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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Death of Grass in Books

Sep 5, 2019  
The Death of Grass
The Death of Grass
John Christopher | 1956 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
John Christopher's spin on John Wyndham's so-called 'cosy catastrophe' formula focuses on the catastrophe and forgets about the cosy. The book is not that bothered about about being overtly SF, either - there's something horribly mundane and plausible about the book's depiction of the spread of a crop virus, misfiring attempts to stop it, and the increasingly desperate measures taken by the authorities as the food simply runs out.

Particularly strong on characterisation and the impact of the disaster on the protagonist: initially a decent upper-middle-class chap, John Custance finds the survival of his family requires him to condone (and even commit) acts of betrayal, murder, and maybe even worse things. Powerful ideas, and Christopher's no-nonsense style lets them into the reader's mind where they linger uncomfortably. A fine book that deserves to be better known.
  
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Sara Cox (1845 KP) rated Athena's Choice in Books

Oct 8, 2019  
Athena's Choice
Athena's Choice
Adam Boostrom | 2019 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A story set in the late 2000's and nearing the turn of the century. A virus killed everyone containing the Y chromosome. A genetics company is working on creating the genome to bring men back, but it's been stolen and Athena is the only one who can get it back. This story is very well researched, nothing mentioned here is scientifically impossible with more developments. It is well written and easy to read and understand. With concepts and history that would be everyday knowledge in this fictional future there are Wikipedia pages within the book to explain, which is an amazing idea and a flip of what I have usually read where there is a lack of females.
But does Athena decide to bring men back or does she think the world is better without them?
  
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Barry Newman (204 KP) rated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) in Movies

Jun 12, 2020  
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)
2019 | Drama
7
8.0 (27 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
It's unashamedly sentimental and certainly won't be to everyone's tastes but when the news is full of horrible depressing stuff like racism and the bloody virus sometimes you just want a big warm hug of a film and this certainly delivers on that. Being British I am not familiar with Mr Rogers and the film is not really a biopic of him, more so the influence his positivity has on other people and the story concerns his relationship with a cynical journalist tasked with interviewing him whose struggling with family issues. You can see how it's all going to end up but it's a journey worth taking. Hanks is as charming and likeable as ever and the film left with me a big smile on my face and in this day and age that is always something to be thankful for.
  
    Doomsday Book (2012)

    Doomsday Book (2012)

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    Movie

    The First Chapter of The Anthology Film- In A Brave New World, a mysterious virus brings the city to...

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David McK (3425 KP) rated Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) in Movies

Mar 24, 2021 (Updated Jan 22, 2023)  
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
2000 | Action, Mystery
6
5.6 (19 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I'm writing this in early 2021.

I don't think I'd seen this film since the early noughties.

If you asked me what I remember of it, I probably would have said

Thandie Newton
Masks
Slow motion. Lot and lots of slow motion.

And that is actually pretty accurate: directed by John Woo, this has an overabundance of Slo-Mo shots and has Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames both reprising their role from the first film.

It's also slightly uncomfortable watching this now (with the world still in the grip of a global pandemic), as the driver for the plot is - guess what - a deadly virus getting loose.

(oh, and in one of cinemas great 'what if' : I believe that Dougray Scott had to turn down the role of Wolverine as he was busy filming this)