That is OK Mick, I'll have a brew for you too....

Honestly I didn't know the significance of the colors till now. I didn't think of the flag at all. I thought the significance would be known only in the third part
I still have to think about what you said. Thanks for the explanation.

Anybody seen THE GROOMSMEN with Edward Burns ? It's ALWAYS available at my local Blockbuster, which is why I'm hesitant to rent it.

No thanks, I'll pass (at least for now)

Do better

I loved ROUNDERS, it's one of my favorite gambling movies ever. Of course my favorite is LET IT RIDE, with Richard Dreyfuss. I got the horse right here, his name is Paul Revere...

Independence Day (2nd viewing) Zero Stars
This is one of the worst movies ever made by mankind. If you value your intelligence, avoid it. My IQ dropped 10 points after watching this. I know a natural question may arise in your mind, as to why I would watch it for the second time... Well, I went to a friend's house for dinner and I was forced to watch it.

svsg, as lame as INDEPENDENCE DAY is, its watchable....compared to GODZILLA.

FACT!

Anyone that watches and rents as much horror garbage but passes up on action...what's the difference?

"Tonight, Johnny Deep starts in....BOINK BREAK"

I couldn't disagree with you more. I loved Independence Day in the theaters and it's still probably one of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time

Irish, both the friends with whom I watched, think that the movie was great. Probably I am in the minority, but I found it to be totally ridiculous plot wise. The special effects were ok sort of, nothing great. To be fair, when I watched this movie in theaters when it was released, I did not think of it so badly. Now my tastes have become totally different and I cannot enjoy it anymore. I found the following scene to be really scary when I watched it first:

It's a piece of shit.

I'm not a sci-fi fan but I enjoyed INDEPENDENCE DAY. To a certain extent, aren't most sci-fi movies ridiculous, plotwise ?

Its no worse than the Superman films or the catwomen films in my opinon i don't know why people go crazy over these

I have never seen Independence Day, but I was under the impression it was a blockbuster in the theaters and I just assumed it was good. Then again, I don't like "all" SciFi movies either. A matter of taste I guess.


TIS

im about to go and watch About Schmidt on Tv..

Deniro, I didn't like Superman Returns as well (I haven't seen the first part). I really liked About Schmidt. Do let us know how you find it.

Well, yeah. It's sci-fi.

I agree Bogey. In sci-fi films, isn't a ridiculous plot implied, most of the time anyway ?

Probably you misunderstood me. I am not saying I have a problem with alien spaceship story, but with the plot details. Like the president going and fighting, flying planes etc. And that totally laughable speech he gives in the end. And how those two guys go to outer space, escape all the bullets and come out safely at the last moment out of that hole, and also throw in some family sentimental drama, father-son relationship, marriage vows, and whatnot, you get the perfect hollywood soup. ok, I am about to throw up.

Well, yeah. But even still, its sci-fi. Its supposed to be outlandish. You can do all the things you can't generally do in a drama, or even a comedy. The president can be some crazy undercover Jackie Chan-esque woman sent here by the Vulcans to destroy the honey bees, and it doesn't have to make sense.

Well that's odd. You just perfectly described my image of Dick Cheney.

Huh?

This is like people, like my adversary, who excuse the dumbass bullshit in action movies as saying thats what "action" movies are made up of.

NO NO NO!

Same with sci-fi. Look at the great science fiction movies I love. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, BLADE RUNNER, STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, DARK CITY, THX 1138, etc.

They all involve, in some or another, exploring the moral quandaries using the technology genre aspect of sci-fi.

2001, its about the evolution of mankind. BLADE RUNNER is about what makes humanity...well, humanity. TREK 2 is good adventure trash pulp, but it does ask about creation and destruction of life. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is humanity not able to ensue peace among itself, with aliens willing to militarily intervene against us. DARK CITY is about our memories and the environment that could, or could not, determine how we will act as individuals. THX 1138 is about the individual's essence to escape with curiosity.

INDEPENDENCE DAY isn't a bad movie, but its not worth a fart. The only nice thing about it I can say is, its not as messy or bad as Roland Emmerich/Dean Devlin's other movies(STARGATE, THE PATRIOT, GODZILLA) that all share one trait: Great potential premises blown to shit by lukewarm weak executions.

Hell, STARGATE is more remembered now for a pretty fun TV show than it is as a movie.

INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996) - **1/2

Just finished watching,and very much enjoyed,another thinking film to do with appriciating(SP)life.7/10

Anybody ever see an Irish mob flick called ASH WEDNESDAY ? It's slim pickings at Blockbuster tonight, so I'll probably grab it.

Do tell us pizzaboy how it goes, mkay?

THE DEPARTED (2006) - ****

I think after the hoo-rah and Oscar-wins have died down, THE DEPARTED will end up like fellow Best Picture-winner SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. It'll be a staple of Cable TV for years to come.

Certainly this remake will be a different yet equally intriging Americanphile take on Hong Kong's INFERNAL AFFAIRS. Both have their charms and problems.

I still think its sort of convenient, but not damaging, that DiCaprio and Damon happen to bang the same woman. I know why Monahan did it, but I still question it.

Either way, Scorsese has some financial and critical clout with his Oscar-win, and I hope we gives us some really good work in the wake of his victory.

SILENCE will be a good start.

Anything new on the possible prequel/sequel to THE DEPARTED ?

Nothing much, but don't expect Scorsese to return as a director.

But, he could pull a CLOCKERS. To those not familiar with that deal, Universal had bought the film rights to the crime novel CLOCKERS, which Scorsese was slated to direct, with Robert DeNiro to star as the cop protagonist.

But Scorsese became much more enamored and interested in reteaming with Nick Pileggi when the latter pitched CASINO. With such, Scorsese stayed as a producer on CLOCKERS but vacated the directing chair. Thus Scorsese's former protege student at NYU Spike Lee took over CLOCKERS.

Then again, who knows. Scorsese is busy with a ever-growing plate. He's doing SILENCE next, that Teddy Roosevelt cowboy movie with Leo DiCaprio(and Nick Meyers scripting), some kids fantasy book, and that Wall Street true life-drama that Scorsese/Leo are attached to.

Of course, Scorsese could make the DEPARTED sequel because there is potential money to be made if it works. Mark Whalberg starring, Scorsese would be able to cast people that he couldn't the first time around...like Robert DeNiro, Dennis Leary, Harvey Keitel, etc.

If I hear anything, you all will be the first to know.

What do you know about SILENCE Ronnie ? I know the plotline being about the Jesuit movement in Japan but have you heard anything about casting ?

Nothing more than what some others have heard and posted on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_%282008_film%29

I dont know about if the Day Lewis and Keitel castings will happen, but who knows.

Speaking of which, I know a few people on BB.Net, and in PMs sent to me, that questioned about the Teddy Roosevelt movie, and let me tell you this.

Most think of Roosevelt as a big-heavy imperialist President that was an athletic redneck.

Yet that movie, I think might happen for 2010 at this rate, will be about Teddy's early young days when after his wife and mother died on the same night(damn Reaper, what had a dinner date to make?) and he went out west to Montana...to find himself, blah blah, becomes a cowboy...

Its good historical material to work with to craft into a drama. But some also criticize the Leo DiCaprio casting. That former teen idol of TITANIC has seriously improved as an actor under Scorsese's watch. Hell, I think he was screwed out of a Best Actor Oscar nod for THE DEPARTED.

Anyway, since this is a young Teddy before gaining weight, Leo would fit that, but people forget that the Roosevelts were as eastern establishment old wealth as you can get in New York City, aristocratical and heavily educated and influent in several languages. Hell, he read ANNA KARENINA, that massive as hell Russian book from Leo Tolstoy, in a week.

Besides, Nick Meyers is always a capable scriptwriter. His Sherlock Holmes books are considered to be the best works written on the character after Doyle died. His screenplay should be interesting. Who knows, maybe it'll encourage someone to let him direct again, and he was good at it(TIME AFTER TIME, STAR TREK 2: THE WRATH OF KAHN, THE DAY AFTER, TREK VI: UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY)