In which I get downright nerdy
Apr. 3rd, 2012 04:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gothikmausI don't know how I ended up watching 2012 with my mother last night. I have no excuse. And then, during a break, we had this conversation:
Mum: "Where's that place with the big crack in the ground?"
Me: "You mean the San Andreas Fault?"
Mum: "Yes."
Me: "It's in, um, America"
Mum: "Where?"
Me: "In... California"
Mum: "Wait, you're going to Los Angeles this summer. That's in California, right?"
Me: "... Yes."
Mum: *PANICS*
I knew exactly where the conversation was going, but I somehow managed to calm her down. I must have done a pretty good job because she went from "OMG you're going to diiiieee!" to "It sounds very interesting, are you going to visit the fault?" XD
Also, throughout the film I had the impression I was watching "Independence Day", just with different actors. I guess the formula for action-packed, end-of-the-world blockbusters is always the same, you only need to make a few minor adjustments here and there. But two things caught my attention.
1) The Italian Prime Minister staying in Rome to pray instead of saving his hide like the other heads of state. I laughed SO FUCKING MUCH because our PM at the time they shot the film was Berlusconi and hello, he would've run for his life forgetting his own children. And St. Peter's Dome falling down and rolling about, crushing everyone? Priceless. EDIT: Oh, and the crack coming down in the middle of "The creation of Adam", right between Adam's hand and God's hand. Sooo predictable, I was literally going "Here it comes, here it comes... There it is!"
2) I missed the first 20 minutes, so I'm not sure about this, but when at the end they realised the only inhabitable place on Earth was Africa, I realised they never mentioned an African Ark. There was one for European countries and Canada, one for Asian countries, one for the USA and one for private citizens. But no African countries. So, they're not good enough to be saved but everyone is more than happy to move there. It would only be fair if the African governments said "Oh, you want to live here now? Well, no." Like that scene in "The day after tomorrow" where Americans flee to Mexico when the USA become too cold and the Mexicans close the borders. Payback's a bitch, huh? Also, why did the USA have a whole ark all for themselves? Shouldn't they have shared one with Canada? And what about South Africa and Australia?
I know I am overanalysing a Hollywood blockbuster that's supposed to be all about big explosions and the unlikely hero saving the day (and getting his woman back, how very convenient for the new boyfriend to end up mangled by the gears of the ark - which was a horrible death, btw, especially after all the poor bugger had done to save everyone else). But I couldn't help noticing those things. I guess that's my media studies background showing.
Oh, and I've just found out all three films I mentioned in this post were directed by Emmerich. That explains a lot, then. Talk about recurring literary topoi.
Mum: "Where's that place with the big crack in the ground?"
Me: "You mean the San Andreas Fault?"
Mum: "Yes."
Me: "It's in, um, America"
Mum: "Where?"
Me: "In... California"
Mum: "Wait, you're going to Los Angeles this summer. That's in California, right?"
Me: "... Yes."
Mum: *PANICS*
I knew exactly where the conversation was going, but I somehow managed to calm her down. I must have done a pretty good job because she went from "OMG you're going to diiiieee!" to "It sounds very interesting, are you going to visit the fault?" XD
Also, throughout the film I had the impression I was watching "Independence Day", just with different actors. I guess the formula for action-packed, end-of-the-world blockbusters is always the same, you only need to make a few minor adjustments here and there. But two things caught my attention.
1) The Italian Prime Minister staying in Rome to pray instead of saving his hide like the other heads of state. I laughed SO FUCKING MUCH because our PM at the time they shot the film was Berlusconi and hello, he would've run for his life forgetting his own children. And St. Peter's Dome falling down and rolling about, crushing everyone? Priceless. EDIT: Oh, and the crack coming down in the middle of "The creation of Adam", right between Adam's hand and God's hand. Sooo predictable, I was literally going "Here it comes, here it comes... There it is!"
2) I missed the first 20 minutes, so I'm not sure about this, but when at the end they realised the only inhabitable place on Earth was Africa, I realised they never mentioned an African Ark. There was one for European countries and Canada, one for Asian countries, one for the USA and one for private citizens. But no African countries. So, they're not good enough to be saved but everyone is more than happy to move there. It would only be fair if the African governments said "Oh, you want to live here now? Well, no." Like that scene in "The day after tomorrow" where Americans flee to Mexico when the USA become too cold and the Mexicans close the borders. Payback's a bitch, huh? Also, why did the USA have a whole ark all for themselves? Shouldn't they have shared one with Canada? And what about South Africa and Australia?
I know I am overanalysing a Hollywood blockbuster that's supposed to be all about big explosions and the unlikely hero saving the day (and getting his woman back, how very convenient for the new boyfriend to end up mangled by the gears of the ark - which was a horrible death, btw, especially after all the poor bugger had done to save everyone else). But I couldn't help noticing those things. I guess that's my media studies background showing.
Oh, and I've just found out all three films I mentioned in this post were directed by Emmerich. That explains a lot, then. Talk about recurring literary topoi.
