Disaster Films

The Poseidon Adventure (1972 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 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.

Disaster Films

       I'm a real sucker for disaster films.  The more action, the better the disaster experience is for me, but sometimes it's the story that impacts me the most and in those cases I may not need to have the special effects.  I hope I never have to experience any disasters in real life, but I'll gladly take a movie version for entertainment sake.

      My first disaster film was Godzilla in 1955.  I was five at the time and fascinated by the destruction of Tokyo.  Disaster films have always seemed to be a mainstay of the movie industry so I guess I'm not the only one who likes this sort of thing.  In the past few decades the effects have become so much more realistic that it's sometimes almost as though we are seeing the real thing.  For me it becomes easy to let go and suspend disbelief for the disaster movie experience.

Here are a few disaster films that I've enjoyed (no earthquake films--those come tomorrow):

Dante's Peak (1997) -- I thought the opening scenes were very effective, but it became especially exciting to see a devastating volcano occurring right here in the United States.   Decent effects with an exciting story.

Deep Impact (1998) or Armageddon (1998) -- Similar type movies released in the same year, take your pick or if you're like me take 'em both.  Who doesn't want to see a big rock from outer space collide with Earth to create utter havoc?

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961) -- This older film is not particularly big on effects, but is more thoughtful as it focuses on story and acting.  This is one of my favorite films.  It's probably one of the earliest films that addresses the concept of global warming.   I love the ending of this film--so fiftyish.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004) -- A more recent global warming movie and possibly one of Al Gore's favorites.  Heavy on CGI (computer effects) there is a lot of visual fun in this one.   Big floods.  I like to see big floods.

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) --I read the book and saw the movie.  This is the original and not the more recent remake, which I missed but heard was not all that great.   A ship turned upside down and a group of people has to escape by climbing up to the hull.  Lots of cool fun and excitement with a dynamite cast.

Titanic (1997) -- This oft told story hit true mega blockbuster status when it came out and remains a favorite of many.   Very fine special effects.

2012 (2009) -- This is a big favorite of mine.  Totally stupid, outrageous, unrealistic (in concept), and nonsensical.   Disaster movies don't get much better than this in nonstop action and very fine CGI effects.  This is like one of those virtual reality rides at an amusement park.  In fact I wouldn't mind at all taking this ride although a couple of hours of this kind of intensity could be pretty wearying.  Great fun nevertheless.


        Got any favorites in this bunch?   Do you like disaster movies?   What are some you would have included?

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon--my review

          I don't review movies too often on this blog, but after seeing this film I felt compelled to say something about it since I had been kind of looking forward to seeing it.   This is the review I put on Amazon and I thought I'd share it here.

			Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) DVD ~ Shia LaBeouf Price: $24.99
My Wife Fell Asleep and I Wish I Had  I'll give this movie 5 stars for special effects, but who cares. Talk about overkill. This is for the video game crowd who can stand to play for hours on end. If you want a similar thrill as this movie gives but not take 2 1/2 hours to do it you could try to down a fifth of tequila real fast or jump off of a tall building and land on your head. The effects are spectacular, the acting is very good, production values all top quality, and the soundtrack music reminds you when you should feel sad, excited, tense, or whatever. The problem is I didn't feel much of anything except really bored. My favorite part of the movie was the ending--or should I say, when it ended. Oh man, I couldn't wait for this film to end. But compulsive as I am to watch a film all the way through, I stayed to the end. What a waste. Yeah, this is the kind of film the makes you want to stand up and cheer. When it was over I jumped up and cheered, "Yay! It's over at last!" The things lacking in this movie are good story and heart. It's the same old song that we've heard before and it's not one you want to sing along with. Maybe if they'd saved a hundred million or so and made the film about an hour and a half shorter and then distributed the wealth of what they'd saved to people who needed it, the world would have been a better place and the film makers and investors would have still made a ton of money off of it. If you haven't seen this film yet and decide to do so, you can't say I didn't warn you. Sometimes people think they just have to suffer the torture to see what it's like for themselves. Ouch--my head hurts.           Did you see Transformers: Dark of the Moon?   What do you think of special effects laden films?  What is your preference: amazing special effects or good story?

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• 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' Wins Weekend Box Office (blogs.forbes.com)
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