Wonkette Movie Night Dec. 25th Special Event: Die Hard (1988)
"Yippie-ki-yay motherfucker!"
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Feliz Navidad! Happy Christmas! Seasons Greetings! & DIE HARD!
There's not much I can say about this movie that you all don't already know. It's a raucous action flick with great one-liners that we love to quote. Bruce Willis is a New York City cop that finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time after some bad guys take over the skyscraper where his estranged wife(Bonnie Bedelia) is trapped in the worst office holiday party ever. As Willis' character John McClane plays a cat and mouse game with Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber, McClane knocks off the terrorists ("Who said we were terrorists?") one by one. Taunting Hans Gruber through a walkie talkie with great lines,
"Just a fly in the ointment Hans. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass."
But the best quote, is this of course, say it with me:
"Yippie-ki-yay motherfucker!"
You can also make a really fun Christmas tree ornament of John McClane inside the air vent. This one uses a metal can but a cardboard box lined with foil would work just as good.
This special Movie Night came about because you guys asked for it. Some people don't have others to celebrate the holiday with and yet some might like to take a break from the ones they are with! So we come together and watch a fun movie. It is our own unique, smart, fun and dysfunctional family. And family, no matter what or who it is made up of can help hold us up when shit wants to pull us down.
As most know, the star of this movie, Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. And what has been the most important part of this story is how his family has surrounded him with love. His ex wife Demi Moore and their three children have pulled together with Bruce's current wife and their two children to help a man they all clearly love on his journey with this disease.
(Willis Family Statement, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration)
We all have journeys we take in life and usually they're a little easier if we aren't walking alone. And just hanging out in Wonkette's comments means you are not alone. It may not give you all you want but to paraphrase the Rolling Stones, sometimes you get what you need.
Yes, your Movieboss can be annoyingly positive. It was why Movie Night was started. There could be a week full of bad things but we were going to set two hours aside to just stop thinking about all the crap. So enjoy these two hours with friends far and wide, quote the movie and cheer when Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Plaza. It's what we're here for.
Die Hard stars Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman and Reginald VelJohnson. Directed by John McTiernan.
Available for $3.99 on Prime, YouTube, Vudu, Apple TV and Google Play.
To make requests, see the movie lists and schedules go to WonkMovie.
Got your popcorn? Enjoy!
The cartoon is Joe Glow, The Firefly (1941) by Chuck Jones and Looney Tunes.
I have a "Harry Ellis - Nakatomi Corporation Negotiator of the Year 1988" t-shirt and wear it with pride.
I read this article while an undergrad and every 5 or 10 years or so, re-read it when thinking of Die Hard. Worth the read.
Parshall, Peter F. “Die Hard and the American Mythos.” The Journal of Popular Film and Television, vol. 18, no. 4, 1991, pp. 134–144.