Hace poco veía “Duro de matar 4.0”, con Bruce Willis (pero ahora pelón, a diferencia de las otras) y Justin Long (el sujeto de los anuncios de Mac). Es divertida, geek y te deja un mensaje.

Para los que no la hayan visto (sin spoilerear mucho ), se trata básicamente de otra misión para John McLane (Willis), pero que se pone difícil y al final tiene que salvar su país de una invasión terrorista, pero por computadora :O

Muchos podrán decir: “Ahí va otro tio ruco que hace una película por money”, y sí, creo que sí lo hace por eso, pero la película funciona, porque cumple su cometido de entretenerte, las peleas son buenas, las secuencias de acción (mi favorita, la del trailer con el jet), sale Maggie Q (no se destapa, pervertidos ) y cierran con la rola de Creedence Clearwater Revival “Fortunate son”.

Ahora, cavilando y analizando, la trama de la película se puede llevar a cabo realmente en EU, y me pregunté “Será posible algún día que pase eso en México?”, y me contesté (wtf con mi soliloquio): “Cuando las alcantarillas no se tapen por la falta de cultura de las personas que arrojan basura…tal vez”.

Saludos beatlemanescos hoy 9/9/9.

This was written quite some time back and posted elsewhere.  But Bruce Willis being my personal favourite, I dusted this review from the attic, got it refurbished according to exacting blogging standards and spruced it up with some pics sourced from the net.

Jostling in an unruly queue for 30 minutes and then being told that only a few seats ‘lower down’ were available, was something I had not experienced even during my heady college days. So when this awkard situation confronted me, I took it as an opportunity to add to my rather minuscule cine-going experience and grabbed whatever was on offer than retreat empty handed. It was a seat pretty close to the screen, and amongst an assorted crowd of hardened rowdies. Never mind, I told myself. The opening scene was already rolling when I ambled into the hall, and after trampling on quite a few unhappy feet, finally managed to land myself first on somebody’s lap, and then on a precious empty seat next to him. However, the guy whose lap I consecrated chose to overlook my indiscretion (probably I had not hurt his anything) and stayed glued to the screen, much to my relief. Bruce Willis had made his appearance by now and was already mouthing expletives merrily, when I was briefly distracted by an SMS from a fellow blogger from down South (who enquired how hot it was in Jaipur; to which I replied that yes, it was indeed smouldering!). During the next 2 hours or so, I got terribly busy repeatedly picking my jaw from the floor which kept dropping at fairly regular intervals. And when I was not doing that, I was having a hard time controlling my wayward eyeballs which kept popping out every now and then. I had a loud chuckle when one of the rustic rowdies behind me asked his neighbour “Arre iss heero ka naam kya hai?”, and pat came the reply “Burush Willy”. (He’ll surely have his willy brushed with the toughest of bristles if Bruce Willis gets to hear that!)

Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4)

Bruce Willis returns with a renewed twinkle in his eyes as Detective John McLane, a smartass cop who is just as deft with his ammo as he with his mouth, shooting wisecracks and profanities with equal gusto. A perfect antithesis to complex digitalisations in today’s world, Officer McLane is a nut when it comes to understanding how computerised gizmos work. He hasn’t changed much, still divorced, unable to get along with his near & dear ones (in this case, his daughter), nearly heartbroken, but more than willing all the while to whip the backsides of all those who try to cross paths with US Federal law. Of course there are a few subtle changes which only a diehard Bruce Willis fan would appreciate; his unmistakable, charming smirk which has become a little more pronounced, with a hint of Sly Stallone like crookedness at the corner of his lips, and, his willingness to wear a T shirt this time (as opposed to various states of undress Bruce used to be in earlier).

The Plot

John McLane (Bruce Willis), the quintessential  NYPD cop, is at a loss to make his daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a thou-may-kiss-but-thou-shall-not-fondle-my-assets kind of lass, appreciate his fatherly concerns over dating strangers. After one such confrontation with his daughter, McLane gets a call from the FBI to apprehend and escort a hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) into FBI custody. As McLane is introduced to Farrell, the latter is attacked by a crack team of mercenaries sent by the baddie Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) who literally slice up his apartment within minutes. McLane somehow manages to rummage through the hell fire to save his terrified charge from being roasted live. Gabriel, driven insane by hatred towards the State, meanwhile initiates ‘Fire Sale’, a sequence of hacking programs aimed at maiming the nation’s infrastructure and economy, and it is upon McLane and Farrell to rescue the Motherland (and Lucy , whom Gabriel abducts), after liquidating Gabriel’s henchmen including his martial arts trained girlfriend Mai Lihn (Maggie Q). In the process, McLane and Farrell dodge countless bullets, and though their asses get toasted sweetly, the duo manage to cling to dear life in the midst of crumbling services like transportation, telephone network and power.  After a lavish helping of absolutely stunning, adrenaline laced, out of the world action sequences, which includes McLane ramming a police car into a hovering helicopter and somehow managing to steer a rig even as he is literally shredded to smithereens by an F 35 fighter jet, they manage to trace Gabriel’s whereabouts and proceed to confront him in a deadly climax…..

Performances

Bruce Willis – He redefines action with Die Hard 4. The 52 year old veteran literally blows you away, effortlessly jumping in and out of speeding cars, hanging precariously in mid air, beating the living daylights out of the rogues with his phenomenal 10 pound punch and mouthing the choicest of profanities, maintaining his good humour all the while.

Timothy Olyphant – Ever since the portrayal of Le Chiffre by Mads Mikkelson in Casino Royale, the trend it seems is to project baddies as suave, smooth talking and outwardly calm personalities who only throw things off their tables in fits of anger. Olyphant’s characterisation of Gabriel, an IT geek himself, is apt – smart computer professionals are not supposed to wear ringlets in ears and sport outrageous tattoes over their biceps.

Justin Long – Fits the bill perfectly as Farrell, a young hacker who unwittingly gets sucked into the drama, just because he unknowingly wrote a hacking sequence of the Fire Sale. The lad seems pretty obfuscated at first, getting to act beside the legendary Willis, but as the movie gets along, makes an impression of his own.

Maggie Q – Mai Lihn. Boy, she is hot. Particularly when she kicks Willis all over the place, you can’t take your eyes off her razor sculpted figure. This is without any skin show, mind you, for the total surface area of her exposed parts would be less than what is usually hidden by Mallika and Udita!

Mary Elizabeth Winstead – As Lucy Mclane, has nothing much to do except hiss occasionally at Gabriel and remind herself every now and again that though Bruce as a father is intolerable, it is he and only he who would finally extricate her from the clutches of her captor.

It was funny to watch

The whole of US of A plunged into darkness in an age where they are talking of setting up malls on Mars. Guess why no one sells APC inverters there???

An F35 jet having a tough time targeting a mammoth rig. It’s missiles hit everything except the rig. Wonder how such nincompoops dominated in Iraq and Serbia???

How swiftly the hackers typed out complex sequences in no time. It that really how nerds usually work? Typing speed – 3,86,000 cps, no typo errors. Remarkable.

Officials from the White House kickbutted by the FBI. Is it a regular phenomenon?

Value adds – Trailer of Sivaji – the Boss. Aah…how I long to see Rajnikanth in Die Hard 5.

Verdict – Looking at what you are supposed to expect from a Die Hard movie, this has all the essentials. John McLane pummels a bunch of armed-to-the-teeth baddies. Able sidekick who adds comic relief and keeps you absorbed.  An insane rogue who pushes McLane to his limits.  Bruce Willis battered, bruised and soaked in blood by the end. Eye popping action sequences with a nail biting finish. If you’re a fan of Bruce and DH, this movie will just blow you away.

■ À propos de cet article : J’ai interviewé Cyril Raffaelli en mai 2007 (si ma mémoire est bonne) pour la sortie, deux mois plus tard, de Die Hard 4 – Retour en enfer, dans lequel il joue Rand, un méchant. Je publie cet article aujourd’hui, car c’est la sortie de Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum, où l’acteur rempile pour le premier rôle, celui du flic Damien.

Le Français Cyril Raffaelli est cascadeur, chorégraphe * et acteur. Il combat Bruce Willis dans Die Hard 4 : Retour en enfer, sorti la semaine dernière (l’actu n° 2 338).

Comment a débuté cette aventure ?

Cyril Raffaelli : L’équipe de casting avait vu mon travail et m’a auditionné. Une fois sélectionné, je suis allé à Los Angeles pour quatre mois de tournage. C’était une expérience incroyable. Étant fan de la trilogie, je suis heureux de me retrouver dans cette saga mythique ! J’ai beaucoup appris en tant qu’acteur mais aussi sur le travail de chorégraphe.

Comment se prépare une cascade ?

Il y a d’abord l’entraînement physique : plusieurs heures de sport, beaucoup de répétitions et de préparation pour une scène. Quand je saute d’un immeuble à un autre avec sept mètres d’écart, il y a un câble mais il ne m’aide pas, c’est juste au cas où… C’est aussi un travail sur la force psychologique. Il faut se servir de sa peur pour aller au bout de ce qu’on veut réaliser ! Mais on ne prend pas plus de risques que dans un autre métier.

Tourner avec Bruce Willis n’est pas trop difficile ?

Face à Bruce, on est tellement intimidé qu’on n’a pas le droit à l’erreur, il ne faut pas le décevoir ! Il était hors de question de refaire des prises à cause de moi ! J’ai dû bosser à fond !

Die Hard 4 – Retour en enfer | Bande-annonce (vost)

Légende photo : Cyril Raffaelli interprète l’homme de main du cerveau d’un vaste complot terroriste que va tenter de déjouer John McClane (Bruce Willis).

Petit portrait de l’artiste : De Starmania à Die Hard 4.
À l’âge de six ans, Cyril Raffaelli découvre les arts martiaux. Il maîtrise rapidement le karaté et le nunchaku puis entre en école de cirque à 14 ans. « J’ai ensuite pris des cours de théâtre afin de jouer, chanter et danser dans des comédies musicales. J’ai intégré la troupe de Starmania durant quatre ans. » Petit à petit, il double et chorégraphie les cascades de nombreux films. Il réalise le combat final dans Le Baiser mortel du dragon. Et décroche le premier rôle dans Banlieue 13, produit par Luc Besson.

* Chorégraphe (ici) :  personne qui organise et met en scène les séquences de combat dans un film. Par exemple, Yuen Woo Ping est le chorégraphe de la saga Matrix et de Tigre & Dragon.

■ À propos de cette interview : Elle est donc parue dans l’actu, le 20 juillet 2007. Cyril est super sympa ! On a bu un verre en terrasse près de Châtelet, c’était un agréable moment. À l’époque il me confiait « en off » qu’il était cascadeur sur le nouveau The Hulk, qu’il tournait la suite de Banlieue 13, etc… Marrant, quand j’y repense. Bref je n’ai pas vu Banlieue 13, ni sa suite, mais de l’action sans prise de tête, je ne dis pas non, on verra à l’occasion ! En tout cas, chouette souvenir !

Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum | Bande-annonce (vf)

[Photos : 20th Century Fox & PlayBac Presse]

Short version:  Meh.  it’s watchable.  it needs Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman to do an in-world appearance as themselves testing vampire myths on an actual vampire.  overall, though, meh.

Long version, or, why it’s only mediocre:  There are a couple of glaring flaws here, and I will address them one by one in the order they stuck out at me as I watched the first two episodes saved on my DVR.

1) Dear HBO:  the nudity is appreciated, but using an aging skank for your opening boobs was a very bad move, and using aging skanks in equal proportion to hot HBOworthy naked people is not a good choice.  seriously.  it damn near put me off my hot pocket.

2)  Horrible casting on the female lead.  Every time I see Anna Paquin on the screen in danger, it just leads to disappointment because Wolverine fails to show up and save her.  while Bill The Vampire brings a sort of Refined Old-South well-mannered machismo, he’s far from Wolverine’s rampaging mass of claws and bodyhair with a heart of gold.  The reason why I think this is because she has played Rogue so many times in the X-men movies.  she IS Rogue the way bruce willis IS John McLane – no matter what the character’s name is on the script, it just doesn’t work unless they are indistinguishable from the character that the performer is best known for.

4)  if the whole series turns out to be a mostly-de-powered Rogue and Bill the Vampire taking turns saving each other, it’s going to suck.  yes, it’s a fascinating setting where vampires are out of the closet and no longer need to hunt humans but some of them still want to and some humans want to hunt vampires because vampire blood gives people Wolverine’s healing powers and super-sensitive senses, but dwelling on Bill and Rogue, scuse me, Sookie taking turns saving one another is getting lame.

5)  stop the cliffhanger endings.  Using them for a two-part season finale or a particularly intense three-part midseason story arc is good, but take a cue from the Venture Brothers and use subtler connections between episodes.  Not only does it create a more elaborate web of interrelated characters, organizations, and events, but it adds depth to the world of the show, allowing for the kind of suspension of disbelief that leads to costume-intensive fan gatherings years after a show is cancelled.

6)  OH COME ON!  this is like a PG-13 anne rice novel knockoff with a bit of bare boobs thrown in to justify it being on late-night HBO.  the vampires are either well-mannered aristrocrats or hissing, fang-baring self-parodies.  vampires are not refined fenteel aristocrats who happen to drink synthetic blood out of a boddle.  they are flesh-eating notcturnal fiends that sneak into houses in the night so the parents wake to find their baby half-eaten.  They still suck in comparison to zombies, but still, vampires are supposed to be MONSTROUS, not melodramatic.  they’re every pedophile and serial killer and mistreated pit-bull you can possibly imagine rolled into one and made overly sensitive to sunlight to keep them from being too scary (which is why zombies are superior – zombies are less susceptible to damage from the sun than living humans, as they don’t give a shit about skin cancer).

overall, it sucks, but it sucks lest than much of what else is on.

Sólo conozco dos idiomas: inglés con tacos e inglés sin tacos.

Korben Dallas a.k.a. John Mclane

El quinto elemento

“Digas lo que digas “cosas de casa” no es

un spin off de la jungla de cristal”

another crimson jihad production

talking about low standards , body image issue

John McLane, presidente.

Impressão minha ou na imagem de divulgação do trailer de Duke Nukem Forever ele está A CARA do Bruce Willis?

Ps: se o seu blog fez um post semelhante, perdoe-me. Estou cheio de trabalho e nem consegui dar uma passeada na blogosfera gaymer hoje.

Update: Chuto uma nota para o jogo: 5,5. Os comentarios? “Duke Nukem se perdeu no tempo e no meio de tanta demora. Jogue o classico e serás feliz.” Espero estar errado. Me bateu ate uma saudade ao ouvir novamente a voz dele. Isso foi meio biba, mas dane-se.

VS

So………… today’s fight is Indiana Jones VS Lt. John McLane. Should be an interesting one as Indy has his numerous qualifications, bullwhip and infamous hat….. but Lt. McLane has his shiny policemans badge and his witty comments…. Not to mention bare feet and a white vest!!!!