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‘London Has Fallen’ flat on its face

London Has Fallen Written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Christian Gudegast, and Chad St. John Directed by Babak Najafi U.S., 2016 When Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down both came out in 2013, it seemed obvious that the vehicle starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx would be the one to make big bank. Oops. …

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‘Die Hard: Year One’ Volume 2 is a “Yippee”

In the first four issues of Die Hard: Year One, readers were let down by a plot overstuffed with characters and lacking any true resemblance of the tone of the original movies. This second volume, collecting issues 5-8, suffers a similar fate in that it fails to ignite any passion in the reader, instead going through the motions and producing an average comic book.

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5 Christmas Movies for the Not-So-Merry

Traditional Christmas films get overplayed this time of year so every once in a while it’s nice to play something that doesn’t feature clay-mation or Jimmy Stewart diving off a bridge. For those cinephiles seeking a little more subversive entertainment for the long holiday break, check out these five films. Die Hard The Scene: After …

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The audacity of dope: ‘White House Down’ a goofy, fun ‘Die Hard’ rip-off

Subtlety is a skill Roland Emmerich has not mastered. Subtlety is not, nor ever will be, in his repertoire; it is likely as alien a concept to him as opposable thumbs are to all non-human creatures. Most of the time, his thudding portentousness doesn’t serve him well as a director, with previous misfires like The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla, and 2012 lining his filmography, movies that are big and loud enough to make money despite being massively, unpleasantly stupid.

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Uninspired ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ is merely a generic shoot-’em-up

A Good Day to Die Hard Directed by John Moore Written by Skip Woods USA, 2013 Die Hard, 25 years after its initial release, is one of the best action films of all time not because of its jaw-dropping setpieces or titanic explosions, but because its hero is perfectly, proudly unspectacular. John McClane pulled off …

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‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ cycles through the highlights of everyone’s favourite New York cop with “A Walk Down Memory McClane”

1988’s Die Hard has become a modern action classic, with scores of oft-quoted lines of dialogue and a fair share of memorable characters, including well-suited villain Hans Gruber and veteran cop John McClane. The latter has since appeared in three more sequels, with the fifth movie in the series, titled A Good Day to Die …

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Is ‘Liberal’ Hollywood to Blame for America’s Gun Culture?

On December 14, 2012, a young man named Adam Lanza broke into a primary school and fatally shot 26 people in the small village of Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Twenty of them were children, aged 6 or 7. On that day, no matter where I went or what I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about the …

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The Great Showdowns in Film: An Interview w/ Artist Scott C.

David and Goliath. Hamilton and Burr. Spinal Tap and mini Stonehenge? The first two exist among the greatest showdowns in history. The latter is but a sampling of the greatest in film history as depicted in artist Scott Campbell’s collection; The Great Showdowns. Campbell, or Scott C. as he signs his work, has quickly risen …

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Supporting Actors: The Overlooked and Underrated (part 4 of 5)

Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (Michael Mann, 1986, USA): Noonan is absolutely incredible as a serial murderer in this underrated adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel Red Dragon. With all respect to the talented but miscast actors involved in Brett Ratner’s 2002 adaptation Red Dragon (USA), with the exception of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal …

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Oscar Season Chat #2: A Conversation with Reviewer Stephen Whitty

At a time of the year that’s all about picking the best of the best among movies, it seems singularly appropriate to talk to someone whose year-round profession is assaying the good and the bad up on the big screen. “I’m one of the few people on the paper who’s never had a journalism class, …

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Top Ten Movies for the Holidays

10. WITH HONORS (1994) Not a film that pops up on most holiday lists, however, With Honors exudes the quintessential holiday spirit with a memorable final act, thoroughly laced with virtue, love and friendship. With Honors is the story of smug Harvard student; Montgomery Kessler (the name aptly characterizes Brendan Fraser) who meets squatter Simon …

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Top Ten Movies for the Holidays

10. WITH HONORS (1994) Not a film that pops up on most holiday lists, however, With Honors exudes the quintessential holiday spirit with a memorable final act, thoroughly laced with virtue, love and friendship. With Honors is the story of smug Harvard student; Montgomery Kessler (the name aptly characterizes Brendan Fraser) who meets squatter Simon …

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