Tara’s Top Thirteen Disaster Movies

I hadn't originally planned to post a Thursday Thirteen about disaster movies. I had another much more romantic topic in mind (not telling you yet…why spoil it for the future!), and then, there came the East Coast earthquake. Usually, I'm not at home on a Tuesday afternoon, but on August 23, I was hanging out on the couch resting up from a bit of outpatient surgery. Suddenly, the doors began to rattle and the house began to shimmy. After I  convinced myself that the experience had not been the product of my pain meds, I turned on the television to discover non-stop local coverage of this highly unusual event. An earthquake in Virginia…seriously? Isn't it bad enough that we have hurricanes to contend with?

Oh, speaking of hurricanes, there's one of those on its way, too. Why is it always the old-fashioned names that pack the most punch? A few years ago, we were smacked around by Isabelle. Now it's Irene. Sounds like someone who used to dance with Fred Astaire. Then, a friend pointed out that Tuesday's quake could be a prequel of sorts to the "big one" in Virginia…just in time to coincide with the hurricane, no doubt. In any case, I started thinking about disasters and disaster movies, those guilty pleasures with huge casts and a notable lack of Oscar nominations in any acting categories. Here are my Top Thirteen Disaster Movies:

1. Independence Day – Okay, this isn't really a disaster movie in the purest sense, but an alien invasion would be quite a disaster…love this movie! Bill Pullman is delectable as the fighter-pilot-president who helps save the world. And of course, there's Jeff Goldblum playing the cool nerd character he's perfected in so many films, including Jurassic Park.

2. 2012 – I adore John Cusack. That's the only reason I have for including this film on the list.

3. Volcano – Tommy Lee Jones and an LA earthquake…the scene where a guy melts while saving another guy is preposterous but strangely awesome as disaster flicks go.

4. Earthquake – The 70s disaster flick with the all-star cast…grade A cheese!

5. The Towering Inferno – Another classic 70s disaster flick…more cheese!

6. The Poseidon Adventure – The mother of all 70s disaster flicks…talk about catching a wave! Shelley Winters and Gene Hackman set the bar high for the disaster genre in this one. Don't bother with the remake…go for the real thing!

7. Dante's Peak – Pierce Brosnan as an intense scientist…that's enough for me.

8. Titanic – Leo and Kate and icebergs, oh my!

9. Armageddon – man vs. meteor – man wins 🙂

10. Deep Impact – man vs. meteor – man runs or gets sucked away by a gi-normous tsunami…not much of a happy ending here…

11. The Day After Tomorrow – Global warming with a vengeance…

12. Twister – an intelligent, well-acted disaster film…one of my favorites…

13. Godzilla – gigantic dinosaurs are so tempermental!

There you have it…thirteen of my favorite disaster movies. What are your favorites? Leave a comment to add on to my list. After all, if it's raining all weekend, we'll need something good to watch!

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