When Time Ran Out (1980)

When Time Ran Out was supposed to be the cherry on the 70s disaster film cake of Irwin Allen - despite its release in 1980. That date was a harbinger for this leaden volcano-explodes-and-people-escape-lava epic, which has a mixed bag of well paid actors (William Holden, Jacqueline Bisset, Edward Albert, Red Buttons, Valentina Cortese, Veronica Hamel, Alex Karras and Allen's wife, Sheila) running away from lava that, as pointed out early in the story, ...moves slowly enough to give us time so don't rush. The pacing never picks up so I would be remiss to not note the most interesting thing about this movie: actor Paul Newman used his salary to bankroll Newman's Own, a self-sustaining business which continues to contribute millions of dollars to charity even after his death.

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...Airport (1969)

Airport is one of the last glossy soap operas made for the big screen, a throwback to the multi-character, multi-story films of the 50s, before television (and the mini-series launched in the 70s) became the place for this type of entertainment. It's a populist film so don't expect intellect but expect some excellent performances: Maureen Stapleton is heart-breaking, Jacqueline Bisset is stunning, Helen Hayes is wicked, and Dean Martin is just Dean Martin in a pilot's uniform. Fun all-around entertainment that has aged well and deserved the nods it received from the Academy,