ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[Fran]

A comment from IMDb:

"Outbreak" isn't any kind of masterpiece, but worth seeing nevertheless. Portraying the army trying to contain a deadly virus brought by a monkey smuggled into the country, the movie seems especially relevant, what with bird flu and all. A particularly disturbing scene takes place in a movie theater, when a person coughs and the camera follows the particles catching on everyone's lips as they laugh, unaware of the fate that awaits them.

The always dependable Dustin Hoffman plays as intense a role as ever as the colonel in charge of trying to control the virus. Rene Russo, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Cuba Gooding Jr. also play their roles very well. Donald Sutherland's menacing looks are perfect for the kind of character whom he plays. All in all, Wolfgang Petersen directs another good one here.

[southendmd]

A rather ambivalent IMDb review:

A 'Bad' movie can still be fun to watch, especially one that sinks Titanic in special effects...

This is a remake of The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Before you jump on the bandwagon and start bashing it on this basis alone, keep it mind that the original film was not exactly a masterpiece. It was a film that sacrificed scientific reality to propel an inane plot, filled with one-dimensional characters and compensated for it with action-overload. Poseidon is exactly the same -- ridiculous plot, intrepid characters and big slice of adventure. What is different in this version is the masterful CGI. This is a perfect time to remake a film like this (much better than in 1972) -- just go overboard with special effects and no one will notice the flawed writing (which is basically a sketchbook mess).

This is the reason Poseidon does not fail in entertaining the audience. I'll admit that I was skeptical when Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas appeared in all her plastic surgery glory and Josh Lucas spouted out some cheeseball line ("Where is the disco?" "Why, you feel like dancing now?"), but I set its cringeworthy dialogue aside early on and focused my energy on not wanting to kill Fergie. The giant tidal wave capsizing the luxury liner Poseidon would take care of that, leaving only a small group of people fighting to reach the top and get out.

Another thing, besides special effects, that is by far better in this version is that the characters are actually interested in surviving and do not stop every few minutes for a petty argument as in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Make no mistake however, these characters are still dumb to the core, getting by on lucky circumstances, occasional heroic feats and conveniently appearing objects and hatches – you've seen it all before, but damn, this is sensationally quality action.

Overall, Poseidon is bathed in a militantly hectic mood and is as fast-paced as any action film you'll see. It features mind-numbing special effects, overdoses of excitement and just typical Wolfgang Peterson overkill. It definitely won't disappoint you if you're looking for cheap but solid adrenaline kicks. I'd even happily sit through this experience again.

[Ellemeno]

 

[MaineWriter]

This actually sounds like a good movie! With Tyrone Power and Myrna Loy.



from IMDb:

The year is 1938 in British India, and our story takes place in the picturesque city of Ranchipur, presently sweltering under the heat, with locals praying for much needed rains and relief. In this scenario we have an elegant Maharaja, Man Singh Bahadur, and his astute and wise wife, the Maharani of Ranchipur; a perpetual drunk and womanizer, Tom Ransome, who is presently courting an 18 year old runaway from the local Mission by the name of Fern; Lord Albert Esketh, and his wife, Edwina, a former lover of Tom, who are on a visit to Ranchipur, and wish to purchase some of the Maharaja's horses; Then there is Dr. Major Rama Safti, a Hindu who is currently having an affair with Lord Albert's wife, and who is the heir apparent to the throne of Ranchipur. All plans of the citizens of Ranchipur are cut short with heavy incessant rains, followed by earthquakes, flooding, polluted waters, and then - plague. And as well we all know disasters and disease have never discriminated against the Christians or Hindus; the Caucasians or the Asians; nor between the rich and the poor.

[Fran]

...which I happened to see on Oxygen this morning.



From IMDb:

Around the world, the signs of the Apocalypse -- as outlined in the Book of Revelation -- seem to be coming to pass in the wake of a mysterious wanderer. Father Lucci, the Vatican Emissary assigned to investigate, dismisses the occurrences as natural, but Abby Quinn, a young American woman, has reason to fear they're real -- and that the unfolding events may spell disaster for her unborn child.

[oilgun]

From IMDb: "The Towering Inferno," one in a string of disaster movies of the 1970s, was promoted as a tribute to firefighters and their heroic work. It was also among the highest-grossing box office draws of the mid-1970s. The finishing touches have just been made to the Glass Tower, a 138-story skyscraper in the heart of San Francisco. A huge celebratory gala, complete with VIP guests, has been planned to celebrate the dedication of what has been promoted as the world's tallest building. But the building's architect, Doug Roberts, suspects all is not right with the building. The contractors have used shoddy wiring, not the heavy-duty wiring he had specified. The overworked wiring develops short circuits, coincidentally enough during the height of the celebratory extravaganza; it isn't long before the Glass Tower becomes a huge towering inferno. The nearly 300 guests become trapped on the building's 135th floor, where the party takes place. Fire Chief Michael O'Hallorhan immediately devises a daring plan to rescue the trapped guests, but his efforts quickly become a battle against time and the panicked guests.

[MaineWriter]

In English, The Last Days of Pompeii

[Fran]

A comment at IMDb:

If the creators of this movie had even gone to Jr. High or bothered to open a book once in their life, they would have found out that lava is really HOT and MELTS things. It can NOT flow uphill, or be stopped by a bunch of firemen with highway barriers. In short, this movie is so frigging unrealistic, it would make any science teacher cry.

[southendmd]

IMDb:  The War Game is one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. It's a pseudo-documentary made in 1965, about the possible effects of a nuclear attack on Great Britain. The director's premise is that Britain (and indeed the world) is hopelessly unprepared for such a thing. Some classic scenes: befuddled Brits receiving civil defence booklets. Blank stares greeting the interviewer when he asks Brits on the street about radioactive fallout. The footage is all made to look horribly real. Some of it looks a little hokey - the use of a shaky camera to simulate a desperate ground battle stands out - but there are also very convincing scenes of firestorms raging out of control, sucking the oxygen out of the air for blocks around. Also, incredible scenes of radiation burn victims, food riots, police polishing off the near dead, etc... The killer part is at the end - an interview with some young blast victims will haunt you for a long time.

[southendmd]

A disaster movie that doesn't have to show the disaster.  Superb book (Nevil Shute) and film (Stanley Kramer).

A comment on IMDb: 

In an era (1959) and on a topic (nuclear war) that usually demands melodrama, "On the Beach" resists. In fact, the all-star principal cast and director Stanley Kramer seem to treat the topic as a stage play, focussing on the individual. And that is how such a story should be treated. Life on the northern hemisphere has been destroyed a defence mistake by one of the (then) two superpowers. Gregory Peck's nuclear-powered submarine was submerged at the time (they stayed under water for a hell of a long time in those days). The sub heads for Melbourne, Australia, which is one of the only places in the world not yet affected by radiation. But the radiation will come, and this is where the truth of the piece comes out.

The inhabitants of 'the end of the world' go through what you would expect: denial, anger, clinging to the thinnest hope, and finally, resignation. As I said at the start, this is clearly a story about the individual. Kramer knows this, and the cast of Ava Gardner, Tony Perkins, John Meillon and Fred Astaire play it with a reality that is all too rare. Even recent films like Final Impact fail to deliver on this count. The real joy of the film is the pacing, which gives the cast the chance to play it like it should be played. Astaire proves he is an actor, and only once slips into his raised eyebrow 'top hat and tails' mode. It is a well thought out movie without the Hollywood ending, but such is the art of Kramer that the ending is a good resolution, not just a funeral. The camera work is exceptional throughout, starting with the continuous shots in Peck's submarine. I don't know about the Waltzing Matilda music at the start, however. But it does work later in the piece, and makes it worthy of the Academy Award nomination it received.