Posted on

Throwback Thursday: ‘Live Free or Die Hard’ (2007) thrillingly brings John McClane into a new century (Movie review)

O

nly 12 years pass between the third and fourth chapters of the “Die Hard” series, but the difference between the 20th and 21st centuries is striking. In “Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995), the bad guys steal gold, and in “Live Free or Die Hard” (2007), they steal money digitally. I don’t know how well the details hold up to expert scrutiny, but screenwriter Mark Bomback – who went on to write the last two “Planet of the Apes” films – effectively taps into the unease we feel in knowing that our money is represented by numbers on a computer screen as opposed to old-school bars of gold.

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: ‘Live Free or Die Hard’ (2007) thrillingly brings John McClane into a new century (Movie review)”

Posted on

Throwback Thursday: ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance’ (1995) spices up proven formula with a buddy, banter and bombs (Movie review)

D

ie Hard with a Vengeance” (1995) makes it three-for-three in the John McClane action franchise. We get what we come for: McClane (Bruce Willis) gets dirtied and bloodied, a Gruber brother terrorizes him, he’s out the outs with his wife, and John McTiernan is back from the first film in the director’s chair. And yet this isn’t a straight repeat: Lone wolf McClane’s team-up with Samuel L. Jackson’s Zeus Carver is refreshing, we’re in the heat of summer rather than a snowy Christmas, and for the first time we’re in McClane’s actual jurisdiction in New York City.

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: ‘Die Hard with a Vengeance’ (1995) spices up proven formula with a buddy, banter and bombs (Movie review)”

Posted on

Throwback Thursday: ‘Die Hard 2: Die Harder’ (1990) is a stone-cold Christmas action classic (Movie review)

D

ie Hard” (1988) is required Christmas season viewing for many, but “Die Hard 2: Die Harder” (1990) should not be overlooked. Although both are rightly revered as classics, I personally like the sequel more, and it certainly leans harder into its holiday trappings. This one takes place in Washington, D.C., in a snowstorm, and the terrorists set up camp in a church that’s being shut down to make way for runway expansion.

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday: ‘Die Hard 2: Die Harder’ (1990) is a stone-cold Christmas action classic (Movie review)”

Posted on

‘Die Hard’ Christmas movie poll reveals Americans shouldn’t be trusted to vote on anything (Movie commentary)

Is “Die Hard” (1988) a Christmas movie? According to a new poll from Public Policy Polling, it is not. Sixty-two percent say it’s not a Christmas movie, 13 percent say it is, and the rest are undecided. The debate is more balanced (and heated) – perhaps with an edge toward those saying it is a Christmas movie – on sites that are likely to draw cinephiles, such as “Die Hard’s” IMBD page or the comment threads below this Entertainment Weekly article.

Continue reading “‘Die Hard’ Christmas movie poll reveals Americans shouldn’t be trusted to vote on anything (Movie commentary)”