Our greatest threat is our only hope.
20161 h 50 min
Overview
In the future, a strange fungus has changed nearly everyone into a thoughtless, flesh-eating monster. When a scientist and a teacher find a girl who seems to be immune to the fungus, they all begin a journey to save humanity.
Details
Movie Media
DVD
Movie Status
Available
Movie Rating
Good
Actors
Starring:
Sennia Nanua,
Gemma Arterton,
Paddy Considine,
Glenn Close,
Fisayo Akinade,
Anamaria Marinca,
Anthony Welsh,
Joe Lomas,
Dominique Tipper,
Eli Lane,
Joel Sheldon,
Will Brooks,
Tessa Morris,
Abigail Sams,
Shay Gutteridge,
Elizabeth-Anne Fuller,
Callum Lloyd,
Alicia Morris,
Matthew Smallwood,
Macey Ward,
Amy Newey,
Elise Reed,
Joshua Smallwood,
Lobna Futers,
Stacey Lynn Crowe,
Amy Floyd,
Pete Buzzsaw Holland,
A.k. Steppa,
Alex Reed,
Richard Price,
Alexandria Wright,
Ita O'Brien,
Ria Lopez,
Sean Evans,
Ross Green,
Daniel Jack Evans,
Samantha Rushton,
Pamela DeAbreu,
Rayn Khan,
Matt Adcock,
Jim Macie,
Daniel Eghan,
Laura Marie Howard
I am admittingly not a fan of zombie movies. There are some great ones out there, but for the most part it’s more of the same. However, The Girl with All the Gifts is based on a very good book. And for the most part, the film manages to stay true to the book. There are some changes, some major and some minor, but it is relatively the same story. What really shifts is the tone, which was adjusted (by necessity) to better fit the film format. The change is by no means bad, but the story feels different played in this different light.
The most obvious change is the pacing. You go from a book that took me personally about 6½ hours to read to a 110-minute movie. The opening sequence of the book is a slow build-up that takes about 1/3 of the page count. As opposed to the movie where that whole sequence is completed in under 30 minutes, closer to 1/4 of the running time. And that is with a bunch of scenes and sub-plots being cut out on top of the faster pacing. The rest of the film follows similar pacing changes.
Then there is the tone. The book starts out from Melanie’s POV. We do see scenes excluding her, more often as the book goes on, but it primarily focuses on her. The wording used is being given by a kid. Even though we know the world is dreary and bleak now, we are still seeing it through the bright eyes of a child. The movie does not, really cannot, do that. The audience gets a full, direct visual of how messed up all this is from the very first frame. That level of post-apocalypse bleakness is a lot more direct thanks to the visual element.
And then there are the story changes. Anytime a book is adapted to a film, this happens. And for The Girl with All the Gifts, it is pretty low-key. The changes could have been much, much worse. There are two major changes, the first of which is a character’s backstory being cut. It was not necessarily essential to the plot, but it would have helped a lot. The other big change was the ending. While the end result is ultimately the same, the way it plays out is a bit darker. It is pretty equal in quality compared to the book, but some people seem to prefer one vs. the other. Overall, The Girl with All the Gifts is one of the better book adaptations out there and a great way to experience this story if you do not want to read through a slow-burn horror novel.
A murdered wife. A one-armed man. An obsessed detective. The chase begins.
19932 h 11 min
Overview
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find her killer and clear his name. Pursuing him is a team of U.S. marshals led by Deputy Samuel Gerard, a determined detective who will not rest until Richard is captured. As Kimble leads the marshals through a series of intricate chases, he uncovers the secret behind his wife's death and struggles to expose the killer before he is recaptured, or killed.
Details
Movie Media
DVD
Movie Status
Available
Movie Rating
Very good
Actors
Starring:
Harrison Ford,
Tommy Lee Jones,
Joe Pantoliano,
Daniel Roebuck,
Jeroen Krabbé,
L. Scott Caldwell,
Tom Wood,
Ron Dean,
Joseph F. Kosala,
Andreas Katsulas,
Sela Ward,
Eddie Bo Smith Jr.,
Richard Riehle,
Pancho Demmings,
Nick Searcy,
Danny Goldring,
Johnny Lee Davenport,
Dick Cusack,
Julianne Moore,
Jane Lynch,
David Darlow,
Andy Romano,
Miguel Nino,
John Drummond,
Neil Flynn,
Kevin Crowley,
Mark D. Espinoza,
Gene Barge,
Joe Guzaldo,
Nicholas Kusenko,
Joan Kohn,
Joe Guastaferro,
Thom Vernon,
Ken Moreno,
Frank Ray Perilli,
Jim Wilkey,
Michael James,
Michael Skewes,
Cody Glenn,
Cynthia Baker,
Mike Bacarella,
Bill Cusack,
Tighe Barry,
Afram Bill Williams,
Noelle Bou-Sliman,
Greg Hollimon,
Cheryl Lynn Bruce,
Ann Whitney,
Turk Muller,
Eugene F. Crededio,
Pam Zekman,
David Pasquesi,
Dru Anne Carlson,
Kirsten Nelson,
Juan Ramírez,
Allen Hamilton,
Lester Holt,
Suzy Brack,
Darren W. Conrad,
Kevin Mukherji,
Sal Richards,
John-Clay Scott,
B.J. Jones
The Fugitive stars Harrison Ford playing Dr. Richard Kimble, a man falsely accused of murdering his wife struggling to prove his innocence. Pursuing him is US Marshall Samuel Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones. That premise alone makes this film fantastic. What a great pair of actors to put against each other in an action-thriller. The plot, in and of itself, is simple. But the execution is top notch. Both Ford and Jones settle into their roles well in what is a peak performance for both actors.
Even though Kimble and Gerard are against each other, the film does not make Gerard feel like a true antagonist. He has nothing personal against Kimble. He is a US Marshall; chasing after criminals like Kimble is his job. What makes it work is that both characters are smart. It quickly becomes a game of cat-and-mouse with Gerard chasing Kimble, who himself chases his wife’s murderer. And it really works because Kimble has the benefit of a head start and is skilled enough to stay there. Kimble is just slightly more capable than Gerard, which is offset by Gerard’s better resources and experience.
As fantastic as the actors are, the film’s writing and direction is just as powerful. Granted, The Fugitive does have the benefit of being a big budget movie ($44 million). One of the big things here is that the action sequences are not overused. When they happen they are intense, but the movie is not one giant gunfight. There is not even that much fighting; the action more comes from chase sequences. Definitely more “thriller” than “action”. And these scenes are paced well enough that the movie has room for good, significant plot between them.
I was not aware that this film was based on a TV show until after watching it. Several changes were made, such as the events taking place over a few months instead of several years and Gerard’s character being a US Marshall instead of a police lieutenant. Despite the characters having more of a larger than life presence, my understanding is that the film is still pretty faithful to the source material. It ultimately relies on its characters and their interactions to make the film good. Rather than overused action sequences, which many action movies (even good ones) are often guilty of. This all makes The Fugitive a very rewatchable film, even more than 25 years later.
Nothing spreads like fear
20111 h 46 min
Overview
As an epidemic of a lethal airborne virus - that kills within days - rapidly grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.
Details
Movie Media
DVD
Movie Status
Available
Movie Rating
Good
Actors
Starring:
Marion Cotillard,
Matt Damon,
Laurence Fishburne,
Jude Law,
Kate Winslet,
Jennifer Ehle,
Gwyneth Paltrow,
Bryan Cranston,
Elliott Gould,
Chin Han,
John Hawkes,
Anna Jacoby-Heron,
Sanaa Lathan,
Demetri Martin,
Armin Rohde,
Enrico Colantoni,
Larry Clarke,
Monique Gabriela Curnen,
Daria Strokous,
Rick Uecker,
Jamie Newell,
Griffin Kane,
Rebecca Spence,
Yoshiaki Kobayashi,
Teri McEvoy,
Sue Redman,
Teri Campbell,
Stef Tovar,
Mary Jo Faraci,
Grace Rex,
Joseph Anthony Foronda,
Annabelle Armour,
Jim Ortlieb,
Kara Zediker,
Laura Fisher,
Mary Beth Dolan,
Dan Flannery,
Jason Babinsky,
Howie Johnson,
Sanjay Gupta,
Chui Tien-You,
Josie Ho,
Steven Soderbergh
They say life imitates art and that seems true where Contagion is concerned right now. There are a lot of pandemic/illness movies out there, but Contagion is the most realistic one I have seen. Most other films seem to be zombie movies, post-apocalypse scenarios, or comedies. The next closest film is probably Outbreak, but even that is grossly unrealistic compared to Contagion. Outbreak is a bit more fun as a movie, but far from being mistaken as a documentary. It Comes At Night is also a close second but carries a very different tone. The Andromeda Strain also merits mention, but the overall story there is very unlike a pandemic.
This is not the first film where director Steven Soderbergh used an ensemble cast and this film would not have worked without it. In any story where society as a whole is affected, it is easy to get too focused on one area. Many such stories focus on just one group of survivors or scientists looking for a cure. In Contagion, we get a little bit of everything. The character cast consist of scientists, government officials, and members of the public in different locations worldwide as events unfold.
The spread of the virus itself is incredibly realistic. At first, very few individuals grasp how bad this is going to be. As things get worse, governments on both local and federal levels are more worried about their bureaucracy than the outbreak. You have individuals who are looting for food and medicine, an individual spreading misinformation for his own personal benefit, and people both in and outside of world governments forming “us vs them” mentalities as supplies begin to grow limited. And throughout all that, the film bounces through the entire cast pretty evenly with limited character development so that the pandemic itself remains the key focus.
What is really great about Contagion is the sense of realism. This is not a film that necessarily has a happy ending. The characters do not find a cure and just declare “the day is saved!” and the film ends. Even after working towards a cure, which takes time, they still have to produce and distribute it. They know more people will die in that time, but there is nothing else they can do at that point. Ultimately everything winds up being ok, but the question “for how long?” looms over the audience as the film ends.
