What a Disaster!
Disaster films will always have a special place in my heart. (July 2024 Programming)
Hello and welcome my superficial cinephiles!
In an effort to archive some of my older programming series, I’m uploading the previous series I talked about on TikTok, here.
Once I heard news that there was a new film set to be released in the TCU (Twister Cinematic Universe) as a summer blockbuster back in 2024, it awakened my absolute love for disaster films. I always felt like this genre never got its due credit. From epic mega storms to intense apocalyptic events set as a backdrop against a family struggling to stay together, disaster films show us time and time again that the best way to overcome these circumstances are found within ourselves and our loved ones, not the scientists who always managed to accurately predict the impending doom.
Always listen to the scientists, if that wasn’t glaringly obvious.
As a general reminder, I select films based on this list of criteria:
Made by a Woman
Classical Era (not exclusive to Hollywood)
BIPOC made or centered
Cult Classic
International
Without further ado, I present to you: “What a Disaster!”
Deep Impact (1998) Dir. Mimi Leder
Kicking things off with a star studded cast, Deep Impact fulfilled my ideas of a stereotypical disaster film. It’s got a little bit of everything: political scandal, 90s power suits, Morgan Freeman as President, divorce subplot, Téa Leoni sporting a sickening bob, a young (and very hot) Blair Underwood. What’s not to like? With its cinematic sibling, Armageddon, also dominating the box office the same year, it’s a surprise to hear how experts praised the film for being more scientifically accurate. I’m just always shocked that the characters have such a deep desire to stay alive. I mean c’mon! An asteroid is set to collide with earth and you expect me to have high hopes for humanity to pull through? No way. Leave me be like that one couple from Titanic, IFYKYK. There’s not much else to say about the film, to be honest it leans on the easily forgettable side (for me, at least) but I don’t regret watching it. A good, not great, film I’m sure we’ll be referencing in the future as a blueprint in case we piss the aliens off even more than we already have.
Stream Deep Impact on Apple TV.
Five Came Back (1939) Dir. John Farrow
Nine leave and like the title states, only five come back. A true product of its time, Five Came Back shows you that true disaster is sometimes manmade. After a brutal plane crash, a group of survivors band together in order to escape the Amazon jungle in which they find themselves. There’s always someone, or something, looming in the shadows so the group must make haste or else. I initially picked this film for the quick runtime (1hr 15min - can’t beat it) and to gawk at Lucille Ball before she became Lucy. The film uses character traits (the ex-prostitute, the cute kid, the sweet old lady) to push the narrative forward and to make it easier for the audience to root for the “good guys”. While it was an easy watch, you can’t ignore the glaring “evil native” sentiment that crops up all throughout the film. There’s also this weird romantic tension between Lucille’s character Peggy and Bill, played by Chester Morris. It’s not enough that she survived a plane crash, she also has to pine over a man because why not? A hit for RKO Radio Productions, this B-list film remains one of the notable disaster flicks of the 1930s.
Stream Five Came Back on Archive.org (doing the lords work)
Ashfall (2019) Dir. Kim Byung-seo & Lee Hae-jun
Take a world class criminal, an aloof special forces captain and mix in an active volcano and you come out with the South Korean hidden gem, Ashfall. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that Korean cinema rarely ever misses. I went into this film with very little expectations and found myself in tears once it ended. The film sets itself up to be your typical end-of-the-world drama but proves to have an emotional core (haha, get it?) that’s hard to dismiss. Jo In-chang, played by Ha Jung-woo, shines in his role as a skittish father to be turned military captain who leads his team through treacherous obstacles in order to battle an erupting volcano that threatens their very existence. With a lengthy runtime of two hours, it’s easy to get antsy and I admit to falling prey to a wandering mind during the more stretched out and predictable plot lines. Once the film manages to get back on track leaving the second act and entering the third, my eyes were glued to the screen, heart rate elevated and popcorn long forgotten. I can’t forget to mention that the beloved Ma Dong-seok (that’s Gilgamesh from Marvels “Eternals”) plays the tortured professor in the film. You’re welcome.
Stream Ashfall on Tubi.
Twister (1996) Dir. Jan de Bont
The best to ever do it! I can’t recall the first time I ever remember watching Twister but I do know it was love at first sight. As someone who grew up wanting to be a meteorologist, the idea of one day becoming Dr. Jo Harding kept my love for this film alive. From her perfectly fitted cargo pants to her slick comebacks, Dr. Jo was everything I wanted in a female protagonist. As with every disaster film, the pressing climate catastrophe wasn’t as nearly as juicy as the familial drama presented to the audience. Even with the state of Oklahoma being ripped to shreds by tornados, Dr. Jo and Bill still managed to dance around their looming divorce and even more, fall deeper in love with each other. Honestly, if your ex-spouse (who has a new partner, btw) doesn’t slip back into the same toxic yet romantic patterns with you while storm chasing, are they even that dedicated? Ghastly CGI cows aside, Twister will always remain as a staple within the disaster genre. Long live Philip Seymour Hoffman and the Twister attraction ride at Universal Studios.
Stream Twister on Peacock TV.
The Wave (2015) Dir. Roar Uthaug
To be honest, I’m not as familiar with Norwegian cinema as I’d like to be so I didn’t know what the hell I was stepping into upon pressing play. The Wave gets off to a slow start and meanders a little before giving the viewers a hellish visual of what the future looks like should an event like this ever occur and according to research, this could happen very soon. Out of all the films selected for this series, The Wave is the most realistic and surprisingly gory take on surviving a natural disaster. What I enjoy about the film is that it feels stripped down and doesn’t give too much unnecessary spectacle. It’s something I miss from studio films produced in the US. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time watching Twisters (2024), but I can’t help thinking about how much better the film could’ve been toned down just a smidge. Either way, The Wave does something right and has nestled itself in my top rankings for disaster films.
And there you have it, folks! I enjoyed putting this program together and timed my watches to the week of Twisters release. I’m cautiously anticipating the release of 28 Years Later (2025) and hope that disaster cinema ultimately becomes goofy again. We’re living through hard enough times as it is.
Until next time, see you at the movies.