A great big rock hits the earth, and lots of people die. That’s pretty much all there is to it, and most of that was in the trailer. Can a major Hollywood movie really squeak by with such a slender excuse for a premise? The old disaster-movie king, cheese-meister Irwin Allen (The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake), […]
Monthly Archives: June 2011
Twister (1996)
Twister was a mega-million-dollar blockbuster–helmed by a director (Dutchman Jan de Bont) hot off another scorcher hit (Speed)–that flaunted state-of-the-art digital effects and featured a popular leading actress (Helen Hunt) who would win an Academy Award for her next film (As Good As It Gets). But ask anybody who’s seen it and they’ll tell you […]
Dantes Peak (1997)
The first of 1997’s volcano disaster movies (the second being Volcano) was arguably the better of the two, but both of them made for passable entertainment with some spectacular special effects to serve as icing on the stale cake. After all, Dante’s Peak doesn’t pretend to be anything more than an updated variation on a […]
Doomsday (2008)
Loud, violent, and proudly derivative, the post-apocalyptic action-thriller Doomsday is the latest from UK cult director Neil Marshall, who impressed horror fans with his previous efforts, Dog Soldiers and The Descent. Both pictures established Marshall as a director with a knack for reinventing well-worn genre pictures, but here, he seems more interested in stitching together […]
The Complete Metropolis (1927)
Fritz Lang’s Metropolis belongs to legend as much as to cinema. It’s a milestone of sci-fi and German expressionism. Yet the story makes minimal sense, and the “theme” belongs in a fortune cookie; to experience the film’s pagan power, you have to see the movie. But for decades we couldn’t, not really–not with so many […]
Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants
Click here to buy: Tom Brown’s Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (Field Guide)
Earth Abides
Click here to buy: Earth Abides Product Description A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man.
Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse
Click here to buy: Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse Product Description America faces a full-scale socioeconomic collapse—the stock market plummets, hyperinflation cripples commerce and the mounting crisis passes the tipping point. Practically overnight, the fragile chains of supply and high-technology infrastructure fall, and wholesale rioting and looting grip every major city. As hordes of refugees […]
Country Wisdom & Know-How
Click here to buy: Country Wisdom & Know-How Product Description: Reminiscent in both spirit and design of the beloved Whole Earth Catalog, Country Wisdom & Know-How is an unprecedented collection of information on nearly 200 individual topics of country and self-sustained living. Compiled from the information in Storey Publishing’s landmark series of “Country Wisdom Bulletins,” […]
Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook
Click here to buy: Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook Amazon.com Review Never mind all the year 2000-type scare scenarios. Just close your eyes for a moment and imagine what would happen if you became ill and couldn’t work, or if an earthquake or hurricane or bomb left your community devastated. It happens […]