Veljohnson, Reginald

Die Hard Collection (Die Hard / Die Hard 2 - Die Harder / Die Hard with a Vengeance / Bonus Disc)

Disc 1:**"Die Hard" Widescreen Feature with optional Commentary by director John McTiernan and production designer Jackson DeGovia**Additional scene-specific commentary by special effects supervisor Richard Edlund**Subtitled commentary by various cast and crew**Branching version with the extended power shutdown scene**DVD-ROM - script-to- screen comparisonDisc 2:**"Die Harder" Widescreen Feature**Directors commentary**HBO Special**Featurette**4 Deleted scenes**The Bad Guys (Villains Profile)**Interview with Renny Harlin**3 broken-down visual effects**3 side-by-side comparisons**4 trailers**2 TV spots**2 stunt vignettesDisc 3:**"Die Hard with a Vengeance" Widescreen Feature**Directors commentary**CBS Special: A Night to Die For/ McClane**HBO Special**Featurette**Alternate ending**3 special effects vignettes**Bruce Willis interview**Villains with a Vengeance**7 special effects**Stunt studies**Storyboard sequence**2 trailers**10 TV spotsDisc 4 Bonus Disc:**Inside Look: LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD**Wrong Guy Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Look Back At Die Hard**The Continuing Adventures of John McClaneFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 024543440826 Manufacturer No: 2244082

Die Hard is the movie franchise that made a movie star out of TV star Bruce Willis, and created an entire action-movie genre of its own. In the original 1988 film, Willis plays wisecracking New York cop John McClane, who arrives at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles to meet up with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonny Bedelia), at her office Christmas party. As luck would have it, the company ends up in the middle of a terrorist plot led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his gang of expert killers, and with little help coming from outside, McClane has to pick off his enemies one by one. Thus was born the "Die Hard genre," epitomized by such films as Under Siege ("Die Hard on a ship"), Passenger 57 ("Die Hard on a plane"), Speed ("Die Hard on a bus"), and Cliffhanger ("Die Hard on a mountain"). But few measure up to the explosive brilliance of Die Hard. Director John McTiernan develops the action at a fast and furious pace, culminating in some fantastic set-pieces on the top of the building, in the elevator shaft, and in the building's outer plaza. Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza's script, based on Roderick Thorp's novel Nothing Lasts Forever, is smart, funny, and full of memorable lines (among them "Welcome to the party, pal!" and of course "Yippee ki-ay, motherf*****"), and the cast is perfection, especially Rickman as the cunningly evil villain, and Willis, whose McClane character--bloodied, beaten, bruised, and barely breathing, as he battles both bad guys and bureaucrats--is someone audiences could genuinely cheer for.

Directed by Renny Harlin, the 1990 sequel, Die Hard 2 (unofficially referred to as Die Harder), doesn't match the level of the original, but it's still an exciting thrill ride with some terrific action sequences. One year after the Nakatomi incident, McClane (Willis) is awaiting his wife's (Bedelia) plane to arrive at Dulles Airport when he stumbles onto a plot to paralyze the entire airport, including all the planes trying to land. It's up to McClane to take on the cadre of bad guys despite all the bureaucrats standing in his way, and before the planes run out of fuel and crash to the ground. The cast includes William Sadler as rogue military man Col. Stuart, Dennis Franz as the latest bureaucratic cop to get in McClane's way, Richard Thornburg as the annoying reporter from the original movie, John Amos as a special-forces commander, early-in-their-career John Leguizamo and Robert Patrick as terrorists, and future politician and Law and Order actor Fred Thompson as the head of air traffic control.

The third film in the series, Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), was again directed by John McTiernan and uses a different concept. The villain (played by Jeremy Irons) claims to have planted bombs all over New York City and gives John McClane (Willis), now alchoholic and separated, a series of clues to try to track them down. Along the way, he's aided by, and eventually teams up with, a Harlem shopkeeper named Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson). The interplay between Willis and Jackson is engaging, but better suited to the Lethal Weapon franchise it was previously considered for, and not till the end does the movie return to the familiar McClane-vs.-villains-showdown format.

The 2007 Die Hard Collection is a four-disc set that comes up short when compared to the previous six-disc Ultimate Collection , which is now out of print. That 2001 set had two discs for each film (plus, Die Hard was a Five Star Collection release). This set does away with all of the second discs, though it retains the features that were on the movie-only discs, including director commentaries and the seamlessly branched version of the first film with a scene added back in. There's also a brand-new fourth disc, but it's pretty minor. "Wrong Guy, Wrong Place, Wrong Time" is a 40-minute retrospective of the original movie. Wide-ranging but rather dull, it collects interviews with director John McTiernan, cinematographer Jan De Bont, screenwriters Jeb Stuart and Steven E. De Souza, other crew, and actors Reginald Veljohnson, Hart Bochner, and William Atherton. Also from 2007, "The Continuing Adventures of John McClane" looks at the second and third movies in the series. It's a mere 13 minutes and only interviews the two directors, Renny Harlin and (in new and old footage) John McTiernan. Last, three trailers for the 2007 film, Live Free or Die Hard, make this set look like something that was released merely to have something on the shelves while the new film was in theaters. --David Horiuchi

Turner and Hooch

A detective who lives a neat and orderly life is forced to live with the only witness to a crime, a destructive slobbering junkyard dog, until the crime is solved.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG
Release Date: 2-MAR-2004
Media Type: DVD

Much better than your average cop-and-dog movie (e.g., K-9), Turner and Hooch is really a love story about a control freak (Tom Hanks) who gradually resigns to the messy chaos of a sweet hulk of a pooch named Hooch. The excuse for this relationship is that the dog can identify a murderer and Hanks needs him, but the film is really about such hilarious moments as Hanks bathing Hooch with a long brush, and a wild chase through the streets when the sharp-eyed mutt spots his suspect. Layered over this is a healthy love story between Hanks and animal vet Mare Winningham, who share a terribly sexy scene together--while fully clothed--doing no more than making breakfast. (Hanks directed this scene, though Roger Spottiswoode directed the rest of the movie.) --Tom Keogh

Die Hard

This seminal 1988 thriller made Bruce Willis a star and established a new template for action stories: "Terrorists take over a (blank), and a lone hero, unknown to the villains, is trapped with them." In Die Hard, those bad guys, led by the velvet-voiced Alan Rickman, assume control of a Los Angeles high-rise with Willis's visiting New York cop inside. The attraction of the film has as much to do with the sight of a barefoot mortal running around the guts of a modern office tower as it has to do with the plentiful fight sequences and the bond the hero establishes with an LA beat cop. Bonnie Bedelia plays Willis's wife, Hart Bochner is good as a brash hostage who tries negotiating his way to freedom, Alexander Godunov makes for a believable killer with lethal feet, and William Atherton is slimy as a busybody reporter. Exceptionally well directed by John McTiernan. --Tom Keogh

This seminal 1988 thriller made Bruce Willis a star and established a new template for action stories: "Terrorists take over a (blank), and a lone hero, unknown to the villains, is trapped with them." In Die Hard, those bad guys, led by the velvet-voiced Alan Rickman, assume control of a Los Angeles high-rise with Willis's visiting New York cop inside. The attraction of the film has as much to do with the sight of a barefoot mortal running around the guts of a modern office tower as it has to do with the plentiful fight sequences and the bond the hero establishes with an LA beat cop. Bonnie Bedelia plays Willis's wife, Hart Bochner is good as a brash hostage who tries negotiating his way to freedom, Alexander Godunov makes for a believable killer with lethal feet, and William Atherton is slimy as a busybody reporter. Exceptionally well directed by John McTiernan. --Tom Keogh

Bruce Willi stars as New York City Detective John McClane newly arrived in Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia). But as Mclane waits for his wife's office party to break up terrorist take control of the building. While the terrorist leader Hans gruber (Alexander Godunov) round up hostages McClane slips away unnoticed. Armed with only a service revolver and his cunning McClane launches his own one-man war. A crackling thriller from beginning to end Die Hard explodes with heart-stopping suspense.System Requirements:Running Time: 131 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 024543440864 Manufacturer No: 2244086

Ghostbusters (Widescreen Edition)

A trio of university parasychologists lose their research grant and decide to open their own business "Ghostbusters" and almost at once are summoned to investigate the strange happenings in a Central Park West apartment. What they discover is that all Manhattan is being besieged by other worldly demons.System Requirements:Run Time: 105 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG UPC: 043396141223 Manufacturer No: 14122

Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script, but Bill Murray gets all the best lines and moments in this 1984 comedy directed by Ivan Reitman (Meatballs). The three comics, plus Ernie Hudson, play the New York City-based team that provides supernatural pest control, and Sigourney Weaver is the love interest possessed by an ancient demon. Reitman and company are full of original ideas about hobgoblins--who knew they could "slime" people with green plasma goo?--but hovering above the plot is Murray's patented ironic view of all the action. Still a lot of fun, and an obvious model for sci-fi comedies such as Men in Black. --Tom Keogh

Crocodile Dundee

When the fearless Australian crocodile hunter arrives in the big city of New York, he finds it the ultimate torture test, and gives reporter Charlton more than she bargained for.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 13-MAY-2003
Media Type: DVD

This 1986 comedy out of Australia is so old-fashioned in its romantic charm that one can't help but wonder what it would have looked like with Clark Gable and Carole Lombard in the leads. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine anyone besides Paul Hogan as the title character, a laid-back Aussie tracker who shows an American reporter (Linda Kozlowski) around bush country, then accompanies her to New York City. Sure, Hollywood has done the fish-out-of-water scenario to death in the last 20 years, and while this film has sufficient sport with the gimmick, it is largely driven by the principal characters and their developing love affair. Hogan cowrote the script and director Peter Faiman evokes the goofy, enchanted air of screwball comedies. The climactic scene, set in a subway station with scores of bystanders witnessing a conversation about relationship commitment, feels like vintage Capra. --Tom Keogh

Posse

An outlaw and rebel who brought together a band of men who whould become brothers for life. Also featuring Blair Underwood Melvin Van Peebles Tone Loc Pam Grier and Isaac Hayes.System Requirements:Starring: Mario Van Peebles Stephen Baldwin Billy Zane Blair Underwood Richard Jordan and Salli Richardson. Directed By: Mario Van Peebles. Running Time: 111 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Widescreen" format. Copyright 2000 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: R UPC: 027616861184

Mario Van Peebles directed as well as starred in this ham-fisted, 1993 Western with a predominantly African American cast. The story finds a posse of black shooters (with one white member, played by Stephen Baldwin) taking on a racist sheriff and military man, but Van Peebles's effort at mixing convention with hip credentials gets pretty grating. (Tone Loc makes the worst cowboy in film history.) The film is also incredibly sexist, going well beyond the usual frontier-floozy clichés and lapsing into the sort of blatant exploitation one found at that time in rap-music videos. There are lots of cameo appearances from familiar folks willing to support Van Peebles on a project that probably sounded like a mix of experiment and event--Pam Grier, Isaac Hayes, Woody Strode, and the director's father, Melvin Van Peebles. But even they can't help. --Tom Keogh

Die Hard 2 - Die Harder

Bruce Willis returns as the heroic cop who battles not only terrorists but also an incompetent airport police chief (Dennis Franz) the hard-headed commander (John Amos) of the Army's anti-terrorist squad and a deadly winter snowstorm. The runways are littered with death and destruction and McClane is in a race against time. His wife (Bonnie Bedelia) is trapped on one of the planes circling overhead which is desperately low on fuel. It's all-out war a heart-stopping jet-propelled journey filled with excitement and terror. Fasten your seat belts!System Requirements:Running Time: 131 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 024543440895 Manufacturer No: 2244089

Directed by Renny Harlin, the 1990 sequel, Die Hard 2 (unofficially referred to as Die Harder), doesn't match the level of the original, but it's still an exciting thrill ride with some terrific action sequences. One year after the Nakatomi incident, McClane (Willis) is awaiting his wife's (Bedelia) plane to arrive at Dulles Airport when he stumbles onto a plot to paralyze the entire airport, including all the planes trying to land. It's up to McClane to take on the cadre of bad guys despite all the bureaucrats standing in his way, and before the planes run out of fuel and crash to the ground. The cast includes William Sadler as rogue military man Col. Stuart, Dennis Franz as the latest bureaucratic cop to get in McClane's way, Richard Thornburg as the annoying reporter from the original movie, John Amos as a special-forces commander, early-in-their-career John Leguizamo and Robert Patrick as terrorists, and future politician and Law and Order actor Fred Thompson as the head of air traffic control. --David Horiuchi

Die Hard 2 - Die Harder (Widescreen Edition)

Directed by Renny Harlin, the 1990 sequel, Die Hard 2 (unofficially referred to as Die Harder), doesn't match the level of the original, but it's still an exciting thrill ride with some terrific action sequences. One year after the Nakatomi incident, McClane (Willis) is awaiting his wife's (Bedelia) plane to arrive at Dulles Airport when he stumbles onto a plot to paralyze the entire airport, including all the planes trying to land. It's up to McClane to take on the cadre of bad guys despite all the bureaucrats standing in his way, and before the planes run out of fuel and crash to the ground. The cast includes William Sadler as rogue military man Col. Stuart, Dennis Franz as the latest bureaucratic cop to get in McClane's way, Richard Thornburg as the annoying reporter from the original movie, John Amos as a special-forces commander, early-in-their-career John Leguizamo and Robert Patrick as terrorists, and future politician and Law and Order actor Fred Thompson as the head of air traffic control. --David Horiuchi

Bruce Willis returns as the heroic cop who battles not only terrorists, but also an incompetent airport police chief (Dennis Franz), the hard-headed commander (John Amos) of the Army's anti-terrorist squad and a deadly winter snowstorm. The runways are littered with death and destruction, and McClane is in a race against time. His wife (Bonnie Bedelia) is trapped on one of the planes circling overhead, which is desperately low on fuel. It's all-out war, a heart-stopping, jet-propelled journey filled with excitement and terror. Fasten your seat belts!

Suits on The Loose

Three Days to Vegas

4 Grumpy Men On A Road Trip!Gus Fitzgerald (Peter Falk) and his gang of retired golfing buddies played by Rip Torn Bill Cobbs and George Segal take a road trip to Las Vegas in order to stop Gus' daughter from marrying the wrong guy. This trip truly begins when this grumpy group of friends steal "the Ultimate Party Bus" and journey from Florida hitting up a hot salsa club in Miami Beach picking up a rap superstar played by Coolio in New Orleans and landing at the Rio in Las Vegas. But can they stop the wedding in time and avoid trouble along the way? Guest celebrity cameos include Mario Cantone and Charlie Murphy.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/ROMANTIC COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 687797122797 Manufacturer No: FLP-12279