Netflix Suggestions: Vol. 3

I'm going to try to make this a monthly addition to my blog. Here are five more suggestions for instant streaming on Netflix!

(Wikipedia)

The Hunger Games

"The Hunger Games is on Netflix. The Hunger Games is on Netflix? The Hunger Games is on Netflix!" Even though I already have the movie on both of my laptops, my iPhone, on DVD and on Blu-ray, this was pretty much my reaction. I've seen the movie eight times now (three of those times in theaters), and still feel all of the thrill and emotion every time I watch it. I placed 2nd on my Top 10 list for 2012, because it was easily the most entertaining movie of the year. In short, this movie has become a symbol of pop culture in the world today. Also, Jennifer Lawrence ('nuff said). Seriously, just watch this movie if you already haven't.

ParaNorman

Easily one of the most overlooked movies of last year, ParaNorman combines dark comedy with lighthearted humor in one of the best animated films in recent memory. Because of this, I can honestly say that there's something in this movie that everyone can enjoy. You can read my original review here.

Mission: Impossible (I, III, Ghost Protocol)

On Netflix, you'll notice that only three of the Mission: Impossible movies are available for streaming. The second one is the only one that's not, but don't worry, it's not really worth your time. However, the other three are, particularly the third and fourth. If you've got a whole afternoon to kill, watch these three movies. Unlike many action flicks today, they have cohesive, substantial, and compelling stories to back that action up. If you only have the time or willingness to watch one, watch Mission: Impossible III. It's one of my favorite action movies ever, and you can go in without knowing much of the back story.

Rat Race

My comedy suggestion this month goes to Rat Race, an ensemble film intertwining the stories of eight different tourists and their companions as they race to Silver City, New Mexico for a $2 million cash prize. Along the way, the racers run into Nazis, SmashMouth, a squirrel saleswoman, vengeful cab drivers, greedy prostitutes, and dozens of other screwball situations and individuals. If you need a few laughs, this is the movie to go to.

Scream (1-4)

They're funny. They're scary. They're action-packed. They're spoofs. They're mysteries. They're the Scream movies. Embrace the story of Sidney Prescott, a teenager (later young adult) dealing with the murder of her mother and confronted by a new killing force in each of the installments. The three sequels are okay, but nowhere near as amazing as the original. The original Scream revitalized the horror genre in the 90s, and impressed audiences around the world with its clever writing, visionary direction, and impressive performances (in particular: Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore, and Jamie Kennedy). Scream is so much more than a horror movie, so don't dismiss it as one. Give it a watch if you haven't, and I personally guarantee you that you'll be blown away. 

(P.S.: MTV greenlit an order for a pilot of a Scream TV series, written by Kevin Williamson and (possibly) directed by Wes Craven! If you watch these movies, you'll be as excited as I am!)

That's all for now. There are a lot of summer blockbusters around the corner, so keep checking back to see what AJ says. Thanks for checking in! 

Evil Dead (2013)

I don't say better than the original often, but I think it applies in this case...

www.cineol.net

I saw the original The Evil Dead on Netflix a few months ago. I liked it. Didn't love it. The absurd laughter from one of the characters, the cheap makeup and effects, and the poor execution of black comedy made it nothing more than okay. When I was reading up on this remake, I saw that Bruce Campbell, cast member of the Sam Raimi cult classic, was quoted saying, "The remake's gonna kick some ass — you have my word." I now see that Bruce Campbell is a pretty honest guy. 

The plot of this successful remake is simple enough - twenty-something-year-old Mia is brought up to her family's remote vacation cabin by her three friends and brother David for a cold-turkey drug intervention. It's evident that no one from Mia or David's family had been there for a while, because when the group venture into the basement, they find a slew of strung up dead cats hanging from the ceiling, along with a book enclosed in a garbage bag, wrapped in barbed wire. Naturally, one of the five is stupid enough to cut through the barbed wire with pliers, tear open the bag, read past the "LEAVE THIS BOOK ALONE" sketching on one of the pages, and speak aloud the words that awaken the demonic presence that is...wait for it...the evil dead. (Note: This, along with the original, is incorrectly regarded as a zombie movie. It's a demonic possession movie. There's a difference.)

It's not hard to guess what happens next - the friends are killed off one by one. See Friday the Thirteenth, Cabin in the Woods, etc. The way it's done in this movie, though, is rather impressive. It's true that the film is occasionally reliant on gore in exchange for thrills, but it actually works very well. Like the original, it was over-done at times, but I was entertained from start to finish. The best horror movies are those that honestly make you think the story's over and then surprise you. Evil Dead is one of those horrors. Furthermore, it's an undeniable improvement over the original (in my 21st-century teenage eyes).

Needless to say, don't go into this movie lightly. It was one of the, if not the, goriest and bloodiest movies I've ever seen. Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who's seen Hostel and all the Saw movies, among others. When I say that it rained blood, I'm completely serious. It rained blood. Not to mention a girl puked blood all over her friend's face. Oh yeah, and a girl cut off her own arm. The disturbing part is that this is only a fraction of the eye-popping graphics from Evil Dead. 

Sure, this movie may potentially leave you light-headed, nauseous, and disinclined to venture out into the woods for a while, but it'll be able to do what very few horror remakes can - genuinely entertain you. Take that for what it is and run with it. 

Rating: 4/5

PS: If you go see this movie, keeps your eyes open for the Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense references. 

This review is dedicated to the man who inspires me to follow my passion in hopes that it can lead to a lucrative profession and a satisfying life, knowing you can do what you love for a living. Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. 

Olympus Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen (AKA Die Hard 6 or Air Force One 2) Review

 vs. 

(Courtesy of The Editing Room)

^I mean I'm just saying...

I remember when I first watched Air Force One. I thought of an idea for an alternate storyline. I asked myself, "Wouldn't it have been cool if it was one of the secret service agents was playing the 'John McClane' role instead of the President?" Six years later, this movie was released into theaters. Darn idea thieves!

Olympus Has Fallen is quite similar to the much loved Air Force One and Die Hard. In this version of the one-man-against-several-terrorists-who-are-holding-hostages story, a former secret service agent (Gerard Butler) is pitted against some bad dudes from North Korea who are holding the President (Aaron Eckhart) hostage. Butler's character is the only agent left alive after the initial assault on The White House. He stays in communication with the Speaker of the House turned Acting President (Morgan Freeman), while the President and his staff are held in the shelter deep below The White House with guns to their heads.

When I first bought Air Force One, I watched it every day for two weeks straight. And I've seen Die Hard a million times as well. I'm fully aware of how heavily Olympus Has Fallen borrows from these two movies. However, both of these movies are in my Top 25, and I love them for a reason. While this recent release doesn't quite meet the quality of storytelling set by the others, the action was just as riveting. I can honestly say this movie had one of the most intense action scenes I've seen in recent years, and it probably lasted 30 minutes. The assault on The White House that began the conflict switched from an aerial attack across all of D.C., followed by suicide bombers, gas grenades, trucks rigged with bombs and dozens of assassins for hire chipping away at The White House's security and its architectural defenses.

Comparing this scene to the action from A Good Day to Die Hard, I'm glad to see that there's still a way to successfully conduct an extended action sequence on the big screen. I think this can be credited to the film's director, Antoine Fuqua. He directed last decade's Training Day, which I wasn't a big fan of. In this film, I was able to see that Fuqua indeed has an impressive talent behind the camera. I also saw solid performances form Eckhart and (as always) Morgan Freeman. Finally, I was pleasantly astounded by the sound and film editing, which added even further stimulation to the action. If you've seen Air Force One and/or Die Hard and feel like you've had enough of this kind of movie, this probably isn't one to go out of your way to see. However, if you're a fan of either of these movies, or the action genre in general, you'll most likely love it. It's only March, but so far Olympus Has Fallen has my vote for best flick of the year. Keep in mind though that there are 9 more months full of movies to out-stage it.

4/5

Netflix Suggestions: Vol. 2

Tommy Boyz n the Hood. That'd be an interesting movie mashup.

(Wikipedia)

There haven't been many movies worthy of going out of the way to see in theaters in recent weeks. So for now, here's another 5 suggestions of movies you can watch right now on Netflix instant streaming.

Drive

Drive stars Ryan Gosling, and in my opinion, is one of the best movies of the 2000's. It's a crime thriller, intertwined with a forbidden love tale. Since it can be classified as a neo-noir film, it definitely has an older feel to it. But with modern stars like Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Carey Mulligan, it definitely comes across as a tense thriller that can appeal to today's audience. Winner of Best Action Movie at last year's Critics' Choice Awards, Drive is worth going out of your way for.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

One of the most emotional movies I've ever sat through, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas follows the friendship between two eight-year-olds during WWII. One is the young son of one of Auschwitz's overseers, the other is an prisoner in the camp. It stars Asa Butterfield, who I immediately recognized as a brilliant actor when I saw this film. He was able to maintain the innocence of the character while simultaneously conveying his maturity as an actor. He's since landed lead roles in the 5-time Oscar winner Hugo and the highly anticipated Ender's Game. Watch for the star-making performance from Butterfield or for the heartbreaking story. Either way, it's worth your time. 

Tommy Boy

If you haven't seen this buddy comedy yet, stop reading this paragraph immediately and go watch it. Chris Farley plays his usual hapless but good-hearted character. In this film, he's opposite David Spade. Both end up on a road trip selling brake pads to ensure the survival of the company Tommy's (Farley) late father left behind. In my eyes, to say that this movie blows this generation's buddy comedies (like The Hangover and Step Brothers) out of the water would be an understatement.

Reservoir Dogs

Oscar night last month was filled with some great victories, including Academy Award #2 for Quentin Tarantino. In celebration, why not go back to the writer-director's roots? In his first theatrical film, a group of diamond thieves suspect there's a mole in their operation after their heist turns deadly. Reservoir Dogs stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi, and is often credited for redefining the gangster genre in the 90's. Considered to be one of the best films of all-time, Reservoir Dogs is where all the glorious gore and language Tarantino is recognized for began. 

Boyz n the Hood

The first time I watched Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, I was massively impressed. However, upon a second viewing, I was disgusted with how blinded I was by the sheer audacity, and that it took me a second viewing to realize how flawed Spike's film was. I've seen Boyz n the Hood, another film centered around a young African-American in a poor area, twice. I can say that unlike Lee's film, there aren't many flaws here. Just a great story, with a good amount of dark comedy. Following the lives of South Central boys from their pre-teen years to the troubled time they spend before adulthood, it takes all the recommendable parts of Do the Right Things, throws in a little Stand By Me, and results in a fantastic motion picture.

2013 Oscar Summary

Digital Spy

On Sunday, the 85th Academy Awards aired, bringing millions of viewers surprise winners and borderline FCC violations from Seth MacFarlane. The big winner of the night was Argo, which won Best Picture. On the day of the nominations, entertainment news was up in arms about the fact that Ben Affleck, director of Argo, did not receive a nomination for Best Director. Despite this snub, he went on to win the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice and Director’s Guild of America award for his directorial efforts. At the Oscars, the award went to Ang Lee for Life of Pi, who beat out a supposed sure-fire winner in Steven Spielberg for Lincoln.

ITV

Lincoln didn’t go home empty handed, though. It deservedly won Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, the first man to win three Best Actor Oscars. The film also won for Best Production Design (formerly Art Direction). For Best Actress, Jennifer Lawrence took home the prize for her role in Silver Linings Playbook after tripping on her way to the stage. Both of these actors beat out some very deserving competition for their Oscars, but were the predicted winners since before the nominations were even announced.

Huffington Post

In the supporting categories, Anne Hathaway had an unsurprising victory for her work in Les Misérables. Beating out four other previous Oscar-winners, Christoph Waltz won his second Oscar for his performance in Django Unchained, a film which got Quentin Tarantino his second Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. In the Adapted Screenplay category, Argo’s screenwriter Chris Terrio won.

WTOP.com

Even though it didn’t win Best Picture, Life of Pi won the most awards – four. Aside from Best Director, it won for Best Original Score, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. On top of Best Supporting Actress, Les Misérables brought home two other awards – Best Makeup & Hairstyling and Best Sound Mixing.

ScreenCrush

Mark Wahlberg and the adorably inappropriate teddy bear Ted presented the Best Sound Editing Oscar. This category was a shock, as it was the third time in Oscar history and the first time in 44 years that there was a tie. The honor was shared with the sound crew behind Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall. Skyfall also saw Adele win for her Bond song, as everyone predicted she would have. In the Animated Feature category, Brave pulled out a surprising win over predicted winner, Wreck-It Ralph. Anna Karenina won the award for Best Costume Design.

Digital Spy

Some of the biggest surprises of the night were in the acting category. Jennifer Lawrence had won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award, as well as a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy. However, Jessica Chastain won a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award as well, not to mention the same honor from the National Board of Review. Emmanuel Riva, of the Best Foreign Language Film Winner Amour, won the BAFTA for Best Actress. Quvenzhané Wallis and Naomi Watts also gave critically acclaimed performances. What all that means is that while Lawrence’s win was both expected and deserved, it wasn’t a guarantee. Personally, I would’ve been pleasantly surprised to see Naomi Watts on that stage, but if it couldn’t have been her, I’m happy it was J Law.

MTV

Christoph Waltz won the BAFTA and the Golden Globe, but wasn’t even nominated for the Critics’ Choice or the SAG. Robert De Niro and Tommy Lee Jones were, in the eyes of some, the frontrunners. I predicted that Waltz was going to win, and it turns out I was right. In a category of five previous Oscar winners, though, there was no guarantee whose name would be in that envelope, but I’m thrilled it was Christoph’s.

Screen Crush

It was well-believed that the Best Director Oscar was going to Steven Spielberg. However, since Ben Affleck, winner of every other Best Director award this year, was omitted from the category, there was nothing to support this belief. Both Ang Lee and Silver Linings Playbook’s David O. Russell were thought to have chances of winning, and as it turns out, one of them did win. Other surprises include Best Adapted Screenplay, which was won by Argo, even though both Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln were believed to have had decent chances of winning. Lincoln made up for its Best Director loss with a Production Design win, beating out the visually striking masterpieces Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Anna Karenina and The Hobbit.

Hollywood Reporter

The entire ceremony was hosted by the hilarious Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy and Ted. A lot of his jokes pushed the boundaries of what the ceremony usually includes in its comedy. His antics included, but were not limited to, a crack at Chris Brown/Rihanna, Mel Gibson’s graphic voicemails, and a jaunty tune about which actresses showed their boobs and when (he took the chance to call Kate Winslet out on her 5+ cases of indecent exposure). While he probably offended a lot of people, I think most know it was all in good fun. Besides, what else would you expect from Seth MacFarlane?

To sum up: Life of Pi – 4, Argo – 3, Les Misérables – 3, Lincoln – 2, Django Unchained – 2, Skyfall – 2, Silver Linings Playbook – 1, Amour – 1, Zero Dark Thirty – 1, Brave – 1, Anna Karenina – 1.

In my book, it was a pretty good night. Les Mis took home a few more awards that I would’ve hoped, and Brave won over the overlooked ParaNorman, but Django won two and Jennifer Lawrence got an Oscar. So, yeah. I’m happy.

AJBeltis.Blogspot.com

2013 Oscar Predictions

2013 Oscar Predictions

Who's taking home the gold next Sunday?

Courtesy of Indie Wire

Best Picture

Predicted Winner: Argo

Having won the PGA, DGA, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Critics' Choice, Argo seems to be the unchallenged winner. Lincoln has the most nominations, and seeing Affleck didn't get the director nod, it could pull out a win, but it's doubtful.

AJ's rankings:

1. Django Unchained

2. Lincoln

3. Argo

4. Beasts of the Southern Wild

5. Silver Linings Playbook

6. Amour

7. Zero Dark Thirty

8. Life of Pi

9. Les Misérables

Should have been nominated: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Hunger Games, The Impossible, Looper

Best Director

Predicted Winner: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

I'm as surprised as everyone else that Affleck wasn't nominated. There's no guarantee who will win this one, although I'm pretty sure the Academy will take this chance to give Spielberg his first Oscar in 14 years. David O. Russell has a decent shot as well, as this was a personal project that the Academy apparently loved, giving it 8 nominations.

AJ's rankings:

1. Spielberg, Lincoln

2. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

3. Lee, Life of Pi

4. Haneke, Amour

5. Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Should have been nominated: Affleck, Argo. Tarantino, Django Unchained. Ross, The Hunger Games.

There were a lot of sad faces when Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) and Hooper (Les Misérables) weren't nominated, but let me say publicly that I agree with the Academy's decision here. 

Best Actor

Predicted Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Day-Lewis should be ready to give a pretty good speech on Sunday, as his win is almost guaranteed. I would love to see Bradley Cooper win for Silver Linings Playbook, but the actor who should and will win is Daniel Day-Lewis.

AJ's rankings: 

1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

2. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

3. Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables

I have yet to see The Master and Flight, so I can't rank Phoenix's or Washington's performances.

Best Actress

Predicted Winner: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

A five-way tie, if there ever was one. There could be anyone's name in that envelope on Sunday. Jennifer Lawrence is the safe bet, and I'd be thrilled for her to win. I do argue that Naomi Watts gave a better performance in The Impossible, but her win is unlikely. Jessica Chastain is also in the running, but she should've won for The Help last year, and I hope the Academy doesn't try to make up for their mistake by giving her an undeserved win this year. 

AJ's rankings:

1. Naomi Watts, The Impossible

2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

3. Quevanzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

4. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

5. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Should have been nominated: Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games. Noomi Rapace, Prometheus. (Women in sci-fi are so often over-looked).

Best Supporting Actor

Predicted Winner: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Having won the BAFTA and Golden Globe, I'm banking on Christoph to take this home. Tommy Lee Jones won the SAG, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman got the Critics' Choice, so they each have a shot, too. Academy members may want to give De Niro a career-achievement award now that they have a chance in this category.

AJ's rankings:

1. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

2. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

3. Alan Arkin, Argo

4. Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Again, I didn't see The Master, sorry Phillip.

Should have been nominated: Ezra Miller, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Tom Holland, The Impossible. Woody Harrelson, The Hunger Games. Javier Bardem, Skyfall. Pierce Gagnon, Looper. Bruce Willis, Looper. Bryan Cranston, Argo. Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild. Russell Crowe, Les Misérables. Samuel L. Jackson, Django Unchained. Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained. Michael Fassbender, Prometheus. 

In case you couldn't tell, it was an amazing year for supporting male performances. And we have a category with 5 previous winners, which is a shame. We could've had five deserving newcomers to the category.

Best Supporting Actress

Predicted Winner: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

The very talented Anne Hathaway is a week away from holding a gold statuette. 

AJ's rankings:

1. Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

2. Sally Field, Lincoln

3. Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

I really should see The Master...sorry Amy Adams. I didn't see The Sessions either. Forgive me, Helen Hunt. 

Should have been nominated: Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises. Judi Dench, Skyfall. Emma Watson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Kerry Washington, Django Unchained. Amanda Seyfried, Les Misérables.

Best Original Screenplay

Predicted Winner: Tarantino, Django Unchained

The Academy gave Mark Boal some love in 2009 for The Hurt Locker, beating Tarantino out for Inglourious Basterds. This year, it seems it will be the other way around, as Tarantino grabbed the screenplay award at the Globes, the BAFTAs and the Critics' Choice.

AJ's rankings:

1. Tarantino, Django Unchained

2. Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom

3. Haneke, Amour

4. Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

Also nominated: John Gatins, Flight

Should have been nominated: Rian Johnson, Looper. 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Predicted Winner: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

This could very well go to Argo or Lincoln, but I think your best bet would be on Silver Linings Playbook. 

AJ's rankings: 

1. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

2. Kushner, Lincoln

3. Alibar & Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

4. Terrio, Argo

5. Magee, Life of Pi

Should have been nominated: Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Here are the rest of my predictions, without lengthy commentary.

A Good Day to Die Hard

A Bad Day to Be A Fan of Die Hard

You know, it really wouldn't surprise me if he were aiming at the screenwriter (Courtesy of techfleece).

A few days ago, I looked up this movie on Rotten Tomatoes. No reviews had been posted yet, but I saw the runtime was 97 minutes, which is relatively short for a typical 2+ hour entry in the Die Hard series. This should've been the indicator that this wouldn't be the strongest entry in the series. However, I never would have guessed that this would be the hands-down worst entry in the critically acclaimed buddy-action franchise, or that it actually brought the high standings of the franchise down several notches. My blind faith in the Die Hard series has always paid off, until now. 

Maybe the reason I thought the 97 minute runtime didn't automatically warrant a terrible Die Hard movie was because it could've had a compressed, effective screenplay that caters to the audience that prefers their awesomeness in smaller doses. Sadly, this turned out to be a false belief. This was one of the worst screenplays I recall from recent memory, mainly because about a fifth of it allotted for a ridiculous car chase, backed up by the most hollow sense of urgency I might've ever seen on the big screen. You can only make a moving object fly off a bridge and hit another object so many times before the audience says "Okay, that's enough." Did screenwriter Skip Woods come up with a screenplay that only covered 70 minutes? And then, upon being told he needed to add 20 more minutes, did he make the spur-of-the-moment decision to include an elongated and unnecessary car chase? If you told me that's not exactly how that went down, I wouldn't believe you. 

And now, the plot. I think it's appropriate I delayed going into it in the first paragraph or two because the movie waited such a long time to get into its own "plot" (if you'd be generous enough to grant it that term). John McClane, our favorite rogue NYC cop, is informed his son is being held in a Moscow prison. John Jr. (Jack, as his father calls him) has only been seen prior to Good Day as a dialogue-derived addition to the first movie. Now grown up, Jack is working as a spy for the CIA, assigned to stopping a nuclear weapons heist. Before John can get to Jack, Jack manages to escape from his trial, after an explosion miraculously kills everyone in the entire courthouse except for him and two others. Jack tries to get back to his mission, but John holds him up with his arrival. With John having blown his operation, Jack is clearly frustrated, but as we learned from Live Free or Die Hard, feuding McClanes make for a kick-ass team in the falling action. 

That's all that really needs to be said about the plot. Actually, scratch that - that's all that deserves to be said about the plot. The movie is primarily dominated by things blowing up, things crashing into other things, and Bruce Willis delivering witty and timely commentary. While it's true this makes up a bulk of the previous four installments, there was always a brilliant balance of action and plot. That's what made the original Die Hard an instant classic. In a Die Hard movie, it's not so much to ask for original, smart and clever action. Here in the fifth entry, the action isn't original, the action isn't smart, and the action isn't clever. In short, this isn't Die Hard. It's an absolute shame that this bears the name of an otherwise phenomenal film franchise.

The only positive attributes I can give to this film are Willis's usual spot-on delivery as McClane (make no mistake - Bruce is still Bruce here, it's the filmmakers that failed him) and about a 10 minute sequence of enjoyable action. While the second half wasn't as god-awful as the first, there's nothing here to recommend. Do yourself a favor - stay home, save your money, and watch one of the four other Die Hard movies so that your faith in one of the most admired action franchises won't diminish. Or go rent The Perks of Being A Wallflower on Amazon or iTunes - it came out on Tuesday and surely won't disappoint, unlike A Good Day to Die Hard.

Rating: 1.5/5