Post Apocalyptic World Night

Tonight's marathon is about seeing the world in a post apocalyptic state from several different story arcs and perspectives. This is not the normal apocalyptic marathon in which the world is overrun by machines like in Terminator, Denzel Washington is traveling as a deserter carrying the last Bible on Earth in Book of Eli, or Mel Gibson in Mad Max. These movies were specifically chosen to give a different but colorful picture of the post apocalyptic world in a broader horizon. For tonight's marathon specifically, we have:

   WALLE 2008, Children of Men 2006, 12 Monkeys 1995, and Cloud Atlas 2012

We begin the evening with the 2008 classic WALLE. The film WALLE takes place in the distant post apocalyptic future where a small waste collecting robot embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind. Nominated for a total of six academy awards and a total win of only one for best animated film, WALLE is a film that handles the issue of the world being a rundown junk yard beautifully and is a touching start to the whole theme of the world becoming post apocalyptic. The next film in the lineup that advances the story arc is Alfonso Cuaron's epic scfi drama Children of Men. Children of Men takes place in the year 2027 during a chaotic atmosphere where the women in the world have become infertile. Clive Owen plays a former activist who agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea. From the director of A Little Princess, Great Expectations, Yu Tu Mama Tambien,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Gravity, Cuaron takes you on a journey which involves humanities salvation in a post apocalyptic world. The film also boasts a strong supporting cast of Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and Chiwetel Ejofor with Oscar nominations for best screenplay, best cinematography and film editing. The third film in the lineup is Bruce Willis scfi thriller 12 Monkeys. Using both themes of the post apocalpytic world and time travel, 12 Monkeys takes place in a futuristic world devastated by disease. To prevent this spreadout, a convict played by Bruce Willis is sent back in time to gather information about a man-made virus that wiped out the majority of the human population on the planet. The fourth and final movie in the marathon is the Wachowski Brothers epic Cloud Atlas starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. The film centers around an exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact each other in the past, present and future. One soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. Cloud Atlas is a film that's extroadinary in it's presentation but easily comes off as being misunderstood and misinterpreted by many moviegoers. This is a film that is going to take multiple viewings before people finally begin to grasp it's meaning but visually it's absolutely stunning.

One can sum up the message of all four films with WALLE saying that friendship, love and working together can change the world allowing it to take care of the environment. That is important to keeping human beings healthy, while over-consumerism and corporate greed are harmful to the environment. Children of Men says to never give up hope with 12 Monkeys saying that the future can be changed and there is no fate but what we make for ourselves. The final theme of the night is Cloud Atlas saying that our deeds are what ultimately define us.