A Good Day to Die Hard.

Review #1609: A Good Day to Die Hard.

Cast: 
Bruce Willis (John McClane), Jai Courtney (John "Jack" McClane, Jr), Sebastian Koch (Yuri Komarov), Yulia Snigir (Irina Komarov), Radivoje Bukvic (Alik), Sergei Kolesnikov (Viktor Chagarin), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Lucy McClane), Cole Hauser (Mike Collins), Aldis Hodge (Lt. Foxy), and Amaury Nolasco (Murphy) Directed by John Moore.

Review: 
"I have a warm spot in my heart for Die Hard...It’s just the sheer novelty of being able to play the same character over 25 years and still be asked back is fun. It’s much more challenging to have to do a film again and try to compete with myself, which is what I do in Die Hard. I try to improve my work every time. I get to do different things and look differently, and it’s still accepted, and people come out. It’s just an amazing thing.”

Sometimes one should just start with something cordial before the storm hits. After all, this is the fifth and presumably last installment in the Die Hard franchise, one that has had such irregularity with its sequels that followed since the original icon that came out in 1988 (a great action film and Christmas movie). Granted, I didn't hate any of the sequels, but I certainly grew up with enough viewings of the first three to see how much charisma and action can be carried with Bruce Willis as a star. Live Free or Die Hard (2007) is probably the one I've seen the least amount of times (one), but that didn't mean it was bad or anything, it's just a byproduct of not going around to watch modern films more than once (unless I really want to). So, here we are, with an R-rated Die Hard film again, and it happens to be the only one that is an entirely original work (the first two were loosely based on books, the third was an unused script and the fourth was a Wired article and a separate script) that was written by Skip Woods, writer of films such as Swordfish (2001) and The A-Team (2010). One working title was apparently "Die Hard 24/7", which I can only imagine would have been just as silly in whatever it would have to do in 24/7 mayhem (or a crossover with some number-related TV show that I've never seen). The director for this film is Irish director John Moore, a graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology that made his own short films and commercials alongside work for the camera before being brought in to direct for 20th Century Fox with Behind Enemy Lines (2001), with this being the fifth and last film Moore has made for the studio.

One knows they are in for some trouble when they realize it is only 97 minutes long. Every one of the previous films was two hours long, and that is likely because those actually seemed to have a useful structure built in that made for useful entertainment without being just a vehicle for action and cardboard. Besides, those films generally had a set-up of a man caught in the middle of violent crisis that is usually one's only hope, whether that involves terrorists on a building, planes stalling, robbing the Federal Reserve, or cyberterrorism. Now, we have a film that takes its cue from the last film in making it a family affair, now set mostly in Russia (or rather Hungary with location shooting) that finds itself involving McClane in a plot with the CIA and secret files involving Chernobyl, and hues of blues and oranges that will make one blur their eyes in agony. The film that comes from it isn't too much better, as it is the worst of the five Die Hard films without any doubt, committing the clearest sin imaginable: being just a bland action movie. Its attempt at blurring the lines with who its villain is alongside a middling father-son act mean that we have a muddy movie, one that might as well be turned into one of those "choose your own adventure" books or video games, being the equivalent of a three-day old cheeseburger with flat soda. One won't hate what they see play out on screen because they will probably be bored stiff by it instead. At the time of the release of this film, Willis was the same age as another icon at the end of his tenure in Roger Moore for A View to a Kill (1985). Strangely enough, I don't see this film receiving any sort of lingering campy sentimental push like that film has. Willis isn't quite at the point where he seems a bit too old to still be an action star, but he sure doesn't seem like he is having much to do here, doing a few quips that have the hitting power of one going through the motions. Courtney isn't too much better either, since one doesn't really feel (or care) about their bond as father and son and therefore just sees an action film that gives them a gruff attitude and not much else. Koch joins them for a time as the target of interest that has a resolution that is meant to be a surprise but is instead a yawning sigh. Snigir isn't too much better, because there really is nothing here to grab on to in scenery or with drama - so one can't find much to point and laugh with in bland popcorn. By the time the climax happens, I'm just trying to make sure my eyes don't strain from how murky it looks (no, cheating by simply turning the brightness all the way up won't help), and I can't imagine how a sixth film would have looked, honestly. Look, if you want to see things explode or people jumping through windows, you will likely find it done in better films, and they might seem less murky in enjoyment and/or the laws of physics. Truly, it should have ended after four films (or three). It comes, it goes, it bores, it snores, it stinks. 

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Terminator Genisys.

Review #834: Terminator Genisys.

Cast
Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Guardian), Jason Clarke (John Connor), Emilia Clarke (Sarah Connor), Jai Courtney (Kyle Reese), J.K. Simmons (O'Brien), Dayo Okeniyi (Danny Dyson), Matt Smith (Alex), Courtney B. Vance (Miles Dyson), Lee Byung-hun (Cop / T-1000), Michael Gladis (Lt. Matias), and Sandrine Holt (Detective Cheung) Directed by Alan Taylor (#827 - Thor: The Dark World)

Review
The Terminator franchise (#001 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day, #063 - The Terminator, #089 - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and #090 - Terminator Salvation) is a strange one in terms of where the story goes in these films...and also the quality of the movies. The first two films are great movies, both being hallmarks in the sci-fi genre because of the high quality writing and entertaining action. The third movie was a mixed bag that felt unneeded. The fourth one was flat out uninteresting to watch. As for this film...it's certainly a strange one. It's clear the people behind this film saw Star Trek (#009) and tried to make their own version...and it could have worked. The idea of a Guardian Terminator protecting and raising Sarah might've have worked as its own thing, instead of shoehorning Kyle Reese into the dynamic. One of the biggest problems is that Courtney and E. Clarke don't have real chemistry together, and while no duo could really compare to the chemistry that Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn had in the first film, there is never a moment where they click together. He just doesn't give much to care about, resembling one of those blank slates in a fan-fic. Ultimately, this is a movie that is at best moderately entertaining but at worst just a bland retread, with a sequence mimicking the first film, and even a T-1000 (that is promptly beaten in less than 20 minutes) that is a bit laughable, for all the wrong reasons. It just feels weird seeing another film where they think they will destroy Skynet by doing X. I appreciate the idea of a retcon, but there really isn't anything presented here to demonstrate the need to have another film. There's no real style to the movie, nothing that you can really identify as memorable. Another problem is that there are no real stakes, with everything feeling predictable (in a way like the third film) and somewhat tedious. Schwarzenegger is as entertaining as ever, having better chemistry with E. Clarke than Courtney does. J. Clarke is pretty decent for what he's given to work with. The action scenes are pretty decent, though sometimes it comes off as a bit dull with regards to the colors. There really isn't much to the supporting cast, with Smith having barely any time to register a presence beyond occasional dialogue. It's a movie that works when it's about the action, but not so much when it's about the characters or story. Honestly, just stick to the first two films.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Suicide Squad.

Review #828: Suicide Squad.

Cast
Will Smith (Floyd Lawton / Deadshot), Jared Leto (Joker), Margot Robbie (Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Jai Courtney (Digger Harkness / Captain Boomerang), Jay Hernandez (Chato Santana / El Diablo), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Waylon Jones / Killer Croc), Cara Delevingne (Dr. June Moone / Enchantress), Karen Fukuhara (Tatsu Yamashiro / Katana), Adam Beach (Christopher Weiss / Slipknot), Ike Barinholtz (Griggs), and Scott Eastwood (GQ Edwards) Directed by David Ayer (#694 - Fury)

Review
Earlier in the year (April Fool's Day to be exact), I saw DC's attempts at setting up the Justice League with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (#788), which was...divisive to say. For me, it was a bad muddled mess. Four months later, Suicide Squad attempts to try and bring some sort of humor. It's strange that this review comes nearly two years to the day of when I saw Guardians of the Galaxy (#626), which was also a movie about lesser known heroes as a group, though this one is with villains. So how does this movie hold up? It's as about as muddled as the movie itself. In a way, it's as if someone read the Wikipedia page on Guardians of the Galaxy being successful with a bunch of characters not well known to everyone while skimming through exactly why it was so successful.

Yes, there are parts where the film has humor and some semblance of fun. But by the end of it, one will wonder exactly was edited in and out of the movie, though unlike Dawn of Justice, this movie is marginally better at that department, as well as being a decent, if not flawed movie. Smith does a fantastic job, with a good edge of charisma inside a character devoted to shooting people. Robbie certainly has a good deal of energy to her and the character, which either can come off as right for the film or just a tiny bit grating. For me it was a bit of both, sometimes helping the movie out but also sometimes making the movie a bit annoying, with a costume that veers on being entirely ridiculous (Hot pants? Must hurt after a while). Kinnaman is the straight man in all this lunacy, and he does a fine job in a role that could have been just played with blandness, having some fine moments with Smith while also having some sort of personality. Davis plays her role with no semblance of fakery, completely making for a compelling character trying to wring all these powerful people to do something for her, which works. Courtney is fine, but his character doesn't really get much to do in terms of character development, which could also be said for Fukuhara as Katana, though the latter is slightly more interesting to watch, what with the sword and all. Hernandez is pretty decent, having a surprising turn of characterization near the end that makes the character more than just a fire breathing dude. Akinnuoye-Agbaje, for all the brief times he speaks, is okay. Delevinge does okay, but she isn't given much time until the climax to try and shine, though the main cast overshadows her for the most part. Lastly, there's Jared Leto as the Joker, resembling Macaulay Culkin mixed with Hot Topic...who is the weakest part of the film, for the brief amount of time he was in (probably less than 10 minutes), mainly because his scenes derail the momentum along with having no real sort of charisma, coming off as a wannabe Joker. The scenes with Joker and Harley Quinn sometimes work, but honestly they're less compelling than the scenes with the actual squad. I understand the dynamic between the two, but I also understand that I could just watch Batman: The Animated Series if I wanted to see that dynamic not distract from the actual film. It's strange that the Joker kinda just disappears right before the climax, though if you don't like the Joker, it probably helps.

The action scenes are sometimes fun, but other times it feels muddled in grey/blue, with about as much shooting as one would expect. The effects are also fine, if not sometimes a bit distracting (especially with Killer Croc). Honestly, the movie is muddled between action and quipping lines, seeming like it's trying to emulate Deadpool (#779) at points, but it's also accompanied by a plot that's kind of muddled between recruiting the group (taking around 20-30 minutes) and a climax that plods at times. The music cues that accompany the film in the beginning somewhat work but also seem to be shoehorned in. The group does have at least some chemistry together, in a strange sort of way, considering the nature of their mission. Near the end, it even flashbacks to an earlier scene in a weird way to explain something that probably could've just been explained in dialogue only. Honestly, it either should've gone entirely gritty or go for something a bit more organic, but for me it's an average movie, being the ultimate take it or leave it kind of film that will work for some, but exhaust others. There is a mid-credits scene, which is fairly decent (look, not all movies need a credits scene, but it's a nice little bonus). Experiencing it in a movie theater with a bunch of friends is probably the best way to take the movie in the long run. That, or not paying more than five/six bucks to see it.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.