Smashbomb

"I probably should not have read this book in the middle of a pandemic, but Higginbotham’s tale is so riveting I couldn’t help myself. And it is helpful to remind ourselves that terrible things do happen and the world does continue on, changed, humbled, and hopefully better prepared for a future catastrophe. What I liked so much about this work is that the author’s research is so good that he places you right in the moment. I felt like I was there. I felt like I was next to that burning reactor. When someone died, and a lot of people do, I felt grief. It’s a glaring example of bureaucratic incompetence and a disregard by leaders for the lives and safety of their citizens. But it is also a wonderful testament to the resiliency of the human spirit and the caring, sharing, and heroism that ordinary people can show in extraordinary times."

Source

Kudos

David McK (3425 KP) rated Soul (2020) in Movies

Dec 27, 2020

Soul (2020)

2020 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy

7.7

(37 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Pixar's latest (at the time of reviewing), released exclusively on Disney+.

I don't know whether it was always intended to be so, or because of the current worldwide Covid-19 pandemic (I lean towards the latter).

In any case, this is somewhat along the lines of 'Inside Out', although more metaphysical in nature, examining just what life is all about. It takes a good 40 minutes or so - I felt - to get going, and probably could have trimmed the ending down a bit.

I guess what I'm trying to say is there there is the kernel of a good idea and film here, but - for me - it just doesn't really cut it, with too much padding (IMO) to make it a really enjoyable movie. Definitely not up there with the likes of any of the 'Toy Story' films, or even with the aforementioned 'Inside Out' despite the similarities

Animation is top-notch, though.

Kudos

Last One at the Party

Bethany Clift

10.0 (3 Ratings) Rate It

Book

THE END OF EVERYTHING WAS HER BEGINNING It's December 2023 and the world as we know it has ended....

Post-apocalyptic Pandemic UK

Seobok (2021)

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Movie

Seo Bok (Korean: 서복; Hanja: 徐福; RR: Seobok) is a 2021 South Korean sci-fi action film...

An Eternal Lei

Naomi Hirahara

9.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

It's the middle of the pandemic and Hawaii has been virtually closed to tourists. So when Leilani...

David McK (3425 KP) rated I Am Legend in Books

Jul 7, 2019 (Updated Mar 19, 2023)

I Am Legend

Richard Matheson | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.5

(20 Ratings)

Book Rating

Richard Matheson's classic 1954 horror story, that (according to Wikipedia) has been converted four times into movies: The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man(1971),I Am Legend(2007) and I Am Omega(2007)

Of those, I was aware of only Charlton Heston's The Omega Man and Will Smith's I Am Legend, only having seen the latter. I'm also aware that that film also deviates from the source material (when do they not!), with the book describing the pandemic as (more-or-less) turning people into vampires rather than the zombies of the film. In both cases, Robert Neville seems to be immune to the virus, and is trying to work out how to cure it, while seemingly the last human being on the planet. The two versions, however, also end rather differently, with the novell(a) suiting the title 'I am legend' (and explaining why) more than the movie does!

Kudos

Akward (448 KP) rated Pandemic in Tabletop Games

May 24, 2018

Pandemic

2008 | Medical

8.2

(49 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

Cooperative (1 more)

Thematically interesting

Quarterbacking is a problem with players who have a varying degree of skill (0 more)

Pandemic is a lot of board gamers first cooperative game, and for that it has a lot of value. A lot of people have fond memories getting destroyed over and over, feeling that their first win was a big accomplishment. Unfortunately, after your first few wins, the game loses a lot of its charm. You start to recognize the patterns, and can pretty much tell within the first few terms if your group is going to win. As a result, this game is likely gathering dust in a lot of people's collections: too nostalgic to sell, but not good enough to play.

The game also suffers a lot of the basic problems of cooperative games. Experienced players quarterbacking is common. The randomness of the cards drawn is frustrating. The roles drawn don't always work well together (and can largely dictate if you win).

Overall, I would still recommend this to a new board gamer. But I would still probably recommend the Legacy versions more highly.

Kudos

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated World War Z (2013) in Movies

Mar 3, 2020

World War Z (2013)

2013 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

6.7

(48 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Zombie Outbreak

With all of this news about the coronavirus, i thought i reviewing this movie. That shot in the trailer where all the zombies are trying to climb that wall looked epic, scary, horrorfying and terrorfying. And Brad Pitt was great in this film. If you havent read the book that this movie is based on, than go and read it or listen to it. Anyways the plot:

When former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family get stuck in urban gridlock, he senses that it's no ordinary traffic jam. His suspicions are confirmed when, suddenly, the city erupts into chaos. A lethal virus, spread through a single bite, is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking and feral. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, Gerry leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with luck, a way to halt its spread.

Also Marc Foster directed this film, he also directed "Monster's Ball", "Finding Neverland", "Stay", "Quantum of Solace" and "Christopher Robin". So if you like this film, go watch his other films.