The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

This is a must see movie for any survivalist.

Heartrending shit, too.

I'm surfing through channels and see this 2006 suspense movie with Mary McCormack and Rory Cochrane: Lovers must remain apart after dirty boms explode in Los Angeles.

My only complaint is the IFC channel has started doing commercial breaks. See this movie without commercials if you can.

Nearly the whole thing takes place around the couples home. The man tries to get his wife, but is turned back by armed gas wearing cops, who shoot another trying to flee. He goes back home, listening to the radio. We recieve so much information on the crisis, genius way of making it so real without running us all over the city.
A maintanence man joins him, and they are instructed to tape up the house, seal everything. The phones, electric, water all still work.

I ask myself, do we have enough plastic and tape to do this should it come to that? He has alot, because eventually his wife, who escapes from the ground zero red zone, coughing and totally contaminated, gets some space inside their home, sectioned off and completely sealed from him.

Its both a love story and survival story. Not  a sugary thing, not a chick flick. They both realize he's not going to tear down the barriers so they can die together.
One thing leads to another and the feds and public service announcements try to control crowds, most of which are unarmed.

Without giving the very disturbing and totally realistic ending away, I'll say there's an unexpected twist that leaves you wanting an arsenol of home defense weapondry for escaping your own home.

The grid plays an important part of this scenario. Without the radio and phones, our story would go untold and people might chose to flee rather than wait for the help that is promised and comes in a very unexpected way.

The bottom line: people don't really matter, governments do.

This is a movie I plan to watch with my partner when he returns from his dive trip.
wow

This 2009 movie is incredibly depressing. I imagine it's supposed to be. We get survival lessons all along the way, namely know who is your guide and that they can actually pull off what they promise.

The rich dude, Mr. Foster, is about useless, and I guess we're not supposed to like him. The women are the survivors, and we do carry a lot more body fat then men, a reason, plus we need fewer calories to maintain our energy. Just nature's way of keeping the species going.

The movie shows them drawing sticks, the short end got murdered, and eaten. I thought they ate the ones that died of starvation. Reports vary. I looked it up in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party

Now, I'd never fault a person for eating another if they had already died. Shooting someone to eat them is a whole nother thing.

I went through Donner Pass on the Pacific Crest Trail. It would be a very difficult place if a person was snowed in. Seriously cold and rugged.

There were days hiking in the Northern Cascades when the weather turned bad. We hiked over the pass and into the valley with the admonition: Remember the Donner Party.

Do I recommend the movie, humm. Not unless its sunny and cheery. I'm depressed now.

Netflix is a great way to get some seriously good entertainment while maintaining solvency. I mean, with cable and satelite prices going through the roof, its a wonder Dish or Direct TV can stay in business. If you're not one to go out on the town or rent seat space at a huge ball stadium, then its not so awfully bad. Its all about perspective.

Today I watched the 2011 release of Wrecked, an hour and a half production which opens with a mangled guy regaining conciousness after the vehicle he's in has crashed into a very deep ravine.

In the back seat is a dead fellow, out in the woods is another body. We watch as the man takes inventory of his injuries and the contents of the destroyed car. Its almost slow motion and we start to wonder if there will be any speaking parts in this movie.

It rains, he is trapped, gets wet, fights with the car interior to free himself. This is very realistic. Gradually he begins to remember stuff, has hallucinations and without spoiling the plot, gets out of the car to traverse the wilderness. A dog, mountain lion, woman, river and gun are all utilized as the story unfolds.

The ending is of course a twist, and much better than I feared it would be. We end up liking our guy, and he does make it out alive.
I don't want to divulge much more, but its worth watching.

The one main take away, or moral of the story, is don't judge a book by its cover. No matter how many times we hear that old old old proverb, its very hard to remember in times like these.

Sometimes a person Has to judge a book by its cover. Waiting to see whats inside may be too late.

This 2003 German film has English subtitles.
Since we subscribed to Netflicks, I've been venturing into movies I wouldn't necessarily rent.
Most of the time, a person wants to just lay back and enjoy, not read, throughout the movie.

But this one is well worth it. Besides, how often do you get the other side of the story?
A German soldier promises his little girl he'll be home by Christmas. Unfortuantely, or from the allied point of view, fortunately, he is captured, and sentenced to work camp in Siberia.
World War II was a horendous event for all, and of course its natural to blame the instigators of all this bloodshed and distruction.

For three years, our central figure, Clemens Forell, works in barbaric conditions so brutal he tries to escape. His first attempt is foiled, and his comrades were forced to beat him as punishment. The doctor comes to his rescue, makes them quit, and gives him all his stashed escape treasure trove because the doctor found out he had terminal cancer and can not make it.

Of course, all this planning is done hidden from the Soviet guards.
Finally, Clemens escapes, completing over 8,000 miles to complete the journey from a place so devoid of anything, so remote there never were any fences.

Watch if you get a chance, check out all the special survival techniques, the cut throats he meets along the way, the loving natives who help him, and the relentless pursuit of his guards.

I watched The Stoning of Soraya with some apprehension, knowing it would be disturbing and provocative. It's challenging to remain objective while watching tribal brutalism and suspicion in the name of religion. Any religion.

And of course, the violence aimed at women and intimidation of any man who would assist a wrongfully accused person doesn't help. The aftermath of the 2008 movie, based on the true story and book written by traveling journalist in 1986 Iran, leaves one angry, sad and appalled that such things still happen in our "modern world".

The film runs 1 hour 54 minutes and is worth watching. It will be one of those classics that rank right along with Amistad and Gettysburg. Not everyone likes a taste of history. Our barbaric human natures are tough stuff to admit.

The story is told by the aunt of a man who tires of his present wife, has picked out a new young virgin. Unable to support two wives,he demands a divorce. Even though abused, she declines. With four children this devout woman has no desire to raise her children alone in poverty.
The crafty husband finds another way, accusations of adultery which lead to her stoning.
But, I haven't told the whole story and will leave the details a mystery.

Cultural literacy is a journey worth taking.

This 2009 movie runs 1 hour 41 minutes. The scenery is breathtaking footage of the Grand Canyon. Very realistic portrayal of a young couple on their honey moon who wish to take a mule trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

As the drama unfolds, we see the common mistakes of young adventurers. Failure to research this journey results in no availability in main stream mule trips, leading to the hiring of an eccentric guide at a local bar. The new bride is gorgeous and goes along with her handsome husband's desire to fulfill this dream. Four mules and a day later, they fall into perilous circumstances.

All of the story is believable. Over estimating abilities while underestimating nature leads to poor decisions, injury and death. A cell phone, impromptu surgery, fighting wolves and eventual rescue lead the viewer to contemplation of the will to live and the measures we are forced to take.

I recommend this movie, both for the incredible scenery, the excellent acting, and the learning possibilities.
Pay attention to the details as desperation sets in. Building a rock duct to facilitate navigation is just one of many.

We nearly turned this movie off as the hero began dismembering the murderer of his family with a chain saw.

Still, only half an hour into the film, with Jamie Fox yet to make serious contribution, we knew it had to be worth it.

So true.
Gerard Butler couldn't have been more convincing. The victim of a terrible home invasion, wounded, gagged and watching his family assalted and murdered, he takes vengence when the justice system plea bargains and declares,"Its not what's true. Its what you can prove."

Jamie Fox does an excellent job, proffessional, mentoring his assistant in the pursuit of legal wins.
She wonders aloud if at 35, perhaps she hasn't chosen the wrong path.

Our hero is much more than meets the eye and gives the entire city a run for its money, shutting down the whole place even though he's in solitary confinement.
Thankfully, the producers do allow us into the secret method he's killing all these people, even though incarcerated.

Excellent, thought provoking movie. Very worth the time to find it and watch.