Videos for Class
Here is a list of videos I use in class. I usually do not show the entire video, just the section that illustrates the point I wasnt to make.
Good Science Movies |
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| In Search of the Edge | A spoof documentary made to appear completely serious. It discusses the flat Earth Theory from the flat Earth point of view. This makes for good discussion while the "jury is still out". The video runs about 20 minutes. Unfortuneately it was expensive (about $200) but the price has recently come down. It is avialable from www.bullfrogfilms.com |
| The Weather | 4-disc DVD set with awesome computer graphics and demonstrations on just about any topic of weather. The set is available from amazon.com for about $30. |
| Night of the Twisters | Based on a true story of an evening in the 70's where an outbreak of tornadoes marched through the mid-west. This movie come from Fox Family and I have only seen it on TV. I video taped it for use in class. About half-way through the movie is one of the most scientifically accurate depictions of a tornado's effects I've seen: pressure effects, safety during the storm, normally traveling to the NE and so on. Check the Fox Family channel to see if they have a listing for this occasionally shown movie. I've also seen it available on-line. |
| Matrix 2 | At the end of the fight between Morpheus and Agent Johnson on top of the trailer, there is a spectacular collision between two trucks. This collision beautifully shows what happens with a continent/continent collision with the folding on top and bottom of the crust. |
| Broken Arrow | When the nuclear bomb explodes in the mine shaft it sets off a dramatic (if not exactly accurate) S-wave. The electromagnetic pulse from the explosion is also worthy of some discussion. |
| Total Recall | At the very end of the movie is a scene where Arnold Schwartzenager is thrown from a shelter out onto the un-pressurized surface of Mars. He begins to succumb to depressurization. Good for discussions of low pressure. |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey | About half-way through the movie, Dave has to cross the vacuum of space from his pod to the space ship without a helmet. This scene shows a) the human body can withstand up to about 30 seconds of vacuum without exoploding b) sound does not travel in space. |
| Mission to Mars | Near the end they have a beautiful animation of one theory of life on Earth. |
| The Perfect Storm | Some good explanation of weather The book is way better- good for taking paragraphs for DBQ's. |
| Jurassic Park I, II, & III | But #1 is the best |
| Back to the Future I, II, & II | Great cause & effect discussions. |
| Frequency | Another great cause & effect movie. It also deals with space weather caused by solar storms and Aurora Borealis. |
| The Final Countdown | Yet another good time movie |
| Apollo XIII | Good problem solving and teamwork movie. |
| The Right Stuff | Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier. |
| The Abyss | Good underwater Science: pressure effects, nitrogen narcosis, the bends, and great implosion |
| October Sky | Makes you want to take up model rocketry |
| Contact | Good SETI film- what would the prime numbers be like if aliens had other than 10 fingers? |
Just Cool Movies |
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| The Princess Bride | So many great monologues and one-liners |
| The Lord of the Rings Trilogy | ‘nuff said |
| The Star Wars Films | |
| Raiders of the Lost Ark | The funniest scene ever caught on film. Indie is recouperating from a long day of fighting Nazis while escaping on a freighter boat. Marian is looking at herself in a full-length mirror. She flips the morror, nailing our intrepid hero under the chin. Cut scene to a wide angle of a small ship on the ocean and Indie's blood-curdling scream. |
| Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country | The Enterprise gets trashed! |
| Real Genius | Makes it look easy to be smart |
| Jox | If you ever played MechWarrior you’ll love this one |
| Close Encounters of the Third Kind | Not all aliens are bad |
| D.A.R.Y.L. | Think you’re a smart kid? |
| Flight of the Navigator | |
| The Day the Earth Stood Still | A classic. A must-see for any enthusiast |
| Dreamscape | The Original Matrix- what if you could control your dreams? |
| Forbidden Planet | Another classic must-see |
Fifteen years of
Medina On-Line
1994-2009
Email: mrsciguy@optonline.net