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| Cover of Blue Thunder (Special Edition) |
The films that I'll be listing in my April postings will not necessarily be films that I'd call my favorite films, but they will be favorites in the genres I'll be naming. The A to Z genres are very specific micro genres as opposed to the broader genres like action, romance, or comedy.
For 'F' I used flying films as my topic. That list only listed films that featured airplanes. What I missed were films that include flying in balloons, jet-pack suits, spacecraft, and helicopters. The latter is my topic for 'H'.
Many post World War Two films feature helicopter scenes. This is a great motif for action drama allowing for air chases, rescues, and other dramatic aerial scenes. There is a certain fascination with a helicopter's abilities to take off vertically, hover in the air, and maneuver through urban settings. Those spinning rotors are pretty mesmerizing as well.
The following films either feature notable helicopter scenes or helicopters as a major part of the plot:
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) --The helicopter chasing the vehicle is pretty cool though a fairly short sequence. An outstanding film in a very good series.
Black Hawk Down (2001)-- Just about any modern war movie will feature helicopters since they have become such an integral part of warfare. A film named after a helicopter and about a helicopter crew is a no-brainer for this list.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) -- Okay, so officially the aircraft in the film is a gyroplane, but it looks and functions like a small helicopter. Close enough for this list. This is among my favorite films
Blue Thunder (1983) -- This is probably the ultimate helicopter film. Roy Scheider stars as a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter pilot who steals a new model copter--the Blue Thunder--that he discovers will be illegally used for crowd control. There are some great stunts using real copters and models. Fantastic flying action over Los Angeles.
Apocalypse Now (1979) -- The most iconic helicopter movie scene of all time has to be the helicopter raid scene in this film where Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" is blared from loudspeakers on the aircraft as they attack the Vietnamese village. One of my top five favorite films.
Can you add any great helicopter films to this list? Are there any helicopter films from the 50's or 60's that you can think of? What is the best helicopter movie stunt that you've seen?
In Blogging News:
Be sure to check out the Monday April 8th post at The Writing Nut. Nutschell did a great job of recapping the blogging workshop that I conducted in Los Angeles recently.
Hope you will also visit the new bloggers who were at the workshop and decided to join in the A to Z Challenge at the last minute. Stop in, leave a comment, and follow their blogs. They'd love to have your support.
Bloggers from CBW-LA participating in the A to Z Challenge:
Bloggers from CBW-LA participating in the A to Z Challenge:
Kat at A Writer's Musings
Chontali at Profiling Great Americans
Michael at Nouveau Scarecrow
Christina at Raising Twins
Lucy at Kids Math Teacher
Alana at Writercize
Also with blogs but not doing A to Z:
Samantha at Samantha Combs Writes
Jennifer at J.L. Carson, Storyteller
Alana at Writercize
Also with blogs but not doing A to Z:
Samantha at Samantha Combs Writes
Jennifer at J.L. Carson, Storyteller
