MZ's Movie Review Thread

[MoonSylver]

"A Good Day to Die Hard"...I know some people didn't care for the last one, but IIRC the general consensus was positive.? I know I liked it. How they managed to take any good will from that one & fly so far off the rails was just mind boggling to me.

[MinionZombie]

"A Good Day to Die Hard"...I know some people didn't care for the last one, but IIRC the general consensus was positive.? I know I liked it. How they managed to take any good will from that one & fly so far off the rails was just mind boggling to me. Hmmm, I thought the general consensus was that Die hard 5 was shite ... I've rarely seen anything good said about it. There were a couple of good action sequences, but beyond that it was really stupid and didn't feel anything like a Die Hard movie ... and if Bruce Willis is such a grump about the movie biz, he should just retire. He looked miserable throughout DH5 ... the movie pretty joyless for the most part. Shame. It also felt more like they spent more time trying to set up the son as the new John McClane to take over from Bruce Willis, rather than giving us a proper Die Hard movie.

[MoonSylver]

Hmmm, I thought the general consensus was that Die hard 5 was shite ... I've rarely seen anything good said about it. There were a couple of good action sequences, but beyond that it was really stupid and didn't feel anything like a Die Hard movie ... and if Bruce Willis is such a grump about the movie biz, he should just retire. He looked miserable throughout DH5 ... the movie pretty joyless for the most part. Shame. It also felt more like they spent more time trying to set up the son as the new John McClane to take over from Bruce Willis, rather than giving us a proper Die Hard movie. Oops, I actually meant #4 "Live Free or Die Hard" & got my titles mixed up. Yeah, sadly #5 was just terrible on so many levels. It was pretty joyless, (other than the action sequences) was pretty bland & colorless, no chemistry between the leads, could have been any generic action flick, & as you say, felt too much like they were trying to cram "Jr." down our throats (who I have no interest in BTW...) & Willis, who I usually enjoy in whatever I see him in, was just not enjoyable in this one. As I say, how you can make that leap from the pretty good #4 to the abysmal #5 is beyond me...

[MinionZombie]

Aye, #4 was pretty good fun ... albeit tamed down for PG-13 (the "R" rated cut was a bit of a piss take too, lame puffs of CGI blood, f-words inserted whenever someone's not facing the camera etc, but at least it felt a bit less neutered), and certain sequences being a bit too 'beyond' (riding a jet plane being the main offender) ... aside from a couple of caveats, it felt like a Die Hard movie, had an interesting central plot, a clear villain (as opposed to the very hap-hazard jumble of half-arsed villains in #5), and felt big (whereas #5 felt strangely cheap for a DH movie, as well as surprisingly brief). DH4, I always liked it, but the PG-13 aspect always rankled ... I had to get over that and focus on the good aspects (of which there are many) ... but yeah, how on earth they could bugger up #5 so badly is beyond me.

[wayzim]

Oops, I actually meant #4 "Live Free or Die Hard" & got my titles mixed up. Yeah, sadly #5 was just terrible on so many levels. It was pretty joyless, (other than the action sequences) was pretty bland & colorless, no chemistry between the leads, could have been any generic action flick, & as you say, felt too much like they were trying to cram "Jr." down our throats (who I have no interest in BTW...) & Willis, who I usually enjoy in whatever I see him in, was just not enjoyable in this one. As I say, how you can make that leap from the pretty good #4 to the abysmal #5 is beyond me... And was a son ever mentioned in 4? I thought it would've been far more cool to set up Mary Elizabeth Winstead, as the daughter, to inherit the McClane knack for finding trouble, Guy Hollywood has no balls left it would seem. She would give us someone other than Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games to cheer for. Wayne Z Wayz

[MinionZombie]

I'm pretty sure that John Jr was always a part of the McClane family. They'd brought in Lucy as a full character in #4, so they must have figured "well let's do the same thing with her brother!" ... quite talented though as he can seemingly, just like his father, shrug off radiation like nobody's business.

[shootemindehead]

There's really just one good film in the Die Hard franchise and that's the first one and even that had some eye rolling moments. The whole series is a prime example of an ok idea stretched out well beyond its capacity to withstand the length.

[MoonSylver]

Yup, he's always had a son & daughter, all the way back to #1. Shows 'em both on camera when he talks to them on the phone. Also in the family photo on Holly's desk. So it was no big reach that since they reintroduced Lucy in #4 that they would John Jr. in #5. And I would have been ok with that. But I think it was a HUGE mistake to make him a "bad ass CIA/Jason Bourne wannabe". In the past part of what sold the character of John McClane was "fairly average guy in way over his head perseveres through guts and determination". If they'd have made JJ a college student on a field trip who gets caught up in something, or even a regular cop like his old man that was part of an extradition or something, that would have sold a lot better IMO. Just that one plot element though was symptomatic of EVERYTHING that was wrong with this movie. And fixing it wouldn't have fixed everything else (but would have been a good start...) You're right MZ, even though there WERE a couple of PRETTY BIG action pieces that were quite spectacular, the whole movie "felt" very small. The whole was greatly reduced from the sum of its parts.

[MinionZombie]

Sorority House Massacre 2 (Jim Wynorski, 1990): http://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2014/...-wynorski.html You know those stereotypical jokey versions of slasher movies that you'd see in, or referenced by, various movies or TV shows? That's exactly what "Sorority House Massacre 2" is ... teenage boys in the 1990s must have flipped their shit over this flick ... the sort of movie where lingerie-clad beauties have a spot of bother with a Ouija board and just so happen to get caught in the rain. ... There's really just one good film in the Die Hard franchise and that's the first one and even that had some eye rolling moments. Wash your mouth out with soap! To each their own. 1 and 3 are awesome, while 2 and 4 are solid entertainment. 5 can do one though, load of shite. But I think it was a HUGE mistake to make him a "bad ass CIA/Jason Bourne wannabe". In the past part of what sold the character of John McClane was "fairly average guy in way over his head perseveres through guts and determination". If they'd have made JJ a college student on a field trip who gets caught up in something, or even a regular cop like his old man that was part of an extradition or something, that would have sold a lot better IMO. Just that one plot element though was symptomatic of EVERYTHING that was wrong with this movie. And fixing it wouldn't have fixed everything else (but would have been a good start...) You're right MZ, even though there WERE a couple of PRETTY BIG action pieces that were quite spectacular, the whole movie "felt" very small. The whole was greatly reduced from the sum of its parts. Yeah, there were some major WTF moments that could have easily been fixed ... for example, the two Johns don't feel the need to wear radioative protection, but the bad guys do (well, except for the bad guy henchmen!) ... what they could have done to fix that bizarre thing would be to have them steal some from some henchmen and infiltrate Pripyat (interchangeable with Chernobyl in DH5 though ) and it could have been masks that shows the full face so we'd know who was who. I suppose it would have made the resultant roof-top tussle more awkward, but maybe they shouldn't have put them into a flippin' radioactive location! Sure, it's not as bad as it once was, but if the bad guys need protection, so do the good guys ... until they spray some magic gas around and then apparently there's no radiation! Yeah, you're bang-on about John Jr - too hard nut capable ... indeed both of them were too capable, leaping out of massive windows, falling great heights and landing in rubble without killing themselves, etc etc. Such a dumb movie and a slap in the face to the franchise ... it was directed by the guy who made the dreadful "Max Payne" movie too, so that's partly an explanation.

[bassman]

I imagine DH5 might make the haters of DH4 look back and reconsider giving it another try. But yeah...1 & 3 are still the best.

[MinionZombie]

Hard To Die: Sorority House Massacre 3 (Jim Wynorski, 1990): http://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2014/...-massacre.html It's like 'Die Hard', but with more lingerie, or like 'Sorority House Massacre 2', but without the sorority house and with more shower scenes... ... I imagine DH5 might make the haters of DH4 look back and reconsider giving it another try. But yeah...1 & 3 are still the best. Aye. Die Hard 5 makes Die Hard 4 look like Die Hard 1. And it makes me think, DH5 is the latest in a long-running franchise - it's well known throughout the world - so, really, you don't need Bruce Willis to go and sell the movie on a promo tour, and Willis is rich and powerful enough to just refuse to do the promo tour ... so if he doesn't want to do the promo tour, why doesn't he just say no to it and not be a complete grouch on TV? They might say a promo tour without Willis would be weird and uncomfortable, but it would be more comfy than his appearance on The One Show promoting DH5.

[MoonSylver]

Sounds like I need to go back & check out these Sorority House Massacre flicks. They sound right up my alley. I've been filling in the spotty gaps in my Slasher movie pedigree, so now would be a good time. Have you checked out the "Cold Prey" series from Norway MZ? Just saw those recently. Fell instantly in love. Nothing really new or innovative about them, but they capture everything that is right about the old school Slasher to a "T". The first 2 were fantastic, the 3rd meh, but still worth seeing just to round the series out.

[MinionZombie]

Sounds like I need to go back & check out these Sorority House Massacre flicks. They sound right up my alley. I've been filling in the spotty gaps in my Slasher movie pedigree, so now would be a good time. Have you checked out the "Cold Prey" series from Norway MZ? Just saw those recently. Fell instantly in love. Nothing really new or innovative about them, but they capture everything that is right about the old school Slasher to a "T". The first 2 were fantastic, the 3rd meh, but still worth seeing just to round the series out. I'm sure SHM 2 & 3 would be right up your alley, Moon, you saucy old bastard. They're full-on cheesy, and the plots are threadbare, but they're totally aware of what they're doing and they just get sillier and sillier and stand out as doing their own weird kind of thing, as opposed to the first Sorority House Massacre, which was a bit too much indebted to Halloween and trying to emulate that kinda thing, whereas SHM2&3 just do what they wanna do - hot chicks in their undies running around beating the shit out of a hefty dude. Total direct-to-VHS fun ... exactly the kind of flicks you'd have wanted to rent from a video store and had a few drinks with. Haven't heard of "Cold Prey", I'll keep a look out for them. Thanks for the heads up.

[MoonSylver]

I'm sure SHM 2 & 3 would be right up your alley, Moon, you saucy old bastard. Haven't heard of "Cold Prey", I'll keep a look out for them. Thanks for the heads up. I think you'll dig it.

[MinionZombie]

Love Goddess of the Cannibals (Joe D'Amato, 1978): http://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2014/...oe-damato.html A flesh-filled sleaze-fest in which a woman bites off a man's todger within five minutes of the movie starting! Right up Moon's alley then, clearly.