Advent Calendar - 17 December
17 Dec '14 11:291 editI have given Mrs Outsider's favourite Christmas film of all time. Now mine.
For me, there comes a point in every Christmas when the kids have finally gone to bed, you are exhausted and stuffed, and you just want some mindless action-movie escapism before you turn in. Something very much not for all the family.
Mindless escapism is often unfairly derided. The problem is that, as budgets have increased and special effects have improved, too often filmmakers think that is sufficient.
There are few better examples of the genre than Die Hard. I mean it has:
1 A no-nonsense cop who breaks the rules but gets the job done...
2 ...with personal problems, of course
3 A 'bromance' with a chubby cop who eats Twinkies
4 Great set pieces
5 Great dialogue and one-liners ("I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life.")
But above all else, a baddie played by a Brit. OK, a Brit playing a German, but still a Brit.
There's nothing startlingly original in it, but as often is the case, if you do the basics really well, you have something that many have imitated, but few have improved upon.
YouTube
For me, there comes a point in every Christmas when the kids have finally gone to bed, you are exhausted and stuffed, and you just want some mindless action-movie escapism before you turn in. Something very much not for all the family.
Mindless escapism is often unfairly derided. The problem is that, as budgets have increased and special effects have improved, too often filmmakers think that is sufficient.
There are few better examples of the genre than Die Hard. I mean it has:
1 A no-nonsense cop who breaks the rules but gets the job done...
2 ...with personal problems, of course
3 A 'bromance' with a chubby cop who eats Twinkies
4 Great set pieces
5 Great dialogue and one-liners ("I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life.")
But above all else, a baddie played by a Brit. OK, a Brit playing a German, but still a Brit.
There's nothing startlingly original in it, but as often is the case, if you do the basics really well, you have something that many have imitated, but few have improved upon.
YouTube