Plot Summary for The Book of Eli (contains spoilers): Eli (Denzel Washington) has been on a journey for 30 years, walking west across America after a cataclysmic war that turned the earth into a total wasteland. The world has become a lawless civilization where people must kill or be killed. The barren roads belong to gangs of cutthroats who rob and kill for water, a pair of shoes, a lighter, or just for fun. Eli is a peaceful man who only acts in self defense, and becomes a warrior with unbelievable killing skills when he is challenged. After the war and the “Big Flash”, Eli was guided by a higher power to a hidden book and given the task of protecting the book and taking it to its final destination. Eli guards the book with his life, because he knows that the book is the only hope that humanity has for its future.
As I watched this movie I started out thinking “Kung-Fu (1972) starring David Carradine, which was also about a lone man searching for his inner peace. The first 10 minutes in the movie there is no dialogue and you are riveted to your seat as you learn about the world this movie takes place in. The scenery is bleak, almost black and white. As we all know Denzel Washington is a great actor, and when a great actor is given a good script, then you have the makings of a hit movie. What this movie needed was an over the top villain and we got that with Gary Oldman’s portrayal of Carnegie the ruler of a small town who has road gangs looking for a book. The acting that surprised me was that of Mila Kunis who played Solara in this movie. I was expecting Jackie from “That 70’s Show” and not much else from her, but was blown away when I saw her range in this movie.
The Hughes Brothers as directors made only one other movie I could recommend and that was their first movie “Menace II Society” (1993). The other movies they made were of the same cloth as that one. I only wanted to see this because the trailer looked good. I’m glad I did. I asked my family who went with me what they would give it and it ranged from 3 to 5, I was going to give it a 4 out of 5 anyway.
If you want to see a movie that not only makes you think, but also is fun to watch then this is the one to see right now. It is rated R for violence and profanity.
According to the Bass Pro Shops’ website this is the description of the game.
Drop anchor on your couch and fish the day away as you navigate some of North America’s most entertaining fishing hot spots. Featuring amazing gameplay, realistic physics, and authentic fishing gear used by the pros! Bring the lake into your living room!
111 Bass Pro Shops lures
11 species of fish
10 unique lakes
10 tournaments
9 awesome boats
1 heck of a good time
Search for legendary fish
Compete in boat racing and casting challenges
Gameplay options for seasoned fisherman, first-timers, or hardcore gamers
When I opened up my Christmas presents this year I found my wife had gotten me a Wii, something I was not expecting. We had discussed getting one because I liked to play Wii Bowling. When I opened up the package that contained this game and a controller that looked like a fishing pole I about freaked. My wife knows how much I love to go fishing but never catch anything. As a matter of fact I have a hard time casting. I instantly fell in love with this game.
The Controller
The controller requires not only a Wii Remote but also a Wii Nunchuck. After a few hours of frustration, I failed to read the directions I went over to the website to find out how to use the controller. The first thing that needs to be done is to set the controller to Configuration B. The only draw back is that you cannot save this configuration either to the Wii System memory or to an SD Card. It is important to do this as you cannot control your boat unless you do. The controller has a nice feel to it and is comfortable if you plan on playing for a long period of time.
In Configuration B these are how the buttons work:
Driving Mode
The cross steers the boat
The C Button activates the Fish Finder
The A Button Enters Casting Mode
The B Button activates the Throttle
The Minus (-) Button Brings up the Start Menu
The Plus (+) Button Brings up your inventory
The 2 Button brings up the GPS Map
Fishing Mode
The Z Button Changes your stance and is the quick reel/cut line function
The C Button changes the camera
The Thumb Stick (joystick) is the Reel In
The Cross sets the Casting Reticule
The A Button Exits Casting Mode
The B Button Initiates and releases the Cast
The 1 Button sets the drag level
The best way to play this game is with the controller.
Gameplay
Just like fishing for real, the idea behind the game is wait for the bite. You also have to keep your line tight and set the hook. The physics are almost nearly the same as real life. And just like real life I have a hard time catching anything. The big ones do give you a fight though.
There are two modes of gameplay, Arcade and Bass Pro. The Arcade is the easiest of the two and both offer Career modes. You start by designing your character. You don’t have a whole lot of choice here. Once you have set your character up you can head into the game. In the game you are given a boat a pole, some lures, some line and a reel. Your boat is equipped with a Fish Finder and a GPS system. You enter the Bass Pro Shop and you have the opportunity to buy more lures, lines reels and rods. I bought some 17 pound test line and that was it. In the first lake you get a tutorial and you have to earn 50 points to unlock the tournament. You cannot go to another lake until you win this tournament.
If there was an online component the tournament would be the best place for it, but alas there isn’t one. I haven’t yet won the tournament but I’m still having fun playing the game.
I give this game 3 out of 5 phantoms. The Game play is nice but there should be an online component and more character customization. The game is rated E for everyone. If you have a fisherman in your family then get this game for them.
Plot Summary for The Book of Eli (contains spoilers): Eli (Denzel Washington) has been on a journey for 30 years, walking west across America after a cataclysmic war that turned the earth into a total wasteland. The world has become a lawless civilization where people must kill or be killed. The barren roads belong to gangs of cutthroats who rob and kill for water, a pair of shoes, a lighter, or just for fun. Eli is a peaceful man who only acts in self defense, and becomes a warrior with unbelievable killing skills when he is challenged. After the war and the “Big Flash”, Eli was guided by a higher power to a hidden book and given the task of protecting the book and taking it to its final destination. Eli guards the book with his life, because he knows that the book is the only hope that humanity has for its future.
