Hey sports fans! I must admit, I am a fan of the zombie movie, and a fan of the post-apocalyptic world movie (Yes, I did like Waterworld.)…. hmmm, maybe I should be a fan of the Seattle Supersonics. And, to celebrate a brother in law living with us, and because a friend of mine reviewed the movie...I took the time away from hanging out with my wife to go see 28 Weeks Later.
Zombies…maybe they can be a metaphor. Or, I like to think of them as a worst-case scenario. Pop-quiz hotshot…a deadly disease, human vector, 100% contagious, very fast incubation, causes victim to spread the disease to uninfected.... what do you do? On a be very afraid note, do we really trust the Russians with smallpox? What if AIDS mutates? I wonder if China has a bio-weapons program? What if bird-flu mutates?
Apocalyptic world…can you survive without civilization. What might you do, unmentionable, so that you could live for another few minutes? We in western civilization have built up our house of cards pretty well, and it looks real nice, and we have wealth unimaginable to previous generations. But all it takes is a little wind & rain, and a city is destroyed. What would we do if it hit the fan for real, on a society level? Could humanity survive? Could we rebuild? (Please cue Sting’s “Walking In Your Footsteps”.)
There was plenty of gore. Although not as much as PlanetTerror.
Acting, photography, music, flow, affects all good.
I give the movie an A-.
Spoilers may follow.
Once, during a summer of earth under attack movies, I wondered, do other countries make end-of-the-world movies? And if they do, do the main characters just sit around for the Americans to save the day. And I wondered, wouldn’t that be much better as a comedy musical… “oh, vee might have de Champs de Elysees, but vee hope zee Americans save de day…. Wit ze asteroid, an ze volcano, an ze aliens from space, vee are glad ze Americans will save the human race.”
The movie picks up after the Rage-virus from 28 Days Later has been eradicated from a decimated Briton. An American led, UN force comes into help resettle Britton. (Some have said this movie is an attack of American military messing up in Iraq. Whatever.)
Everything is going according to plan. But a couple of people bend the rules, and there is something unexpected, and the virus is back.
The American soldiers were portrayed decently. Normal guys, doing there job, very brave, efficient and honorable in battle, normal guys trying to stay alert and not be bored while waiting/guard duty.
The flaws…the father kept showing up to try and kill his children. And, what the heck is it with helicopter –vs.- zombie fights? Who started this trend? I think it is silly.
I wonder how brave I would be? If there was nothing I could do to save a loved one, would I run and try to save myself, in essence betraying them? Or would I be brave, and die with them? What would you do in the moment, with no time to think, only instinct to react on?
At what point do those in charge say, “kill everything in the zone”? When is it so bad that we are willing to kill uninfected to keep the infection out of control. Would we be willing to destroy a city to save a country? Does the military have a team that thinks about these things? Are we ready for a worst case scenario? I shudder to think that we didn’t have enough imagination to have a plan to deal with 9/11. (Although, on a hopeful side, normal American citizens with the information of what was occurring stopped the 4th plane. No government panel of experts. No legislation. The American people, with information from their cell phones, found a course of action to save the day, and willingly made the sacrifices necessary. We salute them. And long live the free flow of information.)
Other reviews of 28weekslater...
my friend in DC
my favorite movie critic
I saw “Walk the Line” it was decent and entertaining. I’ll give it a C+.
Here’s the thing, when you make an autobiography, you don’t have to be truthful as a storyteller to the audience. The audience already knows that Johnny Cash ends up with June Carter. So you really don’t have to explain why a successful performer, who evidently had her head on straight, would want to settle down with her best friend, who, was an unfaithful husband, absentee father, alcoholic, self centered drug addict.
Johnny Cash’s story is the story of redemption. Of making a lot of mistakes, and being forgiven for them by himself, God, and family, the public, and those around him. That could be an interesting story. But for me the movie seemed to be a collection of interesting highlights from Cash’s life. And the audience can’t argue “unbelievable” because each of the incidents happened, and it ends the way the movie shows. But, as for story telling, well, I guess when you do a biography you don’t have to be believable.
Mr. Cash was a schmuck the first part of his life. Somehow he charmed people into giving him another chance. Somehow, he repented and changed his ways. Things I wonder about. How did his first wife (mother of Rosanne Cash) feel, did she forgive him too? How did his daddy end up forgiving him? How about the children from the first marriage? Another thing that was annoying is we would see little scenes in his life, allegedly where he got inspiration for songs. As if the best songs have to be autobiographical. (Hint to moviemakers, the best songs don’t have to be autobiographical …for instance, Mr. Cash was not an inmate at Folsom Prison.)
Good things about the movie…the concert scenes. The early days of rock-n-roll with all the greats sharing a stage at country fairs, those were fun to watch.
Favorite part, a quote by Sam Phillips when Johnny is unsuccessfully first auditioning for a record deal, "If you was hit by a truck and you was lying out there in that gutter dying, and you had time to sing *one* song. Huh? One song that people would remember before you're dirt. One song that would let God know how you felt about your time here on Earth. One song that would sum you up. ... would you sing somethin' different. Somethin' real. Somethin' *you* felt. Cause I'm telling you right now, that's the kind of song people want to hear. That's the kind of song that truly saves people. It ain't got nothin to do with believin' in God, Mr. Cash. It has to do with believin' in yourself.” Yes, to be authentic in rock-n-roll, that is what makes one great.
Ah what the heck, that quote, as a piece of advice to young artists, is worth upgrading the movie to a B-.
Hey there Sportsfans!
Once upon I went crazy and bought a whole big old stack of short story collections.
Well, I’m starting a new series for GBAtT. I will review those that I have read.
From World’s Best Science Fiction 1967
Philip K. Dick “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”
Yup, remember watching the Schwarzenagger classic “Total Recall” based off of this story. Less action chases & violence. A few more memories to be recalled. Best quote “You’re not accepting second-best. The actual memory, with all its vagueness, omissions and ellipses, not to say distortions – that’s second best.” Would you pay for a memory of something you haven’t done? Is going to the movies kinda like that, we have the memory of D-Day, but we don’t have to risk storming the beach. I think I would like the memory of being an NBA point-guard…except after, I would be able to go to NBA.com and see that I did not in fact play for the NBA. I guess they would have to limit memories to those that can not be verified by a third party. Decent read.
Bob Shaw “Light of Other Days”
Very sad and very pretty. Good read.
Roger Zelanzy “The Keys To December”
What do you do, when the world you were designed to live in is destroyed? Why you make a new world of course. How do you feel about the native lives you are changing while your new world is being terra-formed? Decent read.
R.A. Lafferty “Nine Hundred Grandmothers”
A little tongue in check. A little bit at the look of a civilization that has one very key difference than ours. Interesting read.
A.A. Walde “Bircher”
Sci-fi murder mystery. Alright read.
Michael Moorcock “Behold the Man”
Alright, I don’t know if I’m gonna finish this one, it is like 40 pages long. That ain’t no short story. And, it’s a time travel story. And I really don’t like the time travel story. Looks to be the basic premise, Jesus was a historian from the future who happened to be misquoted.
Never ask “how stupid do you think I am?”
You might not like the answer.
A few weekends ago I broke our lawn mower, because I was trying to mow really tall grass on a short setting.
Yesterday, while trying to get on the freeway, I lost control of the car and bashed into the guard rail. No one else was involved. But the front end of our car is smooshed.
Let’s see....wrecking the car.... where does that fall under “supportive husband for pregnant wife”….hmmmm….right around “showing up drunk to the delivery”.
[bad thoughts and bad language about author have been edited from this post]
I am surprised that I can actually cross the street without getting hit by a car. Oh, wait. It's been proven I can’t.
I really hope my children take after my wife.
The other day I spoke with someone who I really respect about her child that was born pre-term. She said it was hell, and leaving the baby at the hospital was the hardest thing she had ever done. She recommended that if that does happen with Unter & Uber for us to get counciling / therapy to help deal with it. She advised that infant in the neo-natal unit is a marathon condition, and is constant stress punctuated with waiting. I am glad I asked her about it, it decreases the chance that I will try to be all macho and stuff and just deal with the stress on my own. To bad I don’t have much faith in shrinks.
Today, while in the kitchen, watching Sophie eat – one of her favorite things- my brother in law left. Sophie stopped eating and trotted to the door. Hoping that her female-human was home. When she saw it wasn’t my wife, Sophie went back to eating. Yes, the kitties miss my wife, and miss me with the time I’m spending at the hospital.
I miss my wife. She forced me to spend the night at home this weekend. It did help me get a full nights sleep, which I suppose is good, especially if I need to be coherent and stuff while driving up to the hospital. And she wants to assure the kitties that their humans haven’t abandoned them.
Some favorite memories of the pregnancy....
One night, when wife was asleep, putting my hand on her belly and having one of our children “wave” at me. We were playing for a few minutes while mommy slept. (Usually they stop moving when I’m near-by.)
Whenever I can feel one of the bump or kick or move, it just makes me giggle with joy.
When we got the call from the doctor saying “you’re pregnant”. We were driving home, we parked in a McDonald’s parking lot, and there was light rain, sitting in the car. The phone rang, my better half answered, and after a moment said, “are you serious!?!” while laughing and crying.
Last night I actually got to see one of them moving around. It’s kinda weird watching a bump appear in the belly.
…we went to a routine ultrasound Wednesday. We're at 30 weeks. The babies look good. Uber he’s ~4lbs 10oz, ranking in at the 97%. Unter, she’s smaller, ~3 lbs 15 oz, ranking in the 63%. They look normal, their heart rates are normal, and they are breathing the amniotic fluid (I hear that’s good). We saw our daughter (Unter) doing a cute little booty-dance, rubbing her little bottom on her mother's cervix. While her brother (Uber) was kicking his mother's ribs.
My wife's cervix had gotten a lot thinner, the ultra-sound doctor dude sent us
right away to our OB, who sent us right away to the hospital. Do not pass Go, do not collect your toothbrush. Mywife even got a wheel chair ride. They didn’t let me drive / push the wheel chair, but said I was very helpful by opening the automatic doors and pushing the elevator button.
Woo-hoo I helped!
Well, she is confined to the hospital for the next 4 weeks.
They think her cervix is shrinking because the babies are pushing on it. They
are watching her closely, and are treating the threat of pre-mature delivery very aggressively. Yup, aggressively telling her body to slow down.
It’s kinda surreal right now. I’m thinking “wow, this will make a great story on
prom night” or “hmm…I wonder how this will get worse.”
Please remember us in your thoughts and/or prayers.
my favoritest song of the now is
"I'm No Good" by Amy Winehouse
First heard it, thought, hmmm...pretty good hip-hop drum beat, then a sort of sillyish-funky bass line. And I thought, could it be a new Gorillaz tune? Then the vocals, and I thought, what decade is she singing from? Did they take some old tapes from the 50s and redo the music? The rest of the band is kinda loungey.
Nope, evidently she's alive and well, and young and new and English.
I really like that song.
there's a few samples on her myspace page
and with lyrics like
Upstairs in bed, with my ex boy,
He’s in the place, but I cant get joy,
Thinking of you in the final throws,
this is when my buzzer goes.
It's funny, it seems to me that my favorite vocalists are female. I just think the female voice is more interesting. Better adept at expressing emotion.
And the Coulda-been-a-contender for current favorite song....
Frou Frou's remake of "Holding Out for A Hero"
the back-up music is interesting arrangement, new/different sounds put together. And I like the way she seems to keep the melody of the song, but will jump around to different octaves. (Kinda like Bobby McFerrin does with "BlackBird", but not on every note). And OMG, the vocal riff intro, it's like something Kim Thayil or Tom Morello would come up with, and she sings it wonderfully. Too bad it's not that good of a song.
Pink's "U and UR hand"
I think Pink is the new Pat Benatar. And anysong about a girl telling a boy to go home and play with himself....(Don't tell Tipper Gore!!!!!!!!)
Too bad it's just a straight ahead catchy rock tune.
Nelly Furtado's "Say it Right"
Very mellow, very cool.
Rihanna's "Umberella"
Makes me happy, this is like the third song I like by her, "Pon de replay", and "S.O.S" (which takes SoftCell's "Tainted Love" to a better place). She does really nice R&B dance tunes.
Now all of those were catchy, and I enjoy listening to them, alot. But Winehouse made me stop and pause and replay, and replay, and replay, and try and find out more about her. (Thanks AlGore for inventing the Interweb!) That's why she won the coveted "GBAtT Favoritest Song of the Now" prize.
Hmmmm...all by female vocalists.