403 replies to this topic

[Tarl_Cabot]

Die Hard was a classic but the franchise, cumulatively, has sucked hard(pun intended ). Not one good follow up on my score card.
I have little interest in anything till Bourne 3...but, 2008 is looking pretty damn good.

[stamper]

Here's the french titles of Die Hard 1-4 for americans who would not know :

- Crystal trap

- 58 minutes to live

- One day in hell

- Back to hell

[Loomis]

Die Hard was a classic but the franchise, cumulatively, has sucked hard(pun intended ). Not one good follow up on my score card.
I have little interest in anything till Bourne 3...but, 2008 is looking pretty damn good.

Borrowing the rating system from Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, I'd score them as follows:

DIE HARD ****
An absolute classic. A film that's not only a gripping, exciting action thriller, but is also very beautiful to look at. Flawless stuff, and unquestionably one of the best Hollywood films of the 1980s.

DIE HARD 2 ***1/2
A surprisingly good followup that's the only film in the series that chimes with the style of the original. Slammed for silliness at the time (not entirely without justification, it has to be said), it now seems hard-edged by comparison to the third DIE HARD, xXx, and so on, and the action scenes look terrific in today's era of CGI.

DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE **1/2
Mediocre. Doesn't have the look and feel of the other two, and Willis phones it in while overdoing the grouchiness. Some good ideas, badly developed, and mostly a rather dull movie with little real tension.

Strangely enough, Maltin himself gives them all ***.

[Safari Suit]

DIE HARD 2 ***1/2
A surprisingly good followup that's the only film in the series that chimes with the style of the original.

That is of course unless LFODH turns out to be a miraculously pleasant surprise which goes completely against the flow of all the harbingers we have seen since the director was announced.

It could happen.

Well, not really.

Edited by Safari Suit, 26 June 2007 - 12:55 PM.

[stamper]

I don't get how people can enjoy DH 2, it's a movie that totally denigrates everything that made the original great (for example, there's a good journalist woman, to make up for the bad journalist man in the 1st, etc etc...)

People tend to forget that in the first, all the figures of authority are mocked at and or killed : the two FBI agents johnson and johnson, the commisioner, the mayor, the journalist, the TV news speakers, etc etc, only the underdogs (Mc Clane and Al) and the bad guys are human. That is one of the reason the first and third (which follows on that line, with all those stupid FBI guys etc) are better imho.

Also the 3rd is the only one where Mc Clane teams up with a black partner again (in the first, they team up via radio, here, they get in it together). During the whole movie. In 2, the black man is a passer by. The police get it by 20mn after it start. The administrator is a cool guy. etc etc...

I was horrified first time I saw 2 in the theater. The movie is enjoyable as an action movie, but as a follow up to Die Hard, it is what judas his to jesus.

[Loomis]

DIE HARD 2 ***1/2
A surprisingly good followup that's the only film in the series that chimes with the style of the original.

That is of course unless LFODH turns out to be a miraculously pleasant surprise which goes completely against the flow of all the harbingers we have seen since the director was announced.

It could happen.

Well, not really.

I'm expecting a **1/2 affair, in my book and Maltin's.

[The Dove]

Great to see that Live Free or Die Hard is getting a lot of pretty positive reviews!! Here's how I think it'll rank for me... It'll be way better than Die Hard 2 (which I still like a lot), but not quite as good as Die Hard With a Vengeance.. so three and a half out of five stars sounds like my guess at this point, but I'll see how it goes when I go and see it!!

By the way, there are a lot of positive red ripe tomato reviews of the movie at rottentomatos.com

http://www.rottentom...ee_or_die_hard/

And apparently we can all relax about too much CGI..one reviewer says that it does NOT overwhelm the movie.

[Roebuck]

The PG-13 thing may not be as much of an issue as people feared.

http://www.chud.com/...e=news&id=10852

[Loomis]

The ratings system really baffles me. I don't understand how TERMINATOR 3 and CASINO ROYALE got away with a 12, how LAYER CAKE got away with a 15, how MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II is a 15 yet the much more explicitly brutal MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III is a 12, why LETHAL WEAPON 2 is an 18, and how HOSTEL: PART II got passed at all.

Back, though, to LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD: the reviews are coming in now, and they're not nearly as negative as I'd expected. Seems geekdom (and I include myself here) was too quick to dismiss the film based on things like prejudice against Wiseman, the CGI and the rating. Granted, I haven't read any real raves, and most reviewers are certainly not shy about pointing out the film's flaws, but the consensus seems to be: it's dumb but fun.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Here's the french titles of Die Hard 1-4 for americans who would not know :

- Crystal trap

- 58 minutes to live

- One day in hell

- Back to hell

The second one, "58 Minutes To Live", I guess is based on the title of Walter Wager's novel (58 Minutes), although the movie bares little resemblance to it. However, 58MTL doesn't work for the movie because a reference of "90 minutes before planes start falling into the Potomac" is made.

[sharpshooter]

Reviews are in, and it looks damn good. I bet McClane was feeling a bit unappreciated.

The rating is not an issue it seems, with it being called as violent as the first. A good fun action romp it will be, cant wait.

[The Dove]

More positive reviews from fans and critics!!! Only two on this page gave the film an "F" grade while everyone else loved it and gave it "A" grades!! They say it has the feel of a Die Hard movie, plus very, very little CGI..the majority of the stunts are real!!

http://movies.go.com...mp;genre=action

[killkenny kid]

Five hours to go, I can't wait. yippee-ki-yay.

[The Dove]

Even MORE good reviews from people who have seen the film!! WOW!!

http://movies.yahoo....1808403725/user

[Righty007]

I changed the title to match the other movie threads.

I can't wait to see this mvoie tonight!

[Safari Suit]

All the previous positive reviews pale into insignificance compared to this; a seal of approval (with reservations) from the internet's foremost McClaniac Outlaw Vern:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33162

[dinovelvet]

Back, though, to LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD: the reviews are coming in now, and they're not nearly as negative as I'd expected. Seems geekdom (and I include myself here) was too quick to dismiss the film based on things like prejudice against Wiseman, the CGI and the rating. Granted, I haven't read any real raves, and most reviewers are certainly not shy about pointing out the film's flaws, but the consensus seems to be: it's dumb but fun.

Which is about all you can expect from an American action movie, circa 2007. When did "dumb but fun" become not only acceptable, but now the standard? I knew something had gone badly wrong with action movies, and movies in general, when Shane Black's smart 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' was relegated to a limited/arthouse release; its a sad day when the creator of Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout is not considered multiplex-worthy. I don't honestly care that this new Die Hard is a PG13, it doesn't matter if he says MF a lot or if there's blood splattering everywhere. It can still be a good Die Hard movie without all those things, but there's just too much corporate meddling, demographic-chasing nonsense on display here - Justin Long, Kevin Smith, McClane on a fighter jet. Its the Poochie Die Hard.
It just makes it all the more miraculous that we actually got Casino Royale, you've got to wonder how something that good made it out of 'the system' without being screwed up.
Sly Stallone - save us! JOHN RAMBO had better bring it!

[killkenny kid]

I'm off to see Bruce.!

[TheSaint]

Saw it today-thought it was amazing!

[JimmyBond]

Here's my review I posted on another message board (it has one or two references that wont make sense to y'all):

I have to give it an Average. The long and short of it is, it started out great, kept up that level, but never really rose above that level to become a truly great action film. I know I referenced Bad Boys II in my earlier post, and at least that film kicked things up a notch for the finale, this film just moves along from set piece to set piece and then kind of peters out after McClane has the run in with the jet fighter.

Spoilers follow, maybe:

The good: McClane is back, no doubt about that, Willis slips back into the character and never for a second did I not believe it (as opposed to say, Mel Gibson in LW4, who was so far removed from Riggs it killed the movie for me). The Mac kid was also pretty good, and he pulled it off better than I thought he would, also kudos to the girl who played Lucy McClane, though unfortanately she didnt get much to do. Gotta hand it to the action though, Wiseman has always known how to shoot action.

Now the bad: Aside from the action, Wiesman composes each shot as if we're watching a made for tv movie, it doesnt really leap off the screen in any meaningful way. Also the action, while fun at first, just never really rises to the next level that most action movies do, I never really felt like the stakes were rising as the film went on, plus the whole Jet Fighter sequence was incredibly silly. I'm willing to suspend my disbelief, but come on, this was just dumb. And Lucy McClane, has one scene at the beginning, and then disappears until the plot requires her to be kidnapped, that's just lazy screenwriting.

This film was entertaining don't get me wrong, but it hardly is going to leave a lasting impression on me.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Read Vern's review. It still bothers me that it's not R. How many people under 30 saw the original in a theater? Anyway, this seems to be the standard summer film: fun, a few great scenes but not a complete reel to reel work of excellence.

I hope Rambo kicks major next year.

[JimmyBond]

Have you seen the Rambo trailer that's been making the rounds? It's extremely violent, and extremely bloody. It puts the PG-13 toned down Die Hard to shame.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Yup. Can't wait. Nothing is over!

[Harmsway]

Saw LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Loved it.

[Tarl_Cabot]

ah comon, where's the review?

[JimmyBond]

Saw LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD. Loved it.

Really? You must have went in with low expectations than, because I remember you were really against this film. I liked the idea of it and was just underwhelmed.

[Harmsway]

ah comon, where's the review?

Well, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD doesn't really need one. It's a flick for entertainment, and you'll either enjoy it... or you won't. 'Nuff said. But if you really want some more in-depth commentary:

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD rocks harder than I thought it would. The advertisements were atrocious, but the film is not. The action sequences (for the most part) are absolutely thrilling and as hard as you would want them to be. And John McClane couldn't be more fun to watch than he is in this film. Yes, there's been a bit of a tonal shift from the other three movies. This film is bigger and a little more ridiculous. But while I anticipated that bothering me, it didn't... not one bit. Because while it's bigger, it's still pretty intense, and fun. This is high-octane, masculine entertainment at it's best, full of stunts, explosions, and testosterone.

Not that it's perfect. The script isn't as taut as it's been in other installments. The villain's scheme is certainly more epic than anything that's been done in a DIE HARD before, bringing the entire nation near the brink of meltdown. That's a nice level of scope, but it isn't quite as neatly planned out as it was in past installments. Other little moments don't quite work as well as they should. The villains are more than a little lackluster. Timothy Olyphant doesn't really carry any weight as a baddie... measured up against the previous baddies, he's really lightweight, and it's only because Olyphant's in the role (that said, the luscious Maggie Q is fun, and it's quite possible that her fistfight with McClane is the best moment in the film). The action also gets a bit too over the top for about three minutes towards the end of the film.

But all those flaws don't really matter in the long haul. The movie never stops being fun, and that's what matters. In fact, I agree with Willis when he says this is the best film since the original. It's a lot more fun than either DIE HARD 2 or DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, whether it's as grounded as they are or not. In a Summer film season that's been largely lackluster, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is a breath of fresh air in delivering one fun ride.

[Harmsway]

Really? You must have went in with low expectations than, because I remember you were really against this film. I liked the idea of it and was just underwhelmed.

I thought it looked awful. Still do. Those trailers are really mediocre.

But I loved sitting there through that film. Thought it was a blast. I don't know what anybody was expecting other than a fun action flick with John McClane leading us through it. It delivered on all counts... I nearly had a smile on my face from beginning to end, and all my good friends who sat through the movie with me felt the same way.

And it's not like I'm lacking comparison... Over the past few days, I re-watched the first three films. So I feel like I was prepared to make some comparisons. I think LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is another solid entry in the franchise (it'll be even more solid on that unrated DVD that's undoubtedly around the corner).

But what I'm really hungry for is another DIE HARD film (based off of Loomis' story idea, of course), one that really closes it all out. LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD doesn't quite do that.

[The Dove]

Do my eyes deceive me?? !! Hey... Harmsway likes it!! LOL.. Nice, if you had fun sitting through Live Free or Die Hard then I'm SURE to enjoy it!! I hope to see it by Friday...

[Tarl_Cabot]

Chud ripped LFODH a new one the size of Texas!

Compared it to Moonraker as in they shoulda made a Casino Royale.