# Breaking News Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150 "2009-04-23T21:22:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/1 "2009-04-23T21:22:50Z")
…but not the movie _Breaking News_. I have vague memories of two movies that would have been from mid-to-late 80s or very early 90s. From what I remember they were both filmed as though you were watching breaking news reports; I think, but I could be wrong the entire movies were from the news perspective. One of them was about a terrorist and hostage situation on a boat; if it helps I seem to remember it was a larger boat and was docked. The other one, again IIRC, started off with I think a mysterious meteor shower and ended with it being an alien invasion. Were these actual movies, or have I just mashed a whole bunch of scattered movie memories into two new ones? ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/2 "2009-04-23T21:25:22Z")
I remember both. The first one was, I believe, [Special Bulletin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Bulletin), which came out roughly the same time as _The Day After_ and, like TDA, scared the bejesus out of me. The meteor shower one was a bit later, but I can’t remember what it was called. Edited to add: Possibly [Without Warning](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111735/)? This had Edwin Newman in a special report about presumed meteor showers, which were the prelude to an alien landing. ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/3 "2009-04-23T21:46:30Z")
Damn, you’re good! \*Without Warning \* seems a bit later then I remember, but not to be too far off. It is also closer than anything I’ve been able to find, so I bet that is it. Now I just have to figure out how to track them down to watch them. Apparently I can’t check ebay here, and the only copy of either on Amazon, Without Warning, is $75. :eek: So if anyone happens to know of any helpful sites, my message box has plenty of space; just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/4 "2009-04-23T22:12:30Z")
I remember watching “Special Bulletin”. It was really well done. Ed ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/5 "2009-04-23T22:12:49Z")
Glad to help out! 🙂 I aims to please. I just PMed you with some eBay links for later, and also SB is on Google Video. Yipe, this brings back all the heebie jeebies from my youth… ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/6 "2009-04-23T22:42:54Z")
Reading from the wiki synopsis for Special Bulletin, this bit struck me… > [@](#): > > Several times during the program, Woodley finds himself debating with Lyman and his colleagues the ethics of television journalism and the role it plays in both covering the activities of terrorists and, at the same time, inadvertently promoting such activities. “TV news is essentially show business,” Lyman says. Geez, if they only knew. It would be really interesting to see these today and compare to the “real” news coverage we have now. Reminds me of a Sage Francis song, [Makeshift Patriot](http://www.lyricsbox.com/sage-francis-lyrics-makeshift-patriot-xg5q1lc.html), that talks about watching the live coverage of September 11th. I’d post a youtube video, but I can’t check them at work and they would all be the homemade type videos; good song though, worth looking for. Anyway here are a couple select lines… > [@](#): > > It’s times like these I freestyle biased opinions every other sentence. > My journalist ethic slips when I pass them off as objectives. > Don’t give me that ethical shit. > I’ve got exclusive, explicit images to present to impressionable American kids, > and it’s time to show this world how big our edifice is. > … > They happen to scar our financial state, > and char our landscape. > Can you count how many times so far I ran back the same damn tape? > While the cameraman creates news and shoves it down our throats, > on the west bank, with the ten second clip put on constant loop to provoke US angst ETA: Thanks for the links, I’ll be sure to check those out when I get home. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/7 "2009-04-24T05:23:08Z")
> [@choie](#): > > The first one was [Special Bulletin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Bulletin), which came out roughly the same time as _The Day After_ and scared the bejesus out of me. I especially liked how this one ended: The U.S. military successfully killed the terrorists, but while trying to defuse the atomic bomb, accidentally set it off anyway. Oops!!! ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/8 "2009-04-24T11:33:50Z")
‘Without Warning’ was seriously one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. Funny little story about ‘Special Bulletin’- my parents and I were watching it, thoroughly engrossed, and my cousin, who was living with us at the time, came home from work. She stopped in the middle of the family room, looked at the TV, and said…“Is this really happening?” I will never forget the shock and horror on her face. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/9 "2009-04-24T12:34:44Z")
> [@choie](#): > > I remember both. The first one was, I believe, [Special Bulletin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Bulletin), which came out roughly the same time as _The Day After_ and, like TDA, scared the bejesus out of me. > > The meteor shower one was a bit later, but I can’t remember what it was called. > > Edited to add: Possibly [Without Warning](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111735/)? This had Edwin Newman in a special report about presumed meteor showers, which were the prelude to an alien landing. I love you and will name my first born after you. “Special Bulletin” was an incredible movie which I totally enjoyed and tried to look up for years afterwards but for some reason got it into my head that it was called “We interrupt this programme” so obviously had no joy in my search. You have now gone some way to saving my sanity,bless you. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/10 "2009-04-24T15:47:04Z")
Is \*Without Warning \* the one that ends with something along the lines of The “meteor” is destroyed and everyone is celebrating. Camera focuses on one character watching the radar screen or whatever who has a look of horror on their face. Crowd comes over to see what is the matter. The radar screen now has hundreds on incoming objects. If so, that was pretty good. Though I agree that '94 seems a lot more recent than I’d thought. Special Bulletin was good as well. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/11 "2009-04-24T23:40:14Z")
YIKES!!! I just went to eBay, I thought I would look at getting a DVD of Without Warning… They are WELL over $100! WTF? For a made for TV movie? ARE THEY NUTS??? ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breaking-news-movies/494150/12 "2009-04-25T03:33:54Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > I love you and will name my first born after you. > > “Special Bulletin” was an incredible movie which I totally enjoyed and tried to look up for years afterwards but for some reason got it into my head that it was called “We interrupt this programme” so obviously had no joy in my search. > > You have now gone some way to saving my sanity,bless you. Aw aren’t you sweet? Well, thank the dear OP for bringing it up! And here’s even better news: the whole thing is on Google video. > [@jk1245](#): > > Is \*Without Warning \* the one that ends with something along the lines of… Pretty much. As I recall: The earth sends up missiles to destroy the meteors and it’s a big success. Then we find out these ‘meteors’ were alien message pods or something like that, and our act is considered one of aggression. Just as everyone’s celebrating, the newscaster reports that there are thousands more ‘meteors’ coming our way. Then the screen goes into static. > [@](#): > > If so, that was pretty good. Though I agree that '94 seems a lot more recent than I’d thought. As hard as it is to believe, 1994 is _fifteen years ago_. It’s longer ago than it seems. > [@PapSett](#): > > YIKES!!! I just went to eBay, I thought I would look at getting a DVD of Without Warning… They are WELL over $100! WTF? For a made for TV movie? ARE THEY NUTS??? I know, right? Nuts to that. Do a search for “without warning” and “[ioffer.com](http://ioffer.com)” and you’ll find a much better deal.