John Mactiernan: Last News

Charna Flam Arnold Schwarzenegger has had no shortage of hits throughout his career, but he’s still embarrassed by the lackluster reception of one of his would-be blockbuster’s, the 1993 action comedy “Last Action Hero.” In the new three-part Netflix docuseries “Arnold,” the bodybuilder-turned-star-turned-governor details his varied career, providing insights into his momentous highs and lows as an action icon, including the time that John McTiernan’s “Last Action Hero” flopped at the box office. “I cannot tell you how upset I was,” Schwarzenegger says in the doc. “It hurts you. It hurts your feelings. It’s embarrassing… I didn’t want to see anyone for a week. But you keep plodding along. And my mother-in-law also said this all the time: ‘Let’s just move forward.’ It’s a great message.”

Fans of the Christmas film (controversial) Die Hard were astonished after learning that a legendary singer was originally in line to star in it. Bruce Willis famously took on the role of John McClane, the iconic action figure who hunted down terrorists in Nakatomi Plaza.

An action film that stirs up debate among viewers every year is set to air on TV tonight. The hit film, which will be shown on Film4 at 9pm, has been the subject of a contentious question for over a decade: is it a Christmas movie?

Naman Ramachandran The BFI Southbank is teaming with the London Action Festival for a series of events this fall as part of the org’s “Art of Action” season, running Oct. 21 to Nov. 30.

Katcy Stephan A new standalone “Predator” movie is in the works at 20th Century Studios, with filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg set to direct. Plot details for “Badlands,” which will be set in the future, are currently under wraps, but the film will begin production this year.

"Die Hard" debuted in theaters 35 years ago, sparking a debate that has divided fans for decades. The question over whether the classic 1988 action film is a Christmas movie has become the subject of heated discussion every holiday season.

"Die Hard" celebrated its 35th anniversary this month. Since its release, behind-the-scenes secrets about the film have emerged over the years.  The 1998 action film helped boost Bruce Willis' career, but the 68-year-old actor was reportedly the last choice for the starring role.  Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Willis a piece of advice after the actor decided to venture into Schwarzenegger's territory of action films.

"Die Hard" debuted in theaters 35 years ago this month, sparking a debate that has divided fans for decades. The question over whether the classic 1988 action film is a Christmas movie has become the subject of heated discussion every holiday season.

Ben Croll Director of “Die Hard,” “Predator” and “The Hunt for Red October,” John McTiernan will step into the limelight at this year’s Neuchatel Intl. Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF), presenting three of his films as guest of honor while serving on the festival jury.  If anything, the choice of honoree was obvious for NIFFF artistic director Pierre-Yves Walder, who calls McTiernan “the Pope of action cinema.” “The very idea of John McTiernan meeting our public will shape the history of our festival,” Walder says. “Because his films fed a shared love of movies, for us in Neuchatel and around the world.”

Charna Flam Emmy-winning TV and film editor John Gordon Wright, who cut notable titles including “Speed,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “X-Men” and “The Passion of the Christ,” died April 20 at his home in Calabasas after a battle with cancer. He was 79. Wright, who worked frequently with directors including John McTiernan and Mel Gibson, received an Emmy award for his work on “Sarah, Plain and Tall” as well Oscar nominations for his work on “The Hunt for Red October” and “Speed.” More than 50 years ago, Wright began his prolific career as a film editor, first working at The James Company. In 1973, Wright contributed to the TV movie “Strange Creatures of the Night” and soon moved into feature editing. Soon after Wright edited for “Life Goes to War: Hollywood and the Home Front” and “Acapulco Gold.”

Naman Ramachandran After a blockbuster debut in 2022, the London Action Festival is set to return this summer for its second edition. The festival is timed to be squarely in the middle of the summer action movie season. This summer will see the release of “Fast X,” “Kandahar,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One” in the May-July time frame and the festival will unspool June 21-25. Highlights of the inaugural edition included The World’s Greatest Screening Ever… Probably! – an enhanced screening experience of “Die Hard” with director John McTiernan; a making of “Jurassic World Dominion” with an Academy Award-winning VFX panel presented by Proof Inc. and director Colin Trevorrow participating; exclusive previews of season 2 of Sky original “Gangs of London” with director Corin Hardy and MARV’s “School Fight” from stunt coordinator turned director Damien Walters; and screenings of “Predator” and “Con Air” followed by panels with directors McTiernan and Simon West.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic“Prey,” a prequel in the “Predator” series, stands as proof that Hollywood today can make a socially conscious movie out of anything. I offer an advance apology to fans of this dogged franchise when I say that over the last 35 years, it would be hard to find a strain of sci-fi action cinema more trashy or degraded than the “Predator” films. The original “Predator,” directed by John McTiernan in 1987 (the year before he made “Die Hard”), was a what-are-we-going-to-do-with-Arnold-this-time? vintage-’80s Schwarzenegger combat showdown, and in its overwrought and derivative way it was reasonably well-made.

Naman Ramachandran A galaxy of stars paid fulsome tribute to filmmaker John McTiernan (“Die Hard,” “Predator”) and stuntman Vic Armstrong (the Indiana Jones, James Bond and Star Wars franchises) as they were both awarded Moving Target awards on Friday for their outstanding contributions to the action genre at the inaugural London Action Festival.The awards were presented at London’s Royal London Geographical Society and icons from the genre attended, including Corin Hardy (“Gangs of London”), composer David Arnold (“Casino Royale”) Robert Davi (“Die Hard”) and Edgar Wright (“Last Night in Soho”).Prominent film personalities who have worked with McTiernan and Armstrong conveyed their appreciation via video messages. Harrison Ford praised Armstrong, saying: “We’ve been doing this Vic for like 50 years! You’ve had the good sense to turn it into a directing job ‘cos this running, jumping and falling down thing is a game for the young guys.

Naman Ramachandran The inaugural London Action Festival (July 28-31) will open with a screening of “Die Hard,” with director John McTiernan and other guests in attendance at a Q&A. McTiernan’s “Predator” will also screen at the festival.

If you’re an Amazon Prime Video subscriber and looking for new shows to add to your wish list, you’re in luck as February has a whole host of shows that are set to be released.

Yes, “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie.

Die Hard director John McTiernan has confirmed it is in fact a Christmas film.The filmmaker, weighing in on the annual debate about the film’s festive qualities during the holiday season, addressed the “controversy” in a 12-minute video posted by the American Film Institute.“We hadn’t intended it to be a Christmas movie, but the joy that came from it is what turned it into a Christmas movie,” McTiernan says several minutes into the video.He then expands on Die Hard‘s themes in connection to American politics, explaining: “There are genuinely evil people out there.”“My hope at Christmas this year is that you will all remember that authoritarians are low-status, angry men who have gone to rich people and said, ‘If you give us power, we will