DIE HARD 2 [1990]

Bruce Willis is back as John McClane and is ready to have another shitty Christmas in director Renny Harlin's sequel to the action classic Die Hard.
Now the original had the element of surprise, Bruce Willis' charismatic persona and Alan Rickman's cold, yet delightful performance to allow it rise above the crop of other "American" action films of it's time.  Now without Rickman and the element of surprise, Die Hard 2 falls a little bit short compared to the original but has enough ridiculously fun action sequences to enjoy.  Sure the constant jokey references to the original like "oh no, not again" get a little bit tiresome but Willis still remains thoroughly entertaining and that's all I really wanted from this film.

3 tasers out of 5

Needful Things (1993)

A mysterious Curiosity Shop opens in a small town and just happens to stock the thing you desire most, but the asking price is a little unusual.
Max von Sydow is great as the pernicious but charismatic shop proprietor, his years of experience are what the role needed. Ed Harris is equally as good. Without those two it would feel like a kid's horror movie for adults.
It's not the worst Stephen King adaptation; with some minor rewrites it could've been much improved.

3 turkey shit sheets out of 5