Adam Mckey’s new satire hit ‘Don’t Look Up’ is a strong take on today’s society. With Oscar-winning and nominated cast, the film is a must-watch. It not only comes from a long tradition of catastrophe and satirical films, but it also appears to be the ultimate hybrid of the two, with some DNA from the terrible condition of present politics, media, and communication thrown in for good measure.
But this film is not the first to be made with the same idea. Below are some films you could watch if you liked this satire drama.
1. Network 1976
Director- Sidney Lumet
Howard Beale, an old UBS television anchorman, gets fired in two weeks after his ratings have been continuously declining. As a result, he reacts by shockingly proclaiming his decision to commit suicide on live television. To which, Beale becomes a big television star and one of the most valuable assets of the Communications Corporation of America (CCA). It is progressively acquiring control of UBS. As a result, he gets his own show, dubbed “the mad prophet of the airwaves.” Every weekday evening, he appears live on television to tell the American people the truth. The program is a big success, but Beale uses his influence to reveal shocking facts about CCA, putting the company in great trouble.
2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb (1964)
Director- Stanley Kubrick
General Jack Ripper of the United States Air Force goes insane and orders his bomber wing to attack the Soviet Union. He believes communists are plotting to poison the American people’s “precious bodily fluids.” When the US president meets with his advisers, the Soviet envoy informs him that if the USSR is hit with nuclear weapons. It will set off a “Doomsday Machine” that will wipe out all plant and animal life on the planet.
The three guys who might be able to prevent this disaster are played by Peter Sellers: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake. He is the only person who has access to the insane Gen. Ripper; US President Merkin Muffley, whose only hope of averting calamity is to appease a drunken Soviet Premier. Most importantly, Dr. Strangelove, a former Nazi genius, finds that “such a weapon would not be a real deterrent for reasons that must be all too evident at this juncture.”
3. South Parks: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
Director- Trey Parker
Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick attend a screening of an R-rated Canadian film starring Terrance and Phillip, the quartet’s favorite comedians. They learn obscene language from the movie, prompting ALL of the other kids in South Park to watch it. Sheila Broflovski is against Terrance and Phillip after addressing the swearing problem with Mr. Mackey, which leads to a massive battle against Canadians for influencing children! The lads must go out to prevent a major confrontation between Saddam Hussein and Satan, who dominate the globe.
4. Meteor (1979)
Director- Ronald Neame
A nearly five-mile (eight-kilometer) diameter chunk of the asteroid “Orpheus” is traveling toward Earth after colliding with a comet. If it impacts, it will unleash a massive disaster that will almost certainly wipe humanity out. N.A.S.A. intends to use the illegal nuclear weapon satellite “Hercules” to halt the asteroid but soon realizes that it lacks sufficient firepower. Their only chance of saving the Earth is to team up with the Soviet Union, which has also launched an illegal satellite. Will both governments, however, agree?
5. They Live (1988)
Director- John Carpenter
John Nada is a jobless man who wanders about a large American city looking for something to do. He eventually finds a job as a worker and a place to sleep, but something dreadful occurs to him one day. John discovers a set of sunglasses that allow him to view people’s true faces. Many people in this metropolis are aliens (from the Andromeda galaxy), and the majority of them play crucial roles in our society. They keep humanity in the dark and rule the planet as they see fit. Nada must locate the last guys who are aware of what is going on (those who created the weird sunglasses) and help them in the fight against the invaders.
6. The Interview (2014)
Director- Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
The writer/director team Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the CIA employ a talk-show presenter to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-UN. Dave Skylark, a sleazy talk-show host notorious for pursuing celebrity rumors. On the other hand, Aaron Rapaport, his desperate producer who wants to do more real journalism. When Dave learns that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a great fan of his show, he and his partner try to set up an interview with him to bolster their credibility. The CIA, in turn, decides to assassinate Kim using these two and the access they’ll have. Aaron is on board, but Dave is a gullible fool who succumbs to Kim’s charms soon.
