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Lukaschik Gleb

Shooting at Christmas.


Oh ho ho ho! Snow falls outside of window, Thanksgiving behind and the luminous trees are indicate on that I must recall classic action movies and games, which take in magic time of Christmas.


Lethal Weapon (1987). Once Shane Black put into trash bin a screenplay of Lethal Weapon by considered it’s as wholly bad on that moment (how I know it’s thing!). It was his debut, which, as in many his works have Christmas setting. Certainly, dark themes such psychopathic and suicidal protagonist Martin Riggs (a scene of his attempt on kill himself impressed director Franco Zeffirelli and he invited Mel Gibson on main role in Hamlet by that.), everywhere cynicism and meeting with characteristics opposite partner Roger Murtaugh are don’t give a Christmas spirit whereas magic will in that main heroes will make a friendship and much of Christmas will in final sequences as snow from cocaine and the main hero deals with himself and he comes on Christmas dinner, which will unite everybody.


NB. Followed two years later a sequel Lethal Weapon 2 is one excellent continuation, which would be perfect for me if it would be the last part and ended with idea’s that Martin Riggs dies as it wanted Shane Black, but his variation is overdone with fire and even he is an author, but I see as wonderful to what finally was made a movie. Only a reediting of the last scene where actually can assume that there shots were taken from filmed scene of death and it’s actually it is. Shane Black wasn’t involved in a third and a fourth flicks, which did a giant poor in screenplay quality and a pivotal mistake that dark atmosphere of previous parts hasn’t presence anymore and was did an upside-down change to wacky comedic tone as a psychiatrist who disgusted Martin Riggs took bright to foolish fun.


Invasion U.S.A. (1985). Cold War doesn’t cool and can become hot in Christmas period when commie Muscovy starts a hybrid war with the United States. CIA agent Matt Hunter (in performance of Chuck Norris) who, as it is normal, is retired from activities in beginning and will a main person who can stop Cubans in leading of KGB agent Mikal Rostov (played by Richard Lynch whose imposing facial look was caused by self-burning under LSD in New York’s Central Park in 1967.) with whom a lead guy has past scores and whom American can explode by saying “It’s time to die” in this creative action movie.


Batman Returns (1992). The first movie Batman (1989) with imperfections, but, however, it has a tremendous Joker who, maybe, does monkey business, but he with madness. A second part Batman Returns is totally brilliant by taking setting in Christmas. A fictional gothic town under disturbance of evil forces in circus troupe (where each member of it is remembering individuality.) whose leader is a real monstrous creature with name Penguin. They willn’t the one side to which a main character will oppose in this twisted story where Christmas spirit mysteriously and literally exists.


The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996). Christmas ambience will co-exist in The Long Kiss Goodnight. Director Renny Harlin still staged starling films and it will the last screenplay by Shane Black before his absence in cinema in almost ten years, because financial failure of box-office of this flick. Incredible and shockingly twisted script on a teacher who, as it will reveal, was a CIA black ops had incident brought to amnesia. Geena Davis who plays this main role is a phenomenal in that transformation from a housewife, minimal recreation of past skills and to full recollection of memory. I have a lot of personally watching again scenes as torture and it’s conclusion, return to herself in hotel and speaking with Samuel L. Jackson’s detective character who initially had other fate and although I despise test screening whereas I’m happily to that it influenced on ideal turn for his personage (and I see that such thing caused in many Renny Harlin films and always to grandiose.) and where he reasonably of rarest times says “motherfucker”.


Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005). Shane Black did come back as a scriptwriter and debuted as a director by staging Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a spectacular buddy cop movie (although no cop in lead personages.) with wacky astonishing twists and tremendous humor in part of phenomenal dialogs where both of that do breaking of stereotypes.


NB. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang willn’t take box-office and Shane Black will disappear on eight years. His second comeback, which will solidify him, was sold out to mainstream and lost sharpness in scriptwriting what brought that his excellence is a past.


Die Hard (1988). “Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs...” says NYPD cop John McClane in doing crawling in a vent with ignited lighter. A group of German terrorists did sneaking on Christmas party, which held in a skyscraper, and disrupted celebrating. Atmosphere, things such “Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho”, thematic music, explosions, killing of many abysmal people, full reunification with wife and saving festivity are making it and sequel as Christmas flicks by through and through.


Die Hard 2 (1990). “Oh man, I can't fucking believe this. Another basement, another elevator. How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?” will ask John McClane himself and it’s nice to watch how he will transform about it through films. The second movie saves a spirit of Christmas. Personally, Die Hard 2 is absolutely standing out from other movies. Lead villains in other movies in Die Hard are always seeking for money and they aren’t absolute coldblooded persons. Simon Gruber in Die Hard with Vengeance stops his girlfriend who in obsession in impaling of bank guard and he doesn’t explode a school by saying “I'm a soldier, not a monster. Even though I sometimes work for monsters.” Thomas Gabriel’s goal is humiliate and teach government of the USA that their security system can’t be hacked. He doesn’t want to commit an absolute collapse for a country and return it to pre-energy time in Live Free or Die Hard. He speaks about it, “Better me than some outsider. Some religious nut job bent on Armageddon. Nobody wants to see that happen. Everything I've broken can be fixed if the country is willing to pay for it”. Colonel Stuart in Die Hard 2 who has impressive introduction (which was invented by movie’s director Renny Harlin.) is easily brings a plane to crash, which have kids as it will reveal. His purpose is release of general Ramon Esperanza and get a plane for escape with him and crew to fictional Val Verde, which scriptwriter Stephen De Souza used few times else as in masterpiece Commando (1985). Stuart is only of main villains who physically stronger of John McClane on whom I adore that he is very cynical and with black humor in this part as the last line, which he says to major Grant and his laughing on exploded plane and then followed phrase on “landing light” – I assume all that is a part of ad-libbed by Bruce Willis who got unlimited allowance in that time.


Saints Row IV (2013). DLC mission “How the Saints Saved Christmas”. DLC missions can worst a basic game and I don’t salute to this non-artistic approach. It’s doesn’t relate to Volition, which used to be and who never lost madness and finest sense of humor then. Bunch of astonishing personages are literally will save Christmas with using fantastic guns. And a main nameless personage will discover about this special time.


Hitman: Blood Money (2006). Mission “You Better Watch Out”. What a wonderful when you’re going somebody to kill in Christmas. Agent 47 must in a night before Christmas to slay a tycoon of pornographic magazine and a senator’s son who doesn’t leave a little round pool by having surrounding of women.

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