Review of "A Good Day to Die Hard"

OK, sports fans: Who is this? 

After a week of being immersed in various writing projects--from Marvin Gaye to copy editing to pitches--I really wanted a nice, hot slice of escapism. Something oozing with violence and stuffed with gratuitous nudity. I thought "A Good Day to Die Hard" would be perfect. 

Oh, boy, was I off. 

Now, before everyone goes into a spiel about how movie critics hate fun and only like movies centered on suffering and atmospheric lighting, let the record show that I loved the first "Die Hard." But the series has gotten away from what made it great: terrific comic writing and John McClane's everyman appeal. 

Why go the stupid and noisy route when action flicks have gotten progressively more savvy about character development and drama? Look at "Iron Man" and "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight." 

I'm rambling. You can read the review, which I wrote for "The Weekender" right here.

P.S.--I'm tired of writing about this McClane, hence the photo.