Die Hard Movie Review

I guess Die Hard has achieved something close to classic status by now. It’s a beloved action movie from the 80s (the heyday of big dumb action) with an up-and-coming movie star that spawned four sequels and a catch phrase. Taking another look at it I’ve found that it holds up well, but it’s certainly not great. It does just about everything right and hardly missteps until the very last scene, I’d say.

25 Years Ago This Month: July 1988

The two biggest movies of the month were total counter-programming to one another.

First there was John McTiernan's Die Hard, a fine action thriller that spawned a string of increasingly ludicrous sequels. It solidified Bruce Willis as an action hero, helping him break out of his "Moonlighting" and romantic comedy typecasting, and it introduced Alan Rickman to American audiences as the suave and cunning villain Hans Gruber.

For the ladies there was Tom Cruise in Cocktail later in the month. Believe it or not, I've never actually seen it. I had no interest in it during its cable run in 1989/1990.

25 Years Ago This Month: November 1987

25 years ago this month saw the release of the film that brought Denzel Washington his first Oscar nomination, a nod for Best Supporting Actor in Richard Attenborough's based-on-fact film Cry Freedom. Washington plays South Africa apartheid activist Steven Biko, who was killed under suspicious circumstances while in police custody. Kevin Kline plays his friend, journalist Donald Woods, whose books brought the case worldwide attention.

Looper Movie Review

When a filmmaker ventures down the wormhole of time travel as a narrative device, he’s setting his film up to be prodded and picked apart in the minutest detail to discover all the flaws and inconsistencies. The best time travel movies tend to be the ones that have some intelligence about the process and implications of traveling to the past, but mostly they succeed when the time travel becomes secondary to other elements in the film.

Take a film like Back to the Future, for example. Yes, without the time travel there is no story, but the breakneck pace, the good writing, the funny jokes all take precedence over the fact of Marty going 30 years into the past. In the case of Rian Johnson’s Looper, I could talk about a paradox that unravels the entire story if we follow logical consistency, but we’re dealing with a science fiction action film that relies on something that doesn’t exist and is only theoretically possible in terms of traveling forward in time. In Johnson’s film, the only time travel happens backward.

Short Cut Review: The Expendables 2

A Short Cut Movie Review is normally less than 400 words, but in some cases may go slightly over. This is my attempt to keep writing about as many films as I see without getting bogged down with trying to find more to say. They are meant to be brief snapshots of my reaction to a movie without too much depth.

Although I felt it lacked a lot of the sheer joy and fun of watching these guys kick ass in the first movie, this sequel still dazzles with the audacity to be bloody as hell with its gratuitous mayhem and violence. West, a director not known for restraint in action film, took over the helm from Stallone this time out. Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger is out of the governor's chair, his role has been expanded. Bruce Willis also participates more and Chuck Norris turns up riffing on the popular "Chuck Norris Facts." Van Damme makes a less than satisfying bad guy. In spite of the sheer excess of the combat sequences, West keeps the one-on-one muscle confrontations mercifully short.

Moonrise Kingdom Movie Review

The whimsical world of Wes Anderson has returned in Moonrise Kingdom, his seventh feature film and just the latest to be populated by characters from a fantasy vision of the world that lies just beyond anyone’s actual experience of it. Anderson likes to set his films in veritable islands unto themselves: a Manhattan mansion that seems part of a fictionalized New York I’ve never seen; a private school that offers a most ambitious student a lot of leeway; a train across the Indian subcontinent; a submarine (that one offered up his most capricious film to date); and now a literal island that looks (on the map presented by Bob Balaban’s on camera narrator) a little like Fisher’s Island, NY.

"Zed's Dead, Baby. Zed's Dead": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XIX

Go to Part XVIII: "I'm gonna get medieval on your ass!"

Butch arrives back at the motel to retrieve Fabienne. As he tries to rush her out she is reasonably concerned about why Butch is covered in blood, whether or not they are in danger and where he got the motorcycle (“It’s a chopper, baby.”) The more he tries to rush her, the more upset she becomes and breaks down crying. Now again, he has to sweet-talk her down so they can be on their way. It’s a scene played for great comic effect after the horrific show we witnessed during the last ten minutes. Butch and Fabienne ride off down the street on the chopper. This moment is the last scene in the film’s narrative.

Title card: “The Bonnie Situation.”

Go to Part XX: "We should be fuckin' dead right now."

"I'm Gonna Get Medieval on Your Ass!" Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XVIII

Go to Part XVII: "Bring out the gimp."

Butch is just looking for an excuse to run Zed through with the samurai sword.

Butch grabs Zed’s keys and makes for the front door, but stops before leaving. As he listens to Marsellus’s moans from downstairs, the camera pushes in, showing Butch wrestling with his conscience. He can’t simply leave that man down there to be tortured. So he looks for a weapon. The progression of weapons here is symbolic and also rather amusing. Butch is going to decide what kind of hero he wants to be. First he picks up a hammer to be a regular guy grabbing the first weapon he sees. Then he finds a baseball bat, recalling Joe Don Baker in Walking Tall[i]. Next it’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre[ii] and Leatherface’s chainsaw. Then cut to a high angle shot looking down on Butch as he sees his weapon of choice hanging on the wall. It is a samurai sword, the weapon of a true heroic warrior. A samurai is the kind of hero that has honor and will fight to the death to defend the less fortunate. Tarantino loves the “honor among thieves” theme that plays out in old samurai films and nowhere is this more apparent than here. Because of his experience killing Vincent earlier, Butch knows he can descend into the awaiting hell to kill again. For him, this is going into battle.

"Bring Out the Gimp": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XVII

Go to Part XVI: "You feel that sting, big boy?"

Fade-in on Butch and Marsellus, tied to chairs and gagged with a red ball attached to a strap around their heads. Zed arrives and sits down simply observing the two men. At this point the audience has no idea what’s to come. Zed tells Maynard to “bring out the gimp.” Maynard goes into the room behind Butch and Marsellus and we see him out of focus in the background opening a cage on the floor. Out comes a man dressed head-to-toe in leather, with chains on his limbs.

Maynard remains out of focus in the background as he begins to open the box on the floor where the sleeping Gimp lies.

When Maynard wakes up the Gimp the focus shifts from Butch and Marsellus to him.

Using the process of “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe,” Zed decides to “do” Marsellus first. He drags Marsellus into the back room, leaving the Gimp tied up to guard Butch. Maynard enters the room in slow motion, providing an exaggeration when the door slams shut at full speed. While we hear some kind of torture going on in the back room, Butch manages to get free, punch the Gimp leaving him to strangle on his chains and runs upstairs.

Go to Part XVIII: "I'm gonna get medieval on your ass!"

"You Feel That Sting, Big Boy?": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XVI

Go to Part XV: "That's how you're gonna beat 'em, Butch. They keep underestimatin' ya."

In an homage to Psycho, Marsellus stops and slowly turns to get a look at Butch in the car.

As Butch pulls up to the intersection, Marsellus crosses in front of the car, stops and, in a direct homage to Psycho[1], turns to see Butch. This is the first time we see Marsellus’s face. We are about to see Marsellus as a character in action as opposed to Marsellus the Myth that we’ve heard about. Butch floors it, running down Marsellus, but then crashes his car. After Marsellus regains consciousness he draws his gun and chases after Butch. Tarantino uses the handheld camera as he follows the chase down the street. Both of them stumble their way into a pawn shop owned by a hillbilly redneck from hell.

Maynard, the owner of the pawn shop, knocks Butch out cold with a shotgun and then telephones Zed. What follows is the “war” that Butch will have to go through to retrieve his watch. Finally, he will have a story to tell his son one day when he passes that gold watch down the line.

Go to Part XVII: "Bring out the gimp."

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[1] Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1960 (Universal) – the reference is to an early scene when Marion Crane is on her way out of town with $40000 in cash stolen from her boss’s client. As she waits at an intersection her boss crosses, stops, and looks directly at Marion.

"That's How You're Gonna Beat 'em, Butch. They Keep Understimatin' Ya.": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XV

Go to Part XIV: "Where's my watch?"

Butch has to go back to his apartment where it is very likely he will run into Marsellus’s men waiting to kill him. Why does Butch risk his life for the watch? Because he recognizes that the last three generations of men in his family made certain that the watch survived the war. Butch is part of the first generation of men in the 20^th century that was not defined by a major war. Butch has a war with Marsellus, though, and it will become so much more gruesome than he ever thought imaginable.

"Where's My Watch?": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XIV

Go to Part XIII: "If you had a pot belly, I would punch you in it."

The camera slowly pushes in first on the TV, then on Butch, then back to the TV. This creates a visual connection between the fictional war on TV, itself a representation of the very real war that killed his father, and the impending war Butch will undertake to get back his father's watch.

Now it is the next morning. Butch wakes with a start to the sound of a Vietnam War movie on television. The film is The Losers[i], about a group of Hell’s Angels fighting the Viet Cong. The camera shows the television and pushes in, then shows Butch and pushes in. The film on the television is a bit of foreshadowing for the impending “war” Butch will become engaged in and also for his getaway on a motorcycle. It is no accident that Tarantino’s camera pushes slowly in on the TV. It is honing our attention on violence, war and heroes sacrificing themselves for the good of others. Additionally the slow push on Butch visually ties him to what we see on the television screen.

Next Butch gets out of bed and starts getting dressed. As he begins looking through the suitcase the camera slowly pushes in again, creating another moment of tension. It’s a particularly uneasy feeling as Fabienne talks sweetly about what she’s going to eat for breakfast until finally Butch cuts her off asking, “Where’s my watch?” We already know the significance of the watch, so we sense what trouble there might be if it is missing. The sweet-talking Butch quickly and violently turns into a raging lunatic, screaming obscenities, throwing the TV across the room.

Go to Part XV: "That's how you're gonna beat 'em, Butch. They keep underestimatin' ya."

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[i] Dir. Jack Starrett, 1970 (Fanfare Films, Inc.)

"If You Had a Pot Belly, I Would Punch You in It": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XIII

Go to Part XII: "I want to know what it feels like to kill a man."

This shot is held with the camera slowly pushing in. The viewer is allowed to be a voyeur in the intimate scene between Butch and Fabienne.

Back in the motel room, we are treated to a very intimate scene between Butch and his girlfriend, Fabienne (Maria de Madeiros). This scene has very few cuts, creating a feeling of intimacy. This has the effect of making us feel like we’re witnessing something we shouldn’t. We become voyeurs to a sexually and emotionally intimate moment between lovers.

Fabienne understands the danger that faces them. She asks Butch, “If they [the gangsters] find us they’ll kill us, won’t they?” She doesn’t come across as frightened because Butch is making her feel completely at ease. She has her big, strong man to protect her. As he leaves the frame to give her “oral pleasure,” Fabienne says, in French, “Butch, my love, our adventure begins.” She has no idea what kind of adventure is about to begin for Butch.

The camera fades out, and then fades in after a brief passage of time as Fabienne and Butch finish showering in the bathroom. Again, the camera acts as a voyeur, remaining outside the bathroom, as if we are looking in and witnessing a private moment.

Butch heads to the bed. Fabienne tries to tell Butch something she has just remembered, but he is already asleep. What was she going to say? Possibly, her memory jogged by Butch’s mention of ‘time,’ she was going to tell him she forgot his watch. But no one knows for sure.

Go to Part XIV: "Where's my watch?"

"I Want to Know What It Feels Like to Kill a Man.": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XII

Go to Part XI: "And now, little man, I give the watch to you."

"I want to know what it feels like to kill a man," Esmerelda asks.

In the getaway cab, Butch takes his boxing gloves off. In the background Tarantino uses a process shot again. It is probably not something you would notice right away, but the footage he uses for the rear-screen projection is in black-and-white. Why would he use black-and-white projection for a color film? He is recalling old film noir movies again because Butch’s story is a typical noir narrative. The use of the old-fashioned cab plays into this, as well.

In this two shot, the black and white processing is clear in the background.

"And Now, Little Man, I Give the Watch to You": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part XI

Go to Part X: "That was fuckin' trippy."

Butch, as a child, sits watching television. His mother enters and introduces him to Captain Koons (Christopher Walken), who was in the Vietnamese POW camp with Butch’s father. Koons tells Butch about a wristwatch bought in Knoxville that belonged to private Doughboy Erine Coolidge (Butch’s great granddad). He wore it all during his time in The Great War. When his son, Dane, went off to WWII he took the watch with him. Before dying in battle he made sure the watch would be delivered safely home to his infant son (Butch’s dad). He then took the watch with him to Vietnam, but didn’t survive the prison camp. Koons promised to take the watch to deliver it to Butch.

"In the Fifth Your Ass Goes Down": Pulp Fiction Analysis Part V

Go to Part IV: "Does he look like a bitch?"

The scene opens with a medium-close on Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis). Although we don’t know who it is yet, we hear the voice of Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) off screen giving Butch a speech about boxers who never made it getting on in age. Butch is about to be paid to throw a fight.

Modern Classic Movie Review: Pulp Fiction

As a special treat to celebrate my 100th movie review posted to this site (I've actually written more than 100, but they haven't all been posted here) I decided to write a full length review of the film that got me interested in film in the first place.

Additionally, over the next few weeks I will post, in pieces, the full analysis I did on the film several years ago. Keep your eyes open for that starting this week.

It’s amazing to me that after roughly twenty viewings from beginning to end plus an exhaustive shot-by-shot study of it, there are still moments in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction that make me smile, chuckle or even downright surprise me: The Wolf’s smile of appreciation for the delicious coffee served up by Jimmy; Mia Wallace’s tomato joke to break the tension after an intense scene. Incredibly, watching it again for this review, I even pulled out something new that I had never picked up on before. And it wasn’t even a minor detail, but one that ties into one of the major themes of the film.