Davis: The ‘Master of Disaster’ creates chaos again in 2012
Director Roland Emmerich is not known for his subtlety.
Whether it is blowing up tall buildings (including the White House) in Independence Day, Manhattan getting flattened by Godzilla or freezing most of North America (including New York City) in The Day After Tomorrow, he is Hollywood’s “Master of Disaster.”
If there was a prize for creating some of the most memorable special effects driven popcorn movies, German-born Emmerich would be sharing it with the likes of George Lucas, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg.
On top of directing the three blockbusters mentioned above, he has also done Universal Soldier, 10,000 B.C. and Stargate, which spawned a media franchise including three TV series.
Emmerich is now destroying the world with 2012.
Whether or not you buy into the idea that the world is going to end when the Mayan calendar’s current cycle is completed in December 2012, it is an attention-getting marketing hook.
Ultimately, 2012 is just a plot tool used to set up the real story of the movie about how humanity and other species could survive in the event of a global crisis.
One part of the story is about a secret organization which believes that the world is going to end.
They create modern-day “Arks” in the Himalayas to preserve what human life they can and as many other animals as possible.
The other part of the story is about a divorced father, played by John Cusack, who starts seeing that something is wrong while on vacation with his children in Yellowstone Park.
Fearing the worst, he hires a plane and races to save his family, including his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) and her new husband.
After a harrowing flight out of Los Angeles, they must fight their way to China in an attempt to join the few survivors that are boarding the arks that could be humanity’s salvation.
2012’s supporting cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Woody Harrelson and Danny Glover as the president of the United States.
After their high profile Academy Award-winning No Country for Old Men and their star-studded Burn After Reading, Joel and Ethan Coen’s latest is decidedly lower profile but is still being acclaimed as one of their best.
A Serious Man is a dark comedy about an ordinary man’s search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV.
It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik’s struggle for equilibrium is further hampered by an unfaithful wife, a deadbeat brother, an undisciplined son, a thieving daughter and numerous work-related headaches. If you are a fan of the offbeat stories and over-the-top characters that the Coen Brothers are masters at crafting, this movie is for you.
Twilight fans get their first chance to see New Moon a day early on Thursday, Nov. 19, 10 p.m., at the Grand 10 and Capitol Theatres and at 10:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre.
Rick Davis is general manager of the Capitol Theatre in Westbank.
BlockTalk is your place for your voice to contribute news, events, videos and photos about your neighbourhood and family.
View the Community Map to see what is being said in 
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
All participants will register for an account. It's simple, takes seconds and will keep the comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters.
As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Report" button on each comment if they feel a comment has violated these rules. You can also use the 'Like' button on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment.