Top five disaster movies.

[gemsybobsy]

GOD I'm depressed *melodramatic gesture*. Even after all your lovely comments, my mind is still on war, death and destruction. So I thought I'd write about disaster movies. I love disaster movies. Ones where I'm really drawn in to the characters' plight, so much so that I'm actually shivering with fear, but also laughing at the hammy acting and cheesy one-liners. Haha. The films you can watch and you don't have to imagine what it would be like, 'cause it's all there on screen. I'm not really into 'action' or America To The Rescue or one man saving the world (unless he's the Doctor of course). I like the films that focus on individuals. There's millions of people in peril, and I want to know how the average man would deal. Their families, their emotions and reactions. Especially if it's a modern, Western country. After a good disaster movie I'm always left with the feeling of, "Damn, I almost want that to happen to see how we'd really cope."

I know all of that's a bit controversial given the events of recent years (9/11, 7/7, New Orleans, the tsunami...) Of course I was affected and saddened and scared when those things happened. But I still like reading people's stories; how they survived/suffered/died. I can't help it, it intrigues me. Morbid fascination, or whatever. So anyway, I like disaster movies. Twister is my ultimate favourite, but I didn't put it in my top five because it only really focuses on weather geeks. Here goes!

Title: War of the Worlds
Antagonist: Martians (original), other aliens (2005 movie)
Why I love it: Of course I loved the book/musical/old film already, it was creepy as hell and scared me. Brilliant. But. The modern film? PROPER SHIT ME UP. Seriously. That lightning. Oh my God. The heat rays, instant disintegration... I think seeing that old story in such a modern concept made it all worse. Scary stuff. Those evil tripods from a vague eerie memory suddenly blasting their way through shop fronts, stomping through flyovers and railway bridges like actual terrorists. And the SOUND they make! Aaargh! I don't know why that film did so badly, I thought it was awesome. The little girl (Dakota Fanning), especially. She's brilliant. I think the bit that got to me the most was the scene with all the people trying to steal the car, at the cost of lives. I think I ended up being more scared of the humans than I was of the tripods.
Best cheesy line: "Get in, Manny, or you're gonna die!"

Title: Deep Impact
Antagonist: Naughty comet
Why I love it: I reckon it's the anticipation that gets you with this one. You know it's coming; you can SEE the fucker in the sky. And then, when you think there's a bit of hope, you get a phone call saying you're not allowed in the damn shelter. Aw snap.
Best cheesy line: "Life will go on. We will prevail!"

Title: The Day After Tomorrow
Antagonist: Global warming omg.
Why I love it: It's SO over the top it's untrue. Lol, tidal wave. Lol, boat in the middle of NYC. Lol, oh look - there's wolves on it too. Oh and by the way? LOL - the ice is actually chasing you. Owned.
Best cheesy line: "I will come for you, do you understand me?!"

Title: 28 Days Later...
Antagonist: Killer virus/The Infected
Why I love it: Well, it's brilliant, innit. And again - the scariest bit of that film is the soldiers at the end. After all the death and plague, the only thing left to fear is other human beings. And I can well imagine the fear, especially if one of them is Christopher Eccleston. The man is downright terrifying in this.
Best cheesy line: "Plans are pointless. Staying alive is as good as it gets."

Title: I Am Legend
Antagonist: Rogue 'cancer cure' virus/infected zombie/vampire creatures
Why I love it: Brilliant film. How can a movie with one bloke, one dog and hardly any dialogue draw you in so much? It was amazing. I loved the flashbacks and all the panic. The ending pissed me off a bit - who gives a toss about the woman and her kid? And where was the 'legend'? Losers. But. A great film. I just preferred the alternative ending.
Best Cheesy Line: "God didn't do this. We did!"

Can you suggest any more I might like? Also, remember: if you ever get caught in a nasty situation, it's always good to have the disaster movie Rules of Survival to hand!

Comments

hurrah

[osyenya.livejournal.com]

i love twister. i caught the last half of it on tv at the weekend and peter was mocking me for liking it. i am a big fan of disaster/blockbuster movies and he thinks they're shit. haha. but i don't care.

i love independence day, titanic, backdraft, towering inferno, day after tomorrow.. does jurassic park count?, dantes peak (haha), apollo 13?.. that's all i can think of right now. i wanna go home and watch something disastrous!

Re: hurrah

[osyenya.livejournal.com]

and the cheesy lines are what make the films! :D
especially THE speech in independence day. haha

Re: hurrah

[thebarkside.livejournal.com]

Haha, I forgot all about Independence Day! That has the BEST cheesy speech ever!

Seen that, and Titanic, and Jurassic Park <3 (the sequels were rubbish though!) I'll add all those other ones you mentioned to my "to watch" list. :D Can't wait! Dante's Peak's about a volcano isn't it? Can't believe I haven't seen that. I've seen a couple of awesome volcano ones, but can't remember what they were called!

Re: hurrah

[osyenya.livejournal.com]

well, there's VOLCANO too, but i prefer dantes peak. i watched an AWFUL film with my mum once and i really wish i could remember what it was called or more about it so i could google it. something with a dam bursting or something, but the effects were shit. another one i had was 'flood'. why robert carlyle, why???

Re: hurrah

[osyenya.livejournal.com]

HATE, not had. i HATE it.

Re: hurrah

[thebarkside.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, FLOOD. It sounds rubbish! I have to see it!

Yeah, I think VOLCANO!!!! was the one I saw, hahahaha. Great title. <3 A volcano like, appears in the middle of a city or something? And there's another one about the supervolcano at Yellowstone, which is epic.

I also have Threads on DVD but it's broken. Nuclear stuff <3<3<3

Re: hurrah

[osyenya.livejournal.com]

oh this is the one i was thinking of...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338034/

i like the bit about the animated water looking unrealistic. lolz

Re: hurrah

[thebarkside.livejournal.com]

\m/ KILLER FLOOD, hahaha. I need to find a DVD right now. :D

Re: hurrah

[osyenya.livejournal.com]

we've been having debates in the office about what makes a film a disaster film. like titantic seems to be in a lot of lists but one of my colleagues says it isn't a disaster film.

Re: hurrah

[thebarkside.livejournal.com]

I guess it is, on an ickle scale... I prefer MOAR DEATH though, tbh. I remembered another one earlier - Atomic Train (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144039/). Lolz.

[boywonder44.livejournal.com]

The problem with I Am Legend, as amazing as it was, was how far it deviated from the original novel. The reason Neville originally becomes legend, is because during the day, he goes out and kills the zombie!vampires while they sleep. They soon come to fear him as much as he fears them, and he literally becomes a legend among the vampires.

I dunno, it was awesome before they started making it all actiony and stuff. There's an alternative ending that you should check out too, if you haven't already.

[thebarkside.livejournal.com]

INNIT! I was so pissed off that they left that out! I liked the ending, up until the hand grenade, with the zombie/vampire being all cautious of Neville, which was supposed to happen... that moment of meeting, both scared of each other.

I prefer the alternative ending. But still - wtf was the deal with the woman and the annoying kid? Hahaha...

[(Anonymous)]

28 days later is the reason I found it so hard to get into the first new series of Dr Who. I waiting for him to go psycho soldier and start raping people.

If the zombies attack, I'll be in the pub throwing Bryan Adams records at them!

[thebarkside.livejournal.com]

EWWW. DEATH BY RAPINGS OR VIRUS = BETTER THAN LISTENING TO BRYAN ADAMS.

[(Anonymous)]

Thats the logic behind throwing Bryan Adams at the Virus ridden zombies on a rapeathon.
Now if we could get the actual Bryan Adams to throw we could sell tickets. It'd be like ancient rome. The fucker don't stand a chance but we're gonna pay to watch him be ripped apart anyway!

[communist-tom.livejournal.com]

First of all, Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World is a FANTASTIC film. So to hell with everyone.

The thing I find is, `stuff` usually isn't believable, for example an Alien monster, oooh scary. People are scary, so in films they're normally the ones who freak me out, not so much scare, just unsettle me, because when the shit hits the fan, people tend to be horrible, and when people are powerless to do anything it, it's all eugh. Like in Mad max or something, when the gang gets hold of the couple in the car.

Also I don't like films with too much of one thing in, like snow, or lava or the SEA it just gets too much >_< That's why I didn't like the Day After Tomorrow Much, best thing in it though: Dennis Quaid. Also... that film is silly because the bad guy is COLD!! It chases them!
Film recommendation for Dennis Quaid: Innerspace.

Disaster movies hmm.
Dante's peak is amazing because of Pierce Brosnan, who is typecast as `The best man you've got` no matter what he's doing. ... PAUL THIS VOLCANO IS GONNA BLOW, I'M THE BEST VULCANOLOGIST YOU'VE GOT!
Oh, and cheesiest Pierce Brosnan films are probably Live Wire, or Death Train... it's called DEATH TRAIN for gods sake.

The speech from Independence day is awesome because it's Bill Pullman who says it, and he's just amazingly naff. <3
Bill Pullman films: Watch Ruthless people or Spaceballs.

Actual disaster movies?... I'll have think... all the main ones have been taken.
Apart from Earthquake and the Posiden adventure, but I was never really in to those.

[thebarkside.livejournal.com]

hahahahaHAHA That Pierce Brosnan line just made me DIE OF LULZ. "Paul!"

PAUL!
PAUL MATE! VOLCANO, YEAH?

OMG, dying.

I fucking love the CHEESE. And YAY FOR INNERSPACE, that film is amazing. Haha. I must buy it tomorrow! And Spaceballs, I love it so. <3

Thanks for your suggestions, bb xXxXXxXXXXXXxxx