Wednesday, March 5, 2008

really die hard

JOHN MCCLANE!!!! Is there anything he can't do?! He's like Jack Bauer, except he started doing it in the 80s, so he's Jack Bauer before Jack Bauer was Jack Bauer.

-The tunnel car/helicopter scene!!!
-Roast on villainous ninja lady
-Kevin Smith you big goof!
-I like how in the last chase scene when McClane is just following the van he still has to do a massive amount of damage and run over tons of cars...and I didn't know you can pop a wheelie in a semi truck.
-John McClane really does say yippie-kay-yay mother(youknowtherest) in every movie!!!

I'm not sure how to rank them cus in the first two they are like talking on VCR telephones and there are lots of shoulder pads (and the whole weird naked karate thing) and the last two are newer and there are computers and cell phones. But going purely on quality I think this is how I feel:

1. Die Hard
2. Die Hard: With A Vengeance
3. Live Free or Die Hard
4. Die Hard: Die Harder (also, worst title ever)

Thanks to everyone for supporting me through these two days. I may not do anything very important or worthwhile in my life, but I sure know how to watch movies at work.

4 comments:

Risa West said...

i feel like i have to see them all now. i have only seen the first, and it was so long ago i don't remember much.

aporitic said...

Good series on the Die Hard franchise. This sort of thing is why I read blogs.

Now that you've finished, I want to point out that Live Free or Die Hard answers -- albeit in a really oblique way -- your question (and Holly's) from yesterday. To wit: Why does this stuff always happen to the McClanes?

Answer:

*****

WILL FERRELL (Justin Long): I’m not like you, I can’t do this shit.

JOHN MCCLANE: What’s that mean? Like what?

FERRELL: I’m not, like, heroic, and everything. I’m not brave like you are. I’m not that guy.

MCCLANE: I’m nobody’s hero, kid.

FERRELL: You saved my life, like, ten times the last six hours.

MCCLANE: Just doing my job, that’s all.
[continues]
You know what you get for being a hero? Nothin'. You get shot at. Get a little pat on the back. Blah-blah-blah, “Attaboy.” You get divorced. A wife that can’t remember your last name. Your kids don’t wannna talk to you. You get to eat a lot of meals by yourself. Trust me, kid, nobody wants to be that guy.

FERRELL: Then why do you do it?

MCCLANE: Because there’s nobody else to do it right now, that’s why. Believe me if there was somebody else to do it, I would let them. But there’s not. So we’re doing it.

FERRELL: Ahh. That’s what makes you that guy.

*****

In short, this sort of stuff doesn't always happen to the McClanes, it happens to lots of people.

The difference is that most people, most of the time, aren't "that guy." Maybe they just do what they're told and hope they won't get hurt if they cooperate. Or they curl up in a ball from shock. Or they just sit down and wait to get rescued by "trained professionals." Or they get shot in the back running for the exit. But stepping up and doing the work that needs to be done because no one else will?

It keeps happening to Jahn McClane, because everywhere he goes, he can't get away from himself. He can't stop being "that guy," the guy who won't stand by waiting for someone else to do whatever it is that must be done.

Ems said...

wow. that's really thoughtful, thanks aporitic.

aporitic said...

Hey, you're welcome.

For further reading along these lines, check out this article on MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19231826/