To Start With...

Right, Hello.

Now those who are reading this have probably been re-directed from either Facebook or my old blog site from Wordpress, so formal introductions will not be carried out. All should know who I am, and for the future i.e. those that do not, introductory pages will be completed in due course.

So, why the change? Simple. Wordpress is a bit cumbersome and I've been using it for ages. Also seems to be more traffic on Blogger, so why not go where the traffic is. Easy enough.

Now upon my last blog post (http://adcaudle.wordpress.com) I stated that I would inform all of the next DVD review when I came to review it.

That occasion has swiftly arrived, seeing as the writing is coming along smoothly and Sins of a Solar Empire is pottering along nicely in the background.
 
Independence Day.

Okay, now I don't normally go out of my way to watch Roland Emmerich films (see 2012, The Day After Tomorrow etc etc) because the man generally makes mildly depressing stuff. That and most of it is crap. So why did I pick this one up? £3 for a 2 disc edition at HMV, that's why. Points for me, special features for me to peruse. Enough said.

So, aliens come to Earth, they start glassing the Earth with large lasers, humanity must counter attack and find a way around their shields or become extinct. It's fairly basic stuff, and what I think a great many people have come to expect from Emmerich. If anything I would consider this as the first of his more popular disaster movies. IMDb lists his four most notable as this, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012 and Godzilla (which by sheer comedy value deserves that spot) and since this he has more or less followed the same destructive pattern of escalating the amount of people that die in each of his films. Anyway, having spoken about Emmerich in a previous post, back to the film.

I am the first to admit I am not a Will Smith fan. I utterly hate the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, it irritates the shit out of me and as far as I'm concerned it's a low rent Cosby Show, which had bags more class. Of the films he's done, I didn't enjoy Hancock, I-Robot was entertaining but not brilliant, I Am Legend was boring, and although Wild Wild West was one of those 'so crap it's awesome' films, he was still godawful and most of the laughs came from Kline and Branagh. That being said however, Men in Black (The first one) was good fun, Bad Boys is always a good watch, and in all honesty, I can get along with Independence Day. It's not brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not really offensive. It's good, clean, wholesome, All-American-and-slightly-Jewish fun.

Some of the ideas in this film defy belief, such as giving aliens a computer virus and having Brent Spiner in a role that makes him look like he can't act. But then you top it all off. Judd Hirsch and Jeff Goldblum as father and son. Whoever cast those two deserves an Oscar. That casting is brilliant. Never mind Bill Pullman as an understated, weedy President whose story progression involved him growing a pair. These two did not get enough screen time. They were well cast, well written and just so out of place that they fit. Wouldn't change either character.

So, overall ID4 is a fun watch, although I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again unless I have nothing else to watch, which is unlikely to happen any time soon.

Now, before I part ways with this blog I have a question to put to whomsoever happens to be reading this. I have purchased Burke and Hare against my better judgment, so that will be next on the review list when I get some time to sit down and watch it. However, a quandary has happened upon me of late. I am NOT a fan of Avatar. I hate it. I have hated it ever since I went to see it with my ex, and I still do. But I am tempted to buy it for not only the special features which are no doubt extensive, but also to give it a fair crack of the whip without having the distraction of a woman there to put me off. So, should I buy Avatar on DVD? I leave it to you.

Anyway, next up as I said, Burke and Hare.