Cataclysmic

Authors: Connor Campbell
Location: Texas

"Cataclysmic"

Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Paul Attanasio
Sound Mixing- Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek
Sound Editing- Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryn
Visual Effects- Joe Letteri, Brian Van’t Hul, Christian Rivers, Richard Taylor
Costume Design- Colleen Atwood
Make Up- Rick Baker
Cinematography- Janusz Kaminski
Score- John Williams
Featuring the Original Song “Tears” by Imogen Heap
Distributed by Amblin Entertainment

Principal Cast:

Forest Whitaker- Michael Robinson
Chandra Wilson- Florence Robinson
Naveen Andrews- Aadarsh Patel
Amy Sedaris- Colleen Byrne
Jake Weber- Liam Byrne

Tagline: "Looking at Texas City on Wednesday, April 16, 1947 was like catching a glimpse of hell"

Synopsis: Cataclysmic is a film about the Texas City Disaster, which was a series of massive explosions which killed hundreds (officially, the actual number is unknown). The first explosion was so powerful that people in Galveston (10 miles away) fell to there knees, windows in Houston (40 miles away) were shattered, & a seismologist in Denver initially interpreted the shock waves as an atomic bomb explosion in Texas. The film follows three workers at the port (ground zero), Michael (Whitaker), Aadarsh (Andrews), & Liam (Weber), complete strangers at first, but after the first explosion, in which all of them sustained major injuries befriend each other in order to save themselves from the flames that engulf the port, for they are too weak to flee the area. The film also follows Michael & Liam’s wives (Wilson & Sedaris), and their anxiety, looking out what used to be their windows, stubbornly waiting for their husbands’ car to drive up.

Eventually, the wives travel to the police station to try and find answers, where Florence & Colleen meet. After getting no answers from the police, the wives decide to travel to the port to try and find their husbands. After 3 hours of looking, they finally find their husbands & Aadarsh. But shortly after this, the second explosion occurs. Aadarsh dies, and the others all receive major injuries. They are discovered and are taken to the hospital. Liam is paralyzed, but Michael, Florence, & Colleen make complete recoveries. The movie ends with the first ever class action lawsuit.

What the press would say:

“Cataclysmic is the most realistic movie in film history. With the perfect combination of cast & crew, Cataclysmic is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Chandra Wilson of Grey’s Anatomy steals the show with the performance of a lifetime. Forest Whitaker, Naveen Andrews & Jake Weber make a surprisingly great team. And I must say I am most impressed with Amy Sedaris. She has entered the world of dramatic acting and has made a name for herself. All this under the brilliant direction of Steven Spielberg

Best Picture
Best Director- Steven Spielberg
Best Actor- Forest Whitaker
Best Actress- Chandra Wilson
Best Supporting Actor- Naveen Andrews
Best Supporting Actor- Jake Weber
Best Supporting Actress- Amy Sedaris
Best Original Screenplay- Paul Attanasio
Best Original Score- John Williams
Best Original Song- ‘Tears”- Imogen Heap
Best Cinematography- Janusz Kaminski
Best Make Up- Rick Baker
Best Costume Design- Colleen Atwood
Best Sound Mixing- Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek
Best Sound Editing- Mike Hopkins & Ethan Van der Ryn
Best Visual Effects- Joe Letteri, Brian Van’t Hul, Christian Rivers, Richard Taylor