines against the creepy green sky. I hope I'll have more to share soon about how this looks on the big screen! The movie hits theaters on Jan. 15, 2010, and for now you can check out the trailer for yourself if you read more