Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection [Blu-ray]

The Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection has basically been released three other times with a few different tweaks since Live Free or Die Hard hit theaters in 2007. What audiences are getting that is different with this set is a bonus disc featuring seven brand new featurettes that retrospectively look back on 25 years of John McClane.

The Movie:

The 25th Anniversary Collection features three hard R-rated flicks, Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Die Hard with a Vengeance, as well as the PG-13 2007 film Live Free or Die Hard. Each of the films vary in picture quality, as they were shot during different time periods and don?t seem to have been particularly cleaned up for Blu-ray. Excepting the special effects in Live Free or Die Hard, these would probably all look similarly fine on DVD. I?d almost rather have grittier picture quality when it comes to a McClane movie, anyway.

It has been much easier to see how the Die Hard films have continued to resonate over the years when this set showed up and I could watch them one after another. Ever the reluctant hero, McClane (Bruce Willis) hasn?t really changed over the years, although the problems and circumstances he faces have changed and the spectrum has grown from one building to a much broader landscape over the years. Fans may always be privy to the same old McClane, but they never have to go on the same adventure.

Partially, this is due to the variety of rich villains and side characters the franchise has traditionally offered, with only a few missteps. Peppering each of the movies are fan favorite performances, from villainous characters played by Alan Rickman or even Maggie Q to side characters that have lived on in pop culture, including Holly Gennero McClane (Bonnie Bedelia), Sgt. Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), Trudeau (Fred Thompson), Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) and Marvin the Janitor (Tom Bower)--the list goes on and on.

When considering the Die Hard movies, normally fond moments and characters pop up, first. However, the Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection offers the somewhat unique ability to view each of the four films released in the franchise in order, to really sit up and pay attention to the material, and to hone in on the deft dialogue, the recurring themes, and a few other delicately handled moments that make the entire franchise a cohesive entity. It?s really not just the, ?Yippee ki-yay motherfucker? that holds the franchise together, it?s a lot of careful work by several different directors who believed in the character of McClane and what that character can bring to audiences time and time again. Whether or not fans have favorites among the four movies, I still believe it?s worth it to own all four.

The Disc:

It was a big disappointment that there was not a ton of cohesiveness between discs. The first three movies are set up with the same menu and formatting and the fourth flick in the franchise is literally the regular Blu-ray release just tacked on as part of the set. In fact, the Live Free or Die Hard disc was still sporting previews for The Simpsons Movie, which I actually appreciated, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, which I would otherwise have forgotten existed.

Each of the discs come with a set of bonus features that have been available with other releases. The first Die Hard film, for instance, comes with commentary and news reels, among others. With some of the other movies, deleted scenes and featurettes are available. With Die Hard with a Vengeance an alternate ending is even available. There?s more, but that?s the gist.

The Bonus Disc is split into two sections. Viewers can choose the ?Decoding Die Hard? path or the Die Hard Trailers path. I actually chose the trailers first, and was happy I did, as I was rewarded with the A Good Day To Die Hard trailer at the end.

?Decoding Die Hard? is a lengthy set of retrospective segments that take a look at the making of the first 4 films in the Die Hard franchise, as well as other retrospective interview footage. There?s a full segment on McClane?s character called ?Modern-Day Hero,? which discusses everything from Willis having firm opinions on his character to the gun click over the ?mother fucker? line in the fourth Die Hard film that kept the rating at PG-13.

Each of the bad guys gets a lengthy segment and each of the sidekicks and most of the side characters are remembered during another segment. ?Punishing Blows? takes a look at the action sequences and how Maggie Q?s big scene in the fourth film is the first time McClane has been evenly matched by a woman during an action sequence, which is worth a watch. Following this is a segment on the ?explosive? effects. The most exciting of these is the discussion of the miniature work that goes on in the first couple of films.

While the retrospective featurettes are certainly worth the watch, the packaging is unremarkable and even features a piece of paper listing the extras on the bonus disc glued to the back. If you?ve been hankering for copies of all of the movies in the franchise, the Die Hard: 25th Anniversary Collection certainly fulfills that niche and even offers some worthwhile extras, but it isn?t anything to write home about and it may be worth holding out until the newest film can be added to the mix.

Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Samuel L. Jackson, Justin Long, Maggie QDirected by: John McTiernan, Renny Harlin, Len WisemanProduced by: Joel Silver, Lawrence Gordon, John McTiernan, Michael FottrellWritten by: Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza, Doug Richardson, Mark Bomback

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The Hand That Rocks the Cradle 20th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]

Before much longer, I?ll be moving to a new place, and will be in dire need of childcare soon after we?re settled in. The two movies I really didn?t need to watch during this time were The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Don?t Tell Mom the Babysitter?s Dead (even though she?s only 18 months old.). Well it just so happened my day was lacking that certain je ne sais quoi which could only be fixed by watching Ernie Hudson go full retard. Thus, in went Curtis ?8 Mile? Hanson?s entry into the early 1990?s ?Troubled White People? genre, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Some spoilers abound.

The Movie:

I begin with disappointment. This Blu-ray release is the equivalent of calling an old sandwich new by sticking it on a better plate. The movie looks great, sure. De Mornay?s eyes are as blue and endless as Martian oceans. Graeme Revell?s delicate score has never drawn emotions with such crispness and fullness before. But then the credits roll, and you turn off your Blu-ray player because absolutely nothing else is on this disc except for trailers. Even a commentary from Matt McCoy?s Lloyd Braun character from Seinfeld would have felt monumental. Off to the bargain bin we go.

It?s been almost twenty years since my first and only time spent with Rebecca De Mornay?s vengeful day nanny. Since then, the ?person terrorizing another person?s life by becoming very close to that person? trend of storylines has fizzled, to be reborn again in combination with the 'evil children' genre. For the most part, Hollywood has accepted that this specific story has been buried beneath six feet of predictability, and seldom uses it as a crutch anymore. Does this put The Hand That Rocks the Cradle under a more scrutinizing microscope? Not really. It?s still just a by-the-books thriller.

Even so, it?s an extremely effective by-the-books thriller, and time has aided in its cinematic stasis. Nothing feels particularly dated, minus the absent ?Why didn?t you answer your cell phone?? conversations. The acting is overly decent all around. The pace is brisk and the misunderstandings aren?t frustratingly moronic. As Peyton, De Mornay is maddeningly villainous, though her traumatizing incident at the beginning of the movie surely would have led her insanity down a different path than this. Realizing you made some bad life calls would force you to rethink your past crazy decisions, not add on to them a thousand fold.

If anything remains relatively fresh about the film, it is indeed Peyton?s extremely personal familial invasion of the Bartel household. Certain methods, like insinuating Michael (McCoy) is cheating on Claire (Annabella Sciorra) with close friend Marlene (Julianne Moore), are typical to the genre. But the way it?s handled, using only a lighter and Michael?s own defensiveness, is subtle. This trick also leads to one of the most uncomfortable moments in any surprise party on film. I just looked on, aghast, thankful that no one I know likes planning things.

Beyond the normal stuff, however, Peyton is a crazy bitch by any era?s standards. Her foul deeds seem to be pulled from some current day headlines. She famously breastfeeds another woman?s child without telling anyone. She lies about finding the back of an earring in the baby?s mouth. She not only threatens a developmentally challenged black handyman, she plants a pair of flowery children?s panties inside of his tool box to get him condemned. These are things women in movies just don?t do all at once anymore. Again, because the film?s pacing is smooth and uncomplicated, her heinous exploits seem generically run of the mill until taken out of context. As a sexually assaulted parent who thinks that her employee is sexually aroused by her young child, it must have been mortifying to watch daughter Emma (Madeline Zima) cry and defend Solomon (Hudson) so strongly, as that would fit in with the molester/child relationship. Freaky shit, I say.

My few complaints rest in certain plot elements, like the ways Peyton?s true identity is discovered. Marlene doesn?t have the investigative skills of Inspector Clouseau, yet she connects all the dots a tad too quickly. (Marlene also gets to utter the titular line of the movie, taken from the William Wallace poem, which redeems her in my eyes.) Also, the use of the greenhouse in every capacity was too oddball and seemed to have originated in a studio note, saying, ?Great job on all the breastfeeding, but can we get the greenhouse in there a little more prominently? My brother builds greenhouses.? Also, I?m entirely suspicious of the fatality suffered within, but Hollywood often follows its own physics.

So after watching the movie again and considering all my options, I figure it?s worth hiring a mentally unstable babysitter if it leaves me the option to stand against her while she?s soaking wet in a nightie. But only if she looks like Rebecca De Mornay. Actually, I?ll start making a list of the actresses I?d allow to mind-fuck my wife and daughter, and you debate adding this movie back into your collection. Hint: if you own the DVD, that?s all you need.

The Disc:

The Blu-ray that has no features is the Blu-ray that stays on the shelf.

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle 20th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray] DetailsDistributor: Hollywood Pictures Home EntertainmentStarring: Rebecca De Mornay, Annabella Sciorra, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, Julianne MooreProduced by: David Madden, Ira Halberstadt

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EXCLUSIVE: Jean Harlow 100th Anniversary Collection DVD Clip

Oct 27, 2011 by Brian Gallagher

We have an exclusive clip from the upcoming boxed set Jean Harlow 100th Anniversary Collection, which will be available through Warner Archive on October 25. Click on the video player below to watch legendary actress Jean Harlow in Reckless, one of the seven movies available on this boxed set.

For our inaugural box set collection, we shine the spotlight on the Platinum Bombshell herself, Jean Harlow. A true trend-setter, the first "Platinum Blonde" provided the template for an archetype that stretches from one century into the next - to Marilyn to Madonna to Gwen Stefani and beyond. True film buffs owe it to themselves to celebrate, discover, or rediscover her achievements as an actor. Join us in paying tribute with this special collection, celebrating her centennial year with seven of her films, three newly remastered. None ever before available on DVD. Lovingly packaged in a striking, glamour filled slipcase filled with special features.

Bombshell (1933) Remastered - Glamour queen Lola (Harlow) is quitting the movie biz - something her manipulative press agent (Lee Tracy) can't allow!The Girl from Missouri (1934) Remastered - Eadie's not easy! A plucky bachelorette (Harlow) intends to bag a New York millionaire...without abandoning her virtue.Reckless (1935) Remastered - Harlow goes dramatic as a Broadway star accused of murder after the death of her high-living, high society hubby. With William Powell, the last real-life love of Harlow's short life.Riffraff (1935) She works in a cannery. He's a fisherman. But their playful romance is fated to give way to a tragedy surrounding union activism. She's Harlow, he's Spencer Tracy.Suzy (1936) Harlow, Cary Grant, and Franchot Tone are involved in a World War I triangle of romance and spy intrigue.Personal Property (1937) Debt-ridden socialite Harlow puts on a show of wealth to impress a suitor who's also making a pretense of fortune. Robert Taylor is the butler who sees through the ruses.Saratoga (1937) In Harlow's final film she plays the daughter of a horse breeder who is engaged to a millionaire, but drawn to a bookie played by Clark Gable.

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EXCLUSIVE: Kelly McGillis Talks Top Gun 25th Anniversary Blu-ray

Aug 29, 2011 by B. Alan Orange

Top Gun is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this Tuesday, August 30th, with an all-new Blu-ray release. The number one movie of 1986 is set to return fans to the Danger Zone in Hi-Def, and it remains one of the greatest adventures of all time. We caught up with Tom Cruise's leading lady, Kelly McGillis, to reminisce about Top Gun and to celebrate its birthday. Here is our conversation.

Is this fun for you to reminisce about Top Gun? Where do you hold the movie in regards to your career?

Kelly McGillis: (Laughs) I don't think about it much. It was fun. It was great. I had a great time doing it. But I don't dwell too much on what I've done. I have to deal with what I am doing today.

So, you haven't even gone back and seen the movie since 1986?

Kelly McGillis: No. I have not. I have seen glimpses of it when my kids are watching it on television. Maybe, when I am walking through the house doing laundry, I will see some of it. But no, I have never sat down to watch it.

What do your kids think about the movie?

Kelly McGillis: Now that they are grown, they don't sit around and watch my stuff. No. My youngest daughter did have a big crush on Tom Cruise. I told her (laughs) she was one of five billion. Good luck. She was around eight at the time.

So, even with the movie coming to Blu-ray, you won't watch it? Its just one of those things you did, it's gone, all part of the past?

Kelly McGillis: No. I have no desire to sit around and watch myself. I find that kind of weird.

Some people might think its weird. Other people get a kick out of watching themselves. I guess it depends on the person...

Kelly McGillis: I guess. I wouldn't feel very comfortable doing something like that.

We're sort of experiencing a Kelly McGillis resurgence. You are starting to pop up in more and more movies lately. Do you think that's in large part due to the filmmakers of today having been fans of Top Gun when they were younger?

Kelly McGillis: I don't know about that. I think I have been busy, raising my kids. I think it's that I have just been trying to go back to work. Working as an actor.

When Skateland came out, a lot of people were excited to see you in that movie. It's been fun to watch you come back...

Kelly McGillis: Oh, I don't know. That is very nice. I don't know what people think, honestly. I just don't know.

Do you have any fond memories you can share about being on the set of Top Gun?

Kelly McGillis: Oh, it was just fun. It was like being at camp. Everyone was really nice, and we had a great time. All of the boys and I lived together in the same hotel complex. So we hung out together all the time.

I remember when the movie came out, a big deal was made about the elevator sequence, where you are wearing your hat. You had to re-shoot that scene, and there was a problem with your hair. What exactly was going on there?

Kelly McGillis: Yeah, I was working on Made in Heaven at the time. I wouldn't cut my hair. We had to put a baseball cap on my head. The producers weren't happy about it. What could I do? Someone else was paying me at that time.

What are your thoughts on the film's place in pop culture?

Kelly McGillis: I don't know. It just seems to me like it's a good fun movie. Its good guys and bad guys with a lot of sexy planes. Good-looking people. It seems to me that it's a fun film. I think there is a lot of value in escapism. I would think that people would enjoy it.

It's a film that has really held up. In fact, there is talk of a sequel. Has anyone approached you about that? Or is that something you wouldn't even be interested in?

Kelly McGillis: Oh, I think I am far too old to do that now. I don't think I would even be interested, to tell you the truth. Its like, I have already done that, you know?

You have the Innkeepers coming up, and you just did the vampire thriller Stake Land. Are you a fan of the horror genre? Or are these just the movies you seem to be getting offered right now?

Kelly McGillis: These are just little films that came to me. I think The Innkeepers came about because it was the same producers who did Stake Land. I only worked on The Innkeepers for ten days, which I thought was really great. Stake Land? Director Jim Mickle talked to me, and I really liked him. It was shot near where I lived, so that was really easy and great. That is why I did that movie. I also liked the apocalyptic theme of it. And the extremism. I have never seen a horror movie, to tell you the truth. I don't like watching those kinds of movies, because I don't like to get scared. But I loved working with Jim Mickle. The Innkeepers I did because I thought it was a quirky little film. The producers had asked me to do it.

Ti West, the director of that movie, is a big fan of yours. What was it like working with someone who seeks you out in a specific manner like that?

Kelly McGillis: It was very nice. Ti West is a nice guy, and I think he has a lot of talent. It was a lot of fun.

What can you tell me about your character?

Kelly McGillis: I play a has-been actress that turns into a psychic person. That is about it. I don't know what else to tell you about it.

What else are you working on right now?

Kelly McGillis: I just finished a little film called Tio Papi. It is a family values film. It takes place in Washington Heights, in New York. It's about a guy who ends up having his brother's seven or eight kids come into his life. It is just a sweet little movie. I have just a little part.

What does the work you are doing now give you, that you don't feel you were getting back in the 80s or 90s?

Kelly McGillis: I don't know. Part of my desire is to be a character actress. And to be able to be older, and be okay with that. I want to do the small little parts that are more interesting and fun. Rather than have this huge responsibility of carrying the movie. Feeling like I have to be perpetually thirty.

Do you feel that looking at the work in that way opens new avenues for you, that may have not been available to you in the past?

Kelly McGillis: I don't disagree. That interests me more. Doing these fun little character parts. It seems more interesting to me than being a romantic lead. Plus, I don't know...In your fifties, you can't be the romantic lead unless it's an all-older film. Those are few and far between. That is not the mainstream. I would really rather just be a character actress, and play my age, and be comfortable with that.

Do you think you'd ever do a weekly TV series? Or is that too much responsibility to place on your shoulders?

Kelly McGillis: I don't know. I would certainly do something like that it if it came up. I don't have an attitude about one genre being better or worse than the other. Yeah.

Top Gun 25th Anniversary Blu-ray hits stores this Tuesday, August 30th.

Top Gun was released May 16th, 1986 and stars Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb. The film is directed by Tony Scott.

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