Movie Review; Die Hard 5

Die Hard 5, or A Good Day to Die Hard is a high action film where John McClane comes back, but this time its his son, John Jr.or Jack, who is in the heart of the action. McClane goes to Moscow to find his son who happens to be there on assignment. McClane is dragged into a world of spies and crooked Russian politicians. If you like car chases, major crashes and bombs exploding this might be the movie for you. If you like a good plot? Eh.

There were a few weak points in plotting that had me questioning things from the start. I don't want to give away the plot here but in one assassination attempt a man walks in and is fairly close to the subject and tags the guy in the shoulder? Really? So right away we knew there was something off here.The movie maker may have thought he was setting up a twist, but this action was so blatantly staged we were waiting for reveal instead of being surprised when it happened.

During the scene when father and son first encounter each other, Jr. simply drives away leaving Daddy in the street. What was weird about this scene is that Jr. was being chased by bad guys so he was really leaving  Daddy in the line of fire.

Jr. shows dislike for this father throughout but its never really explained why he feels this way. In one scene John Sr. says something to someone else about working too much and not being there for his kids but never do we hear Jr explain why he's being such a jerk to his father. I thought this was a weak plot point. If you're going to put this in the story, we need Jr's reason from Jr. Not some two minute remark from Dad to another person. Without Jr's point of view he comes across as a jerk. Main characters should be someone we connect with, not someone we think is being a jerk.

Car chases and fight scenes: although action filled with flipping cars, mega crashes, high powered gun fights and fist fights, these weren't filmed from the best angles and sometimes it was hard to keep track of where everyone was in the scene. Some of the explosions had father and son falling from the top floor of a building, crashing through scaffolding and walking away almost unscathed. Kinda unbelievable. In all the other Die Hard's the injuries kinda matched the accidents. Here the disbelief factor was high, another detractor to the movie.

Good point throughout the movie; Explosions were big and lit up the whole screen. There were times during the movie where I cringed, closed my eyes, and almost jumped out of my seat. There was a major twist at the end that really made the movie and did kinda surprise me.

In spite of the weak plotting points this movie was a pretty good action film. It had all the right ingredients but when I left the theater I felt it could have been better. As we walked out I wasn't left with that feeling you get from a really great film. The one where the characters stay with you for a while and you don't want to let the go.

The film has the potential to be great so what happened? I didn't get one Yippie Ki Yay.

I give it 3 and a half stars out of 5. Sorry Bruce.

The Miserables ...Les Miz

I'm not one for musicals unless they are outstanding. I only went to see this one because my daughter wanted to go. I didn't expect a lot. I had no hopes other than ...please don't let me snore if I fall asleep.

I saw Les Miserables on Broadway and although it was good it wasn't my favorite play. The actors (I can't even remember who they were), were good, Broadway caliber to be sure, but overall it was just..eh.

Now all we hear about Anne Hathaway is how she's up for an Oscar or Emmy or whatever they give the movie actors. Yeah, I'm that far out of the loop on these things. My movie going experience has never been a match for whoever is giving out those awards. I mean, after all, they liked Titanic-who had a main character I couldn't stand. She was the downfall of two men because of her selfish ways.
But here I'm going off topic. Back to Les Miz...

Yes! Anne Hathaway deserves the Oscar, Emmy or whatever because her short but soulful part in this movie was amazing. She had the entire audience n tears. Fontaine, a woman forced into prostitution, is portrayed by Anne with absolute perfection. We saw Fontaine as a good woman forced to do the unspeakable to save her child. Your heart broke because of her situation. Anne's acting was excellent. If you go for no other reason, go to see Anne Hathaway's Fontaine.

The photography, set design and wardrobe were all very well done. You were there, in the bitter bowels of the early 1800's with the poor and the suffering. The dirty alleys, people doing whatever they can to fetter out an existence all come together to set the scene where Hugh Jackman, aka Jean ValJean, and Fontaine's lives collide.

Without giving away the plot to those who have no idea what this show is about I have to say along with a great setting and photography, the casting was perfect. Of course we know Hugh Jackman as a versatile and talented actor, but I didn't even recognize him in the opening scene until he opened his mouth. And yes, this man can sing! Russel Crowe stepped up to give a great performance as well. He played the stoic and unforgiving Javert. I would have liked to see his part expanded upon but that's just not in Les Miz.

I was greatly impressed by the show as a whole and thought it a better experience than Broadway.  From the unforgettable Anne Hathaway, to the battle scene, to the end where we see Jean Valjean ....well, you'll find out....go see it!

I didn't even feel like snoozing on this one. One of the best musicals I've ever seen.

Jack Reacher: Movie Review by a Book Lover

I went into the theater with a chip on my shoulder. Tom Cruise as the invincible Jack Reacher? No way. Jack is like 6’6” and like 230 lbs. Cruise is just a skinny little guy with a body more like a teenager than a man. How can he possibly play this hero I’ve been reading for years?

So why did I go? One reason; Lee Child. This author gave me Jack Reacher and many great books in which to live for a little while. How could I not go and support an author who’s given me such great times?

During the opening scenes I had to keep reminding myself to calm down, give it a chance. Keep an open mind. It was hard at first…and then I got sucked right into Reacher-world.

Tom Cruise aced Jack Reacher.

There, I said it. And by the end of the movie I could definitely see him step into the skin of our hero. There were several reasons this worked.

Tom put on some weight for this character; mostly muscle.  When he took off his shirt his body had the muscular thickness I could see on a man I visualize as Reacher. Tom looked better than I’ve ever seen him in any of this other movies. Skinny kid gone, grown man awesome.

Camera angles. Tom didn’t appear 6’6” but he did come across as taller in most of the scenes. Good camera work made him appear larger overall which let us see him as a possible Reacher. It wasn’t there all the time but enough so that Tom definitely came across as much more than the skinny character he’s played in movies like Mission Impossible. 

The story was true Lee Child. The language of Lee came through in almost all of the scenes and they stayed true to character of Jack Reacher. We see him buying new clothing and dumping his old stuff in a Good Will bin. Yes, his toothbrush is in his pocket!  A little sexy, a little unreachable, very dynamic.

Action scenes were awesome. From the fight scenes to the car chases. I was on the edge of my seat throughout. It was Reacher style fighting, no holds barred and dirty as anything we’ve read in the books. Totally fitting our beloved Reacher.

If you’ve read the book you see things from the inside of Reacher’s head and because this is a movie you don’t get that as much but that’s true with every movie. However the plot was there and kept us on the edge of our seat. There were moments I had to cover my eyes the action was so graphic. (That’s a good thing!) I laughed out loud, nearly screamed with fright and wanted to yell at the screen at times. (I restrained myself since the woman in front of me was doing enough of that for everyone ~ )

When we go to the theater, if the movie was GREAT we call it a “Buy”. Meaning we have to get the DVD when it comes out so we can see it again and again. Jack Reacher was definitely a “Buy” in my book.  I’d go see it again today if my family wouldn’t think I was crazy.

Well played Tom. Jack Reacher gets 5 STARS in my book. Go see it and keep an open mind. I’m glad I did. One more thing: make sure you check out the sexy desk Sargent…..