Tag Archives: Apocalypse

Leave the World Behind (2023)

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“Lady, people aren’t chocolates. D’you know what they are mostly? Bastards. Bastard–coated bastards with a bastard filling.” – Scrubs

Director Sam Esmail’s “Leave the World Behind” is a mean, nasty, and cynical apocalyptic parable that stages the quintessential end of the world scenario but also takes a magnifying glass to humanity and the inherent paranoia that transforms a scenario from working together to survive, to survival of the fittest. While some of the symbolism is a bit clunky in some spots, “Leave the World Behind” is a very volatile and relevant take on how we’re more likely to pick at each other’s bones and fight for scraps when resources become finite. While that does feel like old hat post apocalyptic fodder, “Leave the World Behind” is refreshingly complex and quite horrifying. 

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Apocalypse Clown (2023)

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It’s not hard to figure out why “Apocalypse Clown” premiered to nothing but sell out shows in this year’s “Fantasia Film Festival.” Even after so many years watching so many unusual movies, I have never really seen anything like “Apocalypse Clown” before. And I doubt I ever will again. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, as George Kane offers up such an original and surreal apocalyptic comedy. I was so confused but amused at what I’d been watching, as director and writer Kane opts to spotlight a movie that focuses on some of the most unlikely protagonists imaginable.

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“Twisted Metal” is a Wild Ride, Flaws and All

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There was just something so appealing about playing “Twisted Metal” as a kid. I fondly remember when it first came out on Playstation in 1995 and was hooked. When we got our first Playstation we played “Twisted Metal” for hours, finding new ways to eviscerate our opponents and win the battles. For those that have never had the pleasure, “Twisted Metal” is a based on an all out free for all battle video game where you man one of multiple armed vehicles in an attempt to come out the victor. The big bad of the game you’d have to ultimately face off against was the armed Ice Cream car with the clown on top called “Sweet Tooth.” There was always room for “Twisted Metal” to become something of a live action property, but now that video game movies are on the verge of become hotter than ever, it seemed like the right time for an adaptation.

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Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)

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Netflix’s 2018 surprise hit “Birdbox” was a pretty good movie that skated on thin ice from minute one since it was accused of aping the concept for “A Quiet Place.” But the efforts of a sequel have firmly placed it as a movie better off left as a one and done horror film. “Barcelona” is considered kind of a sequel and kind of a spin off, but in reality it’s kind of a glorified pilot. I don’t know if Netflix is planning more sequels down the road, or a TV series, but “Barcelona” feels like the first of many incoming spin offs. And it never once feels like a complete movie, but only a buffer and promise of things to come. And as a follow up to the original, it fails epically assuring I won’t be back to see how they further develop this premise.

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Tales from the Apocalypse (2023)

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I’m shocked at how great “Tales from the Apocalypse” was, and I say that as someone that loves a good apocalyptic yarn here and there. While I wouldn’t be quick to compare it to “Trick r Treat” as the premise has explained, it manages to stand on its own two feet as  great anthology filled with five great science fiction shorts obvious influenced by the likes of Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and Richard Matheson. I’m also glad a lot of the shorts picked for this film aren’t the usual tired tropes, but aim for something so much more meaningful and thought provoking.

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Five Movies You Can Watch if you Loved “The Last of Us”

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If you’ve been following “The Last of Us” for the last nine weeks, the new series based on the hit video game has become a smash hit for HBO. The apocalyptic horror drama has filled the hole that “The Walking Dead” left behind as a taut, gripping, and excellent look at humanity at the end of the world. While we anxiously wait for season two of “The Last of Us” to arrive, here are five movies you can watch to keep you satisfied.

What was your favorite episode of “The Last of Us” season one? 

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Knock at the Cabin (2023)

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One of the hallmarks of M. Night Shyamalan’s films is that he seems to be a big believer in destiny and fate. Much of “Signs” was a religious thriller based around fate and destiny. With “Knock at the Cabin” he approaches the same plot elements, all while instilling much of the ambiguity he’s well known for. That works for and against “Knock at the Cabin” because while I was satisfied with his newest genre effort, I was ultimately left feeling like the finale left everything in the air, and not as neatly packed as he might have thought it was.

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