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ljones41 · 2 years

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“A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD” (2013) Review

“A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD” (2013) Review

Five-and-a-half years following the successful release of the fourth movie in the DIE HARD movie franchise – 2007’s “LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD”, 20th Century Fox Studios release a fifth movie about the adventures of New York Police detective John McClane called “A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD”.

A high-ranking, yet corrupt official in Moscow, Russia named Viktor Chagarin plans on incriminating political prisoner/government whistleblower and former billionaire Yuri Komarov without a fair trial when Komarov refuses to hand over a secret file believed to have convicting evidence against Chagarin. A young man assassinates a colleague of Chagarin’s and agrees to testify against Komarov for a shorter sentence. He turns out to be John “Jack” McClane Jr., Detective McClane’s estranged only son. The NYPD police officer, who has not been in touch with his son for years, learns of Jack’s situation and travels to Russia to help.

But when John arrives and approaches the courthouse that holds Jack and Komarov on trial, an explosion orchestrated by Chagarin and his henchmen disrupts the courthouse, and Jack breaks free with Komarov. After spotting Jack, John confronts him, but their dispute is cut short when Chagarin’s henchmen, led by main enforcer Alik, chase them throughout the streets of Moscow. John learns that Jack is a CIA agent and has been on a three-year mission to rescue Komarov from Chagarin’s clutches and retrieve a file that can link Chagarin and Komarov to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The file will enable the U.S. government to bring down Chagarin, who has proven to be an obstacle to U.S.-Russian relations. But the McClane men not only learn to heal long-standing family rifts, but also discover there is more to this mission than evidence against Chagarin.

“A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD” received negative reviews from movie critics. In fact, their response to the movie strongly reminded me of the negative press that the James Bond movie, “QUANTUM OF SOLACE” had received in 2008. In a way, I could see why. Both movies share two negative traits that prevented them from becoming even better films. “A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD”, like the Bond film, suffered from what I liked to call the “Paul Greengrass film editing style”. I realize that this editing style has been popular with recent filmmakers who use it to trim a movie’s running time. But I can do without it. I disliked it in the second, third and fifth JASON BOURNE movies. I disliked it in “QUANTUM OF SOLACE”. And I also disliked it in “A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD”. Director John Moore and editor Dan Zimmerman used it with strong effect during the Moscow car chase, making the latter one of the most confusing car chases since the one featured in 2007’s “THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM”.

Moore and Zimmerman’s use of this fast speed editing style also enabled them to give “A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD” the shortest running time in the franchise’s fifteen-year history . . . one of 97 minutes. The idea of a DIE HARD movie running slightly over 90 minutes makes me shake my head in disbelief. Also, the plot for this latest film, penned by Skip Woods, is too complicated and quite frankly, too good to be wasted on 90-something minutes running time. If “A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD” had possessed a longer running time, Woods story could have been told with greater detail. For instance, the movie could have revealed how John learned of Jack’s arrest with greater detail. And the situation regarding Chagarin, Komarov and Jack could have been told with greater detail with a longer running time. Also, Cole Hauser could have enjoyed more screen time as Jack’s CIA partner, Mike Collins. Instead, Hauser was barely on screen for five minutes tops.

Before one begins to think I share the critics’ dislike of “A GOOD DAY TO DIE”, you will be mistaken. Because I do not share their opinion. Despite the Paul Greengrass editing style and the shorter running time, I still enjoyed the movie very much . . . in fact, more than I thought possible. As I had stated earlier, Skip Woods penned a very strong story for the movie. Yes, it featured the usual over-the-top action that has been a hallmark of the franchise for years. One of my favorite scenes proved to be John, Jack and Komarov’s escape from the CIA safe house in Moscow. It not only gave Bruce Willis (or his stunt man) another chance to prove how great he can be as on-screen badass, but it also gave Jai Courtney, who portrayed Jack McClane, a chance to show that his character is a badass, as well. In fact, another scene provided more great moments for both Willis and Courtney – namely the McClane men’s escape from death after they and Komarov were captured by Alix.

One of the best aspects of Woods’ screenplay proved to be the complicated story surrounding the strained relationship between Chagarin and Komarov. This storyline provided audiences an interesting peek into Russian politics – if it is somewhat accurate. I suspect that it is not completely accurate, but this is a work of fiction we are talking about, not a documentary. More importantly, Woods’ story added the Chernobyl disaster as a catalyst to the former colleagues’ estrangement . . . enabling audiences a chilling peek at the infamous Chernobyl site in the Ukraine, during the movie’s final action scene. This sequence also provided a plot twist that brought back a memories of the 1990 film, “DIE HARD 2”. The best aspect of “A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD” is that the movie allowed a more satisfying portrayal of the relationship between John and Jack than “LIVE FREE AND DIE HARD” did for John and Lucy, five-and-a-half years earlier.

Speaking of the relationship between the two McClane men, it would not have worked without the chemistry between Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney. I understand that the movie’s casting director considered a good number of actors – including Liam Hemsworth and James Badge Dale – before Australian actor Jai Courtney was chosen. Willis was in top form, as usual. I found Willis very effective in portraying McClane’s desire to reconcile with his son in conflict with the NYPD cop’s penchant for butting into situations where he is not wanted. And he formed a top-notch chemistry with Courtney. The latter did an excellent job in portraying Jack’s initial resentment toward John, his growing regard for the latter and intense fixation on his mission. German actor Sebastian Koch (whom I have seen in 2011’s “UNKNOWN” and 2015’s “BRIDGE OF SPIES”. gave a subtle, yet complex portrayal of Yuri Komarov, the former billionaire and criminal who found a conscious and exposed his former partner. Sergei Kolesnikov gave a solid performance as the corrupt politician Viktor Chagarin. But I found Yuliya Snigir very impressive as Komarov’s daughter Irina, who proved to be more than meets the eye. I wish I could say the same about Radivoje Bukvić, who portrayed Chagarin’s main henchman. But I found his performance a little over-the-top. It was nice to see Mary Elizabeth Winstead reprise her portrayal of Lucy McClane, and she proved to be as spunky as ever. But Cole Hauser was really effective as Mike Collins, Jack’s CIA partner. He was subtle, brutal and slightly scary. And his performance made me wish he had more scenes.

I can understand the critics’ disappointment with the shorter running time and quick flash editing in “A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD”. But despite these flaws, the movie still proved to be very entertaining, thanks to solid, yet slightly flawed direction by John Moore, an interesting story penned by Skip Woods and a first- rate cast led by Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney.

#die hard #die hard franchise #a good day to die hard #bruce willis #john mcclane #russia #jai courtney #aldis hodge #cole hauser #Mary Elizabeth Winstead #megalyn echikunwoke #sebastian koch #radivoje bukvic #sergei kolesnikov #yuliya snigir #pasha d. lychnikoff #amaury nolasco #roman luknar

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komotionlessqueenmm · 3 years

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Imagine # 734

Gif NOT mine. (Found on Pinterest.)

If this gif is yours please let me know, so I can give you credit.

Gif credit goes to - @heartofdevastation

Year posted - 2021

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retropunch · 4 years

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Advance Auto Parts - DieHard battery commercial with Bruce Willis (2020)

A new chapter in the DieHard story begins. Watch as John McClane faces off against old foes and crosses paths with old friends. From fighting his way to Advance Auto Parts to racing against the clock to install his new DieHard Battery – McClane will stop at nothing, to start his car again.

#Die Hard #DieHard #Advance Auto Parts #Bruce Willis #John McClane #De'voreaux White #Clarence Gilyard Jr.#Yippee ki yay #80s #movies #retro #tv #commercials #spoof #parody #cars #Sears #action #catchphrases

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80smovies · 6 years

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Die Hard

#Die Hard #John McTiernan #Bruce Willis #John McClane #Alan Rickman #Bonnie Bedelia #Clarence Gilyard Jr.#Alexander Godunov #James Shigeta #Roderick Thorp #Steven E. de Souza

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rockislandadultreads · 3 years

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Black History Month: a variety of titles for you to read

Color: Essays on Race, Family, and History by Kenneth A. McClane

In 1991, acclaimed poet Kenneth A. McClane published Walls: Essays, 1985-1990, a volume of essays dealing with life in Harlem, the death of his alcoholic brother, and the complexities of being black and middle-class in America. Now, in Color: Essays on Race, Family, and History , McClane contributes further to his self-described “autobiographical sojourn” with a second collection of interconnected essays. In McClane’s words, “All concern race, although they, like the human spirit, wildly sweep and yaw.” A timely installment in our national narrative, Color is a chronicle of the black middle class, a group rarely written about with sensitivity and charity. In evocative, trenchant, and poetic prose, McClane employs the art of the memoirist to explore the political and the personal. He details the poignant narrative of racial progress as witnessed by his family during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. We learn of his parents’ difficult upbringing in Boston, where they confronted much racism; of the struggles they and McClane encountered as they became the first blacks to enter previously all-white institutions, including the oldest independent school in the United States; and of the part his parents played in the civil rights movement, working with Dr. King and others. The book ends with a tender account of his parents in the throes of Alzheimer’s disease, which claimed both their lives.

March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin (Goodreads Author) (Co-writer), Nate Powell (Artist)

March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement. Book One spans John Lewis' youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall. Many years ago, John Lewis and other student activists drew inspiration from the 1950s comic book Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story. Now, his own comics bring those days to life for a new audience, testifying to a movement whose echoes will be heard for generations.

And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou's poetry - lyrical and dramatic, exuberant and playful - speaks of love, longing, partings; of Saturday night partying, and the smells and sounds of Southern cities; of freedom and shattered dreams. 'The caged bird sings/ with a fearful trill/ of things unknown/ but longed for still/ and his tune is heard/ on the distant hill/ for the caged bird/ sings of freedom.'

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

In the 1680s the slave trade in the Americas is still in its infancy. Jacob Vaark is an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh North. Despite his distaste for dealing in “flesh,” he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland. This is Florens, who can read and write and might be useful on his farm. Rejected by her mother, Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master's house, and later from the handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved, who comes riding into their lives. A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart, like Beloved, it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother and a daughter - a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

#black history month #black history #black literature #poetry #graphic novels #book recs #reading recommendations #recommended reading #to read #diverse books #we need diverse books #poems #literature #essays #booklr

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actionlu · 3 years

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The Most Hardcore Big Screen Action Heroes

There are certain things that make the best movie hero completely hardcore. Here is our list of the best big scren action heroes ever created.

Wolverine

Logan is a fictional character from the X-Men series. He is a mutant who possesses animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, and powerful regenerative ability known as a healing factor.

John Rambo

John James Rambo is a fictional character in the Rambo saga. He first appeared in the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell, but later became more famous as the protagonist of the film series.

T-800

The Terminator, or T-101 —a cybernetic organism, initially portrayed as a programmable assassin and military infiltration unit, and then as a bodyguard.

Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., often shortened to "Indy", is the title character of the Indiana Jones franchise craetd by George Lucas.

**John McClane **

John McClane is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Die Hard film series. He is portrayed by Bruce Willis and is best known for his sardonic one-liners.

Jason Bourne

Jason Charles Bourne is a fictional character and the protagonist of a series of novels by Robert Ludlum and subsequent film adaptations.

John Wick

John Wick is a fictional character and protagonist of the John Wick film franchise. He was created by Derek Kolstad and first appears in John Wick (2014) played by Keanu Reeves.

Fans of action will love all the content at www.actionlu.com. Check it out today!

#actionlu review actionlu reviews books ebooks Action Heros Hardcore

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poresorpixels · 5 years

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Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)/

Halloween 5: The Revenge of

Michael Myers (1989)

gluishtuuks: return/revenge flick, Pleasence in extremis, creepy uncle, seasonal afflictive disorder, Haddonfield follies, formula soluable

This review is tougher to justify than the Ms. 45 one, which at least I hadn't seen. These two I am somewhat well acquainted with, and am pretty sure are more bad than good. Not to mention Wham City's pseudo-interactive livestreamed call-in melodrama (The Call of Warr) is back on Adult Swim for the next few days. If it's as scary, hilarious, demented and original as last year's The Cry of Mann (they even did a fantastically vapid accompanying show-about-a-show parody called Tanking Mann), then there is next to no reason to be wasting my time with these crummy sequels.

But I made this arbitrary October commitment, so I'm gonna go ahead and shovel some overdue dirt on this sorry pair and pat it down.

First of all, there's Donald Pleasence. He don't look so good. Particularly in Revenge, it seems as though the movie itself is trying to kill him as we watch on, bemused and more than a little bored. Danielle Harris is Laurie Strode's daughter Jamie, who is now a foster child, but her uncle strides past the Videodrome-for-dummies corporate death conspiracy (easily the best sequel, both because of and despite its crazy Michael-less storyline, for starters) and death itself to cut that family line. Harris was great as Furry Tom and the thorn in her McClane-redux-daddy's side in The Last Boyscout. She's solid here too, conveying more believable traumatized intensity than either film earns.

I was ten when I first got steeped in these sorts of movies, and the ruthlessly simple machinery just worked. The mockery of the more silly elements (though more so with the Friday/Elm Street movies) was often over-eager, barely containing the rising dread. That the anticipation dulls with age is a phenomenon often fixed on the viewership, but I'd argue that the blame lies more with cynically crude bottom-lining, crass presumptions of audience by the money. Horror is a genre with merit beyond watching people get butchered, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who'd go too far to attest to as much. No matter what you're watching, exploitation is the name of the game. But if you're producing, as is the case here, purely rote content, who can blame a viewer for glazing over till the killing starts?

Depsite some nice flourishes here and there, the Jamie saga portion of this franchise is as dull as it is anti-climactic. Particularly regarding the kills, which are all flat. The original and naturally best of the series wasn't particularly gory, but it had a lot more on the ball than anything that came after. It was working within budget constraints, but its perfect score and naturally winning cast (namely Curtis, PJ Soles and Nancy Kyes) and masterfully scored autmnal atmosphere made it work. These two films strive to recapture that original spark, but wind up feeling like drab, minor, tv movie-slight variations.

At a glance they may seem classier than the Friday the 13th stuff, but that's kind of what makes them obnoxious. They're slashers with delusions of thematic heft. The fact that they manage to stick some of their stylistic landings only seems to make this pretense worse. In Return there is a droning minimalist credit sequence comprising a series of drab, desolate country exteriors. It is a great mood setter, but when we leave these outskirt locations for the suburbs, it seems superfluous. All the best stuff happens outside of Haddonfield. Loomis gets nearly blown up at a sevice station, then hitches a ride with the boxcar hobo from Pee Wee's Big Adventure (still boozin' his cares away, but with a somehow worse singing voice and a sweet gig as a turn of the century fire and brimstone preacher). Sam actually smiles in this bit, and the unPleasence of this is mitigated by the fact that its a small relief to see the man take a brief siesta from the ceaseless wide-eyed flailing.

After that (and this holds for Revenge as well) it seems as though aping the highschool crush mini-drama of the original and endless hallucinatory false scares is supposed to suffice. Loomis would be hilarious in his stumbling mania were it not for the fact that he seems more horrific to poor Jamie than her stabby Uncle Mike. It doesn't help that, as has oft been remarked, they kept fucking with the mask to worse and worse effect, leaving one to wonder if it was ever scary to begin with. One thing's for sure, "humanizing" Michael (apparently what they were going for in Revenge) was never the fucking point! He was called "the shape" for good reason.

Even if they're roughly the same ratioed templates, Revenge squeaks ahead in the quirky teen dept. Though its anachronistic greaser boyfriend in Revenge pales in comparison to those rat-a-tat-tooie boys in the fifth Friday movie (and we have to spend considerably less time with them). But Jamie's friend (foster sister? who fuckin' cares) Tina is actually kinda charming and smarter seeming than her ditsy lines and misguided notions (including ones of neon-hearted love w/r/t the aforementioned greaser) would suggest.

Sadly, it looks like Tina's Wendy Kaplan may've never went on to anything more substantial. But here's as good a place as any to remind people that there's much more to Donald Pleasence than this babbling shrink with a gun (or the Bond villain, Blofeld). Despite having some decently budgeted technical chops (most exemplified in Jamie's nerve shredding, claustrophobic knife/laundry chute sequence in Revenge), these two are not the beat use of one's viewing time. So why not check out the 1971 film Wake In Fright? Directed by Ted Kotcheff (First Blood), its a nasty, sweaty, drunken trip set in the outback with a lively Pleasence, unhinged as you've never seen him. And if you've seen it, see it again. It's better than both of these movies combined, with a lot of room to spare.

Halloween movies ranked:

10/11

Halloween 1/2 (Rob Zombie has too much money and no/dumb ideas. shoulda just stuck with that rusty rutabega mudflap metal what made him famous)

Halloween: Resurrection (reality tv premise bites hard, though that similarly plotted Tales from The Crypt ep with Morton Downey Jr.* was a hoot)

Halloween: The Curse of MM (Paul Rudd is wonderful and all, but he cannot begin to save this tedious exercise in myth padding - but here's a clip anyway.)

Halloween 5 (roman numerals...

Halloween [2018] (I can remember nothing about this, except that I don't see myself watching it again. i guess it was loud and expensive, and wasted Judy Greer and Toby Huss. Just another cash-grab reboot nail in imagination's coffin.)

Halloween 4 ...are for squares, man!)

Halloween II (creepy enough, strangely dreary, but more than a bit sluggish)

H20 (the boarding school setting works and its slick cast and production values don't smooth over the grit. plus there's the weird kid from The Ice Storm that Christina Ricci deflowers)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Tom Atkins, heads exploding into bugs and snakes, mustard-bleeding robuts and a catchy jingle. Bites off more than it manages to chew, but in an uncommonly satisfying way)

Halloween (best John Carpenter film after The Thing and one of the best horror films period)

* "Television Terror"/S02/E16/1990

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geektalknews · 6 years

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New on Netflix, Digital & DVD/Blu-ray May 14-20

If you have seen Avengers: Infinity Wars 3 or 4 times already, and need something else to watch here is a list of things coming to Blu-Ray and Netflix this week.

New on DVD and Blu-ray

"Black Panther" Black Panther -- aka Shuri's slightly less cool older brother -- is ready to come home with you on Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, May 15. The Blu-ray includes deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, an audio commentary by director Ryan Coogler, a gag reel, and more. "Die Hard" 30th Anniversary Edition YIPPEE KI-YAY, mother-----! Man, I'm old! It's been 30 years since Bruce Willis gave us John McClane and introduced the "Die Hard" action franchise. Now the first movie is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new 4K Ultra HD re-master and Blu-ray available May 15. Fans can also get the "Die Hard" five-film box set, with limited edition Blu-ray Steelbook (at Walmart and Best Buy) including "Die Hard," "Die Hard 2," "Die Hard With a Vengeance," "Live Free or Die Hard," and "A Good Day to Die Hard."

"The Shannara Chronicles" Season 2 This fantasy series is looking for a new home after one season on MTV and a second on Spike. While fans cross their fingers for good news, you can watch all of Season 2 when the DVD hits shelves on May 15. The three-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets include all 10 episodes plus behind-the-scenes featurettes on the characters, actors, and more.

New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital

"Early Man" Nick Park's latest stop-motion animated comedy rolls onto Digital this Tuesday, May 15, and then on Blu-ray and DVD May 22. Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures roamed the Earth, "Early Man" tells the story of courageous caveman hero Dug (Eddie Redmayne) who tries to unite his tribe against a mighty enemy, Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) and his Bronze Age City. Maisie Williams, Miriam Margolyes, and Timothy Spall costar. "Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb" This documentary about the Aerosmith icon will be available on VOD and Digital HD May 15. "Coming to My Senses" Here's another documentary, which won the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival and Best Documentary at Red Rock. It's available on EST platforms May 15, and VOD May 22. "1987: When the Day Comes" This award-winning political thriller, looking back at a pivotal moment in South Korean history, is releasing on Amazon, Google Play, and iTunes on May 15.

New on Netflix

"13 Reasons Why" Season 2 (Netflix Original) Welcome to more tapes ... because "Hannah wasn't the only one." Season 1 really touched a nerve with fans and critics, so prepare to expect the same from Season 2, which streams on Netflix this Friday, May 18. "Cargo" (Netflix Film) Martin Freeman ("Sherlock," "Black Panther") stars in this horror thriller based on the viral short film. Available on Netflix May 18, "Cargo" tells the story of a man and his infant daughter who are stranded in the middle of a zombie apocalypse in rural Australia. When he becomes infected, the countdown begins for him to find her protection before he changes forever. "Mamma Mia!" A sequel to this Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried musical romantic comedy is coming out this July. Take a look back at the 10th anniversary by giving it a stream on Netflix when it arrives May 16? "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" Kelly Clarkson! Curl up with Steve Carell's comedy classic when it arrives on Netflix May 16. "Small Town Crime" John Hawkes stars as an alcoholic ex-cop who finds a woman left for dead on the side of the road and tries to track down the killer himself. The movie -- costarring Anthony Anderson, Octavia Spencer, Robert Forster, Clifton Collins Jr., and Michael Vartan -- had a limited release earlier this year, and you can stream it on Netflix starting May 19. What will you be watching this week, Let us know in the comments, and happy streaming. Read the full article

#13ReasonsWhy #BlackPanther #BluRay #Cargo #DieHard #DVD #EarlyMan #MammaMia!#Netflix #NewonBlu #NewonDVD #NewRelease #NewReleases #NewtoStream #ShannaraChronicles #SmallTownCrime #StevenTyler:OutonaLimb #The40-Year-OldVirgin

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valdemarpost · 4 years

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Filme: Duro de Matar: Um Bom Dia para Morrer ou Duro de Matar 5 pra algumas pessoas

Ano: 2013

Duração: 1 hora e 41 minutos

Direção: Joan Moore

Séries de Filmes: Duro de Matar

Elenco: Bruce Willis (John McClane), Jai Courtney (Jack McClane ou John McClane Jr.), Yuliya Snigir (Irina), Sebastian Koch (Komarov), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Lucy Gennero McClane)

Sinopse: O policial John McClane não tem boa relação com seu filho. Os dois precisam deixar de lado suas diferenças para livrar o rapaz de uma acusação e proteger um terrorista que diz ter um dossiê contra um potencial candidato à presidência da Rússia.

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jackaction84 · 6 years

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So, Disney is buying out Fox. Meaning, not only will they have the rights to the X-Men back, but they’re also going to own the rights to the Alien, Predator, and most importantly, Die Hard franchises. Do you know what that means?

Hopefully that somebody will finally look at my script for Die Hard 6! I call it, “The Happiest Place to Die Hard.” John McClane and his family (him and Holly are back together now, btw) are on a vacation to Disneyland, when a group of terrorists lead by Hans Gruber Jr. take over the park because they want to steal a weeks worth of sales from the park, which adds up to about $500 million. Also, the terrorists are dressed like the Disney characters, which is how they got in the park in the first place. Donald Duck is going to machine gun one of the hostages to death. Also, since Johnny Depp sometimes likes to just hang out on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in his Jack Sparrow costume, he’s going to be stuck as McClane’s sidekick for the evening. But he’s still going to try to stay in character throughout the whole ordeal, because he’s just so method.

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northernmisery-blog · 6 years

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Ho-Ho-Ho Now I Have A Machine Gun

There are many people who would dispute the validity of Die Hard as a Christmas movie.

Let’s have a look at the reasons people deny the obvious, Flat Earth Die Hard Heathens, I think we should call them.

First, here are many people’s reasons why it can’t possibly be a Christmas film debunked in a festive Mythbusters-esque style with actual facts and logic.

“The film was released in Summer”

United States July 1988

United Kingdom February 1989

“Neither of these times are Christmas, so it can’t be a Christmas movie”.

The original Miracle on 34th Street was released on May 2nd, 1947.

If Die Hard’s release date excludes it being a Christmas movie, what in the red nose of Rudolph is Miracle on 34th Street? I suppose that’s a feel good summer camp movie, is it?

“Die Hard is an ACTION movie”

Whilst the plot of the film is thieves masquerading as terrorists, the entire robbery plot rests on the fact that it needs to be a holiday period, specifically Christmas Eve.

· The office staff will be there at night because they are there for a Christmas party. The thieves need the hostages, which are integral to Gruber’s escape plan.

· The office staff will all be in one location because they are there for a Christmas party. Security detail would be spread out more during the day, staff would all be on different floors. Only an event could get them in one location and that event is a Christmas party. Not a thanksgiving hootenanny. Not an Easter bonnet parade. Not a summer barbecue. It’s a Christmas party.

· Takagi will definitely be there because it’s a Christmas party.

· Nobody else will be around the area of Nakatomi Plaza because it’s Christmas Eve.

· Gruber knows the FBI will cut the power to open the last lock of the vault. If the robbery and hostage scenario took place during the day or even a non-holiday, the FBI would not be as willing to cut off the power to a financial area, affecting all of the other businesses.

The plot isn’t about Christmas

Neither is Home Alone. It’s about a kid being left at home fending off robbers. Yet Kevin is left alone at Christmas and his family have to get back to him. Die Hard is about John McClane fending off robbers, on his own at Christmas, having gone to LA to see his family.

Further Evidence .

Now, let’s look at further reasons why Die Hard is absolutely and definitely a Christmas film;

Reasons for McClane's Presence

He’s going to see his wife, with a view to spending Christmas with her and his estranged children John Jr and Lucy. He has no other reason to be in Los Angeles other than it being Christmas.

The Soundtrack

There are eleven different songs / musical numbers listed on the official soundtrack to Die Hard.

Two of them are pieces of classical music. One is a piece of music from Aliens. That leaves eight pieces of music and or songs, of which the following are considered Christmas songs; Winter Wonderland, Christmas in Hollis, Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!, Jingle Bells, Half of them. Half of the songs are Christmas songs. I don’t remember random Christmas songs in Terminator, Commando or Rambo. That’s because they are action films.

The film is littered with Christmassy paraphernalia

The Christmas tree at the party, the Christmas decorations in the office, the Santa hat placed on the dead robber who has the words “Ho-Ho-Ho” written on him, the Christmas decorations in the McClane home when Dick Thornburg goes there to name a few. Even McClane’s wife is called Holly for Kringles sake.

The script. The chuffing script.

OK, here are some parts of the official script, all referring to it being Christmas. If Christmas isn’t integral to the plot of the film (it is) and isn’t intended to be part of the plot (it is) then why would a script writer include these lines in a script;

Ellis; I was thinking more of roaring fireplaces...mulled wine and a nice brie...

Holly; Ginny, it's 6:40, you're making me feel like Ebenezer Scrooge.

Holly; Well, we'll see what Santa and Mommy can do.

McClane; How 'bout some Christmas music?

Argyle; That is Christmas music.

McClane; You throw quite a party. I didn't know they had Christmas in Japan.

Hans; It’s Christmas, Theo, it's the time of miracles. So be of good cheer and call me when you hit the last lock.

Argyle; If this is their idea of Christmas; I gotta be there for New Year's.

Furthermore, read the script. There’s countless references to it being Christmas and there’s tonnes of notes and directions about things needing to be Christmassy. If you want to show me a non Christmas film that has less Christmas in it than Die Hard, I’ll buy you a mince pie.

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Christmas - oh and don’t even get me started on Lethal Weapon.

Here, buy a festive Christmas sweater. You won’t be wearing this bastard in the summer, will you?

#DieHard Christmas FlatEarthFuckwits

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daughtersof-blog · 5 years

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Headcanon: Lucy’s Brother

So after some IM plotting with @herheroics, Lucy’s older brother has been (at least mentally) casted. His name is Hayden John Peralta (the John clearly being for John McClane and John McClane Jr) and his FC is Matt Bennett.

#headcanon (lucy)

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pigballoon · 7 years

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A Good Day to Die Hard

(John Moore, 2013)

I’ll tell you what’s bad about this movie. The way in which it teams up its two leads - John McClane Sr. and Jr., the way in which McClane Sr. is introduced into the action on the streets of Moscow is downright idiotic. I don’t know if writer Skip Woods felt that Bruce Willis’ iconic hero is by now so flat out beloved that he could have him do just about anything, and he’d still be endearing to viewers, but for me that just wasn’t the case at all.

Secondly there’s the climax of the movie, the big final blow out. It is stupid on a level beyond the ordinary sort of stupid you get every summer from the good people of Hollywood. It is overblown to the point of being absolutely laughable, and it all looks bad too.

Aside from that I think the rest of the movie is actually pretty good. I think most of the major setpieces that come prior to that final one are actually sort of wonderful. They’re coherent, they feel real and visceral, and truly sort of dangerous even at their most ridiculous. The way in which the whole film is centred around familial bonds, just as the original was 25 years prior, is a nice touch, and done very effectively. It puts a fair deal of the focus onto the characters, and that’s not exactly something you’d expect to see from your dime a dozen action film made these days.

Jai Courtney really doesn’t have much in the way of charm as a leading man, but in tandem with Willis he makes a strong double team. The two of them are funny, and in their couple of serious scenes damn effective too. Being aided along the way by the great Sebastian Koch helps as well, and the movie is probably at its best through the stretch when the three of them are on the run together. Radivoje Bukvic, and Yuliya Snigir are both effective in their roles too, if nothing else lending the fifth Die Hard film an authentic and respectable international slant.

All in all, while this franchise is unlikely to ever turn out another classic, and may have fallen a fair distance from its glory days of striding atop its genre, I feel like at five films and 25 years in to its existence, Die Hard has still got more life left in it than most of its ilk ever had to begin with.

#a good day to die hard #john moore #skip woods #bruce willis #jai courtney #sebastian koch #yuliya snigir #radivoje bukvic #2013 #reviews #film #films #movie #movies #action #sequel #sequels

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thatsnotcanonpodcasts · 4 years

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Predator defecation, Digital Distribution & Poor Accounting

Deviboy has gone missing. What nefarious act has the DJ performed? Where is our co-host? Don't worry, he isn't dead, just busy.

It's enough to make your butthole clench. Or it would be, if you were a frog. A species of beetle has been discovered that used predator defecation in order to escape being lunch. It's a bit gross, but points for style.

It's time to enter the future and go entirely digital, according to Take Two's CEO. DJ likes his feelies too much to stop buying physical collectors editions though. Maybe we could convince him with a VR house full of VR collectables?

If you need motivation to get your accounting in order, it turns out animators in Japan are being short changed by the incompetence of the studios' finance teams. Poor business skills in a highly in demand creative industry? Say it ain't so!

This week DJ did nothing of note while Professor hiked across Iceland with a baby.

The beetle now has a special power : predator defecation

- https://www.inverse.com/science/scientists-discover-the-bizarre-way-this-beetle-escapes-almost-certain-death

- https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30842-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982220308423%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

Take Two CEO’s digital warning

- https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-08-03-take-two-ceo-its-a-matter-of-time-before-the-business-is-entirely-digital

Poor accounting = Low animator wages

- https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-07-30/tokyo-keizai-poor-accounting-at-animation-production-studios-is-the-reason-behind-low-animator-wages/.162383

Games Played

– DNP

Rating: 0

Dev-i-boy

– DEATH STRANDING -https://store.steampowered.com/app/1190460/DEATH_STRANDING/

Rating: 4/5

Other topics discussed

Donald Trump signs executive order effectively banning TikTok, WeChat in US in 45 days

- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-07/trump-issues-tiktok-executive-order/12533938

Microsoft pushes ahead to buy TikTok after US President Donald Trump said he would ban the app in the US

- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-04/tiktok-sale-to-microsoft-australia-us-impact-ban/12521546

Facebook launches its new TikTok clone, Instagram Reels

- https://www.smh.com.au/technology/facebook-launches-its-new-tiktok-clone-instagram-reels-20200806-p55izc.html

- https://www.engadget.com/instagram-reels-tiktok-rival-164624402.html

The Simpson : Homer is a giant

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_eRvJXw7b4

Wilson’s Flubber moment

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZhqwMmIBDY

Puffer Fish natural defense (The pufferfish's secondary defense mechanism, used if successfully pursued, is to fill its extremely elastic stomach with water (or air when outside the water) until it is much larger and almost spherical in shape. Even if they are not visible when the puffer is not inflated, all puffers have pointed spines, so a hungry predator may suddenly find itself facing an unpalatable, pointy ball rather than a slow, tasty fish.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraodontidae#Natural_defenses

The Simpsons – In the Belly Of The Boss (From treehouse of Horror 15)

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQT5YtI9ecA

Acid Tolerance in Amphibians

- https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article-abstract/35/4/239/225162?redirectedFrom=PDF

Take- Two Interactive (Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City and founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take-Two_Interactive

List of Take-Two Interactive games (It publishes games through 2K Games (Battleborn, BioShock,Borderlands,Evolve,Mafia, Sid Meier's Civilization, The Darkness, XCOM), 2K Play (Carnival Games), 2K Sports (NBA 2K,WWE 2K), Ghost Story Games, Private Division (Kerbal Space Program), Rockstar Games (Bully,Grand Theft Auto, L.A. Noire, Manhunt,Max Payne,Midnight Club,Red Dead) and Social Point (Tasty Town, Word Life).)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Take-Two_Interactive_games

Digital distribution of video games (In the video game industry, digital distribution is the process of deliveringvideo game content as digital information, without the exchange or purchase of new physical media.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_distribution_of_video_games

Cardboard disc included with Fallout 76 Power Armor PC edition

- https://www.shacknews.com/article/108552/cardboard-disc-included-with-fallout-76-power-armor-pc-edition

Playstation 5 : Digital Version vs Standard PS5

- https://www.pushsquare.com/guides/ps5-digital-edition-vs-standard-ps5-whats-the-difference

PlayStation Now (PlayStation Now (PS Now) is a cloud gaming subscription service developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The service allows members to stream PlayStation 2,PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 games on PlayStation 4 and PC. PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 4 games can be downloaded to play locally on PlayStation 4.)

- https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/explore/playstation-now/

Google Stadia (Stadia is a cloud gaming service developed and operated by Google.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Stadia

Price increase for next-gen games is “justified”, says Take-Two CEO

- https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/gaming-news/price-increase-for-next-gen-games-is-justified-says-take-two-ceo-2720955

The G2A Controversy: What Actually Happened?

- https://www.indiegamewebsite.com/2019/07/23/the-g2a-controversy-what-actually-happened/

Digital Right management (DRM) (tools or technological protection measures (TPM) are a set of access control technologies for restricting the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management

Denuvo (Denuvo Anti-Tamper, more commonly known as Denuvo, is an anti-tamper technology and digital rights management (DRM) scheme developed by Austrian software company Denuvo Software Solutions GmbH, a subsidiary of Irdeto.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denuvo

Doom Eternal removes Denuvo

- https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-05-21-doom-eternal-removing-denuvo-anti-cheat-following-backlash

GeForce Now (GeForce Now is the brand used by Nvidia for its cloud gaming service.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_Now

You can play with mods on GFN

- https://www.reddit.com/r/GeForceNOW/comments/f3ber7/psa_you_can_play_with_mods_on_gfn/

Hollywood Accounting ((also known as Hollywood bookkeeping) refers to the opaque or creative accounting methods used by the film, video, and television industry to budget and record profits for film projects.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting

Crunchyroll's Investigation - The Future of Anime Production in a COVID-19 World

- https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2020/07/02/the-future-of-anime-production-in-a-covid-19-world

Japanese Work Environment (Many both in and outside Japan share an image of the Japanese work environment that is based on a "simultaneous recruiting of new graduates" and "lifetime-employment" model used by large companies as well as a reputation of long work-hours and strong devotion to one's company.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_work_environment

Average Animator Salary in Australia

- https://www.payscale.com/research/AU/Job=Animator/Salary

Average Salary for Pixar Animation Studios Employees (Pixar Animation Studios pays its employees an average of $85,154 a year.)

- https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Pixar_Animation_Studios/Salary

Death Stranding is pretty much Iceland roaming simulator 2019

- https://www.sausageroll.com.au/entertainment/death-stranding-is-pretty-much-iceland-roaming-simulator-2019/

Heartman (Death Stranding character) (Heartman is a Bridges member who researches the Death Stranding.)

- https://deathstranding.fandom.com/wiki/Heartman

Die-Hardman (Death Stranding character) (Die-Hardman, born John Blake McClane, is the third and current President of the United Cities of America and Director of Bridges.)

- https://deathstranding.fandom.com/wiki/Die-Hardman

Deadman (Death Stranding character) (Deadman is a main character in Death Stranding. He appears to be involved in the medical field for Bridges. He is an artificial human, created from a combination of cadavers and stems cells.)

- https://deathstranding.fandom.com/wiki/Deadman

Batman: Arkham Knight PC port was a disaster

- https://www.pcgamer.com/au/batman-arkham-knights-launch-appears-to-be-a-disaster/

How to upgrade your PS4 Hard Drive

- https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/how-to-upgrade-your-ps4-hard-drive/

Blair (The Thing character) (Blair was the Senior Biologist of the U.S. Outpost 31. He is portrayed by Wilford Brimley.)

- https://thething.fandom.com/wiki/Blair

All-or-None Law for Nerves and Muscles explained

- https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-all-or-none-law-2794808

John Hinckley Jr. (American who, on March 30, 1981, attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hinckley_Jr.

John Hinckley’s release conditions (Hinckley was released from institutional psychiatric care on September 10, 2016, with many conditions. He was required to live full-time at his mother's home in Williamsburg, Virginia. In addition, the following prohibitions and requirements were imposed on him.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hinckley_Jr.#Release

Ricardo López (known as the "Björk stalker", was a Uruguayan-American pest control worker who attempted to kill Icelandic musician Björk in September 1996.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_L%C3%B3pez_(stalker)

Death of Garry Hoy (lawyer for the law firm of Holden Day Wilson in Toronto who died when he fell from the 24th floor of his office building in Toronto.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Garry_Hoy

The Lawmower Man (a 1992 science-fiction action-horror film directed by Brett Leonard and written by Leonard and Gimel Everett.)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lawnmower_Man_(film)

Scared Sh*tless Podcast (TNC Podcast)

- https://thatsnotcanon.com/scaredshitlesspodcast

Shout Outs

29 July 2020 – ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Closes in West End After 34 Years Due to Coronavirus Impact - https://variety.com/2020/legit/global/coronavirus-phantom-of-the-opera-london-west-end-1234719396/

“The Phantom of the Opera” is the latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic. After a 34-year run at Her Majesty’s Theater in London’s West End theater district, Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical won’t be raising its curtains again, according to producer Cameron Mackintosh. However, Lloyd Webber appears to be more optimistic about reopening, tweeting on Tuesday: “As far as I’m concerned Phantom will reopen as soon as is possible” – ALW.

1 August 2020 – Wilford Brimley, ‘Cocoon’ Star and Quaker Oats Pitchman, passed away at 85 - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wilford-brimley-dead-cocoon-actor-937941

Wilford Brimley, a portly actor with a walrus mustache who found his niche playing cantankerous coots in “Absence of Malice,” “The Natural,” “Cocoon” and other films has passed away. InCocoon (1985), directed by Ron Howard, Brimley portrayed Ben Luckett, one of the residents of the Sunny Shores retirement home whose health miraculously improves after a dip in the pool next door. In the 1980s and 1990s Mr. Brimley was a television fixture as a spokesman for Quaker Oats, gruffly telling viewers to eat the cereal because “it’s the right thing to do,” and Liberty Medical, a company selling diabetes-testing supplies. He died from kidney conditions in St. George, Utah.

2 August 2020 – SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spalshdown - https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/schools/spacex-brings-nasa-crew-back-to-earth-in-first-splashdown-in-45-years-121561

Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX company. It was the first splashdown by US astronauts in 45 years, with the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit. The last time NASA astronauts returned from space to water was on July 24, 1975, in the Pacific, the scene of most splashdowns, to end a joint US-Soviet mission known as Apollo-Soyuz. The return clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month and possible tourist flights next year. Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arrived back on Earth in their SpaceX Dragon capsule named Endeavour, less than a day after departing the International Space Station and two months after blasting off from Florida. Discovery and Science Channel’s simulcasted coverage Sunday of the return of the Space X Crew Dragon spacecraft from its two-month stint at the International Space Station was watched by 4.3 million viewers on the cable networks, Discovery said. To keep the returning astronauts safe in the pandemic, the recovery crew quarantined for two weeks and were tested for the coronavirus.

3 August 2020 – William English, Computer Mouse Co-Creator, passed away at 91 - https://hackaday.com/2020/08/03/william-english-computer-mouse-co-creator-has-passed/

William English, the man who was a key engineer in co-creating a computer mouse and gave the users the facility of moving images on screen, has passed away. Around 1960, English had joined Douglas Engelbart at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) to aid him in the development of a predecessor of what is today’s computer. Their version of the computer has a brown box with buttons or mouse which was a key piece of their model since it helped users control the objects on a screen interface. William’s mouse was utilitarian: a wooden block with two perpendicular wheels on the bottom, and a pair of potentiometers inside to interpret the wheels’ X and Y positions. The analog inputs are converted to digital and represented on the screen. The first mouse had a single button, and the cord was designed to run out the bottom, not the top. William had played an important role in the ‘mother of all demos’ in 1968, during which Engelbart had used a split-screen video to show side-by-side the movements of a hand-controlled mouse and the on-screen movement of the cursor. Engelbart said that he did not know why the device was called a mouse, as it had started that way and they just never changed. Bill designed all the audio-visuals for the demo, set everything up, and staged the 90+ minute presentation by speaking to Englebart and others through headsets. He died from respiratory failure in San Rafael, California, on July 26, 2020.

4 August 2020 – Frances Allen, first woman to win Turing Award for contributions to computing, passed away at 88 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/frances-allen-first-woman-to-win-turing-award-for-contributions-to-computing-dies-at-88/2020/08/06/7ea7d7a2-d7f0-11ea-930e-d88518c57dcc_story.html

Frances Allen, a former high school math teacher who became one of the leading computer scientists of her generation and, in 2006, was the first woman to win the A.M. Turing Award, considered the Nobel Prize in computing passed away. Renowned for her seminal work in optimizing the creation of computer software programs and high-performance computing systems, Ms. Allen earned her stellar reputation in the esoteric field of software compilers. Simply put, her efforts over a distinguished 45-year career at IBM helped software designers generate more-powerful and efficient code, which led to huge advances in the use of supercomputers and parallel processing, and eventually in all levels of computing. Her work, which set the tone for how people in the field think about compiler optimization, bridged the gap between how computers communicate and how people communicate, thus opening up the use of computers to scientists and engineers and others outside the glass-enclosed fortresses of the data centers. Allen became the first female IBM Fellow in 1989. She retired from IBM in 2002 but remained affiliated with the corporation as a Fellow Emerita. In 2007, the IBM Ph.D. Fellowship Award was created in her honor. She died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease in Schenectady, New York.

Remembrances

4 August 1875 – Hans Christian Andersen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christian_Andersen

Usually called H.C. Andersen, was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisting of 156 stories across nine volumes and translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. His most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Little Mermaid," "The Nightingale," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Red Shoes", "The Princess and the Pea," "The Snow Queen," "The Ugly Duckling," "The Little Match Girl," and "Thumbelina." His stories have inspired ballets, plays, and animated and live-action films. One of Copenhagen's widest and busiest boulevards, skirting Copenhagen City Hall Square at the corner of which Andersen's larger-than-life bronze statue sits, is named "H.C. Andersens Boulevard." At the time of his death, Andersen was internationally revered, and the Danish Government paid him an annual stipend as a "national treasure". He died from liver cancer at the age of 70 in Østerbro,Copenhagen.

4 August 1977 – Edgar Adrian - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Adrian

Edgar Douglas Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian, English electrophysiologist and recipient of the 1932 Nobel Prize for Physiology, won jointly with Sir Charles Sherrington for work on the function of neurons. He provided experimental evidence for the all-or-none law of nerves. Continuing earlier studies of Keith Lucas, he used a capillary electrometer and cathode ray tube to amplify the signals produced by the nervous system and was able to record the electrical discharge of single nerve fibres under physical stimulus. (It seems he used frogs in his experiments) An accidental discovery by Adrian in 1928 proved the presence of electricity within nerve cells. A key result, published in 1928, stated that the excitation of the skin under constant stimulus is initially strong but gradually decreases over time, whereas the sensory impulses passing along the nerves from the point of contact are constant in strength, yet are reduced in frequency over time, and the sensation in the brain diminishes as a result. Extending these results to the study of pain causes by the stimulus of the nervous system, he made discoveries about the reception of such signals in the brain and spatial distribution of the sensory areas of the cerebral cortex in different animals. These conclusions lead to the idea of a sensory map, called the homunculus, in the somatosensory system. Later, Adrian used the electroencephalogram to study the electrical activity of the brain in humans. His work on the abnormalities of the Berger rhythm paved the way for subsequent investigation in epilepsy and other cerebral pathologies. He died at the age of 87 in Cambridge.

4 August 2014 – James Brady - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brady

James Scott Brady, assistant to the U.S. President and the fifteenth White House Press Secretary, serving under President Ronald Reagan. In 1981, Brady became permanently disabled from a gunshot wound during the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. His death was ruled a homicide, caused by the gunshot wound he received 33 years earlier. On March 30, 1981, 69 days into his presidency, Ronald Reagan and his cabinet members, including Brady, were leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel when a gunman opened fire. The first of six bullets hit Brady. The gunman was 25-year-old John Hinckley Jr. Although Brady survived, the wound left him with slurred speech and partial paralysis that required the full-time use of a wheelchair. Kobrine, his neurosurgeon, described him as having difficulty controlling his emotions while speaking after the shooting, saying "he would kind of cry-talk for a while", and suffering deficits in memory and thinking, such as failing to recognize people. In 1996, Brady received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton, the highest civilian award in the United States. Brady died at at the age of 73 in Alexandria, Virginia. Four days later, the medical examiner ruled that his death was a homicide, caused by the gunshot wound which he sustained in 1981. Hinckley did not face any charges for Brady's death because he had been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Famous Birthdays

3 August 1811 – Elisha Otis - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisha_Otis

Elisha Graves Otis, American industrialist, founder of the Otis Elevator Company, and inventor of a safety device that prevents elevators from falling if the hoisting cable fails. At the age of 40, while he was cleaning up the factory, he wondered how he could get all the old debris up to the upper levels of the factory. He had heard of hoisting platforms, but these often broke, and he was unwilling to take the risks. He and his sons, who were also tinkerers, designed their own "safety elevator" and tested it successfully. He initially thought so little of it he neither patented it nor requested a bonus from his superiors for it, nor did he try to sell it. After having made several sales, and after the bedstead factory declined, Otis took the opportunity to make an elevator company out of it, initially called Union Elevator Works and later Otis Brothers & Co. At the New York Crystal Palace, Otis amazed a crowd when he ordered the only rope holding the platform on which he was standing cut. The rope was severed by an axeman, and the platform fell only a few inches before coming to a halt. The safety locking mechanism had worked, and people gained greater willingness to ride in traction elevators; these elevators quickly became the type in most common usage and helped make present-day skyscrapers possible. He was born in Halifax, Vermont.

4 August 1834 – John Venn - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Venn

English mathematician, logician and philosopher noted for introducing the Venn diagram, used in the fields of set theory, probability, logic, statistics, competition math, and computer science. In 1866, Venn published The Logic of Chance, a ground-breaking book which espoused the frequency theory of probability, offering that probability should be determined by how often something is forecast to occur as opposed to “educated” assumptions. Venn then further developed George Boole's theories in the 1881 work Symbolic Logic, where he highlighted what would become known as Venn diagrams. He built rare machines. A certain machine was meant to bowl cricket balls. The machine was so fascinating that when Australian cricketers were visiting Cambridge, the machines were used to entertain their arrival. The bowl cricket ball machine that Venn built actually bowled out the top ranked player of the team four times consecutively. He was born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire.

4 August 1975 – Andy Hallet - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Hallett

Andrew Alcott Hallett, American singer and actor who became known from playing the part of Lorne in the television series Angel (2000–2004). He used his singing talents often on the show, and performed two songs on the series' 2005 soundtrack album, Angel: Live Fast, Die Never. After moving to Los Angeles, Hallett worked as a runner for an agency and then as a property manager. He eventually became a personal assistant to Kai Cole, wife of Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. When the couple and their friends saw Hallett singing at the "B.B. Kings" lounge at Universal City Walk, Whedon conceived a new character for his new show Angel: Lorne, an anagogic demon who reads the hearts and futures of his guests as they sing in his karaoke bar. Hallett was invited to try out for the part, and won it after three auditions. The character of Lorne was featured as a recurring character in 45 episodes before Hallett was added to the title sequence as a series regular for the last nine episodes of the fourth season, and all of the fifth; in total he appeared as Lorne in 76 of the show's 110 episodes. The character's demonic visage involved extensive prosthetic makeup and detailed coloring of his face, neck and hands, leading to early calls for at least two and a half hours of makeup before Hallett's filming day could begin. He was born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Events of Interest

4 August 1936 – Jesse Owens wins long jump—and respect—in Germany - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jesse-owens-wins-long-jump-and-respect-in-germany

On August 4, 1936, American Jesse Owens wins gold in the long jump at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. It was the second of four gold medals Owens won in Berlin, as he firmly dispelled German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler’s notion of the superiority of an Aryan “master race,” for all the world to see. Owens would win his third gold medal and set his second Olympic record of the games in the 200 meters the next day. On August 9, he followed that up by helping his team set a new world record—39.8 seconds—in the 4 x 100 meter relay. Owens and Metcalfe replaced two American Jews, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, originally scheduled to run the relay that day. Later, the U.S. team was criticized for the move, which was thought to be an appeasement of Hitler and the Nazi party, who would likely have been even angrier to see Jews, already a frequent target of Nazi hate and harassment, bring home a medal.

4 August 1944 – Anne Frank captured - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/anne-frank-captured

Acting on tip from a Dutch informer, the Nazi Gestapo captures 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse. The Franks had taken shelter there in 1942 out of fear of deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. They occupied the small space with another Jewish family and a single Jewish man, and were aided by Christian friends, who brought them food and supplies. Anne spent much of her time in the so-called “secret annex” working on her diary. The diary survived the war, overlooked by the Gestapo that discovered the hiding place, but Anne and nearly all of the others perished in the Nazi death camps. In 1947, Anne’s diary was published by Otto in its original Dutch. An instant best-seller and eventually translated into more than 70 languages, The Diary of Anne Frank has served as a literary testament to the nearly six million Jews, including Anne herself, who were silenced in the Holocaust.

4 August 1995 – Virtuosity premiered theatrically - https://www.scifihistory.net/august-4.html

Actor Denzel Washington has made a few quality stabs at Science Fiction. One of his earliest -- Virtuosity -- premiered theatrically on this day back in 1995. Virtuosity had an estimated budget of $30 million, but only made $24 million at the domestic box office. Here's the plot summary: "A virtual-reality serial killer manages to escape into the real world."

Intro

Artist – Goblins from Mars

Song Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)

Song Link -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJ

Facebook

- Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/

- Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/440485136816406/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamated

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jillmckenzie1 · 4 years

Text

Return of the Sad Action Guy

Extraction is streaming on Netflix now.

Not all action movies are created equally. You know that, and you know there’s a wide world of difference between an honest-to-God classic like Die Hard and a disappointment sandwich like A Good Day to Die Hard. Like me, you’re likely stuck in coronavirus lockdown, and you’re likely looking for entertainment to take the edge off. The question is, what flavor of action movie are you after?

If you break it down, there are really three kinds of action protagonists. The first is Happy Action Guy. Bruce Willis has played quite a few of them, and despite the fact that his John McClane is frequently scared, annoyed, or pissed-off, his baseline emotion is happiness. We know that because he’s in a good enough mood to crack wise and, if nothing else, amuse himself. Indiana Jones is another Happy Action Guy, and we can see he’s having a reasonably good time raiding tombs and punching Nazis in the kisser. The same goes for Dwayne Johnson, and even when his characters are worked up into a lather, they’re ultimately happy.

Next up is Angry Action Guy. For a while there, Clint Eastwood had the market cornered playing this role, and as Dirty Harry, he was frequently seething, vexed, or in a state of righteous indignation. Mel Gibson also played plenty of Angry Action Guys, before getting sidelined by some troubling mental health and racism issues. As much as Kurt Russell is known to be a laid back and charming dude, his Snake Plissken is one of the great Angry Action Guys in cinema. He exists in a state of nearly constant irritation, and he ultimately wants humanity to leave him the hell alone.

Lastly, we have Sad Action Guy. This protagonist has experienced a degree of trauma in the past, and their primary emotional state consists of being a big ol’ wet blanket. Denzel Washington’s John Creasy in the very good Man on Fire is a first-class grumparoo, and Keanu Reeves’ John Wick would be a gigantic bummer to be stuck with at a party. The latest member of the Sad Action Guy club? That would be ya boi Chris Hemsworth in the new and pretty decent action flick Extraction.

We’re introduced to young Ovi Mahajan Jr. (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) a tween living a real good news/bad news kind of life in Bangladesh. The good news is that he’s a kind and smart kid who will likely go far in life. The bad news is that he might not go that far since his pops, Ovi Mahajan Sr. (Pankaj Tripathi), is one of the two biggest druglords in the city. The other druglord would be Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli), and his diabolical plan involves kidnapping Ovi Jr., holding him for ransom, and generally being kind of a dick about the whole thing.

Ovi Sr. is cooling his heels in prison, but he still (kind of?) cares about his kid. He springs into action and hires the amusingly named Tyler Rake* (Chris Hemsworth) a mopey Australian mercenary. The mission is allegedly simple – rescue Ovi Jr. Tyler’s co-worker/associate is Nik Khan (Golshifteh Farahani), and she thinks that the mission is quite a bit more difficult than advertised.

Considering that Tyler is a walking list of clichés, one of them being a death wish, he agrees to the job. Things become even less straightforward when he learns that Saju (Randeep Hooda) is after the lad as well. You see, Saju is a former member of Indian Special Forces, and a current enforcer for Ovi Sr. Ovi tells Saju that if he cannot rescue Ovi Jr, Saju’s family will be killed. Why is it that a) Ovi sends Saju after his son while also sending Tyler after his son, and b) why does he threaten Saju when he would have undertaken the mission anyway? Well…I have no idea, so, moving on!

From there, Tyler will have to kill a bunch of guys in order to rescue Ovi, then deal with an entire city coming to kill him. He’ll take part in a legit jaw dropping 20-something minute long chase scene, fight child soldiers, get stabbed, hit by a car, kicked, punched, shot, and have harsh language thrown his way. In short, he’s having a rough couple of days.

Extraction is a pretty damn solid action movie, with some pretty damn large problems. First, the good. Director Sam Hargrave made his bones as a stunt coordinator in the MCU, and this is his feature debut. “Bravo!” says I, since he’s made a movie with some top tier action sequences. They’re clever, brutal, and shot cleanly. As a stunt professional, Hargrave doesn’t hide his sequences behind hyperactive editing.** We can see everything from Hemsworth taking apart a room full of luckless goons, a running gun battle through the streets of Bangladesh, and a genuinely gripping car chase with a POV-perspective. If nothing else, Hargrave has delivered some extremely cool scenes.

Yet when we focus on the characters and story, things become significantly less cool. Based on the graphic novel Ciudad, the screenplay was adapted by Joe Russo, one half of the duo that directed Avengers: Endgame. His script isn’t bad, considering it moves very quickly and remembers to take the occasional breather to work on character development. The characters are the problem, though. Chris Hemsworth’s Tyler is stoic, competent, macho, secretly tormented, and entirely uninteresting. Our antagonists, for the most part, seem to be evil for the sake of evil. A henchman tosses a kid off a building. A ganglord delivers sinister dialogue that’s little more than threats. With two exceptions, the villains ain’t so good.

The first exception is Randeep Hooda’s Saju. He’s forced into a lousy situation, and he’s got to try and take out Tyler in order to protect his family, despite the fact that he admires Tyler. This is interesting character development pulled off excellently by Hooda, and I would have liked the script to have been a battle of wills between two sympathetic main characters. The other exception is Suraj Rikame as Farhad, a teenager groomed to become one of Amir’s henchmen. We’re seeing the birth of a child soldier here, a young man forced to make monstrous choices to survive.

The star of the show is Chris Hemsworth, and I’m coming to realize something about him as a performer. He’s a good actor, very good, and there’s a reason he’s one of the standouts in the MCU as Thor. When Hemsworth plays a Hero and gets serious, he’s not particularly interesting. Comedic roles, or roles where he gets to play a genuine weirdo, playing against type is when Hemsworth shines. I didn’t go into his genuinely odd performance in Avengers: Endgame in my initial review, but I appreciate it more and more as time goes on. He does his best with what he has, and a little subversion of the standard Sad Action Guy would have made things even better.

A movie where a gigantic white guy kills the hell out of a bunch of brown people isn’t a great look. Let’s not forget that while Extraction has its problems, it delivers a ton of well-shot action and a few surprisingly interesting supporting characters.

*Wondering if Tyler Rake kills someone with a rake? Well…yes, obviously.

**Looking at you, The Bourne Supremacy.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/return-of-the-sad-action-guy/

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