Relativity Television is working on a Hack/Slash series for the small screen, with Skip Woods working the script according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Adrian Askarieh, Ray Ricord, Daniel Alter and Geoffrey Yim will produce the series. The crew is looking for directors and they like the look and feel of The Walking Dead and will use it as a template.
Hack/Slash was created by Tim Seeley and Stefano Caselli, Hack/Slash centers on Cassie Hack, a woman who symbolizes the cliche of the lone girl who survives at the end of every horror movie. However, the emotionally damaged girl not only survived but has become a killer of killers. Along with a burly protector named Vlad, Hack travels across the country hunting slashers in the vein of Halloween’s Michael Myers, Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees and A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger.
In Green Room there isn’t only a solid cast to carry out a fairly simple story, but also a great sense of suspense that keeps the audience at the edge of their seats. Couple that with some graphic violence to spice things up and Jeremy Saulnier achieves another set of thumbs up from me. After the great Blue Ruin, the third feature film as a director by Saulnier continues to reaffirm this filmmaker’s work as something to keep your eyes out for.
In essence, Green Room tells the story of a punk rock band with four members who find themselves trapped in an isolated venue. That’s pretty much it. You’ll have to watch the film for details, because you want to know very little beforehand besides the fact that you should see it.
But any recommendation for Green Room should come with a warning: it’s tagged as a horror film, and it isn’t subtle. In fact, sitting in the audience of the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival I was witness to the claps and cheering in some of the most graphic scenes, so even considering that it was an 8:30 AM pass, the horror/gore fanatics were loving it. If you can’t tolerate that, then this is not a movie for you.
As always, Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog, Star Trek reboot, Like Crazy) stands out with a leading role in the thriller, along with Imogen Poots (Need for Speed, Filth, 28 Weeks Later), who plays one of the most interesting characters and earns the audience’s attention from the moment she appears on screen.
Other familiar faces include the charming Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development, Whip It, The Final Girls), Mark Webber (Happy Christmas, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Shrink), and of course the cause for attraction for the movie, Sir Patrick Stewart (X-Men). He plays the owner of the skinhead/neo-Nazi venue where all the second act of the film happens, and he’s not the peaceful man we’re used to seeing. If he had been given more to work with, some more depth of character, this would have been an even better feature.
In the end, Saulnier manages to tie in the whole film nicely, almost like he’s connecting dots, but trying to throw off viewers a couple of times, making us think something predictable is going to happen. He also uses a recurring conversation throughout the story which in a way, it’s an easy, almost corny aspect, but it ends up effectively being the cherry on top. Moreover, the music in itself is an element in Green Room, another piece in the dark comedy and thriller puzzle,not exactly to accompany scenes or set atmosphere.
Nowadays, when most of the time we have to invest 2+ hours in a movie, I’m always thankful for those who can keep it in the 90 minute mark without making us feel like something is missing. Green Room stays entertaining the whole time, even though it also remains pretty much on the surface of what could be a deeper story, but it’s enough to succeed.
Green Room has already collected two audience awards at four of the festivals it’s been presented in, including the Austin Fantastic Fest.
Green Room
Directed and written by Jeremy Saulnier.
Starring: Anton Yelchin as Pat; Imogen Poots as Amber; Alia Shawkat as Sam; Patrick Stewart as Darcy; Mark Webber as Daniel; Joe Cole as Reece; Eric Edelstein as Big Justin; Macon Blair as Gabe; Callum Turner as Tiger.
Music by: Brooke Blair and Will Blair.
Director of Photography: Sean Porter.
The world over at Marvel Studios is an up and down roller coaster. One-minute they have the film rights to the Fantastic Four, the next minute they don’t. There’s a rumor that Thor and Hulk are going a galactic adventure one-minute, and the next minute Marvel confirms it. WAIT, WHAT?!
Marvel Studios is working on a deal with Mark Ruffalo to bring HULK to Thor: Ragnarok, according to Deadline.
How big of a monster do you think Marvel is planning to throw at Thor and Hulk?
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi and stars Chris Hemsworth. The film will destroy theaters on November 3, 2017.
ICYMI: Ruffalo loves you nerds, he was sneaking around New York Comic Con last Saturday in costume.
Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies is a film that plays the long game. This complex Cold War drama is awash in espionage, shadowy figures, and furrowed brows. It’s a slow burn that challenges the audience to trust where it’s going.
Bridge of Spies is a fictional rendering of how a Brooklyn insurance lawyer ended up negotiating a high stakes prisoner exchange during the Cold War. Spielberg and writers Matt Charman – along with the Coen brothers – throw a whole bunch of details at you in the first act, some of which make sense and some that just doesn’t. It’s at that this point that a narrative puzzle begins to take shape. Over the course of the picture you begin to fully appreciate how every moment in Bridge of Spies is actually purposeful. What seems to be an irrelevant conversation in the beginning of the story ends up being as important as the events that eventually transpire in East and West Germany.
James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is the lawyer asked to represent a Soviet Agent Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) in a trial. Through the course of events he is then called upon by the CIA to help negotiate Abel’s exchanges for a detained US Soldier. However, it would be foolish to assume that Bridge of Spies is a military thriller. It’s is a thoughtful affirmation on doing what is right. This isn’t the first time Spielberg has directed a film with this theme (Saving Private Ryan).
Through the course of his defense, Donovan is dealing with the scorn of the public, an indifferent legal system, and imminent threats to his family. Donavan’s convictions drive him during his negotiations in Berlin to not only ask for the release of detained U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), but for the release of another imprisoned American as well.
Spielberg is very careful to not prop up Donovan in the same way that he wouldn’t prop up Lincoln in Lincoln. Hanks portrayal transforms Donovan into a real person, with a runny nose, doubts and all. Spielberg allows reality to supersede hyperbole and that decision is what makes Donovan such a relatable hero. There is truly nothing extraordinary about James Donavan but he does commit extraordinary acts.
The part of Bridge of Spies that was surprising is how likeable Rudolph Abel (Mark Rylance) was. Rylance portrays Abel as an intelligent, sympathetic, covert operative that won’t get worked up about anything, even his potential execution. His portrayal is really the most important element in Bridge of Spies because if Abel isn’t coming across as likeable then it becomes hard to believe that James Donovan would even want to help him.
It was concerning that Spielberg choose to just gloss over the story where James Donovan’s family was in danger during the course of Abel’s trial. In a film with so many wonderful and nuanced choices, focusing even more on how Donovan’s unwavering convictions put his family in danger seemed like an obvious choice. If you are going to show an extensive scene in the film where Donovan’s daughter is in the living room and someone starts shooting at the house and then it’s not addressed; that’s a wasted opportunity. Amy Ryan plays the role of James Donovan’s wife and not utilizing her emotional talents during this movie was truly a travesty. It’s these decisions that make a great move simply a good one.
In the end, Bridge of Spies is exactly what was expected. Spielberg’s ability to create a tremendous narrative plus the talents of a two-time Oscar winner makes Bridge of Spies a good movie. However, if the audience trusts that a Spielberg directed movie will always lead to a great film then they will be disappointed.
Bleak, depressing, and melancholy are certainly not three qualities that equate to a commercially successful film. However, films aren’t always made for the commercial appeal, sometimes they are crafted solely for societal impact. Time out of Mind chronicles a homeless man’s journey through the streets of New York. It’s a very tough movie to sit through, but features a cast that is worth watching.
George (Richard Gere) roams the streets looking for a place to sleep and perhaps enough change so he can have a meal or, more likely, a bottle of booze. George once had a job, a wife, a child, and a home, and all that disappeared as he went into a downward spiral of depression?. He is accepted at a men’s shelter and due to his friendship with Dixon (Ben Vereen), he learns to navigate the red tape and the routine. He attempts to reconnect with his daughter Maggie (Jenna Malone), but what went down when her mom passed away left some deep wounds.
Director Oren Moverman (The Messanger) makes a couple brilliant choices in the editing room that help elevate the overall quality of the picture. By piping in the ambient noise from the streets below, it creates a chilling atmosphere that must be all-too-common for anyone living on the streets. Moverman consciously keeps his shots at a distance so the audience can bear witness to the utter degradation that comes with the life. More importantly, he didn’t shy away from showing the awfulness of humanity towards the homeless. It’s hard to not get the impression that Moverman is attempting to give us all a wakeup call as we continue to ignore the plight of the homeless.
Gere dominates the film with a deep, uncompromising performance. He hasn’t been this raw in a performance since Mr. Jones (1993) where he played a manic depressive. Gere is unrecognizable in this film. On the screen he is a man whose has had his soul ripped to shreds by the weight of societal pressures. He seems to be haunted by the notion that he’s become nothing more than a listless member of society … a vagabond … or as he stated, “a nobody.” However, the power in his performance doesn’t come from what is said on screen but from what isn’t. There are long, silent portions of the film, the only sound the ambient noise Manhattan. Gere is just lifeless, cold, and staggering from street corner to street corner. He commits to the role of George in a way that he’s never committed to any role and the result is a performance that is so authentic and heart breaking, it transcends everything Gere has done in his career.
It is often said that art imitates life, and the artistry of Time out of Mind is that it encapsulates a part of society (our life) that is often discarded.
Well guys, the rumor mill was going at full capacity today; a report came out stating that in exchange for Fox being allowed to use the X-Men for a television show, Marvel would be allowed to gain the rights back for the Fantastic Four. A Fantastic Four movie was said to come out in 2020, and it seemed that we would have the first Marvel family back where they belong.
However, since this is on everyone’s mind, it would still be fun to talk about a potential MCU Fantastic Four film. The source material is definitely ripe for a big budgeted CGI extravaganza, and who doesn’t want to see the Fantastic Four take on Galactus and Doctor Doom with the Avengers? It would definitely be a lot of fun.
Now, before we get started, let me emphasize that this is my personal fan casting, it might be different from yours, and if so, that’s awesome. Let us know in the comments below about who you would want to see in a possible MCU Fantastic Four movie. My ideal Fantastic Four are older and have had their powers for a little while now. (No Fox millennial babies in my dream movie that’ll never be made.) And on top of that, the emphasis for this specific Fantastic Four would be more about exploring, and adventuring in different worlds. Which is what I’ve always found most interesting about the Fantastic Four.
So without further adieu, I present to you my fan casting for Fantastic Four.
Mr. Fantastic-Alexis Denisof
Mr. Fantastic, the incredible, stretchable super intelligent scientist, adventurer needs an actor who can bring that high level of intelligence and a similar level of obliviousness to the character. Denisof has played a variety of fun characters from different properties, most notable was the charming yet naïve Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from Buffy and Angel. He brings a wit and charm to his roles, but can also find the right balance in the characters to give them a more emotional complexity. And given Denisof’s past work with other superhero properties, and geek culture, it’s easy to see why he would be a great choice for Mr. Fantastic.
The Invisible Woman-Anna Gunn
For those of you who don’t recognize her name, she played Skylar in the fantastic Breaking Bad. Now I, like a few people, felt that the character Skylar was not always written the best. Some people had stronger feelings about her as a character, but she was viewed as a weak point for the show. However, I feel that Anna Gunn did a fantastic job as the wife of an egotistical genius scientist, and I think she can do it again. Only this time, she would have super powers to make her a formidable opponent. Being married to Reed Richards would need some mental fortitude and patience and she displayed both of those traits in Breaking Bad, but she also gave an emotionally complex performance to make Skylar memorable. Sue Storm needs a strong actor, and Gunn has what it takes.
The Human Torch-Ryan Phillippe
While it seems that those Iron Fist rumors are dead and gone, Ryan Phillippe certainly could come into the MCU as another character. And given that he played a smooth talking, womanizer in Cruel Intentions it could be easy to see him again as another smooth talking, womanizer. Johnny Storm certainly has that personality in the comics and Ryan Phillippe probably could enunciate that aspect in his performance. But, on top of that, Phillippe has the build and the acting chops to pull off a decent performance, and it would be fun to see him back on the silver screen again.
The Thing-Dean Norris
Okay, I promise this is the last Breaking Bad actor to be mentioned here, but Dean Norris was born to play Ben Grimm. The grizzled attitude, gruff voice, the physical build, and the fact that Dean Norris played Hank who became one of the most intriguing characters of the show. The Thing has to deal with the difficulties of being a giant rock monster, but he also has the ability to still be funny, and comical. One of the problems with Michael Chiklis was that he focused more on the emotional difficulty of being a rock monster, and not humorous aspect. Dean Norris can balance out an emotional trauma and hide it with humor. Plus, he’s surprisingly physical, and was able to believably kick some serious ass in Breaking Bad.
BONUS CASTING!
That’s right folks, not only do you get the Fantastic Four, but you get three other Fantastic Four based characters that are also owned by Fox.
Galactus-Keith David
Since, Galactus will most likely be CGI (and hopefully not a cloud) it doesn’t really make sense to look for someone with a proper build or look for Galactus. So instead, let’s focus on voice. Keith David has a bitching voice and could easily embody the planet eater himself. Even if you don’t know his name, you’ve definitely heard Keith David perform a few times. He has a weight, and gravitas to his voice that can be chilling to listen to, and it would be awesome to hear it coming out of a giant cosmic being.
Silver Surfer-Billy Crudup
Billy Crudup played Dr. Manhattan in the still controversial Watchmen adaptation. So, he’s used to voicing a CGI character. Plus his voice would work well for the Silver Surfer; he’s a trained musician, so he knows how to give a lot of range. And the Silver Surfer certainly fits the bill of cold, emotionless all-powerful beings that are trying to fit in a world that doesn’t understand them.
Doctor Doom-Christoph Waltz
If the Fantastic Four rights ever end up in the hands of the MCU, then the biggest thing achievement would be having Doctor Doom as a villain. Now, I have mentioned in the past about how the MCU is in desperate need for stronger villains. My main thesis was that most of the villains were not given the proper attention and usually killed off. This cannot happen with Doctor Doom, and to make sure of this, he needs a strong, memorable actor who can bring a powerhouse of a performance. Enter Christoph Waltz, who’s played so many great bad guys, it’s hard to keep track. I have a hard time imagining anyone else who could bring such a great performance and make such a great villain. And if Waltz is going to play a super villain, it has to be Doctor Doom. He can be menacing, play a person with a massive ego, and hog the limelight in the best way possible. He is the doom we deserve.
If you liked this list, share it with your friends. If you have your own list, share it in the comments. Either way, we’d love to hear what you all think.
If this episode has proved anything, it’s that Sakurako-san is willing to go a lot darker, and a lot better than anticipated.
Spoilers
Perhaps the very premise of Sakurako-san forces it to be a little dark, with her interest in bones, human bones in particular, and all. But, unlike last episode, these human remains aren’t four hundred years old, more like four hours old. The focus on murder this episode was quite the surprise, it’s not something seen often in anime, at all. This episode was so different it felt almost like an American Police Procedural, rather than anime.
Of course, this isn’t to say that it didn’t feel like an anime at all, certain moments were sure to remind us of that. From Sakurako’s bone parade to Shoutaro’s sudden martial art skills, especially when Sakurako managed to calm down little Yuuka by ranting about how great bones are.
The production values continues to impress, I didn’t notice a downgrade quality-wise at all. The visuals were still stunning even if the music was still a little forgettable.
This episodes story itself, was entertaining, but it was also pretty predictable. About eight minutes in I had the whole twist figured out, the baby was a surprise but none essential to the plot. It was clear this episodes plot was mostly to set up some longer plots for the show.
We have a new character (love interest?) introduced, Sakurako’s history with a ‘Soutaro,’ it’s likely that our main character ‘Shoutaro’ is similar enough to this presumably deceased Soutaro that Sakurako feels uncomfortable calling Shoutaro by his name, hence the ‘boy.’ It’s also likely that Shoutaro reminds Sakurako of Soutaro, perhaps why she hangs out with him.
Another interesting thing that might become a plot point is something mumbled by our druggie friend. He repeatedly mumbled about butterflies, and when being carried away by the police he claimed he had to get the butterflies to “him.” Perhaps a drug lord story line is in the works? That would be unique.
All in all, Sakurako-san continues to impress, with impressive visuals, entertaining characters, and possibly some interesting plotlines coming our way.
Though it features a very likable and compelling performance from Tom Hanks and the high quality in terms of production that you might expect from a Steven Spielberg film, Bridge of Spies just doesn’t serve up enough thrills to live up to its “thriller” billing. Its narrative momentum tends to lag at points where one might expect the tension to ramp up, leading to a film that plods rather than barrels forward. It has its moments of tension, as well as a surprising amount of humor for a Cold War era political drama, and it cleverly draws an implicit parallel between contemporary America’s fear-driven, polarized and reactionary politics and the cultural landscape of America in the Cold War, a nation so wound up in its fear of Communist infiltration and the specter of nuclear war that Americans lose sight of the principles of equality and fairness that define us as Americans. But those qualities in the end don’t balance out the film’s shortcomings in terms of pacing, resulting in a film that feels more like a history lecture than entertainment.
Hanks plays Brooklyn insurance attorney James B. Donovan, who in 1957 is asked by his law firm partner Thomas Watters (Alan Alda) and the Brooklyn Bar Association to provide legal counsel for accused Soviet spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) as he is tried on three counts of conspiracy to obtain and transmit U.S. defense information to a foreign power. In order to show the world that the U.S. justice system treats all cases, even those regarding espionage, equally, the powers that be wish Donovan to provide Abel with a “competent” defense, as is his right according to U.S. law, and by “competent” they mean “adequate”, but by no means exemplary. Donovan, a staunch believer in the ideals behind those laws, goes far and away beyond what was expected in terms of his work on Abel’s behalf, which does nothing but antagonize the judge in charge of the case, put Donovan on the CIA’s threat radar, and make Donovan little better than Abel in the eyes of the American public, which clamors for the spy to be sent to the electric chair.
For the next three years, Donovan braves angry public sentiment and disfavor within his own firm and with his family as he works on Abel’s behalf, and the two develop an odd friendship. Just when it seems that he’s out of options in helping his client, however, things take a very unexpected turn in the wake of the U-2 spy plane incident that saw the Soviets shoot down a high-altitude U.S. spy plane, recover the advanced camera technology within the plane’s wreckage and the plane’s pilot, Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), and make quiet, back-channel inquiries into the possibility of a prisoner exchange, Abel for Powers. Donovan then finds himself sent along with a number of CIA handlers to negotiate the exchange in Berlin, which itself is a city in turmoil as what will come to be known as the “Berlin Wall” goes up and east attempts to seal itself and its people off from the capitalist west.
With both the CIA and the KGB following him, the Russians and the East Germans, who may share ideology but have differing agendas, each making their play in the negotiations, and things getting even more complicated with the addition of another American prisoner offered in trade, Donovan must figure out how to best protect his client while also hopefully getting both Americans home. To do that, he’ll have to figure out who he can trust, if there is, in fact, anyone he can trust at all.
In addition to Spielberg in the director’s chair, the talent behind the cameras rolling on Bridge of Spies is a virtual “who’s who” of Hollywood Oscar winners and nominees. The script comes from Joel and Ethan Coen … enough said. Handling cinematography is Spielberg’s longtime collaborator Janusz Kaminski, who’s been a part of just about every major Spielberg film going all the way back to Schindler’s List in 1993, . The man in charge of production design, Adam Stockhausen, held the same duties on 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (for which he won an Oscar) and 12 Years a Slave (for which he was Oscar nominated). Thus, it’s no wonder that there isn’t a frame in the film, a single shot, location, or prop, that doesn’t feel genuine or organic to the film’s time and place. That really shouldn’t surprise anyone — when talking Spielberg films, pointing out and praising a production that’s inspiring in scope and meticulous in terms of detail seems almost superfluous at this point. But it’s still striking the way this legendary director and the talent he selects to bring his visions to life can transport audiences and their imaginations to settings both future and past, fictional and non-fictional, so consistently and convincingly. Here, whether the scene is set in the Brooklyn inhabited by America’s “greatest generation”, or in stark, war-torn and snow-covered Berlin on the eve of the Iron Curtain, it’s all a captivating feast for the eyes.
In front of the cameras, walking and talking in the midst of all that impressive staging and production design, is of course Tom Hanks, for whom Bridge of Spies will be the fourth time out working with Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me if You Can, The Terminal). As stated earlier, Hanks is likable enough here as the stalwart idealist asked to do a thankless job who does that job so well that people get angry at him, doing that job well for no good reason except that not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s the American thing to do, whether most Americans happen to see it that way or not. His function in the story is to remind us as Americans that we’re capable of better than simply being ruled by our fears and prejudices, that being an American in fact demands that we be better than that, and Hanks fulfills that function with effortless charisma and believability. But the true star of the film, the one that no doubt will have critics buzzing both now and at awards season, is Mark Rylance, playing Rudolf Abel. In his turn as the accused and imprisoned Russian spy, Rylance, a three-time Tony award winning stage actor who’s also won a Primetime Emmy and numerous other acting accolades, projects stoic gentility, intelligence, and complexity. Arguably, his work here might most be remembered by audiences for his quiet stoicism. His complete and somewhat unsettling command of his emotions in the face of one dire outcome after the next leads to Rylance sharing with Hanks some of the film’s most endearing and memorable moments as they play off of each other’s vastly disparate reactions.
As to the film’s flaws, even those are arguably a byproduct of its strengths. To the film’s credit, Bridge of Spies never dumbs things down for the masses. But that effort to give the events depicted their due in terms of gravity and complexity does cause some unwieldiness in terms of the film’s structure and pacing. Yes, laying out all the players and political goals involved in this particular chapter of the game of brinkmanship between East and West that came to define the latter half of the 20th Century’s global politics takes time and care. But the film’s first act gets bogged down by having to jump back and forth between pushing forward Donovan’s work on Abel’s case with introducing the parties and the circumstances involved in the U-2 incident, and then awkwardly having to bring them all together in the second act and in signature Spielberg fashion wrapping them up neatly in the third. For all the time spent on the details, paradoxically, by the end it all feels rushed, a feeling aided by the lack of any solid indication of just how much time passes as all these events take place. These inequities in total detract from just how entertaining and satisfying the film could have been, given everything else that’s well done here.
Bridge of Spies
Starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, and Alan Alda. Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Running Time: 142 minutes
Rated PG-13 for some violence and brief strong language.
Comic book technology seems to be coming to life with each day and the latest super hero weapon to crash land on our planet is Thor’s hammer Mjolnir.
Mjolnir is infamous for being a devastating weapon that can rival the power of the Hulk and can only be wielded by Thor.
Allen Pan, aka YouTube user Sufficiently Advanced, has brought this other worldly technology to life and the most incredible part is that it works just as Thor’s Mjolnir works on film and in comic books.
Through the help of electromagnets and a fingerprint scanner, the Mjolnir can only be lifted by its creator. Pan gives examples of his hammer in action by going up to unsuspecting people on the street and giving them a chance to feel the power of Thor.
An electromagnet embedded in the head of the hammer creates a magnetic field strong enough to attach to metal objects such as a locked manhole cover. The magnet makes it impossible for those who are not worthy to hoist the fabled hammer.
A conveniently placed finger print scanner which is matched to Pan’s thumbprint shuts the magnet down and gives the impression that Pan is one of the few worthy people in the universe to hold Mjolnir.
It’s always interesting to see how people bring these things to life when they seem so far away in the pages of a comic book.
Check out how Allen Pan makes the Mjolnir and maybe even give it a shot if you are feeling worthy!
The news that Len Wiseman and Bruce Willis are dragging one of the most iconic action heroes of all time back through the mud with Die Hard 6 is many things: shocking, yet not very shocking. Annoying, depressing, cynical, desperate… I could fill pages with adverse adjectives. The fact this new Die Hard is going to be a prequel, dating back to John McClane’s early days on the force, before Nakatomi and probably his marriage and, well, anything this character was built upon in the original is flat out nauseating to even imagine.
This shameful news isn’t anything new out of Hollywood, a place where dreams are brought to life, then systematically destroyed amidst a cloud of soulless apathy and disdain for the general public. I typically don’t give a damn when another sequel to or reboot of a franchise is announced; I get it. It’s about money, quantity over quality. But this is Die Hard, and this has gone too far. No, this already went too far in 2013, when Jai Courtney and a disinterested Bruce Willis blew up Russia in A Good Day to Die Hard. This… this isn’t too far, this is pure madness.
A prequel, aside from being a boring and pathetic idea in general, will finally, after all these years of pain, destroy everything fans of the early films hold dear about John McClane. It’s abhorrent on too many levels to count, but before I get into what has happened and what will happen, let’s remember the good ole days for a moment.
The original Die Hard is a modern American classic, one of the most complete and satisfying action pictures ever made. The story is taut and thrilling, even after thousands of viewings. Bruce Willis embodies the everyman of John McClane, a worker-bee New York cop thrust into an extraordinary circumstance. He defeats a team of terrorists, yet none of the incredible stunts and escapes McClane manages feel trite or void of logic. There is grit and a true sense of reality. When he leaps from the exploding rooftop, his life in the hands of a firehose, you feel his despair. When he pulls those shards of broken glass from his feet, you wince. Because he winces. He’s human, fallible, vulnerable. Willis captures the essence of a real human in the midst of a true battle to survive, and that’s what made John McClane so endearing. Audiences managed to connect with him on another level, a level missing from the bicep-fueled 80s action films of Sly and Arnie.
There are honest connections with McClane. Right before the terrorists seize control of Nakatomi, he has a fight with his estranged wife, Holly. They depart on a sour note, leaving John to lament at his childish behavior, wanting nothing more than to make amends. It’s that precise moment when the siege takes place, adding a certain personal, matrimonial element to John’s desire to get back to his wife. Then there is his relationship with Al Powell, primarily through walkie-talkies. Their rapport turns from utilitarian to personal, building even more realistic and three-dimensional characters. This John McClane was constructed with pathos and humanity. The scene in the bathroom, as John is pulling the broken glass from his bloody feet, is the culmination of three powerful relationships, as he tells his new friend everything he wants to tell Holly in case he doesn’t make it. Again, this John McClane actually fears he may not survive this ordeal; more importantly, his desperation reaches the audience.
Die Hard 2 was inevitable, and a little lighter with McClane. It had to be, given the absurdity of his situation – the same thing happening to the same guy twice. It’s my least favorite of the “original three,” but it’s still leaps and bounds above the latter films. For all it’s Renny Harlin hack-y gloss, there are still moments where McClane resembles the caring and vulnerable person from the original. Namely the plane crash scene, where his attempts to save the flight fail, leaving him quite literally a mess. Die Hard 2 doesn’t work as well as the original, but it’s still very much a John McClane story.
John McTiernan returned to direct Die Hard With A Vengeance, and the pure craftsmanship of one of the most forgotten action masterminds is on full display (forgotten mostly because of that whole jail thing, but let’s not bother with that). Die Hard With A Vengeance still has a grip on that McClane persona, and is an adventure film more than a pure shoot-em-up action flick. It works, and it works well, thanks in part to the addition of Samuel L. Jackson, not a comic relief but an actual human in a situation he never wanted to be in in the first place. Does that description of Jackson’s character sound familiar?
This is where Willis should have stopped, but he’s never been the best decision maker when it comes to film projects (Color of Night, anyone?). Willis did stop for a while, 12 years to be exact. Then, he decided to team up with the aforementioned Len Wiseman for Live Free or Die Hard. It’s also known as Die Hard 4.0, for all you cool techie kids. The story deals with cyber terrorism in 2007, which is incredibly dated already. This time around, McClane’s antics become less human. And he’s saddled with real comic relief this time, Justin Long, who’s main purpose is to point out how old and out of touch McClane is now. Because he likes Creedence, shit like that. Now, instead of thinking on his feet and barely scraping out of situations with ingenuity, instead of being driven by fear of death, John McClane has beer muscles. He takes on a fighter jet… with an 18 wheeler. In the city. And his one liners are no longer witty, they are painfully macho and stilted.
The worst thing to come out of Live Free or Die Hard was the box office success. It practically guaranteed a fifth entry, though that took six years. A Good Day to Die Hard is barely a John McClane movie. It’s barely a movie of any kind, with forgettable villains, poor editing, and Jai Courtney. Bruce Willis is there, and he tells us he’s John McClane, but he isn’t. This person is not a vulnerable cop, he’s invincible. He falls through buildings and flips cars and comes out unscathed. And, worst of all, he’s an asshole. Not a charming, sarcastic asshole to the bad guys, but a real prick. I mean, he punches a Russian civilian because he can’t understand him! Perhaps the biggest departure for the character. And he’s supposed to be saving his son, but he doesn’t give a shit about his son and seems generally annoyed with his presence. Probably because his son is Jai Courtney, and I can’t blame him on that.
All of the humanity, which was a bedrock of this icon, has been dissolved and replaced with a disinterested cyborg. What a piece of shit movie.
Really? My son is Jai Courtney? Are you fucking kidding me?
Which leads us to Die Hard 6. This will be a prequel, the early days of John McClane. Why? Why in the hell do we care about John McClane before he became the savior of Nakatomi? That IS John McClane! Prior to Nakatomi, John McClane was a pencil pushing New York cop, a “New York cop,” with “a six-month backlog on New York scumbags [he’s] still trying to put behind bars.” He’s T.J. Hooker, and maybe that’s interesting, but he won’t be played as such in Die Hard 6. Since this is still technically a Die Hard film, this late 70s John McClane will be forced into some extraordinary situation involving terrorists. It will be Bruce Willis bookending the story, telling us about that time way back when that he stopped the world from ending.
Which is why Die Hard 6 will destroy what last shred of John McClane fans like myself hold on to from the original films. Sure, it’s just a movie and it’s easy to mentally disregard this film. But it will exist, and discussions of Die Hard will have an asterisk called Die Hard 6. Excuse me… Die Hard: Year One. Fuck off! This film will upend the character, reshape the myth of McClane into something entirely different, which is worse than just gradually sending him off into asshole obscurity. Make it stop.
