#netflix formula for holiday movies as you can see ! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

agentnico · 4 years

Text

Knives Out (2019) Review

“I suspect...foul play. And I eliminate no suspect!”

Plot: When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.

I do enjoy myself a good Agatha Christie/Arthur Conan Doyle style whodunnit mystery-murder tale. Wish I were allowed to indulge on a pipe or a cigar whilst watching the movie to achieve full immersion, however unfortunately cinemas don’t allow smoking during screenings. In any case, I saw Knives Out nonetheless, and I must say it was a nice callback to a genre that has not been so prominent in cinema as of late. One can include the recent Murder On the Orient Express, however not going to lie, I was disappointed in director Kenneth Branagh’s efforts on that one, we’ll see if any improvements show in next year’s sequel Death on the Nile. Knives Out however is not even based on any novel, but in fact is an original mystery written and directed by Rian Johnson. Alright, alright, calm you angry lightsabers, just because the man made one franchise film that caused an outrage amongst a very easily-annoyed fan base doesn’t mean he cannot make any decent films. Some may remember that Johnson is the guy behind Looper. And with Knives Out he is definitely back in his comfort zone with a very entertaining thriller right in time for the holiday season.

Knives Out won’t really stand the test of time but does add some original ideas to a familiar formula. We all know the deal - some person gets killed and then we are left with a ray of possible suspects and a quirky detective sleuth stuck in the middle of it all attempting to untangle this web of lies to find out the truth. Knives Out has pretty much the same story-line however with a modern spin, having the film make fun at certain stereotypical tropes of the genre as well as revealing certain clues much earlier than anticipated. In fact, the movie seemingly reveals the outcome of the mystery quite early on within the film, leaving us to instead enjoy the characters within the film try to piece everything together whilst we already know many of the facts. It’s an interesting way to tell the narrative, and though I wouldn’t say the film’s resolution is as exciting as I was hoping for it to turn out, Rian Johnson’s directing and a very game cast make this a breezy watch.

Johnson has indeed assembled quite the cast to be our suspects. And with such a star-studded fest there aren’t actually that many stand-outs, since everyone is doing such a solid job that everyone ends up being on the same level of good. However, there are a few names that do leave an impression. Daniel Craig knocks out a hell of a Southern accent which gives him that extra unique edge as the detective on the case. He gets some of the meatiest lines to chew on, and his manner of speech make his dialogue the more memorable. Christopher Plummer reminds us how much of a great actor he is and that age is no reason to stop being great. Heck, he’s the victim who gets killed at the beginning of this whole thing, so even though he’s not in the film much, he still leaves an impression. Then there is Ana de Armas (such a beauty!) who most would know from her roles in Blade Runner 2049 and War Dogs, and she definitely has the most interesting roles amongst all, that very much gives her the opportunity to flex the different emotions. If anyone is to get more roles due to this movie it is her. In fact its already proving to be true with her being a Bond girl next year! In terms of the rest of the cast, Toni Collette and Michael Shannon get some moments to shine, however Chris Evans and Jamie Lee Curtis, though not terrible, do still have the weight of their big franchises clinging on to them that stop them from properly getting into a new character. My friend even described Chris Evans in this film as “Captain America with an attitude” and it is kind of true. He’s still the pretty boy who’s the coolest lad in the room, only this time he’s not afraid to tell people around him to eat sh*t. That being said, there are certain scenes where he is truly enthralling to watch. Also, let’s talk about Katherine Langford. I do not like her. Look, she might have had a one-off good performance in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, but outside of that she’s still yet to prove herself as an actress. The recently released deleted scene of her role in Avengers: Endgame on Disney+ showed what was to be a very emotional scene, however due to her bland performance ended up being an emotionless dud. In Knives Out too, she is just bland. There’s nothing to her. I agree, I might sound harsh, but I want to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Especially because Daniel Craig is on the case!

Knives Out is definitely one to go out and see. With the narrative playing out in a house that is rightly likened to a giant Cluedo board, its entertainment for both families and friends. The attention to detail is impeccable, so enjoy capturing all the clues and finding out who killed legendary actor Christopher Plummer! Maybe it was Kevin Spacey’s revenge for his stolen role in All the Money In the World!

Overall score: 7/10

27 notes · View notes

sleepykittypaws · 5 years

Text

Best and Worst of 2018

Well, it’s hard to believe another holiday season has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday (a.k.a. September) when I was filled with such hope and excitement for the ever-growing crop of holiday entertainment headed our way. With 83 original made-for-TV movies debuting on network/cable + Netflix/Hulu alone, I barely scratched the viewing surface, even while mostly watching new holiday content nightly from November through Christmas. For instance, this is the first year I didn’t get to a single ION or UP offering. Heck, I didn’t even get through all of Lifetime’s offerings, which I mostly really enjoyed, let alone do more than dip my toe into Hallmark’s daunting 38 new movies. But, of the more than 34 new movies and specials I did sample this season, here are my best and worst…

Best Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2018

Early on it became pretty clear that Hallmark’s ever-more homogenized offerings were unlikely to produce my seasonal favorite. Now, it’s possible I just missed that gem that was gonna win me over, since I stopped watching Hallmark altogether at some point, but for the second year in a row, it was Lifetime that offered up my favorite of the season, with one of their acquired titles, Every Other Holiday.

Every Other had both rom and (some) com, but wasn’t your standard made-for-TV Christmas fare. It was clearly just as low budget, but it was a lot more realistic and well-acted than average. It wasn’t light, fizzy fun, and it even had a strong faith element, which is usually not my favorite, but it was so well done, it was impossible not to like.

The story of a an estranged family fulfilling their children’s wish of spending Christmas together with extended family, instead of only sharing “every other holiday” with each parent, was well-written, holiday-centric and ultimately touching. I just loved it, and really hope it becomes available on DVD or digital.

Hitting a completely different note, I also really liked the cheese-tastic Lifetime original A Very Nutty Christmas, starring Melissa Joan Hart, who is, for me, the Queen of Made-for-TV Christmas movies. Not only did she star in the classic Holiday in Handcuffs, this is her second-straight, sweet, funny Lifetime joint, after last year’s a A Very Merry Toy Store, and I hope she continues to make more. (Hart’s company also produced both Nutty and Toy Store.)

This story of a nutcracker come to life, and the baker who falls in love with him, was super silly Christmas fun, with all the elements of the classic ballet transposed onto a small town bakery in the lead up to the holiday. The cast was outstanding, and quite funny, and it was the perfect amount of crazy Christmas fun, that really hit my holiday movie sweet spot.

Honorable mentions also go to the quite funny The Truth About Christmas (Freeform) and wacky The Princess Switch (Netflix), both of which were light, fun holiday larks that I absolutely enjoyed.

My 2018 Made-for-TV Top 10

Every Other Holiday (Lifetime)

A Very Nutty Christmas (Lifetime)

The Truth About Christmas (Freeform)

The Princess Switch (Netflix)

The Christmas Chronicles (Netflix)

Christmas Lost and Found (Lifetime)

The Christmas Contract (Lifetime)

Poinsettias for Christmas (Lifetime)

A Christmas in Tennessee (Lifetime)

Return to Christmas Creek (Hallmark Movies and Mysteries)

Honestly, Return only made the cut because it was best of a bad batch I watched from Hallmark, and there were probably plenty I rated two paws that I actually enjoyed more.

Clearly, I am hoping Lifetime stays in the Christmas movie fight, as I strongly feel they’re out Hallmark-ing Hallmark, on every level. Lifetime is bringing the cute Christmas romance, but also offering up greater diversity, better casts (with a heavy lean towards late ’80s/early ’90s nostalgia), and scripts that nail the formula, without seeming formulaic and boring. Family friendly and sweet doesn’t have to also equal absolutely boring and bland, and Lifetime is proving that year over year.

Best Theatrical Holiday Movie of 2018

This category is a bit of a cheat, since I didn’t actually go to the movies this Christmas season, but thanks to some quick video turn arounds, I was able to see some of the stuff that debuted, albeit in one case only briefly, in theaters this year.

My favorite is the not-exactly-Christmas, but very snowy and fun, Smallfoot. I did not expect to enjoy this Channing Tatum-voiced Yeti movie nearly as much as I did. It was smart, funny and great fun for the whole family. Much more savvy and sweet than expected, this story of a Yeti tribe who live isolated above the clouds for their own protection, find their belief in a series of wacky explanations is challenged when one of them sees the mythical “smallfoot,” a.k.a. a human being.

My other, much more holiday-centric pick, is Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer, which enjoyed a brief theatrical release before jumping directly to digital. This long-delayed movie about a miniature horse who wants to be one of Santa’s reindeer, boasts a talented voice cast and a charming story that went in ways I definitely didn’t expect. The animation isn’t totally up to par, but our entire family enjoyed this original take on Santa and his magic, and I definitely see us re-watching it in future seasons.

And, honestly, The Christmas Chronicles probably belongs in this list, rather than made-for-TV, since the Netflix original had a much more big screen budget. Kurt Russell’s cool Santa will be watched more than once in many households, and I can definitely see it becoming a bit of a Christmas classic over time.

Best Holiday Special of 2018

Disney Channel’s reboot of the classic Ducktales offered up its first Christmas special in 2018, and it was a doozy. Ducktales Last Christmas! got multiple watches in our household this season.

This full-of-callbacks half hour managed to bring in Mickey’s Christmas Carol and Dr. Who, with a large nod to David Tennant, current voice of Scrooge McDuck, and a host of other meta-jokes that make it well worth watching more than once.

The tale of Scrooge visiting great Christmas parties across time with a little help from these, “three ghosts he met once when they meant to visit another Scrooge,” was great, classic animation that was a just a ton of fun to watch, and I think I liked it even better the second time around.

Honorable mentions go to NBC’s A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy, who’s throwback quirky style put a huge smile on my face, and Netflix, for finally blessing us with Great British Baking Show: Holidays.

Best New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2018

The 2017 theatrical The Man Who Invented Christmas was, I believe, considered a box office flop, but this somewhat ahistorical tale of how Dickens created his legendary A Christmas Carol was great holiday fun, with Dan Stevens ably channeling the Victorian-era author. I’m not sure it’s funny or schmaltzy enough to become a Christmas classic in the It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story vein, but I have no doubt it will become much better known as more people get a chance to experience it.

I also want to offer up two honorable mentions for made-for-TV movies of yore I saw for the first time this season, including the delightful 2013 Hallmark movie, Window Wonderland, which earned a spot on my all-time-favorites list and definitely made me wish Hallmark still made smartly written and less formulaic movies like this.

I also really liked Melissa Joan Hart’s 2014, The Santa Con, which she directed herself and was her first holiday pairing with Barry Watson, also her co-star in A Very Nutty Christmas. Con was another definitely different movie not afraid to buck the formula, which I really enjoyed.

But it wasn’t all Christmas Eve snow and candy canes this season so on to what I didn’t like…

Worst Made-for-TV Holiday Movie of 2018

I was deeply torn between two Hallmark movies I spent the entire runtime hating more and more as the movie went on: Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa and Mingle all the Way. Both contained actresses I’ve really enjoyed in other Hallmark projects, Ashley Williams and Jen Lilley, respectively, and in the case of Evergreen, the 2017 original actually made my best-of list last season.

Both were less “movies” than a checklist of Hallmark plot points so grimly adhered to and executed that you could almost see the script writer’s notes

decorate Christmas tree ✔️

make gingerbread house ✔️

have snowball fight ✔️

save business ✔️

kiss under soap bubble snow ✔️

The End ✔️

These are the exact sort of competently produced (they look just fine), content-free, promo-filled (everything in the picture above, with the sole exception of actress Jill Wagner, can be purchased at a Hallmark store near you) faux-festive slogs that I find mind-numbing, and not in a good way.

I totally want silly, cheesy and cozy in my Christmas fare. But I do not care for churned out, near-identical schlock. Basically, there’s good cheese, and there’s bad, and Hallmark’s brand this season seemed to be entirely of the “cheez” variety, a.k.a. we-can’t-legally-call-it-cheese-because-it-contains-no-dairy.

Slick, but joy-free is how I sum up Hallmark’s 2018 slate. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m in the minority here, as their ratings are going up and up and up. I fully expect to see even less interesting movies, and more of ’em, in 2019. I’m just not sure I’ll be bothering to watch.

Not that there weren’t bad fare to be found beyond Hallmark’s borders…

Lifetime’s A Twist of Christmas was a boring promo for the weirdest product ever: an Oreo music box. Still baffled how they didn’t make the “twist” title into an Oreo pun, and I think its lack made me dislike the movie even more.

Freeform’s No Sleep ’Til Christmas had so much potential, but got so many things wrong, it kind of infuriated me more than any other movie this season, simply because it was so close to being really good. (I had a somewhat similar take on A Shoe Addict’s Christmas, but that one wasn’t tone deaf like No Sleep, just boring.)

And, lastly, if I’d been able to make it all the way through the execrable Life-Size 2: A Christmas Eve, I’m pretty confident it would have topped my worst-of picks by a mile. This utterly unwatchable sequel to the quite charming 2000 Wonderful World of Disney film was an epic fail on every level. Not festive, incredibly dumb and not even accidentally funny. All in all, this wildly hyped outing was a disaster of Holiday Joy (my most-hated of 2016) proportions, but with a much bigger budget.

Worst Holiday Special of 2018

Nailed It! is a show that a lot of people, including my 11-year-old son, really enjoy, but I find tedious and kind of disgusting. Nailed It! Holiday! was my first, and frankly, last, experience with the show, and all I can really say is that it is very, very much Not. My. Thing.

Worst New-to-Me Holiday Discovery of 2018

For the second year in a row, Trolls figure into the worst category of my list, this time via this new-to-me 1981 HBO special, The Trolls and the Christmas Express, that I picked to show my kiddos.

Wow, this Canadian-made animated special was a slog. Not terribly festive, it makes Santa’s elves into idiots, and the entire premise of wearing out the reindeer seems … dumb. I mean, aren’t they magic? Do magic reindeer get tired?

We try to watch a Christmas special every night between Thanksgiving and Christmas—kind of a TV advent calendar—and this was my YouTube pick, as I wanted to watch something we hadn’t seen before. Big mistake. Huge. My kids (justifiably) didn’t let me make a pick again all season.

So, that’s a wrap on Christmas TV 2018. I’ll be back with renewed hope and festive fantasies of TV movie greatness in 2019, mostly because, with each year, there is fresh hope that this time will, for sure, actually be the Best Christmas Ever. 😂

youtube

2 notes · View notes

hallmark-movie-fanatics · 5 years

Text

The Secret Formula Behind Hallmark's Christmas Movie Empire

Hallmark's holiday lineup has gone from guilty pleasure to appointment television. How? Glamour's Jessica Radloff explores.

BY JESSICA RADLOFF NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Decorating for the holidays is serious business for many—but if you're CEO of Crown Media Networks (aka the Hallmark Channel) the bar is on a different level. "Oh, I'm a Christmas nut," William J. Abbott, Crown Media's CEO and president, tells Glamour.com. "We actually built [an addition] in our house so we could accommodate a 12-foot tree in the middle of our den, so, yeah, we just love the holidays." The same goes for Michelle Vicary, the network's executive VP of programming and publicity. "Christmas decorations go up the day after Halloween," she jokes. "I'm a little [like the] Griswolds."

Tinsel and trees aside, Abbott, Vicary, and the entire team at Crown Media actually live the business they're selling. And they're selling it well. Vicary says nearly 85 million people lay eyes on the network between Halloween and New Years. If that sounds more like a Christmas miracle than reality, you haven't been paying attention to the Hallmark Channel—or its sister property, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries—the last few years. When the network says it is "cable's biggest success story," it's true.

This year Hallmark is in the midst of airing 37 original holiday movies for its Countdown to Christmas programming (and planning the 2019 holiday slate). And watching these movies is no longer a guilty pleasure—it's appointment television. From unofficial drinking games to a user-friendly app, it's become cool to stay home and watch two people in sweaters fall in love in a town named like a Bath & Body Works lotion.

(PHOTO: HALLMARK 'Christmas at Pemberley Manor,' starring Jessica Lowndes and Michael Rady.)

Abbott says Netflix is partially to thank for changing viewer habits, particularly among millennials. "They have a formula that certainly has worked for them in terms of driving people toward watching on their smart TVs," he says. "Ultimately the more people that consume entertainment, the better off we all are."

But Netflix is only a small part of Hallmark's success. Vicary cites the constant, and often depressing, 24/7 news cycle as another factor. "I think people can only take so much," she says. "We purposely look to be an escape. We try not to be issues-oriented in terms of creating polarizing conversations, because there are places to get that. We are a place that is a haven from that. We're just a different conversation."

Abbott agrees. "I think it’s not only the political landscape, but the entertainment landscape to a degree too. There are just very few options that are not shocking, looking to shock, or looking to be over-the-top in terms of violence or salacious for salacious sake. I think people tire of that." Abbott admits that's not the only reason people tune into the channel, it is a big one—and something that Hallmark has included in its strategy. "It's tapping into emotion in a positive way and making you feel a little better about relationships and how people interact," he explains. "The Hallmark brand is all about people connecting. The secret, I think, to our success is that we focus on that relentlessly."

This secret to success doesn't come without detractors, though. Abbott and Vicary know there are plenty of people who think the content is cheesy, but to them, that doesn't have to be a negative. "I have to be honest, I don't always think predictable is a bad word," Vicary says. "I think of every Nora Ephron comedy I ever watched—the first time I saw Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan on screen, I knew they were going to end up together. But it was the journey! So I don’t mind when you tune in that you know our characters—who are on two separate journeys—are going to end up together by the end. It's about how they get there."

OK, so how did Hallmark get here? How did it go from a brand-new network in the early aughts to a holiday empire? For one, consistency. Hallmark premieres most of its original movies on Saturdays and Sundays, a time when other networks air sports or reruns. "It's the perfect time to unwind and get away from reality," Abbott says. "We appeal to people wanting that escape over the weekend."

Second, it's investment. "Our movies are so much better because our production value, our stars, our music, our scriptwriting, our development, and our production are so much better than they’ve ever been," Abbott says. "Success snowballs. The more you do right, the more people notice; the more people notice, the more you invest; the more you invest, the more you pay attention, and the better it gets."

(PHOTO: HALLMARK CHANNEL LeAnn Rimes in 'It's Christmas, Eve'.)

And finally, as Vicary points out, it's about creating an experience. "We’re an emotionally driven brand. We’re about enhancing relationships and enhancing life." She says in the last decade the network has tapped into viewers' love of celebration. "The Hallmark brand already lives in that space, so it really is about delivering on the experience of the brand."

And then there's the wish-fulfillment aspect, those picturesque, snow-capped towns and leads in color-coordinated holiday attire. "We’re not embarrassed to say, ‘Let’s make it sound even more holiday oriented,'" Vicary says with a laugh. "We are not shy about creating an environment that compliments and enhances that great story."

Still, that "environment" has come under more scrutiny in the past few years for being predominantly white, straight, and without much diversity. The network needs to do more to reflect America today—and Abbott says the Hallmark Channel team is aware and working on it. "Absolutely, no question about it," Abbott says. "We've worked really hard at it. It's the type of thing we should have been doing all along, but we're pleased at where we are."

Where they are is a more diverse slate of programming than years past. It's not perfect yet, but one example of progress is a recent full-page ad Crown Media took out in The Hollywood Reporter to showcase its holiday slate. Of the 14 actors in the ad, nine were women, seven were people of color, and five were women of color.

"Our goal is to do everything we can to represent the public faces on television and represent the United States as it really looks on our air," Vicary says. "I think we have some terrific casting this year with Tatyana Ali, Dondre T. Whitfield, Patti LaBelle, Christina Milian, Jerrika Hinton, Tia Mowry, and more. We have our most diverse slate ever."

In addition to what viewers see on air, Vicary notes that "more than 50 percent of the scripts that were written this year were written by women." She also said they're consciously trying to hire more female directors and behind-the-scenes crew. "I think in the last year we have added three more women to our roster of directors," Vicary says. "We are very conscious of it."

But Abbott or Vicary know that's not enough. The executives are discussing a possible Hanukkah movie to join their holiday lineup ("One of my development execs brought me one this week that they were really excited about," Vicary says. "I said, 'Great, let's meet and talk about it for 2019.'") According to Abbott, he's even open to a Hallmark movie where the main couple doesn't end up together. "As we delve into our content and [look for] a more authentic way, we’ll progress," he says. "Everything is on the table."

(PHOTO: HALLMARK Danielle Panabaker and Matt Long in Christmas Joy.)

That progress is important to Abbott and Vicary, who want Hallmark to stay current and evolving. "It's particularly important that we represent the reality of the 21st century in that everybody is different and unique," Abbott says. "It's a pet peeve of mine when I read a story and kids are portrayed a certain way. The reality is girls can play baseball or be into science or play with dolls."

Abbott even acknowledges that the network's older movies were guilty of playing into stereotypes."You look back at some of old, old movies, and it's kind of the stereotypical situation of the woman at home," he says. "We work very hard to stay out of that stereotypical dialogue and situational behavior because it’s just not reality, and it’s not authentic. We really try to empower women. We really work hard to ensure that our women are strong—while they don’t need a man, they’d love to fall in love. But at the end of the day, that is not what they need to be successful or happy or fulfilled or have a good career. That is something that is very important to all of us to portray."

That awareness is one of the reasons Abbott credits the Hallmark Channel's growth in markets like Chicago, New York, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, and D.C. "I think there’s this feeling that we’re 'flyover country' and that it’s all red-state people," he says. "That’s just completely not true. Everybody likes to feel good. I don’t care what political party you’re part of or where you live, people like to feel positive." Yes, Hallmark's content isn't edgy—"and never will be"—but it's certainly smarter than it's ever been, he says. "And that wins."

It's been a stressful year, but at least you can count on Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix to come through with the holiday cheer. After all, what's more relaxing than watching an overworked woman fall in love with a Christmas tree farmer? So decompress with all of our delightful holiday content right here.

Source: glamour.com

https://www.glamour.com/story/hallmark-christmas-movie-secret-formula

#news #hallmark movies #countdown to christmas

1 note · View note

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

The Trouble with Alien Zombies

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Soon we’re going to be watching Zack Snyder leave behind the quest for a “grown-up” superhero movie and return to his old playground, the zombie movie. Army of the Dead looks like a huge amount of fun and leaves us wondering why nobody has made a zombie heist movie before (except for Train to Busan sequel, Peninsula), but one of the plot details that has leaked about the film is that Area 51 plays a significant role.

This suggests that the zombie plague may be extraterrestrial in origin. Like most subversions of the zombie apocalypse genre (although Army of the Dead promises a much smaller and more contained “apocalypse” so that all that cash they steal is still worth something) this is actually a plot twist you can trace back to the earliest roots of the genre.

In Night of the Living Dead, the zombie apocalypse (although again, by the end of the film the “ghouls” seem to have been mostly mopped up) is the result of strange radiation emerging from a probe that has returned from Venus. The trope goes back even further than that.

One of the few films that can make a claim to an earlier take on the zombie apocalypse than Night of the Living Dead is the timeless classic Plan 9 from Outer Space. In that film, which we will not be making any jokes about, aliens reanimate the recently dead and drive them to attack the capital cities of the Earth.

In fact, if you want to find pre-George Romero examples of zombie apocalypse stories, the original series of Star Trek has done two. In the episode “Miri” the Enterprise encounters an exact duplicate of Earth, except that humanity has been wiped out by a deadly pandemic that turns every adult human into a violent, raging monster. It’s a premise explored in more detail by Charlie Higson’s YA zombie series The Enemy, and the Netflix series Daybreak.

Star Trek also gives us the brilliantly titled “Operation — Annihilate!”, where a swarm of spacefaring parasites sweep through the galaxy, infecting humanoids and driving them to a violent rage.

Yes, zombie purists might claim both of these are close to 28 Days Later’s “Rage infected humans” than true zombies, but in truth, the genre is big enough to include multitudes, and anything that A: uses human bodies, to B: create more entities like itself, while C: Not appearing to be intelligent, will usually create a story that looks a lot like a zombie story.

Indeed, Star Trek would come back to space zombies again, once more in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, “Impulse” and again in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Is There Death on Mars?

Star Trek is not alone in drinking from this particular well. Early in its run Dark Matter had a space zombie episode. Doctor Who has done two space zombie episodes in the new series alone, “The Waters of Mars”, and “Oxygen” (which used zombie movie tropes for their intended purpose- bringing down capitalism), and that’s just including the ones actually set in space. Hell, even the primitive bandage-and-hospital-gown-wearing Cybermen from “The Doctor Falls” have a very George Romero vibe to them.

The appeal of putting a zombie in a spaceship for a TV show is easy to see. Zombies are a cool and instantly recognisable monster. Spaceships are a cool and instantly recognisable setting. What’s more, while your production values may vary, zombies on a spaceship is a pretty damn cheap concept to realise on screen. Zombies are just however many extras you can afford with some gory make-up. All you need for a spaceship is some suitably set-dressed corridors and maybe a couple of exterior model shots if you’re feeling swish.

And as with the zombie apocalypse genre as a whole, the audience instantly and instinctively understands “the rules” of a zombie story, allowing you to focus on your characters and the solutions they come up with.

The movies are no stranger to the space zombie either. The most straightforward example being The Last Days on Mars, which is pretty much a note-for-note remake of Doctor Who’s “The Waters of Mars” but without David Tennant. Mars is a popular venue, in fact as we see also Martian zombie apocalypses in Doom (2005) and Doom Annihilation (neither of which I watched to research this article, because there are limits). Even the “Ghosts” in Ghosts of Mars (which I did watch) may resemble more of a cross between Mad Max baddies and Evil Dead’s Deadites than zombies, but still, have a certain zombieness about them.

Most recently, in this last year Bruce Willis has starred in not one, but two movies with sub-Doctor Who production values where he fights space zombie-like adversaries (I have watched Breach/Anti-Life and Cosmic Sin, so don’t know why I thought I could get away with being snobby about the Doom movies earlier).

But Doom also raises another point about space zombies – a really popular venue for the extra-terrestrial undead is videogames.

This is for surprisingly very similar reasons to why space zombies are popular on telly and in film. Videogames will get far more creative in designing the appearance of their space zombies – with the Dead Space trilogy setting the bar with their gloriously gory Necromorphs – but the AI for a zombie, environmental navigation aside, seldom needs to be much more complicated than that of a Pac-Man ghost. Space has been a popular videogame setting for as long as videogames have been a thing, thanks to the handy black background it offers, and once again, corridors.

We’ve seen them in Dead Space, in all the Doom games, but also the Halo games in the form of the fungal, cancerous looking, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis-inspired Flood. Mass Effect gives us colonists zombified by the sentient Thorian plant, as well as the more technological “Husks”. And of course, there’s that one Call of Duty map.

Even now the makers of the original Dead Space games are looking to get back in on the action with the upcoming game, The Callisto Protocol.

And yet, while the appeal of space zombies is undeniable, by the same token they just don’t feel quite like “proper” zombie stories.

In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Shout “Brains!”

The problem is this: Your archetypical zombie story is ultimately a siege narrative. Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, even twists on the formula like 28 Days Later, Train to Busan, and Pontypool all operate on a similar premise. You and some humans you probably don’t get on with are trapped in a structure (in Train it’s a moving structure, but still counts). Outside of that structure, there are somewhere between hundreds and thousands of zombified humans who want to get in and kill you. The humans keep arguing until the zombies get in and kill everyone.

For this to work you need a structure with a lot of room around it, and a big population of people to be turned into zombies.

Unfortunately the living conditions in space, even in our wildest space future fantasies, tend to be A: Quite claustrophobic, and B: Don’t have many people in.

Even in Dead Space, arguably the best example of a space zombie story, you very often find yourself thinking that if zombies hadn’t killed off this mining ship/space station/mining colony, overpopulation would have.

At the same time, spaceships, space stations and colonies tend to have really good, robust metal doors separating any two parts of the habitat, quickly reducing any zombie plotline to this XKCD cartoon.

But there are workarounds, and ways to use these restrictions to your advantage. Zombies are, by nature, pretty rubbish, slow-moving, stupid, easy to kill in small numbers. Most zombie stories get around this issue by throwing loads of them at you. Space zombie movies can make use of those corridors we mentioned earlier, showing how much scarier a single zombie can be in enforced close quarters.

Zombies also have one major advantage over their living victims – they don’t need to breathe. This is a major plus point in space, offering you the chance to have hordes of zombies crawling along the outer hull of the ship – something we’ve seen in Dead Space and Doctor Who’s “Oxygen”.

At the same time, the space setting also emphasises another key aspect of the zombie story – resource management. In space there is no huge abundance of well-stocked shopping malls or bunkers full of firearms. One of the ways The Last Days on Mars manages to make its very small number of zombies threatening is that their small hab modules have very little that you could use as a weapon.

And yet, space zombies still lack a certain something of their terrestrial counterparts.

It’s Undeath, Jim, but Not as We Know It

The thing is, aside from anything else, zombies are a transformation of the familiar. They look like more beaten-up versions of your neighbours and co-workers. The zombie apocalypse is a scene you can easily imagine on your street, at your pub, your local shopping centre.

Army of the Dead gets this – no matter where you are in the world, the iconography of the Las Vegas strip is familiar and we enjoy seeing it overrun by the undead.

And spaceships just aren’t. You might conceivably end up on holiday in Vegas. You’re statistically unlikely to be an astronaut.

But it’s more than that. Zombies are far more than cheap monsters that require little in the way of make-up or AI programming. The symbolism they carry is incredibly weighty. Earthly zombies have been used to represent capitalism, conformity, Vietnam soldiers, couch potato culture, mob mentality, our instinct towards violence, poverty, our obsession with mobile phones, and our ability to dehumanise one another.

Divorced from our world, from us as we recognise ourselves, that symbolism becomes a lot harder to nail. The zombies in The Last Days on Mars are just zombies. Dead Space’s Necromorphs are maybe a legally-safe satire on Scientology? Pandorum gives us extremely pale evolved human descendants that are extremely zombie-ish, and they certainly exhibit some of the worst bits of humanity, but they also live in a darkened, claustrophobic Hell, so it’s hard to hold it against them.

Zombies rarely represent anything in the way Earth-bound zombies do.

At least, nothing human.

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Ruin features a sentient alien slime mould-like creature that, in its curiosity and need to explore, infiltrates and takes over the nervous system of the humans it encounters. To an outside observer, they look extremely like zombies, but the lifeform itself isn’t aggressive, just very, very alien. Andrew Skinner’s Steel Frame gives us not only space zombies, but space zombie mechs, and again the “Flood” (not the Halo one) that infects them is implied to be a kind of hivemind.

Most of the space zombies we’ve seen here aren’t what purists would call “true zombies” but are some manner of hivemind. This is true of Halo’s Flood, Mass Effect’s Thorians and Husks, and if we throw the doors to zombie-dom wide open, while they’re very different in the TV series, the Borg of Star Trek: First Contact come across as alien cyber-zombies.

One book to feature relatively harmless alien-created zombies is Arkady and Boris Strugatsky’s Roadside Picnic. In that book the aliens aren’t robots or little green men, we just encounter their leftovers and garbage, which are artefacts strange and incomprehensible to humans. That these artefacts somehow raise the dead as mindless automata is a minor side issue – the book is about how alien intelligence might be something so different from ourselves we don’t even recognise it as intelligence.

If there is a space for alien zombies and zombie astronauts in the zombie pantheon, maybe it’s there. Space zombies are scary because they look like us but think so differently that we can’t comprehend them, while Earth zombies are scary because we have oh so much in common with them.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Chris Farnell is the author of Fermi’s Progress, a series of novellas about a prototype FTL ship that blows up every planet it encounters. The latest instalment, Descartesmageddon, features an alien planet undergoing a very different kind of zombie apocalypse. It is available at Scarlet Ferret and Amazon.

The post The Trouble with Alien Zombies appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3bzMf6P

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

start-up-episode-15 · 3 years

Text

❖☘ Streaming!! Start-Up Season 1 Episode 14

❖☘ Streaming!! Start-Up Season 1 Episode 14 — Full Episodes on Netflix, tvN Eng.Sub || ☘ TV Series Full ❖☘ {W.A.T.C.H..}☞ https://flixme.co/en/tv/99048-1-15/start-up ❖☘ {P.L.A.Y.N.O.W}☞ https://flixme.co/en/tv/99048-1-15/start-up

#Start-Up #Start-Up 1x14 #Start-Up S1E14 #Start-Up Cast Watch Start-Up — Season 1 Episode 14 : Episode 14 HD free TV Show | Movie & Tv Show Needing to make $90k to open her own business, Seo Dal Mi drops out of a university and takes up part-time work. She… watch-now.flixmediapopular.com

Needing to make $90k to open her own business, Seo Dal Mi drops out of a university and takes up part-time work. She dreams of becoming someone like Steve Jobs. Nam Do San is the founder of Samsan Tech. He is excellent with mathematics. He started Samsan Tech two years ago, but the company is not doing well. Somehow, Nam Do San becomes Seo Dal Mi’s first love. They cheer each others start and growth. Image for post Image for postImage for post

Start-Up Start-Up 1x14 Start-Up S1E14 Start-Up Cast Start-Up Drama Start-Up Netflix, tvN Start-Up Eps. 14 Start-Up Season 1 Start-Up Episode 14 Start-Up Premiere Start-Up last episode Start-Up Official Netflix, tvN Start-Up New Episode Start-Up New Season Start-Up Full Episodes Start-Up Watch Online Start-Up Season 1 Episode 14 Watch Start-Up Season 1 Episode 14 Online Image for post Image for postImage for post

season 1 episode 14,start up episode 13,start up episode 13 eng sub,start up episode 10,start up episode 14,start up episode 13 english sub,start-up episode 13,episode 14,start up episode 12,start up episode 11,start-up episode 13 preview,preview start up episode 14 sub indo,download start-up episode 11,start up episode 13 preview,preview start up episode 13,start-up episode 13 english sub,start-up episode 10 english sub,start up latest episode,season 1,episode,season Image for post Image for postImage for post

✅❖ ALL CATEGORY WATCHTED ❖✅ An action story is similar to adventure, and the protagonist usually takes a risky turn, which leads to desperate scenarios (including explosions, fight scenes, daring escapes, etc.). Action and adventure usually are categorized together (sometimes even while “action-adventure”) because they have much in common, and many stories are categorized as both genres simultaneously (for instance, the James Bond series can be classified as both). Continuing their survival through an age of a Zombie-apocalypse as a makeshift family, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin) have found their balance as a team, settling into the now vacant White House to spend some safe quality time with one another as they figure out their next move. However, spend time at the Presidential residents raise some uncertainty as Columbus proposes to Wichita, which freaks out the independent, lone Start-Up out, while Little Rock starts to feel the need to be on her own. The women suddenly decide to escape in the middle of the night, leaving the men concerned about Little Rock, who’s quickly joined by Berkley (Avan Jogia), a hitchhiking hippie on his way to place called Babylon, a fortified commune that’s supposed to be safe haven against the zombies of the land. Hitting the road to retrieved their loved one, Tallahassee and Columbus meet Madison (Zoey Deutch), a dim-witted survivor who takes an immediate liking to Columbus, complicating his relationship with Wichita. ❖✅ ANALYZER GOOD / BAD ✅❖ To be honest, I didn’t catch Zombieland when it first got released (in theaters) back in 8009. Of course, the movie pre-dated a lot of the pop culture phenomenon of the usage of zombies-esque as the main antagonist (i.e Game of Thrones, The Maze Runner trilogy, The Walking Dead, World War Z, The Last of Us, etc.), but I’ve never been keen on the whole “Zombie” craze as others are. So, despite the Drama talents on the project, I didn’t see Zombieland….until it came to TV a year or so later. Surprisingly, however, I did like it. Naturally, the zombie apocalypse thing was fine (just wasn’t my thing), but I really enjoyed the film’s humor-based Drama throughout much of the feature. With the exception of 8003’s Shaun of the Dead, majority of the past (and future) endeavors of this narrative have always been serious, so it was kind of refreshing to see comedic levity being brought into the mix. Plus, the film’s cast was great, with the four main leads being one of the film’s greatest assets. As mentioned above, Zombieland didn’t make much of a huge splash at the box office, but certainly gained a strong cult following, including myself, in the following years. Flash forward a decade after its release and Zombieland finally got a sequel with Zombieland: Double Tap, the central focus of this review post. Given how the original film ended, it was clear that a sequel to the 8009 movie was indeed possible, but it seemed like it was in no rush as the years kept passing by. So, I was quite surprised to hear that Zombieland was getting a sequel, but also a bit not surprised as well as Hollywood’s recent endeavors have been of the “belated sequels” variety; finding mixed results on each of these projects. I did see the film’s movie trailer, which definitely was what I was looking for in this Zombieland 8 movie, with Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone, Breslin returning to reprise their respective characters again. I knew I wasn’t expecting anything drastically different from the 8009 movie, so I entered Double Tap with good frame of my mind and somewhat eagerly expecting to catch up with this dysfunctional zombie killing family. Unfortunately, while I did see the movie a week after its release, my review for it fell to the wayside as my life in retail got a hold of me during the holidays as well as being sick for a good week and half after seeing the movie. So, with me still playing “catch up” I finally have the time to share my opinions on Zombieland: Double Tap. And what are they? Well, to be honest, my opinions on the film was good. Despite some problems here and there, Zombieland: Double Tap is definitely a fun sequel that’s worth the decade long wait. It doesn’t “redefine” the Zombie genre interest or outmatch its predecessor, but this next chapter of Zombieland still provides an entertaining entry….and that’s all that matters. Returning to the director’s chair is director Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the first Zombieland movie as well as other film projects such as 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad, and Venom. Thus, given his previous knowledge of shaping the first film, it seems quite suitable (and obvious) for Fleischer to direct this movie and (to that affect), Double Tap succeeds. Of course, with the first film being a “cult classic” of sorts, Fleischer probably knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to replicate the same formula in this sequel, especially since the 80-year gap between the films. Luckily, Fleischer certainly excels in bringing the same type of comedic nuances and cinematic aspects that made the first Zombieland enjoyable to Double Tap; creating a second installment that has plenty of fun and entertainment throughout. A lot of the familiar / likeable aspects of the first film, including the witty banter between four main lead characters, continues to be at the forefront of this sequel; touching upon each character in a amusing way, with plenty of nods and winks to the original 8009 film that’s done skillfully and not so much unnecessarily ham-fisted. Additionally, Fleischer keeps the film running at a brisk pace, with the feature having a runtime of 14 minutes in length (one hour and thirty-nine minutes), which means that the film never feels sluggish (even if it meanders through some secondary story beats / side plot threads), with Fleischer ensuring a companion sequel that leans with plenty of laughter and thrills that are presented snappy way (a sort of “thick and fast” notion). Speaking of which, the comedic aspect of the first Zombieland movie is well-represented in Double Tap, with Fleischer still utilizing its cast (more on that below) in a smart and hilarious by mixing comedic personalities / personas with something as serious / gravitas as fighting endless hordes of zombies every where they go. Basically, if you were a fan of the first Zombieland flick, you’ll definitely find Double Tap to your liking. In terms of production quality, Double Tap is a good feature. Granted, much like the last film, I knew that the overall setting and background layouts weren’t going to be something elaborate and / or expansive. Thus, my opinion of this subject of the movie’s technical presentation isn’t that critical. Taking that into account, Double Tap does (at least) does have that standard “post-apocalyptic” setting of an abandoned building, cityscapes, and roads throughout the feature; littered with unmanned vehicles and rubbish. It certainly has that “look and feel” of the post-zombie world, so Double Tap’s visual aesthetics gets a solid industry standard in my book. Thus, a lot of the other areas that I usually mentioned (i.e set decorations, costumes, cinematography, etc.) fit into that same category as meeting the standards for a 808 movie. Thus, as a whole, the movie’s background nuances and presentation is good, but nothing grand as I didn’t expect to be “wowed” over it. So, it sort of breaks even. This also extends to the film’s score, which was done by David Sardy, which provides a good musical composition for the feature’s various scenes as well as a musical song selection thrown into the mix; interjecting the various zombie and humor bits equally well. There are some problems that are bit glaring that Double Tap, while effectively fun and entertaining, can’t overcome, which hinders the film from overtaking its predecessor. Perhaps one of the most notable criticism that the movie can’t get right is the narrative being told. Of course, the narrative in the first Zombieland wasn’t exactly the best, but still combined zombie-killing action with its combination of group dynamics between its lead characters. Double Tap, however, is fun, but messy at the same time; creating a frustrating narrative that sounds good on paper, but thinly written when executed. Thus, problem lies within the movie’s script, which was penned by Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick, which is a bit thinly sketched in certain areas of the story, including a side-story involving Tallahassee wanting to head to Graceland, which involves some of the movie’s new supporting characters. It’s fun sequence of events that follows, but adds little to the main narrative and ultimately could’ve been cut completely. Thus, I kind of wanted see Double Tap have more a substance within its narrative. Heck, they even had a decade long gap to come up with a new yarn to spin for this sequel…and it looks like they came up a bit shorter than expected. Another point of criticism that I have about this is that there aren’t enough zombie action bits as there were in the first Zombieland movie. Much like the Walking Dead series as become, Double Tap seems more focused on its characters (and the dynamics that they share with each other) rather than the group facing the sparse groupings of mindless zombies. However, that was some of the fun of the first movie and Double Tap takes away that element. Yes, there are zombies in the movie and the gang is ready to take care of them (in gruesome fashion), but these mindless beings sort take a back seat for much of the film, with the script and Fleischer seemed more focused on showcasing witty banter between Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of course, the ending climatic piece in the third act gives us the best zombie action scenes of the feature, but it feels a bit “too little, too late” in my opinion. To be honest, this big sequence is a little manufactured and not as fun and unique as the final battle scene in the first film. I know that sounds a bit contrive and weird, but, while the third act big fight seems more polished and staged well, it sort of feels more restricted and doesn’t flow cohesively with the rest of the film’s flow (in matter of speaking). What’s certainly elevates these points of criticism is the film’s cast, with the main quartet lead acting talents returning to reprise their roles in Double Tap, which is absolutely the “hands down” best part of this sequel. Naturally, I’m talking about the talents of Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin in their respective roles Zombieland character roles of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Of the four, Harrelson, known for his roles in Cheers, True Detective, and War for the Planet of the Apes, shines as the brightest in the movie, with dialogue lines of Tallahassee proving to be the most hilarious Drama stuff on the sequel. Harrelson certainly knows how to lay it on “thick and fast” with the character and the s**t he says in the movie is definitely funny (regardless if the joke is slightly or dated). Behind him, Eisenberg, known for his roles in The Art of Self-Defense, The Social Network, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is somewhere in the middle of pack, but still continues to act as the somewhat main protagonist of the feature, including being a narrator for us (the viewers) in this post-zombie apocalypse world. Of course, Eisenberg’s nervous voice and twitchy body movements certainly help the character of Columbus to be likeable and does have a few comedic timing / bits with each of co-stars. Stone, known for her roles in The Help, Superbad, and La La Land, and Breslin, known for her roles in Signs, Little Miss Sunshine, and Definitely, Maybe, round out the quartet; providing some more grown-up / mature character of the group, with Wichita and Little Rock trying to find their place in the world and how they must deal with some of the party members on a personal level. Collectively, these four are what certainly the first movie fun and hilarious and their overall camaraderie / screen-presence with each other hasn’t diminished in the decade long absence. To be it simply, these four are simply riot in the Zombieland and are again in Double Tap. With the movie keeping the focus on the main quartet of lead Zombieland characters, the one newcomer that certainly takes the spotlight is actress Zoey Deutch, who plays the character of Madison, a dim-witted blonde who joins the group and takes a liking to Columbus. Known for her roles in Before I Fall, The Politician, and Set It Up, Deutch is a somewhat “breath of fresh air” by acting as the tagalong team member to the quartet in a humorous way. Though there isn’t much insight or depth to the character of Madison, Deutch’s ditzy / air-head portrayal of her is quite hilarious and is fun when she’s making comments to Harrelson’s Tallahassee (again, he’s just a riot in the movie). The rest of the cast, including actor Avan Jogia (Now Apocalypse and Shaft) as Berkeley, a pacifist hippie that quickly befriends Little Rock on her journey, actress Rosario Dawson (Rent and Sin City) as Nevada, the owner of a Elvis-themed motel who Tallahassee quickly takes a shine to, and actors Luke Wilson (Legally Blonde and Old School) and Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie) as Albuquerque and Flagstaff, two traveling zombie-killing partners that are mimic reflections of Tallahassee and Columbus, are in minor supporting roles in Double Tap. While all of these acting talents are good and definitely bring a certain humorous quality to their characters, the characters themselves could’ve been easily expanded upon, with many just being thinly written caricatures. Of course, the movie focuses heavily on the Zombieland quartet (and newcomer Madison), but I wished that these characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit. Lastly, be sure to still around for the film’s ending credits, with Double Tap offering up two Easter Eggs scenes (one mid-credits and one post-credit scenes). While I won’t spoil them, I do have mention that they are pretty hilarious. 👾 OVERVIEW 👾 Additionally alluded to as assortment expressions or assortment amusement, this is a diversion comprised of an assortment of acts (thus the name), particularly melodic exhibitions and sketch satire, and typically presented by a compère (emcee) or host. Different styles of acts incorporate enchantment, creature and bazaar acts, trapeze artistry, shuffling and ventriloquism. Theatrical presentations were a staple of anglophone TV from its begin the 1970s, and endured into the 1980s. In a few components of the world, assortment TV stays famous and broad. The adventures (from Icelandic adventure, plural sögur) are tales about old Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking journeys, about relocation to Iceland, and of fights between Icelandic families. They were written in the Old Norse language, for the most part in Iceland. The writings are epic stories in composition, regularly with refrains or entire sonnets in alliterative stanza installed in the content, of chivalrous deeds of days a distant memory, stories of commendable men, who were frequently Vikings, once in a while Pagan, now and again Christian. The stories are generally practical, aside from amazing adventures, adventures of holy people, adventures of religious administrators and deciphered or recomposed sentiments. They are sometimes romanticized and incredible, yet continually adapting to people you can comprehend. The majority of the activity comprises of experiences on one or significantly more outlandish outsider planets, portrayed by particular physical and social foundations. Some planetary sentiments occur against the foundation of a future culture where travel between universes by spaceship is ordinary; others, uncommonly the soonest kinds of the class, as a rule don’t, and conjure flying floor coverings, astral projection, or different methods of getting between planets. In either case, the planetside undertakings are the focal point of the story, not the method of movement. Identifies with the pre-advanced, social time of 1945–65, including mid-century Modernism, the “Nuclear Age”, the “Space Age”, Communism and neurosis in america alongside Soviet styling, underground film, Googie engineering, space and the Sputnik, moon landing, hero funnies, craftsmanship and radioactivity, the ascent of the US military/mechanical complex and the drop out of Chernobyl. Socialist simple atompunk can be an extreme lost world. The Fallout arrangement of PC games is a fabulous case of atompunk. ❖✅ FINAL THOUGHTS ✅❖ It’s been awhile, but the Zombieland gang is back and are ready to hit the road once again in the movie Zombieland: Double Tap. Director Reuben Fleischer’s latest film sees the return the dysfunctional zombie-killing makeshift family of survivors for another round of bickering, banting, and trying to find their way in a post-apocalyptic world. While the movie’s narrative is a bit messy and could’ve been refined in the storyboarding process as well as having a bit more zombie action, the rest of the feature provides to be a fun endeavor, especially with Fleischer returning to direct the project, the snappy / witty banter amongst its characters, a breezy runtime, and the four lead returning acting talents. Personally, I liked this movie. I definitely found it to my liking as I laugh many times throughout the movie, with the main principal cast lending their screen presence in this post-apocalyptic zombie movie. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is favorable “recommended” as I’m sure it will please many fans of the first movie as well as to the uninitiated (the film is quite easy to follow for newcomers). While the movie doesn’t redefine what was previous done back in 8009, Zombieland: Double Tap still provides a riot of laughs with this make-shift quartet of zombie survivors; giving us give us (the viewers) fun and entertaining companion sequel to the original feature.

❖FIND US: ✓ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ ✓ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ ✓ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/

#Start-Up Start-Up 1x14 Start-Up S1E14 Start-Up Cast

0 notes

balancepointokanagan · 4 years

Text

Coronavirus Pandemic vs Chinese Medicine

Everyone is aware of the coronavirus named COVID-19 sweeping through countries in Asia and now across the world. Indeed the first case in interior BC was reported last week after a woman flew to Vancouver from Shanghai and then proceeded to drive to her home in Interior BC, the exact locale undisclosed. The news and internet are full of images of the difficulties the people of China are having with this virus. Not in recorded history have we seen such large populations even whole cruise ships quarantined. Many Kelowna residents are worried that it is only a matter of time before COVID-19 finds its way into the Okanagan. A great website to monitor the the global cases is worldometer.com. This site gives up to date statistics on reported COVID-19 cases. With the development of a vaccine nowhere in sight, doctors are searching for viable treatments to reduce the mortality rates of the COVID-19 infections which currently hover around two percent. Many antiviral drugs, including those used to treat HIV, are being tested against the virus. But to date unfortunately, there has been limited effect. In general, modern medicine often does not have good treatments to viral infections. Most of the incurable disease we face today such as AIDS, hepatitis B, rabies, dengue fever, the flu, ebola, etc are caused by viruses. These diseases are difficult to cure and generally managed instead. The main weapon against viral diseases has been vaccination to promote immunity, however vaccinations are only effective before you have the disease. Another coronavirus of recent memory was SARS from 2003. The SARS coronavirus caused 8000 infections across 26 countries, killing almost 800 people, and a mortality rate of about ten percent. At the time of writing coronavirus COVID-19 has killed 2250 people worldwide, more than double SARS, and so far has shown no signs of slowing down. During the SARS epidemic I lived in Taipei, Taiwan and remember clearly the worry and concern of the Taiwanese people about SARS growing out of control. Canada was also affected with travel restrictions to Canada as well as some restrictions on Canadians travelling to other countries abroad. Rarely is it reported in our media, Chinese medicine has been used in conjunction with western medicine in Asian countries in the fight against both SARS and COVID-19. After the SARS outbreak and before moving to Kelowna to start our acupuncture practice, Vivi and I had the pleasure and opportunity to intern with Dr Hsu Zhong Hua who led the team of doctors using acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to fight against SARS during the 2003 outbreak. Following him at Taipei City Hospital, we learned a lot not only about treating viral infections but other conditions as well. Vivi and I were particularly interested in his use of Chinese herbal medicines in the treatment of breast cancer with which he was having a good deal of success. A blog for another day perhaps. Over the weekend I rewatched the almost prophetic Matt Damon and SARS inspired movie from 2011 “Contagion” which had come up on my Netflix account as “trending”. I had watched the movie years ago but this time I noticed a lot of similarities to the current coronavirus pandemic such as theories that it may be an escaped bioweapon, that it happened just before a holiday (Thanksgiving) in which there was a lot of travel and opportunity to spread, that it came from bats, and that it started in Hong Kong/China were just a few of the many similarities to the current coronavirus pandemic. Interestingly one character in the movie played by Jude Law claimed a herb called forsythia was a cure for the fictional viral epidemic. Forsythia is a Chinese herb that has been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine for the treatment of epidemics in China. Forsythia is called Lian Qiao and is the “Qiao” in the extremely popular Yin Qiao San that we carry for early stage upper respiratory infections. We also carry Lian Qiao on its own to create custom formulas at Balance Point Acupuncture. We use this for all sorts of “heat” disease especially for the upper body/respiratory system. Of course this is a fictional Hollywood movie, I just found it engaging to see a Chinese herb used in the movie. More info on Forsythia / Lian Qiao can be found at this website:https://www.americandragon.com/Individualherbsupdate/LianQiao.html Chinese medicine has a long history of treating epidemic diseases similar to COVID-19 and has developed several herbal categories each with different functions and effects. Lian Qiao belongs to the “Clear Heat, Purge Fire” category which in acupuncture lingo means it is good for infections causing heat or fever. Gypsum, honeysuckle, and Chinese skullcap are more examples in the is category. Clearing heat and purging fire would represent modern antibiotics, antivirals and anti-fever medications from a TCM perspective. Traditional Chinese medicine has other categories that are used in treating respiratory infections as well. Some herbs such as "Ban Xia” and Xing Ren are in the “resolve phlegm and stop coughing” category. These herbal medicines help to dissolve thick and congealed phlegm so that it can be easily expectorated and thereby clear the lungs of mucus, phlegm, and the viral or bacterial load. Another common Chinese herb which can assist in opening the airways in cases involving difficulty breathing is Ma Huang or ephedra which is put to use in some western medications as a bronchodilator and decongestant. Acupuncture and moxibustion can also be used to open the lungs, activate the immune system, and expel phlegm. A skilled acupuncturist can use treatments to direct the Qi (immune system) to the lung. In many cases of chronic lung conditions an acupuncturist may diagnose a Lung Qi deficiency wherein the circulation of Qi and blood is at a weakened state in the lungs. This is done by Chinese tongue and pulse diagnosis as well as assessing presenting symptoms. Acupuncture point Stomach 36 stimulates the immune system and directs it upwards to the lungs. Stomach 40 is a phlegm point and is used to resolve and expel phlegm from the body. Lung 7 opens the lungs and also assists the body at expelling phlegm from the lung. Other acupuncture points could be used for reducing heat, fever and inflammation. Common heat clearing points for lung infections are Large Intestine 4 and 11, and Lung 10 and Lung 5. One of my personal favourites for clearing heat in the body is Large Intestine 1, a pinchy point located near the tip of the index fingers. This point helps vent heat trapped in the body and shows instant changes on the radial pulse. China in cooperation with the World Health Organization has begun over 80 clinical trials testing various treatments for coronavirus infection. About 15 of these test Chinese herbs and Chinese medicine techniques combined with western therapies as is commonly done in Chinese hospitals. One of the largest studies, which includes 400 participants, is testing the efficacy of the Chinese herbal formula shuanghuanglian, which includes the aforementioned herb Lian Qiao. This herb has been used to treat lung infections for more than 2,000 years. The clinical trial tests shuanghuanglian against a control group given standard care but not a placebo therapy. I’m looking forward to the results of the study. Viral epidemic diseases are not a new thing for China or the rest of the world. For thousands of years Chinese medicine has been employed as the first line of defence against these epidemics within China. Hopefully the world joins together to defeat COVID-19 as it has SARS and other epidemics. As a practitioner of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine I am proud to see our medicine recognized by the WHO and being used on the front lines to save lives.

Comment Form is loading comments...

from BALANCE POINT ACUPUNCTURE AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE - Blog https://www.balancepointokanagan.com/blog/coronavirus-pandemic-vs-chinese-medicine

#BALANCE POINT ACUPUNCTURE AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE - Blog

0 notes

legendary-defender-of-fandoms · 4 years

Text

My stupid little nitpick of Klaus (mild spoilers)

Before I get to my nitpick, I just want to say how amazing this movie is.

The animation? Absolutely gorgeous - smooth character movement, breathtaking backgrounds, energetic expressions, beautiful colors, fun variety in character design, it’s all fantastic.

The message? A classic for this time of year, but the execution is what sets it apart. There’s a heavy reliance on “show, don’t tell” with the message, letting the characters do their thing without everyone talking about why they’re doing something. This works especially well with Alva & her character arc.

The characters? Well-written, likeable, and amusing. Even the antagonists have enjoyable moments. And all the voice actors brought their A game.

The story? Granted, not the most original plot (for a stand-alone film or a Santa origin story), and it does hit a beat or two that folks usually don’t like. But the characters, the writing, and the visuals are what sell it. And it’s not a bad story by any means, nor does it religiously stick to a certain formula.

This is a gorgeous, heartfelt movie that’s perfect to watch with the family during the holidays.

However, there IS one teeny tiny thing that kind of disappointed me. (Mild spoilers below).

About halfway through the movie, Klaus’s toy stores start to run out. Jesper tries to convince him to make more toys to give to the kids on Christmas - he has slides, keeps talking about how happy the kids will be to wake up Christmas morning & see new toys by the hearth or under the tree, and even starts to spruce up Klaus’s workshop. Klaus keeps half heartedly refusing to make more toys, but he starts to get upset when Jesper works his way towards a sheet-covered area of the room. Too caught up in his own excitement, Jesper ignores Klaus’s shouts to leave that corner alone & pulls the sheet away. And beneath the sheet is a heartbreaking visual that explains everything about Klaus (his backstory, the toys, his current grumpy attitude, etc.) The audience can look at it & know everything they need to know about Klaus. And, more importantly, when JESPER sees it he stops talking & you see his face cycle through confusion, realization, understanding, sympathy, and fear as he turns & sees the rage in Klaus’s face.

Now, I have NO problem with using visuals to get across important information. Hell, it’s a rarity in movies & shows these days to let visuals speak louder than words, so any time something like this pops up I’m glad and impressed. My dumb little gripe is 20 minutes later, after Klaus & Jesper have reconciled & bonded over making a snow boat for Margu (the cute little blonde Russian girl in all the promotional material), Klaus tells Jesper his tragic backstory.

On the one hand, this kind of annoyed me because the dialogue felt a bit unneeded. We could figure out everything from the visual.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this was for Klaus’s benefit, not ours.

Klaus is the stoic, silent type. He rarely speaks, and he chooses his words carefully. And as the movie progresses & he bonds more with Jesper, he starts to open up & strike up more conversations. So you could see Klaus talking about his past as character development, not a double-beat in the story.

Again, this is a dumb little nitpick from me and DEFINITELY not a deal-breaker for watching this movie. If you have Netflix & enjoy hand-drawn animation, Santa origin stories, and/or heartwarming movies, check out Klaus.

#netflix #klaus #santa claus #such a great Christmas movie #so sweet #so pretty #i need the art book for this

6 notes · View notes

thechurchillreview · 7 years

Photo

Contains SPOILERS for Doctor Who and Season 2 of Broadchurch.

Imy Comic by Irma Ericksson.

http://www.imycomic.com/the-cartoonist/

Images/Gifs from Doctor Who (2005-), Black Mirror (2011-), Attack the Block (2011), and Broadchurch (2013-2017). The humorous Fem-Agenda List from comedian and late night show Full Frontal host Samantha Bee. Tweets from Johnathan Pyror and Mackenzie Lee.

I’ve being going through some life-changing stuff. I moved and got a place with roomies. Not done transporting possessions yet. Working somewhere else. Dealt with car issues. A lot has occurred. :)

Hence why this has taken considerably longer to type, edit, and post than I originally envisioned over a month ago. XD

On Sunday July 16th 2017, the long-running BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who starring a time and universe traveling body shifting Gallifreyan Time Lord made the announcement that a woman would play the longtime exclusive to men portrayal character next. Alongside companions, the Doctor is the true definition (not the derogatory kind) of a Social Justice Warrior. The Doctor assists civilizations, helps people, tries to alter certain events in time, and clashes against all types of enemies. The most famous among them being the Daleks, of course.

There’s been twelve Doctors (Well, thirteen if John Hurt’s War Doctor is counted...Doesn’t seem to be though. Since Jodie isn’t labeled as the 14th Doctor. ) played by men since the series inception back in 1963. The original run lasted until 1989, the revival of the show began in 2005. Doctor Who was created by C.E. Webber, Donald Wilson, and Sydney Newman. Producer Verity Lambert, story editor David Whitaker, and writer Anthony Coburn also contributed to the development of the series that would eventually become Doctor Who. In 1986, Newman wrote to BBC Chairman Michael Grade, "At a later stage, Doctor Who should be metamorphosed into a woman. This requires some considerable thought — mainly because I want to avoid a flashy, Hollywood Wonder Woman because this kind of heroine with no flaws is a bore. Given more time than I have now, I can create such a character."

So, over three decades (839 episodes, one TV movie, four charity specials, multiple specials, and two animated serials) later, Newman’s words are realized under Broadchurch creator and new Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall (with the departure of Steven Moffat). At the end of 2017, the current Doctor incarnation actor Peter Capaldi portrays will be replaced by Jodie Whittaker following the Regeneration process. This decision is is merely another form of change: a significant theme pertaining to the Doctor’s character as a whole.

On top of that, in the 1999 Red Nose Day telethon episode Doctor Who: The Curse of the Fatal Death was the first time the doctor was a woman (Joanna Lumley). In the audio drama Doctor Who Unbound Exile which is free from the restraints of continuity released in 2003 actor Arabella Weir played the Doctor. During the 9th Doctor’s run, it was revealed that the Doctor was bisexual even though the character rejected Jackie Tyler’s advances in “The Parting of Ways”. The Doctor flirted with Jack Harkness, proposing to dance with in the episode “Doctor Dances” whilst promising to give him what Rose Tyler had with Mickey Smith should Jack purchase him a drink. Captain Jack Harkness and River Song are characters both from the 51st century where pansexuality is the norm. Companion Clara Oswin Oswald has been in a relationship with a man but mentions kissing women too. When the 11th Doctor touches his hair following the completion of the 10th’s Regeneration process, the character says, “I’m a girl. No, no. I’m not a girl. And still not ginger.” This suggests that a the Doctor could be a woman. In the 2011 episode “The Doctor’s Wife” Neil Gaiman wrote from over six years ago, the Time Lord Corsair is mentioned and it is divulged that Corsair had a Regeneration that switched him into a her. In the 2013 mini-episode “The Night of the Doctor”, the Sisterhood of Karn (first appearance was in The Brain of Morbius that aired in 1976) asks the Doctor what Regeneration is desired (“Fat or thin, young or old, man or woman?” “Fast or strong, wise or angry, what do you need now?”): ultimately Paul McGann’s 8th Doctor wishes to be a “warrior” and is transformed into the War Doctor (portrayed by the late and incredibly great John Hurt). Since the show’s 2005 revival, an infamous Time Lord villain known as The Master went from being solely men into a woman named Missy (Michelle Gomez) after an off-screen Regeneration took place.

Change is important for the purposes of bringing a fresh angle to an established accepted formula whilst having potential narrative merit, symbolizing growth, modern day relevance, and validation to something existing. How change is navigated, utilized, or coped with is equally as important. Each Regeneration leads to viewers, writers, showrunners, and cast members having to accept that a previous version of the Time Lord is gone. “No more.” Their look, personality, memories, relationships, mannerisms, and whatever else gets scrambled into something entirely different post-Regeneration.

Likewise, the companions of the Doctor go through switcheroos often as well. Some leave us furious. Sad. Perhaps even glad.

My point is that we’re resist to change. Struggle with it. Less of a fan as a result. Which is understandable. However, when a certain demographic has been catered to for decades, altering this comes with a price. To be candid, I find the reactionary backlash a tad odd and chuckle-inducing. As if the time-traveling alien Doctor was ever defined by masculinity before. If that’s your chief defining attribute of the Doctor then I legitimately feel sorry for you. The Doctor represents more than a man or a woman and that’s why this beloved character has obtained a prestigious status among fictional creations.

This is the inherent beauty of science fiction. Close to infinite possibilities at one’s creative fingertips are there. That’s why Daisy Ridley’s Rey being a protagonist and an in training Jedi (General Leia Organa never got this despite her mighty connection to the Force) within the new Star Wars flicks is a big deal. Nichelle Nichols’ Lieutenant Uhura from Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek was historical by being the first African-American not to play a servant on American television. Did you know that Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. asked her to remain on Star Trek when she thought about leaving in the late 60s? “For the first time on television, we [people of African descent] will be seen as we should be seen every day, as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing and dance, yes, but who can go into space, who can be lawyers and teachers, who can be professors — who are in this day, yet you don’t see it on television until now." Nichols would further influence Dr. Mae Jemison, the first black woman to fly aboard the Space Shuttle, directly cited Star Trek in her decision making. Additionally, Nichols’ Uhura would serves as a role model to Star Trek: The Next Generation Guinan actor Whoopi Goldberg ("I just saw a black woman on television; and she ain't no maid!") too. Should I list all of the ways in which Charlize Theron’s Furiosa of Mad Max: Fury Road and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman have contributed to the more inclusive than most genre?

The casting choice of actor Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor bothered me from the get-go. Since Peter Capaldi had already been on the series via the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) episode “The Fires of Pompeii” as Caecilius. Not too long after that Peter would be in the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood: Children of Earth as John Frobisher too. Capaldi took over the role of the Doctor from Smith in 2013. Why the Doctor’s facial appearance is similar to Caecilus was eventually addressed in the 2015 episode “The Girl Who Died”. For whatever reason I’ve been unable to decipher, I’ve just never clicked with Capaldi’s Doctor. On the other hand, I am still grieving a tremendous loss...Which is actor Pearl Mackie’s SDCC announcement she’s leaving the companion position this December. Meaning I do have some level of viewership enjoyment with Capaldi due to Bill’s accompaniment with him.

I’m sincerely going to miss her.

In short, what has been hinted at in the past will become reality this December. No one’s being blindsided, I’d argue. Not about being PC either. These seeds were clearly being planted prior to.

Yes, this a holiday present I’m fondly looking forward to. Especially after seeing Jodie Whittaker’s nuanced performance as Beth Latimer in Chris Chibnall’s Broadchurch. Or Jodie’s role in the Black Mirror (a dark genius sci-fi series courtesy of Charlie Brooker) episode “The Entire History of You.” Psst, the entirety of Black Mirror is on Netflix...There’s even an episode that warned about a candidate like Donald Trump rising to power. I’d be remiss not to type about Whittaker being in the cult science fiction hit film Attack the Block (2011) as well. All of that she’s done deserves to be seen. That’s what I’ve been re-doing in anticipation actually!

With both Peter Capaldi’s and Steven Moffat’s tenures with Doctor Who coming to a personally welcomed close, my ranking of excitement is considerably lofty I must admit. We’ve needed an overhaul for awhile now. The long awaited for revolution of making the protagonist Time Lord a woman next brings a fresh dynamic to Doctor Who. I reckon she won’t be able to coast or take some things for granted like previous incarnations did. The involvement of Chris Chibnall and the inclusion of Jodie Whittaker has me ridiculously psyched for Doctor Who’s future. I believe both of them will positively contribute to the series with their injection of needed new. I even feel compelled to finally watch Doctor Who again in a strangely devoted fashion (something I haven’t done in years) versus sporadic glances at the telly throughout Capaldi’s run.

6 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Link Tank: The Best Revenge Movies of All Time

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

From 1941’s The Lady Eve to the Kill Bill franchise, check out 25 of the greatest revenge movies of all time.

“As Khan Noonien Singh once said, ‘revenge is a dish best served cold,’ and cinema is filled with stories where vengeance and retribution get served with chilling brutality and precision. There is a natural impulse to see one’s enemies, or even just the people who wronged us, punished for their misdeeds, or have karma visited upon them.”

Read more at Thrillist.

The post Link Tank: The Best Revenge Movies of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/30cr5W4

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

stripedigital · 4 years

Text

Email Best Practices Used by Successful Entrepreneurs

Email marketing is an essential component to any digital marketing strategy. Billions of people use email. It’s the driving force behind customer acquisition as well as retention. And it is a direct way to engage with your audience. A lot goes into crafting the perfect email, curating your email list, and setting up automations. These email best practices will keep your subscribers engaged and your business thriving!

Email Best Practices for Sending Emails

There is a science to sending emails. It’s not as simple as it sounds. When should you send them? How often? What type of subject line gets the most clicks? Before you start sending, make sure you are following these email best practices.

The subject line. Your email subject line is SO important. Email best practices for your subject line range from just plain writing great subject lines to including emojis. When writing a subject grab subscribers attention. You want something catchy and a little bit click baity. Make your subscribers curious but don’t give away too much in your subject line. The goal of a subject is to get them to click and keep reading your email.

Other email best practices for subject lines include making them time sensitive. Things like “get it before it’s gone” or “last minute savings” or “sale closes at midnight” are all attention grabbers that make customers feel like they need to shop right now.

When you are writing your subject be careful and don’t include all caps or too much punctuation. This can look spammy not only to customers but to email servers. Getting marked as spam by users can automatically land you in the spam folder for other users that didn’t mark you as spam.

Another way to jazz up your subject lines is to use emojis but only if it makes since for your business. It can really help your emails stand out! Just be careful not to use too many emojis. You don’t want to distract from the meaning of your subject line. You should also be mindful that not every email server will show your emoji so your subject line should be able to stand alone without it just in case.

Which email did you see first? Probably the one with the emoji right? Emojis add a little bit of flare and color to a very grey inbox.

Personalize everything! Make your subject line personal. Use your subscribers’ names. You don’t have to stop at the subject line. Just like Spotify and Netflix offer suggestions on which songs you should hear and movies you should watch, you can do the same in your copy. Show your subscribers products that were chosen just for them or come up with other creative ways to personalize your brand. Make customers feel like the email is tailored to them.

Take advantage of holidays and birthdays. Black Friday is already a huge holiday and almost every business partakes in advertising their big sales. But what about national sunglasses day? Never heard of it? Well the sunglasses company, Knockaround wants to make sure you know all about it and get free shipping! It seems like almost every other day it’s either National Wine Day or National Macaroni & Cheese Day. Take advantage of these small holidays!

Didn’t gather your subscribers date of birth when they signed up? Not a problem. Send an email like this.

Rareform did a great job with this email. Their subject line is simply “Happy Birthday” and even if it’s not your birthday, wouldn’t you be curious as to what’s inside? They then proceed with telling subscribers happy early birthday and if it’s not their birthday to tell them when it is so that they can send something special. This is a great tactic to gather additional information about your subscribers so that you can send them a discount or a freebie on their birthday.

Send an email telling customers you missed them. This can help you get customers to go back and shop on your site if they haven’t in a while or it can help clean your lists.

Pottery Barn sends this email with two options, for you to stay subscribed or to simply unsubscribe. Most email APIs are not free. When you have a certain amount of contacts you will have to start paying. Cleaning your list is a good way to find users who aren’t engaging with your emails and to keep your costs down. Remember, users who aren’t opening your emails or engaging with them are doing nothing for your business. Make room for subscribers who will engage and turn into loyal customers. They also offer a discount to get subscribers who they haven’t heard from in a while to make a purchase on their site.

Reward your loyal customers. Or just reward your customers in general – make them feel like just because they are your customers, they receive special treatment. This automatically makes you superior over competitor brands. 1-800-PetMeds does a great job with this email. They’re following a number of email best practices. Their subject line is enticing, and by saying that the subscriber is getting 20% off just for being a customer it makes it seem less salesy. Imagine if the subject line just said “20% off.” It probably wouldn’t stand out amongst the clutter and you might not click it. They also mirror their website in this email so it’s easy to follow links to their site.

Ask for reviews. Reviews can drive traffic to your website. The more reviews you have, the more trustworthy your brand will seem to potential customers. Amazon has used personalization in their subject line and in their copy as well as asked for a product review. This is an easy way to get your customers to leave reviews for your product or business. You can even offer something in exchange for their review such as a discount or coupon code for their next purchase.

Split test your emails. Just like Facebook or Google Ads, you can A/B split test emails. Split test your subject lines to see which receives a higher open rate. Test different phrasing of your copy or different calls to action. You can even compare which color combination on your buttons gets more clicks. When you split test, you can see what your customers like and what type of language will get them to click. Once you figure out the perfect email formula for your business, creating new emails will be a breeze.

Make a schedule for your emails. Map out when you are going to send what. If you are running a specific sale on your site make sure your emails align with it. If your site has a 3 day sale on rugs and you send emails about couches your customers may be confused. This is one of those email best practices that sets some companies apart from the rest. It is so smart to lay everything out and have a schedule set in place.

Once you have a schedule of what emails you want to send figure out when you want to send them. Typically email open rates are highest when companies send emails on Tuesdays but not every industry is the same. Pick a day that works best for you. Test out which days and times get you the highest open and click rates. Maybe Saturday mornings work best for your company – you never know until you test.

Don’t spam your subscribers. By spam we mean don’t send too many emails. People already receive a ton of emails every day. You don’t want to be that business that clogs up their inbox with multiple emails each day. If you really want to get your point across spend time crafting a catchy subject line with a great email body. Find your sweet spot – whether that’s two emails a month or 2-3 a week. It all depends on your customer base and your products.

Quality over quantity. We don’t suggest sending emails unless you have some valuable content to put in them. If you find that you are digging for content in order to send two emails a week, take a step back. Spend time creating that one email that is powerful and is going to get conversions. Don’t create a bunch of sub par emails. Your open and click rates will be much better with a high quality email.

Be prepared for unsubscribers. You will without a doubt get people who unsubscribe from your list. Don’t worry, you can always rebuild. Which brings us to our next set of email best practices: list management.

Email Best Practices for List Management

How are you growing your lists? If people are undoubtedly unsubscribing, you need a way to keep growing your lists. Capture leads on your website. Include a popup that asks people to give you their emails. But most people won’t just give you their emails without something in return. Many businesses offer a discount, a free trial, free shipping, or an ebook in exchange for emails. It’s a small price to pay so that you can have a solid email list. You can also ask for emails through social media campaigns. Just remember that asking for emails works best if users are getting something in return.

Don’t buy lists. You don’t have permission to email these people. They didn’t opt in to receive your emails. Imagine receiving an email out of the blue from a company that you didn’t want to receive emails from. Yes some people may be interested but it’s not worth the risk of being reported as spam. If people report you as spam this could affect your deliverability in the future. In addition to getting marked as spam, buying email lists will not earn you engagement. Just like buying followers in Instagram is a bad idea, it works the same way for emails. You want qualified leads that are going to open your emails, click to your website and make a purchase.

Organize your contacts. Do this in a way that makes sense to you. There is not set way that you have to organize your contacts. Every business is different. Some email APIs like MailChimp don’t allow you to send to multiple email lists. Instead you need to organize by groups if you want to segment subscribers as well as include multiple on the same email.

Segment your subscribers! If you have several categories like coffee and tea or surfing and golfing you wouldn’t want to send someone who is interested in surfing a golfing email. Segmentation makes it really easy to keep your contacts aligned with their interests. Running a workshop? Segment users by who has signed up for your workshop. Then you can send reminder emails to the subscribers who haven’t registered yet. According to a MailChimp study, segmented campaigns received an unsubscribe rate 9.37% lower than campaigns that were not segmented. Why? Because the emails they are receiving are more relevant to them, so they have no need to get rid of the email.

Email Best Practices for Automations

Automations are great! Once you set up your automations, you can save loads of time and more easily target specific customers. There are several automations you can set up such as welcome and retargeting automations. Let’s start with welcome emails.

When people sign up to receive your emails it’s a good idea to have an automated campaign ready to go. This acts as confirmation that you received their request to subscribe and as a way for you to introduce your business to a new customer. A pro tip here is to offer a discount to customers in your welcome email. People who buy products through email offers spend 138% more than people who do not receive special offers or discounts. If you offer a discount in that first email, subscribers will be more likely to try your product. Not to mention, they’ll feel pretty special. Welcome emails should also be sent within the first 24 hours of a user signing up so that the email is timely.

The Muse has a simple subject line. When you open their welcome email they give a short description of what their company does. The user can also start searching for jobs directly from the email.

Retargeting automations. These automations are what bring in that extra margin of sales. They can include emails like cart abandonment reminders. Don’t miss out on those people who forgot about what they put in their carts. A friendly email that reminds them to go back and shop can capture lost sales.

Remember the sales cycle. A good email automation takes your sales cycle into account. Know your sales cycle and map it out in your emails. This will help you tailor your content as well as help you decide how many emails should be in your automation. If your sales cycle is relatively short, your automation does not need to go on forever. If it’s longer, you will want to invest some time building out a bigger automation campaign.

Keep the salesy emails to a fraction. You don’t want every email you send to push sales. Include content that is valuable to your subscribers. Sprinkle in a sale or discount every now and then. Coupons and discounts should be something that is exciting for customers. If you send them in every email they become the norm and lose the sense of urgency that one time carried.

Email Best Practices for Style and Content

Styling your emails is just as important as writing a good subject line or segmenting your lists. If you have a great subject line but subscribers open your email to find boring content and low quality images, you can bet they will hit that delete button.

CTAs. Start out with a bold call to action. Make sure people can read and understand what you want them to do. Your CTA belongs towards the top of your email because it is the most important! Blue Apron is offering two free meals to subscribers. Their CTA is at the very top of their email but they also include it at the bottom just in case the user forgets to click the first time.

Choose your format. This is an important decision you need to make when designing your emails. Do you want your emails to be image focused, text focused or a little bit of both? If you are an ecommerce brand and have great photos of your products you should probably lean towards having mostly images in your emails. Photos grab people’s attention. Make them even more visually compelling with colors that pop! Without a doubt Apple has some of the coolest products and they are able to make them even more visually pleasing in their emails.

If your company does not have a lot of products or you aren’t selling any products, then you can format your emails so that they have some text and some images or just plain text. Email best practices for text only emails include making sure there’s not too much text. If you feel like you need to go into depth about an issue, link to a landing page with more information. If there is a lot of text, break it up into manageable paragraphs. This makes your content easy to digest.

Link everything. If you have a bunch of product images in an email, link them all directly to their individual pages on your site. Most importantly, double check your links. Make sure they work and that they go to the correct page.

Visually pleasing to the eye. Your colors shouldn’t interfere with the email’s readability. Using bright yellow text is never a good idea unless it’s on a black background. Keep color in mind when designing. If it hurts your eyes or you have even the slightest trouble reading it, change it. No matter how amazing your design is if your subscribers can’t read it, they won’t click – which means they won’t convert.

Don’t hide your unsubscribe button. Of course you don’t want people to unsubscribe but if you make sure people can easily unsubscribe you can avoid getting marked as spam. Like we said before, this can hurt your deliverability. If enough users mark your email as spam there’s a good chance your next email campaign could automatically end up in other users spam folders. And if you’re still not convinced, it’s also unlawful in most countries not to offer a way for users to unsubscribe.

Optimize for mobile. Almost half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. Most email APIs will optimize your content for mobile devices automatically. However, it is wise to double check the mobile version of your email and make sure your layout still looks good. A staggered layout may look great on your desktop, but when you switch to mobile it could become distorted.

Stay social. Include social icons that link to your social media sites. Increasing your followers on social media is crucial for the continued growth of your business. Gain followers everywhere you can – email is a great place to start. If you link to your social media sites then your subscribers are just a click away from giving you a follow. You can even devote an email to asking people to follow you on social media. Entice them further with a discount or other special offers if they give you that follow. But before you do this make sure that you have a social media strategy in place or a social media marketing company managing your social media channels.

Make your emails match. Mirror your website with your emails. If you include a menu type bar in your email that looks similar to the one on your website it offers easy access to your products. In this email from Crate&Barrel they align their menu bar with their website. Although they do not include every menu item that is on their site, they have chosen the ones that are important. Here is what their email looks like.

And here is their website. Pretty similar right?

Try video. Emails that contain videos see click through rates 96% higher than emails that do not include video. If you have a how-to video or one that makes sense for your brand, send an email about it! Dollar Shave Club sent a video about how their members get ready in the bathroom. It’s humorous, engaging, and gets people excited about their brand.

It’s already received over 50,000 views on YouTube in less than 2 days. This is a great way to spike engagement – just make sure your video is high quality and adds value for your subscribers.

Put These Email Best Practices into Action

If you do not have an email marketing strategy in place, now is the time to start mapping out a campaign and putting your newly found email best practices into action! Start collecting emails from your customers and build up your email list. Set up that welcome automation and brainstorm creative ways to capture your customers attention. Remember to keep these email best practices in mind while you are creating content. Have questions? Our email marketing experts are just a click away!

The post Email Best Practices Used by Successful Entrepreneurs appeared first on Digital Marketing Blog.

from Digital Marketing Blog https://ift.tt/30LVVTv via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Digital Marketing Blog

0 notes

mikemortgage · 5 years

Text

Lori Loughlin loses starring roles on Hallmark Channel

LOS ANGELES — The Hallmark Channel cut ties Thursday with favoured star Lori Loughlin, a day after her arrest in a college admissions scam put the family-friendly network and extended Hallmark brand in uncomfortable proximity to a national scandal.

“We are saddened by the recent allegations surrounding the college admissions process,” Hallmark Cards Inc., parent company of the Crown Media Family Networks group that includes the Hallmark Channel, said in a statement.

“We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin” and have stopped development of all productions with the actress for Crown Media channels, the statement said.

The company initially took a wait-and-see approach after a federal investigation of the scam involving more than 30 parents, many of them prominent, was revealed Tuesday. Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accusedof paying bribes to gain their daughters’ college admissions.

Loughlin’s career and the Hallmark Channel were deeply intertwined. She’s been among its so-called “Christmas queens” who topline a slate of popular holiday movies, and also starred in the ongoing “Garage Sale Mysteries” movies and the series “When Calls the Heart.”

“It’s a feel-good, family values-type channel, and obviously scandal is the opposite of that,” said Atlanta-based market strategist Laura Ries.

There was more at stake than image. “When Calls the Heart” tapes in Canada, and a judge ordered Loughlin’s passport to be surrendered in December after grudgingly allowing her to cross the border for work until then.

Loughlin has not yet entered a plea in the case, and her attorney declined comment Wednesday after her first appearance in a Los Angeles federal court. Loughlin’s publicist and attorney declined comment Thursday on Hallmark’s decision to drop her.

Fallout from the arrests also affected their daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, a social-media star who pushes products on her accounts. The 19-year-old University of Southern California student was dropped Thursday from advertising deals with cosmetics retailer Sephora and hair products company TRESemme, the companies said in statements.

Loughlin wasn’t exclusive to Hallmark. She’s reprised her role as Aunt Becky for Netflix’s “Fuller House” reboot of the popular series that originated in 1987 on ABC. But the sitcom represents a fraction of the streamer’s flood of programs, while Loughlin has occupied an increasing amount of Hallmark real estate since she starred in “Meet My Mom” in 2010.

She’s proved a reliable performer. Her 2018 holiday movie, “Homegrown Christmas,” was the most-watched non-sports cable program the week it aired. In February, the season six premiere of “When Calls the Heart” was watched by a series-best 2.5 million viewers, putting it behind only “The Walking Dead” in Sunday night cable dramas.

“They definitely have a formula and you do have to follow the formula. And if you don’t, they rein you back in and say, ‘You have to follow. This is our format, this is what we do,”‘ Loughlin said in an interview last year with The Associated Press about the Christmas movies.

She said the rigidity chafes a bit but called the result “heartwarming,” adding, “You go to bed and you don’t have any bad dreams.”

The New York City native with a sunny smile proved a good fit for the channel that specializes in romantic dramas and comedies with a wholesome touch, while her media-friendly personality allowed her to expertly tout her shows on her website and in TV appearances.

Then came Tuesday’s bombshell government allegation that Loughlin and her husband were among more than 30 parents who paid a consultant to ensure their offspring’s place in college with bribes and falsified exams. Prosecutors allege the couple paid $500,000 to have their daughters labeled as crew-team recruits at the University of Southern California, although neither is a rower.

Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives,” “American Crime”) was among the other prominent parents, including a lawyer, doctor and a venture capitalist, indicted in the scam.

Hallmark Cards, the Kansas City, Missouri, enterprise started in 1910, has moved quickly before to respond to any flare-ups, such as in when it removed a gift wrap from circulation after one person complained of seeing a swastika in its pattern.

Misbehaviour may be unusual in the Hallmark world but is nothing new for Hollywood, with the fallout from sex and other scandals affecting celebrities and companies. But the white-collar crime Loughlin is accused of is akin to that of another unlikely scofflaw: Martha Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 of obstructing justice and lying to the government about a stock sale.

“She lost trust,” said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a New York-based brand research firm. So did her empire, despite Stewart’s efforts to separate her personal actions from it: “Wrong — you’re the brand,” he said.

While Stewart may exemplify her business, Loughlin wasn’t the only engaging star on Hallmark’s roster. “Full House” co-star Candace Cameron Bure and Lacey Chabert are among its popular holiday movie stars, and another emerged this year as Kellie Pickler’s “Christmas At Graceland” ranked as the most-watched entry.

“There are other actresses out there, whether they find or develop another to replace her,” said Ries.

——–

AP Writers Alicia Rancilio in New York and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

——

Lynn Elber can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @lynnelber.

from Financial Post https://ift.tt/2UwSXQq via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

#IFTTT #Financial Post

0 notes

ramialkarmi · 6 years

Text

Netflix's holiday movie 'A Christmas Prince' is good dumb fun — but its portrayal of journalism is outrageous

Netflix's "A Christmas Prince" is the streaming service's attempt at a Christmas movie like those you see on Lifetime and Hallmark.

It is silly, but fun.

The most absurd aspect is the way journalists are portrayed, so we pointed out all the times when the protagonist violates the most basic ethical standards of journalism.

Don't assume that journalism is what you see in "A Christmas Prince," please.

"A Christmas Prince" is Netflix's fun (and dumb) attempt at a Lifetime Christmas movie, but it represents journalism in a ridiculous way.

"A Christmas Prince" follows Amber, a young journalist in a dead-end job at a publication called Now Beat that is some sort of mix between Vice, Vogue, and Us Weekly. Amber, who loves Christmas, is sent to the fictional country of Aldovia the week of Christmas to report on the playboy Prince Richard, who looks a bit like Patrick Wilson.

Prince Richard must be coronated as king on Christmas Eve in place of his deceased father, but there are rumors that he will abdicate. You can figure out the rest.

"A Christmas Prince" is a terrible movie, but it's also great. It is so bad, and so predictable, yet impossible to stop watching. At a certain point you might wonder if "A Christmas Prince" is satirizing itself.

Sappy Christmas movies like those on Lifetime and Hallmark (and now on Netflix) follow a similar formula: A female protagonist (probably blonde) is really focused on her career. It's Christmas time, and she's working overtime despite the fact that it is Christmas! Then a man, whether he is an angel, an elf, Santa Claus, or a prince, saves the day, which is Christmas.

These admirably lazy movies always have a protagonist with a big-city career: journalism, advertising, personal shopper. I can't tell you if the portrayal of personal shoppers in these movies is accurate, but I can tell you that the portrayal of journalists is wrong, especially in "A Christmas Prince."

At a time when the President of the United States calls journalism "fake news" quite routinely, it's a bit disheartening to see such a misrepresentation of the profession from Netflix. But it's also funny.

As a guide for non-journalists, we highlighted all the instances in "A Christmas Prince" when its protagonist, Amber, who stresses that she wants to be a "real" journalist, lacks journalistic integrity. We also pointed out some other flaws in its portrayal of journalism.

Here are all of the problems with journalistic integrity in Netflix's "A Christmas Prince":

SEE ALSO: The 10 shows Netflix has canceled, including recently cut 'Haters Back Off'

Vaughn, one of the writers at Now Beat magazine, uses a fake quote in his article.

Vaughn is a jerk. He is clearly an awful person, and an even worse journalist.

Within the first minute of the film, Vaughn displays our first of many journalist no-nos.

Vaughn was assigned a 300-word piece about a show at New York Fashion Week — which happens in September and February, never in December ("A Christmas Prince" takes place in December). Vaughn wrote 650 words, and Amber says he included a quote from a designer who was not "on the floor."

This suggests that Vaughn — who our dear protagonist clearly has some trouble with on a regular basis — quoted a person who was not at the event. Did he make up the quote? Probably. That's not ok, and neither is suggesting that someone was somewhere they were not.

Making up quotes gets you blacklisted from the industry. It doesn't just provoke an eyeroll from someone editing your piece.

Amber sneaks into the royal private residence. Once there, she lies about her identity to pursue her story.

Journalists are not supposed to lie about their identity for a story. Journalists are also not supposed to be deceptive about their intentions because this can have an effect on their reporting.

There are some cases in which journalists go undercover. For example, women's activist Gloria Steinem went undercover as a Playboy bunny for her 1963 exposé on the treatment of women at Playboy Clubs. But generally you are supposed to identify yourself as a journalist when talking to someone for a story, especially when asked.

Amber lies her way into a private residence by pretending to be the new tutor for Princess Emily, all so she can write a story about Prince Richard. Amber is not exposing criminals or the mistreatment of human beings, and it seems like she is just breaking journalistic norms for personal gain.

And not only is she lying about who she is, she is also stealing the identity of the tutor (who will arrive herself soon), and teaching a child under false pretenses — while trying to get information out of her!

Amber goes to Aldovia without doing any research on the royal customs.

Amber didn't do her research.

Although Amber didn't plan on lying her way into the private home of the Aldovian royal family, it's clear that while she came prepared to meet Prince Richard, she did not do a simple Google of "Aldovian royal customs." When she meets the queen, she has no idea she is supposed to curtsy, and she doesn't know that she is supposed to address the princess as "Your Royal Highness."

You'd think a journalist would have done at least a quick Google search to find out more about royal customs in the country she's heading to, especially if she intends on meeting with a royal privately.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

#Tech Insider #Arab #Entrepreneurship #sillicon alley insider

0 notes