It has been twelve years since John McClane graced the movie screen. He was last seen in the VERY underrated "Die Hard With A Vengeance" (which is where I get my blog name of course). In my opinion, the "Die Hard" series has been a series in which each film gets progressively better. There is no bad "Die Hard" movie, and for me, the third was always way ahead of its time when it was released. That having been said, this summer is all about "Live Free or Die Hard," the latest entry in the iconic series.
"Live Free or Die Hard" is a technology driven movie. Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) is an ex-government employee, who after 9/11, attempted to warn the government about their technology being wide open for terrorist attacks. He was denied by his superiors. When he attempted to go public, they destroyed his credibility and his career and he was left with nothing. The film begins with a hack job on various government systems, using programs designed by various low key hackers. These hackers are they killed one by one by the organization lead by Gabriel. One of these hackers is Matthew Farrell (Justin Long). Enter Detective John McClane (do I even need to tell you?), whose job is to escort Ferrell to the DHS in Washington DC to aid in stopping Gabriel. Gabriel's goal is to release a "fire sale," which essentially shuts down the world. First it starts with traffic accidents because of faulty signals, then it gets bigger with the stock market crash and eventually half of the Eastern seaboard shutting down. So McClane protects Gabriel against the usual henchman and dispatches them in interesting and unique ways, followed by a one liner that only McClane could make work in a film like this.
What makes this film work for me is its ongoing theme. John McClane is an analog cop in a digital threat. The bad guys are smarter this time around, and he is up against a plot that he never fully understands. To me, the film mainly showcases the high tech action films of late with the old school nature of "Die Hard" injected right in.The action in this entry is some of the best so far. Anyone who has seen the trailer knows exactly what I am talking about. The scene in the tunnel where the car flips through the air and nearly crushes McClane and Ferrell is amazing to me. I could watch that stunt over and over again. Most people have complained that the final showdown with Jet and the Semi was straight out of "True Lies," a movie in which I don't remember ever seeing a semi truck.
This "Die Hard" had the most at stake, or so it seems. This threat basically effects all of America this time around, as opposed to just New York or a single airport. I was impressed with the level of detail they had for the threats. Traffic accidents that occur due to faulty signals does not sound very menacing until you see an overhead shot of the city and you see dozens of accidents at every intersection. The very fabric of the country seems at stake and it basically is all leading up to a world wide meltdown.Bruce Willis easily slips right back into the character of John McClane without skipping a beat. All the same rules apply to McClane here (ie. McClane has to bleed, and you can't ever stop McClane). He has some great one liners here, but nothing quite as memorable as those found in the third movie. Justin Long did a good job with his jokes as well. To me this kid is one of those instantly likeable characters regardless of what movie he is in, and he worked well here. Above all else, Maggie Q held my attention the longest. She plays the girlfriend of Thomas Gabriel, and man, she was smoking hot. People are afraid of the PG-13 rating, but I can honestly say that at no time did I ever feel that anything was being watered down. It certainly did not feel PG-13.
Many people complain that it does not feel like a "Die Hard" movie. These are the same people who disliked "Die Hard With A Vengeance." The only time it didn't feel like "Die Hard" to me was the opening. Each "Die Hard" just starts. No credits. No nothing. This one had credits. Small problem, but not enough to take away from the overall experience. Also, the villian is by far the weakest of the series. I will give "Live Free or Die Hard" credit, however. A villian who is nothing more than a nerd with the know how to shut down the world is still just a nerd, therefore his actions are more menacing than his looks. Not everyone can be Hans Gruber.
This summer was all about "Live Free or Die Hard" for me. I was eagerly awaiting this movie and I am looking forward to the years that go by so that it settles in with the rest of the others. There is already talk from Bruce Willis that he wants to get one more "Die Hard" out before he gets too old. More good news.
Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a writer who travels around the world in search of the most haunted locations. He then turns out book after book about the top ten most haunted states, houses, graveyards, etc. Early on he states that while he does not believe in ghosts, nothing would thrill him more than to discover some sort of concrete evidence that hauntings do exist. So along comes a post card in the mail from The Dolphin Hotel in New York wit the words "Don't stay in 1408." Cute. So Enslin calls the hotel to make a reservation in 1408, but is denied as the room has been closed forever by management. Due to a legality in the state of New York, Enslin is allowed to make the reservation and he goes to meet with the manager of the hotel, Gerald Olin (Samuel L Jackson). Olin tries his best to prevent Enslin from becoming the next victim to the room. Since the hotel opened, twelve people have committed suicide and over thirty people have died of natural causes in that room. Nobody has lasted more than one hour. The owners of the hotel do not see fit to close it down and ignore the problem by closing off the room to the general public. People have drowned, cut their own throats, etc. Olin explains that a maid was locked in the bathroom for only a few minutes and when she was found, she had cut her own eyes out. So Enslin stays in the room and remains a skeptic as he believes "there are no ghoulies and ghosties and even if there were there is no God in which to protect us." So Enslin stays in the room and begins to experience strange occurences. Things move on their own, the bedside table clock begins to countdown from sixty minutes. Then ghosts appear, climates change and we encounter so many twists and turns that we are never quite sure what exactly is happening, or where it is happening.
"It's an evil fuckin' room." I do believe that Samuel L Jackson has pretty much coined the word "fuck." It has become his calling card in the same way "I'll be back" was to Arnold Schwarzenegger. He does the most with his cameo, and truly explains the backstory well enough to get us anticipating what the room actually has in store. The movie also works because John Cusack carries it so well. People tend to forget what a great actor he is. Of course, it is hard to tell when he does crap like "Must Love Dogs" or "America's Sweethearts." He is definitely underutilized in the world of film, but here he shows that he can carry an entire film on his shoulders. This is definitely the key to the film's success as most of the film is Cusack by himself.
"1408" is a good horror movie that makes you uneasy more than it makes the hairs on your neck stand up. I suppose the best way to describe it would be to call it a Twilight Zone episode, but a damn good Twilight Zone episode.
"Rise of the Silver Surfer" begins with Galactus (a huge cosmic storm, not the horned mechanical villian) draining a dying planet of its energy. The planet then crumbles and the Silver Storm races towards Earth. On Earth, Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Sue Storm (a creepy looking Jessica Alba) are about to tie the knot. Of course Sue's brother Johnny (Chris Evans) and The Thing (Michael Chiklis) are involved as well. The fame of the Fantastic Four has shy rocketed and made them celebrities to the general public. This poses problems as Sue wants a quiet wedding, but with choppers in the air and the press at every turn, it will be anything but quiet. So soon the military arrives and asks Reed to build a device that will track the Surfer, as he is now causing problems on Earth. He is creating holes deep into the Earth that will allow Galactus entry to feed. Not only that, but Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) is back for no apparent reason. So then we spend the rest of the movie with the Fantastic Four trying to convince the Silver Surfer that he doesn't have to obey Galactus and destroy different worlds.
Let me start off by saying how creepy Jessica Alba was in this sequel. In every movie up until now she looked fine. Then, she put on what seemed like a fake tan, blue contacts and platinum blond hair. She looks like those fake ass women who thinks they are hot with their fake and bake tan, but in reality, we all make fun of them. She was way more distracting than anything else. What sucks is that she is good looking just without all that crap.
The movie's humor once again worked nicely here. The jokes were not laugh out loud funny, but they got more than a chuckle on a few occasions. For a movie geared mainly towards the "tween" crowd, this film had a few innuendos. For example, how exactly does The Thing have sex with his girlfriend?
"Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" was a movie that never overstayed its welcome, like "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." If you were a fan of the first movie, then chances are you will like this one even more. 
"Hostel Part II" begins with Paxton, which we know as the survivor from the original film. He is hiding out in the country with his girlfriend. Yeah, so he gets killed. Then we move to Rome where we meet three women (think the three guys from the original, only with vaginas). So they get tricked into going to a Hostel by a hot chick who clearly wants some lesbian action, which we sadly never get. Thanks, Roth. So one by one they disappear. One dies in a blood bath. No literally. She is hung upside down from the ceiling and a woman lies underneath. She then cuts the shit out of her and basks in the flow. Another girl gets a circular saw in the face and the final girl makes it out alive after chopping a guy's cock and balls off, then feeds it to the dog. 
Why would I give away the details and the ending? Because I do not want you to see this movie. Please. Save yourself. Watch "Saw." At least in that one you give a shit about what happens to some of those people. I wanted these three women to just die already. Whatever made this movie go by faster, I was all for.
In summation, I love the "Saw" series. It is an example of a perfect horror trilogy. Tobin Bell, who plays Jigsaw, is signed for six movies. He died in "Saw 3!" Wow! Now that takes balls! I can't wait to see how "Saw IV" turns out when it comes out this October. My mom even looks like Jigsaw. That's how excited she is.
"Ocean's Thirteen" takes us back to where it all began. Las Vegas. Reuben, played by Elliot Gould, partners with Willie Bank (Al Pacino). Together they plan to design the newest and hottest hotel on the sunset strip. After Reuben completes his end of the bargain, Bank forces him out of the deal and leaves him with nothing. As a result, Reuben suffers a heart attack and is left in the hospital. This obviously doesn't sit well with Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his crew. So OCean and Rusty (Brad Pitt) get the gang back together. This time, their goal is to make sure that the house loses. Bank will lose his casino on opening night after craps, slots and the card tables have all been rigged, thus allowing the players to win big. Of course, the gang needs a large sum of money to exact their revenge heist, so they recruite Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) who also has a vendetta against Bank's new hotel, which has "cast a shadow over the pool area of The Belagio."
The film is leaps and bounds over "Ocean's Twelve." Most people felt as though the actors had more fun making the movie than the audience had watching it. Not only do they take a more comedic route this time around, but the film never overstays its welcome. Just like the original, everything clicks.
The acting is on par with what you would expect from these people. The two actors who look like they are having the most fun are Scott Caan and Casey Affleck, who play brothers Turk and Virgil Malloy. Virgil is sent to work in a plastic factory in Mexico to rig the dice. Soon he leads his coworkers to strike for better working conditions and better pay. Danny then sends Turk in to put an end to the halt, and Turk ends up joining their cause as well. It was the highlight of the movie for me.
Out of all the "three-quels" we have seen this summer, this is my personal favorite. "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" have been both bashed by critics and audiences despite making a ton of money. "Pirates" was just boring and "Spider-Man" just felt a little cluttered. I have never been a "Shrek" fan either. If Clooney and the rest of the cast want to get together and do an "Ocean's" film every few years, then I am fine with that. With "Ocean's Thirteen," the franchise is back on a high note.
The film begins with Ben (Seth Rogan) and his buddies. They live together and run a website in which they tell the reader where to find their favorite movie stars naked on film. Yes, it is Mr. Skin, but they do not know that. Ben smokes pot, has no real source of income and boxes with his gloves on fire. Then we meet Allison (the smokin' Katherine Heigl) who just received a promotion to be an on air talent for E! television network. Allison lives in a guest house in the backyard of her sister Debbie (Apatow's wife Leslie Mann) and her husband Pete (played by Paul Rudd). So Debbie and Allison go out to a local club to celebrate. It is here that Allison and Ben meet. They talk and laugh and drink the whole night until they wind up back at Allison's house where they have sex. After an awkward morning the two part ways with no intention of ever seeing one another again. That is, until Allison finds herself pregnant 8 weeks later. So we spend the rest of the film watching as Allison and Ben try to make it work as a couple and both learn what it takes to prepare for a baby.
Much like "Virgin," "Knocked Up" really gets it right in the performances. Paul Rudd is the highlight here really just makes his comedy so effortless. When the man is given free range, he can be hilarious in every scene that he is in. If you do not know who Katherine Heigl is, you need to get off your ass and watch "Grey's Anatomy." Yes I watch the show. Yes it is because of her. Suck it. Here we get to see her acting chops, however. She is great on the show, but here we see that she has comedic timing and can hold her own with the likes of Rudd and Rogan. Speaking of whom Seth Rogan really steps up into the leading man role here perfectly. He is as carefree as he is charasmatic. Between the two leads you really end up caring what happens to them. You really want to see them get together, and when things always don't go according to planned, you feel sad for them. The bit parts are great as well. Harold Ramis is in here as Ben's dad. Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Martin Starr and Jason Segal are in there as Ben's friends, too. Each with their own set of quirks and ongoing jokes that never let up.
The premise for this movie has been done over and over again, so realistically this film never should have worked. Afterall, what else is there to say about this kind of situation? The beauty of the film comes from Judd Apatow's writing. Each and every joke works and nothing ever falls flat. If anything, it is a film you would really need to see twice as you will in fact miss some jokes because of laughing too hard.
This is by far the funniest movie of the year, and I do not forsee any other film even coming close to this kind of humor. If any other film stands a chance, it's "Superbad," which is produced by Apatow, written by Seth Rogan and starring Rogan and Jonah Hill. This is going on my top films of the year list and I cannot wait to see what these guys do next.