Olympus Has Fallen - Review

Olympus Has Fallen
(2013 - March 22)
Action | Thriller
2 hrs.

Rated: R Strong violence and language throughout Read more
Grade: B-

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writers: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt
Stars: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman | See full cast and crew

The unthinkable happens when heavily armed and highly trained terrorists launch a bold daytime attack on the White House. The building is overrun, and President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his staff are taken hostage. Luckily for Asher, former presidential security officer Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is on the scene. With time running out, it's up to Banning to locate Asher's son before the extremists do and rescue the president before his captors unleash their ultimate plan.

Some movie lines are prophetic, when Gerard Butler as hero Mike Banning says, 'With all due respect, I'm the best you've got.'...he's right, this is the best we're gonna' get. Once you accept that reality you can ignore the films spoon fed implausibility, xenophobia, propaganda and clichés enough to choke a horse and simply enjoy A Good Day To Die Hard At The White House, Under Siege, On Air Force One. I suspect it is destined to be a financial success and an audience pleaser. On it's opening weekend it has already earned back half of it's $70 million budget, but it will not hold up as a 'classic'.

I understand hating this film, and in some ways I did, there are plenty of moments of stupidity that are worthy of audience disdain, but like a diabetic eating a dark chocolate Dove/Magnum ice cream bar, I enjoyed it anyway.

The pacing keeps the film moving along, a credit to the director, the actors are engaged and committed to the script taking it all seriously enough that even though the story is ridiculous and silly, they help the audience accept the film's emotional button pushing agenda.

Olympus Has Fallen is a popcorn eating action flick, plain and simple. I was not excited about seeing this film, judging strictly from the movie trailers over the past several months but it was better than what I was expecting, however, like the recent Argo, there was no need for all the profanity especially the ones starting with 'F', I found it very off-putting and distracting.

As a note of local trivia, Aaron Eckhart (President Benjamin Asher) got his start in the movies right here in Utah while a film major at Brigham Young University. He was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) and served a two year mission for the church prior to his graduation, but according to Aaron, in an interview, "It would be hypocritical to call myself a Mormon, I haven't lived that lifestyle for years".

Cast

  Gerard Butler         Aaron Eckhart          Morgan Freeman

   Mike Banning      President Benjamin Asher     Speaker Trumbull 

         Rick Yune           Angela Bassett        Dylan McDermott  
 Kang                   Secretary of Defense                 Forbes
  Ruth McMillan

Playing For Keeps - Review

Playing for Keeps
(2012 - December 7)
Comedy | Romance
106 min

Rated: PG-13 Some sexual situations, language and a brief intense image What parents should know

Grade: C

Director: Gabriele Muccino
Writer: Robbie Fox (screenplay)
Stars: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel and Dennis Quaid | See full cast and crew

Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid star in Playing for Keeps, a romantic comedy about a charming, down-on-his luck former soccer star (Butler) who returns home to put his life back together. Looking for a way to rebuild his relationship with his son, he gets roped into coaching the boy's soccer team. But his attempts to finally become an "adult" are met with hilarious challenges from the attractive "soccer moms" who pursue him at every turn. -- (C) Film District


Don't expect Playing For Keeps to win any Oscars, Golden Globes or People's Choice awards, it's very formulaic so neither will it  be scoring any points for originality but it is fairly innocuous entertainment for its target audience. It could have been a much better film if it had not spent so much of it's time focusing on marital infidelity and George's (Gerard Butler) promiscuity. George is a washed up former pro soccer player who has lost his family due to his immaturity and his egocentric lifestyle. He now is single and desperately wants and needs a job in sports broadcasting. He also now realizes, a bit too late, that his family and being a father to his son is important to him.


There are no surprises in this very generic story, every event is predictable. Even with a very capable cast of actors there are no stellar performances in this film. George's son Lewis (Noah Lomax, who will next be seen in the upcoming Safe Haven) is as much a standout as anyone in the cast which doesn't say much for veteran actors like Gerard Butler, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thrurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jessica Biel.



It's not that Playing For Keeps is a bad movie it's that it's just not really a good movie either. If you are looking for a great film or a tear-jerker, emotional film you will probably be disappointed, but if all you expect is some mindless entertainment for an hour and forty-six minutes then you'll most likely get what you paid for.

Cast

   Gerard Butler            Jessica Biel           Noah Lomax   

  Gerorge                             Stacie                                   Lewis  

 James Tupper         Uma Thurman          Dennis Quaid 

Matt                                   Patti                                     Carl

   Catherine Zeta-Jones       Iqbal Theba            Judy Greer           

Denise                               Param                                  Barb