Like a disaster movie

Television anchors and reporters on Wednesday continued to call attention to the movie-like aspects of the scenes of devastation in lower New York following the previous day’s destruction of the World Trade Center. Filmmakers, whose epic disaster flicks had often been taken to task for “far fetched” or “over the top” scenarios, suddenly took on the mantle of prescient commentator — conservative, even. After all, in their films the kind of havoc now being repeated on TV always followed widespread ruin, not just the destruction of a couple of buildings. CNN even interviewed writer-producer Tom Clancy (Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games, Hunt for Red October) about the events in New York. They were, he said, another case of life imitating art.