The Book of Life (1998)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

A lot of fun.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

I used to love this film for it's poetic and visual style and that Hal Hartley style I fell in love with which includes the dialogue and the way the characters move about and the humor. I considered this film a beautiful work of art. But I came to the conclusion that since I believe in The Bible that I have to accept that this movie is blasphemous and goes against the true Word of God and thus an attack on God and came to the realization that God would not approve of this movie no matter how much of a sense of humor God may have. The movie is fictional but still teaches a false gospel and by doing so is very dangerous and wrong. False gospels like this do not take God seriously, and non-believers will find this gospel (despite the fact that we already know is fictional) is more appealing and more attractive that what The Bible actually tells us and thus help lead more people astray and not accept the fact that the Apocalypse in the Bible must happen as the divine justice of a most perfect God against a most wicked world.

One of my favorite Hartley movies. (As if there could be a "bad" one.) Although, this may be a bit more on the religious side of things than we would normally expect. Nonetheless, it still maintains that Hartley slant to which we've all become accustomed.First picture Jesus and Satan discussing their ideas, opinions, hopes and regrets about the impending end of civilization. Now imagine the entire conversation taking place over a few drinks in your neighborhood bar. And as an added conversational (not to mention visual) distraction, let's toss in PJ Harvey as the sultry companion (aka Magdelena) to Mr. Chist. Then, just for grins, in the background, an ever present Salvation Army Band (played by Yo La Tengo) to serve as an added diversion. The road to moral justification has never been such a pleasure.Quite possibly more questions than answers, but therein lies the fun. And Mr. Donovan is subdued brilliance, as always.

Like most or all Hartley's titles, not excluding the single-worded "Trust," "The Book of Life" supports at least a couple of William Empson's seven ambiguities. Not bad in an age in which publicists prefer generic, single-word, even monosyllabic titles. Scorsese's "Last Temptation" and Pasolini's version both went down with me like homework. "Dogma," though I liked some of it, felt like someone else's homework. Only Buñuel's 1965 "Simón del desierto" is more fun than Hartley's visitation.

I found the movie to be extremely thought provoking. I watched it twice.I was not annoyed by the digital video aspects. In fact I am encouraged by them. It further illustrates that as the cost of technology comes down so will the walls that bar worthy artists from entering the field of cinema.As I said it was thought provoking. I continue to enjoy Thomas Jay Ryan. He was wonderful in Henry Fool, and his portrayal of Satan in this small movie is at least interesting. He is the kind of Satan I'd like to sit down and have a conversation with.My thoughts after viewing the movie…There are now less than 5 days until the turn of the century. After spending the better part of the year considering the aspects of technology related problems that I have some control over, I now find that I have been quite unexpectedly run over by the human and spiritual aspects that I have no control over.It is as if suddenly, out of the corner of my mind's eye, I am now catching a glimpse of the true significance of the coming millenial shift, and it has nothing to do with the latest Y2K compliance patch to WindowsNT 4.0.It does have everything to do with the seemingly endless number of "directionless human beings" surrounding me and bombarding me with their "insignificant hopes and dreams," and the realization that my own hopes and dreams are also horribly insignificant. In essence I am being beaten down by our collective spiritual deficit and our quixotic quest for meaning.It has everything to do with the fact that out of the corner of my mind's other eye, I am seeing with all too much clarity the fact that there may indeed be forces far beyond my ability to comprehend at work here, struggling eternally to do little more than maintain the current state of human affairs, because a slight shift in one direction or the other, could truly lead to the apocalypse.It has everything to do with the fact that out of my mind's center eye, I see that there may indeed be an immortal soul, and that it is flawed, and that it is the source of intimacy between human beings and between human beings and God, and where you find intimacy you find expectations, and where you find expectations you find disappointment."…we are destroyed by expecting more than there is…" - Charles BukowskiEastern religions suggest living without hope. Another paradox. Hopelessness could ironically be the key to happiness.The clocks on my wall are suddenly extremely loud.12.31.99Forgive me for my irrelevance, and allowing this life to so far remain "unremarkable," I was the good son, and ironically, I find that divine retribution is aimed at me, and if Armageddon is at hand, it serves little purpose other than underscoring my own cosmic impotence. 01.01.00Denial no longer serves me.See the movie