Last Thursday I wrote that we weren’t going to the movies that night but we finished our vocal practice and were able to go after all. As often happens, because I don’t pay that much attention to entertainment news and don’t see a lot of trailers I was under the wrong impression about what this was going to be. The year 2012 is a year that has significant meaning to many. The Long Count Calendar of the Ancient Mayans ends on Dec 21, 2012. There isn't much information regarding what the Mayans thought would occur in 2012, but the consensus of opinion is that there will be great change. To some people this means a positive, spiritual change. Others consider that a catastrophic event may have been predicted. On December 21, 2012, for the first time in approximately 26,000 years the Sun will rise to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way (eye, heart, center) and the ecliptic plane; whatever that means. Recently the last book of Nostradamus has been discovered and analyzed. It contains several tables illustrated with enigmatic drawings that according to experts point to the date 2012. His drawings cover the alignment of our solar system with the center of the galaxy that takes place about every 13,000 years. Last time was 11,000 years before Christ, a date in which the last glaciation ended inexplicably and when Plato estimates the disappearance of Atlantis.

So, because of all this, I was expecting a film about the mystery of these predictions and how human beings know when the end of the world is coming and what we we should expect. A pseudo-documentary. But I guess that one will be on the Discovery channel. All these other ideas just give a good excuse to make an old fashioned disaster film. And it’s a good thing I didn’t know that because I might not have gone to see it and would have missed an emotional roller coaster of a film. I really didn’t like the disaster films that began appearing in the 1970s. There were films like, “The Poseidon Adventure,” in 1972 and, “Earthquake,” in 1974. Hollywood went so far as to make a made-for-TV film called, “Smash-Up On Interstate 5,” in 1976. Now there’s a disaster for you. I remember falling asleep during “The Poseidon Adventure.” I know many folks liked these films or else they wouldn’t have kept making them. But, just not my style.

“20012” is the granddaddy of all disaster films. More “disaster” and special effects than all other disaster films combined. Enough of backstory about the characters. And who would have thought the end of the world could be so funny? In fact if they hadn’t lightened it up it could only have been a dreary and horrifying film. But because they eased up with characters like Woody Harelson’s, Charlie Frost, the crazed talk show host who can’t wait to see how the world ends, the filmmakers were able to get away with preposterous performances such as a motor home doing an Evil Knievel canyon jump.

And the special effects were spectacular. Now we know what California will look like falling into the ocean. I’ve seen a giant Russian transport full of exotic cars from all over the world. And a fleet of huge… oh, I guess I shouldn’t say.

The movie might have been a bit long but it was fun and exciting and not to be taken too seriously. Which was good news for me. I might even add this one to my video library.



Jim