The Apocalypse Is Good For You

The Apocalypse Is Good For You

Why are we drawn to post-apocalypse stories? One theory is that shows of social chaos and survival prepare us better for the fearful time we live in and that fans of such stories are better able to cope with anxiety.

So turn off the news, cut down on your meds and watch these two very different and exceptional shows.

‘Station Eleven’

Fans of “The Leftovers,” in which 2% of the world’s population disappears, will appreciate this new HBO miniseries, in which almost everyone is killed by a flu that “explodes like a neutron bomb over the surface of the earth.” Patrick Somerville created both, this one based on a 2014 novel by Emily St. John Mandel.

The story opens with Jeevan, an EMT trainee, rescuing Kirsten, a child actress, and taking her to his brother’s apartment high over the city of Chicago, where they seal themselves off from infection and the collapse of the city. Himash Patel plays Jeevan, and Matilda Lawler plays Kirsten, in one of the finest performances I’ve seen by a child actor.

Then the action moves forward 20 years, where an older Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis) leads a troupe of actors who travel among survivor settlements to perform Shakespeare.

Along the way you’ll be rewarded with some stunning and unforgettable passages, such as episode five, where a settlement of survivors in an airport terminal watches the arrival of a flight of sick passengers; will they disembark? Or episode nine, when Jeevan is attacked by a wolf and ends up assisting in a rough and improvised birthing center.

“Station Eleven” received rapturous reviews; I don’t disagree, but you will have to pay close attention as the story jumps among three time periods. There are some disturbing scenes, but you’ll see more Shakespeare than violence, maybe too much for someone like me with thriller genes. Be assured that the emphasis is not on the pandemic, but on a rebirth of art and the bonds that connect the survivors.

Stream on HBO Max.

‘Wall-E’

As a one-time science fiction editor, I’m occasionally asked for my favorite sci-fi movies. Some are surprised when I mention “Wall-E” in the same breath as “2001: A Space Odyssey” or “Blade Runner.” The animation wizards at Pixar have made many memorable films, but this is their most ambitious and original and in my view the best.

Hundreds of years into the future, our environmental recklessness has turned Earth into a giant trash heap. Wall-E is a garbage bot who tidies up his tiny corner of the planet during the day and at night inserts a tape into a dusty Betamax and watches “Hello, Dolly.” He has cute binocular eyes and is quite huggable, but there’s no one to hug him except for his sidekick, a cockroach. One day a probe bot named Eve lands in search of life. She’s been sent from the huge starship where humans have escaped into an orgy of luxury.  The two bots have a magnetic attraction, and when Eve returns to the ship, Wall-E hitches a ride; much action ensues.

I love many things about “Wall-E.” It’s an almost Chaplinesque silent film with little dialogue.  It’s a charming love story. Although Earth is a grim and desolate mess, the ending offers hope for its future. Its only human star is my favorite character actor (and an old personal friend) Fred Willard. And the music is playful fun: from “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” to Louis Armstrong’s “La Vie en Rose” — to Strauss’s “Thus Spake Zarathustra,” in a nod to Kubrick and one of the great openings in film history. I guarantee 97 enjoyable minutes for the entire family. Don’t skip the end credits.

Stream on Disney; rent on Amazon, YouTube.

Latest News

Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

Keep ReadingShow less
Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less