tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post4200808141189115814..comments2024-03-28T02:30:08.913-04:00Comments on Not Just Movies: Die HardJakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-12977397651822854992024-01-25T13:50:37.960-05:002024-01-25T13:50:37.960-05:00Hey Armchair Critics, I stumbled upon a fantastic ...Hey Armchair Critics, I stumbled upon a fantastic tool that can elevate your Die Hard viewing pleasure to a whole new level! If you've ever wanted to remove distracting backgrounds from videos, check out this video background remover: <a href="https://depositphotos.com/video-background-remover.html" rel="nofollow">Depositphotos.com</a>. Imagine watching your favorite action scenes without any visual clutter—just the raw intensity of Die Hard! I noticed we're all die-hard fans here, and this tool could add an exciting twist to our discussions. Let's make Die Hard even more immersive together. Cheers to a cinematic experience like never before!koe61831https://www.blogger.com/profile/05395200316713925178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-75292644080275659392024-01-25T13:47:50.368-05:002024-01-25T13:47:50.368-05:00Die Hard is an iconic masterpiece that effortlessl...Die Hard is an iconic masterpiece that effortlessly blends heart-pounding action with charismatic humor. Bruce Willis's portrayal of John McClane is nothing short of legendary, infusing the character with wit and resilience. The film's innovative narrative, set against the backdrop of Nakatomi Plaza, keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, delivering suspense and adrenaline in equal measure. Die Hard not only redefined the action genre but also set the standard for memorable one-liners and intense, cat-and-mouse storytelling. The brilliant direction by John McTiernan and the stellar supporting cast contribute to the film's enduring appeal. With its timeless charm, Die Hard has secured its place as a cinematic classic, earning a special spot in the hearts of audiences worldwide. It's a film that continues to captivate, entertain, and leave an indelible mark on the history of action cinema.Whome1996https://www.blogger.com/profile/08114380934655666424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-28414765744228070532010-03-26T11:39:47.381-04:002010-03-26T11:39:47.381-04:00BTW ... as for Anon ... you'd think your mom w...BTW ... as for Anon ... you'd think your mom would be more supportive. :)Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-75722935344268477122010-03-26T11:39:19.140-04:002010-03-26T11:39:19.140-04:00Jake: I love this movie, and so I really enjoyed r...Jake: I love this movie, and so I really enjoyed reading this. Nice work.<br /><br /><i>I find myself groaning now when I see the fleeting attempts to give this story any weight.</i><br /><br />Yeah, there are some groan-inducing moments. But at the same time we can't overlook that they draw us closer to McClane. They may be obvious and heavy-handed, but, fuck it, they work. If all McClane did was run around being a tough-ass, this would be considerably less interesting -- which is why this film is so much better than its sequels. McClane is most human in this episode, and that matters. Also, those little interludes give us a much needed chance to catch our breath between the action. Without those rest periods, the action becomes a noisy bore (see: Bay, Michael).<br /><br />In terms of its construction, dialogue, effects, acting, comedy, energy, colorful but not totally cartoonish villains, etc., etc., etc., this really is "the best action film ever made."Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-2567589662239477692010-03-24T18:10:00.732-04:002010-03-24T18:10:00.732-04:00Yeah, I know it doesn't, and I have nothing ag...Yeah, I know it doesn't, and I have nothing against that. Whether or not someone likes a film really just depends on their personal tastes. That's one of the reasons why I've stopped being a film reviewer on You Tube, I can't always reccomend the films that I like, nor warn people of films I didn't like. My explanations would suck. But that's NO REASON TO STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING, lol, good luck being a critic!Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03669266022229029181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-16385428326861102762010-03-24T17:40:47.379-04:002010-03-24T17:40:47.379-04:00My point with looking for subtext here is that the...My point with looking for subtext here is that there isn't any and I wanted to point out how you wont really find any even if you go looking for it. I held this fact as a positive in this film's case, because I love its ingenious simplicity so much.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-79954320025088313382010-03-24T17:28:59.275-04:002010-03-24T17:28:59.275-04:00.......Wow. The award for most obvious attention s..........Wow. The award for most obvious attention seeking post goes to....Anonymous! Yay! Go ahead, wave you hands, make kisses at the crowd!<br /><br />However, I can very slightly understand the idea that you look over subtext a little too much, because sometimes you might see films so bad that they accidentally have what appears to be subtext in them. <br /><br />Spiderman 3, for instance, could be considered a masterpiece because of the very subtle subtext of "man constantly acting off instinct and doing whatever the hell they want to do, no matter how out of character they are, no matter how stupid it is, or how badly written it is", but actually, the movie just sucks.<br /><br />The point is that if you look closely enough for subtext, you'll find it, but it might not have been there on purpose. Sometimes titles of crappy movies can appear to give laregly deep and insightful meanings and metaphors. Don't even get me started on Batman and Robin.Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03669266022229029181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-89113058304284066912010-03-24T15:31:35.682-04:002010-03-24T15:31:35.682-04:00I wouldn't really mind being a shitty critic i...I wouldn't really mind being a shitty critic if it somehow meant I'd grow up to be Ted Kennedy.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-53480572721891566412010-03-24T15:23:00.238-04:002010-03-24T15:23:00.238-04:00Alright, Jake! Your first piece of hate comment! ...Alright, Jake! Your first piece of hate comment! Haha. I mean seriously...you should stop looking at film the way you do...let's throw subtext out the window and JUST look at the surface of things. THAT's a good plan. Sheesh. I sure hope Anon is being sarcastic...Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-35671094349407589632010-03-24T14:55:52.520-04:002010-03-24T14:55:52.520-04:00Eliminate the constant and vaguely repulsive love ...Eliminate the constant and vaguely repulsive love of "subtext" (translation: "teaching moment"/propaganda/"underlying message"/"stealth meaning"/axe to grind) from your reviews, and get off the constant liberal bias, and you *might* be a good reviewer....I doubt if this will happen, as it's much easier to fall in line with the mainstream reviewers so you can one day land a job in the field...although I doubt you'll never miss a meal....you're bound to be a spoiled, utterly arrogant rich kid trying to mitigate his guilt at having everything by playing Ted Kennedy, let's keep it real here....and of course the "job" won't happen if there is even a hint of courage to actually review movies honestly rather than toadying up to the leftist domination of "serious cinematic criticism", an oxymoron if I've ever heard one...won't get invited to Cannes next year unless you lick their boots boy, so get busy practicing your lines :/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-18716590891538966892010-03-23T22:54:09.463-04:002010-03-23T22:54:09.463-04:00I just got a blu-ray player myself Jake, and I am ...I just got a blu-ray player myself Jake, and I am also expecting the Ray film tomorrow along with some other stuff. You have a great lot there!<br /><br />As far as DIE HARD, well, lets say that I've always found it as a guilty pleasure, and the forerunner of a particular genre that has spawned a number of inferior imitations. It has some great lines, some gleeful male bravado, and a sharply delineated concept of good and evil. But as the film never quite takes itself seriously it has the effect of providing some terrific no-holds-barred entertainment value, and it's always been a repeat customer, at least for me years back when it was a hit. This is a fabulous trip here down memory lane, and you sum up the film perfectly near the end:<br /><br />"In another film these would be critical flaws, but Die Hard attains a certain timelessness precisely through its desperate attempt to play into no social message other than the glorification of the one man army, and even that is subverted through the amount of abuse piled on its hero. Its attention lies squarely on the framing and pacing of the action, which doesn't so much slow burn as burst into a cataclysm like napalm and rage until there is no more forest left to burn."<br /><br />That great passage and the subsequent comments about stupidity really hit the bullseye. Kudos to you.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-72009737631072632922010-03-23T01:03:27.094-04:002010-03-23T01:03:27.094-04:00Yeah, I really like this movie. You seem to think ...Yeah, I really like this movie. You seem to think that mindless action is at it's best when it's actually intentionally and brilliantly crafted. I kinda feel similar about campyness, you know, anything that's fun or over the top. I guess that's just my thing.<br /><br />Oh, and I HAVE to reccomend 24. You've probably heard of it, but it's a really good, suspensful, intelligent, fun, slightly heart-breaking, and overall entertaining show to watch, though it's much more fun watching it on DVD.Spencerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03669266022229029181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-88372597094030732472010-03-23T00:11:35.946-04:002010-03-23T00:11:35.946-04:00You will LOVE Bigger Than Life! James Mason is ph...You will LOVE <i>Bigger Than Life</i>! James Mason is phenomenal in that film, and the use of shadow and dutch angles in the film are some of Ray's best work.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-30672730415817125942010-03-22T23:59:03.175-04:002010-03-22T23:59:03.175-04:00Tomorrow reveals a pretty poor staggering release ...Tomorrow reveals a pretty poor staggering release among the Blu-Ray producers. I preordered Days of Heaven, Bigger Than Life and Yojimbo/Sanjuro a week ago and will get them tomorrow (Amazon rocks), and I'm set to pick up Fantastic Mr. Fox, Toy Story 1 & 2 and I ordered the region-free Blu of The Double Life of Veronique from the UK, which released today. I'm still weighing Red Cliff. I'm already blind-buying BTL (though at some point you just have to take a deep breath and say, "Hey man, it's Nick Ray"). Plus, I've really gotten it in my head to get Pinocchio because I've been thinking about it since I watched A.I. for my review back in December. Thank God I managed to get a sizable chunk of cash this week.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-11510765188190850722010-03-22T23:24:53.944-04:002010-03-22T23:24:53.944-04:00Yeah, I like what you say there about how Die Hard...Yeah, I like what you say there about how <i>Die Hard</i> feels more like the action movie your speaking to here as "it dispenses with exposition and leaps into the fracas in 20 minutes and never lets up." Nicely stated. By that criteria you would be correct in saying that my choices are indeed a little too intelligent. <i>Aliens</i> would have to be my top choice then because after about 30 minutes that movie is nothing but emotionally draining, forearm-bruising, teeth-clenching action. It's also probably the best example of how to film kinetic action without the aesthetic being too frenzied. I also agree with you that <i>Hard Boiled</i> is probably the better pure action film from Woo. I also love the second <i>A Better Tomorrow</i> and I'm really excited to get the international version of <i>Red Cliff</i> tomorrow from Netflix.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-91805458506525259882010-03-22T21:31:14.733-04:002010-03-22T21:31:14.733-04:00Kevin: I have no real problems with the sequels (I...Kevin: I have no real problems with the sequels (I agree that the third is excellent and I was surprised at my enjoyment of the fourth as well), but my point was that McClane is the absolutely <i>perfect</i> action hero here: at once unstoppable yet physically vulnerable (that's why my no. 2 pick is the emotional counterpoint to him, Ellen Ripley in Aliens).<br /><br />Robocop and The Killer are good picks, but perhaps too intelligent. I understand the hole that such a statement digs for myself, but what makes Die Hard perfect for me is the fact that it dispenses with exposition and leaps into the fracas in 20 minutes and never lets up. Even its chatty scenes have an energy to them, particularly involving Ellis' coked-up desperation. Now, Robocop and Aliens (which has the typical dumb Cameron dialogue but is really insightful and fleshes out the gender issues of the franchise with far more clarity than the muddled statements of the original's androgyny) would be in my top five (I might swap out the more kinetic Hard-Boiled with the more emotionally complicated The Killer, though the latter is certainly Woo's best), but Die Hard for some reason strikes me as the clear no. 1: so dumb that it's brilliant in a way that few films approach and none match.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-55827932257521795122010-03-22T20:19:12.246-04:002010-03-22T20:19:12.246-04:00Great review here. This is one of my favorite pas...Great review here. This is one of my favorite passages: <i>Die Hard has everything: explosions, gunfights, no-nonsense black partners to offset the rash, loose-cannon white cop a vault heist and a British actor playing a German villain.</i> Ha! That is a wonderful observation about this particular genre. I grew up with these films and I'll still watch them on a Sunday afternoon if they're playing, and you're right about there being no "social message" to these films. They just wanted to be well executed action films, and they were. I do disagree with you about the sequels, though, especially the third film in the series. It's interesting that you call this the best action film ever made. I would opt for <i>Robocop</i> or an early John Woo film like <i>The Killer</i>, but this is certainly up there. <br /><br />Great stuff as always, Jake.Kevin J. Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275402809912728035noreply@blogger.com