The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

 

The Day After Tomorrow - 2004

Up next we have 2004's "The Day After Tomorrow", a film about cataclysmic climate change and a small group of storm survivors who struggle to stay alive and reunite with their loved ones.

The film's cast includes Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Dash Mihok, Jay O. Sanders, Sela Ward, Austin Nichols, Arjay Smith, Tamlyn Tomita, Ian Holm, Kenneth Welsh, Mimi Kurzyk, and Perry King.

A team of paleo-climatologists led by Jack Hall are drilling ice core samples in Antarctica.  While there, they witness the breaking of the ice shelf.  The ice that breaks off is about the size of the state of Rhode Island.  Jack narrowly survives the break.

At a climate conference in New Delhi (where it happens to be snowing), Jack predicts that the world is on path to a major climate shift.  The global warming that the earth has been experiencing will soon result in another ice age.  A fellow scientist, Dr. Terry Rapson, concurs with Jack's theory.

The trouble is that the politicians in Washington D.C. don't believe it at all and brush Jack's theories off as impossible.

People get an inkling that strange things are happening when birds by the thousands start flying south.

The city of Los Angeles is destroyed by massive tornadoes.  People are glued to their televisions as they watch the drama unfold.

In New York City, monsoonal rains and rising oceans flood the city.  People scramble trying to get to high ground.  It is too late for most of them.

One small group of survivors in New York City is Jack's son Sam, who is there for an academic decathlon with some of his friends.  They take shelter in the New York Public Library, where they burn books to stay warm.

And they are going to need all the warmth they can get.  When the center of the storm settles over New York City, it pulls freezing air from the upper troposphere down causing -150 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures outside.  Everything instantly freezes over.

Jack, meanwhile, has been traveling to New York City on foot from Washington D.C. when he heard from his son when the storms started.  He finds him and his small group and rallies them together so they can head for warmer climates.

They are picked up by helicopters sent by the US president, who has authorized search choppers for any survivors.  Jack and Sam are surprised to see so many people waiting to be rescued as they fly over the frozen city to safety.

Cast rundown:

   Dennis Quaid..............................Jack Hall

   Jake Gyllenhaal...........................Sam Hall

   Emmy Rossum............................Laura Chapman

   Dash Mihok................................Jason Evans

   Jay O. Sanders...........................Frank Harris

   Sela Ward..................................Dr. Lucy Hall

   Austin Nichols.............................J.D.

   Arjay Smith................................Brian Parks

   Tamlyn Tomita............................Janet Tokada

   Ian Holm...................................Dr. Terry Rapson

   Kenneth Welsh...........................Vice President Becker

   Mimi Kurzyk...............................Secretary of State

   Perry King..................................President Blake

And that's all for The Day After Tomorrow.  The director of the movie has said that the Statue of Liberty would have been turned over by the force of the water that hit it.  He wanted to keep it standing upright as a symbol of American values.  After this film's release in theaters, the American Red Cross had stands with brochures available to concerned movie goers on what to do in case of tornadoes, floods, and blizzards.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.

The Odd Couple II (1998)

The Odd Couple II - 1998

Coming up next is 1998's "The Odd Couple II", the sequel to the smash hit "The Odd Couple", which sees Felix Unger and Oscar Madison back up to their old hijinks and getting on each other's nerves.  This time they are headed to the wedding of their children.

The film's cast includes Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Richard Riehle, Jonathan Silverman, Lisa Waltz, Mary Beth Peil, Christine Baranski, Jean Smart, Jay O. Sanders, Rex Linn, Barnard Hughes, Ellen Greer, Doris Belack, Alice Ghostley, Florence Stanley, Estelle Harris, and Earl Boen.

Mess-cat Oscar Madison gets a call from his son informing him that he's getting married.  When Oscar asks who the bride is, he gets the shock of his life.

The bride is the daughter of neat-freak and hypochondriac Felix Unger, a former roommate of Oscar's.  Both are happy for their children, but they're not exactly pleased to be in-laws.

On the flight to California, Felix has trouble when other passengers start putting on perfume and cologne.  His "allergies" kick into high gear.  And he makes a general nuisance of himself with the flight attendant.

When Felix and Oscar see each other for the first time in years at the airport, they rush towards each other.  Felix trips over someone's suitcase and ends up landing right on top of Oscar.

Things don't get off to a start.  Felix ends up in a wheelchair and Oscar steals a bucket from the rental car agency so that Felix can ice his ankle.  In the process, Oscar leaves Felix's suitcase behind.

Felix's constant nitpicking and jibber-jabber cause Oscar to get fed up.  He quickly pulls the car off of the freeway, nearly causing a multi-car collision!

While taking a "shortcut" through the desert, they get stranded when Oscar forgets to use the brakes and the car careens off a cliff and explodes.

They must now trudge along on foot.  They get frustrated when they miss the few cars that pass through the area.

While waiting for a car to help them, Felix and Oscar get crop-dusted.  "We look like a couple of Pillsbury Dough Boys," says Felix.  "We should get out of the sun before we start to rise," quips Oscar.

The bad luck keeps on coming when the guys get arrested for accidentally smuggling illegal aliens.

Things start to look up when they get a hotel room for the night.  At dinner in a local bar, they meet a couple of ladies who are very enthusiastic about dancing with him.  "You know, I went to high school with a boy like you," says one of them to Felix.  "Who was he, the principal?" he asks.

The next morning, the guys hitch a ride with an old-timer who barely puts his foot on the gas pedal.  As luck would have it, the old guy dies at the wheel, and Felix and Oscar are stranded once again.

Exhausted, the two men get tickets for a bus that will take them to their destination.

But, their unlucky streak keeps on coming.  A hold-up causes them to once again take a detour in their journey.

They eventually do make it to the wedding, and both Felix and Oscar are able to wish their children well.

A little while later, Oscar gets a knock on his door and is surprised to see Felix standing there.  He needs a place to stay and moves right on in.  Oscar can only put his head in his hands as Felix gets right back to his old tricks and starts ordering Oscar's disorderly life.

Cast rundown:

   Jack Lemmon..............................Felix Unger

   Walter Matthau............................Oscar Madison

   Richard Riehle.............................Chief Of Police

   Jonathan Silverman......................Brucey Madison

   Lisa Waltz....................................Anna Unger

   Mary Beth Peil..............................Felice Adams

   Christine Baranski........................Thelma

   Jean Smart..................................Holly

   Jay O. Sanders.............................Leroy

   Rex Linn......................................JayJay

   Barnard Hughes...........................Beaumont

   Ellen Greer..................................Frances Melnick

   Doris Belack................................Blanche Povitch

   Alice Ghostley..............................Esther

   Florence Stanley...........................Hattie

   Estelle Harris...............................Flirting Woman

   Earl Boen....................................Fred

And that's it for The Odd Couple II.  This was the final film collaboration of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, who had made ten films together.  At the time of its release, this film held the record for the longest gap between the original movie and a sequel in which the original actors reprised their roles.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.