"Crack in the World" & "The Day the Earth Caught Fire"

In what turned out to be our golden years, Mike and I walked many miles together, usually to look at different geological formations. As we walked Mike often spoke of Summers spent hiking the Cascade Mountains with his Uncle Harlan. Mike had a deep respect for his uncle who inspired in Mike a lifelong interest in the Earth sciences. Somewhere I think I have a photo of Mike or me standing by the fault in Dixie Valley. I could not find the photo and think maybe it is just a memory I have of standing there. It is not a sight I will forget for it is hard to imagine the force that made that rip in the Earth.
Mike loved watching disaster movies. The recent round of Earthquakes here inspired me to watch his:
“Crack in the World” with Dana Andrews, Janette Scott and Kieron Moore
and “The Day the Earth Caught Fire”a British movie with Janet Munro, Leo McKern and Edward Judd.
These movies and more like them, were obviously inspired by fears of nuclear testing and nuclear on-purpose. I think it is interesting that in each of these movies the fix for the problems caused by nuclear explosions is BIGGER nuclear explosions!!
As I sometimes do when watching British movies, I needed subtitles for “The Day the Earth Caught Fire”. This movie did not have them and I suspect I missed some things. A series of disasters are precipitated by nuclear tests: sunspots, worldwide flooding, an unscheduled eclipse, high temperatures, a fog bank four stories high, cyclone force winds, fires, a shift in the Earth’s axis and last but not least the Earth begins moving toward the Sun. But no matter how bad things got the people had plenty of Coca Cola on hand. Water and shelter were iffy but no one seemed much concerned about that. More bombs are needed.

“The Crack in the World” is a mad scientist type movie. In an attempt to create some kind of geothermal power source, a hole is blasted into the Earth’s crust. Somehow the energy in the resulting lava flow was to be harnessed. Best not to think about that much. Just, you know, eat your popcorn.
Naturally this attempt goes horribly wrong. More bombs are needed. Dana Andrews, the mad Dr. Steven Sorenson appears to be doomed for any number of reasons. Not a problem for his wife Janette Scott as Maggie. She has a very special disaster preparedness kit: Kieron Moore as Dr. Ted Rampion. Never leave home without a spare honey. All is well, and ended, well, it ended. A strategically clad Maggie and her man of the moment watch a new moon rise together.

Yeah, I know, still need to assemble the missing stuff from my own very basic disaster kit. On the bright side, that was about four hours spent not thinking about Dixie Valley.

Joe Versus The Volcano

Away from the things of man.

I have been reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. As I read this book with it’s pervasive atmosphere of hopelessness and futility, "Joe Versus the Volcano" keeps entering my thoughts. Specific elements are mirrored.
Sometimes I feel like a Joe Btfsplk , not the jinx part, but just unable to shake that relentless cloud. So naturally I identify with the Tom Hanks character: Joe Banks; Joe with his terminal “brain cloud”, not sick except for the symptoms.



Michael and Kathleen, 1951

Joe works for American Panascope, a subsidiary of ACHI.. Within it’s filthy, deteriorating walls “a new generation of surgical tools” are manufactured. Except for the stains and grime on those factory walls there would be no color. Joe seems to work in the rectal probe division where a continuously updated count of “satisfied costumers” is displayed above the factory floor. They also manufacture petroleum jelly as a side line. Hmm. You listen to “Sixteen Tons” as joe trudges with his fellow employees into this building. The music in this movie is not just background but compliments, adds another element.

From the bluntly obvious to things more subtle, this movie is rich with recurring elements of color, contrast, clothes, light, lightening, music; well it’s “like a box of chocolates”... Sorry Tom.
The plot briefly:
A Dr. tells Joe he has a terminal brain cloud. Believing his “days are numbered” Joe agrees to travel to an island that has an active volcano. In exchange he can go out in style: “Live like a king, die like a man” He is to be transported to that island by Patricia, the daughter of his employer. They spend some time together, weather a storm. Then, under a surreal moon, they suffer a sea change. Meg Ryan as Patricia was courageous, honorable, and direct without being vindictive. She has the character traits you might think of if you had to answer that old question: if you were marooned on a deserted island, who would you want as a companion?
The movie also suggests an answer to the related questions of what to bring to that island: good luggage!! the best you can afford. We are the sum total of our luggage, right?
And what books to bring? The movie answers that too: “Robinson Crusoe”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Odyssey”... Fun to ponder reasons to choose those particular books.

If you have ever been told “you are not paid to think” or wondered how many more ways you will have to learn to take it; you might enjoy this movie.

movie: Starship Troopers

Starship Troopers is based on a book by Robert Heinlein. Mike was a fan of Heinlein.
The movie is set in the futuristic world of Ricco, (played by Casper Van Dien) and his high school classmates. This is a world threatened by really big juicy bugs bent on galactic domination. While this insect enemy does not have a human face it is guided by a cunning intelligence easily equal that of human. Enormous, spectacularly hideous “brain bugs” communicate strategy to bug troopers.
The bugs have the upper hand. The war is desperate. Either humans or bugs will prevail.

In addition to lots of action with really big angry bugs this movie offers:
teen rebellion, love triangle, many laughs, intriguing social/political ideas; possibly allusions to our ancient or more recent past?

an example from a newsreel: “Service guarantees citizenship” Familiar? There are many other parallels.
The most interesting idea to me is the difference between being a citizen vs civilian.
This world is governed by the military. Only people who have served in the military can become citizens, vote or hold pubic office.
High school instructor, Jean Rasczak: (Michael Ironside) "Something given has no basis in value. When you vote, you are exercising political authority, you're using force. And force my friends is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authorities are derived"

Wow! But grab the popcorn for there is no time to get your head around these intriguing ideas, pun intended. Splat!
By the end, though a satisfied and willing participant; I suspect I’ve been had. I see Mike got the version with “additional scenes, commentary, etc.” He liked picking apart the secrets of things. Then there is this view:
Jean Rasczak: “Figuring things out for yourself is practically the only freedom anyone really has nowadays. Use that freedom. Make up your own mind Ricco.

Would you like to know more?

Annie Hall

Mike’s DVD collection started with the purchase of Annie Hall with Woody Allen as Alvy Singer and Diane Keaton as Annie Hall.
The movie starts off with a joke:
“Alvy Singer: There's an old joke - um... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life - full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness, and it's all over much too quickly.”

Annie Hall is not a typical romance. Annie Hall is more about the substance of relationships and not so much about the flash of “falling in love”.
Alvy Singer seems like a nice guy. He has a variety of basically decent and interesting people in his life. This movie is the story of Alvy's relationship with one of those people; from his meeting with Annie Hall through their good and not so good times together.
Does Alvy evolve in this movie? You can make up your own mind.

The movie ends on a wistful note with a joke similar to the first:
“Alvy Singer: “I thought of that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs”