"Angel Has Fallen"

It is fair to say that I went in very sceptical as to whether I would enjoy this third film to feature Secret Service Agent Mike Banning. When the first "Fallen" came out, it was up against the mightier budget of "White House Down", and sorry Gerard but the far better on the eye Channing Tatum. That's not to say that the first film was not without merit, as it was very enjoyable.
Then came the inevitable sequel.......and oh boy....where did it go so badly wrong? I know that "London Has Fallen" will have appeared in my list of one of the worst films of that year. So you may understand my concerns about seeing this new film "Angel Has Fallen".

President Trumbull (Freeman) is still in The White House, and has his most trusted Secret Service agent by his side. Though the rigours of active duty and age are taking their toll on Mike, and one wonders how much longer he will be able to effectively protect the most powerful man on Earth.
Whilst on a fishing trip, there is an assassination attempt on the President, he survives, but all the Security detail are killed apart from Banning, making him suspect no 1 as the guilty party responsible.

What follows is a cat and mouse chase as Banning sets out to proof his innocence, and also protect the President, as he believes that he is not yet out of danger.

The action comes thick and fast, from a brilliantly staged tense drone attack on the President, to a Hospital going kaboom to a team of mercenaries being taken out in a forest, but not by Banning, but someone close to home, his Dad, brilliantly played by Nick Nolte, and stealing almost every scene he is in.
It is obvious who is initially behind the attack, and then more so who is the puppet master behind it all, but it is great fun watching it all unfold on screen.

I loved everything about the film, the story, the action, and some great work from the likes of Gerard Butler, Nick Nolte and the always reliable Morgan Freeman.
For me this is the best film in the series, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, I can think of no better way to spend an evening at the Cinema.....brace yourself......9 out of 10

"Lucy"

Lucy is a girl who should keep better company. Her so called friend Richard uses her to deliver a briefcase of unknown contents to a scary looking Japanese gentleman. Then bodies start to appear, and Lucy finds herself being herded into a room, with some other unsavoury characters. Soon she finds she has been cut open, and a cosmetic drug, in a pouch, has been put inside her. This, along with four others, will be smuggled through Customs, and the drugs handed over to their Collector.
During her ideal she is beaten by a gang of men, and the bag ruptures and the contents leak inside her. The drug has the effect of enhancing the cerebral capacity that we use, and she finds herself being able to do the most amazing things, and soon the world and his wife is after her.

I am not going to waffle on about this pointless film. The premise whether scientifically possible or not was just ludicrous, almost laughable. There is very limit to commend about the movie, at times visually it is impressive but that is one positive against a plethora of negatives.
When one thinks of Director Luc Besson, one thinks of the those great movies he amde, films like "The Fifth Element", "Nikita", and "Leon", but he is reduced to doing trash like this.
The film may have two leading stars but neither come out of it with any commendations.

Such a waste of time, enough said........4 out of 10

"Last Vegas"

Four men, who at their age, should know better, or maybe at their age, they just don't give a damn. They have been friends for the best part of 60 years, there are still some quarrels to be settled, and can the foursome be reunited for a forthcoming celebration?

Billy is getting married, and his friends want to arrange the perfect stag do. The four guys all have their own little back story.
Archie is recovering from a recent stroke, and is feeling the pressure of his over bearing Son.
Sam could be on to a winning trip, as his Wife, who feels the zest has gone from their relationship, has armed him with some tools to help him have a good time, and rekindle the magic.
And then there is Billy and Paddy. The very best of friends, or at least they were. They shared a love of the same girl, Sohpie. And in the end she marries Paddy. All is fine, but when Sophie passes away, Billy is too busy to attend the funeral, and understandably this upsets Paddy, leading to a disagreement. Could this put the mockers on the reunion?

Of course not, and all four makes their excuses from their loved ones, and head to Nevada. There are plenty of laughs along the way, many at the expense of the groups age, the medication they are taking and their various ailments.
Could history though about to repeat itself?
Will Billy get to the Church? All the questions are answered in what proves to be a highly entertaining moving, with a nice story, and some great laughs.

There is however, one main reason for seeing this film. And obviously it is the four lead actors together on screen, for the first time, and depending on a sequel, possibly the only time. These great legends of screen have delighted film fans for many years, and it is a great unique opportunity to see them together.With a combined age of 281 years and so many Oscar nominations and wins, it is a film goers dream to see the foursome on screen, and proving to be a fun hit.

They may be long in the tooth but they can still do the business........7 out of 10

"Now You See Me" - Special Preview Screening

I recently attended a special preview screening, one of the perks of having an UNLIMITED card courtesy of Cineworld. The only thing a little different about this preview was that I had no idea which film I would be viewing, as the screening was top secret.

So when I sat down to start watching "Now You See Me", I have to confess that I had not heard of the film and knew nothing about it or who was in it. So it was quite a pleasant surprise to see this new release.

It concerns four street magicians who have never really hit the peak of their profession. And whilst performing for their audiences, they each receive an invite. They are all assembled at an address by an unknown benefactor. And what awaits them?  A set of blueprints.....for the ultimate magic act.

Fast forward a year and the four of them have become the biggest act on the Circuit, commanding massive audiences wherever they are. They sell out, and put together the kind of show that would make David Copperfield weep. They do a most innovative illusion. From their auditorium in the US, they are going to rob a bank in Paris. Seems impossible, but can they pull it off?
Watching all this from his seat with the audience is Thaddeus Bradley, a man who has spent his career debunking the so called master illusionists. And he sits taping the show, yes the audience can record the show, in fact they are encouraged to do so by the four magicians.
There is another important man in the audience, the man who funds the elaborate show, Arthur Tressler. He has become the bank for the four.
They do indeed pull off what seems to be the perfect heist. and this naturally arouses the suspicions of the Federal Authorities. Though their frustration becomes apparent when they can pin nothing on the group. So when they announce their next big gig, the pressure is really on to come up with some answers and more importantly some arrests.

There is some interaction between the US authorities and an Interpol agent sent over to investigate the Paris theft. But is there more to her than there appears? Why is Bradley so keen to take the four magicians down?  And who is the mysterious benefactor responsible for turning them into magical super-stars?

All these questions and more get answered in what is a wonderfully entertaining caper with touches of comedy. It really does keep you guessing to the end. There are some great tricks on show in the movie, some great performances, Woody Harrelson especially is clearly having a blast, and is the highlight of the multi talented cast.

This is a reall charming and entertaining movie, which proved to be such a pleasant surprise, and a delight to watch, and would like to think that time permits I will get to see again.......8 out of 10

"Olympus Has Fallen"

Mike Banning is a Secret Service Agent, who has faithfully stood by the side of his President. But during routine escort duty, an accident occurs, which results in a personal tragedy for the President. We then jump forward 18 months, the President still struggles to deal with his loss, and Mike now finds himself working in the Treasury Department, unable to work at the Commander In Chief's side, as it would serve as a permanent reminder of what had gone before.

Now this next part of the plot will sound really far fetched, and could not possibly happen in real life. It would seem that there are tensions between North and South Korea, and The Americans have created a buffer zone, a demilitarized area where they have troops to avoid anything kicking off. I mean come on, as if that could ever happen???
Anyway, tensions are on the increase, and the Prime Minister of South Korea has arrived in the US for a meeting. Except he is not alone.

For starters a large plane wages its own war on the good people of Washington DC, and makes a mess of the Washington Memorial. Then various vehicles attack the city also, and entry is gained to the White House both outside and within. The President is housed in a secure bunker, along with the Vice President, Chief of Staff, the South Korean Official and his chief of staff, who is also one of the most wanted terrorists in the World.
Kang, the Korean terrorist, has one simple aim, to lay waste not only Washington but to the whole of the United States of America. As they sit in a bullet riddled White House, he plans to obtain the codes for a weapon system called Cerberus, which when activated will see every nuclear missile in America detonated, leaving the country a vast waste land.

The Secret Service have all but been killed, there is no way to gain entry to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and there is a gun pointing at the President's head......is there any hope?
You bet your bottom dollar that there is. Banning, upon hearing the initial commotion, has managed to gain entry into the White House, and his near impossible task is to deal with the terrorists, locate and rescue the President's Son, who is roaming loose, and also rescue President Asher. But Banning is the best at what he does, and would make Liam Neeson look like a Boy Scout, and that is no small task.

Right from the off, you are on a non stop action ride, which delivers both knuckle whitening action, with a compelling story. The opening nicely sets up the story of the relationship between Banning and President Asher.
The initial attack on Washington is brilliantly staged, you dare not blink for missing a frame of the action, as it unfolds on screen.
There is then the mexican stand off between the Armed Forces and the terrorists, and again this makes for compelling viewing. It all builds beautifully to the inevitable climax.

Director Antoine Fuqua really provides top notch direction, the action comes thick and fast from every direction. He has assembled an all star cast, with the likes of Angela Bassett and Robert Forster manning the Operations Centre, to Aaron Eckhart as The President, plus the always reliable Morgan Freeman as The Speaker of the House. There is a wonderful scene where Speaker Trumbull gives one of the Generals a right bollocking. And of course there is the one man army that is Gerard Butler as Mike Banning. He does a credible job in the role, and clearly this is someone you do not want to mess with, and it is great fun seeing him kick the what not out of the terrorists.

It is especially nice to see Rick Yune as Kang, in that when he is on screen, if he has a gun to someones head, you really do wonder if his target will survive, as Kang has no redeeming qualities, and will kill without a second of hesitation.

I have been looking forward to this film for some time, and for fans who enjoy this, there is a similar film coming out later in the year, which sees Channing Tatum as a Police Officer dealing with terrorists in "White House Down", another action packed all star affair.

Needless to say I enjoyed it immensely, great fun, action coming thick and fast, and all round fantastic movie.......8 out of 10.

"Oblivion"

The distant future.....the Moon was attacked, left in ruins, thus leading to cataclysmic effects on Earth. But the suffering does not end there. Our planet is attacked, War rages, we win, but the price we pay is too high, Earth is uninhabitable. The remainder of the population are taken to Titan one of the moons of Saturn, going to start a new life.

But there are still those who seek to inflict further harm to Earth, they are called Scav's.
Large energy units called Hydro Rigs convert the sea water into energy, and protecting them from attack are Drone units, and looking after them is Jack Harper and Victoria, a team of two who work on maintaining the Drones, Victoria working from their shared workstation, and Jack out on the open road as it were, doing the maintenance, and dealing with any problems with Scav's, and of course they are in constant contact with a main ship which is in constant orbit near Earth.

But on a routine inspection, Jack is captured by a band of Scav's, except all is not as it seems. For they are actually humans, like Jack and Victoria. And Jack is told of what has really happened on Earth these last few decades....but who does he believe?  His trusted team on the Mother ship, or Beech, the head of the Scavengers?  Which ever way he goes, life will never be quite the same on Earth again.

The premise is interesting, not totally new, there are shades of other filsm in there, from "Aliens" to "The Omega Man", and several others, and it would be the latter of the two films where the greatest similarity lies, lone people defending a desolate Earth from a band of scavengers.
The main thing with a film of that nature, whether it be "The Omega Man" or its recent remake "I Am Legend", to have a film dominated by pretty much one or two characters, the film has to be engaging, and sadly this new Cruise film does not deliver in that area. It lacks any major tension, it is literally the two of them working towards fixing non-functioning drones. Oooh how exciting.

Although the film may feel like it drags because of the lack of any drive in the story, it is saved by some great photography, stunning visual effects, and an awesome soundtrack, one which I shall soon be buying, it is that good, and is composed by M83. No, I haven't heard of them / him / her either.
The combination of the three combined makes for a film that is entertaining to look at, and yes it does compensate.
The film does pull it back in the third act. It may seem all nice, neat and tidy, but when the story started to come together, and when you see the bigger picture, and all becomes clear, and your enjoyment is enhanced.

Had there been more substance in the opening two acts, this could have gone down as a truly great sci-fi film, as it is the film is good, and many will enjoy it.
Jospeh Kosinski has proved his worth, and followed on from the visual triumph that was "Tron Legacy" with another visually jaw dropping movie. Definitely a talent to watch.
For a man of 50, Mr. Cruise shows no sign of slowing down, and he gives a nice performance, as does Andrea Riseborough. And it goes without saying that Morgan Freeman is always worth the price of admission, no matter what he is appearing in.

Good, could have been great, but visually it will amaze........7 out of 10.