“Die Hard 2” directed by Renny Harlin; starring Bruce Willis / Z-View

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Die Hard 2 (1990)

Director:  Renny Harlin

Screenplay: Steven E. de Souza, Doug Richardson; based on 58 MINUTES by Walter Wagner

Stars: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Reginald VelJohnson, Franco Nero, William Sadler, Dennis Franz, Art Evans, Fred Thompson, Tom Bower, Sheila McCarthy, Don Harvey, Tony Ganios, Robert Patrick, John Leguizamo and John Amos.

Tagline: Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Same John McClane

The Plot…

Christmas Eve two years after the events at Nakatomi Tower.  John McClane is now a lieutenant with the LAPD.

While waiting to pick up his wife at the at Dulles International Airport, McClane notices two men sneaking into a restricted area.  McClane pulls his police ID and follows.  When McClane identifies himself, the two men pull guns and begin shooting.  McClane returns fire.  After a short gun battle, McClane kills one. The second man escapes.

McClane meets with Carmine Lorenzo airport police chief, and Ed Trudeau, air traffic control director.  McClane is concerned that the two men were part of a bigger team planning a major terrorist attack.  Neither Lorenzo or Trudeau are willing to accept that.

McClane is right.  What nobody knows is the Ramon Esperanza, a cartel drug lord, is in custody.  He’s on a plane headed for  Dulles International.  A squad of ex-military mercenaries led by disgraced US Colonel William Stuart have plans to liberate Esperanza.  It will be up to McClane to stop them.

What chance does one cop have against a group of heavily armed terrorists?  Anyone remember Nakatomi Tower?

Yippi-Ki-Yay, mother*******.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Die Hard 2 is loosely based on the Walter Wagner novel 58 MINUTES.  A lot was changed for the film.  Don’t read the book expecting Die Hard 2 the movie.

Die Hard was loosely based on Roderick Thorp’s novel NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.  Thorp was given credit in Die Hard 2 for creating  “certain original characters”.  His name was misspelled as Thorpe in the credits.

Because Willis’ ad-libbed many of the most popular lines in Die Hard, he was given free reign to ad-lib all he wanted in Die Hard 2.

Die Hard 2 did almost twice the box office of Die Hard.  This insured that the franchise would continue.

Roman Esperanza, the drug lord, was said to be from Val Verde.  This is the same fictional country used in Commando.  John McClane and John Matrix could have teamed up!

Die Hard 2 is a worthy follow-up to the original.

Die Hard 2 (1990) rates 4 of 5 stars

“Die Hard” (1988) directed by John McTiernan; starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman / Z-View

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Die Hard (1988)

Director:  John McTiernan

Screenplay: Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza; based on NOTHING LASTS FOREVER by Roderick Thorp

Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, De’voreaux White, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Alexander Godunov, Andreas Wisniewski, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Lorenzo Caccialanza  and Al Leong.

Tagline: High above the city of L.A. a team of terrorists has seized a building, taken hostages and declared war. One man has managed to escape. An off-duty cop hiding somewhere inside. He’s alone, tired… and the only chance anyone has got.

The Plot…

New York City detective John McClane has flown to LA on Christmas Eve.  McClane is hoping to get back with with his estranged wife, Holly.  But first they have to attend Holly’s work Christmas party at the Nakatomi Towers.  Holly’s moving up in the Nakatomi corporation and that’s one of the problems in the McClane marriage.

The party is just getting underway when John arrives.  He excuses himself to clean up in one of the company restrooms.  Everyone else is gathered together for the party’s kick-off.  That’s when a group of heavily armed terrorists led by Hans Gruber busts in.  They take everyone at the party hostage.  Except for John McClane.

McClane realizes what is happening. He’s alone and unarmed.  The terrorists have cut off all communications to/from the tower.  When they realize McClane is there, one of the armed terrorists is sent to retrieve him.  McClane manages to kill the terrorist.  He takes the assassins machine gun and radio.

As the terrorists move forward with their plan (and it ain’t getting a ransom for the Nakatomi party-goers), they begin to hunt for John McClane.  Killing him with be a bonus.  What chance does one tired off-duty cop have against a band of armed mercenaries?

Yippi-Ki-Yay, mother*******.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Die Hard was nominated for four 1989 Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Visual Effects – Richard Edlund, Al Di Sarro, Brent Boates, Thaine Morris
  • Nominee for Best Sound Effects Editing – Stephen Hunter Flick, Richard Shorr
  • Nominee for Best Film Editing – Frank J. Urioste, John F. Link
  • Nominee for Best Sound – Don J. Bassman, Kevin F. Cleary, Richard Overton, Al Overton Jr.

Die Hard is loosely based on the Roderick Thorp novel NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.  A lot was changed for the film.  Don’t read the book expecting Die Hard the movie.

Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson and many other big name movie stars were offered the role of John McClane.  Even Frank Sinatra was courted to play the lead.  Everyone asked turned it down.  Bruce Willis, a television lead at a time when tv was seen as way below feature films, was paid $5 million to star.  In many of the first posters and ads for Die Hard, Willis’ name was not played up.  The movie went on to be a hit with audiences and shot Bruce Willis into the top tier of movie actors.

Die Hard features Alan Rickman’s first feature film role.  He is perfect as Hans Gruber.

Die Hard was added to the National film registry by the Library of Congress in 2017 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Hart Bochner is on point as the smarmy executive that overplays his hand with Hans Gruber.

Die Hard is one of the best action movies ever made.  Scratch the word action and the sentence is still true.

Die Hard (1988) rates 5 of 5 stars

Jack Carter by Jarrod Alberich “The Yard Sale Artist”!

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Jarrod Alberich aka The Yard Sale Artist created the Jack Carter piece above for me after I won a contest he was running.

Jarrod calls himself The Yard Sale Artist because he uses only materials that he finds at yard sales, thrift stores, dumpsters and so on. Jarrod is a great guy and his prices are reasonable. This was my second piece by Jarrod that he did way back in 2017.  Jarrod’s art has improved since then as you’ll see in future posts.

Jack Carter & John Wick by Karl Slominski!

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The Jack Carter & John Wick piece above was created as a commission for me at HeroesCon 2017 by Karl Slominski. It was my first piece by Slominski. It wasn’t my last.

My second piece by Karl was Jack Carter and Marv from Frank Miller’s Sin City.

My third piece from Karl was Carter and Raylan Givens from Justified.

I wonder what my fourth piece will be.

“Sling Blade” (1996) written, directed and starring Billy Bob Thornton / Z-View

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Sling Blade (1996)

Director:  Billy Bob Thornton

Screenplay: Billy Bob Thornton; based on Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade by Billy Bob Thornton

Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, James Hampton, Brent Briscoe, Mickey Jones and Robert Duvall.

Tagline: A simple man. A difficult choice.

The Plot…

Karl Childers is a mentally challenged man who has been in state custody for decades.  From the time Karl was born he was abused by his mother and father.  When Karl was twelve he accidentally caught his mother and a teenage boy having sex.  Karl believed the boy was raping his mother so Karl killed the kid using a sling blade.  When it became clear that his mom was enjoying the sex, Karl killed her as well.

At the state home Karl never had a problem.  Passive and shy, Karl spent most days just staring out a window.  So the state determined that Karl was no longer a danger to society and scheduled his release.  Karl begged his doctor to stay, but was forced to leave.

Now Karl has returned to his small hometown.  He gets a job repairing small engines.  Karl meets and befriends Frank Wheatley.  Frank is twelve.  His mother is divorced and in an abusive relationship.  Frank’s mom sees Karl is a kind man. Despite her boyfriend Vaughn’s misgivings she invites Karl to live in their garage.  Vaughn says that Karl could end up killing her or Frank.

Karl sees that Vaughn is a bully and cruel to everyone.  Karl especially worries about how Vaughn treats Frank.  Things are about to reach a breaking point.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sling Blade was nominated for two 1997 Academy Awards and won one…

  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Billy Bob Thornton
  • Winner for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published – Billy Bob Thornton

Sling Blade is based on a short film written by Billy Bob Thornton and directed by George Hickenlooper.  It starred Billy Bob Thornton, Molly Ringwald and J. T. Walsh.

Billy Bob Thornton made his feature film directorial debut with Sling Blade.  It is also the film that made Thornton a famous actor.

Sling Blade (1996) rates 5 of 5 stars

“Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” (1964) directed by Stanley Kubrick; starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott / Z-View

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Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Director:  Stanley Kubrick

Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern, Peter George; based on RED ALERT by Peter Bryant (pseudonym of Peter George)

Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens, Peter Bull, James Earl Jones, Tracy Reed, Jack Creley, Robert O’Neil, Glenn Beck, Shane Rimmer, Hal Galili and Keenan Wynn.

Tagline: “Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room!”

The Plot…

Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper is mentally unstable.  Nobody realizes this until Ripper has put his plan into motion.  Ripper believes the Soviets are poisoning Americans through the use of fluoride in the water supply.  Ripper’s solution is to put his base on a condition red alert (so no one can get in or out).  Armed guards with shoot to kill orders will ensure this.  Ripper also confiscated all personal radios and shut down outside communication.  Ripper then ordered two Bombers carrying nuclear weapons to drop them on cities in Russia.  Since they can only communicate with him, the pilots believe the US is under attack.  They fly towards Russia intent on dropping their payload.

Once Merkin Muffley, the US President, gets word of what is happening, there is little time before the bombs drop.  President Muffley knows Russia will respond in kind.  That would trigger an all-out war.  Mutually assured destruction.

President Muffley brings General Buck Turgidson, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other officials into the War Room to formulate a plan.  Included in the group is a former Nazi, now a US scientist named Dr. Strangelove and Soviet Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky.  They get  Soviet Premier Dimitri Kisov on the hotline.  Kisov promises if a single bomb is detonated on Russian soil, they will unleash their doomsday device!

The clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Dr. Strangelove was nominated for four 1965 Academy Awards…

  • Nominee for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium – Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, Terry Southern
  • Nominee for Best Director – Stanley Kubrick
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Peter Sellers
  • Nominee for Best Picture – Stanley Kubrick

George C. Scott as General Turgidson trips in the War Room and then quickly gets up and continues talking.  Scott really tripped but didn’t break character.  Kubrick thought he was just acting.  The accident stayed in the film.

Peter Sellers was paid $1 million or 55% of the film’s budget.  In the film Sellers plays three characters so maybe the producers got a bargain.

Peter Sellers improvised most of his lines including the classic he yelled as Dr. Strangelove, “Mein Führer! I can walk!”  Peter Bull as the Soviet Ambassador can be seen breaking character when Sellers says it.

James Earl Jones thought that Slim Pickens stayed in character even off camera.  It wasn’t until later that Jones leaned that Pickens always talked like that.  Speaking of James Earl  Jones, Dr. Strangelove was his feature film debut.

Dr.  Strangelove is a classic.  Everyone should see it at least once.  (And it gets better with each repeated viewing.)

Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) rates 5 of 5 stars

“London Calling” starring Josh Duhamel – The Trailer is Here!

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The trailer for London Calling starring Josh Duhamel looks to have the right mix of comedy and action.

Deal me in.

US Release Date: September 19, 2025
Starring: Josh Duhamel, Rick Hoffman, Aidan Gillen, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Director: Allan Ungar
Synopsis: After fleeing the UK from a job gone wrong, a down on his luck hitman is forced to babysit the son of his new crime boss and show him how to become a man.

“Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1962) written by Rod Serling, directed by Ralph Nelson, starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney & Julie Harris / Z-View

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Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)

Director:  Ralph Nelson

Screenplay: Rod Serling

Stars: Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, Julie Harris, Stanley Adams, Madame Spivy, Val Avery, Herbie Faye, Jack Dempsey, Barney Ross, Rory “Haystacks” Calhoun, Willie Pep and Muhammad Ali.

Tagline: They beat him… they broke him… they betrayed him… but they could not crush the towering dignity of a real fighter!

The Plot…

Louis “Mountain” Rivera was good at one thing.  Fighting.  In his last bout, a young fighter put a beating on the 37 year old Rivera.  Rivera was pummeled so badly that no doctor is going to clear him for future fights.  Fighting is all Rivera knows.  Now that is gone.

For years Rivera’s fight winnings have supported Rivera, his manager Maish Rennick, and Army, his cutman.  They have no savings.  Even worse Maish is in debt to Ma Greeny.  Ma deals harshly with those who don’t pay their debts.

When Rivera meets a woman named Grace, he begins to have hope.  Maish realizes that he’s about to lose his meal ticket.  That means no money coming in.  When Ma Greeny and her thugs show up, they will expect to be paid.  As Rivera’s manager, Maish is supposed to protect Rivera.  What he’s about to set up will break him.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ralph Nelson was a 1963 Nominee Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.

The National Board of Review named Requiem for a Heavyweight one of the top ten films of 1962.

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) made his film debut as the young fighter who defeats Mountain Rivera at the start of the film.

Jackie Gleason, best know for his comedic skills on The Honeymooners, shows he’s just as adept as a dramatic actor.

Requiem for a Heavyweight first appeared as a television movie before becoming a feature film.  The television production featured Jack Palance as Mountain Rivera, Ed Wynn as Maish and his son Keenan Wynn as Army.   Ralph Nelson directed both versions.

Requiem for a Heavyweight is another example of the Rod Serling’s stellar writing talent.

Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) rates 5 of 5 stars