# Anyone watching "10.5 Apocalyse"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752 "2006-05-22T14:34:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/1 "2006-05-22T14:34:22Z")
So far it’s bad enough to have on while I catch up with newspapers. Really, how can you not appreciate a movie with not just endless earthquakes, but at least two erupting volcanoes, the water behind Hoover Dam heating to near boiling before the dam fails, sink holes eating up highways all over California, a massive tsunami hitting Hawaii (but doing little damage: see, they had an hour’s notice! Plenty long to notify everyone and evacuate them to, uh, um…) the giant aquifer under Nevada and the other mid-west states turning so acidic it eats through through the ground above so that Reno sinks into the ground (on its way to hell no doubt), and sundry minor disasaters – AND ALL THROUGH THIS everyone’s cell phones work perfectly each time! If I were one of the poor souls caught in this disaster, I’d be perched halfway up the nearest cell phone tower. Obviously they have a ‘disaster repelling’ power, sort of the inverse of trailer parks. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/2 "2006-05-22T14:49:50Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > If I were one of the poor souls caught in this disaster, I’d be perched halfway up the nearest cell phone tower. Obviously they have a ‘disaster repelling’ power, sort of the inverse of trailer parks. Heh. My words nearly exactly. So what exactly is APM theory? As far as I can tell, it is this: “When continental drift reaches its farthest extent, then continents will drift back at a greatly accelerated rate.” And it has something to do with chaos theory. So do you think that Tony “Evac” Bauer and First T&A Daughter will hit it? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/3 "2006-05-22T16:18:37Z")
Running commentary, reposted from my LJ: > [@me](#): > > Wow, the _24_ borrowing continues… this starts the same minute the last one ended. > > I think Kim Delaney’s unexplained physical change is even more dramatic than Luke’s between _A New Hope_ and _Empire_. > > 10.5: Whew, thank god…Washington, Oregon and most of California survived! > 10.5 Apocalypse: Oh, yeah, Hawaii and Washington were totalled after all. > > So, who’s gonna die, mother or daughter? > > And boom goes the (heavily green screened) dynamite… > > Man, FEMA moves pretty quick-like in make-beleive world. > > I’ve figured it out- Kim Delaney has developed the mumps in the past hour since 10.5 Classic. > > A horse went apeshit. I WONDER WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN! > > Magnetism! Again! (Magnetism is what caused the Columbia River to run backward last time. It’s apparently causing ENOUGH WATER TO FILL LAKE MICHIGAN to seep up into the Four Corners area.) I am tickled. > > All the continents were in a supercontinent called Pangea! Bwa ha ha! > …Oh wait, they got that one right. > > I know I like to point out similarities between _10.5_ and _24_, but is Kim Delaney actually looking a bit like Michelle Dessler? > > BTW, there was a 2.9 in Washington state at 6:39pm. Sweet dreams, Seattleans! > > Carlos Bernard is actually pretty good at being Not Tony Almeida. > > If Dean Cain wasn’t named “Dean,” he probably would be named “Brad.” > > Oh my god, we’re being covered by several inches of rubble! > > Maybe Delaney just got a buttload of Botox. > > I don’t think the Earth’s core itself could raise Lake Mead’s temperature 30 degrees in four minutes. > > Note to self: Do not fly helicopters into waterfalls. Hmm… where are my _Wonderfalls_ DVDs? > > Hey, sweet, _Tremors_ is on the Spanish channel. > > You know, my friend’s parents are regulars at the Nugget in Reno, and I don’t think they get free reign to the bowels of the plumbing system. > > The Mississippi River used to be 1000 miles wide? Oh… kay. > > Dude, if they didn’t build Vegas to survie a 6.4, I’m not feeling too sympathetic. I’ve had people having sex in the room next to me cause the equivalent of a 6.6. Can I just say that I’ve be really looking forward to this ever since the first installment (which I bought on DVD)? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/4 "2006-05-22T16:29:20Z")
I watched a few minutes. In the promos, Delaney looked puffy and it seemed like she was filmed from one side or the other, not full on. Had to laugh at the asthmatic teenage girl insisting to her dad – “That’s **country** music!”, “I hear music, and it’s **country** music, I know it is!” “Dad, it’s **country** music!” ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/5 "2006-05-22T17:03:47Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > I don’t think the Earth’s core itself could raise Lake Mead’s temperature 30 degrees in four minutes. And the entire Colorado river was brought to a rolling boil in about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, all of the surrouding flora remained green and pristene the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/6 "2006-05-22T17:06:43Z")
I should also mention that, according to the APM theory, all of the continental plates are moving back. But it is only the US that actually is moving. I guess someone thought to nail down Canada and Mexico. Poker Dad’s theory, BTW, was thought to be a crackpot theory years ago. Everyone laughed at him. As we well know, this is a sure-fire sign that he was spot on, and those ivory tower eggheads are once again out of touch. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/7 "2006-05-22T17:09:48Z")
I saw exactly 20 minutes (9:40 - 10:00), but it was enough to notice this: the camerawork is making me queasy. The moron director/cinematographer is in love with his zoom button, and cannot have a shot stay at one focal length for more than 2 seconds. In…out…in…in…in…out…in…out…I just wanted to slap the cameraman’s hand and say “STOP MESSING WITH THE ZOOM BUTTON!!!” And now that I’ve mentioned this, you will notice it. And you’ll get sick. You can thank me later. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/8 "2006-05-22T17:14:16Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > And now that I’ve mentioned this, you will notice it. I noticed it, and it annoyed me. It seems to be the new thing in disaster movies. Sheesh, even **United 93** used it. Did anyone else expect the President to say “Find Jack Bauer! Sheesh, looks like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing glue.” ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/9 "2006-05-22T17:36:58Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > So far it’s bad enough to have on while I catch up with newspapers. > > Really, how can you not appreciate a movie with not just endless earthquakes, but at least two erupting volcanoes, the water behind Hoover Dam heating to near boiling before the dam fails, sink holes eating up highways all over California, a massive tsunami hitting Hawaii (but doing little damage: see, they had an hour’s notice! Plenty long to notify everyone and evacuate them to, uh, um…) the giant aquifer under Nevada and the other mid-west states turning so acidic it eats through through the ground above so that Reno sinks into the ground (on its way to hell no doubt), and sundry minor disasaters – > > AND ALL THROUGH THIS everyone’s cell phones work perfectly each time! > > If I were one of the poor souls caught in this disaster, I’d be perched halfway up the nearest cell phone tower. Obviously they have a ‘disaster repelling’ power, sort of the inverse of trailer parks. Oh man, Reno sunk into the ground and I missed it??? Does anyone know if this will be on again? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/10 "2006-05-22T17:42:08Z")
> [@NailBunny](#): > > Does anyone know if this will be on again? 😃 Part II is on tomorrow. I bet we’ll see the Quad Cities sink. That’s always good for a laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/11 "2006-05-22T19:05:13Z")
I love cheesy disaster movies. I have been waiting for this. I loved the first part. I’m not sure why I enjoy this crap so much, but I do. > [@tdn](#): > > Heh. My words nearly exactly. > > So what exactly is APM theory? As far as I can tell, it is this: “When continental drift reaches its farthest extent, then continents will drift back at a greatly accelerated rate.” And it has something to do with chaos theory. > > So do you think that Tony “Evac” Bauer and First T&A Daughter will hit it? Yeah. She’s so obviously hot for Soulpatch. She was so busy making eyes at him she couldn’t talk. > [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > I know I like to point out similarities between 10.5 and 24, but is Kim Delaney actually looking a bit like Michelle Dessler? So totally! I was thinking that all night! > [@](#): > > I don’t think the Earth’s core itself could raise Lake Mead’s temperature 30 degrees in four minutes. Yeah. You’d never heat that much water, that quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/12 "2006-05-22T19:53:44Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I saw exactly 20 minutes (9:40 - 10:00), but it was enough to notice this: the camerawork is making me queasy. The moron director/cinematographer is in love with his zoom button, and cannot have a shot stay at one focal length for more than 2 seconds. In…out…in…in…in…out…in…out…I just wanted to slap the cameraman’s hand and say “STOP MESSING WITH THE ZOOM BUTTON!!!” > > And now that I’ve mentioned this, you will notice it. And you’ll get sick. You can thank me later. 🙂 Which is why I gave this steamer a full six minutes of my time before tossing a DVD on. Looked like a git with his first HandyCam on Xmas morn. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/13 "2006-05-22T20:06:35Z")
I loved this cellphone conversation: Rescue Brother: “I’m fine, sweetheart.” Girlfriend: “Oh, things are going to hell here.” RB: “You’ll have to speak up! There’s too much noise here!” GF: “I SAID THINGS ARE GOING TO HELL!” RB: “ **WHAT? SPEAK UP!** ” GF: “ **THINGS ARE GOING TO HELL!** ” RB: “ **OK, I ALMOST HEARD THAT!** ” GF: i love you. BF: i love you too. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/14 "2006-05-22T20:31:17Z")
I still say they’re gonna have their work cut out for them if they want to outdo the previous 10.5: How do you top an earthquake split _following a moving train?_ Every curve in the track, like a heat-seeking missile! Reno sinking into the ground pales by comparison. You just wait, I bet there is going to be a third 10.5 in which it will be revealed that the Gaia theory is correct…the earth is not only alive, but is sentient—and she’s pissed as all hell at humankind. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/15 "2006-05-22T22:01:53Z")
Oh – another thing that nagged at me: if all the continents are being snapped back together by that giant rubber band inside the earth (hey, I bet that theory is no worse than Geologist-Daddy’s will be) why aren’t we hearing ANYTHING about any other country? Actually, even if they aren’t having disasters, shouldn’t the news updates or the chunks with the President sometimes include bits like “Sweden is offering to send XXX trained relief teams” or “Canada has volunteered to take in refugees/evacuees?” Of course, there haven’t been any mention of disasters east of the Mississippi either, have there? So I can settle down here in Yankee land and feel all snug and safe. (OOOOO – I just remembered that we’re going to lose a whole slew of states from Texas to the Canadian border. They’re all RED states! Major power shift to the Blues, even without the various chunks of California.) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/16 "2006-05-25T19:43:53Z")
I TiVoed it, and have watched part 1 and part of part 2 so far. I love it, because even someone like me, with no formal training in geology, can spot the howlers made by supposedly trained geologists. > [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Oh – another thing that nagged at me: if all the continents are being snapped back together by that giant rubber band inside the earth (hey, I bet that theory is no worse than Geologist-Daddy’s will be) why aren’t we hearing ANYTHING about any other country? > > Actually, even if they aren’t having disasters, shouldn’t the news updates or the chunks with the President sometimes include bits like “Sweden is offering to send XXX trained relief teams” or “Canada has volunteered to take in refugees/evacuees?” I noticed that one, too. After a real major natural disaster, offers of help come in from all over the world. This movie also has the “only a few geologists in the world” fallacy (that shows up in a lot of disaster movies or TV shows). Why aren’t we hearing anything from any geologists other than Sam, Jordan, and Sam’s father? There must be some others, either at USGS or _somewhere_ else in the world. Some of those geologists _must_ be interested in what’s going on and have some opinions. I wanted to see the supervolcano in Yellowstone go off ☹ If the 10.5 in California had enough energy to form _new_ hotspots in the Earth’s crust, surely it would set off volcanoes over existing ones, like Yellowstone. Shouldn’t the rescue teams in Sun Valley be wearing face masks to keep the volcanic ash out of their lungs? [It’s really not something you want in your respiratory system](http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/health/). How did some of the people in the Atlas Casino fail to notice the huge drop when the building fell into the ground during the earthquake, and still think they were aboveground? You’d think that dropping 45 floors would be the sort of thing you’d notice… For that matter, why didn’t the towers’ floors pancake as the building fell down? Doesn’t Las Vegas get some significant amount of its power from Hoover Dam? And yet the power didn’t go out in the casino when Hoover Dam collapsed. Why hasn’t anything happened to Alaska in either 10.5 movie? That’s where the largest and most frequent earthquakes happen in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/17 "2006-05-25T22:13:16Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > …even without the various chunks of California.) When they showed the real-time earthquake satellite images of the US, did they remember to include the big new island off the coast of California? After they declared “Marshall law” last time, I suspect they forgot this detail. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/18 "2006-05-25T22:33:25Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > How did some of the people in the Atlas Casino fail to notice the huge drop when the building fell into the ground during the earthquake, and still think they were aboveground? You’d think that dropping 45 floors would be the sort of thing you’d notice… For that matter, why didn’t the towers’ floors pancake as the building fell down? Also, did you notice how conveniently everyone in the Casino either died (almost completely out of sight) or suffered nothing more than a few smears of dust? Just so there’d be no awkward decisions on what to do about the people with a broken leg, or a dislocated arm or anything at all immobilizing. Another fun bit was the helicopter sent to see if the Mt. Rushmore sculptures were damaged. Not only should all helicopters be involved in ferrying victims to med units and similar important life-saving duties, but the helicopter (of course!) arrived at just the precise moment to see the faces fall. You haven’t seen the last half of part two yet, so I won’t spoil any of the zillion improbabilities you have yet to survive. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/19 "2006-05-25T23:07:53Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Another fun bit was the helicopter sent to see if the Mt. Rushmore sculptures were damaged. Not only should all helicopters be involved in ferrying victims to med units and similar important life-saving duties, but the helicopter (of course!) arrived at just the precise moment to see the faces fall. …followed by… “Where to now?” “Oh, how about four feet from a massive waterfall?” “Okey dokey.” ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752/20 "2006-05-25T23:17:45Z")
Nobody’s at all worried about getting food, water, or other supplies to people affected by these disasters, even though that sort of thing was a major issue after Hurricane Katrina. I’m sure the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and various disasters affecting freeways have played hell with the usual routes of getting things in and out of these areas. With sulfur and presumably other nasty chemicals somehow getting into the water supplies, I’m sure drinking water is a problem, too. > [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Another fun bit was the helicopter sent to see if the Mt. Rushmore sculptures were damaged. Not only should all helicopters be involved in ferrying victims to med units and similar important life-saving duties, but the helicopter (of course!) arrived at just the precise moment to see the faces fall. Definitely true. Any helicopter pilot with even a shred of morals would be doing that kind of thing (and presumably the Park Service, which runs Mount Rushmore, would feel obligated, if not be obligated by law, to loan their helicopter to FEMA rather than use it to see if the monument is damaged). A helicopter pilot _without_ a shred of morals would be evacuating trapped people for large sums of money (there was one like that in Dante’s Peak) and, if shown in the movie, would die in some later disaster. And why didn’t the helicopter pilot at Hoover Dam have the sense to get the hell out of there when water started spilling over the dam? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watching-10-5-apocalyse/357752.md?page=2)