The Die Hard series is one of the most popular action franchises around and now spans five movies. The first four movies of the series are coming on to a 25th Anniversary Blu-ray box-set to coincide with the release of the fifth movie that is set to hit theaters.
First Release
- Seven Psychopaths (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Awakening (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Paranormal Activity 4 (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Hotel Transylvania (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Cold Light of Day (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Release
- Die Hard 25th Anniversary Collection (Blu-ray)
- The Duelists (Blu-ray)
- Flight of the Navigator (Blu-ray)
- That Obscure Object of Desire (Blu-ray)
Die Hard 25th Anniversary Collection (Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week*
Die Hard (1988)
Directed by John McTiernan
Written by Steven E. de Souza, Jeb Stuart (screenplay), Roderick Thorp (novel ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Written by Steven E. de Souza, Doug Richardson (screenplay), Walter Wagner (novel ’58 Minutes’), Roderick Thorp (characters)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Sadler, Art Evans, Dennis Franz, Reginald VelJohnson
Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995)
Directed by John McTiernan
Written by Jonathan Hensleigh (screenplay), Roderick Thorp (characters)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Larry Bryggman, Graham Greene, Colleen Camp,
Live Free With Die Hard (2007)
Directed by Len Wiseman
Written by Mark Bomback (screenplay), Mark Bomback, David Marconi (story), John Carlin (article ‘A Farewell to Arms’), Roderick Throp (characters)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Timothy Olyphant, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Maggie Q, Cliff Curtis
The fifth Die Hard movie, A Good Day to Die Hard, is set to be released on Valentine’s Day and the whole series is coming out onto Blu-ray to celebrate. It can serve as a great primer to the series as we see New York Police Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) have a number of bad days, taking on terrorists in the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles, Dulles International Airport, New York City and Washington D.C., as well as dealing with his family troubles.
Die Hard (1988)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.6/10
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 65% (good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.3/10
Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 51% (average)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 81% (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.1/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $40.86 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
There are a number of interesting movies coming onto DVD and Blu-ray, the big ones being Seven Psychopaths, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 and two horror movies. Fans of Ridley Scott’s can see his debut movie The Duellists out on Blu-ray.
Seven Psychopaths (DVD and Blu-ray)
Written and directed by Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko
Seven Psychopaths was Martin McDonagh’s big follow-up to hit dark comedy In Bruges. In this ensemble black comedy stars Colin Farrell as Marty, a struggling screenwriter with only a title to his next movie, “Seven Psychopaths.” But Marty ends up getting involved his friends’ dognapping scheme which leads to them crossing gangster Charlie (Woody Harrelson) when they steal his beloved Shih Tzu.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 82% (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.8/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths; Colin Farrell is Marty; Woody Harrelson is Charlie; Crazy Locations; Seven Psychocats; Layers
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Gag Reel
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 2 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Jay Oliva
Written by Bob Goodman (screenplay), Frank Miller (graphic novel)
Starring: Peter Weller, Ariel Winter, David Selby, Wade Williams, Michael Emerson, Mark Valley
Last year we saw the return of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1, which we reacted positively to. Now the second part of the adaptation Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns has been released thanks to Warner Premier.
After Batman’s return to crime fighting and stopping the Mutants he has inadvertently awakened his old nemesis, The Joker (Michael Emerson, Lost) and he forms a diabolical scheme to bring down The Batman. The American Government also brings in Superman (Mark Valley, Body of Proof) to stop the outlawed Batman.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $9.99 (DVD), $14.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Awakening (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Nick Murphy
Written by Stephen Volk, Nick Murphy
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West, Imelda Stauton
Before the release of Daniel Ratcliffe’s The Woman in Black, The Awakening was the big historic ghost movie in the UK. In 1921 after the great loss of life in World War One, people in Britain started to believe in the supernatural. Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall, The Town), is a woman who has a made a career for herself of debunking ghost stories and stopping con artists. But when she is asked to investigate a ghost in a boarding school where a child died she may have come face-to-face with her greatest challenge. Hall was nominated for a Best Actress Award at the British Independent Film Awards for her performance.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 60% (good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 2.5 stars (out of 5). Rent It.
Paranormal Activity 4 (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Written by Zack Estrin, Christopher B. Landon
Starring: Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively, Aiden Lovekamp, Brady Allen, Stephen Dunham, Alexondra Lee, Katie Featherston
Paranormal Activity 4 is the fourth entry in Paramount's highly lucrative Paranormal Activity series, but this is the entry in the series that even fans disliked.
Set five years after the events of the first Paranormal Activity movie, Paranormal Activity 4 focuses on teenager Alex (Kathryn Newton, Bad Teacher) and her family as a new neighbor is taken to hospital and her family takes care of her strange demon child, Wyatt (Aiden Lovekamp). Alex’s friend/stalker, Ben (Matt Shively) sets up all the wifi devices in the house to record events 24/7.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 26% (bad)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 4.0/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Hotel Transylvania (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
Written by Peter Baynham, Robert Smigel (screenplay), Todd Durham, Daniel Hageman, Kevin Hageman (story)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, David Spade
We thought we were safe from Adam Sander, but he returned bigger than ever and his Happy Madison crew targeted children with animated hit Hotel Transylvania.
Dracula (Adam Sandler) has set up a resort in the mountains for monsters and their families to relax and no humans are allowed. On the eve of his daughter’s, Mavis (Selena Gomez), 118th birthday, Dracula invites some of his closest friends for her party. But a human, Jonathan (Andy Samberg) stumbles onto the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 43% (poor)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 3.5/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Commentary with Director Genndy Tartakovsky, Producer Michelle Murdocca, and Visual Effects Supervisor Daniel Kramer; Goodnight Mr. Foot; Prologue; "Monster Remix" Music Video by Becky G Featuring will.i.am; Making "Problem (Monster Remix)"
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Progression Reels Genndy Blur; Progression Reels Mavis Ventures Out; Progression Reels Look of Picture
Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray), $29.99 (3D Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 2.5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 3 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
The Cold Light of Day (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri
Written by Scott Wiper, John Petro, Richard Price
Starring: Henry Cavill, Sigourney Weaver, Bruce Willis
Henry Cavill is set to play Superman in Man of Steel, but he would want the spy thriller The Cold Light of Day to be buried. Cavill stars as Will, a Wall Street trade forced into a complex situation when his family is kidnapped in Spain and intelligence agents want a suitcase they think he has.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 5% (awful)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 2.5/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Duellists (1977) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by Gerald Vaughn-Hughes (screenplay), Joseph Conrad (short story ‘The Duel’)
Starring: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel
Based on a short story by Joseph Conrad, the historical drama The Duellists was Ridley Scott’s debut movie and won the Best Debut Film Award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival as the movie follows two French army officers during the Napoleonic Wars and their life-long feud.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $14.29 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4.5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Flight of the Navigator (1986) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Randal Kleiser
Written by Michael Burton, Matt MacManus (screenplay), Mark H. Baker (story)
Starring: Joey Cramer, Paul Reubens, Veronica Cartwright, Cliff DeYoung, Sarah Jessica Parker, Howard Hesseman
Flight of the Navigator is a family sci-fi movie about 12-year-old David Freeman (Joey Cramer), who falls down a ravine in 1978 and awakens in eight years later without aging.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $40.48 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Written by Luis Buñuel, Jean-Claude Carrière (screenplay), Pierre Louÿs (novel)
Starring: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina
That Obscure Object of Desire was Spanish director Luis Buñuel’s final movie. This erotic art house film tells the sexual frustration of a middle-aged Frenchman, Mathieu (Fernando Rey) who falls for a Conchita, a young woman played by two actresses, Carole Bouquet and Ángela Molina.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
