Die Hard

I rather enjoyed this mini-series chronicling the production of four classic movies and giving us some behind the scenes insight into what it took to get them made.

The films in question are "Dirty Dancing", "Home Alone", "Ghostbusters" and "Die Hard". The story behind the production of each is told using interviews with the cast and creative teams, mixing in footage from the time and excerpts from the film, and other films that make a more complete story. There's a playful narration and a number of animated gags to help make it more palatable.

To start by adding my opinion to all the others about the narrator. Would I have preferred a slightly more serious tone, yes I probably would. But did it ruin the series for me, no not at all. I'm a film fan, and I knew some of these stories before I watched the episodes but I understand that the narration and that style made it more palatable for a wider audience, and I'm OK with that. There was enough work done digging into the stories to make them worthwhile for me too.

I really like that the focus is on creative teams, producers, writers and directors rather than on the actors. Not that I don't like actors, but their stories are more gossipy-type stuff, like the section about the poor relationship between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. I prefer to hear about the other issues that stem in trying to mount a production, "Die Hard" and its helicopter problems, the financing issues, the replacement writers being brought in. Most of the major actors involved in these films aren't interviewed anyway.

If there are enough films that have worthwhile stories to tell (something other people might consider when they're bemoaning why these particular films were chosen), then I'd look forward to watching more in this series.

When Die Hard hit theaters in 1988, the "80s action blockbuster" had already been well-established. Yet, starring an unlikely hero in Bruce Willis, this film ultimately came to define the genre and the decade. In the show's unique fashion, this episode of "The Movies That Made Us" might be the best of the bunch.

There's a lot to cover regarding Die Hard, and this episode pretty much gets to it all. I had no idea the film was based on a book, or that the leading role had to be contractually offered to Frank Sinatra! Not only that, but the story of its filming is just as fascinating, from using the 20th Century Fox building as Nakatomi Plaza to shooting the helicopters scene in under two hours. As usual, this series gets the stories straight from the horse's mouth, if you will, talking with the writers, directors, and producers of the now-iconic film.

Even some of the stars get in on the fun, including figures like Bonnie Bedelia, De'voreaux White, and Reginald VelJohnson. It's fun to see their thoughts 30+ years after the film's release.

Overall, an incredibly fun and informative 45 minutes for anyone wanting some nostalgia or information about the movie that re-defined the action genre and everyman hero.

What a pleasure this was. A behind-the-scenes that makes you laugh and cheer. I'd known about Nothing Lasts Forever - the book adapted for the film - but this documentary is packed with a hundred other informative tidbits. It's amazing how we tend to think of projects like Die Hard as prepackaged entertainment, when in reality this was put together by a cohort of different personalities through hard work, serendipity, and a little judicious stealing from those projects which preceded it.

I have only seen the diehard episode so far and I thought it was great. Seems like what other reviewer's are negatively saying about this series is what I like about it. The narration. I think he does a good job of making what could otherwise just be a boring documentary very fun. This one had lots of humor in it and I'm looking forward to seeing if the other episodes in the series do the same.

I loved hearing the true origins behind die hard, I learned a lot about the film that I never knew. Growing up knowing Bruce Willis as a great action hero, I was surprised to learn that before die hard he was anything but! A really fun behind the scenes look at making die hard. Post production could cool it with the sound effects and repetition.