Pages Read Today: 199 (Valley of Silence)
Pages Read Total: 664
Books Read: 3
Comments: Finally finished Nora Roberts' Circle Trilogy. Very good series overall!
Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts
Title: Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy #3)
Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Jove 2006
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 352
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Paranormal - Witches; Monthly Key Word - Valley; Mount TBR; Seriously Series
How I Got It: I own it!
The battleground has been chosen for the final showdown between those selected by the gods and the minions of the vampire Lilith. But there is one vampire who dares stand against her. And his love for the scholarly queen of Geall will complete the circle of six-and change the face of eternity.
What an end to the trilogy! I must say that I was sad that it ended. I wanted to continue the journey with the Circle. I wanted to see how they adjusted to their new lives and adventures. But I must be content with what we do get. I loved the suspense and payoff of the final battle. I loved seeing the story from Moira and Cian's points of view. I definitely liked Moira the best of all the six. She had such quiet strength. I am still stuck in the world, hours after finishing. The series was just great. I loved it!
The Circle Trilogy:
- Morrigan's Cross
- Dance of the Gods
- Valley of Silence
TCoYTP Update #2
Pages Read Today: 153 (Valley of Silence)
Pages Read Total: 465
Books Read: 2+
Comments: Didn't get as much reading today as I had hoped. I got distracted by food and organization. However, I did make quite a dent in my new book. I should be finishing it tomorrow.
TCoYTP Update Day #1
Pages Read Today: 84 (Let's Pretend This Never Happened) + 228 (London Eye)
Pages Read Total: 312
Books Read: 2
Comments: Finished Jenny Lawson's awesome memoir! And read an entire book in one setting... Great start to the readathon!
London Eye by Tim Lebbon
Title: London Eye (Toxic City #1)
Author: Tim Lebbon
Publisher: Pyr 2012
Genre: SciFi - Dystopian
Pages: 228
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: SubGenre - Horror, Scifi; New Author; Library; Eclectic - Urban Fantasy
How I Got It: Library Loan
Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a military force known as Choppers. The rest of Britain believes that the city is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland.
But Jack and his friends—some of whom lost family on what has become known as Doomsday—know that the reality is very different. At great risk, they have been gathering evidence about what is really happening in London—and it is incredible.
Because the handful of London's survivors are changing. Developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving.
Upon discovering that his mother is still alive inside London, Jack, his sister, and their three friends sneak into a city in ruins. Vast swathes have been bombed flat. Choppers cruise the streets, looking for survivors to experiment upon. The toxic city is filled with wonders and dangers that will challenge Jack and his friends... and perhaps kill them. But Jack knows that the truth must be revealed to the outside world or every survivor will die.
I had some reservations about this book after reading some of the Goodreads reviews. And I admit it wasn't amazing, but it has great potential. I was only halfway in the characters and storyline until we got into Toxic London. With the first encounters of the Barrens, I was hooked. I love the idea of a virus that gives some people extra abilities. Once humanity acquires abilities, how do we deal? I think the politics and struggle between the Superiors, Irregulars, and Choppers is the most interesting aspect to this book. I am tempted to read the other books in the series (once they are released) just to see where the struggle ends. The characters themselves aren't that well defined. Thank goodness the story kept me interested.
Toxic City
- 1. London Eye
- 2. Reaper's Legacy
- 3. Contagion
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
Title: Let's Pretend This Never Happened
Author: Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess)
Publisher: Berkley Books 2012
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 372
Rating: 5+++++/5 stars
Reading Challenges: T4MC -- NYT Bestseller; Women Authors; TBR Pile; Eclectic -- Memoir
How I Got It: Birthday present for me!
When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and a morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.
In the irreverent Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson’s long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments—the ones we want to pretend never happened—are the very same moments that make us the people we are today. For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives.
I have been reading The Bloggess' blog for awhile now and I swear she sees into my soul. I may not have participated in her particularly crazy adventures, but I definitely have her twisted sense of humor. And I tend to see the world as a very strange place. J can attest that I am pretty strange at times. Much of what Lawson says out loud, I've thought in my head. I guess I just have a better internal filter than she does. But that's what makes her so amazing. She's her and no one else. Her memoir made me laugh at loud so much that J repeatedly asked me if I was okay. It also made me get a bit teary eyed (especially the chapter about Barnaby Jones Pickle). Among all the stories, Lawson conveys a great message of accepting yourself and the crazy. My favorite lesson comes from the chapter "Jenkins, You Motherfucker":
Soon afterward, Jenkins and the other turkeys disappeared from our lives, but the lessons I learned from them still remain: Turkeys make terrible pets, you should never trust your father to identify poultry, and you should accept who you are, flaws and all, because if you try to be someone you aren't, then eventually some turkey is going to shit all over your well-crafted facade, so you might as well save yourself the effort and enjoy your zombie books.
Thank you Jenny Lawson for making me laugh and cry and feel more comfortable being me. "Knock, knock, motherfucker!"
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FF #4: Springtime Lunch Date
I've been gravitating to flowy romantic pieces lately. How adorable is this top? I love that the florals are completely "in your face flowers" but have a subtle romance. And the skirt has enough detail to not compete with the romance up top. I threw in the cardigan for those slightly chilly days up in the city. Walking shoes are a must. And how could I resist a purple purse? Must add!
$88 - vila.com
$335 - farfetch.com
shopbop.com
$465 - mimco.com.au
Take Control of Your TBR Pile Readathon
From Kimba:
To help those who are taking part in the month long Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge(you can still sign up) and anyone else who wants to catch up on some of those reads collecting dust I will be hosting a read-a-thon. Anyone can join in! The only requirement is that the books read must have been published before March 2013. Each day there will be fun challenges and prizes to help motivate you. You can link up using your blog, Goodreads, Facebook, or Tumblr account..or anywhere you can post your goals and results. This way we can cheer you on!
On twitter use hashtag #TakeControlRAT to share your progress and follow others, also look for challenge updates.
J is gone this weekend to Baltimore for a buddy's birthday party. I guess this is his mini vacation. So I am taking the opportunity to join this readathon. I plan on hunkering down in the apartment (and possibly poolside) to have some uninterrupted hours of reading.
Goals:
- Finish Let's Pretend This Never Happened
- Read 2 books
- Review all books read
TBR Pile for March (what's left):
- Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (iPad)
- Sandition by Jane Austen (iPad)
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman (iPad)
- P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
- Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts
- The Doomsday Vault by Steven Harper
- A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
- Confessions of a Vampire’s Girlfriend by Katie MacAlister
- Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
- London Eye byTim Lebbon
- The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
- Next by Michael Crichton
Video Roundup
Here are some videos I've had on repeat this week: Much Ado About Nothing trailer. OMG! Must see this movie!
Screaming Goats Supercut -- I died watching this!
Zooey and Ben
Zooey and Joe
Daniel Radcliffe being awesome...
Quote Wednesday - vos Savant
To acquire knowledge, one must study, but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. -- Marilyn vos Savant
I love going to school (yes, I am a nerd). I love studying new subjects and areas. I love the whole process. But I don't want to go back. I've learned so much in my time out in the read world. I've observed others and the world around me. This has been quite an experience.
Top Ten Tuesday -- Spring TBR List
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!
I love these weeks. They help remind of those "must-read" books I somehow put off. This quarter, I'm going with a ton of books I have lying around they have been put off and put off...
1. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin -- The second book in the Fire and Ice series. I'm saving this one for my plane ride back to Indiana at the end of the month. Can't wait!
2. The Postman by David Brinn -- The next science fiction book that J wants me to read.
3. Chicago Fire trilogy by Susan Wiggs -- A fluffy romance trilogy to tide me over this spring.
4. Lost and Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire -- I read these years ago. I've been wanting to reread them for awhile.
5. The Host by Stephenie Meyer -- Another reread. I want to finish it before the movie releases.
6. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern -- Been on my list for ages. I really want to get it read and rewatch the movie for comparison.
7. Gale Force, Cape Storm, and Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine -- The last three books of the Weather Warden series. I've enjoyed it so far, just need to finish it.
8. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond -- Years ago, I made it about halfway through before losing momentum. I really want to finish this one.
9. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain -- A classic that's been on my list for years.
10. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa -- I received a copy a few months ago. This spring I want to finally read it.
Winter TBR Recap (7/10) -- not a bad result at all
- The Magician King by Lev Grossman
- The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
- The Firemaster's Mistress by Dickason
- Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes
- Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
- The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees
- The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
- Rest of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
Title: Girl of Nightmares (Anna Dressed in Blood #1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Tor Teen Book 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal
Pages: 332
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: SubGenre - Horror, YA; Women Authors; Library; Seriously Series; 52 Books in 52 Weeks - W11
How I Got It: Library Loan
It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.
Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.
Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.
I have been waiting for this book for forever! And I finally get it off hold from the library. I dive in headfirst and don't come up for air until the last page. Overall, I must say that I wasn't as impressed with this volume as the first. But... I really did like the book. It had twists and turns. It had horror and romance. It had a great main character and side characters, and villans. I was into the book. I only wish that Anna was in the book more often... Still awesome book!
Anna Dressed in Blood:
- Anna Dressed in Blood
- Girl of Nightmares
Music Monday -- 101 Faves Rock n Roll Edition (Part 2)
As part of my ongoing Day Zero Project, I've made a list of my favorite 101 songs of all time. To help cut down on the possibilities, I took songs only from my iTunes account. Each edition will include ~5 songs with a theme. Enjoy! More rock songs to enjoy today...
Fuel "Million Miles" -- Saw them in concert circa 2004. Very fun and I just love this song.
AFI "Miss Murder" -- I was student teaching when this song came out. My students were impressed that I knew who AFI was. We had a music day. The song has stuck with me.
Alkaline Trio "Calling All Skeletons" -- Saw them in concert with Blink 182 and A New Found Glory. And one of their friends was an acquaintance in college. Great song!
Linkin Park "Crawling" -- My hands-down favorite Linkin Park song. Now one of my boys loves them.
Sunday Sunset #9
Book finished: Morrigan's Cross, Death: At Death's Door, The Ghost and the Goth, Queen of the Dead, Dance of the Gods
Reading: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
On the Nightstand: Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
MakingLists: Packing list for Spring Break. I'm headed back east to see the boys and family for spring break. Of course, I am the uber-planner and must start packing weeks ahead of time...
Crafting: I had a fun card class on Monday using some products that I actually own.
At class, I received my February Stampin' Up order. So lots of fun new toys to play with. I got inspired... Lots of butterflies. Using my new stamps and embossing folders. And a couple of birthday cards for the boys.
Watching: For television, we watched lots of currently airing shows. Thank goodness the new episodes are back. I was loving new Castle, Community, and Psych.
Movie selections for the week
- Seven Psychopaths -- Hilariously dark comedy. Loved it!
- The Raven -- Cheesy fun. Much like Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.
- Machete -- Very cheesy fun.
For my birthday week, I had a zombie movie marathon. Lots and lots of fun.
Shopping Scores Birthday Gifts: A few, but such good gifts. After a few months of poking, J bought me a Big Shot and a few embossing folders! Mom sent me some great blossoming teas. Crafting friends gave me some random supplies. And with the check grandma and grandpa sent me, I bought myself some fun patterned coloring books.
Day Zero Project Update: Week 72-77
Instead of daily posts, I thought it would be a lot easier for me and you if I did weekly update posts. These will track my progress each week. I will highlight what I’ve done, what I want to do, and any interesting tidbits. Sometimes I’ll add pictures and/or links. Hopefully these posts will keep me accountable to me list…
What I Did
5. Make a playlist of my favorite 101 songs (19/101)
- Billy Joel "Lullaby"
- Tori Amos "1000 Oceans"
- The Toadies "Possum Kingdom"
- Oasis "Don't Look Back (In Anger)"
- Dixie Chicks "Easy Silence"
- JoDee Messina and Tim McGraw "Bring on the Rain"
- Lady Antebellum "I Run to You"
- A Day to Remember "All I Want"
- All American Rejects "Move Along"
- Yellowcard "Lights and Sounds"
- Muse "Starlight"
- Ben Folds "Narcolepsy"
- Amanda Palmer "Astronaut"
- Regina Spektor "Apres Moi"
- The Dresden Dolls "Sing"
- KT Tunstall "Ashes"
- Christina Perri "Jar of Hearts"
- Kate Voegele "One Way or Another"
- Brandi Carlile "The Story"
7. Watch 10 foreign films (3/10)
- Ip Man -- Part of our New Movie February. Great movie in Cantonese.
- Seven Samurai -- Japanese, part of New Movie February.
9. See 101 new movies (101/101)
- Hanna -- Awesome action movie, awesome soundtrack.
12. See all of IMDB’s Top 250 movies (26/250)
- 13. Seven Samurai
15. Have a zombie movie marathon (for my birthday week)
- Night of the Living Dead (1968)
- Dawn of the Dead (2004)
- Land of the Dead (2005)
- Resident Evil (2002)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
- Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
- Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
- 28 Days Later (2002)
- 28 Weeks Later (2007)
- Shawn of the Dead (2004)
- The Walking Dead S1-S3
20. Reread all of Jane Austen’s novels (4/6)
24. Keep a journal for this project
27. Make a list of 101 inspirational quotes (75/101)
28. Blog 1001 times — 109 posts this period (917/1001)
36. Attend 3 literary events (1/3)
- Author Laurie R. King speaking at the Santa Clara library
37. Pass 250,000 pages read for my 1,000,000 pages challenge (126,981/250,000)
Overall Progress
26/101
Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts
Title: Dance of the Gods (The Circle Trilogy #2)
Author: Nora Roberts
Publisher: Jove 2006
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 352
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Witches and Witchcraft; Women Authors; Mount TBR; Seriously Series
How I Got It: I own it!
With one vampire determined to rule the earth, the Circle of Six prepares to battle for their lives-and their hearts.
A very entertaining installment of the trilogy. I was with the book from begging to end. The action picks up right where book one ended and doesn't stop. I love the pacing of these books. They don't fall into the lagging downtime I often find with trilogies. Instead we get action, quiet, action, quiet, etc, but with great content. I also liked how the first book focuses on Glenna and Hoyt and the second book shifts to Blair and Larkin. I liked them even more than I liked Glenna and Hoyt. Makes me wonder if the third book will focus on Moira and Cian. I sure hope so!
The Circle Trilogy:
- #1 Morrigan's Cross
- #2 Dance of the Gods
- #3 Valley of Silence
Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade
Title: Queen of the Dead (Ghost and the Goth #2)
Author: Stacey Kade
Publisher: Hyperion 2011
Genre: YA Paranormal
Pages: 267
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: YA/MG Fantasy; Women Authors; Library; Book Bingo -- 5 from series
How I Got It: Library Loan
After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this, ugh, “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.
Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more than friend” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.
Not quite as good as the first book. I still love the characters. I still love the main premise of the books. But this one's addition of the Order, Mina, and the body of Lily just didn't do it for me. It all seemed to be a bit contrived. I would have liked to see more of Alona and Will's relationship (romantic and working) develop. I hope that the next one gets back to the story of Will and Alona. I still want to read the last of the trilogy, but I'm going to have to wait. The library doesn't have the third one yet...
Ghost and the Goth
- #1 The Ghost and the Goth
- #2 Queen of the Dead
- #3 Body and Soul
ZaC #11: Shaun of the Dead
Title: Shaun of the Dead
Year Released/Rating: 2004 R
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
Directed By: Edgar Wright
Written By: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright
Genre: Horror
Star Rating: 5/5 stars
Where I Got It: We own it
Trivia:
- The phrase "fried gold" originated behind the scenes of Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes andEdgar Wright's sitcom Spaced and was mentioned several times on the DVD commentaries for that series. It makes several fan-pleasing appearances in the film.
- When Shaun, Liz, David, Dianne, Barbara and Ed run into the alternative 'gang' as they make their way to the Winchester, there are quite a few comedy partnerships brought together again. Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes - Tim and Daisy from Spaced. Lucy Davis and Martin Freeman - Dawn and Tim from The Office. Dylan Moran and Tamsin Greig - Bernard and Fran from Black Books. Julia Deakin and Nick Frost are, of course, in Spaced too, as Marsha and Mike respectively.
- Shaun (Simon Pegg) complains that Ed (Nick Frost) isn't his boyfriend, then says, "Thanks, babe." In season one of Spaced, a conversation begins in a similar manner between the two actors ("All right, babe?"). This was, however, a total mistake. The writers used the same joke again, forgetting they had used it in Spaced.
- When Shaun and the group are running out of Liz's flat they are all carrying weapons of some kind, but only Shaun actually hits any zombies. This was because only the cricket bat that Shaun was carrying was a padded fake, all the other items were real and would have hurt the extras playing zombies if they had been hit with them.
- According to writer-director Edgar Wright in the DVD commentary, when Ed attempts to cheer Shaun up at the Winchester with plans of binge drinking, he is actually summarizing the events of the next day (Z-day) entirely in drinking references. "Bloody Mary" - Checkout Girl, "Bite at the king's head" - Phillip, "Couple" - David and Di, "Little Princess" - Liz, "Stagger back" - impersonate zombies, "Bar For Shots" - firing rifle.
- Just when Shaun is exiting the Indian-run deli, which is tuned to a radio station playing songs from Indian movies, the song stops and a newscaster begins speaking in Hindi. The content of the news, when translated in English, is, "People are waking up from their graves."
- Shaun walks past a road sign for Weston Park which is a street in Crouch End, London, the same locale as Spaced and where Simon Pegg now lives.
- Shaun tells Liz that he's going to take her to "the place that does all the fish". When he opens the phone book you can see that the restaurant is literally called 'The Place That Does All the Fish'.
- When asked by an interviewer why they chose to have slow moving zombies instead of running zombies, Simon Pegg simply replied, "Because death is not an energy drink."
Summary: A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.
Review:
One of my absolute favorite movies. I love every minute of Shaun of the Dead: the great on liners, the visuals, the references to other tv show stars, the homages to other zombie movies. It never fails. Every time I watch, I laugh my ass off and see something that I missed before. All of the inside jokes between Frost and Pegg make the movie even more fun. And can I just say that Bill Nighy as a zombie is just genius.
Best Bits (so many best bits!):
- Dianne: SHAUN! [Dianne throws a dart and misses] Shaun: NO! [Dianne throws another dart and hits the zombie] Shaun: YES, yes, in the head! [Dianne throws a third dart and hits Shaun in the head on accident] Shaun: AHHHHHHHHH!
- [Shaun hits the zombie pub owner with the butt of the rifle] Ed: Why didn't you just shoot him, man? Shaun: Ed, for the last time... [Shaun squeezes the trigger of the gun, and it actually fires!] Ed: [gleefully] I fucking knew it!
- Shaun: [about Ed] He's not my boyfriend! Ed: [handing beer to Shaun] It might be a bit warm, the cooler's off. Shaun: Thanks, babe. [winks]
- Ed: Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies?
- Ed: We're coming to get you, Barbara!
- [Shaun tries to get out of Philip's Jaguar] Shaun: Philip, have you still got the child-locks on? Philip: Safety first, Shaun.
- [describing the zombies] Dianne: Just look at the face: it's vacant, with a hint of sadness. Like a drunk who's lost a bet.
- [a jukebox begins playing Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" while the zombie pub owner attacks the group] Shaun: Who the hell put this on? Ed: It's on random. Liz: For fuck's sake!
- [Shaun has just fought a zombie unassisted] Shaun: [sarcastically] Feel free to step in any time! Ed: You did all right. David: I didn't want to cramp your style.
- Shaun: David, kill the Queen! David: What? Shaun: The jukebox!
- Shaun: As Bertrand Russell once said, "The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation." I think we can all appreciate the relevance of that now. Liz: Was that on a beer mat? Shaun: Yeah, it was Guinness Extra Cold. Liz: I won't say anything. Shaun: Thanks.
- [David discovers that the zombies have somehow made it into the bar. Shaun, Ed and Liz are still beating the barman] Shaun: Why is Queen still playing? David: Ah, we have a situation here. Shaun: I KNOW!
- Ed: [Directing Shaun on where to shoot] There! Shaun: Where? Ed: Three o'clock! Dianne: Oh! Over there again. Quarter to twelve. Shaun: What? David: Eleven forty-five! Shaun: Keep it simple! Ed: Top left!
ZaC #10: 28 Weeks Later
Title: 28 Weeks Later
Year Released/Rating: 2007 R
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rose Byrne, Robert Carlyle
Directed By: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Written By: Rowan Joffe, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Enrique Lopez Lavigne, Jesus Olmo
Genre: Horror
Star Rating: 4/5 stars
Where I Got It: I own it
Trivia:
- Most of the filming of the US Army Camp took place during the weekend of 21st/22nd October 2006 in the courtyard outside the Citypoint Building, Ropemaker Street, London EC2. A large number of tents with US flags, cast in military dress and vehicles were in place. Additionally access to the sub-floor car park area appears to have been given to shoot an underground scene.
- Robert Carlyle had turned down the Christopher Eccleston part in 28 Days Later....
- The boy who arrives at the cottage at the beginning of the film claims to be from Sandford. Sandford is the name of the 'fake' village that was used by British police to practice emergency preparedness drills. It's also the fictitious locale for the action comedy Hot Fuzz.
- Danny Boyle couldn't direct the sequel because of his commitments to Sunshine. Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris couldn't come back for the sequel either because of other commitments.
- The three survivors want to get from Regent's Park to Wembley, but their chosen route clearly takes them by Parliament Square, Whitehall and Charing Cross, which is in the opposite direction. They should be driving through St John's Wood.
Summary: Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan.
Review:
In some ways this is scarier than the first movie. I love this idea that everyone believes the infection has gone, except of course it hasn't. And i love the idea that someone could be immune from the symptoms, but be a carrier at the same time. It makes sense. This is a virus we're dealing with. The movie definitely has lots of gore and lots of scary gotcha moments. You are on the edge of your seat the entire movie. I love it!
Best Bits:
- Doyle: Did I hear that code red or am I losing my shit?
- Scarlet: It all makes sense. They're executing code red. Step 1: Kill the infected. Step 2: Containment. If containment fails, then Step 3: Extermination.
- Doyle: I got some strays. Flynn: Dogs? Doyle: No, puppies.
- Andy: I saw Dad. Tammy: Dad? Where? Andy: Tam, he's one of them.
- Scarlet: Who are you? Doyle: Sergeant Doyle, Delta Rooftop Unit. Scarlet: Why aren't you at your post? Doyle: Why aren't you?
- [last lines] French radio voice: We need your help.
