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Apocalypse Now: The 10 Best Ways Hollywood Destroyed the World

2012 and The Road are only the newest entries into a longstanding film tradition: total annihilation of the Earth and its inhabitants. WATCH VIDEO of the 10 most creative ways Hollywood has destroyed the world, from On the Beach to Wall-E.

Alien Invasion: Independence Day

No one destroys the world quite like Roland Emmerich. Before he helmed 2012, Emmerich cut his CGI teeth on the 1996 Will Smith vehicle Independence Day, an alien-invasion yarn garnished with a plethora of destructiontastic set pieces, including blowing up the White House.

Climate Catastrophe: The Day After Tomorrow

In 2004, Emmerich again took on the entire world with The Day After Tomorrow. Emmerich and Jeffery Nachmanoff are credited with penning the script, but you might wonder whether Al Gore had a hand in the story, which revolves around myriad weather catastrophes caused by the melting of the polar ice caps. This inconvenient truth was a box-office blockbuster, raking in more than $542 million internationally.

Nuclear Fallout: On the Beach

Unlike the pulse-pounding action-adventure apocalypse flicks that have dominated the box office for the past few decades, 1959’s On the Beach, based on Nevil Shute's novel of the same name, is a slower, more thoughtful look at the end of the world. When a nuclear war wipes out most of the planet, only Australia is spared, thanks to its relative remoteness. But the encroaching fallout cloud forces the survivors to ask: Is it better to wait for the radiation poisoning to slowly kill you, or take the suicide pills being handed out by the government?

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November 30, 2009 | 11:25pm
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DakLak

I stopped watching Hollywood movies as there is so much trash being produced.

Technology hasn't helped much, either, as it seems to become the 'star' with the scripts emphasising the ability of technology crafts and subverting real actors.

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6:50 am, Dec 1, 2009

SimonSaize

Your observation is exact- in fact I complained for over 10 years on the state of not just movies but music. The underlying problem- and my conclusion? Greed and moronic people being allowed to become famous, make what they consider "art" and the ripping off or original artists to keep the morons and self involved either looking cool or good. Sampling is an original concept, no? Take someone else s music then loop and throw in some angry vocals or smooth talk. Remakes or as the "Queen" calls it Re:inventing- which is process of altering a previous work to make money, often times at this point you can just take (and they do) another's material and alter it just enough to craft a product just right- then screw over the originator.
In Japan they do things in a more cultured and civil respect- which is actually how "artists" and the "art" community used to do "business" with each other- they actually hire the originator to assist in the remake- it gives an actuality and authenticity plus removes the seriously ugly artifice of manipulating the public into a false perception of experience.

What's a "Star" someone with a seven figure bank account cast in c rated films to draw a crowd? Its a washed out culture we live in- and what's true is a great many who consider themselves provocateurs of society are actually commercial sell out's who used the originals to climb on top- what we ended up with people who should be on :"Love Boat" or K-Tell records.

However if people would get a fucking clue, pick up the paper, and find interesting films, go to underground film festivals, frequent art house theaters, support the arts, instead of waiting for an awards show to find out what's good or have a film be handed to you, it would make things balanced. Sony- believe it or not SONY Classic's is one of the few if not only major company that investments in independent movies, and will even take losses to put out interesting works or give some sort faith in the process.
Has anybody seen "TAXIDERMIA"? or "PERSEPOLIS"?
And if you want a laugh "BLACK SHEEP" from 2007 (New Zealand) is about an end of the world plot and killer rabid genetic engineered sheep. there was another Black Sheep film made in 1996 which has nothing to do with this movie.
The best part about independent movies is, if their bad, it doesn't seem like waste of money for some reason, at least in my opinion.

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2:38 pm, Dec 1, 2009
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Apocalypse Now: The 10 Best Ways Hollywood Destroyed the World

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