Olympus has Fallen



I really try not to be biased against action movies and give them a chance, but when they're as painful, bland, and bloated as Olympus Has Fallen I find it really hard to jump ships into the action genre boat.

What's up? Gerard Butler plays Mike, a bodyguard whose decision on the job results in the death of the wife (Ashley Judd) of President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart). It's clear the president isn't happy as Mike receives a huge downgrade in jobs, but he soon gets a chance to redeem himself as the White House is overtaken by terrorists from North Korea.

What's good? Olympus Has Fallen was clearly casted to impress. Gerard Butler is rootable and believable as the hero, Aaron Eckhart gives good likeability and credibility to the presidential role and Morgan Freeman also delivers a solid turn as the Speaker of the house.

The early scenes of chaos in Olympus Has Fallen are so ridiculously authentic looking it's horrifying. Some of the early scenes of distruction are so frantic and frightening that they look as if they came out of 9/11 footage tapes. It really draws the viewer in as to what is to come.

What the fuck? Sadly, after these initial scenes of horror, you're left yawning more then anything else with Olympus Has Fallen. The villains are given no personality so it's really difficult to care when the material starts moving in their focus more then anyone else.

The action scenes feel terribly repetitive as if you're stuck on the same level in a video game for two hours. There really isn't enough going on of intrigue to justify this ridiculously unneeded running time as you're often wishing a terrorist would strap something to your head to end what you're viewing.

Olympus Has Fallen just feels so stock and routine, every you think will live ends up living and vice versa for those who you think will die. How can a tragedy leave you so unmoved and catatonic?

Overall: Olympus Has Fallen had the cast and the visuals in its' favor but chose to throw them away and torture the viewer with the world's longest and most tedious video game. At least those that are shot down quick receive a quick finish as you're envious due to the billion hour length of film that you have left to go.

1/4

V/H/S 2

Contrary to the popular opinion I'm going to against the majority and say that V/H/S 2 is so ridiculously amateur and unscary it makes the first entry feel like a masterpiece. All of the fun and thrills seem to be sucked away from the franchise and we're left wondering what the point of a part two was.

What's up? V/H/S 2 has the same set-up as the original. Several people break into a house that they shouldn't be in. While doing so they view several peculiar and creepy videotapes that make them wondering what the hell they're watching and if they are the only ones in the house where they are watching them. This time there is four stories; the first about an eye surgery gone wrong, the second about an uneventful bike ride in the park turning into a life-changing experience, the third about a cult and all of their sadistic rituals, the fourth about a sleepover ending in an alien attack.

What's good? V/H/S 2 starts out strong. The video about the eye surgery gone wrong is a blast. The effects of what the eye allows the main character to see are great, it's an interesting idea especially when compared to some of the bland messes to come, and the whole thing just gives off a Twilight Zone-ish feel which can never fail.

The third story is also great, the one about the cult named Paradise Gates. At times it feels like you're watching a documentary of Hell. Just when you think the short film can't get even wackier or more sinister it will prove you wrong. And what I really appreciated in this entry is how the terror starts early even before the monsters come out to play, thanks to some effectively ominous performances and a dreadful (in the good way) location.

What the fuck? What really is depressing about V/H/S 2 is right after the good story a bad one immediately follows. The second story about the zombies in the park is ridiculous. There's no point or method to the madness, it's not scary, it's not clever or funny, the makeup looks poor and it takes forever to end.

Though it's not nearly as awful, the story about the alien slumber party feels really lackluster as well. It's hard to tell what's going on due to a strange decision of filming this entry through the dog's perspective, you can't really see anything except yourself getting a migraine, and the ending leaves you speechless.

The wrap-up scene with the characters discovering the tape feels incomplete as well. You're left with more questions then answers about the missing character whose house is being raided by the detectives and the ending scene is completely ridiculous.

Overall: V/H/S 2 feels terribly unneccessary and unsatisfying. A good portion of the material is pointless, bland, blah. V/H/S 2 is the equivalence of watching a tape's good moments so many times that they eventually feel skipped over, leaving you with the leftover scenes that you wish were erased instead.

1/4

Spring Breakers

If the energizer bunny directed a movie, played the lead character, consumed a ton of alcohol while having sex, partying, and robbing, the final product would feel something similar to Spring Breakers, a movie which goes from 0 to 90 within seconds.

What's up? Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, and Rachel Korine play the lead partiers who after getting in trouble with the law, are bailed out by a mysterious unknown man named Alien (James Franco). To say Alien has a few tricks up his sleeves and skeletons in his closet is an understatement as the girls get dragged down into an area of "the good life" that they had never imagined themselves in before.

What's good? Whoever did the cinematography for Spring Breakers deserves a high five. Generally when someone would describe a movie as having a similar look to a music video I would be turned off but that type of surreal, colorful, dream-like look works well with the unusual, unorthodox strange world that these characters are put into. Looking unreal has never looked so good.

This is easily one of James Franco's best performances to date, easily making his bland turn in Oz forgivable. Funny that the two characters have that scheming, dishonest leadership attribute in both movies yet Franco is giving it his all in this one as opposed to Oz where his portrayal felt terribly phoned in and lazy. Whether he's thugging or singing a Brittany Spears' song, Franco is in it to win it. The four girls aren't given a ton to do, but they do it well. It's a shame that the one that makes the most impression (Selena Gomez as Faith) bones out early just before things get even crazier.

I also admired the weird lovechild of Scared Straight and Girls Gone Wild that Spring Breakers emulates. It's like the world's most colorful and violent lesson about avoiding the dark side, staying in school, not riding with strangers or getting into gunfights with their enemies. Somewhere a parent's secretly thanking Spring Breakers for not beautifying the bum life.

What the fuck? As wild as Spring Breakers gets, at times I wish it did a bit more with the material. I found it quite original and entertaining to watch but after a while Spring Breakers seems to feel quite complacent with itself, not pushing the limits and instead coasting on what the film had previously set up for the viewers. Luckily soon after Spring Breakers makes you wonder when it's going to end, it actually DOES END. I just wish at times that it had taken as many risks throughout as opposed to setting them all up in the beginning.

Overall Spring Breakers is a fun ride that certainly won't be winning any awards but it's a colorful, funny, and fresh film that leaves an impression and also gives James Franco cool points and a half for going as far out of his norm as he did in this movie.

3/4

Trance

If Danny Boyle is involved, I'll always be interested. And though Trance can be accused of being many things, I can never say boring was a word that came to mind.

James McAvoy plays Simon, an art auctioneer turned thief involved in a robbery gone wrong. In the process of stealing a highly coveted painting named "Witches in the Air", Simon is hit in the head, disabling any memories of where he put the painting. The other criminals involved in this plot, led by Vincent Cassell as Franck, are far from happy about Simon's recent memory loss and will do anything to help him recover where the painting in. This desperate time brings them to Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson), a hypnotist who might be the only hope in recovering this painting. What she brings to the table, her true intentions, and what Simon will remember are things that will take everyone for a spin.

Trance's visuals are a dream come true (pun intended). All of the scenes involving Simon's inner most thoughts look amazing, very reminiscient of Eternal Sunshine where there's almost an animated quality to the live action scenes you're viewing.

Though everyone gives a sturdy performance, once Rosario Dawson shows up, you won't be able to take your eyes off her. Her performance here is stunning. Every scene she keeps your mind going, your attention never drifts off and she really gives a strong base into her character. Her character is the best spell this movie will cast on you.

Unfortunately, Trance struggles in the execution. About halfway through, you know a big twist or two is coming. Which is really quite the understatement of the year. Trance takes so many spins and then more spins on those spins you feel like you're on Roger Rabbit's Wild Ride which is fun but also might make you queasy. Too many surprises and turns were added it feels like overkill. Trance is an unforgettable ride that might leave your brain in a permanent trance.

2/4

You're Next

I'm doing a revision on my original review of 2.5 stars, because after a second viewing, I fucking loved every minute of it. I loved the 80's feel watching it, I loved how wickedly nasty every character was and how most of their deaths matched it. I loved how even in the middle of bodies hitting the floor that didn't stop them from giving each other Shit and calling each other out (the scene with the slo mo run out the door is everything). One of the most underappreciated horror movies of the decade by myself included.

3/4

The Conjuring

If there's a more fun and effective way to get your blood pressure raised then The Conjuring, I sure as hell haven't heard of it. The Conjuring is a blast and easily one of the best horror films of the last decade.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson play Ed and Lorraine Warren, two charismatic ghost hunters who work with truth and logic on their side. Rarely is a case so bizzare or malicious that the two can't offer a reasonable explanation for it; until they meet the Perron family, a group whose signs of being haunted range from creepy sounds and things being moved, to dead pets and unexpected guests. And surely enough, it even manages to go downhill from there.

The Conjuring has such an authentic nature you never really feel like you're watching a movie. I could watch the leads play the Warrens all day long and never believe they weren't real people on screen, the leads manage to give their roles some charisma and personality as well. They aren't your typical stiffs. The Perron family led by Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron will make your bones shiver portraying a sense of compassion in their roles as each are haunted to death.

It's refreshing how James Wan has proven his versatility as a horror director I must say. After watching movies like Saw, I knew he could do the gory shit well but I never knew he could do the suspense well and he nails it. Every scene is milked to its' utmost potential, sometimes resulting in a false alarm, other times resulting in pure terror. Every set piece, character, doll, situation is used perfectly to nail the feeling of terror. The Conjuring is a roller coaster ride of a movie.

One of my other biggest compliments about The Conjuring is its' look. It takes a lot for a piece of scenery to make you feel spooked but even the scenery in The Conjuring is made to frighten. Every set piece looks amazing it reminds me of something you would see in The Haunted Mansion.

And unlike most horror movies which tend to fizzle out towards the end, The Conjuring stays strong until the credits roll. The exorcism scenes are spectacular (The Last Exorcism...take notes) the make-up is astounding. Everything works in The Conjuring, I loved every minute of it.

3/4

Admission

I was completely on board to enjoying Admission, I was really hoping the formulaic previews weren't an accurate display of how Admission would play out. Sadly, I was wrong, Admission is even more predictable and sitcom-y then the previews indicated I was waiting for the laugh track to come on at any second.

I don't think Admission's disappointing streak can be blamed on the cast. Tina Fey's always on board for a good time, once again proving that in disappointing movies like this and Baby Mama, she can ALMOST elevate anything. She makes you root for her character even though you pretty much know how she will start up in the movie and where she will end off. Paul Rudd also fares well as her romantic interest, though he isn't given much to do, he does it well.

Tina Fey stars as Portia, a college admissions officer sent to a quite unusual school to look for recruitments. She meets up with Paul Rudd's character John who introduces her to an aspiring student who might possibly be the child she put up for adoption many years ago. The only issue is that he's unlike any other student on their acceptance list, getting him in seems almost impossible (but you know rules will be bent to get him in).

Every situation in Admission can be seen miles away. Though some of them are enjoyable (thanks mainly to the cast's charm) it's impossible to really enjoy it when you feel like you've seen it so many times. The last half definitely falls flat on its' face, as the comedic tones have been replaced by hum drum dramatic themes that never feel authentic. Admission is a by-the-books bore that could have been stronger if someone had taken a chance instead of phoning it in.

2/4