Olympus Has Fallen
A man kills people on his mission to protect the US president.
You know what’s really satisfying? A competent man killing a bunch of bad guys with no remorse. And boy oh boy, does this movie deliver on that score. Is this the best shoot ‘em up I’ve ever seen? No. Did I enjoy watching the bodies pile up? Yes. It’s a diverting and engaging popcorn flick.
I hope if the White House were ever breached there’d be a man to set the guns a-blazing.
London Has Fallen
The same man has to get the president to safety after the British Prime Minister’s funeral goes belly up.
Not as good as the first one. The villain’s not as present and therefore not as threatening, and the action isn’t as exciting. I still enjoyed it, mostly because I like Gerard Butler, but the previous one managed the suspense and danger better. Butler does mercilessly kill the baddies, which is again, very satisfying.
Angel Has Fallen
Did Mike attempt to assassinate the President? Of course not! But now he has to prove his innocence.
This one departs from the nonstop action to focus more on the characters and their struggles. I guess I prefer my action and internal personal drama not to mingle. It’s a decent story with some good action, but the first one is my favorite.
Jane Eyre
Someone falls in love with someone else.
Pfft! Not nearly as good as the 2006 miniseries. Yes, it’s half as long, so of course it didn’t have the time to develop their relationship. But because of how it’s edited/directed it feels like they had a lot of empty space that should’ve gone toward Jane and Rochester. When a story has to portray a romance I don’t appreciate long shots of scenery and aimless walking.
In this one, Jane seems scatterbrained and slow on her reactions. She doesn’t have the nuances in facial expressions or much of a personality, like the other actress does. She’s boring here.
Rochester is okay. He didn’t have a lot to do so I couldn’t get a full picture of him or even see why they like each other. But what I saw is no comparison to Toby Stephens.
The whole movie looks very gray and desolate. All the life is gone and the romance does not do anything to liven things up.
There’s a good piano theme but the rest of the soundtrack is forgettable.
Basically, you’re better off watching the 2006 miniseries.
Downton Abbey
The king and queen visit Downton.
This is a decent movie. It’s not great, but it’s a nice nostalgic time.
The issue is that with a cast this size—who have had seasons to develop their characters—you want to give everyone something to do. But it’s a two-hour movie and the things everyone has to do become truncated and a bit messy. Just about every character has a sub-plot, but it is impressive how so much happened in so short a time without it getting confusing. I think it could’ve benefited from fewer sub-plots and a strengthening of everything else.
The conflicts here are telegraphed way before they happen. It’s obvious when someone will cause trouble, or is headed for a stupid action, or hiding a secret. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just don’t go into this expecting to be utterly flabbergasted.
As always, the costumes, sets and music are all very well done. I’d have liked a better look at Edith’s dress after all the fuss it caused.
My favorite upstairs members are the same as they were in the show: Branson, Bertie, Talbot (who’s barely in this), and the Dowager.
Favorite downstairs members are Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore. I do like Carson but I like him better in the show. Daisy is still annoying.
It’s a good companion to the show.
One of the best scenes is Bertie’s reaction to finding out Edith’s secret.
Rambo: Last Blood
Rambo’s ward does something stupid and he goes to rescue her.
I’ve never seen any of the other Rambo movies but they’ve got to be better than this. The story wants me to care about this bond between him and this girl and all I can think is that this girl is a complete idiot. I don’t see the bond and she didn’t seem worth saving.
It was satisfying seeing Rambo killing the killers, but it’s about a half hour before the plot moves and the fights weren’t really worth the wait.
I’m guessing this movie was unnecessary.