I love how John's first scene in Die Hard 3 sets up so much important shit in like 2 minutes: John's hangover, he's not talking with Holly, the dump trucks that went missing, and the lottery numbers.

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

It’s such a well constructed story, without being obvious about its construction.

Die Hard 3 and Indiana Jones 3 occupy the same space in my brain - they take the general vibe of the first movie and turn them into something like a Saturday morning cartoon but without losing what made the original great. That's a hard trick to pull off, and neither franchise came close to managing it again.

@ghfudrs93uuu

6 ай бұрын

Robocop 2 also gives met hat feel

@austinohlrich9370

6 ай бұрын

I like how you put that, agree for sure

@daxxhowell3340

4 ай бұрын

Omg hi I love your music!!!! We’re working on a new project right??

@squeemlives

4 ай бұрын

​@@daxxhowell3340 I'm working on a new project yep!

Thanks Joel, best stream of consciousness monologues on KZread, right here.

It’s problem I’m beginning to have with action cinema today is it feels very clean now. Sure the scene itself, the characters, the setting, they can look dirty or polished to suit the moment of the film, but there’s somehow this kind of shine to it that makes me feel like there’s no stakes at play at all. I compare a one shot sequence to John Wick 4’s overhead shot and Oldboys corridor fight. Why do these both feel so different in how they feel? Both main characters are basically fighting/killing machines, they both have a clear goal in mind and have the strength to do so, both take place in old/dilapidated locations, both have music that fits for the feeling of the scene, so what feels different? Imperfections. With JW, it feels like everything has been planned to a science like a mentioned before, it was a put in a lab and it found it’s way to having a winning formula to keep you engaged and not be distracted, but that’s kind of the issue in itself, it doesn’t actually give your brain a chance to take it in enough, it’s like a video game, very reactive and your mind will forget it later down the line unless you look it up. John gets shot, he’s fine, another faceless goon gets killed right back, he’s fine. Old boy feels unplanned, even though it very much is, it feels super brutal. The MC hits hard, but will be hit hard twice as much, losing the battle at one point before having this burst of final energy, the human will, and is an audience are not just sitting by, we’re engaged, we’re worried, we want him to succeed the odds but they don’t look to be in our favour, every hit and fall feels real. It feels like he’s going to die, he has a knife sticking in his back and still presses on even with all that pain, and you can see it. It affects the MC during the fight and then after. It’s messy and powerful. John doesn’t feel like he’s going to die at any point, we know he’s gonna be okay and kill the bad guys with pinpoint accuracy. Old boy feels like he could die at any moment even with his strength and willpower. (Side note: I also think the look of digital when it comes to action also plays a huge roll in the fact that it looks clean and polished, like you mentioned with the robot arm movements and CGI.) I’m excited for what new actions we’ll get in the future, but I do believe the characters shouldn’t feel like they’re on God Mode, they need to be flawed in some skill sets and still get hurt like a normal person does.

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

100%! You hit the nail on the head. I think the cleanness of the digital and the smoothness of the robotic camera movements only serve to make everything feel safer. As cool as that sequence was in John Wick, it was a technical feat above a story feat, I wasn’t wrapped up in the stakes of the scene and how the camera was conveying it, I was just gawking at the technical filmmaking which ironically takes me out of the story.

@Broken_robot1986

6 ай бұрын

Dang I got to watch District 9, T2, and Looper again.

The airport where Die Hard 2 was filmed (Stapleton in Denver) is no longer an airport. My brother lives in a house in the area now.

@therealjohngalaxy

6 ай бұрын

Most random comment ever! 😂👍

Now I know what a TV dinner feels like.

The last movie that really felt tactile to me was the most recent Mad Max. I love the first 3 die hards

This is why hard magic systems are so much more engaging than “generic superpower”, when you understand the limits and rules of the magic it can become a puzzle of how to use it in the right way instead of an instant solution to every challenge

I love just listening to you talk about movies. It doesn't even need clips or anything! I love both these films, sometimes when I'm by myself doing whatever menial task I say out loud in the gruffest movie trailer voice I have "Die hard, with a vengeance" like the old trailers. They truly don't make 'em like they used to.

A lot of what makes Die Hard better than most recent action movies is found in the decision to make John barefoot. Absolutely brilliant choice. It gives him an immediate and obvious weakness. It showcases the intensity of the action (he never has two minutes to grab a pair of shoes). And it makes the audience identify with the main character in a way they wouldn't otherwise. We may not know what it's like to be shot, but we have a pretty good idea how vulnerable our bare feet feel, and when he has to make the choice to run across the broken glass we all felt that in an incredibly visceral way. Genius.

The 3rd was always my favorite as a kid. It never gets the praise it deserves.

That's what's great about classic Jackie Chan: he messes up, he's hurt, he's getting beaten and he has to work his way out of the situation.

The fact that I haven't critically thought about John Wick 4 even once since I saw it in theaters, speaks to its issue that its a great popcorn flick but nothing I would call substantive. Im a big keanu fan but youre totally right that it just feels like a video game where youre playing as the basically invincible assassin. A lot of shots are beautiful, and the choreography is really cool, but narratively its not exactly engaging. When I think back to it, I really cannot remember much of anything about the movie other than the overhead fire shotgun scene, the stairs foght, and the ending duel

@dopaminecloud

6 ай бұрын

If they embraced this and didn't make you sit through so many scenes that don't contribute to those strong points just because it "feels" like there should be more going on it'd be quite the ride and I'm sure far more memorable.

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

Absolutely, it’s a movie that’s serviced just as well by a best scenes compilation on KZread. It treated its exposition superfluously and therefore it feels that way. So many character moments stick with me from Die Hard, but I really only remember technical stuff from John Wick 4.

Die hard 1 was great. It was definitive, and that's what you want with your first movie. Die hard 2 felt like a bond movie... kinda plastic and marketable but not quite what it was. Die hard 3 was taking the real feel of die hard grit and turning it up while adding so much more color. The movie moved, it had stages, acts, exits and entrances. It felt true and made this one much more rewatchable. Die hard 3 was definitive and expansive, tons of room for viewer imagination. I still think about that gold bar...

I always thought Die Hard 3 was the best, it's hilarious and intense, but I think the big thing that you sort of touched on is that compared to the first Die Hard, it feels like everyone is competent in this movie, the police are doing their best, but they are simply getting outsmarted by a more competent villain. It makes the movie feel more real and more tense.

The best moment in John Wick 4 is the hotline miami dragon-breath shotgun scene, that blew my little mind

Thank you for justifying my decision to purchase a 1440p monitor. And also thank you for your commentary!

i kinda just assumed all the die hard sequels were bad without giving them a chance lmao. cant wait to see 3 now :D

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

You’re in for a sweet surprise, 3 is GOATed! Haha

Chronicles was one of my top favorite action movies when in highschool. That movie I always thought it was so sick

“Telling the line but not crossing it” honestly BARS, Joel.

Disney: write that down write that down Jk Disney: double down. DOUBLE DOWN!!

for my money, Speed is the best action movie. Other action movies have cooler scenes, like John Woo's hard boiled is mostly boring but then the final 40ish minutes are the craziest practical shoot outs and martial arts choreography ever, and the raid 1 is also some of the most impressive and visceral fight scenes ever, but speed really embodies that sense of urgency and it just never stops. Once the bus get's hijacked it's just this never ending intense action scene where every couple of minutes it gets more and more complicated like keeping the bus over 50 with traffic on the road, jumping the gap, the gas tank leaking, getting the passengers off, it's so intense the whole time.

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

You reminded me that I really need to watch Speed, it’s always been a blind spot for me!

@GhoulCityOffline

6 ай бұрын

@@joeltalksaboutmovies I hope you like it, otherwise I'll look so dumb for recommending it

I rewatched Die Hard with a Vengeance last year for the first time in something close to like 15 years. It funny watching it now in comparison to when it came out, or even just 15 years ago, because everything about it today feels even more impressive than back when I was endlessly watching it when it first hit HBO. Like I loved it when it was new, but it’s even better today given how action movies have went. The scale of it today feels even more impressive than it did back in ‘95 or ‘96 when I watched it on TV. Like back then you just kind of expected it to be practical, so as cool as it was, it didn’t feel as special as it does watching it today where you know this or that big chase or explosion would probably be done CGI. It’s also way more brutal than a movie of its scale would be done today. I could see someone that only knows this Die Hard with a Vengeance’s elevator scene from Captain America 2 being pretty shocked seeing how it goes down here, or when you’ve got something like that guy getting cut in half by the wire. The last couple years I’ve ended up rewatching a few bigger budget 1990s movies I liked back then, but hadn’t seen in forever, (stuff like Relic and Face/Off) and they seem even more impressive now. Relic in particular, similar to Die Hard with a Vengeance, is something I’m not sure would happen today; not with the budget it has, and not with the amount of violence it has.

PERFECT. You said what I have felt but lacked the words for a long time. You rock!

Want a movie but it's just the exposition, then they treat it like a Greek tragedy where he walks off screen and there's screaming and john wicking that lasts maybe a few seconds, and then he comes back spattered in blood and they talk some more I don't hear about Die Hard 3 as much as 2 and 1. I don't think I ever saw it, 2 and 1 get praised so much. I really liked 1 where it felt like there were costs to actions and a need to stay hidden rather than just wading into the middle of a crowd guns blazing. Felt smart. Now will definitely check out 3, thanks

Jackson and willis are such a great duo! Die hard and unbreakable! Pulp fiction sorta too

We always watch the die hard movies around christmas time. I find them all very cool and many love 💕

I love listening to you speak so passionately about movies and the aspects of filmmaking. If given the choice to watch my favorite movie with you or listen to you talk about your favorite movie, I'd be settled in for the lecture of a lifetime with a smile. Thank you for being such a sincere delight.

I was having just this same thought yesterday! Watching one of these new netflix original movies, The feast of the seven fishes movie- it just feels like there is nothing at stake whatsoever. It's a romantic comedy not an action movie but still- when there's nothing at stake there's no feeling. A lot of these netflix originals feel that way

This is the vid that got me to sub to this channel. Great perspectives! I gained a deeper appreciation for die hard 1 because of the director commentary elaborating on the shot choices and blocking and such. Do you avoid or seek out watching a movie with director or staff commentary?

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

I’d love to get into watching commentary, but I already have such a hard time making time for movies! Maybe I need to treat them more like a podcast which is essentially what they are!

I always thought Die Hard 3 was one of the most underrated action sequels ever. Jeremy Irons really feels like a great follow up to Alan Rickman.

I think Die Hard is a perfect movie, and one of the best action movies ever made. One of my favorite aspects of it is how John McClane starts out as an ordinary, kind of pathetic guy who is then transformed into an action movie star as the movie goes on and the plot develops. I noticed this in a lot of early Jackie Chan movies too; sure Police Story starts with him performing some crazy acrobatic starts, but a good chunk of the movie is dedicated to him doing goofy slapstick bits. I think a lot of modern “action” movies miss this aspect of comedy that helps to humanize the characters and ground the stakes in reality. Rather than the comedy being physical or circumstantial, it’s usually relegated to dialogue and the infamous Whedonisms - “Well, THAT just happened ;)”. I think this is why Everything Everywhere All At Once did so well; it was a modern action movie that leaned into the absurdity of its main protagonist, which also served to humanize the stakes and the story. Thanks for coming to my ted talk. I’ve been watching a lot of action movies lol

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

I agree that Everything Everywhere is a shining example of a modern movie that juggles heart and comedy and action really well. That’s really the trifecta that makes the formula feel complete!

Did you ever watch Ong-Bak? (If not, watch it in Thai, not English.) You'll probably enjoy it. I think Die Hard just made me think of Hard Rain, which isn't really that much of an action movie, but the setting of the movie made it really interesting to watch. I can barely remember that movie anymore though, so I'd have to watch it again.

Hope you post your thoughts on a Die Hard 2 rewatch because I recall (having seen all three films as they were released in theaters a lifetime ago) feeling like 2 was great, I remember liking it more than 3.

A really good movie that causes this "holy fuck this is real" feeling is Sorcerer. It's nowhere near as action packed as any Die Hard, but the action scenes it does have are so potent that they more than make up for it.

Merry Christmas

I'm a big fan of the TV edit in which John wears a sandwich board reading "I hate Everbody" and some dudes get really pissed off about it. 😂

Die Hard is the best Christmas movie

I worked on John Wick 4!

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

That’s awesome! Lots of fantastic work done on that movie no doubt!

Alan Rickman was the STAR of DH1

Joel you should watch Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace I think you would really like it.

I loved Die Hard 1 as a kid. It made me want a Beretta, a dirty shirt and an air duct to play in so bad

Ah yes, my favorite Christmas movie

Mad Max: Fury Road is a great example of this. It seems Furiosa is gonna go more towards CGI set pieces rather than the more practical action that Fury Road has, and i doubt itll be as successful because of it.

I agree with your take on John Wick 4. The action was great, for the most part, the top down sequence is my favorite. The sit down and talking and explaining stuff was where I was getting, I don’t want to say bored because I wasn’t, I’ll say less interested. The ending was definitely a highlight though I really like how it concluded. Just never really felt any stakes or was on the edge of my seat because I knew John was gonna make it out because he’s John Fucking Wick. The ending was the only part where I was like “oh okay he may actually die here.” Great video Joel, as always.

Die Hard 2 is pretty underated but 3 is my favorite

Did you see Drew's video on Andor? Would love a review from you, extremely underrated show imo.

I also like Die Hard 3 better, but it is problably because I used to watch it with my father on TV when it was on

Die Hard with a Vengeance is my most favorite of the Die Hards!!!

@carchub

6 ай бұрын

I used to spend all day watching movies on summer break, often times I’d spend a week watching the same movie on repeat the entire day while running around with toy cars and a tape recorder. I did that with Napoleon Dynamite, Die Hard with a Vengeance and a few others

@joeltalksaboutmovies

6 ай бұрын

It’s so damn rewatchable, not a dull moment the whole movie!

@carchub

6 ай бұрын

@@joeltalksaboutmovies I value a movie I can quote a lot, and it’s full of those moments. Like the way McClane says “the toll for the bridge” sounds funny so it’s stuck in my head. “Pancake syrup??” Lol. And I love the score, there are moments so well represented and augment by the original score. One of my favorite parts is McClane searching the subway train for the bomb and as he looks under a seat the woman sitting there freaks out & yells, so he continues on going “Sorry, sorry…” lol makes me laugh

On the topic of marvel movies and character arcs. One of the mcu movies which I think comes the closest to having a lead character act like a real person making realistic decisions in my opinion was Iron Man 3. Now a lot of other stuff about the movie didn't work super well, like the antagonist was pretty one note and dumb honestly. But RDJ is dealing with full on PTSD despite being an actual super hero in the public eye in addition to having to figure out how to overcome obstacles without his cheat codes. While other parts of the movie were certainly flawed, I get the impression that this movie was pretty unpopular with the majority of mcu fans. I think there is a reason that after this movie, I don't really think the MCU ever really veered back into seriously grounded main characters again.

Simon says to watch Die Hard & Die Hard 3 once a year

John Wick 4 did a good job of recovering narratively compared to the increasing mess that the series was turning into. My main complaint is that if the real strength of that series is the action sequences, why did they start phoning in the details? You harp on the digital effects (and that's true - not enough real squibs, for example), but it also comes down to just keeping track of how many bullets are in the gun. In the Arc de Triomphe scene, Wick fires ~31 bullets out the window while driving, so rapidly that there's no opportunity to reload. In the first movie every weapon has a realistic magazine capacity. It felt like being teleported back to the 90s, which is the last time when it was generally acceptable to have guns with infinite bullets. Anyway it's a very weird movie because it feels so polished and high-budget, and there's such creative high-level concepts for the setpieces, and yet the details that hold the action sequences together moment-to-moment seem very "phoned in." I have more examples but I'll stop there. Ultimately I think it's better than JW3 but it doesn't live up to the first movie. (I'm also bummed out that they didn't find more for Lance Reddick's character to do, because I always loved him as an actor.) I definitely have to go back and watch some Die Hard movies, they're absolute classics. But I'll say, John McClane's "special ability" in an era when all the action heroes had special abilities, was to be "die hard" - the point is he gets his ass kicked and doesn't stop, otherwise there's nothing special about him. So maybe it's not fair to use "amount of getting ass kicked" as a comparison with that film series!

Compare it with the 1st Die Hard? NO WAY! Hey Joel, Greetings from Costa Rica!

Die Hard 3 is amazing until it becomes clear that they smooshed two different film scripts together.

Good

Can't wait to see Joel review Die Hard 4 through 6 and get his heart broken! Joel, if you are reading this DO NOT WATCH DIE HARD 4, 5 OR 6! - Crisis averted. 😐👍

If you want to see a hilariously bad and over the top example of how upping the stakes can go wrong, I really reccomend Die Hard 4. Some absolutely insane stuff happens in that movie, it is completely ungrounded and off the rails and I kind of love it. After Die Hard 4 the movies become the unentertaining kind of bad unfortunately

Thinking on how much they fumbled john wick 4 always stings a bit. Every other movie before it hits so hard and works so well for what they were trying to do but it got stuck in studio limbo where it can't clearly end but it also can't not either. Sucks to see such talent and settings go to waste just so they could reanimate it for another 8 films and 3 spin off series.

I’d rank the Die Hard movies 1>3>4>>>2>>>>>>>>>>5

people don't know this but Die Hard is albanian for The Hard

Would you say then you're a die hard fan of Die Hard movies?

Hollywood action has always been pretty trash compared to anything that comes out of Asia, esp when talking abt hand to hand combat scenes

I’m surprised at this take. I’m glad you can look past Hollywood machinery and see a movie for what it is instead of lumping all grossing films together. Makes me want to check my bias a little.

Finally someone said it, John Wick 4 was kinda mind numbing, same thing over and over, and the exposition is so boring. Yes it has great action but it doesn't matter when it's just dudes fighting over and over and then half of the film is people sitting and talking about nothing. Rant over. I love die hard 3 tho

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