SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Where have you gone, John McTiernan? (Die Hard 4)

Posted: Jun 22 2007 06:42 pm

Where have you gone, John McTiernan? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you, woo woo woo...

- Simon & Garfunkel, "Mrs. Robinson"

So Die Hard 4 is rated PG-13.

People, I hate to say it, but we are witnessing the decline of Western Civilization. Americans are turning into a bunch of limp-wristed crybabies, remiscenet of the "perfect" society we saw in Demolition Man. A vocal and overly moralistic minority is ruining the world for the rest of us.

"Sorry guys, Manhunt 2 is too violent for you to play."

"An R-rated Die Hard? But PG-13 will increase our margins!"

Why is that more and more mainstream comedies are rated R and less and less mainstream action movies are rated R?

I'm surprised President Bush is letting this stand. He's a fucking cowboy, why hasn't he endorsed the fucking I Want To Hear People Say Fuck A Lot While They Blow Stuff Up Act? Polls show that it would be received at least twice as well as the No Child Left Behind Act.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

Syd Lexia wrote:

Why is that more and more mainstream comedies are rated R and less and less mainstream action movies are rated R?

My God, are we turning into Europe? Damnit, violence is more acceptable than sex! Slobberknocker!

Posted: Jun 23 2007 02:18 pm

Cattivo wrote:

Syd Lexia wrote:

Why is that more and more mainstream comedies are rated R and less and less mainstream action movies are rated R?

My God, are we turning into Europe? Damnit, violence is more acceptable than sex! Slobberknocker!

Because, apparently people want to see semen jokes more then decapitations.

Posted: Jun 23 2007 03:30 pm

Figures. Two weeks after I turn 17 (enough to legally get into R movies), and they dumb down the movies to a PG-13 rating. Damnit, I waited a long time to see blood, explosions, and boobies, and now look what the MPAA does do me.
Damn you MPAA. Damn you.

Posted: Jun 23 2007 04:07 pm

Atleast there is still Rambo. That will have all the goodness you speak of, except possibly boobies, unless you count Sly's old man boobies.

Posted: Jun 24 2007 04:29 pm

If Rambo wants to stay true to the 80's Action Film genre, then there needs to be a pointless scene of boobies. Like Rambo throws somebody through a wall and it just so happens there is a topless woman there brushing her hair or something.

Posted: Jun 24 2007 04:57 pm

There were never tits in Rambo.

Posted: Jun 24 2007 06:37 pm

Yes, but Rambo never decapitated people either with a machette either, that was more up Arnold's alley.

Posted: Jun 25 2007 01:08 am

It was a sad day in America when the PG-13 TV ads started. Live Free? Bah. Die Hard indeed. Crying

Posted: Jun 25 2007 01:59 am

Double Post:

Talking about it just now, another case of why "R" should be the way to go: Chronicles of Riddick. I did love the theatrical version, but the director's cut actually makes sense. Not to mention Riddick is just more awesome cutting off heads and dropping a couple more f-bombs. Why not bring in "Pearl Harbor" which got really, really, really gory in its R rated form (with many f's added in through the miracle of ADR). Notice how when people diss that movie they refer to the theatrical version, not the awesome PEOPLE BLOW UP INTO TINY CHUNKS version.

And remember when McTiernan couldn't direct this film because he was under investigation by the FBI? And later he was found innocent? FUCK YOU, FBI!

Posted: Jun 25 2007 05:52 am

Yes, sadly I remember EXACTLY why McTiernan couldn't do it. Sad

In lieu of him, they should have gotten Richard Donner. Donner has enough clout that he and Willis together probably could have successful pushed for the R rating. Len Wiseman probably doesn't give a fuck, so long as it does well at the box office and leads him to future jobs.

Tony Scott would have been good too.

Joined: Feb 24 2006 Posts: 2578

I love John McTiernan -- "The Thomas Crown Affair" remake is perhaps my all-time favorite movie, and I'm an enormous fan of his other stuff. Die Hards included of course. However, he also inexplicably gave us the "Rollerball" remake. I still don't know what the hell happened there...

Posted: Jun 25 2007 04:27 pm

McTiernan's career is also a testament as to why PG-13 movies aren't always a good idea.

Let us not forget that he directed The Last Action Hero, an inexpicably PG-13 parody of two R-rated careers.

Title: SpamBot Joined: Jan 25 2007 Posts: 7

DarkMaze wrote:

However, he also inexplicably gave us the "Rollerball" remake. I still don't know what the hell happened there...

Guess he really dropped the ball on that one, amrite!?

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Posted: Jun 29 2007 11:25 am

Saw Live Free or Die Hard last night, meh. It was a mindless popcorn action movie, but I suppose that's exactly what we expected. CYBER TERRORISM! Thrilling stuff. Actually, the best sequences were when they get trapped in the tunnel and when he then crashes a cruiser up off a toll booth into the helicopter. Also, his trademark line is indeed muffled by a gunshot. So, pretty much if you've seen the trailer, you've seen the best parts of the movie already.

Posted: Jun 30 2007 03:39 am

The kids behind me were smoking something, so I don't know if I'm high or what, but I FUCKIN' LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! It's all about America and killing terrorists, of which I love both. I really, really, really hated the terrorists in this one. They're easily the greatest foe McClane has taken on yet (Hell, they can physically move your webcam to face you!). Sure it could've been a lot more bloody and FUCKY, John's "Dickheads" and "Jerkoffs" were getting a little old, but overall the action was still tremendous. And Kevin Smith being awesome as always. Who the hell casted him to be pretty much the most important person in the film? Although he does represent nerds everywhere so... Rolling Eyes

Not a whole lot of references to the other Die Hards. I think the most exciting was McClane's mention of... what caused him to be barefoot in the first film... That's cryptic enough.

So now we have John McClane protecting us on the east side, Jack Bauer on the west, and... Well, fuck middle America... Oh wait, we have Det. Sgt. Art Ridzik, don't we? We're screwed either way.

Posted: Jun 30 2007 11:29 am

Tebor wrote:

(Hell, they can physically move your webcam to face you!)

WEBCAMS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!

I loved how every computer in the movie, no matter where they are, had a cam hooked up to it somewhere so that both sides can see each other at all times.

Posted: Jun 30 2007 03:28 pm

Black Zarak wrote:

I loved how every computer in the movie, no matter where they are, had a cam hooked up to it somewhere so that both sides can see each other at all times.

It was all so the Mac Guy could take the "Oh Shit" picture of the villain when he found out McClane was still alive. Wink

Posted: Aug 03 2007 03:10 am

I went to see "Die Hard 4" again tonight. The scene where the overpass is crashing behind McClane has a different feel to it now after yesterday...

On the plus side, after seeing what something like that looks like in real life, I realize the film got it quite right. On the negative side, I hope they don't take it out for the DVD for some sort of consideration thing, but that seems way too extreme...

Posted: Nov 25 2007 08:08 pm

Anyone watch the unrated version yet?

I haven't seen the movie yet, I refuse to see it until I am guaranteed a version where I get to motherfucking hear "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!" in its motherfucking entirety.

Posted: Dec 30 2007 12:31 am

I got the unrated cut for Christmas and it was pretty good. Of course, I never bothered with the motherfucker-less PG-13 cut, so I have no basis for comparison. One thing I don't understand is why the Mac Guy knew his daughter's last name.

Posted: Dec 30 2007 01:53 am

But is the motherfucker intact?

Also, I hate how in the trailer for the Chipmunks movie one of the annoying hellspawn says "Yippie ki-yay, mama cita!". I also hate the goddamn Chipmunks in general.

Posted: Dec 30 2007 01:56 am

Indeed it is. He says fuck a bunch of other times too.

Joined: Feb 24 2006 Posts: 2578

The unrated version is indeed the way the movie should have been. I couldn't bear to watch the PG-13 theatrical cut, so that was my first time seeing the flick. It's absurd, of course, but I loved it. All except one thing.

Kevin Smith. I really need to make something very, very clear. KEVIN SMITH IS NOT AN ACTOR. What he IS is a well-connected nerd who's trying to fulfill his life-long fantasy of masturbating in all of his favorite childhood franchises.

Guest spot on Degrassi? Check. Daredevil? Check. Die Hard, TMNT? Double-check.

I'm sick of seeing his mugging bullshit in movies that I otherwise enjoy. Jesus Christ, whenever he was onscreen in Live Free or Die Hard I thought I was watching a goddamn PARODY -- one of those MTV spoofs where they insert comedians into the movie. If you had swapped Kevin Smith with Jack Black there wouldn't have been any difference.

Posted: Jan 01 2008 03:21 pm

I thought "oh, hey, that guy looks kind of like Kevin Smi...HOLY SHIT, THEY ACTUALLY PUT HIM IN HERE?!!"