Olympus Has Fallen

First Hit:  Despite big holes in the plot and feasibility, it was entertaining enough.

It is hard for me to believe that a big, prop driven, slow plane such as the one that riddles Washington DC with Gatling gun bullets, could and would get as far as it did.

If our defense system consists of two jets (with follow-up planes as well) and they cannot figure out how to shoot down this big slow plane at the outset then… oh we wouldn’t have had a film. Anyway, the timeliness of this film about a North Korean dissident Kang (Rick Yune) trying to teach the US a lesson about the Korean Peninsula made me smile just a little.

The film sets the audience up by showing the close relationship between Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), President Asher (Aaron Eckhart), and his family (wife Margaret – Ashley Judd and son Connor – Finley Jacobsen). Through no fault of his own Mike gets excused from the protecting the President by protecting the President.

When the Korean’s storm the White House, Mike gets back into action and does what he can to save the President, his country, and to save his own life. Another hole in the story is that when the President is shot, and everyone knows there are no more bad guys, no-one rushes into the White House to assist the wounded President – they waited until Mike and Asher slowly made their way out of the rubble – all for drama.

Butler is OK at portraying the troubled agent – but it wasn’t a stretch at all. Eckhart was OK as the President doing the Presidential and honorable acts by letting his Secretary of Defense give up her code to keep her alive. Judd was fine in her small role. Yune is good as the dissident. Morgan Freeman was very good as Speaker Trumbull who ends up being the President in Charge. Angela Bassett as Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs was good. Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt wrote a script that had an interesting concept but too filled with holes. Antoine Fuqua directed this with the idea of fantasy not reality.

Overall:  It might be something to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon at home, but not worth the money to see in the theaters.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

First Hit:  Not very interesting, few laughs (except at the end) and difficult to care about the characters.

As much as the film tried to have the audience care about Burt (Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) because they were picked on as kids, it never worked.

Watching their schmaltzy act in Las Vegas, I couldn’t see where anyone would come and see their act. Maybe if the acts were better, or maybe if there was another reason to care about them, it might have made a difference. But when watching a film and thinking “maybe if” to change the plot, there becomes the realization that there is something wrong.

The film picks up, especially in the absurdity arena, when Jim Carrey is introduced as Steve Grey a street magician who does very odd things including not going to the bathroom for an extended period of time – magic? Don’t think so but it is amusing.

For me the funniest bits were the scenes where they show moving audience members in and out of the theater.

Carell’s role was mediocre and he did his best with it. Buscemi was a little more interesting as Anton. Carrey was much more engaging in a very bizarre role – he was perfect for it. Olivia Wilde was OK in her limited and strangled role as magician’s assistant. Alan Arkin as old time magician Rance Holloway was the best part of the film from an acting point of view. Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley wrote a week script that could really find something to focus on so that the audience would care. Don Scardino did an adequate job of directing this poor script.

Overall:  Waiting 90 minutes for the funniest parts (for me) was a waste of my time.

The Call

First Hit:  A very taut thriller that captured the intenseness of being a 911 operator.

Keeping one’s emotional detachment in place when someone else’s world is falling apart is a talent, especially when they are relying on you to save them. 

That is the life of a 911 phone specialist. Keeping their composure while guiding someone through a tough situation would be difficult. 911 personal also get people who call them for ridiculous things like lost keys. This film focuses on Jordan (Halle Berry) who gets a call from a young girl named Leah who is home alone and someone is breaking into her house, she calls 911 and gets Jordan.

As the perpetrator finds Leah, he grabs the phone from Leah and tells Jordan in response to her statement “please don’t hurt her”, “it’s already done". The girl isn’t found until they uncover her buried and dead. The whole experience affects Jordan more than she wanted and changes jobs from being on the phone to teaching others about how to be on the phone.

While taking a group through the call center, a novice gets a call from a young girl, Casey (Abigail Breslin) who is being abducted. The novice hands the phone to the more senior Jordon and the real thriller begins. The scenes of Jordan and her call center mates were very well done because of the job they share, the scenes came across deeply touching given what they share.

Berry was very strong and exhibited great angst and intensity as her part unfolded. Breslin was very good as the captured girl who wanted, in the end, to stay alive. Michael Eklund (as Michael Foster) was perfectly and weirdly intense as the kidnapper. The scene of him waiting at the stop light for the signal to change was amazing. The audience sees his mouth and jaw clicking and clenching, making small noises, - perfect. Richard D’Ovidio wrote a very intense and strong script while Brad Anderson’s direction kept it taut.

Overall: Well done.

Dead Man Down

First Hit:  I was pleasantly surprised that the story was different than I thought it would be – it was about revenge and maybe revenge not being the; be all end all.

Alphonse (Terrence Howard) is having his organization being picked apart, person by person. He’s being sent clues of small square sections of a larger picture.

The picture shows who's doing the killing. Part of his crew of people, who take over buildings and get rid of people who try to hang on in the building, is Victor (Colin Farrell). The crew forces people out of buildings and re-rents them for higher rent.

Although Victor seems engaged with the group, he has other things going on but has gained Alphonse’s trust. From his apartment he can view another section of the building that has a resident to whom we waves at from time to time.

This resident (Beatrice played by Noomi Rapace) convinces him to go out with her one evening and she tells him she wants him to kill the guy who drove into her car which caused massive facial scars. She wants revenge. But why would he do this? She has a film of Victor killing someone and is it using blackmail.

As the film unfolds we learn more about Victor and why he’s doing what he’s doing and his ultimate plan.

Farrell is, as usual, very strong as the troubled, focused man and here he wants revenge. Howard is very good as the frightened but powerful leader of a bunch of thugs. Rapace is phenomenal as the damaged woman who slowly is letting herself care. I loved how the subtle movements in her face brought forth such a plethora of feelings and emotions. Dominic Cooper was strong as Farrell’s thug friend. Isabelle Huppert was wonderful as Valentine, Rapace’s mother.

Overall: Being pleasantly surprised was good and overall the film delivered a satisfying result.

OZ the Great and Powerful (3D)

First Hit:  Wonderful visuals don’t make up for a too long script.

This film had a lot going for it from the opening credits but faded as the story unfolded and became too long and overly complex.

The square format black and white opening was exquisite. Watching the cutouts of images with names and words in this old fashion looking way was very inviting. Then the film stays in this black and white format (Remember Wizard of OZ) until OZ (James Franco) lands in OZ.

The screen grows slowly out of the square format into today’s large format and in beautiful color. The 3D was done well enough to not be distracting except when the spears went through the smoke. The story is about a traveling carnie con-man who seduces women with magic. While escaping a jealous husband, he gets thrown into OZ via a tornado.

While in OZ and despite his con-man ways, Glinda (Michelle Williams) believes in him to save the Land of OZ from the wicked witches. One saving grace for this film is the china/porcelain girl. Her expressions and movements were a phenomenal result of the CGE.

Franco is good enough as a con-man who wants to do good but the overlong and complex storyline and lack of focused direction didn’t do him well. Williams was good in two roles – as OZ’s real world girlfriend Annie and the good witch Glinda. Mila Kunis (as Theodora) was OK and felt there was more she could have given to the part. Rachel Weisz was better as Kunis's sister in her role as Evanora. Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire wrote an ambitious script that was too long and overly complicated. Sam Raimi did an OK job directing what we saw but he needed to reign in the story and simplify it. Lasting 130 minutes, it was about 30 – 40 minutes too long.

Overall: Although this story is pre-Dorothy’s (Wizard of OZ) visit and is clearly a prequel, it lacks the engaging magic.