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Disaster Movies You Shouldn't Miss
July 28th 2009 00:33
Disaster movies are almost always good box office draws. When I was in my teens, there was a glut of big budget disaster movies where worse case scenarios were played out in theaters across the country. The following is a list of some of my favorites. Some of the older movies might show up on cable or on late night television. Others are available on DVD from your local library or rental store.
A Night to Remember: (1958) Before James Cameron's 1997 film "Titanic" this film was about the sinking of the "unsinkable" ship on its maiden voyage was the film to watch. It was filmed in the style of a documentary and while it lacks the special effects of Cameron's version the emotional impact of the movie is powerful.
Airport: (1970) This film about a crippled airliner that must be landed in a blizzard is one of the first big budget disaster films of the 70's. Based on the novel by Alex Hailey, the film featured a stellar cast including Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin.
The Towering Inferno:(1974) This movie can make you fear going into skyscrapers. The premise is quite simple: the world's tallest building (138 floors) opens to the public amid great fanfare. When a fire breaks out on an upper floor, the fire chief, (Steve McQueen) and the architect (Paul Newman) race to rescue people trapped in the burning building.
War of the Worlds:(2005) Steven Spielberg's version of H.G. Wells' classic novel starred Tom Cruise as a divorced father who tries to escape an alien invasion with his two children. Even though the 1953 version scared me as a child, the special effects in the modern version makes it worth watching.
Armageddon:(1998) Michael Bay's film about a crew sent into space to destroy an asteroid that is set to collide with Earth stars Bruce Willis. It has the kind of big special effects you expect from Bay's films. Owen Wilson and Steve Buscemi round out the cast which includes Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Billy Bob Thornton.
A Night to Remember: (1958) Before James Cameron's 1997 film "Titanic" this film was about the sinking of the "unsinkable" ship on its maiden voyage was the film to watch. It was filmed in the style of a documentary and while it lacks the special effects of Cameron's version the emotional impact of the movie is powerful.
Airport: (1970) This film about a crippled airliner that must be landed in a blizzard is one of the first big budget disaster films of the 70's. Based on the novel by Alex Hailey, the film featured a stellar cast including Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin.
The Towering Inferno:(1974) This movie can make you fear going into skyscrapers. The premise is quite simple: the world's tallest building (138 floors) opens to the public amid great fanfare. When a fire breaks out on an upper floor, the fire chief, (Steve McQueen) and the architect (Paul Newman) race to rescue people trapped in the burning building.
War of the Worlds:(2005) Steven Spielberg's version of H.G. Wells' classic novel starred Tom Cruise as a divorced father who tries to escape an alien invasion with his two children. Even though the 1953 version scared me as a child, the special effects in the modern version makes it worth watching.
Armageddon:(1998) Michael Bay's film about a crew sent into space to destroy an asteroid that is set to collide with Earth stars Bruce Willis. It has the kind of big special effects you expect from Bay's films. Owen Wilson and Steve Buscemi round out the cast which includes Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Billy Bob Thornton.
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Action/Adventure
Duh! Where are the content Police when I need them?
July 22nd 2009 19:23
I wasn't feeling well last week, if you read my ramblings very regularly you may have noticed that I posted very little. And what I did post said very clearly "Mature Content".
Which makes it sound as if I've turned from main stream films and rounded the corner into porno. As if.
Actually, when I was writing about the film "North Dallas Forty" I was thinking that the movie contained mature content. Lots of lusty American football players indulging in drugs and sex, half naked bodies in the gym working out, you know the kind of stuff I mean.
So when it came time to finish the post I clicked the tag that is intended to warn my readers that I am writing a post that contains mature content. Its meant to warn you if I go off the chain and decide to call some one ugly names or say what I really think about the comic genius of Jim Carrey. Not to tell you that the movie I am discussing contains a very young Nick Nolte having sex with a very lovely young woman.
So if you missed that post because you thought I had gone off my meds, I am sorry.
Which makes it sound as if I've turned from main stream films and rounded the corner into porno. As if.
Actually, when I was writing about the film "North Dallas Forty" I was thinking that the movie contained mature content. Lots of lusty American football players indulging in drugs and sex, half naked bodies in the gym working out, you know the kind of stuff I mean.
So when it came time to finish the post I clicked the tag that is intended to warn my readers that I am writing a post that contains mature content. Its meant to warn you if I go off the chain and decide to call some one ugly names or say what I really think about the comic genius of Jim Carrey. Not to tell you that the movie I am discussing contains a very young Nick Nolte having sex with a very lovely young woman.
So if you missed that post because you thought I had gone off my meds, I am sorry.
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Action/Adventure
Disney's G Force
July 22nd 2009 16:03
Is there anyone who doesn't look forward to new releases from Disney? Ever since Walt Disney brought us "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937, the Disney name has stood for excellence in animation. In the same way Jerry Bruckheimer has come to be identified with action and adventure. The two have paired up in the past to bring us "Pirates of the Caribbean" and other films. The newest offering from the two film makers is "G-Force." Which is about an elite squad of secret agents who happen to be Guinea Pigs. Yes, Guinea Pigs, the furry little rodents you kept in a pen in the back yard as a child are the latest entry into the field of espionage.
I have to admit the idea of a Napoleon, the Guinea pig I owned as a child, geared up with James Bond type gadgets and saving the world makes me giggle a little even as I'm typing. Penelope Cruz provides the voice of Juarez, a martial arts specialist and Nicholas Gage as Speckles, a mole who works with the team. Sam Rockwell provides the voice of Darwin, the team leader and Tracy Morgan is Blaster. The plot is predictable, the elite G-Force must save the world from an evil billionaire. The film looks like loads of fun for the kids, with a few giggles for the adults as well.[ Click here to read more ]
I have to admit the idea of a Napoleon, the Guinea pig I owned as a child, geared up with James Bond type gadgets and saving the world makes me giggle a little even as I'm typing. Penelope Cruz provides the voice of Juarez, a martial arts specialist and Nicholas Gage as Speckles, a mole who works with the team. Sam Rockwell provides the voice of Darwin, the team leader and Tracy Morgan is Blaster. The plot is predictable, the elite G-Force must save the world from an evil billionaire. The film looks like loads of fun for the kids, with a few giggles for the adults as well.
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Family Friendly
North Dallas Forty
July 14th 2009 02:27
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Classics Old and New
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
July 8th 2009 17:36
I'll say it here because even though you can say mean things to me if you like, you can't actually stone me. I'm not a fan of the Harry Potter books. When the books were first published I tried reading them but after the first chapters I simply gave up. Then came the movies.
I didn't go to see the first five films in the theater but my children did and loved them all. When they came out on DVD, we bought them and I found that unlike most adaptations, I thought the movies were more interesting than the books. So I have to admit, I'm looking forward to the opening of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" this month. I want to know what happens during the sixth year at Hogwarts[ Click here to read more ]
I didn't go to see the first five films in the theater but my children did and loved them all. When they came out on DVD, we bought them and I found that unlike most adaptations, I thought the movies were more interesting than the books. So I have to admit, I'm looking forward to the opening of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" this month. I want to know what happens during the sixth year at Hogwarts
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Family Friendly
Movies for the 4th of July
July 4th 2009 03:00
Just in case your picnic gets rained out and you have to spend the day inside with your DVD player, here is a list of movies that are on my "must see" list for the 4th of July.
1. "1776": This 1972 musical directed by Peter H. Hunt depicts the events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Ken Howard portrays Thomas Jefferson, William Daniels is John Adams and Blythe Danner is Martha Jefferson[ Click here to read more ]
1. "1776": This 1972 musical directed by Peter H. Hunt depicts the events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Ken Howard portrays Thomas Jefferson, William Daniels is John Adams and Blythe Danner is Martha Jefferson
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Action/Adventure
Twilight "New Moon"
July 3rd 2009 00:41
Twilight fans will be thrilled to know that filming on "Eclipse" , the third installment of the saga is set to start on August 17 in Vancouver. The filming is scheduled to wrap on October 31. "Eclipse" has a release date of June 30,2010.
"New Moon", the filmed version of the second book in the "Twilight" saga is scheduled to be released on November 20,2009. For those who haven't read the books, "New Moon" picks up the story of Bella Swan (Kristin Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) where the first movie left off. Edward decides that Bella is better off without him in her life. The entire Cullen family leaves Forks. At first Bella is depressed but she soon rekindles her friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Jacob is part of a pack of shape shifters. (I know Stephenie Meyer calls them werewolves but they aren't.) Since the shape shifters and the vampires are enemies, Bella soon finds her loyalties divided. In "New Moon" Stephenie Meyer also introduced her readers to the Volturi, an ancient "family" of vampires that are, in my opinion, more interesting than the Cullen family[ Click here to read more ]
"New Moon", the filmed version of the second book in the "Twilight" saga is scheduled to be released on November 20,2009. For those who haven't read the books, "New Moon" picks up the story of Bella Swan (Kristin Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) where the first movie left off. Edward decides that Bella is better off without him in her life. The entire Cullen family leaves Forks. At first Bella is depressed but she soon rekindles her friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Jacob is part of a pack of shape shifters. (I know Stephenie Meyer calls them werewolves but they aren't.) Since the shape shifters and the vampires are enemies, Bella soon finds her loyalties divided. In "New Moon" Stephenie Meyer also introduced her readers to the Volturi, an ancient "family" of vampires that are, in my opinion, more interesting than the Cullen family
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Family Friendly
Farrah Fawcett 1947-2009
June 25th 2009 18:57
Farrah Fawcett lost her long battle with cancer today June 25 2009, in Los Angeles. The actress was 62.
Born in Corpus Christi Texas, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. While there, she appeared in a photo spread of the "Ten Most Beautiful Coeds". A Hollywood publicist saw the photo spread in "Cashbox" magazine and encouraged her to move to Los Angeles. After working in commercials, she began her film career in 1969 playing the role of Patricia in the movie "Love is a Funny Thing". Ms. Fawcett shot to international fame in 1976 playing the part of Jill Monroe in the series "Charlie's Angles[ Click here to read more ]
Born in Corpus Christi Texas, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. While there, she appeared in a photo spread of the "Ten Most Beautiful Coeds". A Hollywood publicist saw the photo spread in "Cashbox" magazine and encouraged her to move to Los Angeles. After working in commercials, she began her film career in 1969 playing the role of Patricia in the movie "Love is a Funny Thing". Ms. Fawcett shot to international fame in 1976 playing the part of Jill Monroe in the series "Charlie's Angles
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Family Friendly
An Apology
June 24th 2009 03:52
In yesterday's post, I posted a video I found of a fan made trailer for Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland". In my haste to get my post online, I didn't pay close enough attention. While the pictures I linked to in the post were from the production, the video was not. It should never have been posted as it was because it left the reader with the impression that it was officially connected to the film.
Fortunately, a comment by a reader made me realize my error. My only excuse is that I am new to blogging, I was excited to see the pictures on EW.com and I learned a nifty new trick i.e. embedding a video. I suppose that's three excuses.
[ Click here to read more ]
Fortunately, a comment by a reader made me realize my error. My only excuse is that I am new to blogging, I was excited to see the pictures on EW.com and I learned a nifty new trick i.e. embedding a video. I suppose that's three excuses.
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Family Friendly
Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland"
June 22nd 2009 20:42
Tim Burton has given us Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands and Willie Wonka. Next March, Burton and Depp with Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway to produce Burton's version of "Alice in Wonderland".
The concept of the story is a bit different from Lewis Carroll's book. Burton's Alice is 17 when she finds herself following a white rabbit down a hole to Wonderland, a place she had visited 10 years earlier. USA Today has published some concept art from the production that is amazing[ Click here to read more ]
The concept of the story is a bit different from Lewis Carroll's book. Burton's Alice is 17 when she finds herself following a white rabbit down a hole to Wonderland, a place she had visited 10 years earlier. USA Today has published some concept art from the production that is amazing
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Posted By: Cathy Setzer - Category: Family Friendly
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