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Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Snowpiercer (2013) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
All Aboard!!
Old Movie Revisited: Snowpiercer. One of those awesome apocalyptic films that makes you wanna ride a train. It reminded me of a bunch of other stuff thrown in there... Battlestar Galactica directed by Terry Gilliam on a train heading Beyond Thunderdome, there was even a scene where I felt Resident Evilish as well. (Our heroes go into a train car and encounter all these dudes with black masks on and giant axes, I instantly thought that Alice was about to come in and wipe them out.) So whats its about you ask, instead of looking it up your damn self? Its about a self-sustaining train that loops the world after global warming has sent us into another ice age. The train in seperated by class, workers way in the back, rich folk up front. And its all about a revolution to take over the train led by Captain America, Billy Elliot, and Kane from the Nostromo, to bust to the head of the train, and take over, I guess. Tilda Swinton gets to be called by her real name, because she's awesome, once again, and even Ed Harris pops up in there! "Nice." The best line is delivered by Captain America:"You know what I hate about myself? I know what people taste like. I know babies taste the best." However I can't really picture Chris Evans doing that, he looks to nice, The Capt America image has gone too far. Anyways, its a cool movie and definitely needs to be watched!! Filmbufftim on FB
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Anna and the Apocalypse (2018) in Movies
Dec 8, 2019
There's genuine festive joy in here, yes it's a little blood-stained, but still... festive joy. There are Christmas trees, an innuendo-filled song and Santa, it's probably more on the non-Christmas side of festive watchlists but I'm here for it anyway.
The songs are fantastic, they're fun and catchy with some great dance montages. It really does peak on the musical side of things. My only quibble would be Paul Kaye's song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now", it's a little cheesy and doesn't feel quite like the tone of the rest of the film. On repeated viewings though it does grow on you, but not quite enough to jump off the bottom spot.
You do need that comedy villain to hate though and in that respect Paul Kaye certainly does really well. In fact the whole cast were great, and there isn't even a caveat. "They were great... considering it's a monster movie." Every performance fit with their character and they managed to make an apocalyptic film feel really upbeat. Everyone had the right amount of pizzazz in them to make this zombimas spectacular come to life.
Being focused on such a small group and area meant that it was really easy to engage with what was going on. It's filmed really nicely as well with your classic background zombie action for comedy effect. All in all this is an enjoyable (sort of) Christmas film and has something for everyone in the family.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/12/anna-and-apocalypse-movie-review.html
The songs are fantastic, they're fun and catchy with some great dance montages. It really does peak on the musical side of things. My only quibble would be Paul Kaye's song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now", it's a little cheesy and doesn't feel quite like the tone of the rest of the film. On repeated viewings though it does grow on you, but not quite enough to jump off the bottom spot.
You do need that comedy villain to hate though and in that respect Paul Kaye certainly does really well. In fact the whole cast were great, and there isn't even a caveat. "They were great... considering it's a monster movie." Every performance fit with their character and they managed to make an apocalyptic film feel really upbeat. Everyone had the right amount of pizzazz in them to make this zombimas spectacular come to life.
Being focused on such a small group and area meant that it was really easy to engage with what was going on. It's filmed really nicely as well with your classic background zombie action for comedy effect. All in all this is an enjoyable (sort of) Christmas film and has something for everyone in the family.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/12/anna-and-apocalypse-movie-review.html
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Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Book
What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about...
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Ridley Plays 2: Vincent River, Mercury Fur, Leaves of Glass Piranha Heights
Book
This second volume of Ridley's stage plays confirms him as one of the most imaginative, daring and...
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David LaChapelle: Heaven to Hell
Book
"LaChapelle Heaven to Hell" is the long-awaited third volume in an exhilarating trilogy that began...
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2269 KP) rated Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox in Books
Feb 16, 2021 (Updated Feb 16, 2021)
Traveling the Galaxy viaā¦a Lunchbox?
Finn is a typical almost twelve-year-old. Heās got a younger sister who annoys him, heās struggling to make friends at his new school, heās being picked on by a bully, and he has a crush on a classmate. His life changes when he accidentally takes his sisterās lunchbox to school one day. When it starts to glow, he discovers that itās become a portal to another part of our galaxy. On, and this portal is the key to a battle against a race called The Plague that destroys planets. With The Plague now looking at Earth as their next target, Finn is going to have to come up with some kind of plan to save the world.
Itās been a few years since I picked up one of Michael Buckleyās books, so I was thrilled to see he had a new series out. As you might suspect from the description, this is a wild, fast-paced right that I found hard to put down. And I havenāt even mentioned the seven-foot-tall robot yet. I did feel it got a little too apocalyptic for me at times, but thatās a matter of personal taste. The characters are good, although the one that got the most development here was a clichĆ©. The creativity that went into this book is outstanding with lots of details that are fun. Kids will eat this book up and be anxious for the next one when they are done.
Itās been a few years since I picked up one of Michael Buckleyās books, so I was thrilled to see he had a new series out. As you might suspect from the description, this is a wild, fast-paced right that I found hard to put down. And I havenāt even mentioned the seven-foot-tall robot yet. I did feel it got a little too apocalyptic for me at times, but thatās a matter of personal taste. The characters are good, although the one that got the most development here was a clichĆ©. The creativity that went into this book is outstanding with lots of details that are fun. Kids will eat this book up and be anxious for the next one when they are done.
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Jonathan Higgs recommended track He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot by Grandaddy in Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy in Music (curated)
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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Into The Forest (2016) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
A light, pretty take on the bonds of family during hard times gets brutalized halfway through by one of the hardest to watch scenes of 2015 before becoming a powerfully emotional apocalypse tale about how much of your life is actually necessary. This has been criticized up and down for not using a 'harrowing' enough crisis to set the scene, and look I'm just going to tell you right now that I understand why you all think this is 'millennial' but this right here would be my living nightmare. I'm that character in every pre/post-apocalyptic movie who loses their shit after the power goes out in the first five minutes - I don't even go tent camping, like I *need* that shit. To quote Kumail Nanjiani from šš©š¦ ššŖšØ ššŖš¤š¬: "I'm going to be the first guy to die. I die so the other characters get to find out something weird is going on". Also a big plus that this doesn't turn into some finger-shaking technophobic lecture as it no doubt would have under any other circumstances. No I don't take a ton of stock in this rather simple story on the surface but the real beauty of it is brought to life with these all-in performances, earthly visuals, together with the *deeply* rich and evocative score. It's such a bracingly haunting yet unforgettably sensual experience, and it has one of the more sound 'good thing, bad thing, good thing, bad thing...' structures for the genre. Very lovely.
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Ali A (82 KP) rated The Electric Kingdom in Books
Jan 11, 2021
The Electric Kingdom is a novel that takes another look at the beauty of humans in a post apocalyptic world. Eighteen years after a deadly Fly Flu sweeps the globe, killing most of the population, Nico and her dog, Harry get sent on a voyage by Nicoās father to find a mythical portal. Along the way, she meets other children, including a young artist named Kit. Thereās also the Deliverer, who lives Life after Life in an attempt to put the world back together. This story is an exploration of art, love, life, and finding beauty.
Every character that David Arnold writes in this book is so full of love, warmth, and heartbreak. I fell in love with Kit and his outlook on live. It was beautiful. The relationship he had with his mother Dakota, and why he calls her āMy Dakotaā made me tear up.
Iām not sure I completely understand the whole dynamics of the world that is in this book, but I still very much enjoyed it! There are so many layers and plot twists and double backs, you donāt realize how intense it is until youāre half way through it. By then, Arnold has you hooked and youāve got to find out what happens and how itās all connected!
I havenāt read anything from Arnold before but I enjoyed this one and will seeking out others from him.
*Thank you Bookish First and Penguin Teen/Viking Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Every character that David Arnold writes in this book is so full of love, warmth, and heartbreak. I fell in love with Kit and his outlook on live. It was beautiful. The relationship he had with his mother Dakota, and why he calls her āMy Dakotaā made me tear up.
Iām not sure I completely understand the whole dynamics of the world that is in this book, but I still very much enjoyed it! There are so many layers and plot twists and double backs, you donāt realize how intense it is until youāre half way through it. By then, Arnold has you hooked and youāve got to find out what happens and how itās all connected!
I havenāt read anything from Arnold before but I enjoyed this one and will seeking out others from him.
*Thank you Bookish First and Penguin Teen/Viking Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Andy K (10823 KP) Nov 2, 2019
365Flicks (235 KP) Nov 2, 2019