Die Hard

It’s scary to think that the Die Hard films first came out 25 years ago, 4 years before I was even born. Now we have five of them and one must wonder if there will be an end to them.

The first film in the series, known simply as Die Hard, was brought to us in 1988 by director John McTiernan.

John McClane (Bruce Willis) of the NYPD finds himself in trouble when a gang of terrorists take over the hotel where his wife and others are throwing a Christmas party. But McClane is a hard man to kill, regardless of how reluctant he is to be the hero.

The Die Hard series is known for its impressive displays of explosions, action sequences and mind-boggling stunts. And the first film is no exception. Guns and explosions galore, tense moments and crazy concepts, this film is a true roller coaster ride of epic action.

I loved Bruce Willis’ portrayal of John, the reluctant hero, who tries to cover his fear and panic with stubbornness, cursing and jokes. Throughout the film his character blossoms into this determined and slightly dark figure.

What I didn’t overly like was the storyline, which seemed to be jumbled around and in places had no purpose. But you can look past this thanks to the brilliant combo of acting, special effects and stunts.

My favourite moments and scenes include Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) killing Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi (James Shigeta)… the blood was very 80s looking; John versus the blonde guy with the glasses; putting the blonde guy’s body in the elevator with a Santa’s hat and ‘Now I have a machine gun HO HO HO’ scrawled on his shirt… nice taunt; the blowing up of a police’s RV… yikes; John chucking an explosive strapped to a computer monitor down an elevator shaft… the result is a humongous explosion; the scene where there’s glass everywhere… all I can say is poor John’s bare feet; John jumping of the roof just as it explodes… typical Die Hard fashion; and finally John’s wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), punching a reporter. What fun!

And my favourite quotes from this film are:

• ‘Of all the terrorists in the world I had to kill, it had to be one with feet smaller than my sister.’ – John
• ‘Yipee ki ay mother f*cker!’ – John

Overall, this movie is a brilliant introduction to an action-packed series, with many unique ideas and some humour thrown in that makes for a rather interesting watch.

An 8.1 out of 10.

Arrow Season 1

In 2012 a new TV show based off the DC Comics Green Arrow was born, simply entitled Arrow.

After being stranded on a deserted island for 5 years, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) returns home a changed man. With the skills he developed on the island he plans to take down all the people who have corrupted his city, as a hooded vigilante who quickly gains a reputation.

I’m not usually one for a crime style show, and when I first started watching this series that’s what it appeared to be, except with a Robin Hood style of course. Then they start throwing plot twists and conspiracies at you left, right and centre, and before you know it you’re hooked. Slow to start off, but when it gets going you won’t know what’s hit you.

Basically a very good under-lying storyline to this series.

The acting was also brilliant, the characters very relatable (and easy on the eye) and the action a roller coaster of a ride, with impressive stunts and choreography. And where there were special effects, they too were brilliant.

The first series is made up of the following episodes:

• Pilot
• Honour Thy Father
• Lone Gunmen
• An Innocent Man
• Damaged
• Legacies
• Muse of Fire
• Vendetta
• Year’s End
• Burned
• Trust But Verify
• Vertigo
• Betrayal
• The Odyssey
• Dodger
• Dead to Rights
• The Huntress Returns
• Salvation
• Unfinished Business
• Home Invasion
• The Undertaking
• Darkness on the Edge of Town
• Sacrifice

And my favourite episodes from this series are ‘Pilot’, ‘Lone Gunmen’, ‘Muse of Fire’, ‘Year’s End’, ‘Vertigo’, ‘The Odyssey’, ‘Dodger’, ‘Dead to Rights’, ‘The Huntress Returns’, ‘Salvation’, ‘Unfinished Business’, ‘Home Invasion’, ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town’ and ‘Sacrifice’.

And my favourite quotes from season one are:

• ‘Home is a battlefield. Back home they get you to try to open up, be somebody you’re not.’ – John (David Ramsey) – Honour Thy Father
• ‘You were born with a platinum spoon in your mouth.’ – John to Oliver – An Innocent Man
• ‘This isn’t over. I have the loose end now, and no matter what happens I’m gonna pull on it until your whole world unravels.’ – Laurel (Katie Cassidy) – An Innocent Man
• ‘I’m learning you’re not a morning snuggler.’ – Tommy (Colin Donnell)    ‘And I’m learning you don’t like to wake up at any hour that ends in ‘AM’.’ – Laurel – Vertigo
• ‘I guess I didn’t die. Again. Cool.’ – Oliver – The Odyssey
• ‘You’ve been spending a lot of time under that hood the last couple of weeks.’ – John     ‘It keeps my ears warm.’ – Oliver – Salvation
• ‘It feels so good to have you in me. And by you I mean your voice, and by me I mean my ear.’ – Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) to Oliver – The Undertaking

Despite a slow start, sticking with this show is a must. A very good first series, with the hope of season two being even better.

An 8.6 out of 10.

Real Steel

Sorry for the delay with this one guys. Time has not been kind to me again! Let’s get to it.

In 2011 director Shawn Levy gave us the film Real Steel.

In the near future Robot boxing has replaced boxing, and ex-boxer Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is trying to make it big in this new sport. When he finds out that the mother of his child Max (Dakota Goyo) has died, he finds himself taking care of the boy over the summer, forming a bond with him through the sport of Robot boxing when they stumble across a discarded robot named Atom.

Normally I’m not one for boxing. But when it’s robot boxing it makes it much more entertaining! Particularly with the great use of special effects, superb acting and great story… the typical father-son bonding over an event storyline, except this is a hugely adventurous event indeed.

Some may say that this particular story line is cheesy, but it’s easy to get lost in it and feel emotionally attached to these characters.

Some particular classic moments in this film are Ambush the robot versus a bull; Mightus versus Noisy Boy; finding Atom in the metal scrap yard after he saves Max’s life; Atom’s first fight; Atom copying Max and dancing; Atom versus Twin Cities; Zeus doing a pretty impressive Hussain Bolt pose; and finally Atom versus Zeus.

And my favourite quotes from this movie are:

• ‘Shut up! You’re not helping!’ – Max   ‘Actually, I think I am.’ – Charlie
• ‘Are you sure you’re 11?’ – Charlie   ‘Yes. I’m sure I’m 11.’ – Max
• ‘We fight smart and we pray. Seriously, pray.’ – Charlie to Max

Overall, this is a heat-warming film that many people can relate to. One with a bit of a rather cool twist. Not fully my cup of tea ( a phrase I over use in my blog posts I know), but still very entertaining and watchable.

For once I’m going to agree with IMDB! A 7.1 out of 10.

Oblivion

2013 saw director Joseph Kosinski bring us the sci-fi, post apocalyptic film Oblivion.

After an invasion of Earth that us humans barely fought off, the planet is rendered uninhabitable thanks to nuclear warfare. Humans have all moved elsewhere… except for a mop-up crew, left behind to gather what remains of the Earth’s resources. But all is not what it seems when a spacecraft falls out of the sky and soon drone repairman Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) will question everything about himself and the mission.

I was truly blown away by the attention to detail in this film. I loved the scenery, and the attempt to show remnants of Earth such as the underground library and some of the structures still partly intact. Then you have the sci-fi element with all the technology and it made a brilliant contrast that really did give this feel of post apocalyptic isolation. Many of the special effects were on the grand scale, and breathtakingly beautiful. A job well done.

The storyline itself is crazy, twisting and turning to the point where you really don’t know what’s going to happen next at all.

The acting was superb, with Cruise creating a character that you can really connect with and feel for as he learns the truth. The other characters too are also highly relatable, as they struggle to survive in this harsh new world.

Some brilliant moments to watch out for are when Jack is down the sinkhole, where he finds a buried library and, naturally, some Scavengers; the underwater kissing scene… just a bit strange; the scene where the drone spins wildly out of control, before smashing into a wall and dramatically exploding into a colourful cloud of sparks; Jack being chased by the three drones; Jack fighting…. himself?; and finally the battle in the secret base against the drones… complete and utter chaos.

And my favourite quotes from this film are:

• ‘Our job is not to remember. Remember?’ – Victoria (Andrea Riseborough)
• ‘You look like sh*t.’ – Beech (Morgan Freeman)   ‘You should see the other guy.’ – Jack
• ‘Buck up Bob. Don’t get all shaky on me.’ – Jack to his Elvis bobble-head
• ‘If we have souls, they are made of the love we share. Undimmed by time. Unbound by death.’ – Jack

Overall this was an impressive display of visual effects, with a clever, if confusing in places, storyline that really set the tone of a well thought out post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.

A 7.5 out of 10.