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Children Of Men


djmelbatoast

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I just watched this last night and it was great. It is science fiction along the same lines as Oryx and Crake, with a 1984 slant.

It takes place 20 years into the future. The war on terror has not gone well, global warming has affected the sea levels causing a rush of immigrants to seek out new places to live, and 18 years ago the last human baby was born.

I don't want to spoil it so I'll just say that apart from the interesting storyline the direction is phenomenol. The battle scenes are as good if not better than the begining of Saving Private Ryan.

I really enjoyed this movie.

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i really want to see this one. It's on my long list of films to see.

I really like the "what if" type sci-fi type stories too. Ever read any John Wyndham stuff? Amazing stories and not too out-dated considering when they were written. Day of the Triffids is classic.

Another movie I was pleasantly surprised by was 28 Days Later ... much more Euro feel to it than the typical Hollywood fluff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later

200px-28-days-later-poster-1.jpg

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I really like the "what if" type sci-fi type stories too. Ever read any John Wyndham stuff? Amazing stories and not too out-dated considering when they were written. Day of the Triffids is classic.

Have you read any John Brunner? The Sheep Look Up is one of the original environmental disaster novels (as well as being written in a non-linear fashion; see also his Stand On Zanzibar for another non-linear story); it's fairly depressing, though.

Aloha,

Brad

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I really like the "what if" type sci-fi type stories too. Ever read any John Wyndham stuff? Amazing stories and not too out-dated considering when they were written. Day of the Triffids is classic.

Have you read any John Brunner? The Sheep Look Up is one of the original environmental disaster novels (as well as being written in a non-linear fashion; see also his Stand On Zanzibar for another non-linear story); it's fairly depressing' date=' though.

Aloha,

Brad[/quote']

the sheep look up is my favourite dystopian sci fi book. double exclamation point. the scary thing is it is coming true...the day the insurance companies roll out policies to protect parents against developmental challenges caused by environmental toxins, i'll be heading to the roof with a mirror to flag down a passing flying saucer.

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I loved everything about Children of Men.It was violent but not in a gratuitous sense-it would be hard not to show violence given the context.

It's actually an amazingly hopeful movie.

Pan's Labyrinth looks incredible.Kind of like "Strings" or MirrorMask" but exponentially better.

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Ah yes, I want to see Pan's Labyrinth too...

Todd and I tried to convince TimmyB to go one night... a night of dinner and playing pool was a good alternative however... and won out in the end.

Is Pan's Labyrinth available for rental yet?

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Is Pan's Labyrinth available for rental yet?

I believe it isn't, but will be soon. Del Toro's other Spanish films worth checking out are the ghost-orphanage picture Devil's Backbone and the modern vampire fable Cronos, co-starring the always excellent Ron Perlman.

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wasn't really 'reality-based,' as it takes place in the future, but yeah, good film. i enjoyed it.

I just saw the movie for the first time last night, in the special features there is actually a documentary talking about the "reality" that this movie is partially based on. It's quite bleak. Unfortunately my reality has the same outloook on the future of mankind. Sorry to be a downer, but face it, we're fucked(civilization and the planet that is). That is the "reality based" part I was talking about. I think this movies setting shows a very realistic future. At least a more realistic future then 99% of the movies being made today.

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good to hear all these great reviews....Children of men has been on my need-to-see list since hearing the CBC review awhile back!

I really like the "what if" type sci-fi type stories too. Ever read any John Wyndham stuff? Amazing stories and not too out-dated considering when they were written. Day of the Triffids is classic.

Have you read any John Brunner? The Sheep Look Up is one of the original environmental disaster novels (as well as being written in a non-linear fashion; see also his Stand On Zanzibar for another non-linear story); it's fairly depressing' date=' though.

Aloha,

Brad[/quote']

KK...keep an eye on your mailbox, friend.

(and I agree with your Wyndham assessment...he's written some freaky short stories too)

brad...we've touched on the topic of Brunner before, haven't we? I'm trying to remember if you've offered to loan me a recommended Brunner from your collection. I became a fan by reading "The Sheep Look Up" many moons ago but that's all I've read from him. And that was damn hard to find at that time...I don't know how much of his stuff is still in print....?

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brad...we've touched on the topic of Brunner before, haven't we? I'm trying to remember if you've offered to loan me a recommended Brunner from your collection. I became a fan by reading "The Sheep Look Up" many moons ago but that's all I've read from him. And that was damn hard to find at that time...I don't know how much of his stuff is still in print....?

I'd guess that the popular Brunner books ("The Sheep Look Up," "Stand On Zanzibar," and "The Shockwave Rider") are all in print, or pretty easy to find in used bookstores (or at your friendly neighbourhood public library). I didn't like "The Shockwave Rider" much (nowhere near as much as I liked "Zanzibar"), so if you're going to hunt for one other Brunner, make it "Stand On Zanzibar." A loan from LibraryM can be arranged in a pinch*.

Aloha,

Brad

* No actual pinches will be involved in the loan, however.

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KK...keep an eye on your mailbox, friend.

(and I agree with your Wyndham assessment...he's written some freaky short stories too)

ooohhh ... the excitement. It's not like the days when there would be packages of tapes arriving every few days in the mailbox :( I love getting mail like this. Can't wait to find out.

I should try reading a couple of Wyndhams again. I remember Web being really freaky (imagine being blind, on a stranded island, with killer spiders!!! F U C K !!!) Midwich Cuckoos is another favourite of mine from the past :)

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