113 replies to this topic

[Blonde Bond]

Are they seriously planning Austin Powers 4 ?
I mean when they made the 3rd one, they were talking, that it was mainly made for the die hard Austin Powers fans, and that it would end the series.
Was it so popular, that they're now starting work on AP 4



Batman - The Dark Knight
Live Free & Die Hard
Sin City 2
Spiderman 3

[Loomis]

3rd - THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (looks like 2007) - The sequel I most want to see, by miles. James Bond? Who's he? Gimme another Jason Bourne adventure!

MASSIVE GAP, FOLLOWED BY (IN ORDER):

2nd/3rd, depending on whether you consider the KILL BILL saga one film or two - KILL BILL SEQUEL (Tarantino's talked about this one, to be made some 15 years from now, with the daughter of one of The Bride's victims out for revenge; then again, Tarantino's talked about a Vega Brothers movie and an adaptation of "Casino Royale" ; a big part of me hopes he'll leave KILL BILL alone - even a director as brilliant as Tarantino would have a very tough job recreating the old magic after so many years - THE GODFATHER PART III, anyone? Still, if another KILL BILL flick got made - and it's a very big "if" - I'd be first in the queue)

6th - ROCKY VI (probably never)

4th - RAMBO IV (probably never)

21st - BOND 21 (2006) - Will it be a masterpiece, or will it be a turkey? Will it be simply a so-so film? Will it come into being at all?

4th - DIE HARD 4 (probably never)

4th - INDIANA JONES 4 (seems always to be Spielberg's next project, without ever actually ending up getting made)

6th - STAR WARS EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005) - Will be good, I think (this is coming from someone who's not a hardcore STAR WARS fan, and who thinks EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES may well be the best of the bunch so far).

9th - HALLOWEEN 9 (2005) - According to the IMDb (not the most reliable of sources), this one is being directed by SCREAM and "Dawson's Creek" writer Kevin Williamson (who also worked on HALLOWEEN H20: 20 YEARS LATER). Might be good, will probably be terrible, but I'll be checking it out (on DVD, most likely) out of a strange sense of fanboy duty. Can't possibly be worse than HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION.

Also looking forward to BATMAN BEGINS (2005). Not a sequel in my book.

Sequels I have absolutely no interest at all in seeing: another Jack Ryan (one will probably come along sooner or later; well, okay, get Harrison Ford back in the role and I'll be interested), SPIDER-MAN 3, THE TOPKAPI AFFAIR, X-MEN 3....

Amusing to revisit this thread. Note that the status of THE TOPKAPI AFFAIR doesn't seem to have changed much!

Anyways, the reason I'm bumping this is that, hot on the successful heels of ROCKY BALBOA and the rather less successful BASIC INSTINCT 2, there's news of another incredibly belated and possibly-less-than-necessary sequel on the horizon, to an original flick that was pretty good back in the day and still holds up rather well. Yes, folks, we asked (well, kinda) and they're obeying. They're making....

*drumroll*

...POINT BREAK 2!!!!!!!!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36753

Only now a POINT BREAK sequel? Let me tell you how many POINT BREAK sequels they've produced: over the last two decades (nearly), they've produced exactly squat! SQUAT! During which time the Ex-Presidents have robbed two more banks! (And the makers of the FAST AND THE FURIOUS series have taken the same basic idea and turned it into a moneyspinner.)

You know how sometimes along comes a movie that you feel could very easily have been a sequel to another movie with the same star? Like the Stallone effort DAYLIGHT might just as well have been CLIFFHANGER 2? I can't be alone in thinking that SPEED, with only a few very minor script tweaks, could actually have been the second flick in the Johnny Utah franchise.

Well, funnily enough, the apparent director of the forthcoming POINT BREAK: INDO (lousy title, that) is none other than SPEEDmeister Jan De Bont, who hasn't really made a good film since, well, SPEED.... but if he's able to recapture his SPEED form (and not his SPEED 2 form), then the Kathryn Bigelow-sized hole in the director's chair may be filled fairly adequately.

I seem to recall an interview with someone - the writer of DIE HARD, it may have been - that pointed out that every great action movie needs a great villain with an interesting scheme. DIE HARD is really Hans Gruber's story, not John McClane's. The baddies of POINT BREAK are interesting insofar as their scheme is, as far as I know, unique: they're not in it for the loot, or trying to make the world a better (or worse) place - they simply want to party on and get radical!

Back off, Warchild. Seriously.

I mean, it would just be ridiculous - it's amazing to think that anyone was even able to successfully pitch the script to a studio, but POINT BREAK works - and works very well - thanks to the strange but wonderful combination of Bigelow's muscular action directing (the film's thrills and spills are up there with then-greats Besson and Cameron in terms of hardhitting edge-of-seatness and stylishness), acres of quotable dialogue and - extraordinarily - an elegiac, BIG WEDNESDAYish tone of mourning for an endless summer that will never come to pass in a world full of guys inching their way on the freeways in their metal coffins. It's all very hokey and simplistic, sure - and touches like an Anthony Kiedis cameo occasionally result in a downright goofy feel, but there's slightly more going on in POINT BREAK than meets the eye, although what meets the eye is certainly more than entertaining enough.

Will POINT BREAK: INDO recapture the magic? Probably not, although the fact that it has the same writer is an encouraging sign. Still, I have to say that I find this a more exciting prospect than, say, THOMAS CROWN 2.

[dinovelvet]

Will POINT BREAK: INDO recapture the magic? Probably not, although the fact that it has the same writer is an encouraging sign. Still, I have to say that I find this a more exciting prospect than, say, THOMAS CROWN 2.

I can't really muster any enthusiasm, and I'm a fan. No Keanu, no Swayze, no good. It could work if you got one of them back, maybe, but obviously Swayze is in no condition to be doing it, and 'Nu probably has other irons in the fire. That, and he's probably not young, dumb, and full of anymore, either

I guess this is the fallout we get from successful revivals of Die Hard, Rocky, Indy, etc. Suddenly every studio that had a minor hit in the 80s/90s assume they can get away with it too. How long before MY COUSIN VINNY II is announced?

[Judo chop]

Will POINT BREAK: INDO recapture the magic? Probably not, although the fact that it has the same writer is an encouraging sign. Still, I have to say that I find this a more exciting prospect than, say, THOMAS CROWN 2.

I can't really muster any enthusiasm, and I'm a fan. No Keanu, no Swayze, no good. It could work if you got one of them back, maybe, but obviously Swayze is in no condition to be doing it, and 'Nu probably has other irons in the fire. That, and he's probably not young, dumb, and full of anymore, either

I guess this is the fallout we get from successful revivals of Die Hard, Rocky, Indy, etc. Suddenly every studio that had a minor hit in the 80s/90s assume they can get away with it too. How long before MY COUSIN VINNY II is announced?

MY COUSIN VINNY: TWICE REMOVED

[Hitch]

Oh, the humanity...

[Loomis]

Will POINT BREAK: INDO recapture the magic? Probably not, although the fact that it has the same writer is an encouraging sign. Still, I have to say that I find this a more exciting prospect than, say, THOMAS CROWN 2.

I can't really muster any enthusiasm, and I'm a fan. No Keanu, no Swayze, no good.

I certainly get where you're coming from, and it's true that "new team" sequels rarely work (THE STING II, anyone? GREASE 2?) - still, Keanu must be, what? In his forties? A bit over the hill to be a surfer (heck, there were jokes about his age even in the first film!) - it'd be as silly as Sharon Stone getting her kit off in her fifties or Stallone lacing up those boxing gloves again at sixty. Oh, wait.

Still, while you say that "this is the fallout we get from successful revivals of Die Hard, Rocky, Indy, etc.", I gather from doing some surfing (ho ho) that the writer of POINT BREAK, the splendidly named W. Peter Iliff, has been working on POINT BREAK: INDO for quite a few years now. Which shows that this was never about the money - this was about the makers of POINT BREAK: INDO against the system. That system that kills the human spirit. They stand for something. They are here to show those guys that are inching their way on the freeways in their metal coffins that the human sprit is still alive.

Seriously, though, there are quite a few bad signs about this project: Jan De Bont in the director's chair (say no more), no returning cast members, nearly twenty years gone since the original, a rotten title that might arguably have been mildly "hip" at some stage in the late '90s, and the more than slight suspicion that the whole thing has only been revived because of the success of the FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise.

On the other hand, at least we don't have Rob Cohen or Lee Tamahori directing, and if the southeast Asian locations are captured well and the action is up to par, we could be looking at an enjoyable piece of brain-in-neutral escapist hokum. As long as this flick has a good DP, a good second unit director/stunt coordinator, and a lead with at least some charisma, it should be home and dry as a decent rainy day rental.

[Loomis]

Some wonderful news for Riggs and Murtaugh fans. LETHAL WEAPON 5 may be happening:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37842

LETHAL WEAPON 4 was almost ridiculously good and ended the series perfectly a la ROCKY BALBOA and RAMBO. OTOH, it sure left me wanting more!

[Safari Suit]

A decent Lethal Weapon is pretty easy to pull off in the scheme on things so, sure, why not?

[DamnCoffee]

Are they seriously planning Austin Powers 4 ?
I mean when they made the 3rd one, they were talking, that it was mainly made for the die hard Austin Powers fans, and that it would end the series.
Was it so popular, that they're now starting work on AP 4

Apparently Mike Myers is throwing around some ideas for Austin Powers 4, which includes the story based around the father and son relationship between Dr. Evil and Scott, which is loosely based on Myers' life.

[Safari Suit]

It's too late now IMO, he's deeply unfashionable in light of The Love Guru.

[Judo chop]

Some wonderful news for Riggs and Murtaugh fans. LETHAL WEAPON 5 may be happening:

LETHAL WEAPON 4 was almost ridiculously good and ended the series perfectly a la ROCKY BALBOA and RAMBO. OTOH, it sure left me wanting more!

A decent Lethal Weapon is pretty easy to pull off in the scheme on things so, sure, why not?

Ugh. I loved LW4, particularly for its conclusion to the series. I was with them in the theaters all the way through the decades, and that family photo at the finale actually means a little something to me. I’m saddened that they’d consider doing away with the bittersweetness of that farewell.

No, Mel. No.

[Safari Suit]

I agree with you that LW4 was the perfect end, if, it was the end. But, personally, I wouldn't say no to another one for fear of ending that.

[Judo chop]

So, what's the 'theme' of LW5 possibly going to be? Roger already retired? Both are retired and come out to blow things up?

They perfectly covered Mel's age in LW4. What now? Is Gibbo going to continue the 'still a lethal weapon, just not as lethal of a weapon' that he was in LW4?

How do we make this anything but a joke?

Thoughts? Anyone?

[Loomis]

So, what's the 'theme' of LW5 possibly going to be? Roger already retired? Both are retired and come out to blow things up?

They perfectly covered Mel's age in LW4. What now? Is Gibbo going to continue the 'still a lethal weapon, just not as lethal of a weapon' that he was in LW4?

How do we make this anything but a joke?

Thoughts? Anyone?

Well, we can make a few speculations:

- Riggs will be coming up to retirement. His partner will be Butters (Chris Rock's character in LETHAL WEAPON 4) because Murtaugh will be long retired. Hilariously, Riggs will now be the one complaining that he's too old for this , while it's the Murtaugh family member, Butters, who'll be mocking Riggs as an "old timer" (as Riggs mocks Murtaugh in the first flick). Ironic, eh? Heck, you could even have Riggs' wife Lorna (Rene Russo) and their child (last seen as an newborn at the end of 4) giving Riggs a birthday cake in the bath at the beginning - I mean, the possibilities for "clever" self-referencing are endless!

- The opening scene will feature Riggs and Butters going to do something really simple, e.g. arrest a guy at a bar who's being drunk and obnoxious but who is otherwise no threat at all. However, Riggs will feel that his masculinity is being challenged and will get into a drinking contest with the perp, which will spiral into much hilarious slapstick and destruction, with plenty of exploding buildings.

- The tone of the hitherto lighthearted flick will suddenly shift into really dark and gruesome territory as, elsewhere, a group of men graphically slays another group of men. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the baddies.

- Riggs and Butters are working on a case and feel that their ostensibly open-and-shut assignment may be the tip of some kind of iceberg. So they go to consult Murtaugh, who's spending his retirement fishing. Riggs can't resist playing a huge practical joke of some sort on his old buddy, the outcome of which sees Murtaugh tricked into singing a song at a gay pride parade, apparently as part of an elaborate ruse to bring down a serial killer (or somefink). The sequence ends with Riggs and Butters splitting their sides with laughter as an angry Murtaugh ejaculates: "Go spit, Riggs!".

- The Murtaughs are now seriously loaded, thanks to the continued success of bestselling novelist Ebony Clark, a.k.a. Mrs Murtaugh. Moreover, Murtaugh's daughter Rianne (who's married to Butters) is now one of the top actresses in the world, nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the blockbuster adaptation of one of her mother's books.... which will occasion a humourous reference to LETHAL WEAPON 2 when Riggs remarks how far she's come from her days in condom ads and earns a dirty look from Murtaugh. Despite their money, the Murtaughs persist in living in that same old house from all four previous movies.

- Murtaugh is persuaded to accompany Riggs and Butters to the police station to give his opinions on the case. Of course, as soon as Murtaugh gets there he starts going on about how differently things were done in his day and behaving like a cantankerous old man, to the delight of Riggs, who goads him on until chaos well and truly reigns. Cue wisecracks, wisecracks and more wisecracks.

- At which point the film starts Getting All Serious™ for a bit. Riggs and Murtaugh have a sad and touching male bonding scene in which Murtaugh admits how lonely and useless he feels in retirement and how returning to the police station made him realise how much he misses his job.

- Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters are informed that the case they're involved with is much, much bigger than anyone had imagined and that it may involve a terrorist financier. Here's our main villain - cast Khalid Abdalla from UNITED 93 and THE KITE RUNNER.

- Enter Leo Getz, now working as a paparazzi photographer. He's constantly turning up chez Murtaugh in the hope of getting shots of Rianne. Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters ridicule Leo, who goes into a long rant about how "They you, they you, they you!" and then says "Okay, okay" a lot. Someone then realises that Getz may have managed to capture the shadowy terrorist mastermind in the background of one of his photos.

- Leads are followed, quips are uttered, bullets fly, cars crash and buildings explode as our heroes start to do serious battle with the bad guys. Leo is kidnapped by the villains, who are under the impression that he's a cop just like Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters. "In Leo's dreams," Murtaugh mutters. The baddies talk to Riggs on the phone and say that they're going to kill Leo. "I've been trying to figure out a way of doing that for decades," Riggs retorts. "Thanks for your help, fellas." Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters find out where Leo's being held and plan a heavily-armed rescue attempt, only for Leo to do the unexpected and manage to talk himself out of trouble. He successfully passes himself off as a veteran cop who knows vital information that he'll lead the baddies to if they release him. This makes Leo unbelievably swollen-headed and infuriates Riggs no end (especially Leo’s pretence that he’s Riggs’ boss).

- The baddies decide to mount a massive assault on the police station where Riggs and Butters work, in the hope of killing most of the officers working on the case and destroying evidence. The baddies are ultimately driven away, but not before dozens of cops have been killed and Butters has been shot several times.

- With Butters in hospital and many colleagues dead, it's down to just the old pairing of Riggs and Murtaugh to save the day. But not before Riggs and Murtaugh have enjoyed another male bonding angstfest at Butters' bedside. "Now I'm pissed, Rog!" Riggs declares, and they sally forth to kick some butt.

- It turns out that the villains' scheme has something to do with the Oscars ceremony, which Riggs and Murtaugh disrupt in their usual fashion. Leo turns up (obviously) and adds to the japery. Rianne is announced as the winner of the Best Actress award. At the same time, Butters awakes from his coma.

- Cue major action finale of some sort, Riggs and Murtaugh trading wisecracks all the way. At the climax, Riggs is down to just one bullet and will be unable to take down the main baddie unless he can pull off an incredibly complicated shot. But he does it, after wheeling out his anecdote from the original film about a rifle shot in high wind during the Vietnam War. As it happens, though, there's still a henchman lurking about, up to no good, but Murtaugh manages to see to him. Clearly, our heroes are not too old for this .

- It's a few weeks later and Riggs' last day as a cop. The bossy shrink from the other films is in tears because she just can't believe that Riggs has made it in one piece to retirement instead of being killed or drawing a "psycho pension". He's proven her wrong. But she finally meets her match in Leo, who's now training as a therapist and bombards her with questions - hilariously, she seems to think Leo is a sort of misunderstood genius, and there is a heavy hint that they may soon become an item, which almost completely blows Riggs' mind.

- Everyone gathers for Riggs' retirement party (including Butters, who's fully recovered, natch), which takes place on the beach by his trailer. Someone gives Riggs a TV set as a present (in-joke ahoy!). Rianne presents her Best Actress Oscar to her parents. Comedy levels shoot through the roof as Riggs and Murtaugh bicker at length about something utterly trivial (e.g. whether a certain make of gun ever boasted such-and-such a modification - Riggs insists it did whereas Murtaugh maintains it didn't, oh, the hilarity!), Butters goes off on one about the seven million bullets that would whizz through his home every day when he was a kid, and then Leo arrives to pester and annoy people. The sequence ends with a ribtickling incident involving the outraged police shrink, an exploding cake and a gaggle of giggling gay rights activists (just when you thought the humour was in danger of getting too highbrow) from earlier on in the flick who are delighted by the sight of Murtaugh cradling a Best Actress statuette. Riggs cracks a joke about Murtaugh getting in touch with his feminine side, whereupon Murtaugh is kissed by a man in Blue Oyster Bar gear and instructs Riggs, yet again, to "go spit". Inevitably, the drunk from the start of the film turns up (don't ask) and Riggs gets into another drinking contest with him, at the end of which Riggs announces: "Now I'm pissed, Rog - in the British sense." Just before the credits roll, Butters takes Riggs aside, thanks him for being a great partner and says he's going to miss him. Riggs asks him how his work's going and Butters mentions he's just started a case and wouldn't mind Riggs' opinions on a few matters. Riggs grins and says he'll come to the station the following day to discuss it. Everyone rolls their eyes humourously. "Why don't you come along too?" Riggs says to Murtaugh. "I guess I will," Murtaugh replies. "After all, someone's gotta keep you outta trouble, and, besides, us retired folk got nothing else to do." "Then we're back!" Riggs exclaims delightedly. "We're bad, you're black, I'm old enough to be a granddad!" At which point Leo sticks his beak in and asks excitedly: "Can I join you guys?" Everyone in unison: "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!".

[Blonde Bond]

Are they seriously planning Austin Powers 4 ?
I mean when they made the 3rd one, they were talking, that it was mainly made for the die hard Austin Powers fans, and that it would end the series.
Was it so popular, that they're now starting work on AP 4

Apparently Mike Myers is throwing around some ideas for Austin Powers 4, which includes the story based around the father and son relationship between Dr. Evil and Scott, which is loosely based on Myers' life.

HA! It's funny you replied now, since I managed to kill this thread with my swinging Austin Powers post two years ago. Sad to see it hasn't happened yet. Making of the 4th AP movie I mean. I'd pay to see it. Dr. Evil is my favorite character. Much funnier than the name character...AUSTIN!



(I hope I didn't kill this thread again)

[Judo chop]

So, what's the 'theme' of LW5 possibly going to be? Roger already retired? Both are retired and come out to blow things up?

They perfectly covered Mel's age in LW4. What now? Is Gibbo going to continue the 'still a lethal weapon, just not as lethal of a weapon' that he was in LW4?

How do we make this anything but a joke?

Thoughts? Anyone?

Well, we can make a few speculations:

- Riggs will be coming up to retirement. His partner will be Butters (Chris Rock's character in LETHAL WEAPON 4) because Murtaugh will be long retired. Hilariously, Riggs will now be the one complaining that he's too old for this , while it's the Murtaugh family member, Butters, who'll be mocking Riggs as an "old timer" (as Riggs mocks Murtaugh in the first flick). Ironic, eh? Heck, you could even have Riggs' wife Lorna (Rene Russo) and their child (last seen as an newborn at the end of 4) giving Riggs a birthday cake in the bath at the beginning - I mean, the possibilities for "clever" self-referencing are endless!

- The opening scene will feature Riggs and Butters going to do something really simple, e.g. arrest a guy at a bar who's being drunk and obnoxious but who is otherwise no threat at all. However, Riggs will feel that his masculinity is being challenged and will get into a drinking contest with the perp, which will spiral into much hilarious slapstick and destruction, with plenty of exploding buildings.

- The tone of the hitherto lighthearted flick will suddenly shift into really dark and gruesome territory as, elsewhere, a group of men graphically slays another group of men. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the baddies.

- Riggs and Butters are working on a case and feel that their ostensibly open-and-shut assignment may be the tip of some kind of iceberg. So they go to consult Murtaugh, who's spending his retirement fishing. Riggs can't resist playing a huge practical joke of some sort on his old buddy, the outcome of which sees Murtaugh tricked into singing a song at a gay pride parade, apparently as part of an elaborate ruse to bring down a serial killer (or somefink). The sequence ends with Riggs and Butters splitting their sides with laughter as an angry Murtaugh ejaculates: "Go spit, Riggs!".

- The Murtaughs are now seriously loaded, thanks to the continued success of bestselling novelist Ebony Clark, a.k.a. Mrs Murtaugh. Moreover, Murtaugh's daughter Rianne (who's married to Butters) is now one of the top actresses in the world, nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the blockbuster adaptation of one of her mother's books.... which will occasion a humourous reference to LETHAL WEAPON 2 when Riggs remarks how far she's come from her days in condom ads and earns a dirty look from Murtaugh. Despite their money, the Murtaughs persist in living in that same old house from all four previous movies.

- Murtaugh is persuaded to accompany Riggs and Butters to the police station to give his opinions on the case. Of course, as soon as Murtaugh gets there he starts going on about how differently things were done in his day and behaving like a cantankerous old man, to the delight of Riggs, who goads him on until chaos well and truly reigns. Cue wisecracks, wisecracks and more wisecracks.

- At which point the film starts Getting All Serious™ for a bit. Riggs and Murtaugh have a sad and touching male bonding scene in which Murtaugh admits how lonely and useless he feels in retirement and how returning to the police station made him realise how much he misses his job.

- Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters are informed that the case they're involved with is much, much bigger than anyone had imagined and that it may involve a terrorist financier. Here's our main villain - cast Khalid Abdalla from UNITED 93 and THE KITE RUNNER.

- Enter Leo Getz, now working as a paparazzi photographer. He's constantly turning up chez Murtaugh in the hope of getting shots of Rianne. Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters ridicule Leo, who goes into a long rant about how "They you, they you, they you!" and then says "Okay, okay" a lot. Someone then realises that Getz may have managed to capture the shadowy terrorist mastermind in the background of one of his photos.

- Leads are followed, quips are uttered, bullets fly, cars crash and buildings explode as our heroes start to do serious battle with the bad guys. Leo is kidnapped by the villains, who are under the impression that he's a cop just like Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters. "In Leo's dreams," Murtaugh mutters. The baddies talk to Riggs on the phone and say that they're going to kill Leo. "I've been trying to figure out a way of doing that for decades," Riggs retorts. "Thanks for your help, fellas." Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters find out where Leo's being held and plan a heavily-armed rescue attempt, only for Leo to do the unexpected and manage to talk himself out of trouble. He successfully passes himself off as a veteran cop who knows vital information that he'll lead the baddies to if they release him. This makes Leo unbelievably swollen-headed and infuriates Riggs no end (especially Leo’s pretence that he’s Riggs’ boss).

- The baddies decide to mount a massive assault on the police station where Riggs and Butters work, in the hope of killing most of the officers working on the case and destroying evidence. The baddies are ultimately driven away, but not before dozens of cops have been killed and Butters has been shot several times.

- With Butters in hospital and many colleagues dead, it's down to just the old pairing of Riggs and Murtaugh to save the day. But not before Riggs and Murtaugh have enjoyed another male bonding angstfest at Butters' bedside. "Now I'm pissed, Rog!" Riggs declares, and they sally forth to kick some butt.

- It turns out that the villains' scheme has something to do with the Oscars ceremony, which Riggs and Murtaugh disrupt in their usual fashion. Leo turns up (obviously) and adds to the japery. Rianne is announced as the winner of the Best Actress award. At the same time, Butters awakes from his coma.

- Cue major action finale of some sort, Riggs and Murtaugh trading wisecracks all the way. At the climax, Riggs is down to just one bullet and will be unable to take down the main baddie unless he can pull off an incredibly complicated shot. But he does it, after wheeling out his anecdote from the original film about a rifle shot in high wind during the Vietnam War. As it happens, though, there's still a henchman lurking about, up to no good, but Murtaugh manages to see to him. Clearly, our heroes are not too old for this .

- It's a few weeks later and Riggs' last day as a cop. The bossy shrink from the other films is in tears because she just can't believe that Riggs has made it in one piece to retirement instead of being killed or drawing a "psycho pension". He's proven her wrong. But she finally meets her match in Leo, who's now training as a therapist and bombards her with questions - hilariously, she seems to think Leo is a sort of misunderstood genius, and there is a heavy hint that they may soon become an item, which almost completely blows Riggs' mind.

- Everyone gathers for Riggs' retirement party (including Butters, who's fully recovered, natch), which takes place on the beach by his trailer. Someone gives Riggs a TV set as a present (in-joke ahoy!). Rianne presents her Best Actress Oscar to her parents. Comedy levels shoot through the roof as Riggs and Murtaugh bicker at length about something utterly trivial (e.g. whether a certain make of gun ever boasted such-and-such a modification - Riggs insists it did whereas Murtaugh maintains it didn't, oh, the hilarity!), Butters goes off on one about the seven million bullets that would whizz through his home every day when he was a kid, and then Leo arrives to pester and annoy people. The sequence ends with a ribtickling incident involving the outraged police shrink, an exploding cake and a gaggle of giggling gay rights activists (just when you thought the humour was in danger of getting too highbrow) from earlier on in the flick who are delighted by the sight of Murtaugh cradling a Best Actress statuette. Riggs cracks a joke about Murtaugh getting in touch with his feminine side, whereupon Murtaugh is kissed by a man in Blue Oyster Bar gear and instructs Riggs, yet again, to "go spit". Inevitably, the drunk from the start of the film turns up (don't ask) and Riggs gets into another drinking contest with him, at the end of which Riggs announces: "Now I'm pissed, Rog - in the British sense." Just before the credits roll, Butters takes Riggs aside, thanks him for being a great partner and says he's going to miss him. Riggs asks him how his work's going and Butters mentions he's just started a case and wouldn't mind Riggs' opinions on a few matters. Riggs grins and says he'll come to the station the following day to discuss it. Everyone rolls their eyes humourously. "Why don't you come along too?" Riggs says to Murtaugh. "I guess I will," Murtaugh replies. "After all, someone's gotta keep you outta trouble, and, besides, us retired folk got nothing else to do." "Then we're back!" Riggs exclaims delightedly. "We're bad, you're black, I'm old enough to be a granddad!" At which point Leo sticks his beak in and asks excitedly: "Can I join you guys?" Everyone in unison: "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!".

Yeah, well sure... everybody knows THAT. The real quandry, and the point of my question, still remains unresolved:

When does Roger crack his neck, quick draw and shoot a bad guy square in his Caste dot? Is it BEFORE or AFTER Riggs gets stabbed in the leg (the quadracept, this time)?

[Loomis]

When does Roger crack his neck, quick draw and shoot a bad guy square in his Caste dot? Is it BEFORE or AFTER Riggs gets stabbed in the leg (the quadracept, this time)?

After. Obviously.

And at the beginning of the sequence Riggs and Murtaugh (standing near a wall on which an anti-NRA poster is pinned) will make some jokes about how bad Trish's cooking is.

[Judo chop]

When does Roger crack his neck, quick draw and shoot a bad guy square in his Caste dot? Is it BEFORE or AFTER Riggs gets stabbed in the leg (the quadracept, this time)?

After. Obviously.

And at the beginning of the sequence Riggs and Murtaugh (standing near a wall on which an anti-NRA poster is pinned) will make some jokes about how bad Trish's cooking is.

Murtaugh: "How's about a brown, mole sauce like substance?"

Riggs: "Yeah, no kidding. Did that mole taste like pen ink or what!?"

Murtaugh: "Pen... Pen? Hey, Trish found a pen just the other day!"

Riggs: <smiling knowingly to Trish off camera> "Yeah, this is it right here, with a ribbon on it. It's for you, Rog. I don't need it anymore."

[dodge]

When does Roger crack his neck, quick draw and shoot a bad guy square in his Caste dot? Is it BEFORE or AFTER Riggs gets stabbed in the leg (the quadracept, this time)?

After. Obviously.

And at the beginning of the sequence Riggs and Murtaugh (standing near a wall on which an anti-NRA poster is pinned) will make some jokes about how bad Trish's cooking is.

Murtaugh: "How's about a brown, mole sauce like substance?"

Riggs: "Yeah, no kidding. Did that mole taste like pen ink or what!?"

Murtaugh: "Pen... Pen? Hey, Trish found a pen just the other day!"

Riggs: <smiling knowingly to Trish off camera> "Yeah, this is it right here, with a ribbon on it. It's for you, Rog. I don't need it anymore."

I had a dream last night: you're beginning to pant for LW5 and that you wake up whispering, Go, Mel...Go, Mel...Go, Mel.

[Loomis]

You know me frighteningly well.

Looking forward to BOND 23 (and indeed to BOND 22, for I haven't seen it yet), BOURNE 4 and, if they end up happening, LETHAL 5 and RAMBO 5. Nothing else.

ETA: Oh yeah, and BATMAN BEGINS 3.

ETA 2: Oops, I see you weren't even addressing me, dodge. Nevertheless, my first sentence still stands.

[dodge]

You know me frighteningly well.

Looking forward to BOND 23 (and indeed to BOND 22, for I haven't seen it yet), BOURNE 4 and, if they end up happening, LETHAL 5 and RAMBO 5. Nothing else.

ETA: Oh yeah, and BATMAN BEGINS 3.

You're not looking forward to IM2?

[Loomis]

Nope. Couldn't even be arsed to see the first one.

Should I?

[Harmsway]

Nope. Couldn't even be arsed to see the first one.

Should I?

No.

Dodge will tell you otherwise, however.

[dodge]

Nope. Couldn't even be arsed to see the first one.

Should I?

No.

Dodge will tell you otherwise, however.

Nope. Couldn't even be arsed to see the first one.

Should I?

Would it help if I told you that one of the dudes who wrote the script knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Allan Moore?