Die Hard with a Vengeance - 1995

Cinergi Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Directed by John McTiernan

Cast:

• John McClane – Bruce Willis
• Simon Gruber - Jeremy Irons
• Zeus Carver – Samuel L. Jackson
• Joe Lambert – Graham Greene
• Connie Kowalski – Colleen Camp
• Insp. Walter Cobb – Larry Bryggman
• Ricky Walsh – Anthony Peck
• Katya – Sam Phillips

Story: A peaceful morning in New York City. That is until a bomb explodes and takes out a department store along the entire block, causing cars to be thrown into each other and lots of really pissed off New Yorkers. At headquarters, police are trying to coordinate clean up efforts when they get a call from “Simon” who wants to speak with John McClane. Our hero is currently on suspension, but not today. “Simon” informs Inspector Cobb if McClane is not available to play a game of Simon Says with him, he will continue to set off bombs in New York City. They locate McClane, attempt to sober him up, and leave him in the middle of Harlem for the first part of Simon's game. He is to stand in the middle of Harlem wearing a sandwich board and his underwear with the message “I Hate Niggers” on the board. Zeus Carver, a shop owner across the street from where he has been dropped, sees McClane and attempts to get him off the street before local black thugs notice the sign. An altercation does take place, but the two manage to commandeer a taxi and head back to police headquarters, where Simon informs them via telephone they will both be required to complete his game. Simon runs McClane and Carver all over town, apparently for no reason until the FBI tells McClane this is none other than Simon Gruber, the brother of Hans Gruber who McClane dropped off the Nakatomi tower. John figures this is a ruse, and works with the police and Zeus to thwart their efforts.

Review: YEAH! John McTiernan back at the helm. Not that Renny did a horrible job, but this Die Hard comes back to the energy level of the original. John and Holly are heading toward their inevitable divorce, John is back in New York, and now we introduce a couple of wild cards into the mix. Samuel L. Jackson plays Zeus Carver, a businessman in Harlem who does not like white people. Jeremy Irons plays Simon Gruber, the brother of Hans using his desire to take revenge on McClane as an elaborate diversion from his real goal, a robbery of international proportions. Graham Greene and Colleen Camp add a nice flair with their roles, and Bruce gives us an interesting perspective on McClane's development. Like the previous two films, the action is non stop and the good guys prevail, but it is never that simple. There is always one more thing to do. Rated R for violence, language, and a brief passionate encounter. Collectible if you love Willis or just want to have the entire set.

The Time Machine - 2002

Warner Bros. Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Parkes/MacDonald Productions

Directed by Simon Wells

Cast:

• Alexander Hartdegen – Guy Pearce
• David Philby – Mark Addy
• Emma – Sienna Guillory
• Moorlock Leader – Jeremy Irons
• Flower Shop Worker – Alan Young
• Vox – Orlando Jones
• Mara – Samantha Mumba
• Kalen – Omero Mumba

Story: In January of 1899, a young physics and applied engineering professor at Columbia University is about to propose to Emma. Professor Hartdegen meets Emma at the skating rink at Central Park, and they take a stroll into a secluded area of the park where he proposes. Unfortunately, a thief is lying in wait for them and in the ensuing robbery, Emma is shot and killed. Professor Hartdegen is devastated and retreats into his home laboratory. His goal: to build a time machine that will allow him to return in time to prevent Emma's death. Yet even when his machine is complete, Emma dies in a different scenario. He finds he cannot change the past, so he goes forward instead to find the answer to the riddle. In the year 2030, he encounters Vox, the compendium of all human knowledge at the New York City library, who informs him that time travel is no more than science fiction, so he determines to go farther into the future. In 2037, he finds the world is in shambles because they have thrown the moon out of orbit, and when he climbs aboard his machine to escape the carnage, he is knocked unconscious and unwittingly travels to the year 802,701. Here he is discovered by Mara, an Eloi who has learned “the stone language” and can communicate with him. He soon learns their agrarian community is threatened by the Moorlocks, creatures who live beneath the earth and hunt the Eloi for Food.

Review: Four generations later, we have a revision of this classic science fiction film by none other that the great grandson of H. G. Wells. While entertaining and well presented, this film bears only a superficial resemblence to the original of 1960. Underlying the plot is the question of Fate. Why can't you change the past? The concept of Eloi and Moorlock are somewhat consistent with the original film and the novel, but their roles have significantly changed. The Eloi are fishers and farmers, and they live in cliff dwellings made of bamboo and other natural materials. The Moorlocks are still subterranean creatures, but now they are divided into castes, some bred for hunting, others bred to control. Where the hunters are physically superior, the controllers have telephatic powers which allow them to keep the hunters at bay. Our protagonist is Alexander Hartdegen, not H. George Wells, and his motivation for creating the time machine is love, not commerce or scientific knowledge. The addition of Orlando Jones as Vox allows for the failure of Hartdegen to return to the past, since he contains all human knowledge from the 21st century and some beyond. Guy Pearce presents a believable character, and Samantha and Omero Mumba are excellent in their roles as the brother and sister Eloi who discover and befriend him. Mark Addy is Philby, and an excellent addition to the cast as Hartdegen's mentor and friend. Jeremy Irons portrays the Moorlock Leader with a rare and insightful talent that only he can generate. While his character is not evil in the sense we normally believe, he is still a thoughtful being who offers Hartdegen the opportunity to return to his own time. Rated PG-13 for violence, this film is highly entertaining but certainly not destined to be a classic. It is, however, an interesting revision of the original plot with some well thought out twists and turns, and the romantic angle of the film is sure to keep the ladies interested.