DIE HARD - The Essential Action Franchise - Page 2

It's been playing on Encore every few days for what has seemed like four months already. Fox Movie Channel also plays the shit out of it, too.

My father would bring this up constantly, to the point he would list all of the airports in the area: Both commercial and military.

If I remember correctly, they send all the planes with enough fuel to get to another airport away. The ones that are low on gas they keep in a holding pattern.

In defense of LFoDH: Lucy McClane. She takes over for Holly in the damsel-in-distress department, but gets to be a hard ass like her dad. Worth it for the scene when she punches out one of the thugs, and Olyphant says something like "you really are his daughter."

Really glad they didn't make the Justin Long character McClane's son, like I think they originally intended back in the post-Armageddon days when Ben Affleck was rumored for the role.

It's been a while since I've seen DH2, but the way I remember is that all of the other airports around were already closed.

See even then, it doesn't make much sense. As if there was an emergency there would be some way to reopen a nearby airport. Isn't Baltimore-Washington basically next door in terms of plane distance?

I feel the same way about the Die Hard franchise that I do about Indiana Jones: Love the first film beyond measure, but can absolutely take or leave the rest.

DH:WAV was on recently and rekindled my hatred for LFODH. Yeah the ending kinda sucks, but the rest of the film has the John McClaine hard as nails. LFODH has Bruce Willis trying to imitate him. I hope the series is done though.

DH 1 though still is the best. I can't seem to find fault with it.

See, this is just one of the problems I have with LFODH, it repeatedly calls upon the cultural memory of the character and the series to plead the case for its existence. It was very, very annoying to see this creep up in the film again and again. It was no longer about suspending disbelief (and seriously so) to accept that a guy could find himself in these absurd situations again and again, it was about a guy who sets his clock by this shit. A superhero.

DIE HARD: THEN & NOW - Eddie (Dennis Hayden)

1988 - Professional thief/terrorist


2009 - Cool teacher that smokes pot with students


"I hadda feelin' you'd be tokin'..."

Now he could pass for Karl.

Walter Cobb (Larry Bryggman)

1995


2008 (most recent picture I could find)

This movie never gets old. It's a better Christmas movie than Gremlins, even.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lbz2NSFpgGc

How much do you guys like the alt. ending of WOV? The one with the rocketlauncher roulette.

It's better than the randomly exploding helicopter, as it's a little more in keeping with the rest of the film (the idea of playing games). But it does make McClean out to be a little cold-blooded. I mean, it makes sense for him to turn the tables on Simon, but killing him with a rocket launcher seems a bit much.

Also not sure what good a flak jacket would do against a rocket launcher at that range.

My main problem with the original ending is that John is in total control of the situation. The odds should always be stacked against McClane.

Also, he thinks a flak jacket will save him from a point blank rocket launcher blast to the chest.

It would have worked better if he had outwitted Simon at a game Simon started.

McClane could barely keep up with Simon's riddles. He'd be a dead man.

"Okay a... sack with....sevensacks...."

McClane's only chance would be to throw Simon off his game by suddenly freaking out.

Uhhhhyehyeh seven guys with seven wivesTHERE'S A BOMB IN THE TRASH CAN!!!!!!

And while Simon is reeling from the shock, Charlie the bomb guy will playfully trip him and Fat Indian Cop will pin him to the floor with his 300 pounds of proud native american girth!

Die Hard Actors... Then and Now...
Part 3: ALEXANDER GODUNOV

1988:



2010:

LOL!!! I knew that was coming before the picture loaded when I saw the "2010"! Shame on you you son of a bitch! How can one with such a cold heart as yours track down the murderer of lil JonBenet??

Charlie the Bomb Guy - Kevin Chamberlain

I tried to find a recent picture at his site, kevinchamberlain.com but was informed that it could be a harmful site to my computer and didn't visit it. Very professional, KEV! The only thing I've seen him in since was a nicotine patch commercial.

GODSPEED GODUNOV.
It looks like he's been resting comfortably.

Part 4:

Matthias Targo

1995:



2010:

Kev has aged very gracefully.

How he probably is wearing that chair up his ass!
Along with about 5 dildos.

for a price you can lather him up with
PANCAKE SYRUP!!!!!!!!

Colleen Camp (Connie)

1995


2009


Gods what a monster!! She could have smuggled both of Zeus' nephews out of Chester A. Arthur elementary school in her giant body!

If only a time traveling Dr Frankenstein could put her 2009 hair on her 95 body!

Or have someone recommend her to get a new haircut back in 95 I guess.

Bruce Willis (John McClane)

1988:



2009:

Cybil in remarkably good shape!

What a fall from grace.
She was once a hot maid/Christopher Lloyd temptress.

Someone let her out of the whale tank with George and Gracie!!hehe

Die Hard:
It's a classic, no disputing that, I really wish more action films were set at christmas. I like that McTiernan wasn't in a hurry to get to the next set piece, the action scenes feel organic, you can see McClane clearly struggling to take these guys down. "Shit lady, you think I'm orderin' a pizza?"

Die Hard 2:
I have a soft spot for this, maybe it's for nostalgic reasons, it's a blatant rehash of the first film, Renny Harlin has nowhere else to go but to up the adrenaline factor. I like that McClane get's the holy hell kicked out of him in this film, again, he really struggles to defeat the villains, I really like it that he's out of his depth and just prevails through sheer will and inventiveness.

Die Hard with a Vengeance:
I like that they took a different approach, McClane is the cop we'd heard about taken to it's limits, his marriage is over and he's on suspension. It's a cliche but we buy it because he's John fuckin McClane. The film is pretty much a buddy comedy. Jackson and Willis's chemistry singlehandedly elevate this film and McTiernan's direction is just so assured.

Live Free or Die Hard:
As an action film it's not bad but as a fourth installment of the series it just doesn't work, the villain is weak and just really not a threat to McClane at all, say what you want about Sadler and Amos in DH2, at least they felt threatening and looked like they were having fun with their characters. There was a vague realism to the other films but that was sadly missing here, Maggie Q surviving a head on collision from an SUV? Sorry, I don't buy that for a secong.

Anyone who listens to Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio a few weeks ago may have caught a pretty funny discussion about whether or not Die Hard 1 is a Christmas movie. Greeny was adament that it absolutely is a Christmas movie. I disagree, but who knows.

Anywho, I often wonder how this franchise would have been different with another actor in the McClane role, or even if it would have made it to a 4th film.

I wouldn't say it's completely a christmas movie, that just happens to be the setting.

Also, "Y'know, I kinda figured you for an asshole" "I am an asshole, I'm just your kind of asshole", It's dialogue like that makes me forget I'm watching a film by Renny Harlin.

The only place that Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie is the Hallmark channel.

Somebody emailing Mike and Mike the morning they had this conversation pointed out that Die Hard is ultimately about the importance of family (Holly) and friends (Powell), and has greed being defeated; therefore, the essence of a Christmas movie. Just with explosions.

I hate it. The comeuppance Simon gets in the final version of the ending is not a bad comeuppance. It's just badly staged. But having McClaine just walk into a restaurant and murder him in cold blood is wrong.

Those Then & Now pictures are hilarious. I'm particularly disappointed in Colleen Camp. The years have definitely not been kind and I wacked off to her in Clue. So much for that.

I don't even want to think about how badly Bonnie Bedelia has aged.

Not too shabby for 61:

You're right. Bedelia has aged quite gracefully into a GILF almost in the Helen Mirren sense.

Though If you had shown me that picture I would not have been able to name who it was to save my life.

The original ending eats the "Let's go to Canada and fuck Simon up in the silliest way possible!" reshoot for breakfast. It really haunts the fuck out of an otherwise awesome sequel, but the original ending really maintained the spirit of the movie as it had progressed.

DAMN STRAIGHT!

LOLZ! Hans made a Star Trek IV reference. Priceless.

The first is a classic. DHWAV is excellent. DH2 is a solid sequel. LFODH is decent. Let's just hope that when a fifth one happens (and it probably will) that they bring McTiernan back again so he can keep directing the odd numbered installments of the franchise.

Is he out of prison yet?

I don't think he ever actually went to prison.
COME BACK MCT!
It can't end with ROLLERBALL and BASIC.

Dear god, I hope he doesn't come back as McT. That said, I really do hope he comes back more than I want Nolan back for a third Batman film.

Now that I think about it, McT ended up directing a bunch of my favorite films (Predator, Die Hard, Hunt for Red October, Die Hard WAV, Thomas Crown).

"Gods, what a monster!"...

Awesome! As of now, we need one movie quote a day from Sir Patrick Stewart.

Where's that Die Hard/Family Matters video when I want it?

I love Rickman humouring Ellis when he he begins his shtick, "wow, you've figured it all out already", so very dry.

Also, "eat it Harvey!"