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Independence Day: Resurgence Review

Good

Two decades is a long time to wait for a sequel, especially one starring much of the original cast. (The record may go to the 32 years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.) But clearly filmmakers Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have long wanted to follow up their 1996 blockbuster hit Independence Day. The result is a big, fast sci-fi action thriller that lacks both the original movie's enjoyably raucous tone and its break-out star Will Smith.

After the events of 20 years ago, America has taken alien technology to heart, improving transportation and military defence, including creating a base on the moon to keep an eye out for returning tentacled baddies. Then an orb-shape ship appears, followed by a new mothership so large that it spans the entire Atlantic Ocean. President Lanford (Sela Ward) turns to the surviving heroes of the previous invasion for help: scientific expert David (Jeff Goldblum), former president Whitmore (Bill Pullman) and mad genius Brakish (Brent Spiner). Meanwhile, a young team of next-generation pilots dives into the fray, including Dylan (Jesse T. Usher playing Will Smith's now-grown son), Jake (Liam Hemsworth), Patricia (Maika Monroe as Whitmore's daughter and Jake's fiancee) and Charlie (Travis Tope).

The film is assembled in standard disaster movie style, quickly introducing characters and their personal little melodramas before throwing them into the mad chaos of this new invasion. Emmerich is an expert at this structure, using it to hugely entertaining effect from Independence Day to Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, 2014 and White House Down. So it's odd that this film feels so lifeless by comparison. The story rushes past at a breathless pace that never allows the characters or events to gain any real traction with the audience. The only sharp wit on hand this time comes from throwaway one-liners apparently improvised by Goldblum. And the action feels eerily derivative, rehashed from Emmerich's filmography with added elements from Star Wars and Apocalypse Now.

Continue reading: Independence Day: Resurgence Review

Independence Day: Resurgence - Teaser Trailer

Everyone knows the tale of David Levinson and Captain Steven Hiller, the two men at the forefront of the last Alien invasion. Since that last fateful day, Levinson has worked tirelessly to protect the world and strengthen it from alien attacks, even using the technology they discovered on board the alien spaceship to counter their possible attack methods.

When the people of Earth learn that Aliens are on their way back to our planet, there's automatic hysteria and a hope that the newly installed space defences will help counter the attack. Whatever stringent plans David develops he, more than anyone, realises that it will probably not be enough to protect us.

Independence Day: Resurgence takes place twenty years after the original movie and sees many of the cast taking up the same role again. The film is directed by Roland Emmerich (known for The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla and the first Independence Day movie.)

Will Smith Felt "Terrible" When He Found Out About Death Of 'Independence Day' Character

By Ed Biggs in Movies / TV / Theatre on 05 January 2016

Will Smith Roland Emmerich

Smith won't be playing a part in 'Independence Day: Resurgence' later this year.

It turns out that Will Smith is just as surprised as fans that his character from the original Independence Day movie has been killed off in the trailer for the much-anticipated follow-up, Independence Day: Resurgence.

Smith was being interviewed by Yahoo! Movies on Monday (January 4th) about his current movie Concussion, when discussion turned to the sequel to 1996’s popular Independence Day and he revealed that he was shocked to discover the death of Captain Steven Hiller, his swashbuckling character from the original.

Will Smith was shocked to discover the fate of his 'Independence Day' character

Continue reading: Will Smith Felt "Terrible" When He Found Out About Death Of 'Independence Day' Character

White House Down Review

By Rich Cline

Very Good

This may look exactly like Gerard Butler's over-serious Olympus Has Fallen, but it's actually that film's smarter, sillier younger brother: the one you like even though you really shouldn't. As he did with 2012, filmmaker Emmerich has injected this huge action romp with a generous dose of tongue-in-cheek humour while never sacrificing the overwrought spectacle. So even if it's wildly contrived and ludicrously patriotic, it's so gleefully destructive that we can't help but have a lot of fun.

It starts out as ex-military man John (Tatum) tries to impress his estranged 11-year-old daughter Emily (King) by taking her along with him on a job interview at the White House. At that moment, home-grown terrorists strike, led by a disgruntled security chief (Woods). In the chaos, John gets separated from Emily, and as he looks for her he stumbles across the US President (Foxx). As John and the President work to subvert the villains, the politically savvy Emily is posting videos of them on YouTube, which helps the Pentagon command centre, overseen by security chief Carol (Gyllenhaal) and Speaker Raphelson (Jenkins), keep the nation from falling apart. But it turns out that one of the baddies (Clarke) has a personal vendetta against John.

As always, Emmerich infuses the film with a sombre tone then undermines it at every step with witty irony. Each scene is packed with quirky characters, snappy one-liners, knowingly corny sentimentality and bigger-than-necessary mayhem. For example, he manages to wedge a full-on car chase into the White House grounds, complete with a rocket launcher. At the centre, Tatum and Foxx are a lively double-act, bouncing off each other with feisty energy. Furrowed-brow gravitas is supplied by Gyllenhaal, Jenkins and Woods, while scene-stealers include King's plucky young hero and Simpson's megalomaniac hacker.

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Military Personnel And Veterans Get Free Tickets To 'White House Down'

By Michael West in Movies / TV / Theatre on 05 July 2013

Channing Tatum Roland Emmerich Jamie Foxx

Servicemen and women were given a free ticket to 'White House Down' on Thursday, though it didn't encourage everyone to see it.

Military veterans and active personnel were granted free access to Roland Emmerich's new movie White House Down on July 4, 2013. In a nice touch from Sony Pictures Entertainment and the four largest U.S. cinema chains - which doubled as a savvy way to push WHD on the patriotic holiday - servicemen and woman flocked to the cinemas with their plus-ones to catch the new film starring Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum.

Theaters run by Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, Cinemark Holdings Inc and Carmike Cinemas Inc were all in on the scheme, which proved hugely popular. "It's a great way to celebrate the holiday and to honor and thank the troops for their service to our country," Rory Bruer, Sony Pictures' president of worldwide distribution, said in the most American sounding statement ever.

White House Down stars Tatum as a police officer down on his luck after his Secret Service application is turned down. However, in an ironic turn, he ends up protecting the President (Foxx) when a paramilitary group attacks the famous residence while he and his daughter are on a tour.

Continue reading: Military Personnel And Veterans Get Free Tickets To 'White House Down'

'Monsters University' Stands Up To 'The Heat' And 'White House Down' In Weekend Box Office

By Joe Wilde in Movies / TV / Theatre on 01 July 2013

Sandra Bullock Melissa McCarthy Roland Emmerich Channing Tatum Jamie Foxx

The Monsters Inc. prequel warded off competition from the new buddy cop comedy and the action adventure to keep hold of the top spot for another week.

The latest venture from Pixar animations, Monsters University, spent a second week at the number one spot at the US box office, battling off competition from newcomers The Heat and White House Down. The prequel to 2001's Monsters Inc. managed to take in an impressive $46.2 million, just under half of it's taking from last week, and has currently made a massive $171 million in it's two weeks at cinemas.

Watch the Trailer for Monsters University

Close behind in second place was the Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy-starring buddy cop movie The Heat, which scooped an impressive $40 million over the weekend. Costing $43 million to make, the movie has all but recouped it's expenditure in a relatively successful weekend, whereas fellow newcomer White House Down only managed to bring in $25.7 million to land it in fourth place, behind the Brad Pitt starring World War Z. The takings for the Roland Emmerich-directed film will be particularly distressing to Sony Pictures, who spent an estimated $150 million on making the Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx-starring film.

Continue reading: 'Monsters University' Stands Up To 'The Heat' And 'White House Down' In Weekend Box Office

How Much Will Reviews Hamper White House Down's Weekend Box Office Performance?

By Joe Wilde in Movies / TV / Theatre on 28 June 2013

Roland Emmerich Channing Tatum Jamie Foxx

Channing Tatum saves the day in the new film from Roland Emmerich, but can he save it from box office disaster?

The US government is under attack once again from director Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla, Independence Day, 2012), in his new film, and with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx starring and a need to reiterate the credentials of traditional action movies rather that superhero films, the film still has a good chance to be the surprise hit of the summer. Critics are split down the middle in their opinion of the film, with some saying it is a decent enough watch, whilst others are calling it a shocker.

Watch the trailer for White House Down

A great deal of reviews are speaking well of the latest film from one of the most successful disaster movie makers of the last few decades, with Vulture and the New York Times praising the shameless action sequences that regularly fail to keep the average audience-member entertained. Others have been praising the premise of the film - about a paramilitary group who take over the White House - for successfully addressing America's post-9/11 anxieties of a genuine threat to mainland America, much like the Gerard Butler-starring Olympus Has Fallen. But not everyone can agree and overall the critical view has been somewhat subdued; giving the film a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This can go a long way towards how well a film does in the cinemas and may prove to be a genuine threat to the producer's investment.

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Tatum, Foxx, Emmerich? Shouldn't 'White House Down' Have Been Better?

By Michael West in Movies / TV / Theatre on 27 June 2013

Channing Tatum Roland Emmerich Jamie Foxx

White House Down is one of the most anticipated movies for months, though it's critical reception leaves plenty to be desired.

Roland Emmerich's new movie White House Down will make its assault on the U.S box office this weekend, aiming to topple animation Despicable Me 2 and zombie movie World War Z. The action-thriller sees Channing Tatum playing rejected secret service applicant John Cale, who is thrown into the line of duty when a visit to the White House is interrupted by a paramilitary group led by Emil Stenz (Jason Clarke). He must project his daughter while keeping the President of the United States (Jamie Foxx) out of danger.

Channing Tatum At The White House Down Premiere

There's been a steady buzz for White House Down for some time, with Sony Pictures purchasing James Vanderbilt's script in March 2012 for $3 million. The Hollywood Reporter called it "one of the biggest spec sales in quite a while," while describing the movie as "tonally and thematically" similar to Die Hard and Air Force One.

Continue reading: Tatum, Foxx, Emmerich? Shouldn't 'White House Down' Have Been Better?

The Guide To A Successful Marriage, By Channing Tatum

By Michael West in Music / Festivals on 31 May 2013

Channing Tatum Jenna Dewan Roland Emmerich Jamie Foxx

Channing Tatum has a couple of tips for all your married guys out there.

Channing Tatum discusses his secrets to a successful marriage in the current issue of Cosmopolitan magazine. The White House Down actor and wife Jenna Dewan-Tatum have been together for almost eight years and will soon welcome their first child together.

"You have to want it," Tatum explained of the key to a happy marriage, "Jenna's and my thing is checking in with each other all the time, like 'On a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you love me right now?' And you gotta be honest, and you've got to want an honest answer." Celebrity couples come and go and there's been a spate of high profile divorces in recent months - Tom Cruise, Courteney Cox, Mayim Bialik - though Tatum said it's important to stay grounded. "My friends keep me grounded. It's embarrassing to tell you how much my friends make fun of me," he said. "Seriously, when you have a doll made of your face, it's ridiculous how creative your friends can get...pictures, videos, little animated cartoons they've made. And they're way, way not PG-13. So I get chopped down to size all the time."

In Roland Emmerich's new movie White House Down, Tatum plays a capitol policeman who is forced to spring into action when a family tour of the White House is interrupted by a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders. Also starring Jamie Foxx, the movie hits theaters on June 4, 2013.

Continue reading: The Guide To A Successful Marriage, By Channing Tatum

Video - Roland Emmerich Did Not Grow Up With Shakespeare

Director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day; The Day After Tomorrow; Godzilla) takes part in a press junket to promote his new movie "Anonymous" at Sony Studios in New York. He describes the research he undertook to recreate London in the sixteenth century, especially the dirt and grime. He laughs as he talks about how he does not want to live in that era. He reveals how he got into Shakespeare later on in life, because of his German upbringing.

Anonymous expands on the conspiracy theory that William Shakespeare, the revered British playwright, did not write his plays but rather it was Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, who wrote them instead

Anonymous Trailer

Edward de Vere is the illegitimate child of Queen Elizabeth I, as well as the Earl of Oxford. In his youth, he wrote a play called A Midsummer Night's Dream but was forbidden from writing anymore from his family, as it was considered taboo.

Continue: Anonymous Trailer

2012 Review

By Rich Cline

Excellent

Gleefully over-the-top, this film takes the disaster movie pretty much as far as it can go, drawing on the Mayan prophecy that he world will end on 21 December 2012. Emmerich deploys all the genre elements (solid cast, detailed back-stories, gigantic set pieces) to give us a raucously enjoyable ride.

While on a camping trip in Yellowstone, novelist-turned-chauffer Jackson (Cusack) stumbles across a secret military operation and a raving nutcase (Harrelson) who claims the end of the world is nigh. Sure enough, top government scientist Adrian (Ejiofor) is advising the President (Glover) and his Chief of Staff (Platt) about preparations for impending natural catastrophes. By the time Jackson gets home to Los Angeles, the pandemonium has begun, and he barely gets his kids, his ex (Peet) and her new husband (McCarthy) out. But where do they go now?

Continue reading: 2012 Review

10,000 B.C. Review

By David Thomas

Weak

You'd think that with mammoths, saber-tooth tigers, and large, screeching birds you wouldn't need much more to deliver an entertaining romp through yester-epoch, but 10,000 B.C. proves that merely having an exotic setting as your premise won't get you over a mundane plot and more mundane characters.

The film begins with a blue-eyed girl coming to live with a clan of "manuk" (that's "mammoth" to you and me) hunters after her tribe is wiped out by what appear to be the bad guys from Conan the Barbarian. The tribe elder (Mona Hammond) declares that this girl is part of some prophecy while the son of the tribe's #1 hunter looks on.

Continue reading: 10,000 B.C. Review

Godzilla (1998) Review

By James Brundage

Weak

The sad thing about the cast of the new Gozilla is this: you can't put a name for the part of Godzilla. In lieu of such, I state that Godzilla stars Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, and a really big lizard.