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The Song of Roland was… a movie that we watched. But moving on, we've voted to watch something we think will be a bit more of a crowd pleaser: Independence Day (1996). Which seems appropriate since this week's club meeting is exactly the thirtieth anniversary of this one (and hey, it's directed by another Roland, Roland Emmerich!). You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.
Independence Day was certainly a major part of the zeitgeist between Wing Commander IV and the Wing Commander movie. It's part of our queue because it is one of the movies that Wing Commander sampled heavily from for its temp track(s)! Which shouldn't be a surprise, since Chris Roberts ultimately went for ID4 composer David Arnold for Wing Commander's actual score. During the development process, they used four different tracks eight different times! Here's the quick rundown.
The Darkest Day was used for Blair and Angel's "reconnoiter" mission that discovers the Kilrathi comcon ship.
Fire Storm must have been a particular favorite as it was used in five different places! It also appears during the reconnoiter scene as well as during the Tiger Claw ambush and scramble, Maniac and Rosie's engagement that ends in her death, the depth charge attack and the encounter with the skipper missile!
Evacuation was also temped over the skipper missile scene.
The Day We Fight Back, a great inspirational track, was used for the "make them sorry they were ever born" scene in which the Tiger Claw strikes back against the remaining Kilrathi warship.
Where can I find a copy of the movie for the watch party?
Note that we will be watching the theatrical cut (2h24m) and not the etended cut (2h33m). Independence Day is available for rent or purchase on all of the standard streaming services. If you would like a physical copy, it was released on UHD in the US in 2016 and remains in print around the world. It is currently streaming on Disney/Hulu in the US. If you are not able to locate a copy please stop by the Discord and ping a CIC staff member before Friday's showing.
How do we watch the movie together?
It's pretty low tech! Simply join the Wing Commander CIC Discord on Friday and we will be chatting (in text) along with the film in the main channel. Everyone who wants to join in should bring their own copy and we will count down to play them together at 10 PM EST. Everyone is welcome and we encourage you to join in the conversation; sharing your thoughts helps make the experience better for everyone!
How can I help pick future movie club movies?
The movie club movies are voted on each week by the Wing Commander Discord. The poll is typically posted 24 hours before each week's screening and the next movie is announced at the end. The choices for the poll come from a master pool of Wing Commander-related movies. If you would like to suggest a film for inclusion in that pool you can post it to this thread.
