He Was An Exceptional Thief... R.I.P. Alan Rickman 1946-2016

:(

Every great hero needs a great villain.

They elevate each other and make one another truly memorable.

In 1988, a little film called Die Hard was released and that movie catapulted Bruce Willis from television star to movie superstardom.

It doesn't hurt that it's one of the best action films ever made, my words, and the general consensus of just about anyone else who has ever seen it.

But...

Would it be nearly as good if not for Rickman's portrayal of master criminal Hans Gruber?

Not a chance.

Not bad for another actor of stage and screen who was making his first big budget movie.

He puts on a master showing as the calculating criminal with layers to his evilness that anyone who is cast as a villain should watch, just for pointers on how to help make your character truly interesting.

So while Willis went on to movie icon, Rickman became a great utility player, making many memorable roles and elevating the movies that he was in with his presence.

He brought energy to Sherwood Forest as the Sheriff and steals the movie right out from under Costner's nose.

Then he portrayed Alexander Dane in GalaxyQuest, the homage to Star Trek where his character, Dr. Lazarus, was the Spock to Tim Allen's Captain. He balances the role perfectly as the fed-up actor who hates being typecast but still loves acting.

And, while I've never bothered with the Harry Potter franchise at all, knowing that he played a main character in the films, it's about the only interest the movies had at all for me.

We'll see you again this Christmas, but it's going to be much sadder watching you fall from the top of Nakatomi Towers this year.

R.I.P. Alan Rickman.

Rob From The Rich... "Robin Hood"

Robin Hood (1973)

Rated G

Starring Brian Bedford, Monica Evans, Phil Harris, Andy Devine, Pat Buttram,  Peter Ustinov, Terry Thomas, Roger Miller

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman

The Story:

The animal kingdom decides to tell the story of Robin Hood (Bedford) to let us know what really happened.

Awesomeness ensues.

The first Disney film I ever remember seeing.

It's been my favorite Disney film ever since.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

Having seen nearly every other version of Robin Hood, I will say that this is the best version of the tale as well.

Take that Errol Flynn.

And honestly, if you've tried to read the book, you know how utterly boring it really was.

Disney instead injects some great character designs and wonderful voice actors to make this tale magical.

The fact that Robin and Marian (Evans) are really overshadowed by every other character, tells you how deep the talent on display really is.

You could dock points to Disney, and Phil Harris for basically playing the same character from The Jungle Book  as Little John and Baloo share some striking similarities, not the least of which is the voice.

But that's a minor quibble.

Instead marvel at Prince John (Ustinov) and Sir Hiss (Taylor) as possibly the best bad guys to ever grace the screen.

Hilariously evil, they never fail to make me laugh in the movie.

The songs, most of which are handled by Alan-A-Dale (Miller) are catchy, and I can whistle the tunes to this day by memory.

My little one had no interest in this movie when we found it on Netflix.

Now she can't get enough of it.

Welcome to the club.

Currently available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  Probably still my all-time favorite Disney film.  Might have to upgrade it to Blu Ray someday.