If you’re a die-hard fan of the popular song “Calamity & The Bands of Mourning,” then you’ll definitely want to check out the film of the same name, which is now on its way to becoming a semi-finalist at the Oscars. With a script that is based on the real-life story of a Moroccan-American family who lost both of their parents to AIDS, the movie is a moving tribute to the lives lost and the impact that their loss has had on them.
CALAMITY
CALAMITY AND THE BANDS OF MOURNING IN SEMI-FINAL is a new book by Brandon Sanderson, the author of Mistborn. It’s been voted into the Semi-Final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards. If you’re a fan of the Mistborn series, you’re likely to love The Bands of Mourning in particular.
For anyone who’s been keeping up with the lore of Wax and his gang, you’re probably interested in the upcoming fourth and fifth books in the series. While the third novel, Shadows of Self, has a bit of an emotional payoff, the fourth, The Bands of Mourning, is a much faster-paced adventure.
Calamity is an interesting albeit supernatural being that orbits a cosmic phenomenon known as the ISS. It gives humans superhuman powers, but it also preys upon them.
The calamity is not in paradise, but it does the job if you know what you’re doing. A man wearing a mask corrupted the calamity god’s mind, but he still wanted to save his family.
THE BANDS OF MOURNING
Bands of Mourning, a new Brandon Sanderson novel, is the third volume in the Mistborn series and is expected to be a huge hit with fans. The 450-page tome will be out in late January. Featuring characters from the Mistborn trilogy and its ilk, the book follows Waxillium Ladrian as he travels the land of the dead to the land of the living, where his uncle Edward is reclaiming his crown as the faceless immortal.
The book has been hailed as the best Sanderson has produced to date and is set to be a big hit. Fans of the series will be pleased to learn that the book features the characters from the trilogy and their ilk, including MeLaan and Steris. And for those who don’t like wading through pages of text, there’s an option to purchase the novel in the form of an eBook.
There’s also a new series of novels to look forward to in the coming year. The first installment, Calamity, will be in the Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction genre. While the book won’t be released in the United States, fans can rejoice that they can order a copy from a number of outlets around the globe.
WHY MOROCCAN FANS WERE TURNED AWAY FROM THE SPAIN QUARTER-FINAL
The Atlas Lions are one step away from becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup. They defeated Spain, the 2010 World champions, in a penalty shootout. And the Moroccan team’s success has been greeted with a flood of racist comments on social media.
The African country’s victory in the last 16 is a major boost to the national team. It’s the first time Morocco has made it past the quarterfinals since 1986.
The Atlas Lions had the best performance of any African team at the tournament, displaying both technical ability and a great deal of stoutness. Despite conceding an own goal, the side was serene in their demeanor and had a good sense of defensive strategy.
Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made three saves to deny the Spanish team. Sofyan Amrabat was an essential player in the team’s defensive effort. Hakim Ziyech, who plays for the Morocco national team, has served 20 crosses. He’s put eight shots on goal.
WHEN THE SEMI-FINAL RUN WILL BE REVIEWED EXCLUSIVELY BY WARNER BROS
For the past few years, Warner Bros. has been testing out the idea of releasing some of its biggest movies in theatres and on HBO Max simultaneously. They have had mixed success.
The most successful movie to come from this strategy was Lethal Weapon, which grossed $120 million against a $15 million budget. The film features a lot of gore, but it is still pretty funny.
The company has also experimented with releasing films exclusively on HBO Max. They removed a comedy-thriller called “Run” with Merritt and Gleeson. This was only one of the 28 films they’ve taken off of the platform.
Another major release was the reboot of House Party, which was to premiere on HBO Max on July 28. However, the studio pulled the plug on the project.
Next year, Warner Bros. will return to releasing theatrical films only in theatres. It is also looking into accounting for any movies that were not released as write-downs.