Skeleton Crew Motion Pictures

Fittingly, Die Hard takes place at the top of a skyscraper. For a lot of people, it is the best action movie of them all. It was one of those that I went to see over and over again on the big screen. (I can still tell you exactly where all the reel changes are, for those that remember reel changes...)

It has a great plot, good dialogue, and a surprising performance from then-TV star and wine-cooler pitchman, Bruce Willis. But for my money, what made it a classic was Alan Rickman.

Hans Gruber, I think, is the best movie villain there has ever been. And yes, I am including Darth Vader and Heath Ledger's Joker. He was smart, calm, cool, unflinchingly evil, and laser-focused on an understandable, base goal.

He is, in fact, the protagonist in that movie. Not the hero, but the protagonist- the one who gets the plot going. The antagonist (the one who stands in his way) is John McClane.

If some fool ever "reboots" Die Hard, he better digitally lift Alan Rickman from the original and build the reboot around his performance- every frame of it. Because you'll never do better.

R.I.P. Alan Rickman. You were the best!

Saw "Gravity" Saturday... I get why people rave: The thing is visually beautiful (and the 3D IMAX at Mayfair was amazing.) But being the space-nerd that I am, I'm in a special position to realize that the story and plot are just laughably ridiculous. And before you write that off to "well, that's just a space-nerd's opinion", my wife is no space-nerd and she recognized the total absence of character development and the over-abundance of contrived crisis, manufactured drama, and (stunningly beautiful) destruction of satellites, space vehicles and astronauts. So if you want to see some great CGI (and I would recommend the IMAX 3D version), go see it, but realize that's all you're going to see.