Post-Apocalyptic films

TheDude · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:34 am Post subject: Post-Apocalyptic films

Been on a roll watching these. A good few are in the mail, perhaps you can tell me what I'm in for! I love watching a good disaster, call me a nut.

I think the Mad Max movies are about it for post-PO per se. One reviewer pointed out that in the first there's been some sort of bioweapons disaster - there really aren't that many people around, I'd never noticed that.

I've watched the new War of the Worlds about five times. Tom Cruise I just zone out, the flabby human interest plot. How about those traffic jams, the guy with the .45 commandering Tom's Astrovan? People being sprayed with backwash from the ferry while it rips the dock away? The tripods steal the show.

Back to reality, I found the DVD of the Day After at Fred Meyer, who occasionally surprise - they have Eraserhead, too. The DA's a pretty powerful flick, people found plenty to complain about of course (read about it at the IMDB), with nuke movies these are often technical quibbles. For instance I looked up another early 80's nuke movie, Countdown to Looking Glass, and then found some criticisms of it by who other but Tom Clancy! Tom thought these films were nothing but kneejerk leftist prop, too.
Anyone seen Countdown to Looking Glass? Scott Glenn's in it, a Canadian production but HBO showed it and reputedly it's on TV occasionally. I found a very dodgy site that offers a DVD for 25$ money order/PayPal but the proprietor's broken English makes him seem like a bit of a con man ("If you wonted go to PayPal and use account amalia@citlink.net and follow instruction. Thanks Duddo")
Threads was a BBC production from around then, covered more time than the DA and was quite the grim show apparently. All these are early 80's, I caught Red Dawn the other day on HBO, good if you want something a bit more gung-ho/ridiculous. The Cuban officer is played by Ron O'Neal - Superfly!
Red Dawn also has Powers Boothe, who was in an early 90s HBO production, By Dawn's Early Light, more of a military/action movie perhaps. Dated elements include FEMA actually working...it was adapted from a novel, Trinity's Child. Great cast - Martin Landau, Rip Torn, James Earl Jones (who plays an Air Force officer who spends the whole movie airborne...sound familiar?).
Testament was another Reagan-era post-nuker, less graphic than some of these others they say. The Trigger Effect is from a few years back, the power goes out - and stays out...Without Warning is another huge-rocks-from-space flick. I've these three coming in the mail, anybody seen them? I'm deliberating getting Threads and Countdown to LG, too, even though they're a bit spendy.

some_math_guy · Tar Sands Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 50

'On the Beach' (2000) is an excellent made-for-TV remake of the 1957 film about the crew of a submarine after a nuclear holocaust kills most people on earth. With full knowledge that a cloud of radioactive dust is spreading slowly over the entire face of the earth, everyone must come to terms with their fate.

It's a little depressing, but it's an excellent film with great actors.

pstarr · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:24 am Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

I to love these movies and I've seen most of them. Was the "Day After" with Jason Robard? There was another nuclear movie out during the same period I remember was good. What was it?

On reflection I believe Zombie movies are kind of similar, or at least my interest in them comes from the same attitude. Invasion of the Body Snatchers also has Post-Apocalyptic components.

Love "Red Dawn" in spite of it's Republican paranoia. Oh yeah and it was right-wing incompetents would gutted fema. Razz

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elocs · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:56 am Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

I tried to rewatch War of the Worlds just yesterday as a good flick with special effects to watch on my front projector with surround sound. I got about a quarter way through it and I had to stop. I cannot stand the kids!! The girl is constantly screaming and the teenaged son is all machoed out about getting the aliens and payback. Neither of the kids seemed to be in touch with reality or to effectively deal with it. That may well be how people would be, but I watch movies to see characters rise above the situation and not act like "regular" people in "regular" life. I see regular life all the time. In a movie I want escapism.

pstarr · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:07 am Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

I own the War of the Worlds. The opening is one of the best in movies. I love the way the action is starts immediately and never lets up. non-stop. All the speciall effects and character emotions and reactions add to the absolute hysterical fear level.

If you believe the premise then the son's reaction seem reasonable. It is non-stop horror and he reacts with a male-induced rage. I kind of agree about the daughter though and her hysteria is a little tiring. Still it ups the craziness of the movie which I liked.

Some friends complained about the ending. They felt it was too sudden and pointless. For me that was in keeping with the novel and the central thesis which is our puny lives don't mean a damn thing to the universe and what may lurk out there. One minute you're on top, the next in the pits, the next on top again. who knows?

my all time favorite, though it is not really post-apocolytpic is "Blade Runner." The new Phillip Dick story is about to be released by the slacker director whats-his-name. Sounds great. uses the same Rodoscope film technique at the "Waking Life"
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elocs · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:19 am Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

Madpaddy · Expert Joined: Jun 25, 2004 Posts: 2062

"28 Days Later" is the King of apocalyptic movies. Check it out
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elocs · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:54 am Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

pstarr · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

The recent Romero zombie movie "Land of the Dead" is especially post-apocalyptic. People are holed up in a walled city and the country side is literally a 'no-man's land.' Seen it several times. Big Daddy, the head zombie, was the weak element in the movie. All that supposed rage just came across corny and he has bizzare wrinkles on his face instead of rot.

"When there is no more room in the oven,
the Bread will walk the earth."
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DigitalCubano · permanently banned Joined: Aug 19, 2005 Posts: 439

purdum · Tar Sands Joined: Feb 15, 2005 Posts: 32 Location: MI, USA

...back to your original post with mention of Mad Max and a bioweapons incident. Another good one in that genre is the miniseries of Stephen King's "The Stand" - just about everyone dies of the flu.

Pstarr-
As for the other nuclear movie out about the same time as The Day After and Testament, I remember one called Special Bulletin which was about a group taking hostages and threatening to detonate nuclear devices in Charleston (and they did, as I recall). It was unusual for the time in that it was shot not on film but on video tape to resemble a series of continuing news updates like on CNN.

Loki · Expert Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 1081 Location: Cascadia

My favorite TEOTWAWKI movies are definitely Road Warrior and Red Dawn. Nothing like a little post-apocalyptic ultra-violence to brighten your day. Smile

The Day After is another of my favorites in this genre. I haven't seen Omega Man mentioned. Just saw it recently--it was interesting in a kitsch 70s kind of way. Also watched Trigger Effect recently--wasn't impressed. Got By Dawn's Early Light yesterday from Netflix--haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Then there was that dumb bird flu made-for-TV movie that ran a couple months ago--don't remember the title.

Anyone remember Night of the Comet? Haven't seen it since the 1980s, but I recall enjoying it. It's not on DVD.

Some of the other TEOTWAWKI movies in my Netflix queue:

NeoPeasant · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:06 pm Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Soylent Green". With PO and GW, we are right on schedule to be experiencing the 2022 New York City lifestyle depicted in the movie.
I'm skeptical about the industrialized cannabalism though, serious EROEI issues there. That part of the story was never in the book, it was added later as a lurid hook to sell tickets. The real story is the deteriorated ecosystem lifestyle of the future.
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pstarr · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:54 pm Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films

Night of the Comet! Valley Girl zombie flick. Love it Smile

The two sisters are so cute and kick freakin ass! or are they just cute?

you convinced me. I am going to buy it come hell or high water
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elocs · Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:59 pm Post subject: Re: Post-Apocalyptic films