Sept. 11 kills Die Hard 4

[josh patrick]

 Bruce willis just said that any plans for a fourth die hard movie have been dropped, because of the boming. He is a major wus. He used to be my favorite actor, that was before the wusifaction hes gone through. The die hard movies arent pro terrorist they are about triumph over evil and preservation of life over those who would do harm to americans. Stopping production on DH4 are letting them win, This is want they want, for us to turn into little pussies and shy away like little p***y americans. We need to send and message and keep kickin terrorist ass in the movies.

[AndyC]

True enough. John McClane is the kind of image people need to see right now. He might just inspire people. If anything, the movie should be reworked to play up that angle.

I'm still hopeful that the events of Sept. 11 will cause filmmakers to treat death and destruction with more respect than they have in recent years, but they shouldn't back away from it altogether. I can't watch bland, overly sensitive cinema, and I don't relish the thought of it becoming the norm. The same goes for editing the WTC out of movies that are already made. If it was an actor who died, that would be unthinkable. People should see it.

Personally, I've felt compelled to go back and watch movies set in New York since the early 70s - Escape From New York, King Kong (1976), etc. I had thought I would never view those movies the same way again, and I was right. I appreciate them more. The fact that those towers are now lying in a heap did not diminish the movies at all. If anything, I now have a greater appreciation for just what a beautiful and magnificent building the WTC was. I never gave it much thought before.

We mustn't get squeamish about such things.

[Chadzilla]

We need a new John Wayne - an actor who somehow personifies America's rugged pioneer spirit and who can, at least in our imagination, stride into the Devil's lair, stick a hand up a terrorist's ass, rip his heart out, and then ram it down his throat.  Ain't nothing wrong with a little make believe payback in my book bring the fireballs on.

[Chris K.]

I don't think that the terrorists caused the World Trade Center incident in order to stop making the DIE HARD films (personally, I don't like Bruce Willis) and it turns us into "little p***y Americans" (lets face it, countries like Japan, England, Spain, France, etc. are not a bunch of pussies either so that just balances the argument a bit). That's not it. The real reason for this is because both our Government and our people want us to stop using violence as a source of entertainment. Hell, one newspaper article blamed the terrorist attacks on violent films and TV (which also brings the question "How can those terrorists view American TV?" and the fact that the Talaban abolishes American culture as well, so how are they influnced)! Ridiculous it is, but our people seem to be falling for it which makes me sad to see that.

Because of this incident, not only are we opening the doors to war but now their will be more strict and firm holds on our entertainment. What people (yes, I mean those dumb parents out there who need to "protect the children") and our Government does not understand is that violence in both film and TV is not making us feel that it is right to commit a murder or gruesome act of crime, but that it is wrong. In order for us to know how it is wrong, it has to be shown in order to understand.

We cannot have our entertainment turned into "fantasy" because violent films show the real world. Violent films show that their are perverts, psychopaths, rapists, criminals, theves, etc. that are out there in the real world so that way we know about these things and we are able to protect ourselves. If we blockcade ourselves from reality, then our lives will be nothing but candy-coated Steven Speilberg films that may be fun and jolly, but not ONE FOOT IN REALITY.

To add this news to my argument, about two weeks ago I heard that THE SIMPSONS episode of Homer going to the bathroom in the World Trade Center will NOT be shown on TV again due to the September 11th incident. Once again, it is not the terrorists but censorship that is causing our entertainment to be taken over with "a strong fist".

Also, to put it in perspective towards my reasons, we have those who are offended by violent TV and film with the urge to abolish these sources of entertainment while the Bible has the first recorded history of murder commited (Cain killing his brother Abel as I can recall). Yet I don't see or hear people wanting to abolish that part of history in the Bible due to it's "violent content". Just putting it in perspective.

[AndyC]

I wondered about that Simpsons episode. That is exactly what I thought would happen.

It's really sad, not only because it was such a funny episode, but also because some people have the notion that in order to be sensitive, we should wipe out any trace of the building's existence, or at least anything that isn't completely serious. Would we do this to any person who died tragically?

That's not saying that I don't think we should try to be sensitive to the victims of this disaster, but I really think shelving that Simpsons episode, and other similar reactions, are doing a disservice to the memory of the WTC. Typical PC thinking - well intentioned, but not well thought out. It usually does more harm than good.

I think a lot of people have now seen the consequences of violence close to home, and that will affect the way it is presented in popular entertainment the future. I have not doubt of that, and I agree with it, but I'm certainly not ready for PC cinema.

[Squishy]

Take a deep breath and calm down, folks. Any holds on episodes of The Simpsons will be temporary. References to the World Trade Center Towers are being stifled for the moment because right now there are thousands of families for whom they would be painful reminders of their devestating loss. Thousands of families. Can you picture that? The whole world is not about YOU and what YOU want; it is also about what others may need.

For a lot of people, the events of September 11th killed any pleasure they might have found in "seein' s**t git blowed up good," much in the same way someone who has lost a loved one to violent murder won't get particularly hard at the thought of watching a slasher flick. That's not being a "wuss" or a "p***y," that's just having one's viewpoint adjusted in the most unpleasant, traumatic way. It's also not being a "p***y" to be sensitive to the pain of these victims--rather than pouting and throwing a tantrum because one might not get to see as many hyper-violent, explosion-and-exit-wound-laden "action thrillers" this year as last.

The public's mood may readjust with time. Either way Hollywood will react accordingly, because contrary to its own hype, it is a business before anything else. If there are enough selfish, heartless, ignorant little bastards out there who don't give a damn about anyone but themselves and their own petty needs, then, before you know it, some oiled-up untalented "actor" will be spraying bad guys and bystanders alike with gunfire and burning fuel. Hooray.

Otherwise, just be patient and try to understand what others may be going through while you're sitting comfortably at home, grousing about another crappy sequel never coming to light.

And God save us all from this idiot WWF-style bellowing and phony bravado passing for patriotism. I fully expect Hulk Hogan's I Am A Real American and Kick Ass USA to start playing around the clock on the radio--if it isn't already, I'm afraid to find out--to keep the real pussies whoopin' and hollerin'--and buying tons of useless cheap Made-In-China crap at ridiculous prices for the picture of the Stars and Stripes sloppily painted on it. How many of these "real Americans" have donated blood, or money, or a little time--or even given so much as a passing thought to those who died and the ones they left behind?

We need real-life heroes far more than movie-screen ones. If you can't be one, at least support them--the people who lost their lives or their loved ones, those who risked their lives then, and those who are risking them now or may do so in the future--in some meaningful fashion. Yee haw.

[AndyC]

I'm not sure whether your comments were directed at anyone in particular or at everyone in general, but I, for one, take a little bit of offence at them. That's not to say I don't agree with your main point, just the way you've chosen to express it.

I don't think anybody here means to be insensitive or selfish, and frankly, you don't know what charitable contributions they might have made, so I wouldn't comment on that. Even a month later, in another country, hundreds of miles away, I'm still shocked, saddened, worried and a little confused. Not a day goes by that I don't think of how that feeling must increase as one gets closer to New York. We all deal with it in different ways. Some take comfort in patriotism, some in religion, some in family or community. Some take comfort in viewing images of the twin towers when they were still standing tall, rather like looking at photo albums of a dead relative. Some take comfort in vicarious revenge through action heroes. All of us are looking for whatever normalcy we can get, and it bothers us when the same tragedy that has affected the important things in our lives has also tainted the little pleasures we use to escape.

Don't get upset because we don't all cope with things in the same way that you do, and don't suggest that we don't care.

As a journalist the best things I can offer are reassurance and information in my own community. My contribution has been to inform people of what they can do to help, what others are doing to help, and why they should try not to worry and continue to support the economy. I also remind my readers that they must not forget the other charities in their rush to help this cause. In all these things, I lead by example.

You wouldn't know that judging from my opinions of the entertainment industry, so please stick to entertainment.

[josh patrick]

 I see what your sayin and im sorry, damn.

[Drezzy]

Okay...shelving the Simpsons episode is a sensitive idea for the time being, most definitely. BUT...the wound of WTC will take a long time to heal, and the scar it leaves will be tremendous.

And what's wrong with the song "Real American"?! Or the WWF?! Well...I could think of a thousand things wrong with the WWF, but this is no the board...I go to Mcrook and Smarks.com for that (CHEAP PLUG!).

[Flangepart]

Lots to think about, there Squishy. BTW, as a Frank Cho fan, Squish, you'll want the comic special 9-11. Its a group of reactions to that day, By Cho, Will Eisner, Mark Wheatly and a host of Indi comics makers, and Frank Did the cover. Classic style, and i'm going to go for it. It's their reactions to the news, and how each of them delt with it. Also....remember how Lee Greenwoods song, "God bless the U.S.A." used to seem so "Hokey"? Not any more. It is a true patriotic song, because its not a mindless macho rant. Finaly, HBO's Band Of Brothers....God, what a show. And the music....i'm trwing to write, and remembering that music gets to me. make it hard to see, if ya know what i mean. I definatly recomend Band Of Brothers.Truly, the Good stuff.

[Jim Hepler]

"If anything, I now have a greater appreciation for just what a beautiful and magnificent building the WTC was"

I don't get this.  Why would anyone think the WTC towers were beautiful?  They weren't even magnificent - just big.  They really did perfectly represent capitalism - cold, ugly, efficient and well-designed.  They were just gigantic rectangular boxes, one having a pointy chunk of steel sticking out of the top.

Anyway, I don't think they should remove them from any movies.  Though I should point out for those who don't know, the Spiderman teaser was specifically made - they didn't actually cut anything from the film.

[AndyC]

What can I say? I see beauty in simple, clean design.

Two simple, tall, symetrical boxes with bevelled corners. The facade with its metallic sheen, and look of vertical stripes terminating in arches at the bottom and a similar, yet different, pattern at the top. Sure, the size was a big part of its appeal, and the way it dominated the skyline.

It really had a look that identified the time it was built, as towers constructed before, and since, are nothing like it. I always liked the look of highrise buildings of the late 60s and early 70s, and WTC was the epitome of that.