Ok, I know Trinity and Beyond won several awards, but it is still pretty cheesy to me. I bought the movie on DVD and did enjoy it, especially the whole history of the A-bomb. Did anyone else enjoy this and believe like I did that it was pretty cheesy? Also, what other A-bomb/nuclear holocaust movies did you have a "guilty pleasure" about?
Johnny Z wrote:> Also, what other A-bomb/nuclear holocaust movies did you have a "guilty pleasure" about?
One that I thought was goofy when I first saw it was THIS IS NOT A TEST (1961). A no-name cast in a melodrama about an A-bomb heading for Los Angeles. All the action takes place on a highway in the mountains. The actor who plays the cop is so bad that he is more convincing as a mentally disturbed criminal. Not recommended for viewing by those who love poodles. However, if you find the dog breed annoying and too foo-fooey then you're likely to rewatch a certain scene over and over.
Item Of Note: Back in mid-1990 I wrote my only letter to MST3K asking if there were going to be any new episodes (the same 13 were running so often I didn't bother recording them). I included detailed synopsis of three films that were semi-obscure and ripe for the plucking. I even wrote out passages of dialog to further illustrate my point. The three films suggested were KING DINOSAUR (1955), FROM HELL IT CAME (1957), and THIS IS NOT A TEST (1961). Six months later I was treated to an early Christmas present when KING DINOSAUR ran on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Sadly, the other two movies never made it (mainly due to rights issues).
My favorite atomic bomb movie is the documentary THE ATOMIC CAFE(1982).
Scott
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I've wanted to see the Atomic Cafe, but not purchase - can't find it for rent. Looks good. Have you seen this flash? It's one of the funniest i've seen:
DUCK & COVER (http://www.ebaumsworld.com/dac.shtml)
Post Edited (01-04-04 18:47)
>Also, what other A-bomb/nuclear holocaust movies did you have a "guilty
>pleasure" about?
The absolute best movie I've ever seen about Nuclear war has to be Testament. No special effects, no ruined cities, just a small town exposed to some of the fallout. At first they think they're fine, then the people start getting sick. A TV movie with some well-known stars in small parts. Depressing, but very well done. I highly recommend it.
On the lighter side, I've always liked Miracle Mile, about a small group of people who learn of an impending nuclear strike on Los Angeles.
PANIC IN YEAR ZERO will be playing January 23rd on AMC at 4:55 am
Yes, I suppose Trinity and Beyond is pretty cheesy, when you consider it's mainly a lot of explosions narrated by William Shatner. Still, it's educational, and pretty amazing to watch.j
My favourite nuclear bomb movie, in terms of guilty pleasures, is The Day After. I managed to acquire an old VHS copy of it a couple of years ago, and it's a pretty good movie, although it's hard to imagine it being the important, controversial television event it seemed to be more than twenty years ago. Those of us above a certain age will remember the media hype, the warnings to parents and the discussions at school. It was hardly the most disturbing or realistic movie about nuclear apocalypse, but it had a cool bomb sequence, and some interesting stuff. Cast included Steve Guttenberg, John Lithgow, John Cullum, Jason Robards and a few others worth noting.
AndyC beat me to it. I was going to say that The Day After is without a doubt my favorite A-Bomb flick.
Made for TV with bad acting and bad effects. I did learn something from the film though. It seems when a nuclear blast occurs, you suddenly freeze and you turn into a skeleton.
THE ATOMIC CAFE is great. It used to show up on HBO or Showtime or one of those movie channels quite a bit back in the 1980s.
I saw the movie MIRACLE MILE about 12 years ago. It's pretty far-fetched, but I sort of liked it. It's really fast-paced, so you won't get bored watching it. They released it on DVD a few months ago, but I refused to buy it because it's pan & scan (bummer).
ATOMIC CAFE and THREADS.
"Duck and Cover"...sounds like a new Chinese dish. Duck ala radiation.
>>My favourite nuclear bomb movie, in terms of guilty pleasures, is The Day After<<
Steven gutenburg was one reason I couldn't stomach that film, but the bomb sequence was good. For years i've had this movie on my brain but cnanot for the LIfe of me remember. It feels like a made for tv nuclear bomb of the 80's movie. I remember a scene with a mother and her little boy in their living room and the bomb going off outside, she tried to pull her kid down but it was too late..he looked at it i think. Anyhow the kid (who was a semi-famous kid actor of his time) ended up getting sick and his hair falling out and all that. I don't really remember much about if everything was destroyed like in the day after but I just remember him gradually dying. Ring a bell?
post-script: After looking up John's movie it seems like TESTAMENT was the one I was thinking of with the little boy (lucas haas) I haven't seen it in a billion years but I remember during the cold war what a scare it put into me
Post Edited (01-06-04 20:44)
I don't know why but i always liked Def-Con 4.
Not a A-bomb documentery but it almost had that feel.
Defcon 4 had the best last words - "Hey, aren't those all supposed to be empty?"
>After looking up John's movie it seems like TESTAMENT was the one I was
>thinking of with the little boy (lucas haas)
Yup, I'm pretty sure that's it. He didn't die because of the flash though, it was the fallout and eventually, they all got sick.
A few years ago (It would be at least 5, IIRC) they showed a live, straight to air black and white Made for TV film called "Failsafe", set in the 1950s, which had Harvey Keitel and a couple of other moderately well-known people in it.
It basically concerned a B-62 which is despatched to Moscow as part of a Defcon 5 Situation, but once the situation is resolved, it never gets the order to return because the computer fails and it can't be contacted- it ends with the B-52 nuking Moscow and Harvey Keitel dropping 2 A-Bombs on New York to keep the Russians happy. Very, very well made, and still quite disturbing today.
Oh, and the best Atomic Bomb movie ever has got to be Dr. Strangelove. How come no-one has mentioned this already? You people are just slack...
Incidentally, the "Fallout" series of Computer Games provide an interesting look at what a post-Nuclear world might be like. Alternatively, read David Brin's excellent novel, "The Postman".
>>Yup, I'm pretty sure that's it. He didn't die because of the flash though, it was the fallout and eventually, they all got sick.<<
Right, that was the film that had me more scared of a nuclear holocaust than "The day after" because of radiation poisoining. Haven't seen it in years..suprised with all that goes on today they don't show it on some channel