Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
IMDB Rating: 6.5
Wilhelm Moment: - Nope
Genre: Action / Thriller

Post 9/11 i'm a little surprised it's taken so long for a high budget terrorist-attack-on-the-white-house film. Maybe I've forgotten one somewhere.

The first 10 minutes take place 18 months before the rest of the film and sets up Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler) as a disgraced agent for failing to save the first ladies life (plus two agents, but they're just collateral to the plot) as lead of the president detail, but that's basically it. He's sent down to Treasury Dept. and the point is firmly made shortly after when he meets some of the current presidential detail. So much so it sticks out in the dialogue like a massive red sign with bunting and a parade, just to make sure you realised and couldn't miss it.

The biggest thing that struck me, (almost as hard as the tree hit the car) was that when the Beast crashed into the side of the bridge, at a considerable speed on an icy road, not a single airbag deployed. The First lady cracked her head on the door in the impact and bled a lot, which a curtain airbag would have prevented, but in every shot through the car, there's no safety measures deployed whatsoever. For the safest limo on the planet, at least from external threats, I find it hard to believe that they forgot to protect the people inside the tin can from the box itself when they're rattling around cracking skulls. From that point, almost ANY car made in the last 5 years is safer than The Beast, albeit not from a .50 Cal.

To main plot focuses on the North Korean threat and an attack which happens during a meeting of the leaders of America and South Korea. The first part of which is a C130 with Gatling cannons spraying around the area of downtown Washington DC and strafing the white house. The security teams valiantly fire SMGs and pistols at the plane from the ground, but I doubt they'd really do a great deal if they even managed to get a hit. Why the SAM site on the roof did't take the plane down I don't know, it wasn't even active until the plane was less than a mile away. After the plane's down terrorists on the ground start attacking, why they blow a hole in the fence with a suicide bomber when the gates have already been opened to let the staff out as the president was evacuated, I again dont know, but it happened.

Cue a ground war, lots of meetings and a president concerned for his son, who wasn't grabbed into the lift at the time.

Considering there's basically a small war on screen, there are quite a few helicopters flying around the streets. For the sake of real world security, this clearly wasn't do able so they used CGI, the problem is its really not that great. the same render used a few times doesn't look good, particularly when its noticeable it's CGI anyway.

It also looks a lot like they rebuild an entire White House lot to use and with the damage they're doing to it even in the first scene, it's probably cheaper than using CGI, and it looks better for it.

Overall there are a lot of things that you can question, and for the most part they're explained by "well they had special intel, obviously", although this doesn't really make the question go away, just force you to park the questions by the door on the way in and pick them up afterwards with little extra information.

Summary 
VFX:
6/10 - They're ok, quite a lot are noticeable which makes the bard ones worse.
Plot:
6/10 - Come for the action, not for the plot.
Acting:
8/10 - All in all, the acting is pretty good throughout. Plus, Morgan Freeman.
Score:
7/10 - It's a good action score, builds and falls well. But for all that action, no Wilhelm scream.
Cinematography: Logic:
5/10 - There are repeated things that just aren't right, the SAM site, and the Airbags are just the start.

Overall:
6.5/10 (32/50) Good old all-American action, just don't expect a few facts to get in the way.

I'm probably going to use Logic instead of Cinematography for the last catagory and if they're both relevant then split them 5/5 to keep the xx/50 total. Film Logic is something which annoys me more than crappy camera work. I Might also go back and change the ones i've done to reflect this.

Limitless (2011)

Limitless (2011)
IMDB Rating: 7.4
Willhelm Scream:
Genre: Mystery / Sci-fi / Thriller

The basics of this film are fairly simple. Man takes drug. Drug makes man smart. Smart man has knowledge. Knowledge is power. Power is not control. Man loses control. Bradley Coopers plays said man, a writer, or at least he wants to be one. He's almost the definitive nice guy. His girlfriend breaks up with him and he's still happy for her getting a promotion, still loves her, the whole nine yard. He meets an old acquaintance who gives him a pill, something new he's been working on, nudge nudge, wink wink, "totally FDA approved". The old ones are always the best.

Take two, and if you're not completely happy, speak to the flying monkey over there
(3newz.co.nz)

So the pill gives him access to more of his brain, he writes, it's amazing. He invests, they all turn to gold. Turns out other people want this too when they start to figure it out, and typically this ends badly. Miracles can't be shared people,

Please form an orderly queue
(mathmiracle.com)

It's a good premise for a film, that wonder drug you've always wanted to make all the problems go away. It's pretty well done all told, there are some neat special effects, which for something lacking war, space or anything of that nature it pretty hard to shoehorn in.

There are quite a few people who I've got a lot of time for, Cooper isn't one of those who immediately pique my interest. However, this has been on my watch list for a long time on the basis DeNiro was in it (although he's had misses) and it was an interesting premise. It's far from a massive role, which is surprising for the high billing, but he plays it exactly how you'd expect from him.

Mystery is a pretty rough genre for this, it's probably more Thriller than Sci-fi, given the usual assumption of that is space, future or something similar. Unlike a few of the last films I've watched this has slightly less of the traditional score a but more in the way of impact music. Not hugely successful pop music, more more modern than your traditional score.

Overall its a good film, it never feels boring and a good deal of the assumptions you might make aren't exactly how you'd expect. Which is impressive considering how some modern thrillers manage to do that (at least to me). There's one moment which genuinely defies belief and really broke the flow (it's not hard to spot).

VFX:
7/10 - For this type of film, they did some really nice stuff, and they did it well. But that bloom...
Plot:
7/10 - For what could be formulaic, it has enough elements to keep it interesting.
Acting:
8/10 - Solid performances all round, shame there wasn't more of some people.
Score:
8/10 - The score works really well, no particularly big tracks, just well put together.
Cinematography:
7/10 - It's filmed nicely, but the overexposure-for-effect is a bit much in place, although understandable.

Overall
7/10 (37/50) Good, fanciful thriller.

Iron Sky (2012)

Iron Sky (2012)
IMDB Rating: 6.0
Wilhelm Moment: - Nope
Genre: Action / Comedy / Sci-fi

Space Nazi's. From the Moon. It's a bold concept and i'd love to have been in the room when this was pitched. But given the only major studio involvement was distribution by Disney of all people, it's less surprising this combination Finnish-German-Australian got made.

Shhh, It's ok, we're making the Republicans look bad...
(floppingaces.net)

The makers have a history of shoestring budget films and have their own long running series of them entitled Star Wreck, the last major one in 2005 made for $13,000 and released under Creative Commons, so this was a pretty major step up.

This film is one where you don't really suspend your disbelief and enter the world the director has created, more set it down in long term parking and make a note where you left it. That's not to say it isn't good, but it's not good like say, The Godfather, Dogma, The Green Mile to name but a few from different genres are 'good' (probably doing those down a little with only 'good'). It's entertaining for what it is, which is an completely unrealistic journey into the mind of whoever wrote it, without a care for any realisms.

But then if you came for a film in which space craft smaller than the shuttle trip back and forth from Earth to the Moon without a care, you're watching the wrong thing. The fact that Sci-fi is third on the list in the genre should make it clear that this as it's priorities elsewhere.

Initially, it seems REALLY pro-Nazi, which is somewhat weird and shocking for a film of the last 70 years, let alone a modern film of the last decade, but it's pretty quick to make perfectly clear this is tongue in cheek. In fact it's beyond that too, the dialogue is stocked with more cheese than a delicatessen and yet the acting really isn't that bad. There are a lot more films which have more wooden acting. Götz Otto plays his part as well as anyone has ever played a Nazi, with the most serious of faces and commitment to the part. While Stephanie Paul, who plays the hugely Palin-esque President of the USA riles up exactly the same emotions of as the real Palin that it could just as easily be her.

When the heck did I film this?
(newsjunkiepost.com)

I wont spoil the plot here, not that there is much to spoil (Nazi's on the Moon, coming to Earth - simple!). Plus thats not what I want to do with these. Go watch it if you haven't already, even if it's just as a break between some more serious heavy weight films or part of a massive cheese-fest binge. 

Alas, there was no Wilhelm Scream in this film (if you don't know what that was, look here) which is a shame, as this is exactly the kind of film that could have made on fit somewhere without too much bother.

The rating on IMDB of 6 is fair, glancing through the reviews people pick up on much the same points. It's not to be taken seriously and in spite of a few suspect looking explosions (ok, there are a lot of suspect looking explosions) it's really not that bad. It apparently cost $10mil to make, and only took $8mil at the box office and yet, they're planning a sequel! And throwing an estimated $15mil at it to make it work. If they spend the extra $5mil making the explosions look better and fixing the notorious error of sound in space, they could have another fun movie on their hands that will make everyone wonder who has been smoking the most crack.

Summary 
VFX:
7/10 - They're good, barring the explosions, but still won an award for them.
Plot:
8/10 - For all out ballsy-ness, nothing more.
Acting:
7/10 - There are some good and there are some way over the top performances
Score:
6/10 - Nothing that hooks you, or really inspires, but it's far from bad. Does lack the Wilhelm scream.
Cinematography:
7/10 - There are a few time you see a shots been done to be cheaper, but its to be expected.

Overall:
7/10 (35/50) Go get some beers in, some snacks and watch this with your mates after a take-away.

Lockout (2012)

Lockout (2012)
IMDB Rating: 6.1
Willhelm Scream: Yes
Genre: Action / Sci-fi / Thriller

The opening of this film is great, a guy (literallly, Guy Pearce, playing Agent Snow) under arrest is being asked questions, and his smart responses getting him a beating. The pithy responses he gives are great and worthy of note for future use.

(yourmomjokes.net)

Joseph Gilguns Scottish accent is so impressive (given he's not Scottish) that i'm surprised there weren't subtitles. He plays an inmate (Hydell), thawed for an interview with the daughter of the US President who is investigating health claims in the prison. Maybe I missed why she specifically was sent instead of someone, perhaps say, qualified to the highest degree in a more psychological field than being the Presidents daughter, but I digress.

"No, it's fine. You go, we'll stay here"
(ohiospec.com)

So Agent Snow was arrested and convicted of something and in light of shit getting real up in space when a lot of grim people get woken up all at once, he's offered the chance to go and recover her from her first game of Interstellar-doctors-and-nurses instead of doing his time. Understandably, he's thrilled.

(catmacros.wordpress.com)

Shit gets out of hand and the film goes from there. Again I wont spoil it, needless to say, it's far from a routine visit. However routine a visit to an orbiting prison by a member of the first family could ever be.

The acting is pretty good all round, most notable is Gilguns lunatic convict, Pearce's continuing delivery of lines like a man who just doesn't give a shit anymore and Vincent Regan's portrayal of a genuinely intelligent criminal mastermind. As a bonus, there's an appearance by Lennie James, last seen (by me at least, he's had plenty of work) as Sol in Snatch (2000), trying to get a diamond out of a dog's stomach.

The stunts and visuals are good, although my pet hate of linear wire work (think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) makes a brief appearance, but not enough to spoil the film. It's really not much of a surprise that the script is so good, written by Luc Besson (Fifth Element, Leon to name two) and there are noticeable similarities between Snow and Korben Dallas' dialogue. i'd say the IMDB rating of 6.1 is a little mean. With what is 'only' a $20mil budget and $32mil return (compared to say, The Fifth Element $90mil/263mil) this is really quite a good film. Snow is instantly likable (in my opinion anyway) mostly for his attitude, one rarely seen in many films since Die Hard.

Summary 
VFX:
8.5/10 - Nothing huge and amazing, but everything they do is done well and that's almost as important.
Plot:
8/10 - Why did she have to go up there anyway?
Acting:
8/10 - There are no really bad performances and some really great ones.
Score:
7/10 - The score works really well, no big tracks, just well put together.
Cinematography:
8/10 - Not much to be said, it's not awe inspiring, but it's well done.

Overall:
8/10 (41/50) Good all round Sci-fi/Action, suitable thriller, entertaining and worth watching.