Cinematical

Maybe I just follow far too many movie nerds on Twitter to get an accurate reading on this, but did Independence Day turn around and become an honest-to-goodness movie staple over the Fourth of July holiday while I wasn't looking?

I mean, I get that it was huge when it landed on said weekend back in 1996, and I know that President Pullman's speech (embedded below) is quotable as all get out -- though extra points to the pal who instead posted "Eagle-20! Fox-2!" -- but I usually see war movies and TV show marathons as go-to fodder for the 4th, however less fitting their titles may be.

So how many of you actually did watch ID4 yesterday? How long had it been since you watched it? How fond of it were you thirteen years back? Did you watch it because it harkens back to a big, loud, relatively healthy level of cheese that we used to get from our blockbusters, back when we could see what exactly was going on in any given action scene? Or was it simply a more welcome/convenient option than going to see a third Ice Age or a two-and-a-half-hour gangster drama, or perhaps a memorial to the late Jeff Goldblum?

Comment away!

One summer, my home town's local movie theater got the bright idea to run a series of kids-only matinees. As far as I remember, it was the only summer that they did this. Looking back, it's one of those ideas that was probably a lot better on the drawing board than in execution.

The LaMar Theater was a real, old-school, small-town movie palace. Just a block from the ocean in Manhattan Beach, California -- hence the compounded Spanish for "the sea" -- with thick, red velvet curtains and a big screen above a raised stage. There was a ceiling mural that featured dolphins arcing above curling waves, and big plaster sea shells served as covers for the sconces that lit the walls.

In the 1940's my grandmother was manager of the LaMar for a time, and I have photos of her posing with movie stars and USO workers, doing publicity when the theater hosted special shows to benefit the war effort. My mother worked at the theater as a barely legal usher, and told me that during one of these drives she shot craps backstage with Donald O'Connor and some of the musicians. Sadly, the theater is now gone, torn down in the 1980s to make room for a McDonalds and a multiplex.

The summer of the children's matinee fiasco, I was maybe ten or eleven years old. I loved movies -- Mom, the former movie usher, reared me with daily viewings of Ben Hunter's Movie Matinee on KTTV, watching old black-and-white films from the 40's and 50's while she did laundry. Every day he'd run a contest called "Hunter's College of Obscure Knowledge," showing a photo or clip and asking a trivia question, and awarding a prize to the first caller with the correct answer. My mother never called the show, but she got every question right.

Another day, another snafu on the ol' political correctness front. It seems that adoptive parents and adoption agencies are up in arms because of a line in the trailer for Warner Brothers' forthcoming thriller, Orphan: "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own."

A full ABC News report has parents calling for the studio to remove the line from the trailers, which it did, despite the fact that the trailer can only play before other R-rated films. But that's not enough, because apparently, the film itself can be and has been taken as one big campaign playing up the stereotypes and exploiting the fears of adoption.

I can't speak for everyone, but I'd like to think that any potential parent who finds themselves scared off from real-world adoption because of something they saw in a heavily exaggerated movie probably do not have the proper judgment to serve as a parent in the first place. As for the effect that line and the whole premise might have on adopted kids specifically, I really can't speak to that, as I don't know how exposed to the film's marketing they'd be if watching appropriate channels and seeing appropriate movies.

What are your thoughts? Over-reaction? Just right reaction? Or are we simply overdue for this summer's next big controversy?

[Thanks to Shock for the heads-up.]

Carriers
A decent looking tale of an apocalyptic plague and four friends attempt to survive it. If you've read The Stand or seen the mini-series based on it the idea seems kind of similar. Chris Prine, the new James T. Kirk stars and I thought the faces drawn on the surgical masks were a nice touch. Things start getting germy on September 4.

Couples Retreat
Four couples head to a tropical resort where they learn that couples' therapy is a mandatory part of the program. The impressive cast includes Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, and Kristen Bell. The retreat commences on October 9.

Planet 51
There's a new full length trailer for this animated comedy about a human astronaut landing on an alien world that looks strikingly like an American suburb. The residents of the planet see the visitor as a threat and it looks like there's probably a decent message for kids about prejudice, but this one doesn't thrill me. The idea is cute and they get points for the use of The Killers' song "Spaceman" but it didn't have me laughing. Planet 51 touches down on November 20.

It may not be a celebrity story to rival the endless coverage of Michael Jackson's death, but actor Rupert Grint, who plays ginger-kid Ron Weaseley in the Harry Potter films, is reportedly recovering from a mild case of swine flu.

Grint's management said that he took a few days off from work on the adaptation of the series' final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be released as two movies. The next flick in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters on July 15.

Swine flu aside, it must be something of a relief for Grint -- along with fellow Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson -- to be finally seeing the end of the J.K. Rowling gravy train. While the massively popular film series gave the trio instant celebrity and all the opportunities that brings, they've been chained to the Potter films for half their lives. Grint, who was 13 when he made the first film, turns 21 in August, and seems to have made solid choices so far in building his career. Along with a fair amount of British radio and TV voiceover work, he was praised for his role in 2006's Driving Lessons opposite Laura Linney and Julie Walters.

It's funny, but I've been watching Kevin Smith movies for a long time now, but it was only as I was reading through Total Film's list of the Best & Worst: Kevin Smith, that I realized something that I never really thought all that much about before -- and what was my big epiphany? Well, I finally discovered that Smith's films in the end are just rom-coms with poop jokes. Smith may have been considered a foul-mouthed stoner for most of his career, but now that I've looked beyond his shtick, I've finally come to the conclusion that the guy is a big old softy. Which got me thinking: Is there such a thing as romance for boys?

Now if you're the observant type, you've probably noticed I'm not a dude, so what do I know, right? But I've been told time and again that I'm not the 'average girl' (whatever that means) when it comes to my movie tastes, so I'm going to put that theory to the test, and get in touch with my masculine side to create a list of romantic movies for men.

After the jump; My 5 picks for boy-friendly romance...

Hearing about a mixture of Lori Petty and David Alan Grier immediately brings to mind the wonderful '90s, when Petty was the tough-as-nails Tank Girl in a post-apocalyptic water-hungry world and Grier was one of the big names of In Living Color. But now the two have teamed up, and it's not for some quirky bit of comedy, but rather a super-heavy drama that's finally going to hit the big screen.

Variety reports that Phase 4 Films has picked up the U.S. rights to The Poker House, which just so happens to be Petty's directorial debut from a script she wrote with Grier. The Living Color alum stars with Selma Blair and Jennifer Lawrence in the story which can, simply and vaguely, be described as "a portrait of life in a poor small town in Iowa in 1976," as Variety says. But a little more specifically, it's the story of a young basketball playing girl who has heavy troubles at home -- think prostitutes, pimps, and the struggles of desperation and poverty.

For IGN, Todd Gilchrist compared the film to the heaviness of Boys Don't Cry, Monster, and In the Bedroom, but stated: "Ultimately, The Poker House just isn't a very good film, regardless of where it came from, who made it or what it's trying to say." So why bother? One, it's looking to be one of those films you love or hate. Two, it's based on Petty's actual experiences, so it could give you a look into the mind of our Tank Girl.

The film hits theaters on July 17.

What are your plans for the weekend? Here in the U.S., most folks are enjoying a long holiday weekend, filled with food, friends, and fireworks -- and maybe a free concert and a movie or two. On a personal note, with local temperatures soaring above 100 degrees for the past week or so, I'm staying inside and out of the weather as much as I can. And so I was pleased to find Jazz on a Summer's Day is available for free online viewing, courtesy of our friends at SnagFilms.

Directed by Aram Avakian and Bert Stern, the film documents the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and the America's Cup sailing tournament, two events which go together like a cool drink on a hot day. Performers at the festival include Thelonius Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O'Day (pictured), Dinah Washington, Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, and Mahalia Jackson. My knowledge of jazz is extremely limited, so all I can add to that list is that I very much enjoyed listening to all the musicians. As much as anything, I got a kick out of the spectator footage -- nicely dressed folks, a number in business suits (!), stylish sunglasses, bright colors, the whole nine yards -- and the dulcet-toned, super low-key announcer.

Frankly, this is a good doc for watching, and listening to, in the background. We've embedded it after the jump. More information is available at SnagFilms.

After the jump: Watch Jazz on a Summer's Day!

Our brothers and sisters over at TV Squad have busted through the boob tube and brought with them the following juicy bits of must-see eye candy:

• Seth Green is promoting the DVD release of Robot Chicken: Star Wars -- Episode II with a touring ice skating show.
• Despite his recent death we're still going to be seeing TV commercials starring pitchman Billy Mays.
• America's Got Talent has found there own version of Brit singing sensation Susan Boyle in Kevin Skinner, a chicken catcher (whatever that is) from Kentucky.
• Summer's only just started but TV Squad has screened some of CBS's new shows for the Fall. Here's what they think.
• For those who can't get enough weirdness in their life, the upcoming final season of Lost is going to be 18 hours long instead of 17.
• ...and finally, after hosting the Tonys and TV Land Awards, Neil Patrick Harris is about to close a deal that will have him hosting the Emmys.