OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN: See it w/considerations

Credits:

Director:  Antoine Fuqua
Writer:  Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt
Cast:  Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Rick Yune
Studio:  Film District

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN is an action-packed thriller about a former secret-service agent (GERARD BUTLER) who tries to save the president (AARON ECKHART) from a hostile takeover of The White House orchestrated by a North Korean terrorist leader (RICK YUNE).  Being from D.C., and knowing the proximity of all the federal buildings and military forts near The White House, the premise was tough to suspend belief.  However, once you accept the hyper-reality for what it is, you can enjoy Butler's one-liners and Freeman's verbal smack-downs.  Fuqua (BROOKLYN'S FINEST, TRAINING DAY) executed the action-sequences expertly.  There are shoot outs and blow-ups to spare, but through it all Fuqua keeps the pacing and suspense continuous.  The players could have had more to do, but nobody signed onto this movie expecting an Oscar nomination.  It was great to see Ashley Judd / an age-appropriate leading lady for Eckhart, though she was in it for 5 minutes.  Likewise, I loved seeing Angela Bassett, Cole Hauser and Dylan McDermott supporting.  It is also worth noting that Rick Yune (aka Johnny Tran from THE FAST AND FURIOUS) was a solid villain.  It will be interesting to see Sony's version of the premise this summer with Channing Tatum in Butler's role and Jamie Foxx in Eckhart's:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334879/

Until then, I would recommend seeing this if you live for the actors and love heavy action-sequences because the movie is entertaining.   If you're just into action and not this cast specifically, I would say stream this and  I would also remind you that G.I. JOE:  RETALIATION is out this weekend.

ADMISSION: See it

Credits:

Director:  Paul Weitz
Writer:  Karen Croner
Source Material:  novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Studio:  Focus Features

ADMISSION is about an uptight Princeton admissions officer (TINA FEY), who becomes unhinged when alternative high school teacher (PAUL RUDD) introduces her to a prospective Princeton applicant (NAT WOLFF), who could also be the son she gave up for adoption.  If Tracy Flick grew up to be an admissions officer at Princeton, she would be Tina Fey's character here.  The movie is funny, but not a straight comedy, as there are dramatic moments, TEARS even and Weitz (ABOUT A BOY) does a great job showing us Fey in rare form - dramatic.  Rudd and Fey's love story is exactly what you would expect from these two- hilarious and adorable.  Lily Tomlin plays Fey's mother, wielding feminism as a weapon, as well as for laughs throughout the pic.  Young actors, Wolff and newcomer Travaris Spears held their own against their more accomplished colleagues - another nod to the director.  If you are going to see this movie as a fan of the book, then be warned that Croner (ONE TRUE THING) took radical creative license with the material.  If you are going to see this movie as a fan of Fey and Rudd, you will not be disappointed.  The story is solid, albeit formulaic and earnest at times, it is solid nonetheless.  

See this movie in theaters if:  you have a date OR have had a long week and want to laugh at more than fart jokes OR if you want to see Tina Fey do drama OR if you just enjoy smart dialogue and Paul Rudd's comedic timing and handsome face as much as I do :)  If only car chases and things that blow up get you to the theater, you should rent / stream this one.    

DEAD MAN DOWN

Credits:
Director:  Niels Arden Oplev
Writer:  J.H. Wyman
Cast:  Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper
Studio:  Film District

DEAD MAN DOWN is a mystery thriller about Victor (Farrell), whose relentless pursuit of retribution  leads him to infiltrate a crime syndicate through a crew headed up by Alphonse (Howard), only to be sidetracked by his mysterious neighbor Beatrice (Rapace), who has a score of her own to settle.  The solid casting, coupled with the fact that Niels Arden Oplev is the Danish director who also brought us the original GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, put expectations for DEAD MAN DOWN up.  Unfortunately, if it ain't on the page, it ain't on the stage.  The mystery was so overt, the audience is ahead of the movie waiting for the characters to catch up, only to be blindsided with far-fetched twists and turns from the top of Act II through the end of the movie.  The film does have one redeeming quality in the love story between Victor and Beatrice.  However, because the writer chose to draw a parallel of revenge stories for both characters to relate, it literally feels like another movie every time Victor and Beatrice are together.  You are dropped head first into the mob world and then yanked out to Victor's personal life and anguish (which is great to give context to his character), but then you are dragged off into a whole new movie with Beatrice and her back-story.  

Bottom line and it pains me to say it because I am a huge fan of the auspices of this movie, but save your money on this one.  If you too are a fan of the talent involved, I would recommend putting this in your queue.  Otherwise, keep your fingers crossed that the next projects these guys make is better than this one.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

Credits: 

Director:  Sam Raimi
Writer:  Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire
Source Material:  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (novels) by L. Frank Baum
Cast:  James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz
Studio:  Disney

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is a prequel to THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, which describes how a magician / con-man / playboy from Kansas (Franco) became the great and powerful Oz.  The story begins in the 1900's with black-and-white imagery of a Circus and then becomes a vibrant and colorful world as it shifts to Oz.  The main characters from the black-and-white story become fantastical characters in Oz, including small-town good girl Annie, who later becomes Glinda the Good Witch (Williams).  My favorite was the paralyzed girl from the black-and-white, who becomes an animated girl made of china in Oz, the lone survivor of Chinatown, in which the houses were shaped like teacups and made of china.  Child actress, Joey King lent her voice for the role and was brilliant, as was Zach Braff as the faithful assistant turned animated winged monkey, Finley in Oz.  Between the two of them, they delivered some of the best lines in the movie - both the jokes and the tearjerkers.  The rest of the performances were just ok...which leads me to wonder if this would've been a better acted movie had it all been animated.  I really wanted to love Kunis, but her wicked witch was just too campy and formulaic to not have been let in on the joke.  A wink wink nod nod never hurt any bad girl I've seen on the silver screen!!

But where Raimi faltered commandeering performances, he excelled in 3D visuals.  The film was all spectacle - vivid and astoundingly whimsical.  A true fantastical adventure.  It's the kid friendly ARGO, in which an army of merry-men forbidden to kill, overcome evil forces with smoke and mirrors.  

If you have kids or know how to suspend your belief and get in touch with your childish side - see this movie in 3D.  If you are just interested to see what Disney did to freshen up this classic, put it in your queue.

STOKER

Credits: 
Director - Chan-wook Park
Writer - Wentworth Miller
Cast:  Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney
Studio:  Fox Searchlight

When I heard Wentworth Miller (PRISON BREAK's leading man) was trying his hand at writing I was skeptical, but read the script with an open mind.  I'm glad I did...although it definitely made me wonder about Miller's childhood.  The story is a thriller about a teenager (Wasikowska) who is finding it difficult to deal with  her offbeat mother (Kidman) and the loss of her father (Mulroney) until her mysterious uncle (Goode) moves into her family's house.  Chan-wook Park (S. Korean director of OLD BOY, which Spike Lee is re-making) took the gritty action in the story and juxtaposed it with beautiful imagery, which made the thriller elements that much more eerie.  Even Matthew Goode, who is less frightening than a ladybug, did a great job of selling himself as a psycho.  That being said, I would've liked to have seen a more cunning guy in the role (like say Jonathan Rhys Meyers), but Goode was definitely solid.  As was the rest of the cast.  I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Mia Wasikowska does next.  But I digress.  Overall the story was solid.  Miller did a great job on the script and Park did a great job translating it to the silver screen.

I give this one a recommend w/conditions.  If you are a film geek like me and you love to see beautiful cinematography on the big screen, then you should go to your local indie theater and check this one out.  If not, then put it in your queue.