Yippie-ki-yay, motherfire.
March 11, 2009 5:45 PM Subscribe
Die Hardererer by Nicholas Chatfield-Taylor.
Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Die Hard with a Vengeance and Live Free or Die Hard edited down to only the frames containing fire. NSFW.
ok.... including burning cigars is a bit OCD, doncha think?
posted by HuronBob at 5:55 PM on March 11, 2009
posted by HuronBob at 5:55 PM on March 11, 2009
Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs.
posted by arcanecrowbar at 5:57 PM on March 11, 2009
posted by arcanecrowbar at 5:57 PM on March 11, 2009
Awesome in concept and yet boring after mere seconds. Sigh.
posted by ORthey at 5:58 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by ORthey at 5:58 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
I was actually surprised when the Internet didn't tell me I had to be American to view this.
posted by mannequito at 5:59 PM on March 11, 2009 [8 favorites]
posted by mannequito at 5:59 PM on March 11, 2009 [8 favorites]
This is the most accurate description of anything I have ever seen. It's like a computer program was written with the only requirement being "if fire is in frame, save frame." Pretty boring after a minute though.
posted by Green With You at 6:00 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Green With You at 6:00 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
There hasn't been a big-budget action film since that doesn't owe some debt to John McTiernan's direction of Die Hard.
Whether you celebrate that or not, I think that's a pretty fucking impressive accomplishment - professionally speaking.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:03 PM on March 11, 2009
Whether you celebrate that or not, I think that's a pretty fucking impressive accomplishment - professionally speaking.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:03 PM on March 11, 2009
I would love to see a video compilation made solely of slow-motion-running-and/or-diving-from-explosion sequences in action films. I could watch a feature length version of that.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:08 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 6:08 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
Marisa Stole the Precious Thing: "I would love to see a video compilation made solely of slow-motion-running-and/or-diving-from-explosion sequences in action films. I could watch a feature length version of that."
When Mrs. Beese or I confront the immanence of an dreaded household chore, we cry "Noooo!!" - trying to sound like the slowed-down soundtrack to footage of the hero diving to stop something villainous.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:13 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
When Mrs. Beese or I confront the immanence of an dreaded household chore, we cry "Noooo!!" - trying to sound like the slowed-down soundtrack to footage of the hero diving to stop something villainous.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:13 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
I think Robot Chicken did this concept more deftly with Bayplosions.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:15 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by Rhomboid at 6:15 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
There hasn't been a big-budget action film since that doesn't owe some debt to John McTiernan's direction of Die Hard.
I can't for the life of me figure out how you could make such a statement. To McTiernan's direction? I mean... unless you were on the set, how can you tell? I guess the movie's directed just fine and all but I think the script and the performance are what make the film.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:18 PM on March 11, 2009
I can't for the life of me figure out how you could make such a statement. To McTiernan's direction? I mean... unless you were on the set, how can you tell? I guess the movie's directed just fine and all but I think the script and the performance are what make the film.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:18 PM on March 11, 2009
Whenever I kick my toe, I do a Wilhelm scream.
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:19 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:19 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
...the script and the performance are what make the film.
No way man it's the voiceovers.
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:19 PM on March 11, 2009
No way man it's the voiceovers.
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:19 PM on March 11, 2009
You Should See the Other Guy: " I think the script and the performance are what make the film."
And the director had nothing to do with those?
posted by Joe Beese at 6:24 PM on March 11, 2009
And the director had nothing to do with those?
posted by Joe Beese at 6:24 PM on March 11, 2009
When the script is good, I respect the writers.
When the acting is good, I respect the actors.
When the editing is good, I respect the editors.
When everything is good, I respect the director.
Whether or not it was Oscar-worthy, Die Hard had all these things and more, so McTiernan deserves some r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
posted by mannequito at 6:29 PM on March 11, 2009 [12 favorites]
When the acting is good, I respect the actors.
When the editing is good, I respect the editors.
When everything is good, I respect the director.
Whether or not it was Oscar-worthy, Die Hard had all these things and more, so McTiernan deserves some r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
posted by mannequito at 6:29 PM on March 11, 2009 [12 favorites]
I would love to see a video compilation made solely of slow-motion-running-and/or-diving-from-explosion sequences in action films.
Ratatat have got your number.
posted by felix betachat at 6:32 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
Ratatat have got your number.
posted by felix betachat at 6:32 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
mannequito: " McTiernan deserves some r-e-s-p-e-c-t."
The technical storytelling skill on display in Predator is world-class. I don't hesitate to class it along with Spielberg's work on Raiders.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:37 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
The technical storytelling skill on display in Predator is world-class. I don't hesitate to class it along with Spielberg's work on Raiders.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:37 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
And the director had nothing to do with those?
Well I've seen Bruce Willis give good performances in other movies. I've read some Roderick Thorpe novels and they're all well-plotted. (They basically shot the book).
I've also seen Basic, Rollerball (remake), Thomas Crown Affair (remake), Die Hard 3, The Last Action Hero, and Medicine Man. They were all shit. And directed by John McTiernan. He also directed the Hunt for Red October, which is pretty good but... guess what, also based on a terrific book and featuring actors who don't need JT to tell them how to perform.
McTiernan's a hack. He hasn't made a decent movie in almost twenty years.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:39 PM on March 11, 2009
Well I've seen Bruce Willis give good performances in other movies. I've read some Roderick Thorpe novels and they're all well-plotted. (They basically shot the book).
I've also seen Basic, Rollerball (remake), Thomas Crown Affair (remake), Die Hard 3, The Last Action Hero, and Medicine Man. They were all shit. And directed by John McTiernan. He also directed the Hunt for Red October, which is pretty good but... guess what, also based on a terrific book and featuring actors who don't need JT to tell them how to perform.
McTiernan's a hack. He hasn't made a decent movie in almost twenty years.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:39 PM on March 11, 2009
Whether or not it was Oscar-worthy, Die Hard had all these things and more, so McTiernan deserves some r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
I so frigg'n agree. That movie holds up over and over on every level. From appreciating the Post-Reagan era irony to just appreciating it's motherfucking awesomeness as a genre flick.
And god damnit why doesn't somebody give Alan Rickman more meaty villain roles like this one. He's a genius. And I love Bonnie Bedilia.
BTW I have a kinda funny and recent Bonnie Bedelia story if your interested.
posted by tkchrist at 6:40 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
I so frigg'n agree. That movie holds up over and over on every level. From appreciating the Post-Reagan era irony to just appreciating it's motherfucking awesomeness as a genre flick.
And god damnit why doesn't somebody give Alan Rickman more meaty villain roles like this one. He's a genius. And I love Bonnie Bedilia.
BTW I have a kinda funny and recent Bonnie Bedelia story if your interested.
posted by tkchrist at 6:40 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
tkchrist: " I have a kinda funny and recent Bonnie Bedelia story if your interested."
Interested
posted by Joe Beese at 6:42 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
Interested
posted by Joe Beese at 6:42 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
It's a little bit odd, I guess, but when I watch an action movie I can't help but look for the things that were influenced indirectly by Jean-Pierre Melville. Le Samouraï and Le Doulos are slower and more meditative than most action movies these days, but Melville's aesthetic and style are copied (unconsciously?) time after time.
His film is like the most perfect exponent of the films noirs.
posted by sonic meat machine at 6:44 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
His film is like the most perfect exponent of the films noirs.
posted by sonic meat machine at 6:44 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
hmmm yeah I just had a quick look at him on IMDB ... aside from that trilogy in the eighties (Red October, Die Hard & Predator) he's got a pretty bad track record. But anyhow I meant respect for Die Hard alone, so the fact that he had two other great films is somewhat of a bonus.
and tkchrist, Rickman had the awesomest, most stupendously long villain death scene in Robin Hood, remember? "Why a spoon?" "Because it's dull, you twit!!"
posted by mannequito at 6:45 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
and tkchrist, Rickman had the awesomest, most stupendously long villain death scene in Robin Hood, remember? "Why a spoon?" "Because it's dull, you twit!!"
posted by mannequito at 6:45 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
You Should See the Other Guy: "McTiernan's a hack. He hasn't made a decent movie in almost twenty years."
[checks IMDb... The Hunt for Red October (1990)... does subtraction...]
Sigh... yeah, it has been quite a while now, I guess.
But that doesn't lessen his earlier achievements. And there are worse sins a man can commit than outliving his talent.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:48 PM on March 11, 2009
[checks IMDb... The Hunt for Red October (1990)... does subtraction...]
Sigh... yeah, it has been quite a while now, I guess.
But that doesn't lessen his earlier achievements. And there are worse sins a man can commit than outliving his talent.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:48 PM on March 11, 2009
When the script is good, I respect the writers.
When the acting is good, I respect the actors.
When the editing is good, I respect the editors.
When everything is good, I respect the director.
Sigh.
Cinematography never gets any love. Depending on the nature of a film, an excellent DoP can exalt an otherwise middling director.
(Though for the record, I agree that the original Die Hard is at the height of its genre, even if I don't think much of that genre.)
posted by regicide is good for you at 6:48 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
When the acting is good, I respect the actors.
When the editing is good, I respect the editors.
When everything is good, I respect the director.
Sigh.
Cinematography never gets any love. Depending on the nature of a film, an excellent DoP can exalt an otherwise middling director.
(Though for the record, I agree that the original Die Hard is at the height of its genre, even if I don't think much of that genre.)
posted by regicide is good for you at 6:48 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
when I watch an action movie I can't help but look for the things that were influenced indirectly by Jean-Pierre Melville. Le Samouraï and Le Doulos are slower and more meditative than most action movies these days, but Melville's aesthetic and style are copied (unconsciously?) time after time.
I'll say confirmation bias. The number of contemporary action directors who've seen either of these films (or both) is probably miniscule. They were near impossible to find on video in North America until Criterion recently released them on DVD. I don't think Le Doulos was ever released on vhs in North America; Le Samourai was legally released once and quickly went out of print. I'll grant that American directors who worked in the 70s are more likely to have seen them in art house runs, but my own bias is that when people say "action movies" they mean films made since the late 80s. Disregard this if that's not what you meant.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:55 PM on March 11, 2009
I'll say confirmation bias. The number of contemporary action directors who've seen either of these films (or both) is probably miniscule. They were near impossible to find on video in North America until Criterion recently released them on DVD. I don't think Le Doulos was ever released on vhs in North America; Le Samourai was legally released once and quickly went out of print. I'll grant that American directors who worked in the 70s are more likely to have seen them in art house runs, but my own bias is that when people say "action movies" they mean films made since the late 80s. Disregard this if that's not what you meant.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 6:55 PM on March 11, 2009
Eh, most of those scenes are included in the far better Die Hard Music Video (Lyrics NSFW).
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 6:55 PM on March 11, 2009 [13 favorites]
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 6:55 PM on March 11, 2009 [13 favorites]
I think this is a beautiful concept beautifully executed and I have drunk lots of Bourbon!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:57 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:57 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
It's not what I meant, You Should See the Other Guy. :P John Woo was clearly influenced by Melville, as an example (see Chow Yun Fat in A Better Tomorrow), and he in turn influenced much of "action cinema," I suppose you could say. Think about the visual style of the (original) Matrix. Would its cinematography have seemed out of place in a Melville film? Obviously the CGI and other effects are on a different level, but the character and set design is very much in his style.
posted by sonic meat machine at 7:02 PM on March 11, 2009
posted by sonic meat machine at 7:02 PM on March 11, 2009
regicide is good for you: "Cinematography never gets any love. "
You're talking to someone who would sit through all 4 hours of La Belle Noiseuse even if Emmanuelle Beart didn't get naked in it - just because the lighting was so beautiful.
The cinematography in Predator has some moments that are - to use a word dissenters may jeer at if they like - exquisite. Such as the grainier film stock used for the slow motion shot of Arnold plummeting into the lake. Or the glow in the shot when the helicopter lands at the end.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:07 PM on March 11, 2009
You're talking to someone who would sit through all 4 hours of La Belle Noiseuse even if Emmanuelle Beart didn't get naked in it - just because the lighting was so beautiful.
The cinematography in Predator has some moments that are - to use a word dissenters may jeer at if they like - exquisite. Such as the grainier film stock used for the slow motion shot of Arnold plummeting into the lake. Or the glow in the shot when the helicopter lands at the end.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:07 PM on March 11, 2009
Nice Guy Mike, that is the bestest thang evar. In weeks, even.
posted by localroger at 7:09 PM on March 11, 2009
posted by localroger at 7:09 PM on March 11, 2009
Well, if you liked Red October and Die Hard, it would be possible to suggest that maybe you enjoy the pairing of McTiernan and Jan De Bont? I always assumed that had something to do with the Die Hard magic.
Okay, having just gone to De Bont's IMDB page, I see that he is in the process of directing a Point Break sequel.
Uh what.
posted by selfnoise at 7:15 PM on March 11, 2009
Okay, having just gone to De Bont's IMDB page, I see that he is in the process of directing a Point Break sequel.
Uh what.
posted by selfnoise at 7:15 PM on March 11, 2009
Interested
Okay. Now I said kinda funny. And by that I mean there is no way to tell this story but in a schizophrenic circuitous way.
Ok.
Last week my friends Jennifer emails me. She says would I like to go see "They Shoot Horses Don't They" at the Northwest Film Form that night. I say "Fuck Yeah." And I go on to explain to her why. And why it's such a coincidence that she asks.
Flash back two weeks prior.
So there is the pregnant squirrel. No wait. let me go back further.
My dog is acting crazy. He is licking the sliding glass door. He is pawing at the latch of the door. Or he sits there motionless for hours staring. Our condo is on the second floor. So unless he obsessed with our nieghbors kitchen or suddenly has a deep appreciation of the Space Needle there is nothing for him to be looking at. This goes on for a day or two. Finally I investigate and it appears a Squirrel nesting in the empty flower pot on our deck. He has been glaring at it night and day for three days. The poor thing is running ragged. Imagine every time you look out of your little nest a major predator is staring back at you. Drooling. You have to rediscover, due to the limitation of your tiny brain, that there is a magical invisible barrier between you. Sometimes this predator attempts to taste you through the glass.
I tell my wife. She of course is thrilled. She begins making plans to build a squirrel Disney land. This between giving the dog lectures on how he should learn love the squirrel and not have such a threatening glare.
Stick with it. There is a point coming up.
One day I come home and my wife is all giddy. "I named her Bonnie!"
"Who?"
"THE SQUIRREL! And she's pregnant."
"Okay. First. Why Bonnie? And second, how do you know she's pregnant? What? did you make her pee on a stick."
"Okay. Because she has red hair. And second, becuase I looked it up on the internet."
I let the second part lay. So I say "Red hair?"
"Yes, like that actress?"
"Bonnie Bedelia?"
"I don't know. Was she in One Day at a Time?"
"No. That was Bonnie Franklin. Bonnie Bedelia was in Die Hard and They Shoot Horses Don't They."
"Ooooooh! Then yes. After her. Those are much better. I LOVE Alan Rickman. And she was powerful business woman. Yes. After her."
Again. I let it go. Those of you married understand. I do explain that it's an apt name becuase Bonnie Bedelia played a pregnant girl in TSHDT who is ran ragged. My wife is now super delighted with how this is all working out.
So we have this pregnant squirrel named Bonnie living our deck.
AND THAT IS NOT ALL.
Flash back to the Film Forum with my friend Jennifer and her friend that she brings to the movie They shoot Horses Don't They. Where, waiting to go in, I am explaining to her friend about the coincidence of just talking about Bonnie Bedelia and this movie. He is only vaguely amused until...
Standing three feet behind me in the Foyer of the Film Forum is none other Bonnie Bedelia herself. I think I'm halucinating. My friend Jennifer says "No, she called Film Forum and asked if she could introduce the film. She lives on Mercer Island." And then she proceeds to introduce herself and I'm dumb struck. And can't say anything. She had to hear me. She introduced the film. She tears up a bit. I wanna scream "MY WIFE NAMED THE SQUIRREL! DAMN IT" And then I realize it's becuase this was a film directed by the recently late Sidney Pollack and it choked her up telling anecdotes about him. What a very nice lady.
So anyway. That's my Bonnie Bedelia story.
posted by tkchrist at 7:16 PM on March 11, 2009 [22 favorites]
Okay. Now I said kinda funny. And by that I mean there is no way to tell this story but in a schizophrenic circuitous way.
Ok.
Last week my friends Jennifer emails me. She says would I like to go see "They Shoot Horses Don't They" at the Northwest Film Form that night. I say "Fuck Yeah." And I go on to explain to her why. And why it's such a coincidence that she asks.
Flash back two weeks prior.
So there is the pregnant squirrel. No wait. let me go back further.
My dog is acting crazy. He is licking the sliding glass door. He is pawing at the latch of the door. Or he sits there motionless for hours staring. Our condo is on the second floor. So unless he obsessed with our nieghbors kitchen or suddenly has a deep appreciation of the Space Needle there is nothing for him to be looking at. This goes on for a day or two. Finally I investigate and it appears a Squirrel nesting in the empty flower pot on our deck. He has been glaring at it night and day for three days. The poor thing is running ragged. Imagine every time you look out of your little nest a major predator is staring back at you. Drooling. You have to rediscover, due to the limitation of your tiny brain, that there is a magical invisible barrier between you. Sometimes this predator attempts to taste you through the glass.
I tell my wife. She of course is thrilled. She begins making plans to build a squirrel Disney land. This between giving the dog lectures on how he should learn love the squirrel and not have such a threatening glare.
Stick with it. There is a point coming up.
One day I come home and my wife is all giddy. "I named her Bonnie!"
"Who?"
"THE SQUIRREL! And she's pregnant."
"Okay. First. Why Bonnie? And second, how do you know she's pregnant? What? did you make her pee on a stick."
"Okay. Because she has red hair. And second, becuase I looked it up on the internet."
I let the second part lay. So I say "Red hair?"
"Yes, like that actress?"
"Bonnie Bedelia?"
"I don't know. Was she in One Day at a Time?"
"No. That was Bonnie Franklin. Bonnie Bedelia was in Die Hard and They Shoot Horses Don't They."
"Ooooooh! Then yes. After her. Those are much better. I LOVE Alan Rickman. And she was powerful business woman. Yes. After her."
Again. I let it go. Those of you married understand. I do explain that it's an apt name becuase Bonnie Bedelia played a pregnant girl in TSHDT who is ran ragged. My wife is now super delighted with how this is all working out.
So we have this pregnant squirrel named Bonnie living our deck.
AND THAT IS NOT ALL.
Flash back to the Film Forum with my friend Jennifer and her friend that she brings to the movie They shoot Horses Don't They. Where, waiting to go in, I am explaining to her friend about the coincidence of just talking about Bonnie Bedelia and this movie. He is only vaguely amused until...
Standing three feet behind me in the Foyer of the Film Forum is none other Bonnie Bedelia herself. I think I'm halucinating. My friend Jennifer says "No, she called Film Forum and asked if she could introduce the film. She lives on Mercer Island." And then she proceeds to introduce herself and I'm dumb struck. And can't say anything. She had to hear me. She introduced the film. She tears up a bit. I wanna scream "MY WIFE NAMED THE SQUIRREL! DAMN IT" And then I realize it's becuase this was a film directed by the recently late Sidney Pollack and it choked her up telling anecdotes about him. What a very nice lady.
So anyway. That's my Bonnie Bedelia story.
posted by tkchrist at 7:16 PM on March 11, 2009 [22 favorites]
localroger: "Nice Guy Mike, that is the bestest thang evar. In weeks, even."
It's OK.
But there can be only one.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:20 PM on March 11, 2009
It's OK.
But there can be only one.
posted by Joe Beese at 7:20 PM on March 11, 2009
I had some theatery friends in college. They liked Kenneth Branagh. I mentioned how awesome he was in Die Hard. After a little...back and forth...it was determined that I was an idiot because that's Alan Rickman.
My ears burn with shame to this day whenever any of the 3 of Rickman, Branagh or Die Hard is mentioned. And yet who among us?
posted by DU at 7:25 PM on March 11, 2009
My ears burn with shame to this day whenever any of the 3 of Rickman, Branagh or Die Hard is mentioned. And yet who among us?
posted by DU at 7:25 PM on March 11, 2009
You Should See the Other Guy: Well I've seen Bruce Willis give good performances in other movies. I've read some Roderick Thorpe novels and they're all well-plotted. (They basically shot the book).
Fuck me. 'Die Hard' was a book? It was an adaptation? Whoa.
posted by hydatius at 7:38 PM on March 11, 2009
Fuck me. 'Die Hard' was a book? It was an adaptation? Whoa.
posted by hydatius at 7:38 PM on March 11, 2009
DU, it could have been worse. You might have said how you enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's performance in Wild Wild West. While you would be in one sense more factually correct, you would also be admitting to finding something to enjoy in Wild Wild West.
posted by AndrewStephens at 7:40 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by AndrewStephens at 7:40 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
"Cinematography never gets any love. "
The old Kim's Video had a section shelved by cinemtographer.
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:42 PM on March 11, 2009
The old Kim's Video had a section shelved by cinemtographer.
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:42 PM on March 11, 2009
The last thing I expected to come of this thread was a discussion of the merits of directors vs. cinematographers.
And like hydatius, had no idea Die Hard was a book.
I feel like I learned something, but it's strangely fleeting ...
posted by krinklyfig at 7:47 PM on March 11, 2009
And like hydatius, had no idea Die Hard was a book.
I feel like I learned something, but it's strangely fleeting ...
posted by krinklyfig at 7:47 PM on March 11, 2009
Fuck me. 'Die Hard' was a book? It was an adaptation? Whoa.
Even odder, the most recent one was based on a Wired article.
posted by octothorpe at 7:51 PM on March 11, 2009
Even odder, the most recent one was based on a Wired article.
posted by octothorpe at 7:51 PM on March 11, 2009
Fuck me. 'Die Hard' was a book? It was an adaptation? Whoa.
Yeah, it was written in the 70s by Roderick Thorp and is called Nothing Lasts Forever. It's actually a sequel to his earlier book The Detective, written in 1966, which was also made into a film, starring Frank Sinatra (terrible film).
A nice bit of trivia is that The Detective is that the book launched Robert Evans' career as a producer. It was the first property he ever owned and it gave him some leverage. Without it he might have just remained a not-so-good actor instead of becoming a Hollywood powerhouse a decade later when he became the head of Paramount and was responsible for such great titles as The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, The Odd Couple, Harold and Maude, Serpico, and Chinatown, among others.
John McLane was named Joe Leland in the books. He was older in the books and the screenwriters added some characters to Die Hard (and changed the names/nationalities of others), but plot-wise it's pretty damn close.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 7:57 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
Yeah, it was written in the 70s by Roderick Thorp and is called Nothing Lasts Forever. It's actually a sequel to his earlier book The Detective, written in 1966, which was also made into a film, starring Frank Sinatra (terrible film).
A nice bit of trivia is that The Detective is that the book launched Robert Evans' career as a producer. It was the first property he ever owned and it gave him some leverage. Without it he might have just remained a not-so-good actor instead of becoming a Hollywood powerhouse a decade later when he became the head of Paramount and was responsible for such great titles as The Godfather, Rosemary's Baby, The Odd Couple, Harold and Maude, Serpico, and Chinatown, among others.
John McLane was named Joe Leland in the books. He was older in the books and the screenwriters added some characters to Die Hard (and changed the names/nationalities of others), but plot-wise it's pretty damn close.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 7:57 PM on March 11, 2009 [2 favorites]
You might have said how you enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's performance in Wild Wild West.
Written by Jim and John Thomas... screenwriters of the Predator movies.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 8:01 PM on March 11, 2009
Written by Jim and John Thomas... screenwriters of the Predator movies.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 8:01 PM on March 11, 2009
Whenever I make a conscious effort to tell a joke, the only two I have memorized are the two "pussy" jokes from Predator. Me, too. Mine's as big as a house.
posted by ColdChef at 9:01 PM on March 11, 2009
posted by ColdChef at 9:01 PM on March 11, 2009
My German-speakin' mind saw Die Hardererer and paused for a moment, unable to comprehend what a "Hardererer" could be.
posted by mynameisluka at 9:07 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by mynameisluka at 9:07 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
I have heard that the Rollerball remake is bad in the excruciating way that only a creatively bankrupt big-budget cash-in driven by Hollywood marketing concerns can be. I've heard some people say it's actually worse than Wild Wild West. I didn't see it because I was not interested, but have actually avoided it because it exhibits a key predictor: If you see dirtbikes in the trailer, the movie is garbage! ESPECIALLY if the dirtbikes have some black paint and body panels slapped on for a half-assed futuristic look.
McTiernan's last great movie was Die Hard 3, not Hunt for Red October. I thought The Thirteenth Warrior was unfairly ignored, in large part because of the title. It was pretty cool and had more decapitations than any other movie that summer (jesus it was ten years ago already).
posted by autodidact at 9:09 PM on March 11, 2009
McTiernan's last great movie was Die Hard 3, not Hunt for Red October. I thought The Thirteenth Warrior was unfairly ignored, in large part because of the title. It was pretty cool and had more decapitations than any other movie that summer (jesus it was ten years ago already).
posted by autodidact at 9:09 PM on March 11, 2009
autodidact: "I have heard that the Rollerball remake is bad in the excruciating way that only a creatively bankrupt big-budget cash-in driven by Hollywood marketing concerns can be."
No, you're thinking of Transformers.
Rollerball (2002) was just dull and sloppy.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:21 PM on March 11, 2009
No, you're thinking of Transformers.
Rollerball (2002) was just dull and sloppy.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:21 PM on March 11, 2009
Die Hard is probably the best Hollywood action film of all time (Robocop would also be up there) because, as others have pointed out, pretty much everyone involved did the best work of their career on it. Even my wife, who hates action movies and gets paid to read and critique screenplays, enjoyed it and said it was an extremely well-written script.
If you're in the mood for another stupendously great '80s action movie/thriller directed by a hack who never made another good film, check out Runaway Train; Akira Kurosawa co-wrote the original script, Jon Voight got a much-deserved Oscar nomination out of it, and even Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay do well. The score (lots of synths and squealing electric guitars) is pretty freakin' dated, though.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:31 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you're in the mood for another stupendously great '80s action movie/thriller directed by a hack who never made another good film, check out Runaway Train; Akira Kurosawa co-wrote the original script, Jon Voight got a much-deserved Oscar nomination out of it, and even Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay do well. The score (lots of synths and squealing electric guitars) is pretty freakin' dated, though.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:31 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
For the record, my vote for "Best Action Movie EVAR" would go to Hard-Boiled. Die Hard's script, characters, etc. are orders of magnitudes better, but the action scenes are so far beyond it doesn't matter.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:34 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:34 PM on March 11, 2009 [1 favorite]
hydatius: "You Should See the Other Guy: Well I've seen Bruce Willis give good performances in other movies. I've read some Roderick Thorpe novels and they're all well-plotted. (They basically shot the book).
Fuck me. 'Die Hard' was a book? It was an adaptation? Whoa."
Yeah double-damn. The first Die Hard is one of my favorite action movies. Never knew, never even thought about it being based on a book. According to wikipedia, it had a "darker, more serious tone". Definitely added that to my reading list.
posted by aerotive at 9:39 PM on March 11, 2009
Fuck me. 'Die Hard' was a book? It was an adaptation? Whoa."
Yeah double-damn. The first Die Hard is one of my favorite action movies. Never knew, never even thought about it being based on a book. According to wikipedia, it had a "darker, more serious tone". Definitely added that to my reading list.
posted by aerotive at 9:39 PM on March 11, 2009
If you're in the mood for another stupendously great '80s action movie/thriller directed by a hack who never made another good film
I'll grant you that Tango and Cash is a POS but Konchalovsky is not a hack. House of Fools, the TV version of A Lion in Winter, Sibiriada, and Uncle Vanya are all worth a watch. He's not a bad writer either, having written a number of things he directed as well as things for other people. It's even rumored he did a major rewrite of Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood and he also co-wrote Andrei Rublev with the director.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 10:02 PM on March 11, 2009
I'll grant you that Tango and Cash is a POS but Konchalovsky is not a hack. House of Fools, the TV version of A Lion in Winter, Sibiriada, and Uncle Vanya are all worth a watch. He's not a bad writer either, having written a number of things he directed as well as things for other people. It's even rumored he did a major rewrite of Tarkovsky's Ivan's Childhood and he also co-wrote Andrei Rublev with the director.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 10:02 PM on March 11, 2009
There hasn't been a big-budget action film since that doesn't owe some debt to John McTiernan's direction of Die Hard.
This is a perfectly true statement if you wrote it in, let's say, 1994. It's still true for peripheral genres (like superhero movies). But for straight action movies, it's been getting more and more diluted over the years, to the point where the most recent Die Hard movie doesn't feel much like Die Hard.
The 1987 Die Hard worked for the same reason that Jimi Hendrix's guitar sound did in 1966 or Twin Peaks' approach worked on TV in 1990: because Nobody Did It That Way Then. Mid-eighties action movies were Schwarzenegger or Stallone using machine guns to take down scores of interchangeable bad guys, Die Hard took a TV actor (!) known for comedy (!!) and gave him bare feet and one pistol, and had him triumph. That did set the template for a while and admittedly did lead to people like Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy and Will Smith being bankable action stars. As I say, you see this holding up in related genres (Robert Downey Jr. would not have been Iron Man without the comedy transfusion Die Hard wrought). For straightforward action, we are mostly back to latter day Schwarzenllones like Vin Diesel, or humour-free types like Jason Statham or Keanu Reeves.
And as I say, within twenty years, the vulnerable, improvisational, wisecracking John McClane ('87 model) had become the supercompetent, indestructible, tired-looking '07 model. Bruce Willis came across as so hard to kill in Live Free or Die Hard that I realized halfway through it was a much better movie if you pretended it was a sequel to Unbreakable.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:11 PM on March 11, 2009 [3 favorites]
This is a perfectly true statement if you wrote it in, let's say, 1994. It's still true for peripheral genres (like superhero movies). But for straight action movies, it's been getting more and more diluted over the years, to the point where the most recent Die Hard movie doesn't feel much like Die Hard.
The 1987 Die Hard worked for the same reason that Jimi Hendrix's guitar sound did in 1966 or Twin Peaks' approach worked on TV in 1990: because Nobody Did It That Way Then. Mid-eighties action movies were Schwarzenegger or Stallone using machine guns to take down scores of interchangeable bad guys, Die Hard took a TV actor (!) known for comedy (!!) and gave him bare feet and one pistol, and had him triumph. That did set the template for a while and admittedly did lead to people like Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy and Will Smith being bankable action stars. As I say, you see this holding up in related genres (Robert Downey Jr. would not have been Iron Man without the comedy transfusion Die Hard wrought). For straightforward action, we are mostly back to latter day Schwarzenllones like Vin Diesel, or humour-free types like Jason Statham or Keanu Reeves.
And as I say, within twenty years, the vulnerable, improvisational, wisecracking John McClane ('87 model) had become the supercompetent, indestructible, tired-looking '07 model. Bruce Willis came across as so hard to kill in Live Free or Die Hard that I realized halfway through it was a much better movie if you pretended it was a sequel to Unbreakable.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:11 PM on March 11, 2009 [3 favorites]
I was actually surprised when the Internet didn't tell me I had to be American to view this.
Today, we are all American.
posted by mazola at 10:11 PM on March 11, 2009
Today, we are all American.
posted by mazola at 10:11 PM on March 11, 2009
Awesome in concept and yet boring after mere seconds. Sigh.
Are we talking about this post or Die Hard in general?
posted by mazola at 10:12 PM on March 11, 2009
Are we talking about this post or Die Hard in general?
posted by mazola at 10:12 PM on March 11, 2009
> Konchalovsky is not a hack.
I stand corrected. Tango and Cash is one of my favourite bad movies, and Jack Palance is absolutely my favourite bad villain in a bad movie (check out my profile pic).
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:13 PM on March 11, 2009
I stand corrected. Tango and Cash is one of my favourite bad movies, and Jack Palance is absolutely my favourite bad villain in a bad movie (check out my profile pic).
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:13 PM on March 11, 2009
> Mid-eighties action movies were Schwarzenegger or Stallone using machine guns to take down scores of interchangeable bad guys
That's another great thing about Die Hard; the villains aren't interchangeable or incompetent. The script/director go to great lengths to give many of them little quirks (eg. Al Leong stealing the chocolate bar, the scene where one of the dudes is trying to hack the electrical system and the other guy comes in and cuts through the wires with a chainsaw) and show them working together as a team (eg. the scene where they have to quickly assemble the rocket launcher to shoot the police truck). This makes McClane's eventual victory more impressive than it would have been if he'd just been blowing away dozens of them, Rambo-style.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:22 PM on March 11, 2009 [3 favorites]
That's another great thing about Die Hard; the villains aren't interchangeable or incompetent. The script/director go to great lengths to give many of them little quirks (eg. Al Leong stealing the chocolate bar, the scene where one of the dudes is trying to hack the electrical system and the other guy comes in and cuts through the wires with a chainsaw) and show them working together as a team (eg. the scene where they have to quickly assemble the rocket launcher to shoot the police truck). This makes McClane's eventual victory more impressive than it would have been if he'd just been blowing away dozens of them, Rambo-style.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:22 PM on March 11, 2009 [3 favorites]
I thought Live Free or Die Hard was a good action movie, but it was a crappy Die Hard movie. The parkour stuff was cool.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:24 PM on March 11, 2009
posted by kirkaracha at 10:24 PM on March 11, 2009
Die Hardererer
See, I just know that means something in German...
posted by koeselitz at 10:25 PM on March 11, 2009
See, I just know that means something in German...
posted by koeselitz at 10:25 PM on March 11, 2009
"Sprechen sie talk?"
posted by Stonewall Jackson at 10:34 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by Stonewall Jackson at 10:34 PM on March 11, 2009 [4 favorites]
I'll second the suggestion to read "Nothing Lasts Forever". To have a protagonist that puked in disgust after killing was a huge shock after being so used to the wise-cracking McClane.
posted by Strshan at 10:52 PM on March 11, 2009
posted by Strshan at 10:52 PM on March 11, 2009
That's another great thing about Die Hard; the villains aren't interchangeable or incompetent.
Big props must also go to Alan Rickman. Hiring an actual actor to play the bad guy is such a boss move. It even made parts of Mission Impossible 3 excellent.
Very small parts, but still.
posted by Bookhouse at 11:18 PM on March 11, 2009
Big props must also go to Alan Rickman. Hiring an actual actor to play the bad guy is such a boss move. It even made parts of Mission Impossible 3 excellent.
Very small parts, but still.
posted by Bookhouse at 11:18 PM on March 11, 2009
My German-speakin' mind saw Die Hardererer and paused for a moment, unable to comprehend what a "Hardererer" could be.
I had exactly this problem.
posted by emmling at 4:07 AM on March 12, 2009
I had exactly this problem.
posted by emmling at 4:07 AM on March 12, 2009
My German-speakin' mind saw Die Hardererer
It's really quite simple.
Hard was a medieval village in Bavaria.
The people from Hard were, of course, Harders.
After their village was destroyed during the 30 Years War, a group the survivors moved to the Mosel valley and founded a village they called Neue Hard, but everyone in the area just called it Harder because it was where the Harders were.
Fast forward 200 years, and people from Harder are, of course, Harderers.
The most famous Harderer was August Schmidt, who incorporated the wines of the Mosel valley into the unique style of sausages that came from the original Hard. Unable to make a living in Harder owing to the intense competition among sausagemongers there and certain entanglements with local authorities, Schmidt moved to Nurnburg and set up a sausage shop, "Die Harderer" in honor of his native village. His wine-infused sausages became known as a "Hardererer" because they came from the Harderer. "Fünf Bienen für eine Hardererer," they'd say.
And now you know.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:36 AM on March 12, 2009 [7 favorites]
It's really quite simple.
Hard was a medieval village in Bavaria.
The people from Hard were, of course, Harders.
After their village was destroyed during the 30 Years War, a group the survivors moved to the Mosel valley and founded a village they called Neue Hard, but everyone in the area just called it Harder because it was where the Harders were.
Fast forward 200 years, and people from Harder are, of course, Harderers.
The most famous Harderer was August Schmidt, who incorporated the wines of the Mosel valley into the unique style of sausages that came from the original Hard. Unable to make a living in Harder owing to the intense competition among sausagemongers there and certain entanglements with local authorities, Schmidt moved to Nurnburg and set up a sausage shop, "Die Harderer" in honor of his native village. His wine-infused sausages became known as a "Hardererer" because they came from the Harderer. "Fünf Bienen für eine Hardererer," they'd say.
And now you know.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:36 AM on March 12, 2009 [7 favorites]
My German-speakin' mind saw Die Hardererer
He's the Welsh cousin of Dr Hfuhruhurr
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:31 AM on March 12, 2009
He's the Welsh cousin of Dr Hfuhruhurr
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:31 AM on March 12, 2009
Fuck me. 'Die Hard' was a book? It was an adaptation? Whoa.
"Nothing Lasts Forever was originally adapted as a sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Commando, but when Schwarzenegger turned down the role, the script was retooled in 1988 for the film Die Hard."
No cite on that, though.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:17 AM on March 12, 2009
"Nothing Lasts Forever was originally adapted as a sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Commando, but when Schwarzenegger turned down the role, the script was retooled in 1988 for the film Die Hard."
No cite on that, though.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:17 AM on March 12, 2009
The parkour stuff was cool.
If you haven't already, see District B13 (aka Banlieue 13). Same actor in one of the rolls and the action is nothing short of astonishing in some parts.
posted by quin at 9:42 AM on March 12, 2009
If you haven't already, see District B13 (aka Banlieue 13). Same actor in one of the rolls and the action is nothing short of astonishing in some parts.
posted by quin at 9:42 AM on March 12, 2009
The Last Action Hero
I still have a soft spot for that movie, if nothing else for the gusto with which McTiernan and Schwarzenegger subvert the genre they played large parts in creating.
It doesn't altogether hold up well today -- it gets awfully flabby in the second half and ends up feeling half an hour too long -- but still: I don't think it's as bad as everybody said it was. (Is it because it plays as comedy, not action? Is the kid too annoying?)
Also: Charles Dance made a pretty good stab at the Rickmanesque villain role.
Die Hard 3
...in which Jeremy Irons utterly failed at the same attempt. Dear Lord, no.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:45 PM on March 12, 2009
I still have a soft spot for that movie, if nothing else for the gusto with which McTiernan and Schwarzenegger subvert the genre they played large parts in creating.
It doesn't altogether hold up well today -- it gets awfully flabby in the second half and ends up feeling half an hour too long -- but still: I don't think it's as bad as everybody said it was. (Is it because it plays as comedy, not action? Is the kid too annoying?)
Also: Charles Dance made a pretty good stab at the Rickmanesque villain role.
Die Hard 3
...in which Jeremy Irons utterly failed at the same attempt. Dear Lord, no.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:45 PM on March 12, 2009
Yeah, I saw District B13 because the same guy was in the Die Hard movie and enjoyed it quite a bit.
posted by kirkaracha at 1:08 PM on March 12, 2009
posted by kirkaracha at 1:08 PM on March 12, 2009
^ It's the kid. I actually think the final reel is a decent AAA blockbuster joint but the first hour and a half of that movie is near unbearable.
posted by autodidact at 8:48 PM on March 12, 2009
posted by autodidact at 8:48 PM on March 12, 2009
..but it was seriously disappointing when, in the final reel, nothing came of the concept that movie characters were spilling into the real world, including monsters and stuff.
posted by autodidact at 8:49 PM on March 12, 2009
posted by autodidact at 8:49 PM on March 12, 2009
I feel obscurely compelled to note that everlovin' TKC has not exaggerated in any way with respect to the public domain info I am aware of - Bonnie Bedelia does live locally and did intro They Shoot Horses Don't They recently at the NWFF.
Also Hank would think nothing of staring at a delicious squirrel for days at a time. Although it strikes me that I may not have met Hank yet. So perhaps I am projecting a bit.
Nonetheless, keep in mind: TKC speaks truths.
posted by mwhybark at 9:32 PM on March 12, 2009
Also Hank would think nothing of staring at a delicious squirrel for days at a time. Although it strikes me that I may not have met Hank yet. So perhaps I am projecting a bit.
Nonetheless, keep in mind: TKC speaks truths.
posted by mwhybark at 9:32 PM on March 12, 2009
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posted by baphomet at 5:51 PM on March 11, 2009