Posterized: Roland Emmerich
Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 12:00PM With 60 year old German director Roland Emmerich's latest sci-fi world-in-peril disaster flick opening (that'd be Independence Day: Resurgence) let's look back at his career for this week's Posterized! But first here's a really cute photo of the director with actress Joey King tying his shoes. (She's made two of his movies back to back now as she was also in Stonewall)
In poster form, at least, Emmerich's careers looks a lot a pitch perfect example of how capitalism works in Tinsletown, when they poach genre directors from other countries...
At first there are the cheapie genre flicks, then, you see an influx of cash and "name" genre actors. If that works, even bigger and bigger budgets and even bigger stars until suddenly there's no room on the poster for movie stars, even if you've hired them, because it's all about THE SPECTACLE that your hundred millions of production budget have bought...
The Movies: The Noah's Arc Principle, Making Contact, Ghost Chase, Moon 44, Universal Soldier, Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Patriot, The Day After Tomorrow, 10,000 BC, 2012, Anonymous, White House Down, and Stonewall. How many have you seen?
At first there are the cheapie genre flicks. Then, you see an influx of cash and "name" genre actors. If that works, even bigger budgets and even bigger stars until suddenly there's no room on the poster for giant movie stars, even if you've hired them, because it's all about THE SPECTACLE that your hundred millions of production budget have bought.
I once interviewed Emmerich and I regret being all "why don't you make gay movies?" aggressive with the out gay filmmaker considering the movie he did eventually deliver (Stonewall -- I take back my request!). Before the ahistorical gay history of Stonewall he tried the ahistoric conspiracy thriller about Shakespeare called Anonymous. But even in those pictures you could see that his heart was not with intimate human drama but still fixated on the broad strokes, or heavy brick throws if you will, of popcorn pictures. He put it more bluntly:
It has to be big or I don't like it.
So back to the blockbuster he inevitably went, returning to his biggest success (Independence Day) for a super super late sequel without that film's mega-star Will Smith. Independence Day: Resurgence is now in theaters. How well will it do so many years after the first film's dominance?
How many Emmerich pictures have you seen? I haven't been a completist (no thank you!) but my favorite, by a mile, remains Universal Soldier. That's both for its retro late 80s/early 90s action muscle kitsch glory and the perfect casting and pre Captain America Winter Soldier showdown of brainwashed super soldiers, with the Muscles from Brussells squaring off with Ivan Drago himself, Doph Lundgren.
Reader Comments (28)
Oh, boy--like Tye Sheridan, another ZERO. (I've probably seen bits of Independence Day and Stargate while channel-surfing, but the only one I'd have any interest in is Anonymous.)
I was just wondering how "Stargate" holds up - has a more interesting premise and cast than a lot of Emmerich's others, but I don't remember it well.
Three - Independence Day, Godzilla, and the Patriot. Nostalgia and youth make Independence Day and The Patriot better in my memory than they probably are in real life, but even as a child I knew Godzilla was terrible.
Someone i've seen 7 of them -- even 10000 BC which I cant even convey how terrible it is.
The only one i wanted to see but actually didn't was WHITE HOUSE DOWN and that was only because i love Channing Tatum and Katey is fond of it.
if he were straight, that header pic would pretty much sum up hollywood
i've seen one [independence day] and a bit [the butt shot scene from universal soldier]
Anonymous and White House Down recently (found both entertaining enough), and I vaguely remember watching Godzilla as a kid. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.
White House Down is great fun. Definitely worth a watch!
Three: Independence Day, Stargate (more interesting than I expected), and The Day After Tomorrow (an absolute waste of a talented cast).
I've seen (dear Lord) seven of these: Universal Soldier, Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, Day After Tomorrow, 2012, and Anonymous. Independence Day is still my favorite, although Universal Soldier a close runner-up for the JCVD/Dolph Lundgren kitsch factor. I actually think he's a great action director, but whenever he tries to do anything else, it falls flat. Anonymous was actually really interesting, I thought, but sadly that didn't stop it from being a not-very-good movie.
I'm not sure how this happened, but I seem to have seen 9 (!): Joey, Moon 44, Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, 10,000 BC, 2012 and Anonymous.
It's been ages since I saw the first two, of the latter I pretty much only remember thinking Michael Paré was really beautiful. My favourite is definitely Stargate.
I worded that weirdly, by "the latter" I meant Moon 44, of course.
Nathaniel Rogers: Why don't you make gay movies?
Roland Emmerich: It has to be big or I don't like it.
Nathaniel Rogers: So... why don't you make gay movies?
the man can throw together a decent B action movie with some excellent action sequences and thrilling narrative rotating around the mediocrity. he's like a less douchey Michael Bay. I need to watch Stonewall, but I heard bad things :/.
A poster boy for mediocrity. And worse (Stonewall) Ugh.
I've seen nine and I'm a big sci-fi movie fan- "Stargate" is still his best film
The kind of filmmaker that when retires you don't notice or complain.
And Stonewall is his less gay movie.
3 - Universal Soldier, Stargate and Independence Day. More than enough.
If you have to do German directors with Hollywood careers, why not Wolfgang Petersen, or Robert Schwendtke? At least in these cases, we have German movies to be proud about. (Not bashing Roland Emmerich's German movies here, since I've never seen them - and no one I know has seen them, either...)
By the way, I think you made Emmerich 10 years younger than he actually is.
I love 2012 and Day after tomorrow - disaster porn is my thing and Anonymous was great, especially Vanessa Redgrave.
But after Stonewall? He's dead to me
MrW -- it was only because he had a movie opening. I was keeping it timely ;)
I've seen 7, Stargate, Independence Day, The Patriot, Gozilla, The Day after Tommorow and 2012 and now Resurgence. Independence Day and Stargate are tied as my favorite, I still watch Indepence Day every 4th. I did have a time I kept watching the Patriot but it wasn't cause it was good, I barely remember Godzilla and the other three are fine escape summer flicks to never watch again.
Of course I wouldn't call any of these great but I've enjoyed them for what they are...insert 'shut up and take my money' meme
I've seen 8... and there isn't a completely good movie in the bunch. Some are reasonably entertaining popcorn flicks, and Stargate at least led to the SG-1 TV series, which was good fun for much its run.
Gosh, I've seen 6 of his films. Without giving the Vanessa Redgrave one a chance... What does this say about me?
I'm a sucker for disaster flicks -- so, ummm, except for the German ones, I've seen them all?
White House Down is self aware fun and probably his best.
I've seen two: Universal Soldier (...sigh...I had SUCH a thing for Van Damme back during his peak) and Independence Day which was dumb but entertaining.
Looks like somebody's a size queen!
I've seen 7. Stargate and White House Down were fun no-brainers. The Day After Tomorrow was one of the funniest movies I've seen.
And my friend was an extra on ID4, and can be promininently seen at the war consoles in the opening scenes with Robert Loggia and Dan Lauria.
That would be nine. I rather liked "Anonymous". And, of course, all of the English language science-fantasy ones.