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A few bits on THE PATRIOT
Hey folks, Harry here. Personally I'm eagerly anticipating this film. Having read an early draft of Rodat's script, and knowing the visual flair that Emmerich works with... I have hopes for this film. Reading Mel Gibson's character just conjured Mel at his absolute best. I hope and pray this film comes through the process well.
Don't know what you may or may not already know about this flick.
Being a Mel Gibson fan, I was delighted to hear it was filming in our area
(Charlotte, NC).
Hollywood rarely makes its way down here. No, we don't count Dawson's
Creek....
Anyway, I went to a casting call for the film, and actually got called back
to
participate as one of a core group of 200 soldiers that will be in more
scenes, possible with Mel. Thrill!
What they told us was that, aside from the 200 men for the corp,
they would need approximately 11,000 extras from Sept. to Dec. to fill
up a Revolutionary-era town and several battle scenes. Obviously Emmerich is
applying his traditional heavy hand. Still, should be cool. They hinted a
little bit more at the
plot while we were there, though. The filmmakers were looking for twin
infants, a 6 year old girl, and a twelve year old
girl. From what they said, the film will follow Mel's family through the
years (hence the different ages
of the girls) leading up to the Revolution, showing how he avoids the
conflict before
eventually being dragged in.
A little "Braveheart"-ish? Possible. Who cares, it will be cool to see!
When I get more involved with the training they're putting the core soldiers
through, I'll
write more. Hope this info helps. If you use this, call me Stan Connors.
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Roland Emmerich is a shite director. Independence Day was an excelent concept turned into a mediocre film. Godzilla was also an excelent concept turned into a mediocre film. The patriot is written by someone other than Emmerich, so lets see if it's his writing or his directing that is the reason for the shite he's made in the past.
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I agree big time. ID4, shite; Godzilla, even worse shite. Am I looking forward to this? Mmmmm, not really.
Anyway, 11,000 extras? Wouldn't that cost a fortune? Not their own money, of course. Why not digital extras? They could take the database for Godzilla, shrink it, and replicate them 11,000 times, and there! -
I also agree that Roland Emmerich can't direct. All of his battle scenes have been usually filled with computer generated special effects, but he will not be able to do that for a period piece. I mean the best thing about this movie sounds like it is going to be the battle scenes, so I hope he put them together. I'm very excited about the story, but the Gibson should be directing this film, not Emmerich.
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Okay, so Roland and Emmerich haven't made any deeply drmatic films. But still, let's not forget that they did craft some hits. "Universal Soldier," "Stargate," "ID4," and even "Godzilla"--which, I'll admit, is not a great film but still is entertaining in areas. But the point is, they know how to craft good entertainment, and so who says that a Revolutionary War drama wouldn't work? Let's not forget that James Cameron did action movies before Titanic or that even Robert Zemeckis did Back to the Future before he did Forrest Gump and Contact. Give them a shot. And if it sucks, so what?? It's just a movie!!
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I totally agree - Emmerich is a hack who has no clue how to direct a movie. His so-called hits (I guess ID4 did make a lot of money even though everyone hates it) are by no means "crafty". All he does is rip off elements and even entire scenes from movies he likes (admittedly mostly good movies) and combine them in a totally unoriginal way. The storylines are usually a mere excuse for the action sequences and the dialogue is mostly embarassing. The only reason he still gets hired is his ability to make films look way more expensive than they were. So for heavens sake, make the guy an accountant but don't let him direct again. Oh well - Emmerich-type movies are going to be made anyway, I guess - just look at Wild Wild West. *sigh*
Oh and the comparison with the Japanese Godzilla Films is laughable. Those are classy, entertaining B-flicks not ultra-commercial pseudo-hip garbage. -
No, this won't be anything like Braveheart because of a reason many more of my fellow talk backs have said in one way or another. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are demons of Satan, plotting to take over the world with their unholy master by making horrible movies and disguising them as must-see events, as I'm sure this one will be marketed as. Braveheart was a great film. I think I'd rather see The Patriot on video starring Steven Segal.
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Emmerich and Devlin are the perfect example of how making it in Hollywood is not about talent, skill, and quality filmmaking. Mel just signed his death warrant.
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This film does sound like another Braveheart, which is definately fine by me! I don't know about Emmerick or anything but it's not like they seem to have made many films! All u guys can say is ID4 = SHITE, GODZILLA = SHITE. I mean, judging someones talent on the basis of 2 movies is a little pathetic dont you think? Thats like saying Tarantino is GOD on the basis of Pulp Fiction and Res Dogs, (even though Jackie Brown and Four Rooms were bollocks). I personally have a lot of faith in Mel, cause lets face it, he very rarely does a bad film....in my opinion anyway.....
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You know, that's what's wrong with you so-called "fanboys" - you let your goddamned jaded opinions of various Hollywood personalities affect your enjoyment of film. Roland and Emmerich are directing - so what???? Does that mean the movie will suck corn out of a horse turd? Hell, I don't know, and neither do you, because it hasn't started rolling yet. But the main difference between me (and Harry, who's pure, unadulterated love for the medium is an almost ironic contrast to the cynicism and skepticism most of his readers spew forth) and the rest of you members of the Lollipop Guild is that I'm willing to give it a chance and not cross it off simply because someone I didn't like directed it or someone I didn't like acted in it. Give it a rest, people, or get off your ass and make something better.
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Stupid directors! Yaaa! I am with you, Montag! You and me can be best critic buddies!
This movie will suck! I double DOG dare them to make a good movie!
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over at FlixBurg, USA. I also have reviews of the Wachowski bros.' version of PLASTIC MAN posted there, John Singleton's LUKE CAGE script, and the Columbus-Carlei version of Daredevil (and many more!). Check it out!
http://members.xoom.com/FlixBurg/flixburg001.htm -
...I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt because it would be great to see an American Revolution movie done and done well. Who know, maybe they weill pull through. I may be lying to myself but it's nice to have optimisim. At least it has Rodat's script to it. That makes it have a glimmer of hope. I also agree with the poster that said the audience is who causes this. When we go to this crap they get the signal that crap is good, which sucks! But it's a circle, because sometimes you don't know if it's crap and then after watching it is. They still get the signal. And it goes on. One I'm not going to is Teaching Mrs. Tingle, first I'm tired of "teen horror" or the "dark comedy" bs that Williamson feeds us, but the amount of this stuff is also way overboard. Enough whining for now. I know my opinions are worthless, feel free to crush them and all that good stuff, sorry I wasted your time.
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Oh lord....CGI Godzilla better than the Rubber suit? shit...I dont know if i even want to touch that one...CGI...those cheesy rubber suit low budget unkown actor acted movies, any of them, were a billion times better than that Taco Bell commercial atrocity! fire at will into miles of offices and buildings! gee, where could the eggs be? Oh, you can hear his heart beat fade as he dies...exactly like that other monster movie where NY is held hostage by an overgrown creature climbing the twin towers and howling at the moon..give me a break. I WATCHED THAT MOVIE FREE ON CABLE AND I STILL WANTED MY MONEY BACK! at first I wanted to just change the channel, then I thought, "Maybe there'll be better parts later.." The only better part to any of that movie was when the credits rolled and it was over. Wake up! These shitty movies where "Well, the FX's were pretty good" are nothing but shitty movies with good effects! Its what we have come to expect from a manufacturing line process of movie making. Want to know why there isnt much hoopla about Iron Giant? Its probably that it's so good that it actually might be intelligent and real to some sense, things lowest common denominator audiences cant stand. ID4 was wak, laughable throughout and not even funny! Not to mention the outright theft of Giger design, yea, I read some of Gigers descriptions of the Harkonen castle for Dune too!(Large body with head, oh look the alien fighter ships have a large body with a big ol head on top, oh and it looks like a cross section of any Giger print..how pretty..) Cmon, please...Universal Soldier? I saw it and cant remember much of it..star gate? Great concept, stupid movies..yea, Ra is great and all, but you know..we could take him out with a few marines and some M-16's...Now they aim to do the revolutionary war? Montag has reminded me about having bad history teachers, these guys cant make a good B movie, what makes em think they can pull off good history? Will this be like comparing SPR to The Duke running up Normandy with a pistol in hand? Overall Pop culture is crap as it is, we dont need someone polluting history with more bad and tasteless info...if they're gonna do it then whatever, but I for one Triple dog dare them to make this a good movie, if they do..I'll eat my hat!
Fuck Wild wild west! Whats next? "The Prisoner" with WIll Smith? How about a remake of "Thunderbirds" using live action, ooh, Jimmy Cameron can even do it! Ohhhh, exciting... -
Emmerich and co. are, in my opinion the best 'trailer' creators in the business. I recall seeing the first full length preview of ID4 and shaking with anticipation. After seeing the film I wondered what went so terribly wrong. The same story applies to Stargate and Godzilla. All 3 films were potentially brilliant in premise but what got dumped on our screens reminded me of the stories I used to write when I was 12. My only hope for this film is that Mel Gibson refuses to tarnish his reputation by spouting crap along the lines of "Now thats what I call a close encounter!" & "Today is OUR independence day". Didn't he use his 'star power' to make some pretty huge changes to "Payback" in spite of the directors disapproval?
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Yaaa! No enjoying movies just for the effects! Stupid directors! CITIZEN KANE! WE WANT CITIZEN KANE! waaaa! Godzilla suxxx! Patriot will too! Nertz to everyone!
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Where are you,BIG KAHOONA BURGER?
If you remember,we had a little
argument about the casting of
the world is not enough.
You said that Jonah Lomu had a part in the film.
Well,now that the entire cast is
known,could you help me to find him anywhere in this film cos'i can't find him.
SO Big kahoona,next time,avoid being that rude with someone who
has the real info on any movie,especially when this person
is a devoted fan of Bond,like i am.AND recognizing one's mistakes
is a great sign of maturity and intelligence.
I hope you will respond to my message(Harry,if you can help me find him so that we can clarify this,that would be great)
From France,see you,BIG KAHOONA!! -
First, it is Devlin and Emmerich. Roland is Emmerich's first name. Dean is Devlin's. So Roland and Dean or Devlin and Emmerich would be correct. Roland and Emmerich is not. Boneheads. Second, the reason that D & E get to keep making big budget films is because early in their career they were adept at making relatively low budget action films that looked like expensive action films. The fact that these movies were fairly bad didn't matter, because they made and continue to make money. The head of Columbia TriStar told D & E that he hoped all of their movies "flopped" like Godzilla, which grossed better than $300 million world-wide. Their level of talent doesn't matter, because they have a talent for making money, so they will get all the control they want. And while Mel may have had the weight to re-write Brian Helgeland (who is hot, but a relative new-comer), it is much less likely that the studio will accept rewrites of a team whose last three movies grossed better than $1 billion combined world-wide. So get used to it. Patriot is gonna be flashy, sell lots of tickets, and suck from first light to last credit.
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>>Let's not forget that James Cameron did action movies before Titanic or that even Robert Zemeckis did Back to the Future before he did Forrest Gump and Contact.<<
This was written by a poster earlier today, and is probably one of the funniest statements I have read in a talk back. First of all, implying that *Forrest Gump* was some sort of Artistic Triumph after the early miss with BTTF is just hilarious. Forrest Gump was such an overrated, emotional sucker-punch, I can hardly stand it. In years to come, people will scoff at Academy voters that chose it's treacly sentimentality over the obvious cultural zeitgeist and industry-shifting force that was/is Pulp Fiction. What a Joke. And Back To the Future is STILL one of my favorite movies to waste an afternoon with.
Anyway, I can rant about that for quite some time, but first let me rant about you mentioning James Cameron in the same breath as Devlin/Emmerich. Any Given 10 Minutes of Aliens, Terminator (1 or 2), or True Lies, picked at random, pack more skill, *action*, and overall entertainment value, than the entire Devlin/Emmerich library Combined. Furthermore, Cameron, even with his early flicks, showed an attention to detail, including sets, costumes, weapons, minor characters, etc, which would serve as an obvious precursor to his obsession with Titanic. D+E have shown nothing remotely close to this. If they can't even take Sci-fi or action somewhat seriously, why should we give them the benefit that they treat an actual drama with any dignity? -Matt -
Roland Emmerich directing a Revolutionary War movie? Half of me wonders whether it will be as bad as Godzilla or only as bad as ID4. The other half wonders what films this talentless derivative idiot will rip-off this time. Candidates: Glory, Saving Private Ryan, Patton. Even Mel can't save it.
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Hold up now, Im not saying every movie has to be CITIZEN Kane, nor am i saying any FX moive is wak, What I am saying is that it shouldnt totaly rely on the guys at ILM or that summers pop culture trends either! The fact that a bad movie makes tons of $ doesnt mean shit except to show how well hype works! As much as i hate that concept ultimately I thik its this sort of thing that will force hollywood to step aside and allow the independant artists to step up and put forward their kick ass ideas and visions of what should be. Its like how Marvel and DC did nothing but slip to putting out garbage and formulas for years until individual artists were so fed up with such garbage that it forced them to go out and do their own thing! (Of course all those same artists went out and began to do the same garbage they originaly set out to protest and are now all aligned again with the big guys but it forced the levels of quality to go up at least temporarily!) It just seems that the integrity of good story telling has been forgotten or is nowhere near these fucks when they put something together! and about James Cameron, youre right any scenes from Alien or T1 or T2, some of true Lies "picked at random, pack more skill, *action*, and overall entertainment value, than the entire Devlin/Emmerich library Combined". Very true and I agree with Mr. Matt on this.
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I can see it now through my chrystal ball, Mell will be a quiet but unassuming man who will be drawn into a revolution that is freeing his fellow man, but when his charactor starts to look boring, out will go emmerich, and in will step Mel to Take on this "project of his heart" The story will become more action orientated, with better one liners for our hero, and a couple of old, resected serious actors will come on board - duvall, - cann, -coburn. Mel will again never look so good, and it will be a smash hit.
hail hail -
I'm going to give Devlin/Emmerich the benefit of the doubt on this because they might have a good script to work with this time and Gibson's attached. But if they fuck this up like we are accustomed to seeing, then I will lead a Revolutionary War of my own on those little pole-smoking bastards.
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A few of you mention how the Emmerich-Devlin team rip off other movies alot. You say they will probably do the same with the Patriot. I will compare this movie with Saving Private Ryan because I hope it will be of the same caliber. Speilberg ripped off several scenes from other movies: The stand-off scene from The Rock; the sniper scenes from Full Metal Jacket; the shot through the scope scene from Sniper. Those are all that I can remember at the moment. I felt that SPR was an excellent film even with the obvious ripoffs. Patriot will be a great film with or w/o ripoffs from other films. Hopefully Robert Rodat will make sure that Emmirech sticks close to the script the way he envisioned it! Maybe it will be released on the 4th of July!
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