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Top Ten Tuesday: MAN/WOMAN VS. NATURE
In the wake of, what the Midwest has dubbed the SNOWPOCALYPSE, and with the upcoming release of SANCTUM, it seems only fitting to pay mother nature a tribute…
Nature is a powerful force with the ability to change at any given time. Hurricanes, blizzards, earthquakes, and freezing temperatures are just some of the many ways that mother nature can put us in our places! So, without further adieu…
TOP TEN MAN/WOMAN VS. NATURE FILMS
10. WATERWORLD
If ever there was a film that exemplifies the whole Man vs Nature scenario, it’s WATERWORLD. Set in an apocalyptic future, after global warming has melted the polar ice caps and flooded civilization, the movie’s hero, The Mariner (Kevin Costner), is a man who has adapted by growing gills and a survivalist living on a boat on which he is growing a precious tomato plant. When he tries to sell the plant and its dirt to the residents of an artificial island built of industrial waste, they capture the mutant gilled man, however the island is attacked by the Smokers, a group of oil-guzzling raiders on jet skis headed by the Deacon (Dennis Hopper) – the new captain of the Exxon Valdez. The Mariner escapes with Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and her daughter Enola (Tina Majorino), but back at sea, the Smokers continue their attack, using planes and boats, until they kidnap her. Enola’s back is tattooed with a map showing how to get to Dryland, the last unflooded area on Earth, only Deacon needs to get there for more oil and can’t immediately decipher the mysterious markings. The characters eventually win out over evil in this new water-filled Earth in what is mankind’s latest chapter as an evolving species.
09. INTO THE WILD
INTO THE WILD (2007) is as beautiful a film as it is heart-breaking. Also based on true events, the film was directed by Sean Penn and stars Emile Hirsch as Chris McCandless, a recent college graduate who decides to leave modern society and all it’s conveniences behind, opting to live naturally in the Alaskan wilderness instead. In the beginning, this proves to be a fascinating and wondrous adventure. Chris meets a few interesting people, but quickly sets up camp within an abandoned bus out in the middle of the wild, foraging for berries and teaching himself to hunt for food without modern technology. Chris came prepared with all the knowledge he thought he’d need, but soon finds that one can never truly be prepared for the unexpected. Chris’ perfect escape into nature soon becomes a horrifying nightmare of survival, as he contends with everything from dehydration and starvation to food poisoning and hypothermia. This is a story of the best intentions going tragically awry.
08. DANTE’S PEAK
Pierce Brosnan versus the volcano is an action packed, story-filled film directed by Roger Donaldson (THE BANK JOB, SPECIES, CADILLAC MAN). Pierce Brosnan (aka 007 James Bond, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, THE GHOST WRITER) plays USGS geologist Dr. Harry Dalton sent in to the mountain town called Dante’s Peak to investigate the possibility of a volcanic eruption and encounters many strange deaths and activity that he believes are directly related to the seismic activity in the area. Encountering political obstructions to inform the area due to financial ramifications, he appeals to the local leader. Linda Hamilton (THE TERMINATOR, KING KONG LIVES, CHILDREN OF THE CORN) is the venerable Mayor Rachel Wando falling for Dr. Dalton and trying to convince the town to run for their lives through a collapsing structures, fires, pyroclastic clouds, darkness, and earthquake activity. This all builds up to an intense sensation for the audience that may leave some with motion sickness.
07. 127 HOURS
Now here’s a movie that really shows two views of the the great outdoors. Danny Boyle’s film 127 HOURS opens with Aron Ralston (James Franco) escaping the noisy, bustling rat race of humanity and escaping into the beauty of Utah’s deserts. If only he had reached back further into that kitchen cabinet and scooped up that Swiss Army knife. And then told somebody where he was going. If only. Aron zips around on his mountain bike and bounces from rock to rock as he begins hiking. He even meets up with a couple of pretty back-packers (Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn) and takes them swimming in a hidden pool. It’s paradise… and then he meets that loose boulder. He’s truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. And exposed to the elements. At night he does the best he can to protect himself from the dropping temperatures. He discovers that at a certain time in the morning the sun’s rays are able to stream in through the crevasse. If he contorts his body, he can enjoy a few minutes of warmth. Then, of course, there’s the lack of food and fresh water to deal with him. For a moment he imagines that nature has shown pity on him and frees him from the rock via a raging flash flood. Alas, it is but a feverish dream. Finally, in order to live he has no choice but to take that dull clipper pliers and… you know the rest. Besides being a tribute to the human spirit to survive, 127 HOURS shows how the outdoors can be appreciated and enjoyed. But nature must be respected because one clumsy, reckless move can turn that tranquil setting into an unforgiving hell scape.
06. EARTHQUAKE
While Irwin Allen, the “Master of Disaster”, was working his magic with big budget explosive action movies for Warner Brothers, Universal Studios attempted to cash in on the very genre it started in 1970 with AIRPORT. With EARTHQUAKE (1974), the studio pulled out all the stops with its new audio system dubbed “Sensurround” and an all-star cast made up of a few A-listers combined with a roster of B-rate character actors. The result was one of the very best disaster movies of the ‘70’s. At several points there is actual suspense, not often seen in the disaster genre. The hodgepodge cast (including Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Victoria Principal, George Kennedy and Marjoe Gortner as a supermarket manager/National Guardsman) ham it up as much as possible with Heston clinching his teeth, Kennedy punching people around, and Gardner literally shrieking her every line. The special effects in EARTHQUAKE were expensive for the time and won an Oscar, though they’re a bit lacking by today’s CGI standards.
05. TWISTER
Director Jan de Bont (SPEED, SPEED 2:CRUISE CONTROL) creates a fast paced, exciting ride following a group of storm chasers on a quest to create a technology for an early warning system to detect tornadoes. Bill Paxton (ALIENS, TRUE LIES, U-571) is Bill Harding, a retired storm chaser turned meteorologist on mission to get his divorce papers from his soon-to-be ex-wife that is still chasing the F-5. Helen Hunt (EVERY DAY, PAY IT FORWARD, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) is Jo Harding, the team leader on a personal pursuit to get a storm analysis to further the knowledge of this tempest in Oklahoma. Co-writer Michael Crichton lays out a path of destruction involving the flying cows, exploding pipes, and intense annihilation. Nominated for 2 Oscars and a theme park experience later, this whirlwind ride is a definite must see for the excellent effects and sounds, not to mention the fun and passionate expedition for the ultimate twister.
04. OPEN WATER
OPEN WATER (2003) was an original, even underrated, slice of cinematic terror that strikes dead center of that primal fear nerve. This film is based on true events, covering the standard human fear of the unknown. While many would claim JAWS as the quintessential film of ocean terror, it was OPEN WATER that was the final nail in my coffin of fear for swimming in the open waters. Granted, JAWS and Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” did not help, but Chris Kentis’ film about a couple left behind by their scuba guide to fend for themselves in the open ocean was as thrilling and captivating as it was unbearably nerve-wrenching and terrifying. Imagine, stranded wading in deep ocean waters, no land in sight and the threat of storms and what may lurk below. Kentis managed to direct this relatively simple concept, a film with limited artistic options, and yet maintains the attention of the audience for a full 79 minutes. OPEN WATER did for this fear what BURIED has done for claustrophobia.
03. THE PERFECT STORM
Now here’s a movie that gives some evidence to the old saying, “The sea is a cruel mistress.” That cruelty is the center piece of Wolfgang Peterson’s 2000 film of THE PERFECT STORM based on the book by Sebastian Junger. In one of his early leading roles George Clooney plays Billy Tyne captain of the fishing boat the Andrea Gail. It’s not been a good season, so he decides to take the boat on one more run even though October approaches. We get to see the various crewman reunited with their spouses before tempting fate the next morning. Since the movie’s based on a true story, a feeling of doom permeates the proceedings. While at sea, the film cuts away to a weatherman who tracks the different approaching events and dubs the result a “perfect storm.” When the weather reports begin to trickle in, the wives and girlfriends begin to gather at a local pub to offer each other support. The men of the Gail are enjoying a great haul, but soon hear of the encroaching blast. The ice machine breaks down. They’re faced with a big decision: wait out the storm and let the fish spoil or sail through the storm back into port. They gamble that they can make it back. You know what they say about betting against the house. As the Gail is repeatedly beaten and battered, the men do their best to hold her together. The Coast Guard races to their aid, but are no match for the gale-force winds. The image used in the film’s poster was a massive wave about to engulf the tiny boat. An image just as powerful is Bobby (Mark Wahlberg) hopelessly treading water in the middle of the sea after his boat has sunk. THE PERFECT STORM is a great retelling of this true tale these sailors’ courage while facing the full fury of the elements.
02. ALIVE
ALIVE (1993) is based on the true story of a plane that crash-landed high in the Andes, and the Uruguayan rugby team passengers who began to starve to death – until they realized that, in order to stay alive, they’d have to begin to eat their buried. ALIVE gets off to a cracking start with one of the most harrowing plane crash put on celluloid. It’s a grueling film to watch. Death stalks and kills repeatedly. Different characters react in quite different ways to their predicament. Some go into rapture about what a wonderful religious experience it is. Others go plain crazy. Some become extremely selfish. Others just want to die. Regarding the difficult issue of cannibalism, the filmmakers dealt with it in a tactful manner and the film really makes you think how you would cope if you were in the same situation.
01. CASTAWAY
CAST AWAY reunites Tom Hanks with director Robert Zemeckis, their first film together since 1994’s Oscar-winning Forrest Gump. It’s the story of Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks), a Fed Ex executive who’s been a workaholic most of his life and how his job takes him away from his girlfriend, Kelly (Helen Hunt). So on Christmas Eve, Chuck proposes to Kelly right before leaving on a big assignment, but a plane crash strands him on a remote island, and his fast-paced life is slowed to a crawl as he is miles from any human contact. His only friend now is a volley ball, Wilson, and Chuck must now learn to endure the emotional and physical stress of his new world, unsure of when he may return to the life he once knew. Being a Robinson Crusoe culminates in solving Chuck’s compulsive and conflicted personality. The dream of seeing Kelly again is what keeps him going emotionally. Over the long years, it becomes Chuck vs isolation and the elements, until he rescues himself off the deserted island. It’s a masterful study of human survival and how events, and one’s own destiny, can change a seemingly well-ordered life.
So, there’s our list… We have to go prepare for SNOWMAGEDDON! While we do that, what are some of your favorites?
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