Assassination Nation (2018)

Let’s start out with what Assassination Nation is not. I watched the trailer and was expecting something closer to the purge. I was expecting more action and less Gossip Girl. I clearly didn’t have the correct expectations.

Assassination Nation has a simple concept. Someone hacks the town’s social media and begins posting everyone’s dirty secrets. This drives people to do horrible things.

I actually invited my seventeen year old to watch it with me (because I thought this was going to be more action and less soft core erotica) and was relieved he didn’t after the first half hour. Assassination Nation never even shows an uncovered breast or any full frontal nudity, but there are plenty of butt cheeks hanging out and hyper sexual texting and conversations. I tell all my boys that sex is normal and natural and that if they can’t buy condoms I’ll buy them (or to ask their older brothers). So I’m not a prude, I just don’t want to sit next to my seventeen year old son and watch teens prance around with their asses hanging out. End of rant.

So how was the movie? It wasn’t bad. The acting was good, and the sub stories were uplifting. The pro LGBT sub story will hopefully help some kids out there.

Overall I’m giving it a 65/100. Mostly because I felt like the movie couldn’t really decide what it was. It starts as a gossip flick and ends as a gore/shock/trauma shooter. The gear change was just a little too much for me.

Stray Kitties Smell Each Other

One of the strays in particular has decided he likes to sit at my back door and watch what is going on in my kitchen. My two indoor cats (who were rescued from outside when they were kittens and are related to the family of strays in my field) find them fascinating.

We opened the door a little so they could smell each other and the younger of our two cats was stretching his paws out, trying to touch the other cats. It was very sweet the way they were all meowing at each other, but for the moment the outside cats are still a bit hesitant and stayed just a little bit out of reach.

If you look closely, that white sticking through the open sliding glass door is his little paw.

Cookie Comparison

We had our family Kmiss last night at our house. It was great to see everyone. Everyone brought a little something to contribute to dinner or dessert. For instance my sister brought some cookies.

Which is where I got into trouble. Apparently it is rude to compare your sister’s cookies to your wife’s.

Baking comparison:

(Sister’s cookie on the left, wife’s on the right.)

  • Note the overcooked, deep brown edges on the left.
  • Note the uneven placement of the Reese’s compared to the edge of the cookie. This will result in an uneven mix of cookie to Reese’s.

(Love you W!!!!)

Bird Box (2018)

My brother turned us on to the Bird Box yesterday and my son, his girlfriend, my wife, my brother, and myself ended up spread out over my living room, hissing at whomever dared to open their mouth and distract everyone else from the movie.

Sandra Bullock plays a pregnant woman who is forced to survive as madness grips the world. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout, but still falls prey to some of the classic horror movie tropes. Be forewarned, if you keep reading, there are spoilers below.

I know that the group of survivors doesn’t really understand what is going on, but they know whatever it is, can kill you. So what do they do when they want to test Greg’s theory about using the security cameras? They tie him to a chair and leave him there.

What do they do with the car keys? They apparently left them where anyone could grab them.

What did they do when they let a newcomer into the group? They leave him along to work whatever mischief he wants.

Are they huge issues? Not really, the story moves fast and is edgy enough that you don’t notice, at least not until later. It is just one of those things that bothers me about survival movies. Don’t be stupid when people are dying all around you.

Is this a classic zombie movie? No. But whatever is possessing the people does cause them to turn violent and deadly. So this is a “zombie” movie of the possession type, very similar to Ghosts of Mars.

Do you ever get to see the monsters? Just through a madman’s drawings. Anyone who goes outside without a blindfolded gets taken over. It is a basic premise, but creates a massive amount of anxiety and suspense.

So what are the monsters possessing people? One of the frustrating things is that you never find out. Charlie goes on a rant very early in the movie, and it is pretty much the only time they address what is going on. The monsters appear as swirling bits of wind. The birds seem to be sensitive to their presence and give some early warning when they are close. Without much to go on I have to go with the little bit that Charlie gave us. It is the end of the world, and demons are cleansing the world. The things doing the possession were demons, and those who were truly bad in life were taken over completely.

It might sound corny, but it was really well done and the fact that they don’t spend a lot of time trying to explain it was actually good for the plot, if frustrating for those of us still digesting the movie a day later.

Overall, it was a good movie and kept us all on the edge of our seats and scores a solid 69/100. If you haven’t watched Bird Box yet, it is well worth watching.

ReviewYearScoreType
#Alive2020100Action / Infection
Dawn Of The Dead1978100Action / Horror / Classics
Night Of The Living Dead1968100Action / Horror / Classics
World War Z2013100Action / Infection
28 Days Later2002100Action / Infection
Train To Busan2016100Action / Infection
Zombieland2010100Comedy / Action
Flesh And Blood201899Shorts
Serenity200599Action / Sci-Fi
The Girl With All The Gifts201695Action / Infection
Land Of The Dead200594Action / Horror
Resident Evil: Apocalypse200493Action / Infection
Resident Evil200292Action / Infection
Rampant201891Action / Infection / Mid Evil
Day of the Dead200890Action / Infection
Cooties201489Comedy / Action
The Return of the Living Dead198585Comedy / Action
Night of the Comet198485Comedy / Action
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula 202084Action / Infection
Zombieland: Double Tap201983Comedy / Action
Fido200682Comedy / Action
Shaun Of The Dead200481Comedy / Action
Zombie197980Action / Horror
The Evil Dead198180Classic / Action
I Am Legend (2007)200780Action / Infection
28 Weeks Later200780Action / Infection
Infection201979Action / Infection
It Stains The Sands Red201679Action / Infection
Overlord201879Action / Horror
A Little Bit Zombie201278Comedy / Action
Plan Z201678Action / Infection
Wyrmwood: Apocalypse 202177Action / Infection
Day of the Dead198577Action / Horror / Classics
Dead Rising: Endgame201677Action / Infection
Freaks of Nature201576Comedy / Action
The Dead201076Action / Infection
Cockneys Vs. Zombies201275Comedy / Action
Here Alone201675Suspense / Infection
The Battery201274Drama / Infection
Shed of the Dead 201974Comedy / Action
Alone202073Action / Infection
Survival Of The Dead200973Action / Horror
State of Emergency201173Action / Infection
Remains201172Action / Infection
Dawning of the Dead201772Action / Infection
Dance of the Dead 200872Comedy / Action
The Rezort201572Action / Infection
The Army of the Dead202171Action / Infection
Witness Infection202171Comedy / Action
Daylight's End201671Action / Infection
The Valley Of The Dead202170Horror / Infection
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead201470Action / Infection
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse201570Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: Afterlife201070Action / Infection
Night of the Living Deb201570Comedy / Romance
For A Few Zombies More201570Action / Infection
Zombie Night201370Action / Infection
Dead Rising: Watchtower 201570Action / Infection
Zombie Hunter201370Action / Infection
The Dead 2: India201570Action / Infection
Among The Living202269Suspense / Horror
Exit Humanity201169Action / Infection
Bird Box201869Action / Horror / Possession
Republic Z201868Action / Comedy
Blood Quantum201968Action / Infection
Ravenous201768Action / Infection
Quarantine200867Infection / Horror
Forget Everything And Run (F.E.A.R.)202167Suspense / Horror
The Night Eats The World201867Suspense / Infection
Ultimate Zombie Feast202066Shorts/ Action
How To Kill A Zombie201466Action / Comedy
Cargo201766Suspense / Infection
Trench 11201766Action / Horror
Dead County202165Drama / Horror
Zombie Town200765Action / Horror
Zoombies201665Awesomely Bad
The End?201764Horror / Infection
Quarantine 2201164Action / Infection
Zombie Apocalypse201164Action / Infection
Red Spring201763Action / Infection
Virus:32202262Horror / Infection
Resident Evil: Extinction200762Action / Infection
Resident Evil Retribution201261Action / Infection
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead202360Comedy / Action
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter201660Action / Infection
Life After Beth201459Comedy / Action
Diary Of The Dead200758Action / Horror
Revelation Trail201357Action / Horror
Eat Brains Love201956Comedy / Horror
My Mates vs. The Zombie Apocalypse201556Comedy / Action
Deadsight201855Suspense / Infection
Anna And The Apocalypse201755Musical / Infection
Amigo Undead201554Comedy / Horror
Bong of the Living Dead201754Action / Infection
Black Friday202153Action / Horror
The Dead Undead201053Action / Infection
Redcon-1201852Action / Horror
Deadheads201152Comedy / Romance
Dead Don't Die in Dallas201951Action / Infection / LGBTQ
Day of the Dead: Bloodline201851Action / Infection
Road Wars201550Action / Infection
Disaster L.A.201450Action
Zombie Strippers!200849Horror / Comedy
Within the Woods of Undead County201649Action / Infection
Day Zero202348Horror / Infection
Rise of The Zombies201248Action / Infection
I Am Alone201548Action / Infection
Valentine DayZ201847Action / Infection / Awesomely Bad
Lethal Virus202146Action / Horror
Savageland201546Horror / Drama
Zombie Warz: Falls The Shadow201145Action / Horror
Infected201945Shorts
Bridge of the Doomed202244Horror / Infection
Block Z202044Action / Infection
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City202143Action / Horror
The Dead Don't Die201943Spoof / Drama
The Plague200642Action / Horror
Strain 100202042Action / Infection
Infected202141Action / Horror
Before Dawn201341Drama / Action
When the Fever Breaks201941Suspense / Infection
Zombie Undead201040Action / Infection
Hostile201740Action / Infection
Dead Before Down201239Horror / Supernatural
Gangs Of The Dead200638Action / Infection
Zombies201737Action / Infection
American Zombieland202036Comedy / Infection
Cannon Fodder / Battle Of The Undead201335Action / Horror
Zombie Diaries 2201135Action / Infection
Dead Trigger201735Action / Infection
Deadlocked202035Action / Infection
Another World201435Action / Infection
Evilution200934Action / Horror
KL24: Zombies201734Action / Infection
Re-Elected202033Comedy / Suspense
Antisocial 2201533Action / Infection
Aquarium of the Dead202132Comedy / Horror
Antisocial201332Action / Infection
By Day's End202031Suspense / Infection
Dead 7201631Action / Infection
Pandemic201630Action / Infection
Attack of the Southern Fried Zombies201729Comedy / Action
Zombie Hood201328Action / Infection
The Dustwalker201927Action / Parasite
Day of the Dead 2: Contagium200526Action / Infection
Solar Impact201925Action / Horror
Anger Of The Dead201525Action / Infection
The Last Hope201724Action / Infection
The Day of the Living Dead201423Drama / Detective
Zombie Road201822Shorts
Zombie Wars200721Action / Infection
Army of Thieves202120Heist / Horror
Last Rites Of The Dead201920Drama / Thriller
The Mad200719Comedy / Infection
The Living Dead202018Horror / Drama
Zone of the Dead200917Action / Infection
Killer Weekend201816Comedy / Not Zombies
G Zombie202115Drama / Infection
Quarantine L.A.201314Action / Infection
Driven202013Drama / Suspense
The Hive201412Demonic Possession / Horror
The Horde201611Action / Gore
Rebirth202010Action / Horror
The Last Starship201710Action / Infection
Rising Undead / Rise of the Undead20059Action / Horror
Rise of the Zombie20139Drama / Action
Plague20148Suspense / Drama
Flu20138Infection / Not Zombies
Red Days20167Action / Infection
The Returned20136Drama / Romance
Apocalypse Nerds20125Comedy / Action
Zombie with a Shotgun20194 Infection / Drama
Soon Enough20183Action / Drama
Army of the Dead20082Action / Horror
Range 1520162Comedy / Action
Nazi Undead20181Paranormal / Horror
Pandemic20091Drama / Action
Eyes Of The Dead20151Action / Infection
All My Friends Are Dead20210Horror / Not Zombies
Curse of the Blind Dead20200Horror / Not Zombies
Carriers20090Drama / Not Zombies
Afflicted20130Drama / Infection
Broadcast Dead 20180Horror / Thriller
Dead End20030Horror / Thriller

See all Zombie Movies here.

Stray Cats At The Door

I felt so bad for outside cats yesterday. It was raining in the morning and as I was sitting there eating my breakfast this little fellow sat there and watched me. I cracked the door a little so my cats could smell him and he was meowing, begging to be let in. (Or at least that is what my wife says he was saying.)

After the holidays she is going to try and bring him in. We have family coming for Kmiss so she is going to wait until after that to try and covert this guy from half feral to full house cat.

Outdoor Cat Friends

We have two cats, one we found under a bush across the street, and another that we took in from the side yard when Momma Cat had another littler last year. Since then my wife (cat angel) has caught and had all the cat’s fixed, and she puts food at the edge of the woods next to our house where those cats live.

Over the last year those outside cats have also gotten a heated igloo and heated water bowl for the winter months, and a huge outdoor cat tree. Yes, my wife has gone full crazy cat lady!

All those outside cats, although feral, have gotten very used to my wife and myself, and now they are coming up on the deck to watch us.

Our indoor cats are very curious, and no one is aggressive, which is nice, and they are all related. It makes me wonder what everyone is thinking as they sit and stare at each other.

Didn’t Read The Description Well Enough

My wife recently bought a new pot to boil corn and pasta in. Or at least that is what she thought was doing. This is the pot she bought?

Unfortunately she didn’t read the description, and there isn’t much in the picture to indicate scale. This is me holding the same pot and I’m a 255 lb guy, just to give it scale.

She wanted to get 10 quart pot, instead she got this massive 28 quart pot. Its huge, but it still does what it was mean to do, so she’s ready used it to make lasagna.