Manic for Summer Movies

Live Free or Die Hard

It’s been a long time since Bruce Willis donned this franchise and the rust shows a little bit – but surprisingly, not on Bruce. The problems inherent in Live Free or Die Hard fall more on the direction and plotting of the movie, than Willis’ gruff speaking character, who really isn’t a character at all, but simply how we all perceive the persona of Bruce Willis.

Yes, things explode and people are shot many times. Cars crash and fights ensue. The math is easy – but somewhere along the way the equation loses a little of the heart and charm of the previous movies. In the last Die Hard, Samual L. Jackson saved an otherwise lame excursion that fell somewhere between Lethal Weapon 3 and Rush Hour 3 in uselessness. In Live Free or Die Hard, the premise starts with blazing action as Willis must transport a valuable hacker into the government’s hands. This works – the banter between Willis and Justin Long is sharp and the suspense of how McClane (Willis) will outsmart a cunning ex-government hacker boils in adrenaline.

One of the joys of the Die Hard series is that it always heralded some small amount of reality, where the audience felt that McClane’s situation could be, at least slightly, plausible. Unfortunately, as the second half of this latest film rolls, the plot takes a number of missteps and the action drops into ridiculous hyperbole. Between the unnecessary bringing of McClane’s daughter into the movie and so-stupid-it-needs-to-be-seen battle between Willis and a fighter jet, Live Free or Die Hard doesn’t evoke the same spirit as its predecessors, especially the first one – which in comparison feels all the more inspired and essential.

Hairspray

Let me make one thing clear – I have an odd fondness for musicals. It’s probably due to the fact that I like music, more than I like, say, over-acting and choreography. Regardless, Hairspray is a good musical with boisterous songs, tight dance numbers and loads of sarcastic charm. One of the most appealing things about Hairspray is that it isn’t played completely straight – the lyrics are often mean-spirited while the music plays on unaware. On the opening number, “Good Morning Baltimore” a joyous chorus rings on about homelessness, town drunks and the poor – good morning Baltimore indeed.

The basic plot revolves around a dance competition and the larger racial implications of 60’s USA. The movie favours the microcosms of the characters rather than try to teach too many lessons to the audience ala Rent. For my money, this elevates Hairspray beyond a recent crop of other musicals in that it lets the characters imply the big picture, rather than hit us over the head with it, to music. I had low expectations of this movie before walking in, and arguably seeing John Travolta kissing Christopher Walken did disturb, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Another title for this movie should be – “10 steps to making a good film.” As with the Bourne Supremacy, Paul Greengrass takes the helm with his patented jittery camera-style and launches Robert Ludlum’s third novel into the filmmaking stratosphere. In this latest installment, plot development takes a backseat to pure chase. The tension of the movie isn’t watching Bourne figure out who he is; it’s watching him careen towards ever-dangerous US authorities like some kind of unstoppable missile.

There are huge spectacles of chase, explosions, crashes and fights –all done with a thoughtful lack of special effects. The realistic style is incredibly refreshing in an age of Transformers, where nothing felt real and there was no reason to invest in the action. Transformers made you watch action. Bourne’s efficacy makes you feel like you are part of it. Spy movies need a little grit. It’s nice to see a protagonist with dirt under his fingernails - it puts heart into stories usually concerned with glitzy technology and acronym-wielding intrigue.

The only negative? The movie ends! Before you know it, it’s over – like, over over. But what a ride it was. In a just world, these movies would serve as an actual ultimatum to other filmmakers to stop throwing CGI at us, and tap into something other than adrenaline.