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Uptown Oracle (24 KP) rated All That Remains in Books
Jun 30, 2017
A wonderful zombie thriller
All That Remains is a dystopian horror following Kyle, Tim and Sara 13 years after the apocalypse. After finding young girl Kaylee, they need to get to Oak Ridge to protect themselves and maybe save the world.
There's normal reanimated human zombies, but also other monster like creatures that roam the earth. All That Remains is able to describe the monsters, make them horrifying, yet not interrupt the plotline to do so. In previous books I've been pulled out of a tense moment because there's too much description, but Barrera is able to bypass that problem.
There's varying themes of hope and morality within the book. All four of our characters experience hope, and lose hope throughout the book. Whether it's hope to find more people, hope that cities are inhabitable or just hope for survival. Because of this focus, I felt attached to the characters. Even when they were being pessimistic, they still didn't give up.
Morality is a fine line in this new world. You must kill to survive at times, but is it the right thing to do? If you kill a bad person does it make you just as bad? One of the lines mentioned that right is nothing but a direction anymore which I think is relevant to the book as a whole.
As we get to see the point of views of both Sara and Kyle you do feel attached to them. The characters are extremely likable, even when they're not being the best they can be. They don't consciously make bad decisions which puts them in danger, which makes me route for them more. Although problems do arise due to accidents or it's out of their control.
Sara in particular is a great character. She shows both mental and physical strength by not only surviving 13 years but also with her mental fight with 'the walking cancer'. The walking cancer is a monster that no one has ever seen before. It's a new, worse monster in the world, and the main bulk of the book is spent running and hiding from it. Due to Sara being a scanner she can sense and also connect/talk with the monster.
The plague-like spread of zombies and natural disasters mirrors that Kyle is ill throughout the book. It's implied that it's a cancerous tumor, most likely in the brain due to headaches and blackouts. As the situation for the group gets worse, the illness gets worse. I think Barrera was definitely trying to show the similarities. There's also a underlying message of having hope throughout which I think is an important takeaway.
There's normal reanimated human zombies, but also other monster like creatures that roam the earth. All That Remains is able to describe the monsters, make them horrifying, yet not interrupt the plotline to do so. In previous books I've been pulled out of a tense moment because there's too much description, but Barrera is able to bypass that problem.
There's varying themes of hope and morality within the book. All four of our characters experience hope, and lose hope throughout the book. Whether it's hope to find more people, hope that cities are inhabitable or just hope for survival. Because of this focus, I felt attached to the characters. Even when they were being pessimistic, they still didn't give up.
Morality is a fine line in this new world. You must kill to survive at times, but is it the right thing to do? If you kill a bad person does it make you just as bad? One of the lines mentioned that right is nothing but a direction anymore which I think is relevant to the book as a whole.
As we get to see the point of views of both Sara and Kyle you do feel attached to them. The characters are extremely likable, even when they're not being the best they can be. They don't consciously make bad decisions which puts them in danger, which makes me route for them more. Although problems do arise due to accidents or it's out of their control.
Sara in particular is a great character. She shows both mental and physical strength by not only surviving 13 years but also with her mental fight with 'the walking cancer'. The walking cancer is a monster that no one has ever seen before. It's a new, worse monster in the world, and the main bulk of the book is spent running and hiding from it. Due to Sara being a scanner she can sense and also connect/talk with the monster.
The plague-like spread of zombies and natural disasters mirrors that Kyle is ill throughout the book. It's implied that it's a cancerous tumor, most likely in the brain due to headaches and blackouts. As the situation for the group gets worse, the illness gets worse. I think Barrera was definitely trying to show the similarities. There's also a underlying message of having hope throughout which I think is an important takeaway.
Sam (228 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies
Mar 9, 2019
Action (2 more)
Realistic CGI
Amazing Acting
Weak Ending (1 more)
Missing Something
Great Start, Great Action, Weak Finish
I absolutely loved this film up until the last half hour. This film had a strong beginning, strong middle, and a weak ending. The action scenes were absolutely beautiful and watching Brock, the main character, slowly getting taken over by this monster (Venom) was a masterpiece of acting. I loved watching them interact together, however their relationship went from being absolutely terrifying and brilliant to quickly fast formed friends. I would have liked to see this transition better rather than the fast switch that took place. Considering this to be a key part within the formation of the film I can't in good conscious give it more than rate it at a 7/10 as it made the ending weak and clunky. If this transition was more smooth and played out then I would rate it much higher. In my opinion, Venom is a monster bent on taking over the planet, however in this film he went from villianous to superhero in the matter of minutes. If the time had been taken to smooth out these kinks the film would have been perfect. This being said the action scenes were outstanding, the acting beautiful, and the CGI which played heavily given the film was actually very well done.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Golem (Der Golem) (1920) in Movies
Nov 4, 2019 (Updated Nov 4, 2019)
Usual disclaimers apply when discussing a movie this old (the pace, production values and performance style should not be judged by modern standards), but this is another one of those films proving that things have, perhaps, not changed as much as we think. This is technically Golem 3, a prequel to the first two showing the creation of the titular monster during the middle ages. The structure of the story is very familiar - it seems like a good idea to create an immensely powerful servant from clay using dark magic, to begin with anyway, but he proves an unruly worker in the end, to say the least.
Another expressionist German fantasy film about the dangers of flirting with the powers of darkness; if you're looking for historical irony the fact it's based on a Jewish legend should give you plenty to work with. Holds up pretty well; the similarities to Frankenstein are very obvious, and the director gives a striking performance as the monster. Many other performances are striking to the modern eye as well, although not in quite the same way. Some interesting cultural baggage to be unpicked here too (the Jewish characters are the heroes of the film, but the Rabbi does have black magic powers which no-one seems very surprised). Interesting historically and a watchable genre movie, too.
Another expressionist German fantasy film about the dangers of flirting with the powers of darkness; if you're looking for historical irony the fact it's based on a Jewish legend should give you plenty to work with. Holds up pretty well; the similarities to Frankenstein are very obvious, and the director gives a striking performance as the monster. Many other performances are striking to the modern eye as well, although not in quite the same way. Some interesting cultural baggage to be unpicked here too (the Jewish characters are the heroes of the film, but the Rabbi does have black magic powers which no-one seems very surprised). Interesting historically and a watchable genre movie, too.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Invisible Man (1933) in Movies
Mar 4, 2020
Universal Monster
This movie is such a classic, it came out after dracula, frankenstein and the mummy. Out of all the universal monster movies, i like this one the most. It combines sci-fi, horror, psychological espects, and overall the invisible man just being a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway. This classic movie is based off of a H.G. Wells novel, and if you dont know who that is, look him up..."The War of the Worlds".
The plot: While researching a new drug, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) stumbles on a potion that can make him invisible. When he reveals his new ability to his old mentor (Henry Travers) and his fiancée (Gloria Stuart), it's clear that a side effect of the potion is insanity. Jack goes on a violent rampage, and the police struggle to hunt him down, unable to see their target, while his mentor and his former partner (William Harrigan) desperately try to devise a plan to capture him.
You have Claude Rains playing "The Invisible Man", he is excellent in this film. Cause like i said his charcter is just a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway but has a heart of gold for his love.
If you havent seen this film, i would highly recordmend it, cause it is fantasic and phenomenal.
The plot: While researching a new drug, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) stumbles on a potion that can make him invisible. When he reveals his new ability to his old mentor (Henry Travers) and his fiancée (Gloria Stuart), it's clear that a side effect of the potion is insanity. Jack goes on a violent rampage, and the police struggle to hunt him down, unable to see their target, while his mentor and his former partner (William Harrigan) desperately try to devise a plan to capture him.
You have Claude Rains playing "The Invisible Man", he is excellent in this film. Cause like i said his charcter is just a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway but has a heart of gold for his love.
If you havent seen this film, i would highly recordmend it, cause it is fantasic and phenomenal.
Vulcan Test Pilot: My Experiences in the Cockpit of a Cold War Icon
Book
In 2007, a restored Avro Vulcan Mark 2 - XH558 - took to the skies to help commemorate the 25th...
Last Day High School Survival Game: Zombie Battle
Games and Entertainment
App
Can you save yourself from unkilled creatures? Play the best survival hero and strategy game. Some...
Siren's Fury
9.0
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Book
"I thrust my hand toward the sky as my voice begs the Elemental inside me to waken and rise. But...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) in Movies
Jun 4, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Godzilla vs Kong is the fourth film in the current Godzilla franchise and is a a very good fit. The film is a good homage to the other Godzilla films that have gone before, both in this franchise and and for ones gone before. One thing this film does is show is why Kong wasn't in 'King of the Monsters'. It also tells us more about the 'hollow earth', a subject that has been touched on in the other films.
Of course 'Godzilla vs Kong' features monster vs monster fight scenes which which mostly turn out how you'd think when you put an atomic lizard against a giant ape. And this is the films problem, they seem to totally down played Kong, they seem to have been trying to make him more intelligent than Godzilla but then he doesn't seem to use that intelligence in any of the fights, even in a fight against a random winged serpent he need help from the humans.
Over all though ' Godzilla vs Kong' has everything you'd want from a Godzilla Film, you have 'hollow earth , monsters, over the top tech and humans who think they are being helpful. The film also plays tribute to the older Godzilla film by using music and sound effects from the originals.
Over all 'Godzilla vs Kong' is a good film and worth a watch for any Kaiju fan.
Of course 'Godzilla vs Kong' features monster vs monster fight scenes which which mostly turn out how you'd think when you put an atomic lizard against a giant ape. And this is the films problem, they seem to totally down played Kong, they seem to have been trying to make him more intelligent than Godzilla but then he doesn't seem to use that intelligence in any of the fights, even in a fight against a random winged serpent he need help from the humans.
Over all though ' Godzilla vs Kong' has everything you'd want from a Godzilla Film, you have 'hollow earth , monsters, over the top tech and humans who think they are being helpful. The film also plays tribute to the older Godzilla film by using music and sound effects from the originals.
Over all 'Godzilla vs Kong' is a good film and worth a watch for any Kaiju fan.
The Witcher Adventure Game
Games and Entertainment
App
***NOTE: Compatible with iPad 2/iPad mini and up – WILL NOT RUN ON EARLIER DEVICES*** The Witcher...
No Man’s Land (John Puller #4)
10.0
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Book
Two men. Thirty years. John Puller’s mother, Jackie, vanished thirty years ago from Fort...