Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Not Such a Good Day After All A Good Day to Die Hard (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS There was a chance that A Good Day to Die Hard (97 minutes) was going to be at least a little bit watchable. Sorry to disappoint, but it turns out that watching my son wipe his boogers on my shirt is 20 times more enjoyable than watching this film. How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways. First, every single shot was a close shot centered on the face, except the shots that featured improbable action sequences. Seriously, John Moore, I didn't like any of your other movies but you should definitely get the Golden Turkey for this one. Whatever teacher or mentor taught you to send your camera practically up your actors' noses was very, very wrong. Actors like Bruce Willis definitely do not need the extreme close-ups, which didn't do him any favors. Of course, the younger stars look even worse. Here's a tip: If your shot is so close that the audience can play count the pimples, dial it back a notch. Second, Die Hard was one of the best Christmas movies ever. Die Hard II also takes place during Christmas. Stop trying to make Die Hard movies that aren't filled with happy Christmas melodies and seasonal decorations. Third, the script lacks minute-to-minute consistency, sacrificing a coherent plot for cheap one-liners. I offer lots of leg room on plot and narrative consistency when it comes to action movies. The best action movies avoid treating the audience like idiots, but even those action flicks that stretch the bounds of credulity can make up for it by offering viewers some good, clean, mindless fun. Having said that, A Good Day to Die Hard isn't fun enough to make up for the complete lack of respect the movie makers have for their audience. Example. Detective John McClane (Willis) travels to Russia specifically to check on his imprisoned son, Jack (Jai Courtney). Yet, every five minutes he growl-mumbles the same tired old line — "I'm on vacation." This, despite the fact that he is not. Fourth, whatever type of Dolby sound was used for filming, no one should ever use it again. After about five minutes I had a splitting headache. The background explosions and gunfire drowned out most of the dialogue. Come to think of it though, that was probably a good thing because the lines I did hear were stupid and pointless. Fifth, when two Russian people are alone together why are they speaking Russian-accented English? How does that make the slightest bit of sense? And why does Jack suddenly lose his ability to speak fluent Russian halfway through the film? He just stops talking in Russian or translating the Russian Bad Guys even in situations where it would clearly serve the plot for him to do so. Sixth, what was up with the blink-and-miss-it Mary Elizabeth Winstead appearance? I'm not a huge fan, but she was in Death Proof and Sky High, so show some respect. She plays John McClane's daughter and I kept waiting for her to reappear and do something important to the plot. But no go. She is there for less than five minutes total … why did she even bother? Seventh, the climax of the film takes place in Chernobyl. Between this and The Chernobyl Diaries I'm wondering if Russia decided to just open the place up to all comers. Of course, John McClane probably doesn't need to keep an eye on his fertility, but to blithely dismiss the risk inherent in running around a radioactive area that has also recently experienced a rain of U-235 particles from multiple explosions seems a bit cavalier on the part of his son, who can look forward to his children (if any) glowing in the dark. In short, it sucked. Now showing at Wynnsong HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandMarket Fair 15. comingweekly.com. How To Find Network ATMs... With over 28,000 locations, it cannot be hard to find, but here is how to locate a network ATM you can use for free! There are lots of ways... • Online - go to www.co-opfs.org and click on ATM locator at the top of the page. You can also find a link to this website on Bragg Mutual's Home Page (www.braggmutualfcu.com). • Text - you can text a city & state or a zip code to 692667 (my coop) to find the nearest locations. Your standard text messaging rates apply. • Telephone - you can call the network and you will be given information regarding the nearest locations to you. The phone number is 1-888-SITE-CO-OP. • GPS - you can download data into your GPS to help you locate network ATMS while you are on the road. • Mobile - download the FREE ATM Locator app from the iPhone App Store. Several Convenient Locations: 2917 Village Drive • Fayetteville, NC • 910-488-3515 219 N. Main Street • Spring Lake, NC • 910-436-1894 201 Hay St., Ste. 101C • Fayetteville, NC • 910-484-2379 Call BMFCU for more information at 1-800-257-0276 or go to www.BraggMutualFCU.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 6-12, 2013 UCW 21