Transcript LIVE FREE DIE HARD “A Timex watch in a digital age.” Old school and high tech merge. The Mc JC is back! John McClane the reluctant everyman hero/savior. This.

LIVE FREE
DIE HARD
“A Timex watch in a
digital age.” Old
school and high tech
merge.
The Mc JC is back!
John McClane the reluctant
everyman hero/savior.
This presentation by
David Bruce
visualhollywood.com
SHORT SYNOPSIS
An attack on the vulnerable
United States computer
infrastructure begins to shut
down the entire nation. The
mysterious figure behind the
shattering scheme has
figured out every digital
angle - but he never figured
an old-fashioned, "analog"
fly-in-the-ointment: John
McClane.
Movies Contain the
Essence of Being Human
ARTIST HIGHLIGHT
BRUCE WILLIS
(John McClane)
has demonstrated incredible
versatility in a career that has
included such diverse
characterization as the
prizefighter in Quentin Tarantino’s
Pulp Fiction, the philandering
contractor in Robert Benton’s
Nobody’s Fool, the heroic time
traveler in Terry Gilliam’s Twelve
Monkeys, the traumatized Vietnam
veteran in Norman Jewison’s In
Country, the compassionate child
psychologist in M. Night
Shyamalan’s Oscar®-nominated
The Sixth Sense
Filmmakers are Revolutionaries,
Not Just Entertainers
KEY TALENT
Deadly operative Mai
(Maggie Q)
Hacker Matt Farrell
(Justin Long)
Our Artists Are
Our Liberators
The Cinematic Arts Have the
Power to Transform
KEY ACTORS
Thomas Gabriel
(Timothy Olyphant)
John McClane's daughter Lucy
(Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
CREW
LEN WISEMAN (Director)
MARK BOMBACK (Screenplay)
DAVID MARCONI (Story)
SIMON DUGGAN, ACS
(Director of Photography)
PATRICK TATOPOULOS
(Production Designer)
NICOLAS de TOTH (Editor)
MARCO BELTRAMI (Music)
Actors are
Liberators Unaware
DIRECTOR
LEN WISEMAN’s (Director)
experience in the film industry began in
the art department on the blockbuster
hits Godzilla, Stargate, Men In Black
and Independence Day. With his natural
visual flair and eye for design, he was
soon behind the lens directing
commercials for PlayStation, Time
Warner, Oracle, Intel and Activision,
which quickly lead to a career in music
videos. A host of award nominations
followed, including Best Art Direction at
the 2002 MTV Video Awards™ for
Quarashi’s “Stick ‘Em Up” and Best
Director at the 2002 MVPA Awards for
the Rufus Wainwright video “Across the
Universe.”
Actors help us: laugh, be happy, cry, get angry,
and even think. Can there be any better gifts?
TRIVIA AND NEWS
Willis said in 2005 that the film would
be called Die Hard 4.0, as it revolves
around computers. Although he said
that, it was later reported the film was
to be called Die Hard: Reset instead.
20th Century Fox later announced the
title as Live Free or Die Hard.
The title is based on the state motto
of New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die,"
which is attributed to a quote from
General John Stark.
International trailers are used the Die
Hard 4.0 title, suggesting that the film
would be released outside America
with that title, because international
audiences would be unlikely to
recognize the reference.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS
Stories are
Transforming
In the past few years, the
aging John McClane
(Bruce Willis) has managed
to get divorced from his
wife Holly and become
estranged from his
daughter Lucy, but still
remains with the NYPD.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS
All Kids are Born Artistic
What is Natural is Essential
On his way to turn a young hacker named Matt Farrell (Justin
Long) into custody, he experiences a modern version of a
terrorist attack first hand when he gets stuck in traffic. A
group of hackers, led by Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant)
have struck at the vulnerable United States computer
infrastructure and are systematically shutting it down,
performing a "firesale" beginning with the traffic light system.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS
Stories Embody the
Essence of Being Human
As they move on to crash utilities, banking networks and the
stock market, the indexes plummet and America’s economy
becomes crippled. As usual, McClane gets caught up in the
middle of the excitement. It turns out that the recently
captured Matt seems bright enough to understand exactly
what the terrorists are doing and what steps they are taking to
achieve their mission.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS
Cinematic Story Telling is a
Profoundly Humanizing endeavor.
The sophisticated criminals have a nearly
foolproof plan to bring the United States to a
halt, but they didn’t count on an old-school
cop and his computer geek buddy to figure
things out.
EXTENDED SYNOPSIS
Film making is a
Community Event.
Soon, the crime-fighting duo of McClane and Farrell are pulling out
all the stops and matching wits with the terrorists, hoping to figure
out the motives behind their actions and to stop them before the
entire nation collapses to its knees on Independence Day.
CRITICAL OPINION of
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
The actor is at his best in the
implausible yet entertaining action
film.
--Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
You better believe that Bruce is
still the man.
--Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
A tremendously entertaining, oldfashioned action flick.
--Jessica Reaves
Chicago Tribune
Real American Hero
--Dana Stevens
Slate
Free Artistic Expression is
a Mark of a Free Society
FILM REVIEW
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
Art is the Language
of Liberation
This film celebrates the collaboration of opposites.
John McClane kicks butt in his unique old school
manner while partnering with a young computer
whiz. John is described as “a Timex watch in a
digital age.” And that is the heart and message of
the film: The future must build on the past.
True to theme, director Len Wiseman shows
respect for the sacred "Die Hard" tradition and
places it flawlessly into the contemporary world of
high tech.
Bottom line message: In order to save the world,
literally, we must come together (old and young)
respecting each other, collaborating our various
talents and abilities. Join forces and work together!
FINDING TRUTH in
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
Join forces and work
together
When we seek for connection,
we restore the world to
wholeness. Our seemingly
separate lives become
meaningful as we discover how
truly necessary we are to each
other.
--Margaret Wheatley
We must learn to live together as
brothers or perish together as
fools.
--Martin Luther King Jr.
Society is only as free as its arts.
Art is the voice of human freedom.
Everything is connected... no
one thing can change by itself.
--Paul Hawken
LIFE CONNECTIONS in
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD
Art is a
Liberating Force
What is a hero?
A hero is one who does
what he can. The others
don't.
--Romain Rolland
More often than not, a
hero’s most epic battle is
the one you never see;
it’s the battle that goes
on within him or herself.
--Kevin Smith, who
appears in the film
John McClane the
reluctant everyman
hero/savior.
A Mc JC
WHY MOVIES ARE SO IMPORTANT
To Restrict Creativity is to Restrict
the very Nature of the Creator
"The meaning of life is the most urgent of
questions" --Albert Camus (Existentialist thinker).
In “Movies and the Meaning of Life” author Kimberly
Blessing points out that movies can help us reflect
on five of life’s most important questions:
1) What is reality and how can I know it?
2) How can I find my true identity?
3) What the significance of my interactions with
others?
4) What’s the point of my life?
5) How ought I to live my life?
The idea behind Visual Hollywood is that Movies can
and must play an essential role helping us explore
the meaning of our existence and our life together.
No other quest is more necessary or important.
Movies are powerful. Movies bring personal
meaning, and can contribute to a peaceful world.
Cinematic story telling can be a transforming event.
Visual Hollywood takes
an existential approach
to life. We celebrate
with human freedom.
We use movies and the
arts as a means of
understanding the
human condition and
our collective relation
to the world around us.
Our basic quest is:
1. To know what it
means to be human in
the world.
2. The pursuit of human
freedom.
visual review by
visualhollywood.com
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