I’m not exactly what kind of point I’m trying to make with my observation about Battle: Los Angeles. After doing a quick visual inventory, I think a lot of people came to the same conclusions about it being an Independence Day / Black Hawk Down / District 9 mash-up. For most people, that doesn’t matter.

In truth, I talked to a lot of people who saw Battle: Los Angeles over the weekend and freely acknowledge where it liberally borrows from other sources but they admit being entertained by it all the same.

I don’t know. Maybe it is good. Usually Aaron Eckhart in a movie is a sign of pedigree. Michelle Rodriguez, on the other hand? Well, that kind of neutralizes things a little.

To me, Battle: Los Angeles looks like a more expensive version of that turkey of a movie Skyline, that came out last November. Bigger names, more explosions and a little more polish in the FX department.

One thing is for sure… people REALLY want to see Los Angeles destroyed by an alien invasion. I guess in a post 9/11 world, disaster movies set in New York City are still verboten.

Did you see Battle: Los Angeles over the weekend? If so, be thinking about the comments you’d like to share below in a little bit. But first, some business…

On Saturday, I posted an idea to the Theater Hopper Facebook page about potentially hosting some kind of “show” using Netflix streaming. If you don’t have the service, essentially Netflix allows you and a group of your friends to watch the same movie at the same time.

Logistically, I didn’t know how it works. I don’t know for certain if Netflix will allow people who use different formats of their service – be it X-Box 360, the PS3, Nintendo’s Wii or web-enabled Blu-ray players – to all meet in the same digital space. I also don’t know how many people can view the same movie at the same time.

But the idea proved to be a popular one. Many people expressed immediate interest. So I think it’s worth exploring.

I was told by one user that Netflix DOES discriminate by platform and limits the viewing party by 6 to 8 people. So that means if you have a PS3, you’ll unfortunately be left out of the loop because that’s a piece of technology that I don’t have.

However, I *do* have an X-Box 360 and a Wii. So, if I end up doing some kind of viewing party, it’ll be through one of those two interfaces.

Since the viewing party will be limited, I’m not sure how I will pick and choose which people can participate. I imagine there will be some kind of sign-up form announcing the date and time and it will be first come, first served. If someone drops out or doesn’t show up, I would probably take to Twitter or Facebook to let people know there’s an opening.

I guess what’s really holding me back from pulling the trigger on this is figuring out what the show will actually be. I mean, it’s pretty much impossible NOT do to a direct rip-off of Mystery Science Theater 3000. How do I do a show like this without drawing a direct comparison and (ultimately) failing?

Because let me tell you right now – there will be NO preparation beforehand. Any comments I would make during the film would be completely off the cuff and probably more annoying than funny.

And that’s the other thing… How do you pick a movie that’s entertaining to watch, but not so engrossing that people get annoyed with you butting in every few minutes?

Like I said, I’m not entirely sure what the logistics look like. But I think the idea has merit and people seem interested, so I thought I would bat it around for a little bit and see what everyone else’s thoughts were.

Leave your comments about the Netflix part idea (or Battle: Los Angeles) below. I’d love to hear what you have to say!