Disaster Thrillers and Sundance

I apologize for the delay in getting this sent out. When I returned online following Shabbas on January 15, I could not stay away from the news. Another antisemitic terrorist attack—this time in Colleyville, Texas. It was mostly refreshing Facebook for updates since MSNBC wasn’t breaking in too often. And when they did receive news updates, it was often news we already knew. By the time the hostages freed themselves, MSNBC was still reporting old news. But anyway, the news from Colleyville is what messed up my headspace for the better part of a week.

You’d think I’d have turned to watching comedies, right? No, I watched disaster thrillers. I must have seen Los Angeles get destroyed in four different films! I didn’t see San Andreas the first time around in 2015 as I was still picking and choosing what I saw based on critic reviews. But now that I’ve seen it, the film lives up to what it’s offering. It’s not a bad film but it’s not a great film either. In hindsight, I could have watched San Andreas after Earthquake instead of right before it. The difference in special effects is like comparing apples and oranges!

I kicked off the week with a 25th anniversary viewing of Dante’s Peak. It turns 25 in February if you can believe it or not! The next day, I decided that I might as well watch Volcano, which turns 25 in April. Volcano plays very differently when you actually have some familiarity with the Los Angeles neighborhood. But in any event, the Los Angeles Tar Pits are always causing some sort of trouble! Regardless, I’m not sure what it says about me when I keep turning to disaster thrillers because the heavier stuff isn’t helping with my headspace.