it came from beneath the sea

Ok.  I realize that one of these things is not like the others, but I'll just say that this is a great movie to watch while doing laundry/ironing.  :)

the year: 1955

the genre: sci-fi

the cast:  Kenneth Tobey (Cmdr. Pete Mathews); Faith Domergue (Prof. Lesley Joyce); Donald Curtis (Dr. John Carter)

the plot: A Giant Octopus (yes - it should be capitalized!), whose feeding habits have been affected by radiation from H-Bomb tests, rises from the Mindanao Deep to terrorize the California Coast.

don't miss:  the intense drama.  Oh, the humanity! 

listen for:  "From her beginnings on a Navy drawing board, through the months of secret field experiments out on the Western desert, then through the desperate search for new metals with the properties she needed, she was designed to be the nation's greatest weapon of the seas - the atom-powered submarine. Her engines were to be a miracle of speed and power, her sides strong enough to withstand any blow, her armament and fire power of greater force than the worst enemy she might encounter. The mind of man had thought of everything - *except that which was beyond his comprehension!*"  (dom, dom DOM!!!)

extra bonus points: if you can name the film that was double billed with this one by Columbia Pictures.

did you know: because the budget was so low, Ray Harryhausen saved money by building his octopus model with six rather than the correct eight tentacles. He tried to pose the creature so this lack of the right number of arms wasn't apparent.

 

in time

the year: 2011

the genre: sci-fi


the cast: Justin Timberlake (Will Salas); Amanda Seyfried (Sylvia Weis); Cillian Murphy (Raymond Leon); Olivia Wilde (Rachel Salas); Matt Bomer (Henry Hamilton); Alex Pettyfer (Fortis)


the plot: In a future where people stop aging at 25, and are engineered to live only one more year (unless they can buy their way out of it), Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of his war against the system.


don't miss: Will's car. Ooh. Pretty!


listen for: "I didn't mean to shoot him, I meant to scare him." "I think you did both."


did you know: While the movie was about people who would look 25 years old until they die, Amanda Seyfried is actually the only significant character who was 25 during filming.


extra bonus points: if you know the significance of many of the main character names.


also listen for: "Is it stealing if it's already stolen?"


disclaimer: there is a bit of violence. (not so much blood and guts, but quite a bit of shoot 'em up) and one makeout scene.

homage: independence day

Ok. I'm going to confess.

Independence Day is one of my favorite movies. And a rarity because I still enjoy watching it even after substantial mocking (by me and others) while viewing.

I watch it every 4th of July.
I know, I know - there are more patriotic/less fluffy movies I could watch to celebrate the birth of our nation, but I try to limit most heavy movie watching to my annual Memorial Day Tear Fest.

So join me if you will in a slightly lengthy, tongue-in-cheek look at my favorite disaster movie. So far.
(I've heard that Day After Tomorrow is pretty mockable.)


This guy obviously flunked his cadet training on "Decision Making in Crisis Situations: Or Why You Should Never Park Your Patrol Car in the Middle of the Road".


Anyone else remember cordless phones the size of Cadillacs? Me either.


Of all the disaster victims, this guy would have to be my favorite. I think he was listed in the credits as "Guy Who Sits and Watches a Firetruck Sail Across the Sky and Crash Through His Windshield".


To save money, the studio used some of this same footage in Pearl Harbor.


Memo to me: Add learning to drive a diesel truck to your life skillset toolbox. Just in case.


Boy, it sure was handy that they had a giant see-through wall map in the bunker of Area 51, just in case the President should happen to drop by and need a visual tracking board for worldwide destruction!


"Didn't anyone tell you? ... Mountains always look better in neon green."


This is the part where I silently cursed my friends for dragging me to see this movie in the theater on opening night. I NEVER go to the movies on opening night - and ESPECIALLY not some tricked out alien movie!! Darn them!...


...okay, wait. Nevermind. I'm okay now.


I'm not sure what it says about me that that this is my favorite part in the movie. "Is that glass bulletproof?" "NO SIR."


Able to kick alien butt without breaking a sweat and still looking GOOD? Check.


"David, why must you ALWAYS wear flannel?"


I've never said this aloud, but I thought it was somehow fitting that Houston was the testground for nuclear annihilation.


It's probably good that she died off early - every time she came on screen all I could think about was Dances With Wolves.


I bet he wears this fake wedding ring to ward off amorous coworkers.


And here is the token black man (see Undercover Brother for reference) - which he's really not, considering that Will Smith plays the main character. But don't mention this to Dan - he can't take a joke.


I still marvel at how the aliens missed Morse Code in their Earthlings 101 coursework.


"We will not go quietly into the night! We will now go down without a fight! We do not like green eggs and ham! We do not like them Sam I Am!"


"Oops."


"Stay on target...stay on target!" "I copy, Red Leader." Oh, wait. Wrong movie.


I have no logical explanation for why an alien air traffic control tower makes me giggle. But it does.


Protects children, screaming women, and small animals? Check.


Polling the audience: Better than the explosion of the Death Star or better than the explosion of the Death Star?