Topic: Mini-Marathon: Elemental Disasters

[addicted2dvd]

Elemental Disasters
I am off the next couple days and wanted a little break from my current marathon so decided to do a mini-marathon of disaster films.
 One for each of the elements....Earth, Wind, Fire & Water! In this rare occasion I am even naming the films I will watch instead of having choices for each.

Earth: Megafault

Wind: Twister

Fire: The Towering Inferno

Water: Poseidon

[GSyren]

Megafault... from The Asylum. You know what that means, don't you. Clearly the weakest of the four. But can be ok if you're in the right mood. Twister is not bad, except for one scene. Poseidon is ok, but not in the same class of the original. The Towering Inferno is really good, definitely the best of the four.

[addicted2dvd]

I have seen two of the four before (MegaFault & Twister)...While Megafault wasn't the best of it's kind... I enjoyed it quite a bit.

[addicted2dvd]

Megafault (2009/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (United States) Director: David Michael Latt Writing: Paul Bales (Screenwriter) Length: 90 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles:

Stars:
Brittany Murphy as Dr. Amy Lane
Eriq La Salle as Charlie "Boomer" Baxter
Bruce Davison as Rhodes
Justin Hartley as Dan
Paul Logan as Boyd

Plot:
Solid ground gives way, skyscrapers crumble and cities are buried in this thrill-a-minute, action-packed movie event! A deep seismic fault has been triggered in America's heartland. Now, it threatens to slice North America in half. Amidst unpredictable aftershocks, chaos and destruction, seismologist Amy Lane (Brittany Murphy, Deadline, Sin City) and Charley "Boomer" Baxter (Eriq La Salle, TV's ER) must race to predict the fault's direction and warn the millions in its engulfing path.

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

While it is not the best film I seen of it's kind... I definitely enjoyed this one for what it is...a leave your brain at the door disaster film. And the fact that it has a handful of people I know and like in it helps as well. I would say this one is worth the time put in to watch it... but don't go in expecting too much.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Twister (1996/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Warner Home Video (United States) Director: Jan de Bont Writing: Michael Crichton (Writer), Anne-Marie Martin (Writer) Length: 113 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby TrueHD: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Helen Hunt (1963) as Jo
Bill Paxton as Bill
Jami Gertz as Melissa
Cary Elwes as Jonas
Lois Smith as Aunt Meg

Plot:
The house rips apart piece by piece. A bellowing cow spins through the air. Tractors fall like rain. A 15,000-pound gasoline tanker becomes an airborne bomb. A mile-wide, 300 miles-per-hour force of total devastation is coming at you: Twister is hitting home. In this adventure swirling with cliffhanging excitement and awesome special effects, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play scientists pursuing the most destructive weatherfront to sweep through mid-America's tornado Alley in 50 years. By launching electronic sensors into the funnel, the storm chasers hope to obtain enough data to create an improved warning system. But to do so, they must intercept the twisters' deadly path. The chase is on!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Music Videos

My Thoughts:

This is another movie I always enjoyed. Probably more then I should considering everything. I have seen it many times since it was released... but haven't watched it in several years now. And it is the first time seeing it on Blu-Ray. Sure this movie has plenty of unbelievable things in it. It is definitely far from perfect storytelling... but there is just something about this one that I like. You just have to turn your brain off going into it. I really enjoyed both Holly Hunter and Bill Paxton in this one. While I didn't care much for her character... I also enjoyed Jami Gertz in this one. I used to watch her back in the '80s on the sitcom Square Pegs.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

The Towering Inferno (1974/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Action SequencesIrwin Allen,  John Guillermin Writing: Richard Martin Stern (Original Material By), Thomas N. Scortia (Original Material By), Frank M. Robinson (Original Material By), Stirling Silliphant (Screenwriter) Length: 165 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 4.0, English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Steve McQueen (1930) as Chief O'Hallorhan
Paul Newman (1925) as Doug Roberts
William Holden (1918) as Jim Duncan
Faye Dunaway as Susan
Fred Astaire as Harlee Claiborne

Plot:
Excitement reaches new heights in this Blu-ray release of The Towering Inferno which is packed with hours of explosive extras, including 33 Extended and Deleted Scenes, 9 Featurettes, 6 Storyboards Comparisons, Still Galleries, Promotional Materials and more!

Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden and Faye Dunaway blaze a trail of action and suspense in this 1974 Oscar®-winning* escape adventure about a sky-high building dedication ceremony that turns deadly when faulty wiring ignites a raging fire below!

*Cinematography, Editing and Best Song

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Interviews
• Storyboard Comparisons
• D-BOX

My Thoughts:

I found this one to be a very good film.... It is a long one clocking in at almost 3 hours... but the length really didn't bother me much as it was able to keep my interest. I does have it's slow parts and and really has a '70s feel to it... but over all well worth the time put in to watch it. Definitely recommended.

Rating: