We just returned from a preview of "War of the Worlds" -- ask me anything.

[Radio_Lady]

[democracyindanger]

Do you have an inexplicable interest in Scientology?

[Radio_Lady]

12. Not sure what your question means, but === the answer is NO...

[enigmatic]

1. Is it a bomb?

or a hit, in your opinion?

[Radio_Lady]

11. The effects are fantastic, the acting is believable, the music is fine --

I really like John Williams' use of music.

Regrettably, the script has many, many holes.

Do you want details, or should I hold with NO SPOILERS in case you want to see it yourself?

I am going to give it a "B" on my Entertainment Report Card.

It's worth seeing, especially if you remember the original film version or have ever heard the Orson Welles' radio show which shocked the world.

[enigmatic]

13. I love Welles' War Of The Worlds...

Don't worry about the spoilers; I doubt I'd see it anyway. I'm just really interested after Tom Cruise's meltdown these past weeks how much it would hurt the movie's business...

[Radio_Lady]

18. Tom Cruise was quite sensitive and loving and believable --

I really liked him in this role. Had a chance to see him recently in "Top Gun" -- that seems like a long time ago. I thought he really shot his mouth off on the "Today" show with Matt Lauer -- but he must have been off his meds!!! (Just kidding!)

Dakota Fanning, now age 11, plays Tom Cruise's daughter. She has many emotions to sort through and I think she is a remarkable young actress for one so young.

[AngryAmish]

59. Top Gun is one of the worst movies of all time

[Radio_Lady]

63. Hello Angry Amish -- don't be angry, because a total of 33,000

moviegoers who claim they have seen "Top Gun" (1986) have given it a 6.5/10 rating, which doesn't put it in the "WORST MOVIE" column at all. Check it out at the Internet Movie Database, one of the top movie sites on the internet:

http://www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0092099/combined

Of course, like everything else, all movies have those who love them and those who hate them!!!

In peace,

Radio Lady

[UdoKier]

81. It's a bad film, yes...

But that's due as much to Simpson/Bruckheimer as it is to Cruise's unctuous performance.


Not to mention the soundtrack with gems like "Highway to the Danger Zone" - one of the worst songs ever.

Cruise is passable when working with a good director who can keep a lid on his natural hamminess.

[jeff30997]

2. I loved the original.

I hope this one is good too.

[Radio_Lady]

15. Yes, it was last done as "The War of the Worlds" in 1953, with

Gene Barry and others whom I don't recall. Sir Cedric Hardwicke did some of the commentary -- he had a wonderful voice. George Pal produced that version.

I distinctly remember the scene of the space ships with their odd sound. I was just 12 years old when I first saw it.

Steven Spielberg really did a fine job directing this one. Early reviews are all positive.

[ProfessorGAC]

48. Actually, It Was Last Done As "Independence Day"

Same movie! Only the details differ.
The Professor

[Radio_Lady]

51. Yes, I saw "Independence Day" (1996) but I was not reviewing movies during

that time (I was working as a Radio Advertising Manager for the LoJack Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts for much of that year).

Although it was a movie about aliens attacking Earth, there seems to be no reference to "ID" being an actual remake of "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Welles -- you can check it yourself at:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/combined

Furthermore, none of the user comments mention "The War of the Worlds" either, so far as I can search it...

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/usercomments

Thanks for your input.

[ProfessorGAC]

65. Well, I Know What I Saw. And It Was WotW

Aliens attack unprovoked. All weapons useless against them, including nukes because of a protective energy shield. They end up being defeated by a virus.

Same movie. Other people missing it doesn't change my mind. Sorry, RadioLady. I thought of that the first time i saw it and that was on the 2nd day of opening weekend.

The only thing with ID, is that the fatal flaw is even greater. In WotW, they don't explain what the martians actually want with earth. Just sheer beligerance. But, in ID, they explain their need. However, why would a society that advanced need to come down into the atmosphere to annihilate the species? Why not just do it from orbit where our weapons can't reach them? Ooops. That's even worse than WotW.

I'll probably see this new version, but i know it's the third version i've seen, not the 2nd.
The Professor

[Radio_Lady]

69. OK, Professor. I bow to your theory of three WoW movies, not two.

(Did the producers of "Independence Day" give any credit to H. G. Wells?)

Here's another fellow, Eric M. Heideman, who gives quite a good description of sci-fi movies through 2001. Fascinating!

http://www.monsterzine.com/200110/watchtheskies.php3

"See you at the movies!"

In peace, Professor --

Let me know what you think of this film if you get a chance!

(I'm going to make a meatloaf for dinner now... how mundane!)

[Radio_Lady]

72. Oh, Professor GAC! Here's a detail we BOTH missed...

From trivia at IMDB:

"This is the third incarnation of "The War of the Worlds" story that Ann Robinson has appeared in, having played Sylvia Van Buren in the original 1953 film "The War of the Worlds" (1953) and then reprising her role for three episodes in the TV series, "War of the Worlds" (1988)."

I didn't remember the TV series AT ALL! Did you?

[ProfessorGAC]

73. Nope. And I'm Plenty Old Enough

I was probably out playing in bars every weekend of something.
The Professor

[UdoKier]

80. I remember the series.

It was syndicated, and one of the most boring things I've ever seen on TV.

It's really best forgotten.

[UdoKier]

79. I never noticed the ID4 - WotW parallels.

Now that you mention it, I recognize them, but I wouldn't call ID4 a "remake". The whole tone of the movie is different.

The new film is a much scarier, much better film, IMO

[AverageJoe]

3. Do the Martians

hate us for our freedoms?

[jeff30997]

7. We should fingerprint(or tentacleprint) every martians just in case.

[Radio_Lady]

20. OK, Jeff, I'll tell that to the Head Martian! Actually, the aliens are

not identified as Martians in this, unless I missed that in the description. I don't know if it was important that they were Martians in this story.

[Radio_Lady]

16. Unless you want to believe that they are farming human beings or

they just want to kill us. There really isn't any reason given in this version.

Has anyone read the H. G. Wells' novel?

[AverageJoe]

17. Yep, read it as a kid

It's a fine book. I read several of his books when I was in 8th or 9th grade and all were smart, engaging and downright fun.

[Radio_Lady]

21. Average Joe, I wish I had read it. I was reading English and French plays

during that time frame, and missed much of the great prose literature of our time.

[AverageJoe]

23. No time like the present!

It's not a thick book, nor a heavy read. I'll bet you'd enjoy it.

[friesianrider]

27. So in the original...

Do the aliens want us to "harvest" us or what?

I've been trying to figure out WHY in WotW the aliens invade Earth...do they want our planet's resources, do they want to eat us, do they want to harvest our organs...etc.

[Radio_Lady]

32. As I said before, there does not seem to be any real explanation

of that, unless both my husband and I missed it. Unlike the other popular 1950s science fiction movie, "The Day The Earth Stood Still," the aliens just don't speak in English and the people here don't seem to have any idea why New Jersey and other places are attacked. This may be a weakness of the current film.

Anyone else remember what these descriptions were in the book, the radio show, or the earlier movie?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

49. I don't think it's explained in the book

Been a while since I've read it, but I don't remember any real contact between the humans and Martians -- 'cept for the killing, of course.

I think it's a complete mystery.

[Radio_Lady]

29. Maybe I'll try to get the book on tape! I love to listen while driving.

My husband got me to "read" (on tape) "Call of the Wild" and "Brave New World" that way.

I guess I'm an AURAL person...

[friesianrider]

25. Dude...

:rofl:

[Radio_Lady]

30. While you're "rolling on the floor laughing," I'm not understanding!

There is actually a reference to whether these invaders are "terrorists" which got kind of a strained and muffled chuckle out of the audience...

[Kipepeo]

4. Does Tom Cruise manage to rid hmself of thetans

and evade the galactic warlord Xenu?

[Radio_Lady]

22. Sorry, but I've slipped a cog on that description --

Are we on the same movie page, Kipepeo?

[Kipepeo]

31. LOL, it's from his religion - Scientology

Scientologists believe in an evil galactic warlord named Xenu....and that we are all covered in alien beings called thetans...thetans are the ghosts of the victims of a genocide that Xenu caused a bezillion years ago - through Scientology you seek to cleanse yourself of thetans...I think Cruise is at like level OT VII or OT VIII now.

I'm not making this up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_thetan

I just think he probably feels his own "experience" with aliens would make a better movie - now that he's opening up about Scientology and he knows the history of Psychiatry and all.

[Radio_Lady]

33. I see. I didn't know any of the above. I was given a copy of

L. Ron Hubbard's Scientology book years ago and dismissed it as just another religion that had no relationship to how I see the world.

As far as Tom Cruise as an actor, I loved him in "Top Gun" -- he was OK in "Cocktail" -- I hated "Vanilla Sky" "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Magnolia" -- but found him acceptable in "Minority Report", "The Last Samurai" and "Mission Impossible".

He just isn't my favorite actor and I certainly don't care a whit about his interest in Scientology or his ramblings about the lack of effectiveness of psychiatry or pharmaceuticals. He's just another person entitled to his own opinion. As far as loving a woman many years his junior, hey -- it wouldn't be my choice (I passed over a marriage to a man just seven years younger because we didn't even know about the same singers and music), but I respect his right to love anyone he pleases.

[Voltaire99]

5. How do you stomach Spielberg movies?

Please provide prescription and dosage information. ;-)

[Radio_Lady]

24. OK, here's a short description of what Spielberg I liked -- and disliked

Liked mostly:

"Band of Brothers"
"Catch Me If You Can"
"Saving Private Ryan"
"Schindler's List"
"Jurassic Park"
"Minority Report"
"The Color Purple"
"E. T."
"Raiders of the Lost Ark"
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
"Jaws"

Disliked mostly:

"Artificial Intelligence"
"The Terminal"

[nickgutierrez]

6. This movie has the makings of an all-time bomb.

Think about it: Steven Spielberg given lots of flashy stuff to play with, Tom Cruise on the verge of a breakdown, and a story easy to screw up. This is going to be one bomb I wouldn't mind watching explode, in a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 sort of way. :D

[Radio_Lady]

26. OK, antiwarwarrior. In some respects, I agree with you, so we will

just see how it plays out.

Without going into spoilers, one problem with the script has to do with the ways we might try to fight a war with aliens in 1898 (when the original book was written) versus how they attempt to repel the attack now, in the 21st Century. The story plays better with older war technology and it goes quite awry if it is re-set in the here and now.

Other script holes pertain to what the aliens do with "electric fields" to make some of the things we take for granted -- just stop working. And this is a "selective" thing, without going into too much detail.

So, will you see it anyway? Are you curious enough to go to it this weekend? (Opens WEDNESDAY, June 29th wide, FYI.)

In peace,

Radio Lady

[friesianrider]

28. June 29 is Wednesday Radio Lady! :)

:hi:

I'm definitely going to see it!

[Radio_Lady]

34. You're absolutely right -- I made the correction. The studios are

now opening on WEDNESDAYS preceding holiday weekends for the big draw, especially since July 4th falls on a Monday this year.

Appreciate your fact checking this for me....

[Occulus]

8. How was it- seriously?

I've been waiting for a modern version of this for a long time now.

How's it done? Is it stewing meat, or a fillet mignon?

[Radio_Lady]

35. Maybe a nice rib eye??? I'm giving it a "B" but your mileage may vary...

[Sannum]

9. Are you "Clear"?

I honestly want to vomit every time I see Tommy Boy and his new employ-fiancee.

I now find him more loathsome than Mel Gibson now. Whowouldathunk?

[Radio_Lady]

36. Y'know, I've met so many celebrities in my life -- I try not to judge

these people except for discussing what work they have produced (be it films, books, plays, music). Their personal lives and their choice of mates is their own business. I've been married three times myself, gone out with dozens of different men, said many things I regret or have changed my views on over the years.

I've had a bit of a taste of "fame" as a children's TV host in my teen-age years, a bit of a rebel in my 20s and 30s, and one of the first women to do a full-time, daily four hour radio call in program in the 1970s and 80s.

I'm 66 now and I'd hate to have my life, my views, and my mistakes put under a microscope for all to see. It really seems that the more I know, the more I know how much I don't know.

And you know what? It's good not to be under that kind of scrutiny. If Tom and Mel and Katie and Nicole and Paris and Nicky have a reasonably happy and sustainable life in the limelight, that's all I can really wish for them!

[Kipepeo]

41. Well, but he invites people to put scientology under a microscope

afterall he "knows the history of psychiatry!" And is willing to talk shit about brooke shields and everyone else who sees a psychiatrist or takes anti-depressants.

He may know the history of psychiatry but that doesn't stop him from believing invisible aliens live on everyone he meets and it's his job (seeing that he's "clear") to lay hands on us all and heal us of these aliens ghosts we're crawling with.

[Radio_Lady]

42. People believe a lot of incredible things --

Many of us here in America believe that God visited a virgin one night and implanted her with His seed, and that seed became a Man and walked among us as the Son of God. Others think that Moses wandered in the desert for years, heard the voice of God from a burning bush, received the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai, and parted the Red Sea. And, of course, I'm not even touching the religions of the Far Eastern cultures (Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism), or those of India and those other Indians, the Native Americans, and a lot of other people who have inhabited this world.

I have met and interviewed witches, warlocks, numerologists, astrologists, people who believe in ghosts, aliens, paranormal stuff of all kinds, and a variety of shapely and not so shapely gods and goddesses of television and film. The authors I speak to are passionate enough to write about all kinds of things in which they believe intensely.

Regarding Cruise's comments, some antidepressant drugs work for some people and not for others. Personally, both electroshock therapy and drugs have helped me during my life. I have lived with clinical depression diagnosed when I was in my late teens. I've done my share of "talking" therapy, although it was mostly to psychologists, because psychiatrists were more expensive! So, Tom Cruise is not talking to the choir here, and frankly, he was pretty abrasive in that interview with Matt Lauer. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate Tom's acting.

I have a grandson who is now 16 and he's been on Ritalin since he was five. I wonder what it has done to his mind and body. It wasn't my decision to put him on it. It would be good to know more about the ADHD drugs which we are giving to children "en masse".

[Kipepeo]

44. okay.

...

look, the man can believe what he wants. Like I can believe he's a giant turd - no, clamhead, definitely clamhead - and yes that's another scientology joke - my bad. :(

[libnnc]

10. Is it as bad as the Hollywood buzz says it is?

Some gossip meister on CNN with Paula Zahn said the talk is that this could be the biggest turkey ever. A real stinker. Do you concur?

[Radio_Lady]

37. Well, everyone will have their opinion. About 1,000 people have

already seen it and voted on it. It's getting a 6.8 out of 10 at this point and that's not the worst score I've ever seen for a movie that hasn't even opened yet.

Others who have seen the previews have posted their views on imdb.com:

See this link:

http://www.us.imdb.com/title/tt0407304/usercomments

The script has holes, but the effects were pretty intense and the emotions evoked are quite complex. The whole idea of a father being divorced from his ex-wife and being someone who is no longer raising his own children (a stepfather is introduced) was something that touched a nerve with me. One thing that caught me by surprise was a scene where loved ones posted pictures and descriptions of "missing people" -- and a few buildings were destroyed by fire -- which brought back memories of 9/11/01.

By the way, this is NOT a movie for children AT ALL. There are even sensitive teenagers who would find this disturbing, as well as adults who would too. I'm one of them. The horror of war is bad enough in real life, much less evoked by beings from outer space.

[DS1]

58. The Media are in Cruise Missile Mode, he smacked down Lauer

so now they're ganging up on him. If that isn't obvious, squeegee your third eye, man!

[Radio_Lady]

61. The fourteen reviewers who gave it 100% positive ratings as of today

(so far, the movie hasn't even officially opened) are at the following site:

You be the judge, DS1 --

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_of_the_worlds/

The film is opening on a Wednesday 6/29 prior to a long holiday weekend. I don't think the studio would do that unless they felt they had a hit on their hands.

[DS1]

62. I can't wait to see this movie. I love watching things get wrecked

without remorse, fictionally of course

[Radio_Lady]

71. You'll get your wish with this one! A church, bridge, factories, and

houses, presumably in New York or New Jersey. Boston looked pretty good at the end (it wasn't damaged TOO much).

Oops! Look at this -- they never got to Boston (just a signpost and dialogue indicates they did. Those brownstone houses must have been somewhere else!)

Filming Locations for
War of the Worlds (2005)

Athens, New York, USA

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Beacon, New York, USA

Brownsburg, Virginia, USA

Canyon Country, California, USA

Cold Spring, New York, USA

Croton-on-Hudson, New York, USA

Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA

Howell, New Jersey, USA

Lexington, Virginia, USA

Mystery Mesa, California, USA

Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA
(Uniroyal plant)

New York City, New York, USA

Newark, New Jersey, USA

Piru, California, USA

Raphine, Virginia, USA

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Universal Studios, Universal City, California, USA
(studio)

[Kraklen]

77. Yikes.

"But nothing can prepare you for the picture's final set piece, which is, hands down, the most embarrassing piece of film Steven Spielberg has ever directed. (Yes, it's even worse than Amistad.) Obscenely cribbed from John Ford's The Searchers, this maudlin sequence is so appalling it brings dead characters back to life and sent a packed house of moviegoers into a derisively laughing, finger-pointing cacophony."

[madeline_con]

14. Did Tom's soul...

return to the volcano in the end?

[jeff30997]

19. I hope his soul was still attached to his butt.

[Radio_Lady]

39. Jeff, let's not go there -- no "butts" about it. Soulfully, Radio Lady

[Radio_Lady]

38. Wasn't that Tom HANKS? "Joe Versus the Volcano" (1990)

Or maybe you're making an allusion to Scientology which I don't understand???? Sorry, madeline -- je ne sais pas.

[Kipepeo]

45. the volcano is a symbol in Scientology

the galactic warlord Xenu chained billions of people around them about 75 million years ago, and then blew them up - their ghosts are called thetans and they live on us. So the volcano is often used as a symbol in Scientology.

I'm just explaining the reference...not adding any editorial comment.

[FATNED]

40. Saw a preview screening myself yesterday...

I suppose a B sounds about right. The first hour was fantastic; creepy, compelling.

Started to fall apart a bit after that but not a bad movie.

[Radio_Lady]

43. You just explained it in two sentences. Congratulations!

Now that's it's tomorrow (12:15 AM Pacific Time), I'm going to put my head on my pillow and try not to dream of the end of the world...

Good night, good morning, and good luck!

[NMMNG]

46. Who are the people in the Raggedy Ann & Andy costumes?

[Radio_Lady]

47. Y'know, Buffy, it's been so long since I downloaded that photo and

then put it in my Photobucket account -- that I can't remember. Maybe it's Ragdoll UK. I'll try and look it up if I have a chance. Thanks for your interest.

Edit: Oops. It doesn't seem to be at:

http://www.ragdoll.co.uk/
but they do have other cute stuff there.

I hope I'm not encroaching on anyone's copyright. Maybe I'd better look for another signature photo in case I am. I don't think these are "well known" kids anyway -- probably models for a children's line of costumes or something like that.

[NMMNG]

53. Ok. I just wondered if they were your kids or someone you knew :-)

[Kraklen]

50. How'd you like the ending?

You don't have to give it away, just your opinion please. I hear it was absolutely terrible.

Oh, and did a P-51 mustang ever appear in the film?

[Radio_Lady]

52. Well, it wasn't exactly a HAPPY ending, and it ended much the

way the original movie ended, at least for the alien beings. Also, let's say that -- given the architectural and infrastructure damage that Spielberg and crew replicates, someone's gonna have a really BIG debt to replace THAT! (By the way, I did have at least one off-the-wall thought -- does homeowner's insurance replace damage caused by aliens? I'll have to look that one up. It wasn't any act of God thing...)

The personal story of the two divorced people, the remarried mother and her husband (their stepfather), as well as the two children, was resolved.

As far as this aircraft, someone much more astute in flight vehicles will have to answer this one! Sorry I can't help you!

[Kraklen]

54. Hmm.

The original novel had and the 1953 films used the same endings, but handled them completely differently. (God, everybody must know how it ends, can't believing I'm treating this as a spoiler). Anyway, the novel involves the inexistence of God, in the movie the ending is sent by God to save the humans.

Sounds like the stuff about the kids and the divorce is just the sort of cheese I worried Speilberg would include.

The P-51 is just a theory I'm working on. They keep showing up in Speilberg pictures.

[onager]

55. And are there any Great Scenes, like in...

...the 1953 original?

Two of my favorites:

1. The Martian war machines attacking Los Angeles City Hall. I live here and often wish I had a Martian war machine, just for that purpose.

2. The Northrop YB-49 "Flying Wing" dropping the A-bomb on "a nest of Martians in the Puente Hills." I wish it had been Beverly Hills, but you can't have everything.

That was an awesome scene, though.

[Floogeldy]

56. Are there any other places in America you want attacked or A-bombed?

[onager]

64. Sorry, forgot my "Sarcasm" smilie...

n/t

[Radio_Lady]

57. Onager, there are some really amazing CGI and/or model

scenes -- truly awesome. The creation of the sky scenes is also very impressive.

In my opinion, the script fails mostly because of what appears to be the extremely limited and seemingly ineffective military response to what is clearly happening to the world. Also, motivation of the aliens is completely ignored. Add to that some odd electrical phenomena that occur just selectively (the "hero" has a car that works, other people don't) and a couple of other convenient script devices.

Earlier in this thread, I gave this movie a solid "B" -- it's exciting, well acted, has a pretty decent thread of a family situation and I'd recommend your seeing it, especially since you remember the original pretty vividly, as I do. I was 12 years old in 1953 when "War of the Worlds" came out!

In peace (because War is Hell, no matter who starts it!!!

[onager]

66. Thanks!

I have a copy of the original '53 version. Drag it out and watch it every once in a while. I still have good memories of watching it late at night on TV, when I was a little kid. Back when it was still SCARY...!

[Debi]

60. Have you studied the history of psychiatry?

Because Tom has! And don't be GLIB!

[onager]

67. Knock it off, you suppressive person!

:hi:

[Radio_Lady]

68. Going back to college days (1956 to 1962), I did study psychology

and eventually got a minor in it. Television, Radio and Film was my major.

Certainly we studied the writings of Sigmund Freud and others. I recall some of it, but probably couldn't pass a test on this subject almost 50 years later!

[Debi]

70. I was being facetious

you got Tom beat!

[edbermac]

74. Any scenes of Crawford, Texas being wiped out?

:evilgrin:

[Radio_Lady]

75. I wouldn't even know if it WERE Crawford, Texas --

the Tripods in the picture do suck up people through something that looks like a pointy, red and wrinkled nipple --

Oh, look at that! That must be Bush, going up and away! Hooray!

Oh, dear -- wrong state. I think it was someone fron NOO JOY-SEY!

[GalleryGod]

76. Thanks for Enduring this thread, RL !

I'll see it. Definitely.

[Radio_Lady]

78. Thanks, Gallery God.

Most movie threads end up this way.

Some like 'em --

Some don't --

I've been doing this for more than three decades. Reviewers have to develop a thick skin.

Still think this movie was better than average, and I give it a "B".

Somebody brought up an interesting error at www.imdb.com. Electricity was supposed to completely stop when the aliens arrive. However, someone observed that an actor was using a CAMCORDER during that scene!