Yippee Ki-Yay, Motherf*cker!


Book Description

"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs." That line, from one of many quotable moments from Die Hard, was an on the spot insertion during filming by actor Bruce Willis and director John McTiernan. That's just one of numerous ad lib or almost accidental elements added to the film which make it such a memorable modern classic. When Die Hard premiered in July 1988 John McClane didn't just become a fly in Hans Gruber's ointment, he heralded in a new era of action movies, inspired countless knock-off action movies best described as "Die Hard in a" or "Die Hard on a" copycats, and created a franchise that spanned five decades (if you include the 2020 Die Hard battery commercial). Even thirty-five years later it continues to inspire heated annual debates regarding the film's status as a Christmas movie. This guide, lovingly researched by a die-hard (pun completely intended) fan of the 1988 action-adventure blockbuster collects trivia, behind-the-scenes stories of the movie, the script, the actors, and the books and other written material that Die Hard and several of the follow-on films in the franchise were based on or inspired by. This guide, lovingly researched by a die-hard (pun completely intended) fan of the 1988 action-adventure blockbuster collects trivia, behind-the-scenes stories of the movie, the script, the actors, and the books and other written material that Die Hard and several of the follow-on films in the franchise were based on or inspired by. If you're a fan of Die Hard, then you're going to love Yippee Ki-Yay, Motherf*cker! Welcome to the party, pal!




Washington's Dark Secret


Book Description

As a scholar of terrorism, John Maszka has examined how politics, the media, and the War on Terror play off one another. His most startling claim is that the War on Terror is a war for natural resources—and that terrorism has little to do with it. Once the military became mechanized, oil quickly became the most sought-after commodity on the planet, and the race for energy was eventually framed as a matter of national security. Ironically, Maszka argues, the true threats to national security are the massive oil conglomerates themselves. Maszka delves into the repercussions of a government that capitalizes on an us versus them mentality, such as the demonizing of an entire religion, sensationalizing “radical” violent attacks, and loosely applying the word “terrorism.” Because the United States’ current approach to terrorism has led to the politicization and abuse of the term, Maszka suggests a need for a standardized definition of terrorism. Currently, too many acts of violence can be labeled terrorism, resulting in state and nonstate actors labeling their enemies as “terrorists,” yet claiming their own acts of violence as legitimate and retributive. Maszka argues that much of the violence labeled as terrorism today is not terrorism at all. In an ambitious attempt to connect seemingly unrelated events in politics and the media, Maszka offers an unflinching portrayal of the hypocrisy underlying our foreign policy.




Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History


Book Description

Yippee-ki-yay . . . Discover the explosive story behind the creation of the Die Hard saga in this visually stunning, behind-the-scenes look at the adventures of detective John McClane. Thirty years after the release of the groundbreaking action film, Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History takes an in-depth look at the entire Die Hard saga, from the original movie through to the hit sequels, comics, video games, and other extensions of hero John McClane’s story. Loosely based on Roderick Thorp’s novel Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard, released in 1988, saw Moonlighting star Bruce Willis seamlessly make the transition from TV success to movie stardom in a film so taut, explosive, and full of suspense that it would come to define the action movie genre for decades to come. Directed by John McTiernan (Predator), Die Hard also starred revered British stage actor Alan Rickman who turned lead villain Hans Gruber into a presence so deliciously malevolent, audiences didn’t know whether to love him or hate him. For the first time, Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History tells the complete story of the making of Die Hard and its sequels, through exclusive interviews with the cast and crew of each film and a wealth of rare and unseen imagery, including set photography and concept art. Also exploring Die Hard comics, video games, and other merchandise, this book will tell the full story of the saga and its remarkable thirty-year legacy.




Believing a Man Can Fly: Memories of a Life in Special Effects and Film


Book Description

YOU WILL BELIEVE Believing a Man Can Fly: Memories of a Life in Special Effects and Film is the story of a man’s journey from a modest childhood in England to the heights of Hollywood success. At the 51st Academy Awards in 1979, Steve Martin presented Colin Chilvers with an Oscar for his work on the special effects of Superman: The Movie. That honor came after years of experience on such productions as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Battle of Britain and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As well, he brought his special-effects expertise to such diverse productions as Tommy, X-Men and K-19: The Widowmaker. From the director's chair, Colin orchestrated the Martian invasion in War of the Worlds and helped a young Clark Kent take flight in Superboy. He also directed Michael Jackson in the most ambitious music video ever produced - "Smooth Criminal." Colin Chilvers will make you believe that a man can indeed fly!




Nothing Lasts Forever (Basis for the film Die Hard)


Book Description

High atop a Los Angeles skyscraper, an office Christmas party turns into a deadly cage-match between a lone New York City cop and a gang of international terrorists. Every action fan knows it could only be the explosive big-screen blockbuster Die Hard. But before Bruce Willis blew away audiences as unstoppable hero John McClane, author Roderick Thorp knocked out thriller readers with the bestseller that started it all. A dozen heavily armed terrorists have taken hostages, issued demands, and promised bloodshed — all according to plan. But they haven’t counted on a death-defying, one-man cavalry with no shoes, no backup, and no intention of going down easily. As hot-headed cops swarm outside, and cold-blooded killers wield machine guns and rocket launchers inside, the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between anti-hero and uber-villains. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good fight... to the death. Ho ho ho!




The Regional Office Is Under Attack!


Book Description

Read it!” —Jess Walter, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins "[R]ollicking good fun.” —New York Times Book Review "A tour-de-force." —Laura Miller, Slate In a world beset by amassing forces of darkness, one organization—the Regional Office—and its coterie of super-powered female assassins protects the globe from annihilation. At its helm, the mysterious Oyemi and her oracles seek out new recruits and root out evil plots. Then a prophecy suggests that someone from inside might bring about its downfall. And now, the Regional Office is under attack. Recruited by a defector from within, Rose is a young assassin leading the attack, eager to stretch into her powers and prove herself on her first mission. Defending the Regional Office is Sarah—who may or may not have a mechanical arm—fiercely devoted to the organization that took her in as a young woman in the wake of her mother’s sudden disappearance. On the day that the Regional Office is attacked, Rose’s and Sarah’s stories will overlap, their lives will collide, and the world as they know it just might end. Weaving in a brilliantly conceived mythology, fantastical magical powers, teenage crushes, and kinetic fight scenes, The Regional Office Is Under Attack! is a seismically entertaining debut novel about revenge and allegiance and love.




Magic in the Dark


Book Description

Early in the twentieth-century, B. S. Moss was one of many ambitious Jewish immigrants to leap from New York's textile business to the more promising and exciting world of motion pictures. Unlike most, Moss resisted the siren call of Hollywood and instead built one of the largest and most prestigious theater chains in the New York area. Inspired by his vision, successive generations of Moss management have kept his chain thriving, even as audiences migrated from vaudeville emporiums to sumptuous Art Deco palaces to suburban multiplexes. It was never easy: every movie was a gamble, and the business was constantly challenged by world wars, depressions, urban blight, union battles, real estate values, and the threats of radio, television, and streaming services. Yet the Mosses emerge as a rare multigenerational family success story. Granted unprecedented access to archives at their iconic Times Square headquarters, author Jonathan Kay charts the family's ups, downs, and fascinating adventures in the tumultuous cinema industry.




They Came from Within


Book Description

No horror film is truly mainstream, David Cronenberg has said, and it is for this reason that even the lowliest of them may be worth consideration. In this tenth anniversary revised and updated edition of They Came From Within, Caelum Vatnsdal adjusts the focus in Canadian horror films, and unwinds the history of this neglected genre to learn "why we fear what we fear and how it came to be that way." From the early Canadian infiltration of Hollywood in the thirties, to the flowering of Canuck horror films in the sixties and seventies, to the surreal products of the "tax-shelter" eighties and beyond, Vatnsdal shows how the Canadian horror film industry has, unwittingly or not, created a complex social, economic, and political portrait of a nation. Engagingly written, extensively researched, and lavishly illustrated with rare stills and poster art, They Came From Within is an invaluable addition of Canadian film criticism.




A Die Hard Christmas


Book Description

A delightful Christmas storybook for adults based on the action-packed Die Hard movie All John McClane wants for Christmas is to reunite with his estranged family. But when his wife’s office holiday party turns into a deadly hostage situation, he has to save her life before he can get home in time for Christmas! The unconventional fan-favorite movie Die Hard is now an illustrated storybook—complete with machine guns, European terrorists, and a cop who’s forced to rely on all his cunning and skills (and the help of a fellow officer) to save the day. Based on the classic “Night Before Christmas” poem and filled with whimsical illustrations, this cleverly reimagined homage is destined to become a holiday classic. *Contains adult material including violence and strong language. Reader discretion is advised. Ho-ho-ho.




A Million Ways to Die Hard


Book Description

John McClane must contend with a movie-obsessed serial killer in this explosive comic based on the Die Hard franchise. Thirty years after the release of Die Hard, a retired John McClane is being pulled back into the game by a dangerous foe he never thought he’d face again—a psychotic serial killer with a theatrical taste for casting his victims in reproductions of Hollywood’s greatest and deadliest films! Faced with impossible choices and unimaginable odds, A Million Ways To Die Hard just may be the last case John McClane ever has. With a suspenseful new story by industry veterans Frank Tieri and Mark Texeira, A Million Ways To Die Hard is packed with all the humor, action, and firepower that defined the Die Hard series and is sure to thrill fans everywhere.