The inclement weather where I currently am reminded me how quickly the weather can change and the sheer chaos Mother Nature can inflict upon us. For most of us, the worst we see is extreme heat, heavy downpours or blankets of snow; those unfortunate others that must endure hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other outrageous meteorological conditions are a sorry bunch indeed. And it is these events that have been the focus of many a summer blockbuster as well as this week's theme.
The first film that comes to mind for me is Twister. This was another film like Independence Day that garnered much attention for the budget it required to make and the phenomenal (at that time and surprisingly still today) visual effects that filled it. Despite a good amount of cheese from the soapy love triangle between Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Jamie Gertz, the film succeeds in the growing tension of the impending twisters and the sense of dread the audience endures as this crazy group of tornado chasers does the unthinkable and purposely heads towards danger.
Another film that comes to mind is Hard Rain. I have to admit I don't recall the film that well, but do recall how much I loved the fact that Morgan Freeman was playing the villain. Something to the effect of a large scale crime being committed during a catastrophic flood in a Midwestern town and only Christian Slater can stop it. Definitely need to see this one again.
One area where the natural disaster genre needs some definite help is with volcanoes. I can only think of two: Dante's Peak and the aptly named Volcano. Both with relatively decent leading men, Pierce Brosnan and Tommy Lee Jones, but both loaded with laughable impossibilities and storylines that make Uwe Boll seem like Orson Welles.
So, let's incur the wrath of Mother Nature and get talkin' this week!