The Book of Caleb (2008) Reviews

• High-quality independent film with great storyline

  sarah-musi2009-02-14

  "Book of Caleb" is a refreshing film that enjoys it's own quirks and justly so; it is a film about a boy (Montag) who, with ever fiber of his being, is set on never joining the bored mediocrity of the adult population. So why should it fit neatly into a boring adult-oriented genre? Answer: it shouldn't. It won't. This film requires an open mind and the willingness to just let it exist. Although I can understand that this film would tend to have more of a following amongst the male population, I enjoyed it very much for the humanity of the characters and the plot which accurately exposed the unpredictable nature of a life well-lived. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I watched it again a few days later. Congratulations to the makers of this film on a job well done.

• A great Independent film

  Darthbrandon142009-03-27

  I saw the film on Amazon. (Because of a fluke, It didn't stop the 2 minute "preview" after the first 2 minutes of the film. ) And I am watching it on Hulu now. It is a great film, and I must warn you, I WILL put major spoilers up. Short Synopsis: A comfortable underachiever and serial prankster, in the midst of their quarter life crisis, reunite against childhood enemies in a contemporary suburban epic. I'd say my favorite character is either Swank or Officer Scar. And speaking of Scar, I AM saying how he got his scar, and my thoughts on the otherwise described "EMBARRASSING" scene. OK, so it is a rainy day, and Caleb, Montag, Swank, Scar, and some other kids are playing Basket Ball. Scar (Who's real name is, if I remember right, Jim) keeps winning, Montag gets mad, and tackles him. Scar fights back and repeatedly punches him. Caleb grabs a trashcan and throws it at Scar, who gets pushed into a fence, his face pressed so hard, and I guess the metal also being wet and cold, cuts his face. He swears he will have vengeance. What did I think of that scene? Um, it was actually pretty sad if you watch it, because of the music, the most. But It didn't seem so embarrassing to me. My final thoughts on the film? It was great!I can't really say I don't like anything about it. 10/10!

• Comedy delivers, shows promise

  WPaul2008-08-20

  I first saw the trailer for THE BOOK OF CALEB on the Cinemassacre.com website. The trailer had me sold from the first mention of the fabled "upper decker," so I paid for the digital download and checked it out. The movie delivered on the trailer's promise, and shows that this group of creative people is a group to watch. They really have the chops to do something great. This isn't your average oddity that you find on the internet, have a couple seconds of amusement, and then forget about. This is a legit movie from obviously talented filmmakers. If I had to compare the movie to anything else, I'd probably say Wes Anderson's work, specifically BOTTLE ROCKET. This film has a similar quirky sense of humor, a "boys will be boys" attitude, and a way of making the mundane seem epic without getting sidetracked with self-importance -- the movie maintains a great sense of humor and is never pretentious. There is definitely a unique voice here. Most of the performances are solid, especially for such an independent film, and the technical credits are all solidly professional. I'm going to recommend this one to some like-minded friends, and think it could really take off from word of mouth. Definitely worth discovering.

• I saw a test screening of this...

  rchlbrwn32008-01-17

  Hysterical movie. Officer Scar is one of the best villains I have seen in any film. The way he gets his Scar is so ridiculous! The scene when he works out was really funny as well. The characters are so interesting and developed. I love the comedy in the dynamic between Montag and Scar. Caleb's performance I found to be a little dull, but the other characters more then made up for him. Paul Gleason as the George Washinton was great in his final role. It's really sad he passed away. When I went to see this film I wasn't so sure, because I didn't know anybody in it. I can't wait for this film to come out. When is it coming out?

• My review for The Book of Caleb over at www.moviecynics.com

  BobbyBless2010-04-05

  You have to hand it to independent filmmakers these days. Many of them do whatever they can to get the movie they want to make up and running. It can range from giving blood to donating sperm to using the cheapest film known to man to film the movie or to even begging for donations… it doesn't matter what it is as long as you're ambitious enough to do whatever it takes to make the movie the way you want it be made. Hell, it doesn't even matter how long it took you to make the movie, as long as the ending result is something you are proud of. Such is the case with Matthew von Manahan's film, The Book of Caleb. In the film, our hero, Caleb Callahan (Jeremy Luno) returns home after dropping out of college… to the surprise of everyone as he was only six credits shy of graduating. Upon arriving, Caleb rekindles his relationship with his childhood pals; Montag (Michael Hampton), the prankster who believes he's figured out everything in life, and Swank (Nikitas Manikatos), the ever trusting sidekick. It doesn't take long before the crew is up to no good and pulling pranks like they used to… that is until one of them involving the gubernatorial candidate James Paddington (Paul Gleason of The Breakfast Club in one of his final roles), goes horribly wrong. After which, it is up to Caleb to man up, face his fears (namely the sinister Scar; played by Jeff Berg) and become the leader that everyone knew he could be. The Book of Caleb is a surprising little slice of the independent film-making pie. The movie is finely directed by Matthew von Manahan, who spent six years making the film from the basement of his parents' house. By taking as long as he did to finish the film, one can tell that von Manahan is dedicated to his craft; which is a welcomed treat as many would have either given up on the project or rushed it out just to say that they made a movie. This is a missing trait in many filmmakers today… even the "named" directors who started out small and are now making big budgeted movies. Matthew von Manahan's direction skills are so impressive that they are able to save the movie from the randomness that it appears to have by bringing out some fairly decent performances from his cast. The cast do a nice job with their performances. Usually, with low-budget films, the film is full of actors that attempt to actor but end up doing a subpar job; but here, no one in the cast, a few of which have done mainstream films before (i.e. the late Paul Gleason and Mackenzie Firgens of Rent) seems to deliver a bad performance. Sure, the movie has a case of overacting in Jeff Berg's portrayal of the villainous Scar, but, to be honest with you, the performance is so over-the-top that it's hilarious and doesn't hinder the movie in any way what-so-ever. The randomness of the film, which could probably be attributed to the writing, is basically the only thing that tarnishes it. There are numerous moments in the movie when things just happen. You never really know why they happen, they just do. It's kind of puzzling when these moments occur, but they are actually pretty funny… to the point that you just go with it and forget the fact that it was totally random in the first place. When I first heard about the movie, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot out of it, but after seeing it, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised with The Book of Caleb had to offer. So much so that I actually look forward to von Manahan's film… hopefully it doesn't take him another six years to make one. Sadly though, I fear that not everyone will like the film as much as I, but hopefully I'm wrong.