The Fire Next Time (1993)

The Age of Commercialism

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Living there in Morgan City when the movie was filmed in the summer of 1992, we members of the press, at the press conference for this movie, laughed when told what the movie was going to be about. Our local KQKI was quick to point out that if the crew just waited till August, they wouldn't have to make up some of the hurricane scenes. Though everyone laughed, the joke was on Ernest Polk when Andrew slammed into Morgan City after taking out south Florida. Ernest was right. The move was okay but when the real hurricane met some of the sets that were used in the movie, like the Berwick Civic Center, Andrew, quite impolitely, removed roofing off of the walkways and such. If you lived in a trailer before the hurricane, you lived in a shelter after it (residents from Patterson to Amelia, at least). It was the only time I evacuated, ever. I went to Mississippi and watched CNN. The Mayor at the time, Cedric LaFleur really did make Morgan City look like it was a haven for Cajuns with his thick accent. Anyway, I found this on another web site and it does sound like what the Mayor might have said.TWC Meteorologist: Mayor Lafleur, are you concerned that many citizens will stay for the storm or do you believe they will leave early enough to get to safety? Cedric: No, Sha. Iss all gone be okay. We done issued a mandatory evaporation for da hoal city.Public Works Director (off camera in a hushed voice): No. Cedric, that's the wrong word.Cedric: What? Oh..Oh..Yeah, I'm sorry bout dat. I meant ta say we done ejaculated da hoal city, Sha.

It's September 2006, and I'm sitting here watching this film with chill bumps. The Santa Anas are blowing outside spreading the "Day Fire" which has been raging for nearly three weeks, just as the scene on the movie shows fires in the LA area that have gone on and on, burning more than 50,000 acres. Creeped out by the similarities, I continued to watch the film. As a hurricane is headed towards the bayou area where the core family lives, the townspeople are in a meeting to find out what the government is going to do to help them. "Why are you waiting 24 hours before this hits to do anything?" one lady shouts at the officials. Then scenes of people trying to evacuate at the last minute, and the tragedy that ensues, brings up memories of last year's Katrina disaster. I'm sure when this film came out, it was seen as cheesy apocalyptic sci-fi. But turn on the news, folks, and take another look. I think this film did an excellent job of saying "what if?"

I didn't see the original airing of this mini series but watched later about 3 years ago on USA. Seemed prophetic then and even more so now with huge fires here in SouthWest and Katrina in NOLA. I live in Arizona so I can speak more to the drought of SW. I had a 275,000 acre fire come within about 6 miles of me. Just a few days ago we had 20 fires start up in one day. I live in N central AZ and we have had less than an inch of rain from Oct of 2005 to mid July, date of this comment. Yes we have weather cycles but there are too many bad cycles all at once all over, I am from Maine originally and winters up there since I was a kid, have generally gotten warmer and less snow. this mini series is eerily coming true. I enjoyed it, lots of food for thought,acting is not great but adequate and suffice to keep you hooked. I was probably kept on board too by references to Acadia and Evangeline as my ancestors were Acadian and story of Evangeline has been in my heart since my childhood. I say watch it for first time and if you have seen it before get a refresher.

When this was first televised as a two part mini-series I watched the first night and opted out for the 2nd. Now, after renting it from Portland's finest (and the country's finest, if truth be told) video store MOVIE MADNESS and watching the entire four hours I can safely say that buried inside the 240 minute mammoth of overcooked plotting and sweaty melodramatics is a fine 90 minute movie.Craig T Nelson is a hell of a good actor and that's the trouble: he plays a completely unlikable character to irritatingly well effect. There is no one to root for: Nelson's character is a selfish pig from the get-go and he never gets much smarter or nicer. I realize that its not his fault--the script makes everyone a symbol and he has to stand for The Guilty Short-Sighted Consumer of All The World's Goodies....other actors are saddled with equally heavy burdens to carry.Which leads me to another major drawback : the uneven tone of the script.We get semi-interesting first night scenes between the extremely underrated Charles Haid and Craig T. Nelson alongside some real second night howlers like the absurd scene with Lousie Fletcher-- who chirps to Bonnie Bedelia ( who I must say looks wonderful with her ample bosom on sweaty display) "In the morning you will be issued your regulation camouflage army fatigues; its our way of keeping our message of hope alive." I am not kidding, she actually says that--and she is supposed to be the representative of the Evil Pro-Earth whatever the hell you want to call them. Ludicrous. As is most of the rest of this thing. But there are some interesting notions. Not ALL worthless but you have to wade thru a lot of dumb stuff.