Category 7: The End of the World

Last updated
Category 7: The End of the World
Category 7.jpg
Cover of the DVD release of Category 7
Written byChristian Ford
Roger Soffer
Directed by Dick Lowry
Starring Randy Quaid
Gina Gershon
Shannen Doherty
Tom Skerritt
Swoosie Kurtz
James Brolin
Robert Wagner
Adam Rodriguez
Lindy Booth
Theme music composer Joseph Williams
Country of originUnited States
Canada
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersLesley Oswald
Peter Sadowski
Robert M. Sertner
Frank von Zerneck
CinematographyNeil Roach
EditorTod Feuerman
Running time240 minutes
Production companyVon Zerneck-Sertner Films
Budget $15,000,000
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseNovember 6 (2005-11-06) 
November 13, 2005 (2005-11-13)
Related

Category 7: The End of the World is a 2005 three-hour American made-for-television disaster miniseries and B movie that was broadcast in the United States on CBS in two parts, the first part aired on November 6 and the second on November 13. It was directed by Dick Lowry. [1] A sequel to the 2004 miniseries Category 6: Day of Destruction , this film starts directly after the events shown in that film. The new director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must continue to contend with the massive storm system that hit Chicago in the first film. The storm has continued to gain strength, spawning additional storms around the world, with three converging over Washington, D.C., and forming a massive category 7 hurricane (although no tropical cyclone scale has a category numbered 7).

Contents

Plot

Following the events in Category 6: Day of Destruction, the superstorm that hit Chicago is continuing to grow in size and strength, with tornadoes hitting Paris and destroying the Eiffel Tower. Judith Carr (Gina Gershon), the new head of FEMA, struggles to coordinate efforts to prepare for the aftermath of the storm and provide aid to ravaged areas. She calls in her former college lover, Dr. Ross Duffy (Cameron Daddo), and her father Senator Ryan Carr (Robert Wagner) to help her try to determine what is causing the storms and how to deal with the political issues. "Tornado Tommy" (Randy Quaid), who survived his seeming death in the previous film, returns to aid in tracking the storm in the United States, assisted by scientist Faith Clavell (Shannen Doherty). Similar storms are developing around the country and an interaction between urban heat islands and "falling chunks of mesosphere" fuels the storms making it more powerful. Hurricane Eduardo strikes toward Florida, while the Category 6 storm hits Buffalo, New York and heads towards and destroys most of New York City.

During these catastrophic events, two Christian fundamentalists (James Brolin and Swoosie Kurtz) fake the arrival of the plagues of Egypt to lure in new converts, culminating in their kidnapping of the first-born children of Judith Carr and other high-ranking officials. When Tommy and Faith get their data to FEMA in New York, Judith realizes that Hurricane Eduardo is heading towards Washington, D.C., and the Category 6 storm in New York is heading in the same direction. When both storms collide with the mesosphere, it turns into a "Category 7" hurricane, obliterating anything in its path. The force of the storm is so massive that it could potentially cause a global catastrophe.

Cast

Production

The miniseries was produced by von Zerneck/Sertner Films, which also produced Category 6. [2] It was filmed at various locations around Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and the Canadian air force base 17 Wing was used for the fictional version of Biloxi, Mississippi's Keesler Air Force Base. Air force members were tapped as extra by the production company to play the United States Air Force members seen during the film. The air force base commander noted that the filming helped to boost the local economy, due to the $600,000 in salaries generated during filming, but did not cause interfering with operations or security at the base. [3]

David Price, the weather man for CBS's The Early Show who was given a cameo role in Category 6, returned for another cameo in Category 7. In this film, Price appears in a brief scene as a reporter who questions the character Judith Carr about bringing her former lover, Dr. Duffy, in to help with the storm issue. In an interview for his own show, Price said it took him a lot of practice to deliver his "crucial line" just right, with it taking four hours to shoot the brief scene. Director Dick Lowry jokingly noted that his biggest mistake in the film was giving Price the key line in that scene. [4]

Release

Broadcast

Category 7 was initially aired on CBS as a two-part, four-hour miniseries. The first part aired on Sunday, November 6, 2005. The second part aired a week later. [5] [6]

Home media release

The miniseries was released to DVD by Echo Bridge Entertainment on April 4, 2006, on a single disc. [7] On March 4, 2008, Echo Bridge released the film as a two box set with another disaster film, 10.5: Apocalypse (airing later in May 2006 on NBC). [8] This was later followed by an April 2008 release of the film to Blu-ray, and a July 2008 Blu-ray release of the two movie pack. [9] [10]

Reception

The film is fraught with noticeably poor production quality and acting. Many critics felt that the first portion of the film was weak and confusing due to the large number of characters being introduced at once.

Nevertheless, Category 7 was the top rated network miniseries in 2006. [2] The first part of the miniseries came in number 16 among the top 25 network programs aired in the week of October 31 – November 6, and was the second most watched program for that Sunday with 14.7 million viewers. [11] [12] The second part of the film was also the second most watched program for its timeslot on November 13, with 13.85 million viewers. [13]

The film was nominated for multiple awards in 2006, including a Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special." [14] It was nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Television Presentation", [15] a Cinema Audio Society Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series", [16] and two Golden Reel Awards for "Best Sound Editing in Television Long Form—Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement" and "Best Sound Editing in Television Long Form—Sound Effects & Foley." [17] [18]

Before Category 7 aired, CBS was criticized for choosing to air the miniseries only months after two devastating hurricanes, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, hitting the United States, and a third, Hurricane Wilma, causing destruction in Florida in the same month the film was slated to première. [19]

Related Research Articles

Star Trek: Enterprise, originally titled simply Enterprise for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001 to May 13, 2005 on UPN. The sixth series in the Star Trek franchise, it is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 22nd century, a hundred years before the events of The Original Series, it follows the adventures of the Enterprise, Earth's first starship capable of traveling at warp five, as it explores the galaxy and encounters various alien species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Emergency Management Agency</span> United States disaster response agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979. The agency's primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the President that FEMA and the federal government respond to the disaster. The only exception to the state's gubernatorial declaration requirement occurs when an emergency or disaster takes place on federal property or to a federal asset—for example, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, or the Space Shuttle Columbia in the 2003 return-flight disaster.

<i>CSI: Crime Scene Investigation</i> American forensics/crime TV series (2000–2015)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, also referred to as CSI and CSI: Las Vegas, is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that originally ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning a total of 15 seasons. It is the first series in the CSI franchise. The series originally starred William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Jorja Fox and Paul Guilfoyle. Other cast members included Eric Szmanda, Robert David Hall, Louise Lombard, Wallace Langham, Lauren Lee Smith, Ted Danson, Laurence Fishburne, and Elisabeth Shue. The series concluded with a feature-length finale, "Immortality".

<i>10.5</i> (miniseries) 2004 television miniseries directed by John Lafia

10.5 is a 2004 American disaster film directed by John Lafia which aired as a television miniseries in the United States on May 2, 2004, and May 3, 2004 on NBC. The plot focuses on a series of catastrophic earthquakes along the United States west coast, culminating in one measuring 10.5 on the Richter scale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Ivan</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2004

Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The ninth named storm the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, Ivan formed in early September, and reached Category 5 strength on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS). Ivan caused catastrophic damage in Grenada as a strong Category 3 storm, heavy damage in Jamaica as a strong Category 4 storm, and then severe damage in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and the western tip of Cuba as a Category 5 hurricane. After peaking in strength, the hurricane moved north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico to strike Pensacola/Milton, Florida and Alabama as a strong Category 3 storm, causing significant damage. Ivan dropped heavy rain on the Southeastern United States as it progressed northeastward and eastward through the Eastern United States, becoming an extratropical cyclone on September 18. The remnant low of the storm moved into the western subtropical Atlantic and regenerated into a tropical cyclone on September 22, which then moved across Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, and then into Louisiana and Texas, causing minimal damage. Ivan degenerated into a remnant low on September 24, before dissipating on the next day.

<i>Shōgun</i> (1980 miniseries) 1980 American historical drama television miniseries

Shōgun is a 1980 American historical drama miniseries based on James Clavell's 1975 novel of the same name. The series was produced by Paramount Television and first broadcast in the United States on NBC over five nights between September 15 and 19, 1980. It was written by Eric Bercovici and directed by Jerry London, and stars Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune, and Yoko Shimada, with a large supporting cast. Clavell served as executive producer.

<i>Category 6: Day of Destruction</i> 2004 television film directed by Dick Lowry

Category 6: Day of Destruction is a 2004 four-hour television miniseries that was broadcast in the United States on CBS in two parts, with the first part aired on November 14 and the second on November 17. It was later released to DVD on February 15, 2005. The miniseries focuses primarily on the city of Chicago as three unusual storm systems approach from the west, north and south and combine over the city to form a massive hurricane. At the same time a hacker-induced power outage cuts communications leaving a journalist and power officials scrambling to find the cause.

<i>The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate</i> American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana

The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ancestral publications of other names date back to January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of The Times-Picayune by the New Orleans edition of The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Katrina</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2005

Hurricane Katrina was a powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. It is tied with Hurricane Harvey as being the costliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin. Katrina was the twelfth tropical cyclone, the fifth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States, gauged by barometric pressure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of the government response to Hurricane Katrina</span> Criticism of the U.S. government

Criticism of the government response to Hurricane Katrina was a major political dispute in the United States in 2005 that consisted primarily of condemnations of mismanagement and lack of preparation in the relief effort in response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Specifically, there was a delayed response to the flooding of New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Katrina disaster relief</span>

The disaster recovery response to Hurricane Katrina in late 2005 included U.S. federal government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), state and local-level agencies, federal and National Guard soldiers, non-governmental organizations, charities, and private individuals. Tens of thousands of volunteers and troops responded or were deployed to the disaster; most in the affected area but also throughout the U.S. at shelters set up in at least 19 states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Hurricane Katrina</span>

This article contains a historical timeline of the events of Hurricane Katrina on August 23–30, 2005 and its aftermath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Rita</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2005

Hurricane Rita was the most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Gulf of Mexico and the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. Part of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which included three of the top ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes in terms of barometric pressure ever recorded, Rita was the seventeenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 2005 season. It was also the earliest-forming 17th named storm in the Atlantic until Tropical Storm Rene in 2020. Rita formed near The Bahamas from a tropical wave on September 18, 2005, that originally developed off the coast of West Africa. It moved westward, and after passing through the Florida Straits, Rita entered an environment of abnormally warm waters. Moving west-northwest, it rapidly intensified to reach peak winds of 180 mph (285 km/h), achieving Category 5 status on September 21. However, it weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, between Sabine Pass, Texas and Holly Beach, Louisiana, with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Rapidly weakening over land, Rita degenerated into a large low-pressure area over the lower Mississippi Valley by September 26.

The appearances of tropical cyclones in popular culture spans many genres of media and encompasses many different plot uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Claudette (2003)</span> Category 1 Atlantic hurricane

Hurricane Claudette was a moderately strong tropical cyclone that struck South Texas in July 2003. A fairly long-lived July Atlantic hurricane, Claudette was the fourth depression, third tropical storm and first hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Claudette began as a tropical wave in the eastern Caribbean. It moved quickly westward, brushing past the Yucatán Peninsula before moving northwestward through the Gulf of Mexico. Claudette remained a tropical storm until just before making landfall in Port O'Connor, Texas, when it quickly strengthened to a strong Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Forecasting of its path and intensity was uncertain throughout its lifetime, resulting in widespread and often unnecessary preparations along its path.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village Roadshow Studios</span> Film studios located in Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Village Roadshow Studios are a set of film studios located in Oxenford, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The studios are owned by Village Roadshow and consist of nine sound stages as well as a range of other production facilities. The studio commenced in June 1991 and is one of three film studios in Australia, the others being Disney Studios Australia in Sydney and Docklands Studios Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Ike</span> Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2008

Hurricane Ike was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a similar track to the 1900 Galveston hurricane. The ninth tropical storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, Ike developed from a tropical wave west of Cape Verde on September 1 and strengthened to a peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane over the open waters of the central Atlantic on September 4 as it tracked westward. Several fluctuations in strength occurred before Ike made landfall on eastern Cuba on September 8. The hurricane weakened prior to continuing into the Gulf of Mexico, but increased its intensity by the time of its final landfall in Galveston, Texas, on September 13 before becoming an extratropical storm on September 14. The remnants of Ike continued to track across the United States and into Canada, causing considerable damage inland, before dissipating on the next day.

<i>Man Against the Mob</i> 1988 American TV series or program

Man Against the Mob is a 1988 NBC television movie directed by Steven Hilliard Stern, starring George Peppard, Kathryn Harrold and Max Gail. Man Against the Mob is a precursor of the 2013 theatrical feature Gangster Squad, in that it deals with the post-war formation of a special LAPD unit set up to suppress Organized Crime in Los Angeles. It may have been inspired by the success of the 1987 theatrical feature The Untouchables, a period drama which also depicted an elite law enforcement unit pitted against mobsters. This was designed around the actor George Peppard as a tough LA cop in the late 1940s. A December 10, 1989 NBC-TV movie follow-up, Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders, is a sequel that also stars Peppard, reuniting him with his co-star from The Blue Max, Ursula Andress. The first movie was a pilot of a proposed NBC series entitled City of Angels but ended up panning out as only the two TV movies before George Peppard died in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Michael</span> Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2018

Hurricane Michael was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that became the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. It was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the contiguous United States in terms of pressure, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Michael was the first Category 5 hurricane on record to impact the Florida Panhandle, the fourth-strongest landfalling hurricane in the contiguous United States in terms of wind speed, and the most intense hurricane on record to strike the United States in the month of October.

References

  1. "Category 7: The End of the World". Turner Classic Movies . Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Archived from the original on October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "About". von Zerneck/Sertner Films. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  3. "17 Wing – Stars of Stage and Screen". Canada's Air Force. October 3, 2005. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  4. David Price (Reporter) (November 4, 2005). Dave Price's Starring Role (Flash) (Television production). Manhattan, New York: CBS . Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  5. Huddleston, Kathie (October 31, 2005). "Category 7: The End of the World". On Screen. 11 (445). SciFi.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  6. "Category 7: The End of the World' Hits TV". ET Online. CBS. November 8, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2008.[ dead link ]
  7. "Category 7: The End of the World". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  8. "10.5 Apocalypse / Category 7: The End of the World". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  9. "Category 7: The End of the World [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  10. "10. 5 Apocalypse/Category 7: The End of the World [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  11. "CBS' winning streak at 7 weeks". The San Diego Union-Tribune . November 9, 2005. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  12. Van Gelder, Lawrence (November 8, 2005). "Arts, Briefly". The New York Times . Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  13. Van Gelder, Lawrence (November 15, 2005). "Arts, Briefly". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  14. "The 58th Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmys Nominations". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  15. "SITH Leads Nomination List for 32nd Annual". Mania Entertainment. February 15, 2006. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  16. "The Nominees for the Cinema Audio Society Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for 2005". Cinema Audio Society. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  17. "Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: 2006 Golden Reel Award". IMDb, Motion Picture Sound Editors. Archived from the original on January 15, 2009. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  18. "Past Golden Reel Awards". Motion Picture Sound Editors. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  19. Jakle, Jeanne (October 20, 2005). "CBS going ahead with storm drama". San Antonio Express-News . pp. 05F.