The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Yeah, I really that movie. I probably saw it when I was eight years old. The initial disaster bit with the ship flipping upside down was very exciting to me. The cast was good. Ernest Borgnine was my favorite character. He was such a cutie and a really nice man. I'll never forget when Stella Stevens said "I'm going next. In case, ole fat ass gets stuck!" Oh my God, how rude. The part where they all had to hold their breath traumatized me as I held my breath with them and was only able to hold my breath for about 15 seconds. Yikes! And the scene where they had to climb up those vertical steps in the rising circle of water was my favorite scene. I was happy when they heard the people banging pipe on the outside, but sad because Gene Hackman had died only two minutes earlier.

Most memorable line: "I'm the only one trained to do this!?" Ha!

I have an ex-boyfriend whose absolute favorite movie this is. He belongs to an online TPA group and one New Year's Eve, he gave a theme party. He even constructed/painted cardboard lamps and small pieces of furniture which he attached to the ceiling for effect. He spent a lot of time on this and it was very impressive! He even had an upturned Christmas tree in the corner of the room.  He is obsessed and quotes the movie at least once a week, every week, since he saw the movie at a drive-in, December, 1972.  So, it's been his favorite movie for almost 47 years.  It's kind of cute.

My favorite disaster movie is "Airport 1975".  It's really a bunch of hot air, but the "Hollywood Squares- type cast" (thank you, Leonard Maltin!) is both sublime and surreal in its tackiness.

Charlton Heston as Capt. Alan Murdock
Karen Black as Chief-Stewardess Nancy Pryor
George Kennedy as Joe Patroni
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Captain Stacy
Gloria Swanson as Herself
Susan Clark as Helen Patroni
Helen Reddy as Sister Ruth
Linda Blair as Janice Abbott
Dana Andrews as Scott Freeman
Myrna Loy as Mrs. Devaney
Sid Caesar as Barney
Roy Thinnes as First Officer Urias
Ed Nelson as Maj. Alexander
Nancy Olson as Mrs. Abbott
Larry Storch as Glenn Purcell
Martha Scott as Sister Beatrice
Norman Fell as Bill
Jerry Stiller as Sam
Conrad Janis as Arnie
Beverly Garland as Mrs. Freeman
Augusta Summerland as Winnie
Jim Plunkett as himself
Guy Stockwell as Col. Moss
Erik Estrada as Flight Engineer Julio
Christopher Norris as Stewardess Bette
Irene Tsu as Stewardess Carol
Laurette Spang as Stewardess Arlene
Sharon Gless as Stewardess Sharon
Aldine King as Stewardess Aldine
Kip Niven as Lt. Thatcher
Austin Stoker as Air Force Sgt.

"I know, Mother, but it's so exciting! The people are so interesting!"

I prefer Towering Inferno and Earthquake.
Great idea and suspense but I agree the characters are rather unlikable. The book is even more over the top (I found it in the back drawer of a school room and read it from boredom).

I really liked Earthquake a lot, and it is probably my 3rd favorite after "Airport 1975" and the downright hilarious "The Concorde: Airport 1979".  That movie cannot be believed!  I love the cast in "Earthquake", with George Kennedy and Genevieve Bujold being the two standouts.  

I don't care for "The Towering Inferno" much at all.  It's too long and there are lots of boring parts.  Even the cast is boring.  Though Faye Dunaway never looked more beautiful.  But the thing that bothers me the most is how the movie seems to delight in making those who fall to victim to the fire suffer thoroughly.  The most vicious two scenes are Robert Wagner and Susan Flannery, who die horrible deaths, and Jennifer Jones, who was the only character in the movie that I cared for.  Her death scene really bothered me.  No, I don't like the movie.  I think it is mean-spirited and so very, very cynical.

Thanx for posting that Anthony. 

From watching that scene, as well as others in disaster movies, I think of what I would do in that situation to survive. 
Like where would the best place to have been while the ship is tipping over? 
My guess is along a wall then that way you can slide along and down it as it tips over while getting out of the way of objects coming at you. 
Or get under the table and hang on and hope the bolts hold you up.