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    <title>Die Hard 2's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
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      <title>Die Hard 2's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
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      <title>Film:Die Hard 2</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/Die_Hard_2/44442/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u47055lrhuw.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
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<strong>Title:</strong> Die Hard 2<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 1990<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> Renny Harlin<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> "Another basement, another elevator...how can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?" asks John McClane (<a href="/players/P____76618/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bruce Willis</a>), in what is doubtless the key question of this film. A year after foiling the terrorist takeover of a high-rise office building in the first movie, McClane is waiting to pick up his wife, Holly (<a href="/players/P_____4930/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bonnie Bedelia</a>), at Dulles International Airport just outside Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve. Scheduled to arrive the same evening is Ramon Esperanza (<a href="/players/P____52262/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Franco Nero</a>), a South American political figure who is being brought to the United States to stand trial for his role in a drug-smuggling ring. However, a group of terrorists, led by renegade American military officer Col. Stuart (<a href="/players/P____62570/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>William Sadler</a>), take control of the airport, scuttling radio transmissions and placing their own men in the control tower. Stuart and his men ensure that Esperanza's plane lands safely, and then demand that Stuart and his men be given a fully-fueled 747 and free passage wherever they choose to go. Otherwise, they will guide the many circling jets waiting for landing instructions into definite crash landings, killing the many passengers on board. Not willing to stand aside as terrorists once again threaten his wife's life, the wise-cracking McClane once again leaps into action to foil Stuart's plans and bring the passenger jets safely to the ground. <a href="/players/P_____2687/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>William Atherton</a>, <a href="/players/P_____1409/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>John Amos</a>, <a href="/players/P____24830/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dennis Franz</a>, and <a href="/players/P____41614/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>John Leguizamo</a> highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 13<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 44<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 3<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 3<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:34:46 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>Die Hard 2</spout:Title><spout:Year>1990</spout:Year><spout:Director>Renny Harlin</spout:Director><spout:Plot>"Another basement, another elevator...how can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?" asks John McClane (&lt;a href="/players/P____76618/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Bruce Willis&lt;/a&gt;), in what is doubtless the key question of this film. A year after foiling the terrorist takeover of a high-rise office building in the first movie, McClane is waiting to pick up his wife, Holly (&lt;a href="/players/P_____4930/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Bonnie Bedelia&lt;/a&gt;), at Dulles International Airport just outside Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve. Scheduled to arrive the same evening is Ramon Esperanza (&lt;a href="/players/P____52262/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Franco Nero&lt;/a&gt;), a South American political figure who is being brought to the United States to stand trial for his role in a drug-smuggling ring. However, a group of terrorists, led by renegade American military officer Col. Stuart (&lt;a href="/players/P____62570/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;William Sadler&lt;/a&gt;), take control of the airport, scuttling radio transmissions and placing their own men in the control tower. Stuart and his men ensure that Esperanza's plane lands safely, and then demand that Stuart and his men be given a fully-fueled 747 and free passage wherever they choose to go. Otherwise, they will guide the many circling jets waiting for landing instructions into definite crash landings, killing the many passengers on board. Not willing to stand aside as terrorists once again threaten his wife's life, the wise-cracking McClane once again leaps into action to foil Stuart's plans and bring the passenger jets safely to the ground. &lt;a href="/players/P_____2687/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;William Atherton&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="/players/P_____1409/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;John Amos&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="/players/P____24830/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Dennis Franz&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="/players/P____41614/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;John Leguizamo&lt;/a&gt; highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>13</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Tag Target (&gt;10)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>44</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>3</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:SpoutRating>3</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u47055lrhuw.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/Die_Hard_2/44442/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Excellent, though flawed</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_mow/archive/2009/4/27/41772.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u47055lrhuw.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/148616/default.aspx'>The_MOW</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_mow/default.aspx'>The_MOW Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 4/27/2009 9:57:26 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" is a good sequel to "Die Hard", but it could have been better. There are, in my opinion, way too many spots in the movie where the story is a bit weak. The dialog also gets weak a bit. This movie is much more violent than the original. Language is also a lot more colorful than the original "Die Hard". Parents, this is not a movie for children. Bruce Willis does an excellent job in the role that made him a movie star. Most of the other actors seem like they are there just to get a paycheck. "Holly McClane" and "Dick Thornberg" were a waste of film, having "John McClane's" wife on a plane is a good reason to get him involved with the crisis, but I think "Dick Thornberg" should have been in the airport instead of the female reporter who had a role that was almost short enough to be considered a cameo. The suspense was very weak in this movie. There were some suspenseful moments, but they were too short when they would have been longer. This is a good movie, despite the plot holes, and a pretty good sequel and would be an excellent addition to a DVD/video library.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:57:26 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>The_MOW</spout:postby><spout:postto>The_MOW Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>4/27/2009 9:57:26 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>"Die Hard 2: Die Harder" is a good sequel to "Die Hard", but it could have been better. There are, in my opinion, way too many spots in the movie where the story is a bit weak. The dialog also gets weak a bit. This movie is much more violent than the original. Language is also a lot more colorful than the original "Die Hard". Parents, this is not a movie for children. Bruce Willis does an excellent job in the role that made him a movie star. Most of the other actors seem like they are there just to get a paycheck. "Holly McClane" and "Dick Thornberg" were a waste of film, having "John McClane's" wife on a plane is a good reason to get him involved with the crisis, but I think "Dick Thornberg" should have been in the airport instead of the female reporter who had a role that was almost short enough to be considered a cameo. The suspense was very weak in this movie. There were some suspenseful moments, but they were too short when they would have been longer. This is a good movie, despite the plot holes, and a pretty good sequel and would be an excellent addition to a DVD/video library.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: 5 Film Franchises That Need a Genre Change</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/27/39987.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u47055lrhuw.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 1/27/2009 5:01:13 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Both are broadly classifiable as science fiction, but Alien is basically a horror flick and Aliens has all the conventions of a war film. That’s a pretty slick transition from one type of movie to another, especially since the switch was so immediate within the series. Most movie franchises don’t play with genre in such a way until they’ve gone through a number of sequels, and even then the series usually just simply takes its characters into outer space, a la Moonraker, Jason X and Leprechaun 4.
Genre jumping isn’t that easy, though, unless a franchise inhabits a whole universe in which to expand through. Like Star Wars, for example. Originally a film series, the Star Wars franchise spread out into novels, which has allowed for dips into the romance genre and now horror. That’s right, an upcoming novel by horror author Joe Schreiber, titled Deathtroopers, takes the Star Wars universe into frightening territory described by Schreiber as “in the vein of The Shining and Alien, with a little dose of William Gibson mixed in.”
So, if Star Wars can venture into the horror genre, what other movie franchises should attempt a genre jump? To toy with the idea, we’ve selected five film series in need of a change and suggested a possible redirection of genre for each.


Franchise: Indiana Jones
New Genre: Spy Film
With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the franchise already made a slight genre leap, turning an adventure series with minor fantasy elements into a lame science fiction tale. In a way, George Lucas pretty much did for Indy what past producers did with James Bond, Jason Voorhees and the Leprechaun. Only, this time, the outer space came to the characters instead of the other way around. That installment was quite a disappointment and now the only way to save the series is to head in a more serious direction and cut out all sci-fi/fantasy material altogether. Set in the 1960s, Indiana Jones and the Bay of Pigs will be more C.I.A. thriller than mystical archaeological adventure, but while Harrison Ford will get to bring a piece of his Jack Ryan portrayal into the franchise, it won’t completely abandon the elements that make it an Indiana Jones movie. He’ll still be in search of an ancient object, this one located in the Cuban rain forest, but he’ll also be battling Communists in more of a Jason Bourne and Daniel Craig as 007 style. No flying fridges, no swinging Shias and definitely no aliens. Just pure Cold War-era suspense.

Franchise: Harry Potter
New Genre: Teen Sex Comedy
The Harry Potter series has evolved throughout its novels and films to darker and more mature themes, but the next step, if Warner Bros. decides to continue the franchise after the last J.K. Rowling adaptation, is to regress into a lighter and more immature genre. Along the lines of the teen sex classic Zapped!, as well as the hilarious fantasies/screenplays of actor Patrick Stewart (as depicted on Extras), Harry Potter and the Clothes That Magically Fall Off, would involve Harry’s days at university, during which he uses his powers to see female classmates naked and win basketball games (because it’s an American “Muggle” college and so there’s no Quidditch team). But in the end, he realizes that he doesn’t need to use magic to win the girl of his dreams (really just his college fling since he later settles down with someone else) or the championship game.

Franchise: Ocean’s Eleven
New Genre: Western
There aren’t many places left for Steven Soderbergh to go with this series, which kicked off with a remake of the Rat Pack film Ocean’s 11. So, instead of moving ahead with Ocean’s Fourteen, he should move sideways and do a remake of Sergeants 3. Itself a loose remake of Gunga Din, the western comedy was the only other movie to feature all of the Rat Pack guys. Technically, this new version won’t be another sequel to Ocean’s Eleven, but it would surely be considered part of the franchise, as it will still star Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Affleck, Caan, Jemison, Qin, Gould, Reiner and Cheadle (sadly, Bernie Mac can not join them). Who wouldn’t love to see that cast playing tongue-in-cheek in the old west? In any genre those actors together would make an enjoyable piece of blockbuster fluff.

Franchise: Die Hard
New Genre: Marital Drama
Weren’t you disappointed to learn that John and Holly McClane are divorced by the fourth Die Hard installment, Live Free or Die Hard? After all, the original movie wouldn’t have happened were it not for the main character’s attempt to save their marriage. And the events of Die Hard 2 also pretty much revolve around the status of the relationship. So, let’s go back to the beginning and look into the cracks between the four action flicks. We know John can thwart terrorists in any given scenario, but how does he function on a normal day? How does he deal with the threats of separation and divorce when he doesn’t have the distraction of action and the benefit of coming off a hero? This prequel/concurrent drama, titled Die Slowly, would depict marital dysfunction and collapse similar to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Revolutionary Road, except that in this film, whenever the couple goes at it, the husband gets to shout, “I saved you from terrorists. Twice. Give me a f—ing break!”

Franchise: Friday the 13th 
New Genre: Romantic Comedy
We’ve seen Freddy Vs. Jason. Now it’s time for Jason , a romantic pairing of Jason Voorhees, of the Friday the 13th series, and Angela Baker, of Sleepaway Camp. The two meet-cute when they both attempt to kill the same camper, accidentally stabbing each other instead. Rather than uniting to kill more kids, the new lovers realize that they’ve only been slashing people because they’ve never been hit with Cupid’s arrow (Jason actually had encountered the little cherub once, but he mistakenly decapitated him, stole his arrow and used it to impale a naked teen). But the movie isn’t all happy lovey-dovey montages. Like all romantic comedies, this one features a misunderstanding, and here it comes about when Jason and Angela first become intimate and the former discovers that the latter is in fact a boy. The result, though, is tragically more Boys Don’t Cry than The Crying Game, and ends with Jason killing Angela and returning to his old murderous ways. It’s a harsh conclusion, sure, but some genre jumps must be expected to be only temporary. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:01:13 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>1/27/2009 5:01:13 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Both are broadly classifiable as science fiction, but Alien is basically a horror flick and Aliens has all the conventions of a war film. That’s a pretty slick transition from one type of movie to another, especially since the switch was so immediate within the series. Most movie franchises don’t play with genre in such a way until they’ve gone through a number of sequels, and even then the series usually just simply takes its characters into outer space, a la Moonraker, Jason X and Leprechaun 4.
Genre jumping isn’t that easy, though, unless a franchise inhabits a whole universe in which to expand through. Like Star Wars, for example. Originally a film series, the Star Wars franchise spread out into novels, which has allowed for dips into the romance genre and now horror. That’s right, an upcoming novel by horror author Joe Schreiber, titled Deathtroopers, takes the Star Wars universe into frightening territory described by Schreiber as “in the vein of The Shining and Alien, with a little dose of William Gibson mixed in.”
So, if Star Wars can venture into the horror genre, what other movie franchises should attempt a genre jump? To toy with the idea, we’ve selected five film series in need of a change and suggested a possible redirection of genre for each.


Franchise: Indiana Jones
New Genre: Spy Film
With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the franchise already made a slight genre leap, turning an adventure series with minor fantasy elements into a lame science fiction tale. In a way, George Lucas pretty much did for Indy what past producers did with James Bond, Jason Voorhees and the Leprechaun. Only, this time, the outer space came to the characters instead of the other way around. That installment was quite a disappointment and now the only way to save the series is to head in a more serious direction and cut out all sci-fi/fantasy material altogether. Set in the 1960s, Indiana Jones and the Bay of Pigs will be more C.I.A. thriller than mystical archaeological adventure, but while Harrison Ford will get to bring a piece of his Jack Ryan portrayal into the franchise, it won’t completely abandon the elements that make it an Indiana Jones movie. He’ll still be in search of an ancient object, this one located in the Cuban rain forest, but he’ll also be battling Communists in more of a Jason Bourne and Daniel Craig as 007 style. No flying fridges, no swinging Shias and definitely no aliens. Just pure Cold War-era suspense.

Franchise: Harry Potter
New Genre: Teen Sex Comedy
The Harry Potter series has evolved throughout its novels and films to darker and more mature themes, but the next step, if Warner Bros. decides to continue the franchise after the last J.K. Rowling adaptation, is to regress into a lighter and more immature genre. Along the lines of the teen sex classic Zapped!, as well as the hilarious fantasies/screenplays of actor Patrick Stewart (as depicted on Extras), Harry Potter and the Clothes That Magically Fall Off, would involve Harry’s days at university, during which he uses his powers to see female classmates naked and win basketball games (because it’s an American “Muggle” college and so there’s no Quidditch team). But in the end, he realizes that he doesn’t need to use magic to win the girl of his dreams (really just his college fling since he later settles down with someone else) or the championship game.

Franchise: Ocean’s Eleven
New Genre: Western
There aren’t many places left for Steven Soderbergh to go with this series, which kicked off with a remake of the Rat Pack film Ocean’s 11. So, instead of moving ahead with Ocean’s Fourteen, he should move sideways and do a remake of Sergeants 3. Itself a loose remake of Gunga Din, the western comedy was the only other movie to feature all of the Rat Pack guys. Technically, this new version won’t be another sequel to Ocean’s Eleven, but it would surely be considered part of the franchise, as it will still star Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Affleck, Caan, Jemison, Qin, Gould, Reiner and Cheadle (sadly, Bernie Mac can not join them). Who wouldn’t love to see that cast playing tongue-in-cheek in the old west? In any genre those actors together would make an enjoyable piece of blockbuster fluff.

Franchise: Die Hard
New Genre: Marital Drama
Weren’t you disappointed to learn that John and Holly McClane are divorced by the fourth Die Hard installment, Live Free or Die Hard? After all, the original movie wouldn’t have happened were it not for the main character’s attempt to save their marriage. And the events of Die Hard 2 also pretty much revolve around the status of the relationship. So, let’s go back to the beginning and look into the cracks between the four action flicks. We know John can thwart terrorists in any given scenario, but how does he function on a normal day? How does he deal with the threats of separation and divorce when he doesn’t have the distraction of action and the benefit of coming off a hero? This prequel/concurrent drama, titled Die Slowly, would depict marital dysfunction and collapse similar to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Revolutionary Road, except that in this film, whenever the couple goes at it, the husband gets to shout, “I saved you from terrorists. Twice. Give me a f—ing break!”

Franchise: Friday the 13th 
New Genre: Romantic Comedy
We’ve seen Freddy Vs. Jason. Now it’s time for Jason , a romantic pairing of Jason Voorhees, of the Friday the 13th series, and Angela Baker, of Sleepaway Camp. The two meet-cute when they both attempt to kill the same camper, accidentally stabbing each other instead. Rather than uniting to kill more kids, the new lovers realize that they’ve only been slashing people because they’ve never been hit with Cupid’s arrow (Jason actually had encountered the little cherub once, but he mistakenly decapitated him, stole his arrow and used it to impale a naked teen). But the movie isn’t all happy lovey-dovey montages. Like all romantic comedies, this one features a misunderstanding, and here it comes about when Jason and Angela first become intimate and the former discovers that the latter is in fact a boy. The result, though, is tragically more Boys Don’t Cry than The Crying Game, and ends with Jason killing Angela and returning to his old murderous ways. It’s a harsh conclusion, sure, but some genre jumps must be expected to be only temporary. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Becoming Die Hard Stardust</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/archive/2007/9/2/19267.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u47055lrhuw.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/17539/default.aspx'>dibot</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/default.aspx'>dibot Blog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 9/2/2007 1:16:00 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> After seeing the latest in the Die Hard franchise, Live Free or Die Hard, I wanted to revisit the old movies to remember how it all began and if they were still good. As I watched, I came to the realization that the original Die Hard is the quintessential action movie. When we first meet Bruce Willis ("Planet Terror")&#39;s John McClane, he&#39;s struggling with his marriage and his job. He&#39;s not a super hero. He just gets caught up in some extraordinary circumstances and does his best to save his wife and be a cop at the same time. Sure, he manages to pull off some amazing stunts, but Willis is easy to identify with. We feel that, maybe, if we were in the same situation, we could do it, too.And Alan Rickman ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") always plays a good bad guy. In this script, he&#39;s smart. A well matched adversary to Willis&#39; cop. Plus, there&#39;s comedy. Not too much, but just enough wise-cracking to cut the tension between the dramatic stunts. Just all around good times.Sadly, Die Hard 2 does not live up to its predecessor. The action is still good. Willis is still wise-cracking and charming. But the story is weak and William Sadler ("August Rush")&#39;s villian lacks Rickman&#39;s charisma. I also missed the claustrophobia of McClane being trapped in one building, trying to outsmart the bad guys alone. In true sequel fashion, the action is bigger and the stakes are higher. But the film seems too long.Die Hard with a Vengeance brings back original director John McTiernan ("Basic") and he is able to recapture some of the magic of the first film. This movie also gives McClane a sidekick in the form of Samuel L. Jackson ("1408") who is just trying to be a good Samaritan when he gets sucked into the drama. There are a few buddy cop moments between Jackson and Willis and they have good chemistry. The strong villain returns in the form of Jeremy Irons ("Eragon") who feeds the duo strange riddles and spends most of the film in a purple tank top. An interesting wardrobe choice. Not as good as the original, but still an entertaining afternoon.Becoming Jane chronicles a pre-fame Jane Austen as she struggles with a forbidden love and whether or not to marry for money. Though I love Austen&#39;s books and most of the film adaptations, this film just did not have the same spark as those works of fiction. Anne Hathaway ("The Devil Wears Prada") stars as Jane and many of the scenes fall to her to express emotions with just her face and she can&#39;t always do it. James McAvoy ("Starter for 10") plays the love interest. He gives it his charming all. The film looks beautiful, but it&#39;s light. I didn&#39;t cry when I should have, I only laughed a little, and I&#39;ve already started to forget the movie.Stardust is a fantastical story about a young man who goes to find a fallen star, only to discover that it is not a rock but a woman, and the adventures that befall them as he tries to bring her back to his hometown to win the love of the local beauty. And that&#39;s just the basic outline. There are innumerable side characters and plots. All of the cast are strong and it&#39;s fantastical to watch. However, I felt that the lead, Charlie Cox ("Casanova") and the star, Claire Danes ("Evening"), just didn&#39;t have much chemistry. And since most of the story revolves around the two of them, that really hurt the film. But there&#39;s a lot to like here, especially Robert De Niro ("The Good Shepherd") in quite a twist on his usual persona and a group of commenting ghosts. Very entertaining, but it&#39;s missing some of the magic of The Princess Bride.<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 02 Sep 2007 17:16:00 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>dibot</spout:postby><spout:postto>dibot Blog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>9/2/2007 1:16:00 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>After seeing the latest in the Die Hard franchise, Live Free or Die Hard, I wanted to revisit the old movies to remember how it all began and if they were still good. As I watched, I came to the realization that the original Die Hard is the quintessential action movie. When we first meet Bruce Willis ("Planet Terror")&amp;#39;s John McClane, he&amp;#39;s struggling with his marriage and his job. He&amp;#39;s not a super hero. He just gets caught up in some extraordinary circumstances and does his best to save his wife and be a cop at the same time. Sure, he manages to pull off some amazing stunts, but Willis is easy to identify with. We feel that, maybe, if we were in the same situation, we could do it, too.And Alan Rickman ("Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") always plays a good bad guy. In this script, he&amp;#39;s smart. A well matched adversary to Willis&amp;#39; cop. Plus, there&amp;#39;s comedy. Not too much, but just enough wise-cracking to cut the tension between the dramatic stunts. Just all around good times.Sadly, Die Hard 2 does not live up to its predecessor. The action is still good. Willis is still wise-cracking and charming. But the story is weak and William Sadler ("August Rush")&amp;#39;s villian lacks Rickman&amp;#39;s charisma. I also missed the claustrophobia of McClane being trapped in one building, trying to outsmart the bad guys alone. In true sequel fashion, the action is bigger and the stakes are higher. But the film seems too long.Die Hard with a Vengeance brings back original director John McTiernan ("Basic") and he is able to recapture some of the magic of the first film. This movie also gives McClane a sidekick in the form of Samuel L. Jackson ("1408") who is just trying to be a good Samaritan when he gets sucked into the drama. There are a few buddy cop moments between Jackson and Willis and they have good chemistry. The strong villain returns in the form of Jeremy Irons ("Eragon") who feeds the duo strange riddles and spends most of the film in a purple tank top. An interesting wardrobe choice. Not as good as the original, but still an entertaining afternoon.Becoming Jane chronicles a pre-fame Jane Austen as she struggles with a forbidden love and whether or not to marry for money. Though I love Austen&amp;#39;s books and most of the film adaptations, this film just did not have the same spark as those works of fiction. Anne Hathaway ("The Devil Wears Prada") stars as Jane and many of the scenes fall to her to express emotions with just her face and she can&amp;#39;t always do it. James McAvoy ("Starter for 10") plays the love interest. He gives it his charming all. The film looks beautiful, but it&amp;#39;s light. I didn&amp;#39;t cry when I should have, I only laughed a little, and I&amp;#39;ve already started to forget the movie.Stardust is a fantastical story about a young man who goes to find a fallen star, only to discover that it is not a rock but a woman, and the adventures that befall them as he tries to bring her back to his hometown to win the love of the local beauty. And that&amp;#39;s just the basic outline. There are innumerable side characters and plots. All of the cast are strong and it&amp;#39;s fantastical to watch. However, I felt that the lead, Charlie Cox ("Casanova") and the star, Claire Danes ("Evening"), just didn&amp;#39;t have much chemistry. And since most of the story revolves around the two of them, that really hurt the film. But there&amp;#39;s a lot to like here, especially Robert De Niro ("The Good Shepherd") in quite a twist on his usual persona and a group of commenting ghosts. Very entertaining, but it&amp;#39;s missing some of the magic of The Princess Bride.</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:action</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/action/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/action/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>action</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 317</br><br/>
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<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 458</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:42:37 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>317</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>111</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>458</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:terrorism</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/terrorism/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/terrorism/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>terrorism</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 981</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 49</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 117</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:04:22 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>981</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>49</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>117</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:sequel</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/sequel/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/sequel/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>sequel</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 126</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 46</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 171</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:25:48 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>126</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>46</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>171</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:police</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/police/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/police/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>police</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 3104</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 37</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 172</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:56:49 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>3104</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>37</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>172</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:rescue</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/rescue/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/rescue/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>rescue</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 4080</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 31</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 142</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:39:36 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>4080</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>31</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>142</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:michigan</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/michigan/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/michigan/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>michigan</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 84</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 24</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 115</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:41:26 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>84</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>24</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>115</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:airport</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/airport/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/airport/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>airport</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 101</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 11</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 16</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:20:51 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>101</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>11</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>16</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:druglord</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/druglord/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/druglord/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>druglord</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 143</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 10</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 12</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2009 13:02:33 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>143</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>10</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>12</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:terrorists</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/terrorists/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/terrorists/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>terrorists</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 10</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 6</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 12</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:55:12 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>10</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>6</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>12</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:oneagainstodds</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/oneagainstodds/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/oneagainstodds/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>oneagainstodds</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 634</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 3</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 7</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:02:00 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>634</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>3</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>7</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:entropy</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/entropy/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/entropy/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>entropy</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 17</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 2</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 20</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:08:37 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>17</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>2</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>20</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:one-day</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/one-day/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/one-day/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>one-day</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 28</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 2</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 29</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:45:58 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>28</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>2</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>29</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:Reginald-Veljohnson</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Reginald-Veljohnson/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/Reginald-Veljohnson/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>Reginald-Veljohnson</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 21</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 21</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:56:32 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>21</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>1</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>21</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:yipeekayee</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/yipeekayee/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/yipeekayee/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>yipeekayee</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 1</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 1</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:17:23 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>1</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>1</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:airdisaster</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/airdisaster/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/airdisaster/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>airdisaster</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 152</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 0</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 0</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:07:06 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>152</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>0</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>0</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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