Die Hard

Past efforts to educate my children with great films of yesteryear have been met with mixed results.  The films they enjoyed include "Big Trouble in Little China," "Strange Brew" and the first 2 Indiana Jones movies.  On the flip side, "Poltergeist" and "Better Off Dead" were panned by my two boys, now 16 and 13.  I'm not sure why "Dead" was met with poor reviews; I blame that mostly on a blatent dislike for skiing.  In any event, last night we continued their education with a study of the Christmas classic "Die Hard".

My first reaction upon seeing it for the first time in 10+ years was that it holds up very well.  The theme of a band of robbers taking over a skyscraper seems to strike a note given today's headlines.  Then again, it would have been a completely different movie if cell phones has been in existence.  It is also funnier than I remember; the FBI Johnsons was a nice touch.  And don't forget Hans Gruber...the guys was a great villian.

My boys pretty much felt the same way.  Oh sure, there was the "why is John McLaine wearing a different shirt" observation and other nit-picky arguments, but both of the junior movie critics in my house gave it solid thumbs-up.  My theory on this has to do with the Call-of-Duty-ness of the plot.  McLaine's constantly killing people in this movie in a variety of ways and that seems to strike a note with the youth of today. 

Next up in our rotation:  "Die Hard 2: Die Harder" and "The Breakfast Club."