THE FINAL COUNT

You would wonder why disaster movies are suddenly cashing in the box office of late and they seems to be looming just about everywhere. Perhaps it's simple fascination with the unthinkable or merely people's naturally sadistic bent that lend to the gnawing hype of such big-budget thrillers as The Day After Tomorrow or Armageddon. Then again, audiences can't seem to get enough of remakes that digitalize the gore factor of morbid classics like War of the Worlds and the latest installment of The Omen that had Julia Stiles spawning little Damien the Antichrist last 06/06/06. Every year we hear people say that Judgment Day is coming. Is there truth to this? Religious books are spelling impending doom, and the catastrophic state of the world today only begs to agree. Even the most haunting blockbusters can't compare to the urgent slate of headlines that jolt us back to reality every morning. This time, the most disastrous tragedies are materializing right before our eyes, this is no creative Hollywood stint. This is frighteningly real.