I fly out to Japan on Saturday. I’m really looking forward to it now, and by it I mean lots of things. Here’s just three things that’s filling my dreams:
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Amazing. Extra marks for the Hello Kitty breastplate.

No cinema lover needs reminding how tense and claustrophobic the original Die Hard was. It was a cat-and-mouse thriller set in a no-way-out office building, and remains today one of the defining action films of all time. It’s just as well the film is so ingrained in the minds of so many, because the latest in the series does little to evoke the original.

The latest installment sees washed-up cop John McClane become inadvertently embroiled in a cyber-terrorist’s plot to attack America as he escorts a wise-cracking, wide-eyed computer hacker to the relevant authorities. So while it’s not reminiscent of the original Die Hard, nor is it in anyway ground-breaking.

Indeed, I’d wager it’s possible to make a pretty decent doppelganger for this film by cutting together scenes from Bruce Willis’ excellent and under-rated 16 Blocks, action blockbuster Terminator 2 and ridiculous hacker flick Swordfish.

As influences go, two out of three ain’t bad. And to be fair, it’s not. The action scenes are completely over-the-top and relentless. - unfortunately they’re missing any real tension as McClane is no longer an every-man, but rather an unstoppable killing machine. You won’t see him pick broken glass from his feet this time around, but you will see him shoot himself in the shoulder.

The dynamic between McClane and his reluctant hacking side-kick (played by Justin Long) is also surprisingly successful, producing some memorable exchanges. Unfortunately, the whole hacking side of the film is dealt with in the most-typical cack-handed Hollywood manner, and verges on the laughable. But then it’s clear that the film’s plot is only to serve the action set-pieces, and so such matters can be glossed over.

So there’s Die Hard 4.0. It’s a complete no-brainer action fest, and will present more than enough bang for your buck. Past the numerous action scenes however, there’s very little substance - and it’s a million miles removed from that night in Nakatomi Towers.

I spent the last two weeks on the family holiday, lazing about in sunny France stuffing my gullet with crepes and butchering the language. Little did I know the world around me stepped up a gear, and I have a lot of catching up to do.

My beloved Liverpool signed players for lots of money. This is new ground for Liverpool fans, and it makes me optimistic for the new season. This, of course, is the classic failing of the Liverpool fan, as every year the team seems to spectacularly not live up to their role as title challengers.

E3 happened, but very very quietly. Mario Kart is coming to the Wii (gasp!), and there’s a new, smaller PSP. The highlights have undoubtedly been the Metal Gear Solid 4 and Killzone 2 trailers. The PS3 is looking like an essential purchase upon my arrival in Japan.

(incidentally, according to lowbrowculture’s rundown on EDGE’s Top 100 videogames, the original Metal Gear Solid is nowhere to be seen, whereas games like Crackdown sneak in. Now, I did enjoy my Crackdown, but Metal Gear Solid is perhaps second only to Resident Evil 4 in the blockbuster-videogame stakes. But hey, it wouldn’t be EDGE without a little controversy…)

I’ve also got a lot of cinema to catch up on - the most pressing concern being Die Hard 4.0. By all accounts a balls-out action fest, the over-the-top action may excuse that the franchise seems to be drifting away from the claustrophobia of the original movie ever more.

(incidentally, I read Scarecrow while on holiday. Imagine, if you will, all the explosions, torture scenes and car chases of a typical season of 24. Then, compact that into a 12 hour time-frame and wrap it up in a ridiculous globe-trotting, infantile plot. There are some bitterly harsh reviews on Amazon, but I found that, despite all these obvious criticisms, the book had a certain charm. If you’re too old to act out this stuff with GI JOE, but still hanker for these kind of escapades, give it a go.)

The day after returning from France, I had pre-departure orientation at the Japanese Embassy. For the Japanese, orientating is something of a national sport, and they really take pride in it. My arse has been numbed on countless occasions to absorb information that could have been given in a combined total of 20 minutes. Still, it did manage to make me even more enthusiastic for Japan, inexplicably. The 3 days of orientation I face upon arrival in Tokyo may dampen my spirits, however.

So, in 2 weeks I’m off to Japan. Tick-tock!