Break Away from the Holiday Chaos with “Anna and the Apocalypse” and the Rainbow Reel Revival

Dan and Ellen are DHR Contributors as well as 2/3rds of the Hosts of Rainbow Reel Revival film club (along with Cassie!)

They’re coming at ya today with two great reasons why you should join them this Saturday, December 19th for a Virtual Watch Party of Horror-Comedy Musical “Anna and the Apocalypse”

A Very Anna and the Apocalypse Christmas

It's that time of year, friends! In a normal year we see this month in particular as a time to reflect on the good and poignant things that have happened in the last 12 months. This is not a normal year, so this very human pastime of remembrance is more important now than ever. Now is an excellent time to grab a hold onto the things that floated us through.  

That's why, in this holiday season, I think there's no better choice of movie to watch than Anna and the Apocalypse. If you haven't seen it, I'm going to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible. This movie is a delight and you should give it a shot, even if it isn't normally your thing. It's a horror movie, a comedy, and a musical. It's also a coming-of-age movie of sorts. It's an odd combo to stir together, but I need you to trust me, this thing is pure gold. It's also set in Scotland.

Here's a few of my favorite songs to give you a feel for it. 

Each song has its own charm, and I'd pick the whole soundtrack if I could, but I promised to keep this less lengthy. The second song is the anthem of the movie, “Hollywood Ending”. It's kind of a High School Musical song in tone, but with cursing and cynicism about the future (this is a zombie movie too, so the line “no such thing as a Hollywood ending” is pretty apt). It's catchy as heck, and does an excellent job of laying roots for our characters to grow from. 

Immediately after this we get both “The Fish Wrap” and “It's That Time of Year” which are part of the talent show and will have you laughing 'til you cry. No joke, I leak from the eyes laughing at this whole sequence. Just picture a few teenage boys dressed as penguins, rapping about how much they love fish. Fish is delish, my friends. The second song in this pairing is a suggestive song in the style of “Santa Baby” but way more explicit. Like, “come on over and unload your sack”, explicit. It's awkward and cringey and hilarious. 

There's so much soul in this movie. You can see that the actors poured their hearts into the more emotional songs, and that's abundantly clear in “Human Voice”. It can be a little hard to listen to in 2020, because many of us relate so strongly to the desire to just hear someone, not just read their words on a screen for the thousandth time. Many of us miss seeing, feeling, the whole tactile experience of communication. If you're the kinda of person - like me - who finds music that confronts these things to be cathartic, this song will definitely do something for you. I'll also mention here that the actor playing Steph, Sarah Swire, totally kills it in this song. Absolutely phenomenal singing. Shivers. (Good shivers!)

There's so much to this movie but I'll skip to the last song, because Ella Hunt deserves a goddamn medal for her performance in “I Will Believe”. It’s both heart rending and warming simultaneously. There's so much in this song. It reminds us that every second is precious, and that everything matters, and everyone matters. We're not alone, or as isolated as we might feel.

There's real power in this movie and I've barely scratched the surface here. I have so much more to say, but that's for another time, and with a hefty spoiler warning. (Yes that means A Chad Factor on this one, at some point in time!)

Do yourself a favor and watch Anna and the Apocalypse this holiday season. You won't regret it.
Remember. There's no such thing as a Hollywood ending, but nothing's gonna stop us now.

Article by Dan Sexton-Riley
Socials: @dansextonriley

Website: dansextonriley.com

Patreon is patreon.com/dansextonriley

Heartwarming Holiday Horror with a Human Voice

When the pandemic first started, I was coping by pretending that my years of consuming Zombie Apocalypse content had me ready to survive anything. I waltzed around my apartment karate chopping the air as I rounded the corner, or by practicing my zombie stabbing by piercing potatoes during meal prep. As the days and weeks wore on, though, it became quite clear that this wasn’t the apocalypse I’d bargained for. As a person with chronic illness I’m no stranger to being housebound or having to avoid social gatherings due to risk, but somehow this time around… something was different. The solitude was great for a few weeks and then suddenly I got very, very lonely and was seeking some human contact. Even though I’m rather anxious in large groups, I’m what you’d call an “extroverted introvert” — I’m really chatty and social with select groups of people and especially communicative when I can do so through writing/typing (yay internet!)

Enter my heroes of the apocalypse: Dan and Cassie! These two fine humans invited me to join them for a goofy little movie watch party, and thus the Rainbow Reel Revival club was born. Over the past few months we’ve grown our little watch parties from a small trio into a group of faithful friends and moviegoers, and it’s been a blast! From “Chads” to “Charks” and then some, we’ve really had a great time together. It’s nice to know that even if you’re by yourself, you’re certainly not alone! There’s always someone in your corner to help you through the dark times and shine a little light (even if it comes from the TV lol!) These little watch parties have brought all of us so much happiness and comfort, even if not all of them are a winner. That human connection we have with one another even through a screen is a lifesaver.

After all the movies we’ve watched (over 40!) it honestly comes as no surprise that the group’s most favorite watch of the year would be a film that focused on all of those things: the bond between friends, faith in humanity to get through the worst, and finding the humor in the horrible. “Anna and the Apocalypse” was one of our earlier picks, but it has become a fast fave. The film follows a group of students in the town of Little Haven over Christmas break as they come together to save their local community from the pending apocalypse. Just like our little group of Reelies, these friends have found a way to fight back against the terrors that be with a little humor, some hugs, and some good ol’ fashioned gore (don’t worry, our gore only comes from the movies LOL we’re very gentle folk.) I have not found a single flaw in this movie, either. It’s a perfect blend of humor, horror, and musical theatre and has a wide enough appeal that it can be shared with just about everyone! Be prepared, though, with a box of tissues and a comfy blanket on hand as this one is also an emotional ride; you’ll find yourself fully immersed and empathizing with the uncertainty, loneliness, loss, and love of each character. Even if you’re not a fan of horror or zombies, this is still an incredibly watchable and fun movie (think “High School Musical” meets “Shaun of the Dead” and a little dash of “La La Land” topped off with a bit of “Matilda”!)

Finding that “Human Voice” rising above with hope even in the midst of a sea of monstrous things has really gotten me through this year. I don’t know where I’d be without my pals! Same as the gang in “Anna”, all of us Reelies have found a reliable source of safety and comfort with each other! I’m so grateful to have this little corner of the internet with my friends, and to have these little moments of joy amidst the hells cape of 2020. Knowing that even if we’re all across the world, we can all come together and share joy has made this brutal pandemic and lockdown-life a little less insufferable. Love looking forward to these parties every week!

And so, in the spirit of the season, we’d like to invite you all to join us this weekend on December 19th at 8PM (EST)/5PM (PST) for a virtual watch party of “Anna and the Apocalypse” with the Rainbow Reel Revival film club. Will you come “Break Away” from the chaos of daily life to join us? We might not get our “Hollywood Ending” but we can certainly make life worth living anyway with friends!

Article by Ellen Avigliano
Twitter: @ImaginariumCS
Website: www.imaginariumarts.com