We at the R of R offer our condolences to the family and friends of Heath Ledger.

This is an unfortunate example of leaving the world infamously. Here's an actor, well-respected and with a burgeoning career, who's final role will be as a homicidal maniac dressed as a clown. Now, I've been looking forward to his Joker as long as anyone, but it is kind of a depressing way to bow out. Whenever people think back about him, it will be with that crazy green-haired smiling image, and the thought that this was the role that sealed his life will haunt everyone who goes to see the movie. That's an unbelievable way to go.

There may or may not be a lesson there. I don't think "make sure to do something happy immediately after playing a monstrocity just in case you die" will apply to anyone else. Then again, what roles have you played lately?

I came across something today about my favorite volcano, Mount Saint Helens. I wasn't old enough to remember the big eruption in 1980, but I have been trying to follow news about it ever since I first heard the stories in grade school. The thing blew its top off and killed 58 people just 28 years ago. I am permanently intrigued.

Every year or so, geologists will come out with a story about how there is some steam or swelling or magma flow beneath the lava dome at Mt. St. Hns. The media gets a hold of it, then publishes a fear-inducing title. The story was posted in National Geographic as "Mount St. Helens Steams During Slight Quakes." But if you read between the lines, what they wanted to say was"Trouble Brewing in Gateway to Hell". See what I mean?

Now, my reaction to this was that people would eventually get turned off by all these constant minor tremors. The mountain's old Indian name was probably Mt. St. Crying Wolfs. (All volcanoes should be mountain saints, just for the sake of irony. Think Mt. St. Karakatoa or Mt. St. Doom.)

The reason I'm writing about this in a movie forum is to mention why I don't think that crying wolf so often diminishes are fear that a mountain may explode again. I think it has to do with disaster movies. Think about every disaster movie you have ever seen. It has a scientist (yeah!) who goes into a situation of some kind, say a pleasant small town on a fault line under a volcano just before hurricane season...surrounded by a levee. The scientist is welcomed by the mayor and the locals, but when the scientist starts predicting that the fault line is going to get hit by a giant meteor, the townsfolk reject the idea and accuse the scientist of trying to wreck their tourism. A couple of young people believe the scientist, and with his help are saved by driving away in the scientist's combination pick-up truck/ hovercraft...just in the nick of time. Sounds familiar, right?

The one other major element of those movies is the signs. The town doesn't pay attention to the signs. They justify all of the evidence because they don't want to believe it. That's why so many of them get wiped out in the finale. The old guy in town will say things like, "Nah, those early termors is just the Earth expanding 'cuz of the global warmin'." "So what if asteroids killed the dinosaurs. Look at me, do I look like a dinosaur?" "Yeah, that's lava, but it doesn't look like the bad kind." Kabloowey! No more old guy.

Thanks to shows like these, we can't help watching the real world and wondering if we're seeing the subtle signs of something bigger. A glacier here, a tremor there, a drought to the south...no big deal, right? But if Hollywood has taught us anything at all, it's that the signs always point to something big.

What I'm trying to say is, the planet could implode any second now, and it will probably all start with Mt. St. Hns. We'll miss you, western United States.

Hello, Renaisaucers young and old,

Your beloved scientific commentator and enlightenier has arrived at Rotten Tomatoes to expand his expertise. While the Rebirth of Renaisauce continues at blogspot, with all the continued joy of its long-standing, traditional quality, I will occasionally pop in to give my verdict on Hollywood. I will warn you beforehand that Hollywood never asks me anything, and therefore they get most things wrong. That's their problem, and there is nothing that I can do. My sources inform me that there may be a shift in the thinking of the higher-ups, but only with time will we know if anyone will come to my senses.

In the mean time, we here at the R of R will do the best that we can. We hope you visit often. Remember, just because no one asked for my opinion doesn't mean they don't need it.