Oh So Geeky

Eighties cinema churned out Hollywood icons left and right, and became synonymous as huge stars from that era. Bill Paxton was one of the few to break out of the mold from old Hollywood into new. Known for roles in movies like Terminator and Weird Science, he crafted an every day Burt Lancaster type of filmography: tough, rugged, but vulnerable and sensitive old-Americana guys. He could decipher money makers from " January jobs " so he could take smaller roles,  made space for other people in the industry, and kept wanting to make good work. With a Texas drawl and steely glance, he was a force of nature. Honestly, he was just a cool dude, laidback, charismatic and hardworking on-screen and off . As a fan of his, it was a sad day to hear of his passing. At the time, I didn't quite know what to say when the news first broke. I didn't know how to remember him until I could figure out which roles meant a lot to me, and to be honest, there were too many. So I thought...

It's no secret that Twister is one of my all-time favorite movies. I've watched it to the point of having memorized it, raved about it , and visited the now defunct movie attraction  at Universal Orlando Resort. Now with the 20th anniversary around the corner, I wanted to celebrate the film's two main women: Melissa Reeves and Jo Harding. Let's be honest: they are both true boss ladies of the disaster genre. If you want to celebrate even more Twister (who doesn't?), check out:  5 Epic Facts You Didn't Know About Twister !

Photo Credit: Twister / Warner Bros Tucked into the disaster genre under classics like The Poseidon Adventure (1972) or flash-in-the-pan epics like 2012 (2009), Twister remains popular twenty years after its original theatrical release. Instead of focusing on an end-of-the-world or survival against nature plot, this flick is all about facing one of nature's awe-inspiring sights in order to understand its mechanics. Jo (Helen Hunt) and Bill (Bill Paxton) are estranged storm chasers trailing several twisters across Oklahoma before their rival (Cary Elwes) beats them to the punch. Wrangled together by a contentious divorce, they lead a crew trying to release a data-gathering instrument to transmit tornadic behavior. The film is as much of a love story as it is an action movie. Jo's passion for how tornadoes work was brought on by a tragedy during her childhood. Her near-obsession, now as an adult, affects her marriage and drives her daredevil ambition. Awesomely playe...

I love Twister - the 1996 action movie directed by Jan DeBont about competing storm chasers across Oklahoma. One of the perks of living in Florida is the occasional visit to Universal Studios Florida. An attraction that somehow has managed to avoid renovation is the Twister: Ride It Out Soundstage.  The "ride" is a walk-through set celebrating the movie that broke summer box office records and beat out other action films like Mission: Impossible . Guests enjoy watching pre-production footage introduced by Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, and then "survive" a replication of a tornado sweeping through a drive-in.  Every time I go to Universal Studios, I'm not gonna lie: I have to do this attraction. My love for the attraction started out with simply enjoying the relief of air conditioning from the heat. But over time, I've been on it so many times, the film has become my one of my all-time favorites.  As early as summer 2014, rumors have begun that the attractio...