Ten Must-See Movies: April 2014

Summer heat is already here, and sizzling in cinemas this month of April are some of these exciting movies….

Ten Must-See Movies: March 2014

Awards season may have ended but a great line up of movies are due to be released, whether globally or limited only, this March. Here are ten movies to watch out for this March.

300: Rise of an Empire

This new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war. 300: Rise of an Empire pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemesia (Eva Green), vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody (voiced by Emmy Award winner Ty Burrell), the most accomplished dog in the world, and his mischievous boy Sherman, use their time machine - The Wabac - to go on the most outrageous adventures known to man or dog. But when Sherman takes The Wabac out for a joyride to impress his friend Penny, they accidently rip a hole in the universe, wreaking havoc on the most important events in world history. Before they forever alter the past, present and future, Mr. Peabody must come to their rescue, ultimately facing the most daunting challenge of any era: figuring out how to be a parent. Together, the time travelling trio will make their mark on history.

Movies Based on the Novels by Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks is one of the best contemporary romance novelists. Currently, he has sixteen novels on print, all bestsellers and translated into different languages. Only sixteen novels, and yet, he is widely recognized as a great writer of stories about love, loss, and hope. He has an amazing writing style, with each word weighing heavily on the reader’s heart. He also spares them the burden of reading several pages of predictable plot that can only be expressed in few words.

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Ten Must-See Movies: April 2012

Summer is almost coming. But before we hit the sun and the beaches, let us first visit the cinemas. Here are ten movies we should not miss this April.

Titanic 3D

This spectacular epic re-creates the ill-fated maiden voyage of the White Star Line's $7.5 million R.M.S Titanic and the tragic sea disaster of April 15, 1912. Running over three hours and made with the combined contributions of two major studios (20th Century-Fox, Paramount) at a cost of more than $200 million, Titanic ranked as the most expensive film in Hollywood history at the time of its release, and became the most successful. Writer-director James Cameron employed state-of-the-art digital special effects for this production, realized on a monumental scale and spanning eight decades.

Ten Must-See Movies: March 2012

The first quarter of the year has just around. Oscar trophies have been given away and new movies have hit the cinemas. So what movies must be watched out for this March? Here are ten movies you should not miss.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

From the creators of 'Despicable Me' and the imagination of Dr. Seuss comes the 3D-CG feature Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old boy as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

Ten Must-See Movies: February 2012

The love month is coming and another load of movies shall hit the cinemas. So which movies must be watched this February? Which movies are just perfect for the season of love? Here are ten movies you must not miss this February.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Nicolas Cage returns as the spirit of vengeance with this sequel to 2007's Ghost Rider from the Crank team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Other than Cage, Ciaran Hinds, Violante Placido and Idris Elba star in this back-breaking movie. The film has a rating of PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, and language.

Ten Must-See Movies: January 2012

Days are moving much faster than we anticipated. Soon, it's gonna be January of 2012. So what are the films to watch out in January 2012? Here are ten of these films that you should not miss.

Coriolanus

Caius Martius 'Coriolanus' (Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus's anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.

The movie is directed by Ralph Fiennes and distributed by The Weinstein Company.

Ten Movies about Souls with Unfinished Business

We all love ghost stories and the film industry never fail to pleasure us by producing movies in such genre. These ghost movies never have to be horror movies. Some belong to comedy, drama or romance genres. A common element in these films is the idea that the ghost is an unrested soul who must settle an unfinished account here on Earth. There are hundreds of such films, and here are ten of them:

The Others

The Others is a 2001 award-winning psychological horror film inspired by the novella “The Turn of the Screw”. Directed by Spanish-Chilean director Alejandro Amenabar, it stars Nicole Kidman and Christopher Eccleston. Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) is a Catholic mother living with her two children in a remote country house in the British Crown Dependency of Jersey during the post-World War II period. Life seems normal for the family until the arrival of three servants, when odd events begin to happen…  “Sometimes, the world of the dead gets mixed up with the world of the living.” In the end, Grace Stewart realizes they were the dead and the “intruders,” dead 50 years ago when she murdered her family. (image source)

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is a 1999 drama film directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Williams, Joel Osment and Olivia Williams. It tells the story of a child psychologist named Dr. Malcolm Crowe and his interaction with a nine-year-old troubled child named Cole Sear. Cole claims to see dead people which Crowe would not believe at the beginning. The child eventually uses his gift to help out some ghosts. In the end, Crowe realizes that he is also a ghost and that he was killed when he and his wife were attacked by one of his patients (shown earlier in the movie). (See full review) (image source)

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Ten Must-See Movies: December 2011

Christmas is fast approaching and we can expect movie goers to flock in cinemas this season. There are at least 30 movies due to be released internationally December this year. Out of the list, here are the ten movies you should not miss.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

Alvin and his buddies, including their love interests – the Chipettes – are back again in this third installment of the animated comedy series that rocked the world.

Dave (Jason Lee), the Chipmunks, and the Chipettes enjoy fun and mischief on a luxury cruise before their seafaring vacation takes an unexpected detour to an uncharted island. Now the harder Alvin and friends search for a way back to civilization, the more obvious it becomes that they aren't alone on this secluded island paradise.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room...until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large--Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)--and not only is he Holmes' intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder--a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by one Professor Moriarty. Mixing business with pleasure, Holmes tracks the clues to an underground gentlemen's club, where he and his brother, Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) are toasting Dr. Watson (Jude Law) on his last night of bachelorhood. It is there that Holmes encounters Sim (Noomi Rapace), a Gypsy fortune teller, who sees more than she is telling and whose unwitting involvement in the prince's murder makes her the killer's next target. Holmes barely manages to save her life and, in return, she reluctantly agrees to help him. The investigation becomes ever more dangerous as it leads Holmes, Watson and Sim across the continent, from England to France to Germany and finally to Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead as he spins a web of death and destruction--all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Academy Award-winning director Brad Bird (Ratatouille) makes his live action feature directorial debut with the fourth installment of the massively successful Mission Impossible series. The Kremlin has been bombed, and the blame has fallen on the IMF. As a result, the president initiates Ghost Protocol, and accuses Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team of placing the bomb in an attempt to incite a global nuclear war. Now in order to clear the IMF of terrorism charges, Ethan assembles a new team to uncover the truth by using every high-tech trick in the book. But this time they're on their own, and should they be caught, the entire world could be plunged into a nightmare from which there is no waking up. Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Simon Pegg co-star the movie.

Carnage

Carnage is a razor sharp, biting comedy centered on parental differences. After two boys duke it out on a playground, the parents of the "victim" invite the parents of the "bully" over to work out their issues. A polite discussion of childrearing soon escalates into verbal warfare, with all four parents revealing their true colors. None of them will escape the carnage.

This movie is directed by Roman Polanski and distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christopher Waltz and John C. Reilly star the movie.

New Year’s Eve

Director Garry Marshall follows up his surprise hit Valentine's Day with this all-star ensemble film featuring a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, and Ashton Kutcher.

Others to join the ensemble casts are Jessica Biel, Halle Berry and Jon Bon Jovi. Distributed by Warner Bros., the movie is due to be released by December 12.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady is a surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the first and only female Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. One of the 20th century's most famous and influential women, Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world.

The Weinstein Company distributed the movie. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the movie also stars Harry Lloyd, Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, and Alexandra Roach.

The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin is a family action film directed by Steven Spielberg. Released by Paramount Pictures in December 21, the movie stars Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Director Steven Spielberg kicks off the big screen Tintin trilogy with this computer-animated motion-capture adaptation of Georges Remi's beloved Tintin comic strip.

The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo

A discredited journalist (Daniel Craig) and a mysterious computer hacker discover that even the wealthiest families have skeletons in their closets while working to solve the mystery of a 40-year-old murder in this David Fincher-directed remake of the 2009 Swedish thriller of the same name. Inspired by late author Stieg Larsson's successful trilogy of books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gets under way as the two leads (Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara) are briefed in the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, whose uncle suspects she may have been killed by a member of their own family. The deeper they dig for the truth, however, the greater the risk of being buried alive by members of the family, who will go to great lengths to keep their secrets tightly sealed.

Young Adult

Academy Award winner Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn't quite gotten over high school, either.

This romantic comedy with the theme of homecoming and unrequited love will hit the cinemas by the twelfth of December. The film is directed by Jason Reitman and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Based on the novel by author Jonathan Safran Foer, director Stephen Daldry's post-9/11 drama follows the journey of a nine-year-old boy as he attempts to solve a family mystery. Two years after his father is killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks, the curious boy discovers a mysterious key hidden in a household vase and begins an exhaustive search for the matching lock. Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock star.

Ten Must-See Movies: November, 2011

There are at least 20 movies due to be released October this year. Out of the list, here are the ten movies you should not miss.

Happy Feet Two. Mumbo and the rest of the dancing penguins are back to rock us again. Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Pink are some of the voices behind this comic animated film.

Mumble's son, Erik, is struggling to realize his talents in the Emperor Penguin world. He is reluctant to dance, and then later, meets The Mighty Sven, a penguin who can fly. Meanwhile, Mumble and his family and friends discover a new threat their home - one that will take everyone working together to save them…

Tower Heist. Ben and Eddie Murphy team up on this great comedy from Universal Pictures. The movie is about the caper of workers at a luxury Central Park condominium to reclaim what had been stolen from them by a penthouse billionaire.

Ben Stiller plays Queens native Josh Kovacs who is managing one of the most luxurious residences in New York City for more than a decade. Then comes along Arthur Shaw (played by Alan Alda) who steals two billion from his investors, among which are tower staffers whose pensions he was entrusted to manage. With only days before Arthur gets away with the perfect crime, Josh's crew turns to petty crook Slide (Murphy) to plan the nearly impossible... to steal what they are sure is hidden in Arthur's guarded condo. Will they succeed? Or they will just discover more secrets?

J. Edgar. Director Clint Eastwood delves into the personal life of J. Edgar Hoover with this biopic from Warner Bros. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the controversial FBI Director. Joining the cast are Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas and Damon Herriman.

J. Edgar Hoover was director of FBI from May 1924 until his death in 1972. All these years, he had established the agency’s current operating fundamentals and survives impassive to the management of up to seven presidents. Despite being an unpopular character, and that by displaying a more than dubious double standard, its network of informants gave him the power to know life, and dirty, almost anyone who could be someone, hence there are those who say while breath was the most powerful man in America.

Jack and Jill. Adam Sandler and Katie Holmes pair up in this hilarious comedy. Al Pacino also stars in this Dennis Dugan film distributed by Columbia Pictures.

Adam Sandler plays twin Jack and Jill Sadelstein in this movie. Jack is on top of his game. What more could he ask for? He has a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes), great kids, a grand house in L.A., and a successful job as an advertising executive. But Jack has a “little” fear – Thanksgiving. For him the season only means one thing… A visit from his needy, annoying, aggressive, neurotic, identical twin sister, Jill.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. Vampire fans will surely love Bella and Edwards’ return to the big screen. This is the first part of the highly anticipated next chapter of The Twilight Saga directed by Academy Award winner Bill Condon.

Bella and Edward have their wedding at the Cullen house. Afterwards, they have a romantic honeymoon at a secret location off the coast of Brazil. Few days after, Bella finds out she is pregnant. However, a native Brazilian tells Edward the baby will kill Bella. Edward freaks out and takes Bella home, intending on having Carlisle abort the baby. Meanwhile, Bella has called Rosalie and enlisted her help to prevent the abortion. Jacob, Sam and the rest of the wolf pack find out Bella is pregnant is Edward’s baby. Sam says they have to protect their people and prevent this monster from being born. Will Jacob will be an ally to kill Bella? Or will he rebel? Will Edward will the baby? Or will the baby will Bella?

Melancholia. Magnolia Pictures features Kirsten Dunst and Alexander Skarsgard in this science fiction movie about the end of the world. Kiefer Sutherland and John Hurt are also in this film directed by Lars von Trier.

Justine and Michael are celebrating their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of her sister Claire, and brother-in--law John. Despite Claire's best efforts, the wedding is a fiasco, with family tensions mounting and relationships fraying. Meanwhile, a planet called Melancholia is heading directly towards Earth.

The Descendants. From Alexander Payne, creator of Oscar-winning “Sideways,” comes this great epical comedy about the unpredictable journey of an American family at a crossroads.  Released by Fox Searchlight, the movie stars George Clooney and Amara Miller.

Matt King (played by George Clooney) must re-examine his past and navigate his future when his wife is in a boating accident off Waikiki. He awkwardly attempts to repair his relationship with his daughters –  10-year-old precocious Scottie and rebellious 17-year-old Alexandra –  while wrestling with a decision to sell his family's land. Handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries, the Kings own some of the last priceless virgin parcels of tropical beach in the islands.

When Alexandra drops the bombshell that her mother was in the midst of a romantic fling at the time of the accident, Matt has to take a whole new look at his life, not to mention his legacy, during a week of momentous decisions. With his girls in tow, he embarks on a haphazard search for his wife's lover. Along the way, in encounters alternately funny, troublesome and transcendent, he realizes he's finally on course toward rebuilding his life and family.

The Muffets. Walt Disney Pictures gives us another family/comedy film about selflessness and sacrifice.

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

A Dangerous Method. Director Cronenberg adapts to the big screen Christopher Hampton’s play detailing the deteriorating relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Viggo Mortensen plays Sigmund Freud while Michael Fassbender plays Carl Jung. Keira Knightley and Sarah Gordon also join the cast.

The year is 1904. Carl Jung, a disciple of Sigmund Freud, is using Freudian techniques to treat Russian-Jewish psychiatric patient Sabina Spielrein at Burghölzli Mental Hospital. But the deeper Jung's relationship with Spielrein grows, the further the burgeoning psychiatrist and his highly respected mentor drift apart. As Jung struggles to help his patient overcome some pressing paternal issues, disturbed patient Otto Gross sets out to test the boundaries of the doctor's professional resolve.

Piranha 3DD. If you enjoy last year’s Piranha 3D, you will also love this sequel. Director Gulager will give us more piranhas, more blood, and more boobs in this follow-up to Alexander Aja’s horror comedy.

In the movie, the prehistoric piranha from the original makes their way into the water supply of a newly opened water park, "Wilderness Waters." The town eventually scrambles to rid itself of the creatures. The race is on to save the town from these flesh-eating creatures that are leaving a bloodbath in their wake.

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Ten Must-See Movies: October, 2011

There are at least 50 movies due to be released internationally October this year. Out of the list, here are the five movies you should not miss.

Real Steel. This is an action-drama film to be distributed by DreamWorks. It stars Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo. The movie deals with revolutionizing the sports of boxing. In the near future, human-controlled steel robots shall take over the ring. Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title. However, his son teams up with him and together, they build and train a championship contender. For the father, this is his last shot at a comeback.

 Trespass. To be released by Millennium Entertainment, the movie stars Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman. It is about the hostage of a private and wealthy family in their estate. Nicolas Cage plays Kyle Miller, a fast-talking businessman. Sarah plays the beautiful wife named Sarah who has been entrusted by her husband to renovate their mansion. In doing the job, she often finds herself distracted by a young, handsome worker. The couple has a defiant teenage daughter… Everything seems fine until a group of cold-blooded criminals invaded their home… They must make out safe…and intact.

The Three Musketeers. This is another version of the well-loved story by Alexander Dumas, yet now in 3-D. The three musketeers will be played by Matthew MacFadyen, Luke Evans, and Ray Stevenson. Orlando Bloom also has an appearance as the evil Buckingham. It is to be released by Summit Entertainment.

Paranormal Activity 3. If you love the first two movies, you will surely “enjoy” this third outing from Paramount Pictures.

Fireflies in the Garden. The Taylors is a perfect picture of an ideal and successful American family. Charles (played by Willem Defoe) is a tenured professor who expects to be the university president soon. The wife, Lisa (played by Julia Roberts), will graduate from college – decades after leaving school to raise her children. The son, Michael (played by Ryan Reynolds), is a well-known romance novelist, and the daughter, Ryne (played by Shannon Lucio) is bound to enter a prestigious law school. And on Lisa’s graduation day, an accident will change their lives forever.

Sleeping Beauty. This is not the fairytale we used to know. The movie is a modern twist of the story we all loved. Ever imagine Sleeping Beauty to be a prostitute? The lead role is played by Emily Browning from Sucker Punch.

Footloose. The movie is a remake of the popular 1984 musical romance about a big-city teen who moves to a town that has outlawed dancing. To be distributed by Paramount, the movie stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, and Dennis Quiad.

Johnny English Reborn. Mr. Bean star Rowan Atkinson is back again on screen, now as an intelligence officer. Here, spy Johnny English must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos. To be released by Universal, this is another sure-fire comedy film from Atkinson.

The Ides of March. To be distributed by Columbia Pictures, this movie is directed by George Clooney who also plays the main role. It is about an ambitious press secretary who works overtime to land his candidate in office, but soon quickly becomes a victim of back-room politics. Ryan Gosling and Marisa Tomei join Clooney in the cast.

The Thing. A group of international scientists discover an alien in a desolate region in Antarctica. But it is about to wake up… The simple experiment frees the alien from being frozen, and consequently, all hell breaks loose. The movie is to be released by Universal Pictures.

Movies about the End of the World: Natural Disasters

Disaster movies almost always become instant blockbuster hits. The suspense and the breathe-taking special effects are some of their impressive elements that audiences love to watch them again and again. Some of these films deal with the extinction of humanity, and one style of ending the world is through the random actions of the universe and of nature. With their unpredictable and unstoppable rage, forces from outside and within Earth break loose. Here are five movies about the destructive force of the universe and nature.

Deep Impact

Deep Impact  was released in May 8, 1998 by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. It was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman, Téa Leoni and Robert Duvall.

The movie follows the effort of humanity to destroy a comet due to strike Earth. It begins with teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman, and consequently professional astronomer Marcus Wolf, discovering an unusual object, which is actually a comet, near the stars Mizar and Alcor. A year later, the President of the USA announces that a 7-mile-wide comet named Wolf-Biederman is approaching Earth and it is large and strong enough to end humanity. The USA and Russia launches the spacecraft Messiah with a mission to destroy the comet with a nuclear weapon. The mission failed and the comet is instead split in two smaller rocks – Biederman (1.5 miles wide) and Wolf (6 miles wide). With this failure, governments around the world established building underground shelters.

 

The smaller rock, Biederman, impact Atlantic Ocean, creating megatsunamis and devastating Atlantic coasts of many countries. The bigger rock, Wolf, would impact western Canada and create a cloud of dust that will block out the sun for two years, enough to destroy all remaining life. With their last ounce of courage, crew of the Messiah undertakes a suicide mission and saves the world.

Deep Impact opened with an overwhelming success, grossing at least $349 million overall on a $75 million production budget. In Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of critics enjoyed the film, giving the film a rating of 5.7/10. On the other hand, Metacritic gave it a score of 40 out of 100.

Armageddon

Two and a half months after Deep Impact opened, Armageddon was released in cinemas. It is directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures. The movie has an amazing casts, featuring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, and many others.

The movie opens with a meteor shower destroying a space shuttle and parts of New York City. Immediately, NASA finds outs that a huge asteroid will collide with Earth in 18 days. NASA then plans to implant a nuclear device 800 feet inside the asteroid which, when ignited, will divide the asteroid in two that will fly past the Earth. To accomplish this, NASA hires Harry Stamper, the best deep-sea oil driller in the world, and his team. They undergo training and then deployed inside the shuttles Independence and Freedom. After one shuttle fails and an inaccurate landing on the asteroid, they realize they lose their entire driller. Meanwhile on Earth, fragments of the asteroid destroy Shanghai and Paris. The team is left with a backup plan – to ignite a nuclear weapon on the surface of the asteroid. But the triggering mechanism is damaged, and in a heart-breaking ending, team leader Harry Stamper takes a last bold step to detonate the bomb and split the asteroid.

Armageddon is deemed to have more scientific inaccuracies than Deep Impact, just like the idea that NASA can really do something about a major catastrophe like that in a very short time. However, Armageddon bested the other in the box office. With its budget of $140 million, it grossed a total of at least $553 million, making it as the highest-grossing film of 1998. It received a rating of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 42 on Metacritic.

Knowing

Knowing is a science fiction directed by Alex Proyas and stars Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, and Lara Robinson. It was released in 2009 by Escape Artists and Summit Entertainment.

Knowing blends science fiction and popular religious beliefs. It begins in year 1959 and young Lucinda Emery, a lonely girl who hears whispers, writes a page full of random numbers and places it inside a “time capsule” designed by the school. The capsule is buried underground, to be opened only after fifty years. Later, Lucinda is found in a closet with her hands bloody from scratching the numbers into the door. Fifty years hence, 2009, the time capsule is opened and sketches are given arbitrarily to all students. Professor of astrophysics at MIT Jonathan Koestler is there in the ceremony whose son Caleb happens to receive Lucinda’s page of numbers. Jonathan notices the number sequence 911012996 on the page and realizes it refers to the date and number of deaths from the September 11, 2001 attacks. Jonathan further makes similar discoveries with the other numbers – all reference to major disasters in the world. Jonathan looks for Lucinda and founds out she has died from a drug overdose. Instead, he meets Lucinda’s daughter Diana and granddaughter Abby, who like Lucinda and Caleb, also hears whispers. With the predictions in the page, Jonathan bears witness to two disasters. And what is more shocking is that the world will end by October 19. In his laboratory, Jonathan discovers that a massive solar flare will soon reach Earth and burn everyone else. As the movie ends, the voices that the children hear are actually “angels”. Along with the other “chosen ones” Caleb and Abby are taken into a beautiful and safe new world, while Jonathan and the rest of the world face the final disaster.

The movie received mixed to negative reviews. 33% of critics in Rotten Tomatoes gave a positive review with an average score of 4.7 out of 10. Similarly, Metacritic gave it a score of 41 out of 100. Though the movie is not a critical success, it was a huge box office hit as it opens #1 in March, 2009. (See full review)

The Day After Tomorrow

The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 science fiction disaster film. It stars Dennis Quaid, Emmy Rossum, Iam Holm, Jake Gyllenhaal, and many more. The movie explores the deadly effects of global warming which will consequently lead to a new ice age.

While drilling for ice core samples on an expedition in Antarctica, paleoclimatologist Jack Hall and his colleagues Frank and Jason makes a startling discovery. Later, he presents his findings on global warming at a United Nations conference, but several diplomats are unconvinced with this. However, Professor Terry Rapson of the Hedland Climate Research Center in Scotland believes in Jack’s theories after he observes a massive drop in the ocean temperatures. He contacts Jack whose weather model show climate changes caused the first Ice Age and can predict what will happen. Sadly, their model shows global freezing in seven to ten days. In the following days across the world, violent weather cause mass destruction, including a massive snowstorm in New Delhi, a hailstorm destroying Tokyo, Japan, and a series of devastating tornadoes in Los Angeles. Worse, a huge system spanning the northern hemisphere develops into three massive hurricane-like superstorms, with their eyes holding super-cooled air that instantly freezes anything it comes in contact with. Knee-deep floods in a mix of rainwater, saltwater, and sewage drowned many urban cities in the northern hemisphere, including New York City. It is a deep freeze and lead characters survived by taking shelters in abandoned spots. In the end, most of the northern hemisphere is covered in ice and snow.

The Day After Tomorrow is a huge blockbuster hit, becoming the sixth highest grossing movie not to be #1 in the US box office. However, Rotten Tomatoes rated the movie only at 45%, with an average rating of 5.3/10. Moreover, Yahoo! Movies listed the film as one of the Top 10 Scientifically Inaccurate Movies in 2008. It was criticized for its idea of a series of catastrophic atmospheric occurring over a course of hours, instead of several decades or centuries.

2012

2012 is a 2009 science fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, and many others.

The movie starts in 2009 with some scientists discovering that neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature of the Earth’s core to increase. In 2010, international leaders begin a secret project to guarantee humanity’s survival. Approximately 400,000 people are chosen to board “arks” constructed at Cho Ming, Tibet, in the Himalayas. In 2012, Jackson Curtis, a science fiction writer in Los Angeles, takes his children Noah and Lilly camping in Yellowstone National Park. There Jackson meets a radio show host who tells him that the theory of polar shifts and the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predict that the 2012 phenomenon will occur. He also learns about the ark project. The family returns home as seismic activity increases along the west coast of the United States. After surviving the earthquakes and eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera, the family, along with some friends and people they meet along the way, manages to arrive at the arks in Tibet. They stow away on the ark, and soon, megatsunamis approach the site. There is chaos as the ark’s gate fails to close up, rendering the ship unable to start its engines. Some of them are killed, while others emerge as heroes. In the end, as the floodwaters from the tsunami recede, the arks journey to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

The movie is a great financial success. In 2009, it became the 5^th highest grossing film in that year and the 35^th highest grossing film of all time worldwide. However, Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an average rating of 6.1/10 with 39% of its critics giving positive review. In Metacritic, it only received a score of 49 out of 100.

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