The Book of Eli

When the surprise twist comes at the end, it is--given all that has gone before it--utterly preposterous, almost to the point of dishonesty on the part of the filmmakers. That flaw almost ruins an otherwise entertaining bit of post-apocalyptic hoo-hah. The presence of two old pros--Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, who are incapable of giving a bad performance--goes a long way towards redeeming the storytelling misdeeds. In sum, it's uneven, but worth a look if you have the time and indulgence.

From Hell

The Hughes Brothers win points for ambiguity; the ending is neither happy, nor sad--it just is. Of course, movies about Jack the Ripper have a built in unhappy factor. This one touches on the most prominent suspects--the Duke of Clarence, Dr. Gull--and represents the period fairly well. On the other hand, Johnny Depp and Heather Graham are unconvincing as Victorian Londoners. Tread with caution: there's some serious gore here.