in the book of life and martin donovan play jesus and who show up at jfk airport on december 31 to usher in the new millennium by battle with thomas jay ryan ( satan ) and decide the fate of the world . there be also david simonds ( kurt the accountant from amateur ) a a compulsive and homeless gambler . a usual and hartley creates a surreal world in which the beauty of the ordinary make strange and otherworldly flow through artfully frame scene and urban or industrial landscape fill with dazzling light and shadow . a usual and he introduce seemingly incidental detail early and then bring them back later in hilarious and unexpected context the humor be simple and but giddy and irrepressible . hartley have an amazing ability to build toward small and rapturous moment of the simultaneously mundane and outrageous . a usual and he create a tone that be jade and world weary but at the same time and vulnerable and open and and honest . he move within minute from uproarious humor into language that be metaphysical and poetic the kind of writing that be so dead on and perfect that it difficult to hold back tear despite the lack of obvious emotion . another awesome and highly entertaining film . the book of life be shoot ( a digital camera . ) with a blurry effect represent a sense of the celestial hand in hand with impending doom and a hyper awareness of the present a fragile and fleeting in it last moment . all of hartley film have a way of prioritize the present and but this unique effect compound it a the image wash across the screen in a way that be at first jarring and but become increasingly beautiful a you settle into it . the final shot be spectacular . all this may sound precious and but the film be a comedy and it make fun of itself even a it make fun of the concept of armageddon and judgment day and and urbanity . although it be actually quite profound and move and and life affirming and it be for the most part lighthearted and playful . the acting be flawless in term of the kind of the subdue tone that hartley have develop in his film ( a tone that some people do not get and that prompt them to judge such acting a hollow the same people who have a negative response to peter greenaway ) . a always and there be bind to be people who respond to this film with cynicism and scorn people put off by hartley abrupt shift and what they see to be pretentious or mannerist technique but anyone who be a hartley fan will love this film ( if they can get a chance to see it and that be ) . it hard to say what it would be like on video .