Twisters makes me wanna be a storm chaser again
the european mind cannot comprehend a place like oklahoma
As a certified Twister (1996) lover girl, I’m happy to report Twisters rocks. A cinephile will likely turn their noses up at this ~ literally perfect ~ popcorn movie and that’s okay. Twisters is for true blue movie lovers and those of us who will always have a special place in our hearts for the magic of summers in the ‘90s that gifted us sci-fi and action movie classics like Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Independence Day (1996), Mission Impossible (1996), and probably others I’m failing to remember at the moment.
A running list of things about Twisters I loved:
‘90s cinema feel
people with sky / weather autism
rodeos
interesting cloud formations
making fun of youtube vloggers
accents that change from scene to scene
good ol’ country boys who aren’t racist or sexist
curtain bangs
arkansas representation
35mm film cameras
prioritizing platonic friendships
a smart female heroine who leaves their home town and has Complicated Feelings About Going Back Home
cowboy hats
incredible soundtrack
pimped out pickup trucks
people walking away from something morally questionable to Do The Right Thing
hot men in white t-shirts walking in the rain
people coming together to help others over self-interests
I know Twisters is one part a movie about people in Oklahoma driving into bad weather over and over again, and another part about two people who matched each other’s freak, but there’s a reason these films hold a special place in my heart.
As a child growing up in rural Michigan, my parents and I watched storms roll in over our farm every summer. As farmers and stewards of the land, my father taught me the value of having a personal relationship with nature—understanding the seasons, cloud systems, weather patterns, and ways they impacted our crops and eventual harvest. Thanks to him, I developed a Special Interest in the sky and quantum physics, and it’s why I continue to look to the cosmos to find understanding when nothing else in the world is making sense.
Tornados hit southern Michigan almost every summer, though usually (luckily), we never experienced any major damage. My family was a little group of wannabe storm chasers. My mom, dad, and brother loved the mystery and chaos of watching storms come in and wondering how they would develop. Often, we’d be down at our farm market ( a few miles away from our farm) when a warning would hit and we’d have to hop in my dad’s blue pickup truck and drive like a bat out of hell to get home to safety as our market didn’t have a basement or storm shelter.
By the time we arrived home, we’d turn on the radio and either stay on the front porch overlooking the grassy hills and fields, or my brother and I would go outside and outstretch our hands towards the sky, feeling the first drops of rain come in. When the rain suddenly halted, the leaves on the trees stopped rustling, and the birds stopped chirping, we knew that was when it was time to head to the basement to take cover. The calm that overcomes the land before a storm is eerie as hell.
So of course, when Twister came out, my parents took us to watch it opening weekend. We loved Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, the flying cows, the amazing special effects, the comedic bits, the diner, the love story, the cinematography, classic ‘90s Shania on the soundtrack—all of it!
Looking back, those times were especially bittersweet, as we were a year into my father’s treatment for stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We had given away all of our pets and farm animals by then (recommended by doctors for patients receiving radiation). Any little bit of fun or a source of light in such a dark and unknown time in our family was welcomed and appreciated. Watching movies together was our lifeline for staying sane and keeping a sense of togetherness despite it all.
As we face strange and (once again) unprecedented times in the U.S. thanks to our corrupt political system we pretend is a democracy, Twisters couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s a light-hearted example of an American lifestyle with nothing to prove and no political agenda. It’s pure fun from start to finish. “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” loudly playing through the theater the moment Tyler Owens shows up for the first time is what movies and Dolby cinema are all about, my friends.
this was really cool to read as a rural michigander, and makes me curious to watch the film!
I love this koty!! your film photos are beautiful