So there’s a thing that happens very often with superhero movies, TV shows, cartoons, and even comics. I’m sure it happens with Harry Potter fiction too, or anything where there’s special powers involved.
The writers forget what the powers do. This is especially problematic with very powerful characters like Martian Manhunter. I remember distinctly watching some episode of one of the Justice League cartoons and thought “If Martian Manhunter had remembered that he can go intangible, this fight would be over by now.”
THOSE PESKY INFINITY STONES
This is a pretty big issue with the Infinity Gauntlet. Now, your average movie-goer likely doesn’t really know what the six Infinity Gems do, and they barely explore that in the film. I’m a huge nerd and I’m not even clear on this. Sure we could both look it up, but let me take a guess: (1) the space stone allows teleportation; (2) the time stone allows you to manipulate time (this one is actually well illustrated); (3) the reality stone allows you to change reality; (4) the mind stone lets you control minds (illustrated in the first Avengers film); (5) the soul stone…???; (6) the power stone…allows you beat the Hulk???
So let’s agree to set aside the “it’s just a show, you should really just relax” mentality, and dig in to the tiny nerdy minutia like a good writer should!
it’s inferred that Thanos is a very powerful entity even without the Infinity Stones, so we don’t really know how much of his power is innate and what comes from the stones. But that’s not a dealbreaker for me.
But those Infinity Stones…oh those Infinity Stones. Given their special powers, there seemed to be a lot of super-brawling that didn’t need to take place for Thanos to fulfill his mission. Sure, they were very entertaining super-brawls, but it seemed to me that Thanos had a very specific task that was all-important to him, and he wouldn’t waste time smacking down some Avengers/Guardians/etc even if it did “bring a smile to his face” (note this line from the trailer didn’t appear in the film).
YOU FORGOT YOU COULD CHANGE REALITY
It’s established I think earlier than halfway through the film that Thanos can use the Reality Stone to turn matter, including people, into ribbons or blocks or bubbles. And yet there are melees that occur subsequently where Thanos opts to hurl moons at the heroes rather than simply willing them into inoffensive vapor. Why? He didn’t think of it? He didn’t want to? Is the most dangerous Avengers villain actually just kind of a dummy or easily distracted?
TELEPORT YOUR ENEMY AWAY
And what about the space stone’s teleportation ability? If I’m fighting Iron Man, and for some reason I don’t want to turn him into bubbles, why not teleport him away to the edge of the universe?
And speaking of teleportation, let’s talk about Dr Strange’s magical gates. He uses one early in the movie and it cuts off the arm of one of the minions. So we know it can do that. If I’m Dr. Strange and I’ve got Mantis keeping Thanos is a groggy state, why not use the magical gateway to cut off his gauntlet-wielding arm? Or better yet, his head? Or is this him keeping to his Hippocratic oath? Failing that, why not plop a portal underneath Thanos and send him to wherever he sent Loki in Thor: Ragnarok? That seemed to work. Sure, Thanos could bring himself back, but it could give the heroes a few critical, game-changing seconds in a life-or-death situation.
It is good move on the writers’ part that the Mind Stone was saved for last, otherwise I would be complaining that there wasn’t enough mass mind control throughout the movie. Iron Man and Dr Strange giving you trouble? Make them fight each other with mind control!
ATOMIZE THE AVENGERS AND THEN GET THE STONES
Another thing that bothered me…just a little bit…was this: Thanos knew who Tony Stark was, that’s stated in the film. He knew, I’m sure, that Stark was responsible for the failure of the invasion of Earth (from the first Avengers film.) So if you’ve got a giant spaceship, or a fleet of giant spaceships, presumably you have nuclear technology. We had it in the 50’s for heaven’s sake. So if you think the Avengers are going to be a thorn in your side, why not nuke them? You could beam a bomb down to Dr. Strange’s sanctorum or just have a guy walk up with a briefcase. Same thing with the Avengers compound or wherever the two Infinity Stones are on earth…and then collect the stones from the debris. Sure, I know, there are many reasons this idea might not work (protective spells on the sanctorum, for example, even though Hulk smashed through the roof no problem), but my point is, at least explore the possibility of obliterating the Infinity Stone carriers from a distance and then collecting the stones, rather than sending a couple guys for a big ol’ donnybrook. Yeah, it’s not as gripping to watch as a movie audience member, but it bears consideration, no?
NOBODY’S REALLY DEAD
The last, and most majorest of the major gripes, is killing off characters that we know are coming back. EVERYBODY KNOWS that there’s going to be another Spider-Man film and another Black Panther film. What, you’re going to have these movies without the main characters? No. So why oh why would you kill off Spidey and Panthery in Infinity War? People say that the ending of A:IW is ballsy, but this move undercuts the ballsiness in a major way, so much so that I have a hard time believing that even the characters killed by methods other than the gauntlet are going to stay dead. Sure they could make Guardians of the Galaxy 3 without Gamora, but I would be very VERY surprised if that happens, given the way they handled Thanos winning the day.
Now, I know that Avengers: Infinity War is actually only half of the story, and we’ve got the conclusion coming up in a year, so maybe, just maybe, all my gripes will be addressed and it will all make sense. I guess we will all just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, I will re-read my Spider-Ham comics and hope he appears in Avengers 4.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end! Here is my Patreon if you like this and all the silly things I do.
2015 was not the year of 365 movies, but I did watch a bunch of films. Of the movies that were release this year, here are my thoughts:
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge out of Water
Not as good as the first one, but some good gags. 6/10
Chappie
Total disappointment. No characters the audience can (or should) identify with. Cool guns. 5/10
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Didn’t like Ultron as a villain, everyone has the same amount of sass. Give the sass to the sassy characters and let the other characters shine on other merits. 6/10
Ex Machina
Great performance, great story, great ending. 7/10
Mad Max: Fury Road
Not much of a story, but everything comes together visually and you don’t have much time think about the holes. 8/10
Tomorrowland
Tragically didn’t’ live up to its potential. 6/10
Inside Out
Frankly this movie bored me. I appreciated what they were trying to do but ultimately I think they missed the mark. 6/10
Slow West
Not much of a story but impressive visuals and great moments. 7/10
Ant-Man
Is Marvel in a rut? If so, it’s a fun rut. 7/10
Taken 3
The usual. 5/10
Mr Holmes
Great character study and performance. 7/10
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Super fun! Funny. Perhaps my highest recommendation of 2015 despite the fact that I only give it 7/10
Jurassic World
I’m not a superfan of Jurassic Park, but I like dinosaurs and movies. This movie was a bad joke. It made me laugh. 4/10
Turbo Kid
Likeable characters, post-apocalyptic, silly, fun, but even so relied a little too much on the nostagia factor. Worth seeing. 6/10
Terminator Genisys
What a mess. 5/10
San Andreas
Ridiculous but mostly entertaining. 5/10
Z for Zachariah
Post apocalyptic movies are for me. This was a good one without mutants and tricked out cars. Reminded me of The World, the Flesh and the Devil. 7/10
The Martian
Smart, fun, good. 8/10
Maze Runner: Scorch Trials
Another post-apocalyptic film filled with young adults and also Lili Taylor! 7/10
Steve Jobs
I don’t know anything about Steve Jobs. I watched this movie and still don’t know anything about Steve Jobs except he was an asshole and a bad father. 7/10
Sicario
Pretty intense and engaging, even though I didn’t understand some of what was going on. 7/10
Bone Tomahawk
Intense, disturbing, satisfying. 7/10
In the Heart of the Sea
I didn’t really buy Chris Hemsworth in this role but the tale was satisfying and darker than I expected. 7/10
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Total rehash of New Hope but we don’t expect much from Star Wars these days, do we? 7/10
In which an attempt is made to catalog and compare post-apocalyptic films. Some entries include links to my full review (if you can click on the movie title it will take you there) Corrections? Comments? Additions? Let me know!
Zombie apocalypses NOT included.
2020 Texas Gladiators
2020 Texas Gladiators (1983) dir: Joe D’Amato
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: Texas Number of humans: Presumably thousands or more Years since apocalypse: 37? Monsters: green faced mutants? Cannibalism? maybe Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 2/10
9 (2009)
9 (2009) starring Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, John C Reilly, Christopher Plummer and Crispin Glover. Dir: Shane Acker
Type of apocalypse: war/nerve gas Location: America? Number of humans: zero Years since apocalypse: less than 10 Monsters: robots (with animal bones) Cannibalism? none Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
12 Monkeys (1995)
12 Monkeys (1995) stars Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer. Dir: Terry Gilliam
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: Philadelphia Number of humans: lots Years since apocalypse: 38 Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
28 Days Later (2002)
28 Days Later (2002) stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston. Dir: Danny Boyle.
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: London Number of humans: lots Time since apocalypse: 28 days Monsters: feral infected humans Cannibalism? No Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
28 Weeks Later (2007)
28 Weeks Later (2007) stars Imogen Poots, Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne. Dir: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Type of apocalypse: virus Number of humans: hundreds? Time since apocalypse: less than 3 years Monsters: feral infected humans Cannibalism? No Ends on a positive? No Toren’s Rating: 7/10
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
A Boy and His Dog (1975) stars Don Johnson. Dir: L.Q. Jones. Written by Harlan Ellison
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: Phoenix AZ Number of humans: hundreds? Years since apocalypse: 17 Monsters: radiation victims (“Screamers”); robots Cannibalism? Yes Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
After Earth (2013)
After Earth (2013) stars Wil Smith, Jaden Smith and Zoe Kravitz. Dir: M. Night Shyamalan
Type of apocalypse: Environmental cataclysm Location: Undisclosed Number of humans: 2 on Earth, multitudes in space. Years since apocalypse: 1000 Monsters: Aliens, evolved animals. Cannibalism? No Ends on a positive? Yes? Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: Colorado Number of humans: hundreds Years since apocalypse: 900 Monsters: 1 mutant Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Appleseed Alpha (2014) Dir: Shinji Aramaki, Steven Foster
Type of apocalypse: war Location: New York Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: 900 Monsters: robots and cyborgs Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Type of apocalypse: oil wars Location: Number of humans: thousands or millions Years since apocalypse: less than 1 generation Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
The Bed Sitting Room (1969) stars Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, Marty Feldman. Dir: Richard Lester
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: London Number of humans: dozens Years since apocalypse: 4 Monsters: none Cannibalism? none Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Type of apocalypse: cosmic radiation ‘plague’ Location: Southwest USA Number of humans: hundreds Years since apocalypse: 64 Monsters: mutants Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? unclear Toren’s Rating: 5/10
The Book of Eli (2010)
The Book of Eli (2010) stars Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Ray Stevenson. Dir: Hughes
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: San Francisco Number of humans: hundreds Years since apocalypse: 30 Monsters: none Cannibalism? Yes Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Type of apocalypse: robot Location: undisclosed Number of humans: hundreds Years since apocalypse: 2000 Monsters: robots Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Blindness (2008)
Blindness (2008) stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo. Dir: Fernando Meirelles
Type of apocalypse: mass hysteria Location: unnamed city Number of humans: billions Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 8/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear? Location: Norway Number of humans: unknown Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: none Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: New York City Number of humans: scores or hundreds Time since apocalypse: 1000 years Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Cargo (2017)
Cargo (2017) stars Martin Freeman. Dir: Yolanda Ramke
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: Australia Number of humans: unknown Time since apocalypse: unspecified Monsters: infected humans Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Children of Men (2006)
Children of Men (2006) stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Dir: Alfonso Cuaron
Type of apocalypse: pandemic Location: Britain Number of humans: billions Years since apocalypse: 18 Monsters: none Cannibalism? none Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 8/10
City of Ember (2008)
City of Ember (2008) stars Saoirse Ronan, Bill Murray, Martin Landau. Dir: Gil Kenan.
Type of apocalypse: Unspecified Location: Somewhere in the United States Number of humans: Presumably thousands Years since apocalypse: 241 Monsters: giant star-nosed mole Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Cloud Atlas (2012) stars Tom Hanks, Halle Barry, Hugo Weaving. Dir: Wachowskis
Type of apocalypse: unexplained. Location: “Big Isle” Number of humans: Presumably thousands if not millions or more. Years since apocalypse: 106 Monsters: no Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
The Colony (2013)
The Colony (2013) stars Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton. Dir: Jeff Renfroe
Type of apocalypse: ice age Location: unknown Number of humans: presumably at least 100 Time since apocalypse: less than 2 generations Monsters: none Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Cyborg (1989)
Cyborg (1989) stars Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dir: Albert Pyun
Type of apocalypse: plague, anarchy, genocide, starvation Location: New York, South Carolina, Atlanta Number of humans: Presumably thousands or more Years since apocalypse: Less than 25 Monsters: cyborgs Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Damnation Alley (1977)
Damnation Alley (1977) stars George Peppard and Paul Winfield. Dir: Jack Smight
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: California, Utah, New York Number of humans: At least Years since apocalypse: 2 Monsters: giant scorpions, killer cockroaches Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Type of apocalypse: Undisclosed Location: America Number of humans: dozens shown Years since apocalypse: 10 Monsters: no Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Day of the Triffids (1963)
Day of the Triffids (1963) stars Howard Keel. Dir: Steve Sekely
Type of apocalypse: meteor shower Number of humans: billions Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: killer plants Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
The Day After (1983)
The Day After (1983) stars Jason Robards Jr, Jobeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, John Lithgow. Dir: Nicholas Meyer.
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Kansas, Missouri Number of humans: millions Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Day the World Ended (1955)
Day the World Ended (1955) stars Richard Denning. Dir: Roger Corman
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: Southwest America Number of humans: more than five Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: mutant Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Deathlands: Homeward Bound (2003)
Deathlands: Homeward Bound stars Vincent Spano and Traci Lords. Dir: Joshua Butler.
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war
Location: America Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: 120 Monsters: mutated humans and animals Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Deathsport (1975) stars David Carradine (dir: Roger Corman)
Type of apocalypse: nuclear (“neutron”) war Location: undisclosed Number of humans: thousands Time since apocalypse: 1000 years Monsters: mutants Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 2/10
Def-Con 4 (1985)
Def-Con 4 (1985) stars Maury Chaykin. Dir: Paul Donovan
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: Eastern Canada Number of humans: Hundreds or thousands Time since apocalypse: 2 months Monsters: none Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Delicatessen (1991)
Delicatessen (1991) stars Dominique Pinon. Dir: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Type of apocalypse: undisclosed Location: France Number of humans: presumably thousands or millions Time since apocalypse: undisclosed Monsters: none Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Type of apocalypse: natural disaster Location: New York Number of humans: scores or hundreds seen Time since apocalypse: months Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? for some Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Doomsday (2008)
Doomsday (2008) directed by Neil Marshall
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: Scotland Number of humans: millions or billions Years since apocalypse: 30 Monsters: no Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Dune Warriors (1991)
Dune Warriors (1991) Stars David Carradine. Dir: Cirio H. Santiago
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: unknown Number of humans: millions or billions Years since apocalypse: 40-60 Monsters: only if desert dwarves count Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3.7/10
Equalizer 2000 (1987)
Equalizer 2000 (1988) stars Robert Patrick. Dir: Cirio Santiago
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Alaska Number of humans: presumably thousands or millions Years since apocalypse: 100 Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 2/10
Type of apocalypse: unknown Location: New Zealand Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Exterminators of the Year 3000 (1983)
Exterminators of the Year 3000 (1983) stars Robert Iannucci. Dir:
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: undisclosed Number of humans: hundreds or more Years since apocalypse: less than 1 lifetime Monsters: disfigured mutants Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Type of apocalypse: solar flare Location: St Louis Missouri Number of humans: millions inferred Years since apocalypse: 15 Monsters: none Cannibalism? implied Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6.8/10
Fist of the North Star (1986) was directed by Toyoo Ashida
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Kanto region, Japan Number of humans: millions Years since apocalypse: possibly less than a lifetime Monsters: giants Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Five (1951)
Five (1951) stars Charles Lampkin. Dir: Arch Oboler
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: California Number of humans: 5 Time since apocalypse: months Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Future Hunters (1986)
Future Hunters (1986) stars Robert Patrick. Dir: Cirio H. Santiago
Type of apocalypse: war Location: California Number of humans: hundreds seen but presumably more How many years since apocalypse: 39 Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes and also only the first 15 minutes take place in the post-apocalyptic world. Toren’s Rating: 3.7/10
The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)
The Girl With All the Gifts (2016) stars Sennia Nanua and Glenn Close. Dir: Colm McCarthy
Type of apocalypse: fungal disease Location: Home Counties, Britain Number of humans: hundreds or thousands Years since apocalypse: 20 Monsters: infected humans Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? debatable Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Goodbye World (2013)
Goodbye World (2013) stars Adrian Grenier. Dir: Denis Hennelly
Type of apocalypse: computer virus Location: undisclosed Number of humans: billions Time since apocalypse: days Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Hardware (1990) stars Dylan McDermott and Iggy Pop. Dir: Richard Stanley
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: unknown Number of humans: presumably thousands or millions Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: robot Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Hell (2011) stars Hannah Herzsprung. Dir: Tim Fehlbaum
Type of apocalypse: solar storm Location: Germany Number of humans: dozens shown Years since apocalypse: less than six Monsters: none Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 8/10
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987)
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987) stars Roddy Piper and Sandahl Bergman. Dir: Donald Jackson
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: undisclosed Number of humans: presumably thousands or more Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: anthropomorphic mutant frogs Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Type of apocalypse: disease Location: undisclosed Number of humans: dozens or more Time since apocalypse: less than a decade Monsters: mutant ‘reapers’ Cannibalism? inferred Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6.5/10
How I Live Now (2013)
How I Live Now (2013) stars Saoirse Ronan. Dir: Kevin Macdonald
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: English Countryside Number of humans: presumably millions Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
I Am Legend (2007)
I Am Legend (2007) stars Will Smith. Dir: Francis Lawrence
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: New York City Number of humans: less than 6 Years since apocalypse: 3 Monsters: feral mutant humans and dogs Cannibalism? yes, by the monsters Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Type of apocalypse: ecological Location: Idaho Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: 50-something Monsters: none Cannibalism: not exactly Ends on a positive: No Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: America Number of humans: a handful Years since apocalypse: less than 1 year Monsters: mutants Cannibalism: potentially Ends on a positive: Yes Toren’s Rating: 2/10
It Comes At Night (2017)
It Comes at Night (2017) stars Joel Edgerton. Dir: Trey Edward Shults
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: American wilderness Number of humans: less than 6 Years since apocalypse: 0-1 Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6.5/10
Land of Doom (1986) stars Deborah Rennard. Dir: Peter Maris
Type of apocalypse: war Location: unknown Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: not really Cannibalism? Yes Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 1.75/10
The Last Man on Earth (1964)
The Last Man on Earth (1964) stars Vincent Price. Dir: Sidney Salkow
Type of apocalypse: plague Location: Rome or California Number of humans: 1-2 Years since apocalypse: 3 Monsters: vampiric plague victims Cannibalism? yes and no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6/10
The Last Survivors / The Well (2014)
The Well (2014) stars Haley Lu Richardson. Dir: Thomas S. Hammock
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Oregon Valley Number of humans: presumably at least hundreds Time since apocalypse: years to decades Monsters: no Cannibalism? Ends on a positive? Toren’s Rating: 5/10
La Jetee (1962)
La Jetée (1962) stars Jean Négroni. Dir: Chris Marker.
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Paris Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes and no Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Le Dernier Combat (The Last Battle) (1983)
Le Dernier Combat (1983) stars Jean Reno. Dir: Luc Besson
Type of apocalypse: unknown Location: France? Number of humans: dozens at least Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Logan’s Run (1976)
Logan’s Run (1976) stars Jenny Agutter, Michael York, Farrah Fawcett. Dir: Michael Anderson. William F Nolan (novel)
Type of apocalypse: unknown Location: Washington DC Number of humans: presumably thousands or more Years since apocalypse: about 300 Monsters: robots Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Los últimos días (The Last Days) (2013)
The Last Days (2013) stars Quim Gutierrez, Jose Coronado, Marta Etura. Dir: David Pastor, Alex Pastor
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: Spain? Number of humans: [pending] Years since apocalypse: [pending] Monsters: none Cannibalism? [pending] Ends on a positive? [pending] Toren’s Rating: n/a
Love and Monsters (2020) starts Dylan O’Brien. Dir: Michael Matthews
Type of apocalypse: War/resource shortage Location: America Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: 7 Monsters: giant frogs, centipedes, crabs and burrowing worms, among others Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6.8/10
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) stars Mel Gibson. Dir: George Miller
Type of apocalypse: War/resource shortage Location: Australian Desert Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: about five Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 7.8/10
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) stars Mel Gibson, Tina Turner. Dir: George Miller.
Type of apocalypse: War/resource shortage Location: Australian desert Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: about 20 Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Mad Max Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max Fury Road (2015) stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Dir: George Miller
Type of apocalypse: War/resource shortage Location: Australian desert Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 8/10
Mad Shelia (2016)
Mad Shelia (2016) stars Fuo Xiao. Dir: Lu Lei
Type of apocalypse: War/resource shortage Location: Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: Monsters: Cannibalism? Ends on a positive? Toren’s Rating: tbd
Mad Warrior AKA Clash of the Warlords (1983)
Mad Warrior stars Anthony Alonzo. Dir: Willy Milan
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: undisclosed Number of humans: hundreds shown Years since apocalypse: undisclosed Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Type of apocalypse: undisclosed Location: the Arctic/outer space Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: 3 weeks Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Molly (2017) stars Julia Batelaan. Dir: Thijs Meuwese
Type of apocalypse: nuclear explosion? Location: “Sunderland” Number of humans: dozens seen Years since apocalypse: 2-3? Monsters: feral subhuman “supplicants” Cannibalism? no Ends on a postive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5.5/10
Mortal Engines (2018)
Mortal Engines (2018) stars Hera Hilmar. Dir: Christian Rivers
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war (more or less) Location: Europe Number of humans: thousands or millions Years since apocalypse: hundreds Monsters: undead cyborg Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Type of apocalypse: robot uprising Location: Massachusetts USA Number of humans: thousands or millions Years since apocalypse: 9 months Monsters: androids Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind (1984)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) stars Sumi Shimamoto. Dir: Hayao Miyazaki
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: unknown Number of humans: presumably thousands or more Years since apocalypse: 1000 Monsters: giant mutant insects Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 10/10
Type of apocalypse: ecological disaster Location: tbd Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: less than 2 generations Monsters: mutants Cannibalism? no
I nuovi barbari (1983) stars Fred Williamson. Dir: Enzo G. Castellari
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: unknown Number of humans: hundreds Years since apocalypse: 30ish Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4.5/10
Night of the Comet (1984)
Night of the Comet (1984) stars Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran and Kelli Maroney. Dir: Thom Eberhardt
Type of apocalypse: comet dust Location: Southern California Number of humans: dozens Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: “zombies” Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: unknown island Number of humans: one Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Oblivion (2013)
Oblivion (2013) stars Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman. Dir: Joseph Kosinski
Type of apocalypse: war Location: Northeastern United States Number of humans: Hundreds or thousands Years since apocalypse: 60 Monsters: aliens Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Type of apocalypse: robot/nuclear war Location: unspecified Number of humans: undisclosed Years since apocalypse: undisclosed Monsters: just robots Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
The Omega Man
The Omega Man (1971) stars Charlton Heston. Dir: Boris Sagal
Type of apocalypse: biological warfare Location: Los Angeles Number of humans: one Years since apocalypse: 2 Monsters: albino mutants Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
On the Beach (1959) stars Ava Gardner, Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins. Dir: Stanley Kramer
Type of apocalypse: Nuclear war Location: Australia Number of humans: dozens Time since apocalypse: days Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 8/10
Panic in Year Zero!
Panic in Year Zero! (1962) stars Ray Milland. Dir: Ray Milland
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: California Number of humans: dozens Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Planet of the Apes (1968) stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter. Dir: Franklin Schaffner
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: New York Number of humans: hundreds Years since apocalypse: 2000 Monsters: advanced ape society Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 5/10
The Postman (1997)
The Postman (1997) stars Kevin Costner and Olivia Williams. Dir: Kevin Costner.
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: Oregon Number of humans: thousands or millions Years since apocalypse: 15 Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
The Quiet Earth (1985)
The Quiet Earth (1985) stars Sam Pillsbury. Dir: Geoff Murphy
Type of apocalypse: experiment gone wrong Location: Hamilton, New Zealand Number of humans: 3 Time since apocalypse: days Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 7/10
A Quiet Place (2018) Stars Emily Blunt. Dir: John Krasinski
Type of apocalypse: alien invasion Location: America Number of humans: unknown Time since apocalypse: months & years Monsters: aliens Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes (both parts) Toren’s Rating: 7 (both parts)
Quintet (1979) stars Paul Newman. Dir: Robert Altman
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Unknown, possibly America or Europe Number of humans: Scores or hundreds shown Time since apocalypse: months & years Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: undisclosed Number of humans: at least hundreds Years since apocalypse: undisclosed Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: unknown Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: 225 Monsters: mutant rats Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 3/10
The Road (2009)
The Road (2009) stars Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall. Dir: John Hillcoat. Cormac McCarthy (novel)
Type of apocalypse: undisclosed Location: Southeastern United States Number of humans: presumably at least thousands Years since apocalypse: 8 Monsters: none Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? not really Toren’s Rating: 8.5/10
Type of apocalypse: viral plague Location: United States Number of humans: dozens seen Years since apocalypse: 8 Monsters: rabid plague ‘nightwalkers’ Cannibalism? only nightwalkers Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 3.5/10
Salute of the Jugger (Blood of Heroes) 1989
Salute of the Jugger (1989) stars Rutger Hauer, Joan Chen and Vincent D’Onofrio. Dir: David Peoples
Type of apocalypse: war Location: undisclosed Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 5/10
The Scorch Trials (2015)
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) stars Dylan O’Brien, Rosa Salazar, Alan Tudyk and Lily Taylor . Dir: Wes Ball
Type of apocalypse: solar flares and “zombie” virus pandemic Location: America, possibly San Francisco? Number of humans: Possibly millions Years since apocalypse: unclear, presumably less than two generations Monsters: insane cannibalistic virus-infected “cranks” Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? n/a Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Type of apocalypse: environmental Location: Montana? Number of humans: Hundreds at least Years since apocalypse: 50 Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Screamers (1995)
Screamers (1995) stars Peter Weller. Dir: Christian Duguay
Type of apocalypse: war Location: The planet Sirius 6B Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: 10 Monsters: robots Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 3/10
She (1982)
She (1982) stars Sandahl Bergman and Gordon Mitchell. Dir: Avi Nesher
Type of apocalypse: apparently nuclear war Location: unknown Number of humans: at least hundreds Years since apocalypse: 23 Monsters: robots, mutants Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Las Vegas Number of humans: Years since apocalypse: 40 Monsters: none Cannibalism? Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Slipstream (1989) stars Mark Hamill and Bill Paxton. Dir: Steven Lisberger
Type of apocalypse: environmental Location: unclear Number of humans: hundreds at least Years since apocalypse: unclear Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Snowpiercer (2013) stars Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt. Dir: Bong Joon-Ho.
Type of apocalypse: climate change Location: global (train) Number of humans: hundreds Years since apocalypse: 17 Monsters: none Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Solarbabies (1986) stars Lukas Haas. Dir: Alan Johnson
Type of apocalypse: ecological Location: unknown Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: 41 Monsters: just an alien orb Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Steel Dawn (1987) stars Patrick Swayze. Dir: Lance Hool
Type of apocalypse: WWIII Location: undisclosed Number of humans: Hundreds at least Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: shrieking sand-burrowing half-men Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Stryker (1983) stars Steve Sandor. Dir: Cirio H. Santiago
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: undisclosed Number of humans: at least hundreds Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes but not for the sidekick Toren’s Rating: 2.5
Tank Girl
Tank Girl (1995) stars Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, Ice T and Malcolm McDowell. Dir: Rachel Talalay
Type of apocalypse: comet Location: presumably Australia Number of humans: thousands or more Years since apocalypse: 11 Monsters: kangaroo DNA-spliced supersoldiers Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 2/10
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: unknown Number of humans: dozens or hundreds Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: dinosaurs Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes
Toren’s Rating: 4/10
Terminator: Salvation (2009)
Terminator Salvation (2009) stars Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Anton Yelchin. Dir: Joseph Nichol
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: California Number of humans: thousands Years since apocalypse: 14 Monsters: robots/cyborgs Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Threads (1984)
Threads (1984) stars Karen Meagher. Dir: Mick Jackson
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Sheffield, UK Number of humans: billions Years since apocalypse: from days to 13 years Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 8/10
Le Temps du Loup (2003) stars Anais Demoustier. Dir: Michael Haneke
Type of apocalypse: disease Location: France Number of humans: Presumably thousands How many years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: No Cannibalism? No Ends on a positive? No Toren’s Rating: 5.3/10
Tooth & Nail (2007)
Type of apocalypse: TBD Location: Number of humans: How many years since apocalypse: Monsters: Cannibalism? yes
Ends on a positive? Toren’s Rating: TBD
Turbo Kid (2015)
Turbo Kid (2015) stars Munro Chambers, Laurence Laboeuf and Michael Ironsides. Dir: Francois Simard
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: unknown Number of humans: scores or possibly hundreds Years since apocalypse: Somewhere between 20 and 1 Monsters: robots Cannibalism? Yes (in a way) Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 6/10
Type of apocalypse: virus Location: USA, Antarctica Number of humans: 200 Years since apocalypse: 0 to several Monsters: Cannibalism? No Ends on a positive? No Toren’s Rating: 7/10
WALL-E
Wall-E (2008) stars Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, Fred Willard. Dir: Andrew Stanton.
Type of apocalypse: Mass consumerism Location: Unknown Number of humans: Zero Years since apocalypse: 800 Monsters: none Cannibalism? None Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 10/10
Warriors of the Apocalypse AKA Searchers of the Voodoo Mountain (1985)
Warriors of the Apocalypse (1985) stars Michael James. Dir: Bobby A Suarez
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Possibly South America Number of humans: hundreds or thousands. Years since apocalypse: 90 + Monsters: jungle dwarves with healing powers Cannibalism? unclear Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 3/10
Wastelander (2018)
Type of apocalypse: tbd Location: Number of humans: Years since apocalypse: Monsters: Cannibalism?
Waterworld (1995) stars Kevin Costner and Dennis Hopper. Dir: Kevin Reynolds
Type of apocalypse: climate change
Location: Denver, CO and Mount Everest Number of humans: hundreds or thousands. Years since apocalypse: hundreds Monsters: huge mutant fish Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 4/10
What Still Remains (2018)
What Still Remains (2018) stars Lulu Antariksa. Dir: Josh Mendoza
Type of apocalypse: plague Location: unknown Number of humans: unknown Years since apocalypse: 19+ Monsters: no Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
Wheels of Fire (1984)
Wheels of Fire (1985) stars Gary Watkins. Dir: Cirio H Santiago
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: unknown Number of humans: Likely thousands or more Years since apocalypse: unknown Monsters: mutant subterranean”sandmen” Cannibalism? yes Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 4/10
When the Wind Blows
When the Wind Blows (1986) stars Peggy Ashcroft and John Mills. Dir: Jimmy Murakami
Type of apocalypse: nuclear war Location: Sussex, UK Number of humans: two known Time since apocalypse: immediate Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 6/10
World Gone Wild (1987)
World Gone Wild (1987) stars Bruce Dern, Catherine Mary Stewart and Adam Ant.
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: America, probably California Number of humans: at least thousands Time since apocalypse: 75 years Monsters: No Cannibalism? Yes Ends on a positive? Yes Toren’s Rating: 5/10
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) stars Harry Belafonte. Dir: Ranald MacDougall
Type of apocalypse: global radioactive cloud Location: Pennsylvania, New York Number of humans: At least 3 Time since apocalypse: days Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 8/10
Young Ones (2014)
Young Ones (2014) stars Elle Fanning, Michael Shannon and Nicholas Hoult. Dir: Jake Paltrow
Type of apocalypse: drought Location: USA Number of humans: presumably millions or billions Years since apocalypse: possibly less than a generation Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? no Toren’s Rating: 7/10
Z for Zachariah (2015)
Z for Zachariah (2015) stars Margot Robbie, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine. Dir: Craig Zobel
Type of apocalypse: nuclear Location: Rural area USA Number of humans: At least 3 Time since apocalypse: about 1 year Monsters: none Cannibalism? no Ends on a positive? yes Toren’s Rating: 7/10
My goal for 2014 was to watch a movie for every day of the year – a movie that I have not seen before. Results are below, and I have emboldened the movies that really stand out.
DECEMBER
31. When the Wind Blows 1986
30. Last Samurai 2003
29. Ace in the Hole 1951
28. Taken 2 2012
27. Bad Seed 1956
26. Bourne Legacy 2012
25. Hot Tub Time Machine 2010
24. Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies 2014
23. The Gambler 2014 22. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962
21. Get Carter 1971 20. The Imitation Game 2014
19. The Grand Hotel 1932
18. The Santa Clause 1994
17. Monuments Men 2014
16. Daredevil 2004
15. The Trip to Italy 2014
14. Deathstalker 1983
13. Red Hook Summer 2012
12. Now You See Me 2013
11. The Equalizer 2014
10. Home Alone 1990
9. Bridesmaids 2011
8. The Terminal 2004
7. Gone With the Wind 1939
6. The Stranger Within 1974
5. Insomnia 2002
4. Wish I Was Here 2014
3. The Falcon and the Snowman 1985 2. Begin Again 2013
1. Belle 2013
NOVEMBER
31. Obvious Child 2014
30. Three Days of the Condor 1975
29. Sideways 2004
28. Fair Game 2010
27. Munich 2005
26. Foxcatcher 2014
25. The Philadelphia Experiment 1984
24. Angels in the Outfield 1994
23. The Last Time 2006 22. Eye of the Needle 1981 21. Nightcrawler 2014
20. Polar Express 2004
19. Django Unchained 2012
18. The Great Debaters 2007
17. The Hundred Foot Journey 2014
16. St. Vincent 2014
15. Blue Jasmine 2013
14. You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger 2010
13. Post Impact 2004
12. The Colony 2013 11. 39 Steps 1935
10. Los Angeles Plays Itself 2003 9. Mystery Road 2013
8. Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger 2014
7. Interstellar 2014
6. That Thing You Do 1996
5. Cherry 2000 (1987)
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014
3. Radio Flyer 1992
2. The Book of Life 2014
1. I’ll Follow You Down 2013
OCTOBER
31. Words and Pictures 2013
30. Young Ones 2014
29. Earth Vs The Spider 1958
28. Braindead 1992 27. Island of Lost Souls 1932
26. Tarantula 1955
25. Hyde Park on Hudson 2012
24. Coraline 2009
23. The Witches of Eastwick 1987 22. Birdman 2014
21. Kingdom of the Spider 1979
20. Ivory Tower 2014
19. Are You Here 2013
18. Big Ass Spider 2013
17. Beneath Hill 60 (2010)
16. Desperation 2006
15. The Best of Times 1986
14. C.H.U.D. 1984
13. The Chumscrubber 2005
12. Submarine 2010
11. Murder by Death 1976
10. The Life of David Gale 2003
9. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2011
8. Reversal of Fortune 1990
7. Muppets Most Wanted 2014
6. King Solomon’s Mines 1985
5. The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared 2013
4. Tusk 2014
3. Witchfinder General 1968
2. Searching for Bobby Fischer 1993
1. Kinsey 2004
SEPTEMBER
30. The Homesman 2014
29. The Boxtrolls 2014
28. Punchline 1988
27. Popeye 1980
26. …And Justice For All (1979)
25. Earth Days 2009
24. Hector and the Search for Happiness 2014
23. You’ve Got Mail 1998
22. Delicatessen 1991
21. Michael Clayton 2007
20. Deathlands 2003 19. The Drop 2014
18. Suspiria 1977 17. Le Dernier Combat 1983
16. Shrink 2009
15. Midnight in Paris 2011 14. Chef (2014)
13. Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
12. This Boy’s Life (1993)
11. G.I. Jane (1997)
10. Terms of Endearment (1983)
9. Rover (2014)
8. Life After Beth (2014)
7. Maneater (2007)
6. Due Date (2010)
5. Bad Words (2013)
4. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)
3. The Squid and the Whale (2005) 2. The Fault in Our Stars (2014) 1. Locke (2013)
AUGUST
31. Mr. Peabody & Sherman 2014
30. Sleepless in Seattle 1993
29. The Color Purple 1985
28. How To Survive A Plague 2012
27. The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet 2013
26. Man of the Year 2006
25. The Great Buck Howard 2008
24. House of D 2004
23. Algiers 1938
22. Dragnet 1987
21. The Arrival 1996
20. The Night Listener 2006
19. Communion 1989
18. The Bed Sitting Room 1969
17. Frank 2014
16. Wall Street 1987 15. The Children’s Hour 1961
14. Rachel Getting Married 2008
13. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 2011
12. The Faculty 1998
11. Bonfire of the Vanities 1990
10. Snowpiercer 2013
9. Volunteers 1985 8. Guardians of the Galaxy 2014
7. The Money Pit 1986
6. The Ice Storm 1997
5. A Simple Plan 1998
4. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
3. Bicentennial Man (1999) 2. Boyhood (2014)
1. Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
JULY
31. Captain Newman, M.D. (1963)
30. Sailor Beware 1952
29. Crimes and Misdemeanors 1989
28. Joe Versus The Volcano 1990
27. Knocked Up 2007
26. Julie & Julia
25. Sabrina 1954
24. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 2014
23. About Schmidt 2002
22. Hancock 2008
21. Garden State 2004
20. Life Itself 2014
19. Ironweed 1987
18. The Sunset Limited 2011
17. The Big Year 2011
16. This is 40 2012
15. Heaven Can Wait 1978
14. Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness 2012
13. Empire of Dreams 2004
12. Noah 2014
11. Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked 2003
10. The Comedy 2012
9. Stand and Deliver 1988
8. A League of Their Own 1992
7. Jeff Who Lives At Home 2011 6. Ordinary People 1980
5. Tammy 2014
4. I Know That Voice 2013
3. Battleship 2012
2. 25th Hour 2002 1. Edge of Tomorrow 2014
JUNE
30. Transformers: Age of Extinction 2014
29. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid 1969 28. Still Mine 2012
27. The Long Walk Home 1990
26. Meet the Feebles 1989
25. Perfect Sense 2011
24. Goodbye World 2013
23. Kramer vs. Kramer 1979
22. The Bucket List 2007
21. Driving Miss Daisy 1989
20. Short Cuts 1993
19. Revolutionary Road 2008
18. As Good As It Gets 1997
17. A Few Good Men 1992
16. A Streetcar Named Desire 1951
15. Altered States 1980 14. Her 2013
13. After the Dark 2013
12. No Place On Earth 2012
11. Trek nation 2010
10. Hitch 2005 9. Doubt 2008
8. Five 1951
7. the Killing 1956
6. Pineapple Express 2008
5. Riders to the Stars 1954
4. A Guide for the Married Man 1967
3. The Grapes of Wrath 1940
2. Small Time Crooks 2000
1. Daikaiju Gamera 1965
MAY
31. The Spanish Gardener 1956 30. The Hunt 2012
29. Six Days Seven Nights 1998
28. Doctor At Sea 1955
27. Father’s Little Dividend 1951 26. World’s Fastest Indian 2005
25. Thunder on the Hill 1951
24. Rebecca 1940
23. Anatomy of a Murder 1959
22. The Trip 2010
21. Hello, Dolly! 1969
20. Role Models 2008
19. X-Men: Days of Future Past 2014
18. Dazed & Confused 1993
17. Saving Mr Banks 2013 16. Philomena 2013
15. Dear Mr Watterson 2013
14. Far Out Isn’t Far Enough 2012
13. Sightseers 2012
12. Primer 2004
11. Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey 2012
10. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
9. Valhalla Rising 2009
8. Godzilla 2014
7. Solomon Kane 2009
6. Pretty In Pink 5. The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology 2012
4. Say Anything 1989
3. With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story 2010
2. Deceptive Practice 2012
1. Robocop 2014
APRIL
30. Beware of Mr. Baker 2012
29. Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan 2011
28. Side By Side 2012
27. Bigger Than Life 1956
26. The Divide 2011
25. All the President’s Men 1976
24. Synecdoche, New York 2008
23. Divergent 2014
22. Confessions of a Superhero 2007
21. Best Worst Movie 2009
20. Step Brothers 2008
19. The Dictator 2012
18. Pandora’s Promise 2013
17. Jodorowsky’s Dune 2013 16. The Troll Hunter 2010
15. Super 2010
14. Windscale: Britain’s Biggest Nuclear Disaster 2007 13. Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 2011
12. The Big Blue 1988
11. That Guy…Who Was In That Thing 2012
10. Heckler 2007
9. Tom Segura: Completely Normal 2014
8. Inequality for All 2013
7. Dykket (1989)
6. The Improv: 50 Years Behind The Brick Wall 5. Captain America: Winter Soldier
4. Skyfall
3. Doctor Strange 2007
2. Battle Beyond the Stars 1980
1. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
MARCH:
31. The Music Never Stopped 2011
30. Shutter Island 29. How I Live Now 2013
28. Berserk: The Golden Age Arc 2 – The Battle For Doldrey 27. 12 Years a Slave 2013
26. No Way Out 1950
25. Lonely Are the Brave 1962
24. Falling Overnight 2011 23. The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014
22. A Face in the Crowd 1957
21. Strangers When We Meet 1960
20. Prince of the City 1981
19. Gulliver’s Travels 2010
18. Rise of the Guardians 2012
17. Big Top Pee-wee 1988
16. Haywire 2011
15. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 2013 14. Fruitvale Station 2013
13. Charade 1963
12. Before Midnight 2013
11. Before Sunset 2004
10. Too Big to Fail 2011
9. Carnage 2011
8. Bully 2011
7. Looper 2012
6. The Hunt for the BTK Killer 2005
5. Tape 2001
4. Death Race 2000 1975
3. The Gift 2000
2. The Wind Rises 2013
1. Safety Not Guaranteed 2012
FEBRUARY – 28 MOVIES
Before Sunrise 1995
3:10 to Yuma 2007
Safe 1995
3:10 to Yuma 1957 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa 2013
Night on Earth 1991
Intact 2001
Exam 2009
Vanity Fair 2004 The King’s Speech 2010
The Night of the Hunter 1955
Lincoln 2012
Buried 2010 The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012
The Truman Show 1998
Some Like It Hot 1959
The Winning Season 2009
This Is the End 2013
Kind Hearts and Coronets 1949
Sullivan’s Travels 1941
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 1947
Metallica Through the Never 2013
Attack of the Giant Leeches 1959
Shattered Glass 2003
No Escape 1994
Monsters University 2013
Despicable Me 2 2013
Ender’s Game 2013
JANUARY – 31 MOVIES:
The Lego Movie 2014 Nebraska 2013
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc – The Egg of the King 2012
Blackfish 2013
Brave 2012
The Life Zone 2011
The Thing 2011 Citizen Ruth 1996
Cocaine Cowboys 2 2008
Immortals 2011
Vulgar 2000
Cyborg 1989
Kick-Ass 2 2013
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 2011
The Hunger Games 2012
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2009
Shakes the Clown 1991
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007
Willow 1988
Inside Llewyn Davis 2013
Mud 2012
It 1990 Mini-Series
World War Z 2013
Frozen 2013
A Night to Remember 1958
Titanic 1953
After Earth 2013
Ma and Pa Kettle 1949
The Inspector General 1949
Coal Miner’s Daughter
For the second half of 2011 my full time job was working as an illustrator on the upcoming motion comic for Joss Whedon & John Cassaday’s run on Astonishing X-Men (specifically the “Dangerous” graphic novel). The release date for the DVD has been announced – April 10 – and here’s the trailer:
So what is a motion comic, and what exactly was my part in this production?
A motion comic is basically an animated version of a comic book, but instead of using traditional cartoon or computer animation, the production uses the artwork from the original comic and uses a variety of computer tricks, including turning the characters into ‘puppets’ to make them walk, disembowel other characters, etc. Add to that music, voice actors, visual and sound effects and you have a Rocket Robin Hood cartoon for the 2000’s! (This is not a slag, I love Rocket Robin Hood).
So what did I do? Let’s look at a couple of pages of the original comic:
There are five panels on this page. None of them fit the standard 4:3 TV aspect ratio, which is this:
What our talented director Jesse had to decide for each panel was how the action would be framed for TV. In panel one it’s a quick pan down and back up to follow Cyclops’ red eyebeam. For this panel the art team (there were 4 of us at any one time) expanded the broken floor and smoke on the left and right of the action to fill the frame, and we had to fill in all the art behind the beam (Scott’s lower face and body) since the beam itself would added via animation FX.
In panel two I pretty much had to draw in an entire broken floor that Cyclops is standing on as well as his arms. Basically the same idea for panel three.
For panel four, if I recall correctly it’s a pan from right to left, so I had to draw in Colossus and the White Queens’ butts. This panel also gives a good example of how art needs to be filled in when a character moves. The White Queen starts off behind the evil robot known as Danger. But as she runs to the left all of her back and arm is visible and we have to draw that stuff in.
For the last panel, it’s been drawn in an extremely wide, thin format. This is the kind of panel where I’d have to fill in the top and bottom to make the art fit a TV ratio. This includes colouring, which I had very little experience with when I started, but thanks to the rest of my fantastic art team I got up to speed relatively quickly. I now have a much greater appreciation for comic colorists like Laura Martin.
One last example, from the first panel below, Wolverine walks in front of a character out of frame. In a comic, all John Cassaday had to do was draw half of Logan and half of Hisako and that gets the point across. In the final DVD motion comic, Wolverine starts at the left and walks through and off frame to the right, so we artists get to fill in his face and chest, and fill in Hisako’s face behind Logan. All this has to be done in a style that makes it look like John Cassaday drew it all.
Luckily Cassaday has a solid, simple style that conveys all the information required without being ‘showy’ like you might get with (off the top of my head) your Todd McFarlanes or your Chris Bachalos (not saying these are bad, just that they are more complicated line art) so it was a real pleasure to work on.
It’s established I think earlier than halfway through the film that Thanos can use the Reality Stone to turn matter, including people, into ribbons or blocks or bubbles. And yet there are melees that occur subsequently where Thanos opts to hurl moons at the heroes rather than simply willing them into inoffensive vapor. Why? He didn’t think of it? He didn’t want to? Is the most dangerous Avengers villain actually just kind of a dummy or easily distracted?
And speaking of teleportation, let’s talk about Dr Strange’s magical gates. He uses one early in the movie and it cuts off the arm of one of the minions. So we know it can do that. If I’m Dr. Strange and I’ve got Mantis keeping Thanos is a groggy state, why not use the magical gateway to cut off his gauntlet-wielding arm? Or better yet, his head? Or is this him keeping to his Hippocratic oath? Failing that, why not plop a portal underneath Thanos and send him to wherever he sent Loki in Thor: Ragnarok? That seemed to work. Sure, Thanos could bring himself back, but it could give the heroes a few critical, game-changing seconds in a life-or-death situation.
It is good move on the writers’ part that the Mind Stone was saved for last, otherwise I would be complaining that there wasn’t enough mass mind control throughout the movie. Iron Man and Dr Strange giving you trouble? Make them fight each other with mind control!
Another thing that bothered me…just a little bit…was this: Thanos knew who Tony Stark was, that’s stated in the film. He knew, I’m sure, that Stark was responsible for the failure of the invasion of Earth (from the first Avengers film.) So if you’ve got a giant spaceship, or a fleet of giant spaceships, presumably you have nuclear technology. We had it in the 50’s for heaven’s sake. So if you think the Avengers are going to be a thorn in your side, why not nuke them? You could beam a bomb down to Dr. Strange’s sanctorum or just have a guy walk up with a briefcase. Same thing with the Avengers compound or wherever the two Infinity Stones are on earth…and then collect the stones from the debris. Sure, I know, there are many reasons this idea might not work (protective spells on the sanctorum, for example, even though Hulk smashed through the roof no problem), but my point is, at least explore the possibility of obliterating the Infinity Stone carriers from a distance and then collecting the stones, rather than sending a couple guys for a big ol’ donnybrook. Yeah, it’s not as gripping to watch as a movie audience member, but it bears consideration, no?
The last, and most majorest of the major gripes, is killing off characters that we know are coming back. EVERYBODY KNOWS that there’s going to be another Spider-Man film and another Black Panther film. What, you’re going to have these movies without the main characters? No. So why oh why would you kill off Spidey and Panthery in Infinity War? People say that the ending of A:IW is ballsy, but this move undercuts the ballsiness in a major way, so much so that I have a hard time believing that even the characters killed by methods other than the gauntlet are going to stay dead. Sure they could make Guardians of the Galaxy 3 without Gamora, but I would be very VERY surprised if that happens, given the way they handled Thanos winning the day.
Now, I know that Avengers: Infinity War is actually only half of the story, and we’ve got the conclusion coming up in a year, so maybe, just maybe, all my gripes will be addressed and it will all make sense. I guess we will all just have to wait and see.
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