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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Kick-Ass (2010) in Movies
Aug 8, 2019
Kick-Ass starts out as a clever action movie with good humor interspersed throughout the first half, but by the second half the jokes trail off as the movie takes a blacker turn toward a mindless and confusing tale of morality.
Viewing this movie as a mindless action flick, it is impressive and at times humorous, albeit that humor, in the immersive first half, is deadened by the much darker scenes toward the end of the film. But if you’re trying to find a deeper message hidden behind the motivations and actions of the characters on screen, you perhaps would be better served by reading the comic first. The violence was surprisingly graphic for what started out as a clever and somewhat endearing highschool drama about not fitting in and trying to change the world for the better.
As the director of Layer Cake and Stardust, Matthew Vaughn has shown before that he knows how to do action and fantasy, and in this movie, the action scenes are tight and gripping and slightly surreal. You may even recognize a few cameos if you’re familiar with Guy Ritchie films.
Aaron Johnson, as the title character, brings a smart vulnerability to his part. As an overly ambitious, but well meaning comic book fan, his stabs at super-heroics were quite believable.
This movie may be titled Kick-Ass, but the most interesting character is Hit-Girl, played by Chloë Grace Moretz. Quite a few child actors come across as precocious, and Moretz is a welcome change. She shares some great scenes with Nicolas Cage, a vengeful father who has turned his 11 year-old daughter into a killing machine. Cage’s deadpan humor as Big Daddy matches surprisingly well with the giddy, foul-mouthed, black humor of Hit-Girl.
In a way, I may be doing the movie a disservice if I were to dwell on the plot holes, morality, and thematic elements of this movie which are clearly not the focused intent of the director. Not every movie is intended to be a deep and meaningful reflection on life, so in that regard, this movie is simply a blood-drenched charmer.
Viewing this movie as a mindless action flick, it is impressive and at times humorous, albeit that humor, in the immersive first half, is deadened by the much darker scenes toward the end of the film. But if you’re trying to find a deeper message hidden behind the motivations and actions of the characters on screen, you perhaps would be better served by reading the comic first. The violence was surprisingly graphic for what started out as a clever and somewhat endearing highschool drama about not fitting in and trying to change the world for the better.
As the director of Layer Cake and Stardust, Matthew Vaughn has shown before that he knows how to do action and fantasy, and in this movie, the action scenes are tight and gripping and slightly surreal. You may even recognize a few cameos if you’re familiar with Guy Ritchie films.
Aaron Johnson, as the title character, brings a smart vulnerability to his part. As an overly ambitious, but well meaning comic book fan, his stabs at super-heroics were quite believable.
This movie may be titled Kick-Ass, but the most interesting character is Hit-Girl, played by Chloë Grace Moretz. Quite a few child actors come across as precocious, and Moretz is a welcome change. She shares some great scenes with Nicolas Cage, a vengeful father who has turned his 11 year-old daughter into a killing machine. Cage’s deadpan humor as Big Daddy matches surprisingly well with the giddy, foul-mouthed, black humor of Hit-Girl.
In a way, I may be doing the movie a disservice if I were to dwell on the plot holes, morality, and thematic elements of this movie which are clearly not the focused intent of the director. Not every movie is intended to be a deep and meaningful reflection on life, so in that regard, this movie is simply a blood-drenched charmer.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Taylor's Plight (The Sanctum Series #3) in Books
Nov 26, 2019
Taylor's Plight is the third book in The Sanctum series of pre-teen adventure novels by Katrina Cope. Once again Jayden, Eva, Robert and Aaron are attempting to stop terrorism by using 'surrogates' - robots they can control remotely that appear to be human.
This installment starts with a bang (quite literally) and just keeps going. The previous two books took a little while to lay the groundwork for both characters and plot but there is no need to do that here, especially as the story continues essentially from the end of the second book, Scarlet's Escape.
Once again someone is moving against the Sanctum, trying to stop their fight against terrorism, attacking their infrastructure in an attempt to bring down Scarlet, the computer intelligence that controls much of the Santum's functions.
Liam and the other pupils at Ernest College are also involved, and seemingly on a course to uncover the Sanctum's meddling at their school. But are they working towards the same cause, or against? As the two groups of students converge on the truth, the stakes have never been higher and the danger never more real.
This really is a fantastic read. From start to finish it grips the reader, drawing them along. The threads of Ernest and the Sanctum play off of each other, each giving a slightly different view of what is really going on. Most of the second half of the book is a breathless rush towards the final climax as the children on both sides uncover the truth. The phrase 'I couldn't put it down' is overused but is totally justified in this case.
Not everything in their world is safe and cosy and this is one of the great things about Cope's books. She is not afraid to put her characters through the mill, but they are always shown to be able to overcome adversity through quick wits and to come out stronger the other side. As usual the strong role models are well in evidence.
This is a book I would unhesitatingly recommend to any reader from about 9 upwards, although reading the first two books will be necessary to introduce the characters involved and the world of the Sanctum.
This installment starts with a bang (quite literally) and just keeps going. The previous two books took a little while to lay the groundwork for both characters and plot but there is no need to do that here, especially as the story continues essentially from the end of the second book, Scarlet's Escape.
Once again someone is moving against the Sanctum, trying to stop their fight against terrorism, attacking their infrastructure in an attempt to bring down Scarlet, the computer intelligence that controls much of the Santum's functions.
Liam and the other pupils at Ernest College are also involved, and seemingly on a course to uncover the Sanctum's meddling at their school. But are they working towards the same cause, or against? As the two groups of students converge on the truth, the stakes have never been higher and the danger never more real.
This really is a fantastic read. From start to finish it grips the reader, drawing them along. The threads of Ernest and the Sanctum play off of each other, each giving a slightly different view of what is really going on. Most of the second half of the book is a breathless rush towards the final climax as the children on both sides uncover the truth. The phrase 'I couldn't put it down' is overused but is totally justified in this case.
Not everything in their world is safe and cosy and this is one of the great things about Cope's books. She is not afraid to put her characters through the mill, but they are always shown to be able to overcome adversity through quick wits and to come out stronger the other side. As usual the strong role models are well in evidence.
This is a book I would unhesitatingly recommend to any reader from about 9 upwards, although reading the first two books will be necessary to introduce the characters involved and the world of the Sanctum.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Exodus: Gods and Kings is a new movie directed by Ridley Scott.
With other great films under his belt such as Alien, Gladiator, GI Jane, and many many more, I had high hopes for this film.
The cast includes Christian Bale as Moses, Ben Kingsley as Nun, Joel Edgerton as Ramses, John Turturro as Seti, Sigourney Weaver as Tuya, and Aaron Paul as Joshua.
At 2 hours and 22 minutes long, I actually FELT the movie dragging in places, and yet I was less than thrilled with the ending.
The 3D didn’t add anything to the movie. During scenes where the 3D should have been a major asset to the film, enhancing the viewing experience, and drawing the audience into the story, it really didn’t add anything to the story, nor did it seem to add any “wow factor”.
Being completely non-religious myself, I cannot speak to many of the other seemingly negative comments regarding the films lack of “following the true story”, but I can say that the story presented was rather…. Lackluster.
In previews it seemed as if the whole movie would be set on a grand grand scale, and that it was worth paying to see on the big screen.
In actuality, while the movie does seem to be set on a grand scale, it just didn’t grab me in enough, didn’t capture my feelings and make me root for one side or the other, didn’t make me CARE enough about the characters or the story to want to bother to see it again, on the big screen or even on the tv.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “horrible”‘ or even “bad”, but I couldn’t tell someone “this is a movie you simply MUST SEE on the big screen”, either.
If I’d have paid to see it, I’d have been annoyed.
The best summation that I might be able to give this movie is…. “Meh”.
I’d give this movie a reluctant 2 out of 5 stars, and only as many as 2 to give Ridley Scott the benefit of the doubt.
With other great films under his belt such as Alien, Gladiator, GI Jane, and many many more, I had high hopes for this film.
The cast includes Christian Bale as Moses, Ben Kingsley as Nun, Joel Edgerton as Ramses, John Turturro as Seti, Sigourney Weaver as Tuya, and Aaron Paul as Joshua.
At 2 hours and 22 minutes long, I actually FELT the movie dragging in places, and yet I was less than thrilled with the ending.
The 3D didn’t add anything to the movie. During scenes where the 3D should have been a major asset to the film, enhancing the viewing experience, and drawing the audience into the story, it really didn’t add anything to the story, nor did it seem to add any “wow factor”.
Being completely non-religious myself, I cannot speak to many of the other seemingly negative comments regarding the films lack of “following the true story”, but I can say that the story presented was rather…. Lackluster.
In previews it seemed as if the whole movie would be set on a grand grand scale, and that it was worth paying to see on the big screen.
In actuality, while the movie does seem to be set on a grand scale, it just didn’t grab me in enough, didn’t capture my feelings and make me root for one side or the other, didn’t make me CARE enough about the characters or the story to want to bother to see it again, on the big screen or even on the tv.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “horrible”‘ or even “bad”, but I couldn’t tell someone “this is a movie you simply MUST SEE on the big screen”, either.
If I’d have paid to see it, I’d have been annoyed.
The best summation that I might be able to give this movie is…. “Meh”.
I’d give this movie a reluctant 2 out of 5 stars, and only as many as 2 to give Ridley Scott the benefit of the doubt.
TT
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Alice (12 KP) rated The Copper Promise (The Copper Cat, #1) in Books
Jul 3, 2018
The Copper Promise was one of those books that I stumbled upon on Friday a fortnight ago, I picked up the kindle sample – a grand total of 5 chapters – and sat there and devoured it. By Saturday evening I was in possession of a paperback and by Sunday I was over 100 pages in; I read between 50-80 pages per day and finished it on Thursday 17th November – a whole 5 days after purchase.
I’m a rare 5 star reviewer and a book has to tick every single tiny little box for me to even consider going past 4 stars. I’ve also never picked up a sample and ordered a book within 24 hours, I usually sit and think about it for a while but The Copper Promise was one of those books. I was about 70 pages in to The Copper Promise when I bought its sequels The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide. This never happens – ever.
From the get go, Jen Williams’ characters and world building was on point. The story follows what will eventually become The Black Feather Three – Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth and Lord Aaron Frith of The Blackwood:-
Wydrin of Crosshaven is a foul-mouthed, crass, violently aggressive and sarcastic pirate-cum-sell-sword and she’s AMAZING!
Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth is a disgraced Knight of Ynnsmouth, sword-sworn to the god-peak Isu turned sell-sword for hire with a heart of gold.
And last but certainly not least Lord Aaron Frith of Blackwood, last surviving heir of the The Blackwood, tortured soul (and I mean this in the literal sense) and one confused man with a neat newly acquired trick.
∞
Frith has hired Wydrin and Sebastian and a weird little fella called Gallo to take him to The Citadel as a means to exact revenge on the people who gravely injured him and murdered his family. Gallo goes on ahead as he’s impatient and things go a little belly-up for him; Frith, Wydrin and Sebastian go to the Citadel, go exploring in the creepy castle and see Gallo who they assumed was dead, the trio of adventurers unknowingly unleash a god in the form of a dragon which in turn unleashes several far-ranging ramifications – Frith absorbs a lot of magic and knowledge, Sebastian almost dies because of Gallo’s betrayal but pulls through because of a mystic connection he forges at death’s door and The Copper Cat goes about her business.
This Citadel invasion and ultimate unleashing of a long-believed dead god sets the story up nicely for its onward and upward momentum. Frith absorbs the power he was searching for in the lake hidden at the bottom of the Citadel and becomes a force to be reckoned with (eventually) but not only do they release a dragon they also release her brood army – neat green and golden dragon-hybrid things with a connection to both Y’Ruen (the dragon) and Sebastian – cue his nightmares.
The book as a debut was stunningly well written with characters that were neatly rounded off with few cliffhangers and a nicely written flow and mixture of present and past tense. The characters (particularly Wydrin) were superb and I couldn’t get enough of her utter crassness and her unrelenting torment of Frith – brilliantly written.
∞
I really liked the fact that Jen Williams also gave us chapters from the point of view of the brood army as they traverse Ede destroying any and everything. She shows us the stark contrast of them being a number (The Thirty-Third) and of them becoming a unique being (Ephemeral) with their own thoughts and feelings – some remained purely numbers but a large amount of them became individuals and “broke” from the brood.
There have been some mixed reviews on this book but my opinion is this book was amazing. An outstanding read of amusing proportions where plenty of banter, adventure, magic and mayhem abound. Although the ending closes off some individual story arcs it also opens the door to many more which continue in the next book – my overall feeling towards The Copper Promise was along the lines of “Please don’t leave me!” and “Oh dear god I need more. Right now.”
As mentioned above I bought the next two instalments and I’m 150 pages through the second one and it is just as good as the first one! I can’t wait to see where this story goes!
I’m a rare 5 star reviewer and a book has to tick every single tiny little box for me to even consider going past 4 stars. I’ve also never picked up a sample and ordered a book within 24 hours, I usually sit and think about it for a while but The Copper Promise was one of those books. I was about 70 pages in to The Copper Promise when I bought its sequels The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide. This never happens – ever.
From the get go, Jen Williams’ characters and world building was on point. The story follows what will eventually become The Black Feather Three – Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth and Lord Aaron Frith of The Blackwood:-
Wydrin of Crosshaven is a foul-mouthed, crass, violently aggressive and sarcastic pirate-cum-sell-sword and she’s AMAZING!
Sir Sebastian Carverson of Ynnsmouth is a disgraced Knight of Ynnsmouth, sword-sworn to the god-peak Isu turned sell-sword for hire with a heart of gold.
And last but certainly not least Lord Aaron Frith of Blackwood, last surviving heir of the The Blackwood, tortured soul (and I mean this in the literal sense) and one confused man with a neat newly acquired trick.
∞
Frith has hired Wydrin and Sebastian and a weird little fella called Gallo to take him to The Citadel as a means to exact revenge on the people who gravely injured him and murdered his family. Gallo goes on ahead as he’s impatient and things go a little belly-up for him; Frith, Wydrin and Sebastian go to the Citadel, go exploring in the creepy castle and see Gallo who they assumed was dead, the trio of adventurers unknowingly unleash a god in the form of a dragon which in turn unleashes several far-ranging ramifications – Frith absorbs a lot of magic and knowledge, Sebastian almost dies because of Gallo’s betrayal but pulls through because of a mystic connection he forges at death’s door and The Copper Cat goes about her business.
This Citadel invasion and ultimate unleashing of a long-believed dead god sets the story up nicely for its onward and upward momentum. Frith absorbs the power he was searching for in the lake hidden at the bottom of the Citadel and becomes a force to be reckoned with (eventually) but not only do they release a dragon they also release her brood army – neat green and golden dragon-hybrid things with a connection to both Y’Ruen (the dragon) and Sebastian – cue his nightmares.
The book as a debut was stunningly well written with characters that were neatly rounded off with few cliffhangers and a nicely written flow and mixture of present and past tense. The characters (particularly Wydrin) were superb and I couldn’t get enough of her utter crassness and her unrelenting torment of Frith – brilliantly written.
∞
I really liked the fact that Jen Williams also gave us chapters from the point of view of the brood army as they traverse Ede destroying any and everything. She shows us the stark contrast of them being a number (The Thirty-Third) and of them becoming a unique being (Ephemeral) with their own thoughts and feelings – some remained purely numbers but a large amount of them became individuals and “broke” from the brood.
There have been some mixed reviews on this book but my opinion is this book was amazing. An outstanding read of amusing proportions where plenty of banter, adventure, magic and mayhem abound. Although the ending closes off some individual story arcs it also opens the door to many more which continue in the next book – my overall feeling towards The Copper Promise was along the lines of “Please don’t leave me!” and “Oh dear god I need more. Right now.”
As mentioned above I bought the next two instalments and I’m 150 pages through the second one and it is just as good as the first one! I can’t wait to see where this story goes!
JT (287 KP) rated Rabbit Hole (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Anyone with children will surely feel the pain in this film which is disheartening right to the core. It’s emotionally draining with great central performances from Kidman and Eckhart.
Set eight months after the death of their son, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) are trying to come to terms with him not being in their lives anymore and both have a different way of dealing with it. Howie prefers to relive the past by watching videos on his phone late at night, while Becca wants to eradicate his memory altogether by giving away his clothes, removing his paintings from the fridge and cleaning his room so that all traces are gone.
The pair try to seek solace in counselling, talking with other couples who regale their grieving process. This doesn’t sit well with Becca but Howie tries to stick with it. He even becomes close, too close in fact, with one of the other wives when he realises that the bond he has with his own wife might be slipping away. Their cause is not helped by the fact that Becca’s slightly rebellious sister falls pregnant or that her Mum, Nat, is still hurting from the death of her own son, a drug user. This only angers Becca more when Nat compares the two.
The cause of the death is slowly discovered when Becca spots the culprit on a school bus and it is revealed that Jason (Miles Teller) was behind the wheel of the car. The pair engage in secret meetings, as if having some kind of affair but simply sit to talk and reflect on each others lives and the accident itself.
Pain never goes away, it’s something that is carried around with you forever, people seem to tread lightly around you, and life will never be the same again. It’s certainly a tear jerker, there are plenty of moments to choose from in this but for me the film is all about the acting of which there is much to enjoy.
Kidman is at her best and Eckhart who was hand picked by Kidman to be her leading man is sublime and yet explosive in a number of highly charged scenes. The ending shot is one of hope, amid the shattered pieces of their lives scattered all over the place you feel that they might have crossed the road to a happier future.
Set eight months after the death of their son, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) are trying to come to terms with him not being in their lives anymore and both have a different way of dealing with it. Howie prefers to relive the past by watching videos on his phone late at night, while Becca wants to eradicate his memory altogether by giving away his clothes, removing his paintings from the fridge and cleaning his room so that all traces are gone.
The pair try to seek solace in counselling, talking with other couples who regale their grieving process. This doesn’t sit well with Becca but Howie tries to stick with it. He even becomes close, too close in fact, with one of the other wives when he realises that the bond he has with his own wife might be slipping away. Their cause is not helped by the fact that Becca’s slightly rebellious sister falls pregnant or that her Mum, Nat, is still hurting from the death of her own son, a drug user. This only angers Becca more when Nat compares the two.
The cause of the death is slowly discovered when Becca spots the culprit on a school bus and it is revealed that Jason (Miles Teller) was behind the wheel of the car. The pair engage in secret meetings, as if having some kind of affair but simply sit to talk and reflect on each others lives and the accident itself.
Pain never goes away, it’s something that is carried around with you forever, people seem to tread lightly around you, and life will never be the same again. It’s certainly a tear jerker, there are plenty of moments to choose from in this but for me the film is all about the acting of which there is much to enjoy.
Kidman is at her best and Eckhart who was hand picked by Kidman to be her leading man is sublime and yet explosive in a number of highly charged scenes. The ending shot is one of hope, amid the shattered pieces of their lives scattered all over the place you feel that they might have crossed the road to a happier future.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated My All American (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The new film My All American is directed by Angelo Pizzo and released by
Clarius Entertainment. It stars Finn Wittrock as Freddie Steinmark,
Sarah Bolger as Linda Wheeler, Aaron Eckhart as Darrell Royal, Robin
Tunney as Gloria Steinmark, Michael Reilly Burke as Fred Steinmark, Rett
Terrell as Bobby Mitchell, and Juston Street as James Street.
Based on true events, and coinciding with the release of the recently
published biography, Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football, this
film is a heartwarming tale of the grit and determination that one boy
has from the time he is small all the way through college.
The determination to push through any obstacle, and any challenge thrown
his way was the hallmark of Freddie Steinmark and forever etched him
into the hearts of his fellow players, his coach Darrell K Royal, and
his family.
At only five feet nine inches tall, and 150 pounds, Freddie had to work
harder, practice longer, run faster and be altogether tougher than any
of his other team mates just to be noticed.
The movie follows Freddie through his career starting with pee-wee
football practice, to being drilled by his dad for extra practice after
his school day was done in high school, to tryouts for University of
Texas Longhorns. His high school sweetheart Linda Wheeler applies to and
is accepted at University of Texas and follows him to college.
I don’t generally like football. It annoys me that it takes so long for
the game to be played (hello…. its supposed to be four QUARTERS…. a
quarter is 25 minutes. So a game should be just over an hour and a
half…. right? Nope, it never ever is only an hour and a half long….)
HOWEVER, I really enjoyed watching this movie!
It was funny, it was inspiring, it was sad. It tugged on my heartstrings
and made me wonder how, exactly, a parent goes about raising a kid with
that much drive and “want to”.
It is completely family friendly and I will be making another trip to
the theatre to watch it with my 7 year old son, and my friends son who
is 8 and her daughter that is 6, as well.
The movie shares a great message and good lessons that all children
should learn.
The ending is sad, and might upset some younger children, but since it
is a true-to-life movie, it had to follow actual events.
Clarius Entertainment. It stars Finn Wittrock as Freddie Steinmark,
Sarah Bolger as Linda Wheeler, Aaron Eckhart as Darrell Royal, Robin
Tunney as Gloria Steinmark, Michael Reilly Burke as Fred Steinmark, Rett
Terrell as Bobby Mitchell, and Juston Street as James Street.
Based on true events, and coinciding with the release of the recently
published biography, Freddie Steinmark: Faith, Family, Football, this
film is a heartwarming tale of the grit and determination that one boy
has from the time he is small all the way through college.
The determination to push through any obstacle, and any challenge thrown
his way was the hallmark of Freddie Steinmark and forever etched him
into the hearts of his fellow players, his coach Darrell K Royal, and
his family.
At only five feet nine inches tall, and 150 pounds, Freddie had to work
harder, practice longer, run faster and be altogether tougher than any
of his other team mates just to be noticed.
The movie follows Freddie through his career starting with pee-wee
football practice, to being drilled by his dad for extra practice after
his school day was done in high school, to tryouts for University of
Texas Longhorns. His high school sweetheart Linda Wheeler applies to and
is accepted at University of Texas and follows him to college.
I don’t generally like football. It annoys me that it takes so long for
the game to be played (hello…. its supposed to be four QUARTERS…. a
quarter is 25 minutes. So a game should be just over an hour and a
half…. right? Nope, it never ever is only an hour and a half long….)
HOWEVER, I really enjoyed watching this movie!
It was funny, it was inspiring, it was sad. It tugged on my heartstrings
and made me wonder how, exactly, a parent goes about raising a kid with
that much drive and “want to”.
It is completely family friendly and I will be making another trip to
the theatre to watch it with my 7 year old son, and my friends son who
is 8 and her daughter that is 6, as well.
The movie shares a great message and good lessons that all children
should learn.
The ending is sad, and might upset some younger children, but since it
is a true-to-life movie, it had to follow actual events.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Olympus Has Fallen (2013) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Mike Banning (Butler) is a Secret Service agent in the Presidential detail, and it could be argued a friend to the President; he even lands a punch in an opening boxing practice. All of that changes when, during a horrible automobile accident, the President’s wife is killed. Mike couldn’t save them both, so he chose to save the President. After making “the right call”, as his director (Angela Bassett) tells him; the President just couldn’t stand to be reminded of the failure and moves Mike to the Treasury. Mike wants back into the detail, and he gets his chance when a Korean terrorist infiltrates the White House and all of the fail safes in place to keep an incursion from happening. Banning jumps into action and becomes the only one left/able to save the President and his son.
Admittedly I am a Gerard Butler fan. I see this character as a watered-down, but trying really hard, version of John McLane ala Die Hard. Except the one liners feel forced, not funny, as does the unwarranted use of foul language. A New York cop is one thing for cursing, but it just doesn’t feel right seeing it come out of a Secret Service Agent. Morgan Freeman does an excellent job portraying a man making the tough decisions as Speaker Trumbull (the acting President for much of the movie); he makes mistakes and corrects his actions based on those mistakes. Aaron Eckhart is ok as the President, but doesn’t have the gravity needed to really pull that level of authority off; he is very much an every-man version of the President. His relationship with his son and that of Banning’s and the President’s son is very believable and heartfelt.
While action packed and fast paced; the plot is wholly unbelievable. Maybe I’m just an arrogant American, but I highly doubt the sheer number of protocols that were breached would actually happen. It felt like Eckhart’s character was overriding them through the whole attack sequence. I actually could believe the amount of time it took to respond to the call, but I’ve been to the North Lawn, and could see the snipers from the street and on the surrounding buildings. The White House is just too protected to make an assault like the one depicted.
I enjoyed the movie as long as I didn’t think too much about what was actually happening.
Admittedly I am a Gerard Butler fan. I see this character as a watered-down, but trying really hard, version of John McLane ala Die Hard. Except the one liners feel forced, not funny, as does the unwarranted use of foul language. A New York cop is one thing for cursing, but it just doesn’t feel right seeing it come out of a Secret Service Agent. Morgan Freeman does an excellent job portraying a man making the tough decisions as Speaker Trumbull (the acting President for much of the movie); he makes mistakes and corrects his actions based on those mistakes. Aaron Eckhart is ok as the President, but doesn’t have the gravity needed to really pull that level of authority off; he is very much an every-man version of the President. His relationship with his son and that of Banning’s and the President’s son is very believable and heartfelt.
While action packed and fast paced; the plot is wholly unbelievable. Maybe I’m just an arrogant American, but I highly doubt the sheer number of protocols that were breached would actually happen. It felt like Eckhart’s character was overriding them through the whole attack sequence. I actually could believe the amount of time it took to respond to the call, but I’ve been to the North Lawn, and could see the snipers from the street and on the surrounding buildings. The White House is just too protected to make an assault like the one depicted.
I enjoyed the movie as long as I didn’t think too much about what was actually happening.
Stories of Prophets in Islam - Islamic Stories, Muslim Stories, Quran and Hadith
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Praise be to Allah (Swt) and Peace & Blessings be upon his messenger Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). In...