Die Hard 5 Better Than Many May Think

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox

Action movies are meant to be an escape from the rigors of everyday life.  They are meant as a chance for audiences to turn off their brains if only for a couple of hours and be taken into the world of the fantastic.  Keeping this in mind, one has to wonder if the masses of audiences and critics who panned the latest installment in the Die Hard franchise went in with an open mind or with an agenda and a preconceived notion set in their minds.  While it can be agreed that A Good Day to Die Hard–or as it will henceforth be known, Die Hard 5 or DH5–is not the best of the Die Hard franchise, it also is not the series’ worst. None of the series’ movies is really the worst per se.  Die Hard 4 was a movie ahead of its time.  It came out at a time when cyber terrorism wasn’t necessarily a worldwide problem yet.  So considering this, had Die Hard 4 and 5 switched places, audiences might have been more receptive to both movies, even with the character of Jack McClane (Jai Courtney) still being an issue.

If one goes into Die Hard 5 with an open mind and the ability to suspend one’s disbelief, then one will see just how much it got right.  That’s not to say that it was perfect.  Again, there was the lingering issue of explaining away Jack.  But the script’s writers, Skip Woods and Roderick Thorp do make a valiant attempt to explain away that plot hole.  Anyone who has watched the bonus features in the recently released 25th anniversary Blu-ray set will recall that the previous Die Hard movies were each penned from completely separate literary sources.  More than likely this movie was, too.  So taking that into account, the issue of Jack’s noted absence throughout the previous films can be forgiven.  Now, having gotten past that issue, the only real issue that perhaps got in the way of Die hard 5′s success was its rapid fire pace (no pun intended).  The story starts rather abruptly, and never really slows down.  The constant action and the twists and turns peppered throughout the story might have been enough to leave some viewers dizzied and confused.  That in turn might have been enough to justifiably leave some audiences turned off.  While it is justified, it is the only factor that can be said to be a justified negative to Die Hard 5.

Having gotten the only justified negative out of the way from this movie, one will see just how much writers Skip Wood and Roderick Thorp got right.  As fast paced and dizzying as the story is, those who go into the movie with an open mind and a desire to escape will appreciate the twists and turns peppered throughout its near two hour run time.  There are just enough twists and turns to keep audiences think they know what’s going to happen, only to go in the exact opposite direction.  And while many prematurely called the very premise of John McClane going to Russia unbelievable, let alone him facing a terrorist from the Cold War era USSR.  But again Wood and Thorp did quite the job explaining this away.  Again, a big part of being able to believe this goes back to having seen Die Hard 4.  Had Die Hard 4 and 5 switched places, this plot element might have been easier for audiences to accept.  As soon as audiences understand and accept all of what has been noted, it makes enjoyment of the movie–explosions and all–that much easier.  In turn, it makes the movie as a whole that much greater of an escape.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Die Hard BD Set A Great Anniversary Gift For Franchise’s Fans

Courtesy: 20th Century Fox/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Detective John McClane is coming back to theaters one more time in only a matter of days in a brand new installment in the Die Hard franchise.  In celebration of the upcoming adventure, 20^th Century Fox and 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment have released a somewhat new collection of McClane’s adventures.  The new Die Hard 25^th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection is an excellent addition to the home library of any action film fan that doesn’t yet have the franchise’s films or the previously released eight-disc Ultimate Collection.

Die Hard fans get in the new Blu-ray Collection much of what was included in the aforementioned DVD set with a few minute changes.  Those changes show up mainly in the removal of the unrated versions of the movies that were included in the original eight-disc DVD set and a couple of bonus features from Live Free or Die Hard.  But 20^th Century Fox and 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment have more than made up for that with seven brand new in-depth features included in their very own disc in the set, thus keeping this set as entertaining as the previously released mega set.  Included in this new five-disc set are features that any true movie buff and Die Hard fanatic will appreciate.  It starts with the bonus feature, “Reinventing the Action Genre.”  This feature provides a glimpse into how each one of the Die Hard movies came to life.  It’s interesting to learn from this feature that the series’ first two movies actually came from two totally separate books that were adapted into Die Hard and Die Hard 2: Die Harder.  Even more interesting to learn is that the author of the book which became Die Hard originally didn’t like the idea of his book being turned into the franchise’s base.  And that book in question was actually the sequel to another book that had been turned into a movie starring Frank Sinatra.  When asked about doing a movie adaptation of that book’s sequel, Sinatra turned down the chance, and thus Die Hard was born.  There is plenty more here for audiences to enjoy; so much so that there is neither time nor space to go into it all.  That’s something that audiences will have to discover for themselves.

The very first of the set’s new bonus features alone makes for plenty of extra insight into this landmark franchise.  It includes interviews with cast and crew of each movie, as well as each movie’s writer.  From here, audiences are taken on a journey behind the scenes of the movies’ special effects, the action sequences, the fights, and even McClane’s sidekicks and so much more.  This is just one part of what makes the new Die Hard 25^th Anniversary Blu-ray Collection worth the money for any true Die Hard fan.

Also making this new set just as positive as the DVD set is its packaging.  Whereas the previous set was contained in a rather large, bulky box, this set is contained much like that of 20^th Century Fox’s 2010 Blu-ray release of the Alien Anthology on Blu-ray and Paramount’s recently released Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures on Blu-ray.  The set’s packaging is something of a book that is far slimmer than the previously released DVD set.  As impressive as the new set’s packaging is, it should be considered for any new box set released as part of the home release of It’s A Good Day To Die Hard later this year.  The discs are placed into sleeves of sorts, rather than regular disc “trays.”  This isn’t an entirely bad thing.  It isn’t without its concerns.  But considering that a new box set is highly likely upon the home release of the franchise’s latest installment, one can only hope that this single con will be turned into a positive in the next box set’s release.

Keeping in mind everything noted about this new Blu-ray box set, there’s no denying that it is well worth the money for any true hardcore fan of the Die Hard franchise.  It’s available now in stores now and can be ordered online direct via the 20^th Century Fox store at http://www.foxconnect.com/die-hard-25th-anniversary-collection.html.

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

The Expendables 2 Is A Great Escape

Courtesy: Lionsgate

The Expendables 2 is a man movie, hands down.  Yes, it’s another sequel.  But it’s more than just that.  It’s an escape.  It’s exactly what a big budget action blockbuster should be.  Just as was the case with the action movies of the 80’s to which this franchise pays homage, it’s a chance for the intended audiences to turn off their brains and get away from the real world if only for about an hour and a half.

On the surface, The Expendables 2 is just another bang-bang shoot-em-up action flick aimed at one specific audience.  But in watching the bonus feature, “Big Guns, Bigger Heroes:  The 1980’s and the Rise of the Action Film”, audiences see that it’s more than just that.  As the individuals interviewed in this feature note, the action flick of the 1980’s was exactly what audiences needed in comparison to everything going on around them.  Having come off the back end of the political upheaval of the 1970’s, the 1980’s offered its own share of changes.  So the action franchises of the 80’s (and 90’s) and their stars became more than just figures on screen.  They became these larger than life figures who lived up to the reputation of the title, “Hero.”  They were figures to whom their audiences could admire.  Audiences of the 80’s needed heroes, just as today’s audiences need them, too. 

The political and general world climate today openly necessitates the need for the movies in The Expendables franchise and their heroes.  Stallone and company shine just as brightly in this franchise as they did in the respective franchises discussed in the movie’s main bonus feature.  They are just as much the heroes today as they were in the movies discussed in this movie’s main bonus feature.  They are still those larger than life figures.  And there’s no doubt about them being heroes.  Unlike so many of today’s movies, there are no flawed, conflicted, anti-hero types.  The Expendables 2 presents Stallone and company as classic style heroes.  To add to that clarity, audiences are also presented with a cut and dry story here.  Everyone knows right off the bat who the good guys are.  And it doesn’t take long for the script to reveal Jean-Claude Van Damme as the evil psycho bad guy.  His intentions are made clear pretty quickly, too.  Considering that this movie (without credits) runs just shy of the two-hour mark, the quick establishment of the cast and story make the rest of it fast moving and fun.  It’s not meant to be taken seriously, as is evident with all the classic one-liners.  It’s just a chance for audiences to escape the stresses of the outside world for a little while just as the classic action franchises of the 80’s were meant to do.  Keeping that in mind, anyone who wants to get away from it all for a couple hours (bonus features included), then The Expendables 2 is a very good way to do just that.  It will be available next Tuesday, November 20^th, just in time to beat the holiday shopping rush.  For those who want to get away from the shopping rush, it can be ordered online direct via the Lionsgate store at http://www.lionsgateshop.com.

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Forget The Franchises, Go See Moonrise Kingdom

Courtesy: American Empirical Pictures/Indian Paintbrush/Focus Features

Moonrise Kingdom is one of the most peculiar yet deepest and most heartfelt movies of 2012.  It is a niche film, meaning it isn’t for everyone.  But it is still a story worth seeing.  Moonrise Kingdom is for all essential purposes, a coming of age story.  The short and simple is that Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) are surrounded by dysfunction, and through simple correspondence, they run off together.  In the process, they learn about themselves and each other.

The coming of age story has been done and then some throughout Hollywood’s history.  But this story has completely set itself apart from all the other movies in that sub-genre.  Somehow, it managed to combine themes of love and overcoming adversity in a way that doesn’t bog down the story.  Both Suzy and Sam want love.  One has parents who don’t give her the love that she needs. The other is an orphan, so all he needs is love.  Top it all off by presenting each in a setting that’s rife with dysfunction, and it makes both Suzy and Sam very sympathetic characters.  That being the case, it makes the pair’s idealistic puppy love forgiveable.  For that matter, it actually makes the pair’s “relationship” more believeable and heartwarming, albeit a little bit seemingly dysfunctional in itself.

The story behind Moonrise Kingdom is deep and heartfelt in the long run.  It’s only one part of what makes this one of the year’s most underrated movies.  The cinematography really added to the film’s enjoyment.  There was something about the shooting style in this movie that made it stand out among the masses.  One example of that shooting style comes as Sam and Suzy are attempting to cross a stream.  The shot for this scene is somewhat grainy and imperfect.  Yet that imperfection makes it a wonderful shot.  It helps the surrounding scenery really stand out.  It’s just one of so many that any student of the film art will appreciate throughout the story.

Acting and cinematography are big parts of what make a movie great.  But another part of what makes a movie great is a soundtrack.  Far too often, movies just toss in a bunch of songs here and there that are in reality little more than background noise.  But in the case of Moonrise Kingdom, the story’s soundtrack is a whole part of the movie in itself.  In listening to the soundtrack alone, one doesn’t really catch the impact that the music has on the movie.  But in watching the movie with the soundtrack, it adds so much emotion from one scene to the next.  That even includes the addition of some classic Hank Williams, Sr. songs.  Composer Benjamin Britten’s “Heroic Weather-Conditions Of the Universe” suite is beautiful in itself.  And added to the story, it makes the scenes in which it is used that much more powerful. 

So much work went into making Moonrise Kingdom.  And it shows from every angle.  The story of what brought Sam and Suzy together makes their relationship at least somewhat understandable.  That story itself has so many layers.  Somehow, they manage to interweave without getting to be too much for the story.  The movie’s scenery, cinematography and soundtrack add layers all their own to what is already an interesting story.  Do they combine to make Moonrise Kingdom one of 2012’s best?  That’s debatable.  However, one thing can be said of Moonrise Kingdom.  And that is that at a time when movie studios are churning out nothing but prequels, sequels, and reboots, this movie has turned out to be one of the year’s most original and heartwarming (and slightly twisted) works.  Whether or not it’s among the year’s best is in the eye of the beholder.  But it is a breath of fresh air in a sea of franchises from studios that are too scared to take a chance on something original.

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Moonrise Kingdom soundtrack shines on its own

Courtesy: ABKCO

Classical and country are two wholly separate styles of music.  So the thought of combining the two polar opposites on one compilation is enough to make any listener do a double take.  It goes without saying that by all logic, it’s a major risk.  While the combination of the pair on the soundtrack to the new indie flick, “Moonrise Kingdom” was a risk, the end result was a sucess.

Being an indie-flick, not every person across the country will get to see the movie.  But everyone can check out the soundtrack.  It combines some of the best of Hank Williams, Sr. with equally impressive classical works from the likes of Camille Satin-Seans and Franz Schubert.  And composer Alexandre Desplat has his own works throughout the compilation, too.  His seven part ‘The Heroic Weather-Conditions of The Universe’ opus tells its very own story.  Though it’s likely tied in to the plot of a big storm coming while the parents of the young lovers search for them.  Listeners don’t even have to have seen the movie to appreciate the entire work, even in its separated form.

‘The Heroic Weather-Conditions of The Universe’ opens with the soft, mysterious movement, ‘A Veiled Mist.’  The name alone hints at images of the unknown. From there, the musical story builds more and more until it finally culminates in the ending gentility of the final movement, ‘After The Rain.’  This movement conjures images of the violent storm from the movie finally making its way through and then everything finally being calm once it has passed.  It’s a wonderful manner in which to tell a story. The final movement brings Desplat’s story full circle.  And just as the soundtrack opened with a young person introducing audiences to the different parts of the orchestra, so does it close.  It all combines to give audiences a total sense of fulfillment after taking the musical journey.

Not everybody who listens to this soundtrack might be a fan of classical music.  That’s fine.  It also offers some great classic country from the legend himself, Hank Williams, Sr.  The soundtrack includes his hits, ‘Kaw-Liga’, ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’, and ‘Ramblin Man.’  And for those who have perhaps never been exposed to Williams’ work, this trio of songs is a great first introduction to one of country music’s greatest voices.

Moonsrise Kingdom is out in theaters nationwide.  It may not be in every theater in every city across the country.  But its soundtrack is available now.  Whether one is a fan of classical or classic country, both sides have something enjoyable to which they can listen.  It may even serve to introduce a whole new generation of listeners to two great musical styles without even having to take them to see the associated movie.  Keeping that in mind, the Moonrise Kingdom soundtrack is worth at least a single listen.

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it or its companion page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reel-Reviews/381028148587141.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com.