Angel Has Fallen

Angel Has Fallen is the third in the Olympus Has Fallen franchise. When Secret Service Agent Mike Banning is framed for the attempted assassination of U.S. President Allan Trumbull, he must work against the clock to discover the true threat while evading his own agency and the FBI. 

The plot was engaging throughout, the script was quite funny at times and the acting was great from the entire cast. I liked that Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman reprised their roles as Mike Banning and now President Trumbull, respectively. I liked their dynamic that they were able to transfer from the second film. This is the first time where I thought that Gerard might be a bit too old for this role. He was looking a little out of shape but was able to muster though this one in the end. Jada Pinkett Smith and Danny Huston were great additions to the cast. Jada was a smart, confident boss and Danny was conniving, calculated and intimidating. The only casting I was confused by, at first, was why Coyote Ugly actress, Piper Perabo replaced Radha Mitchell as Leah Banning, but in the end I was good with her portrayal.

I really enjoyed the suspenseful, high action sequences and the gritty fight choreography. The ending sequence wasn’t very realistic but still entertaining.

The editing was a little off, there were scenes in this film that were blatantly obvious when they were using a green screen. With the budget of this movie, you would have hoped that they could have cleaned that up a bit more.

Additionally, the movie was fairly predictable from the beginning with only a couple of twits to keep you on your feet at the end. With that being said, I still think the first movie was the best but this wasn’t bad for a third movie in a franchise. I thought that the story moved well and was definitely worth checking out in theatres, just be sure to re-watch the first two as a refresher before catching the third.

Aladdin

Aladdin is a remake of the 90s cartoon of a smart, good-natured street urchin and a power-hungry enemy who discover a magic lamp that has the power to make their wishes come true. The film had a surprising director choice in Guy Ritchie, who isn’t really known for kid friendly movies, and starring Will Smith as the Genie and lesser known actors Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine.

The score was updated to correct some of the offensive language from the original, which was appreciated. They also incorporated some new songs, some of which were pretty corny but overall catchy and cute.

Speaking of corny, Will Smith’s version of the genie was just that. No one can really replace Robin Williams, but this wasn’t even close for me. Not only was his singing voice flat, he really struggled with some of the more emotional scenes. I had a hard time connecting to him and taking him seriously. I also wasn't feeling his facial or the wig that was pasted on top of his head. It all looked cheap and fake. He also had a single in the closing credits with DJ Khaled that was so bad, I had to leave the movie right then and there. In regard to the other characters, I liked the choice of Princess Jasmine. She had a great singing voice and a more empowered personality than the original. I liked that she portrayed a more independently thinking, strong willed character. The casting of Aladdin wasn’t my favorite, he was a good actor but I thought that he was too old for the role and his singing voice wasn’t that great. Additionally, the Jafar casting wasn’t anything like the cartoon. Not only did he not have the same body type, he also didn’t rock the signature facial hair, which was a disappointment.

The costumes were a modern, conservative twist on original. I loved the colors and I appreciated the more practical wardrobes, but I do wish they would have still re-introduced some of the well-known outfits from the original.

I liked the vibrant, Bollywood infused dance sequences, especially the one toward the end. I also liked the high action sequences and stunt work throughout the movie.

Overall, Aladdin is a fun, nostalgia-filled walk down memory lane. They made a valiant effort to mirror the original but it didn’t quite get there for me. Therefore I’d say skip this one in theatres and wait for it on home video.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is a high action spin off of the Fast & Furious franchise. The story takes place two years after The Fate of the Furious. Recruited by the CIA & MI6, Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw are forced to form an undesirable alliance to locate and protect a fellow MI6 agent who comes in contact with a virus that could destroy the world.

The plot was easy to follow and engaging. I enjoyed the high action moments, especially the motorcycle sequences. The script was basic with a lot of corny lines but expected for this series.

Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprised their roles as Hobbs and Shaw, respectively. They were a good duo. Statham had the funnier delivery and script. Johnson was too much at times with some really bad dad jokes. Additionally there were too many references to Johnson’s size and strength and his old persona as The Rock. There were also a lot of Game of Thrones references which were two months too late and too many. Idris Elba played Brixton Lore, a genetically enhanced villain who has a much skewed vision for the future of humanity. I thought he did a great job as the bad guy. The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby played Hattie, an MI6 agent. She showed me some very different acting chops and had some really great fight choreography. She definitely held her own in this male dominated film. There were also hilarious and unexpected cameos which I thoroughly enjoyed. I liked that the cast was diverse and the input of Samoan culture was great.

For those who have seen previous Fast & Furious movies, you know what you are getting into with this type of movie. It’s not going to be nominated for any Oscars but I thought that it was entertaining though not very realistic and predictable from the beginning. If you are into this franchise, you will still like this one.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

The Spy Who Dumped Me is an action-comedy starring Justin Theroux, Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon and Outlander’s Sam Heughan. After Audrey, played by Kunis, discovers her ex-boyfriend is a spy, she and her best friend Morgan, played by McKinnon, unwillingly become entangled in an international operation. 

The entire cast did well, though it would have been nice to see some diversity among the group. I liked seeing Heughan outside of Outlander and showing some range within his skillset. The script was quite amusing with McKinnon taking the lead. She was much funnier in this than Ghostbusters. The plot was engaging with a couple of good twists but the major pieces were pretty predictable from the beginning. It also wasn’t very realistic but it was still enjoyable. I also appreciated that this movie had two strong female leads at the helm that didn’t rely on men. I thought that visually the movie did well with the variety of sets and the action sequences.

I purposely skipped seeing this one in theatres and I’m glad I did. I found it to be much more enjoyable as an at home movie. In saving my money on this one I was able to take the movie for what it was without the pretenses and what I saw was that it wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible. Just good enough to enjoy at home, on a random holiday Monday.

The Intruder

The Intruder is a drama starring Meagan Good, Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy and Power’s Joseph Sikora. When married couple Scott & Annie Russell find their dream home, they think they are getting the fresh start they both want, little do they know, the former home owner has no plans on leaving his property.

I thought that the plot was interesting and that acting from the entire cast was pretty good. I liked seeing the main characters, played by Megan Good and Michael Ealy, in non-stereotypical roles. I also thought that they had good chemistry. Dennis Quaid did well as the creepy former home owner, Charlie Peck and it was nice to see Joseph Sikora in something outside of Power. Unfortunately he didn’t give me a lot of range and overall the character development for the cast was weak. Additionally, I was not a fan of Megan Good’s hair style nor wardrobe. It looked lazy and as if she wasn’t put together by a real stylist.

Overall this was just as bad as what they previews showed. It was predictable, not realistic and not worth seeing again.

Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood has been called a love letter to Hollywood and movie making by its director, Quentin Tarantino and the cast. It is a fictional story of a fading television actor, Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and his best friend and stunt double, Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt. It is set during the transition of Hollywood's Golden Age to the hippy era in 1969 Los Angeles.

Although the plot was fictional it did touch on some authentic historical content including the sets, the costumes, the music, some of the Manson Family history along with Margot Robbie playing Sharon Tate and a couple of the TV shows that DiCaprio’s Dalton were on were also real shows, all of which I thought was pretty interesting. Additionally, the storytelling was unique. Something I always thought was interesting about Tarantino’s writing was that he does his own thing. You know with his movies he will be bringing the over the top violence and providing a different, and at times satisfying, twist on history.

A lot of critics are talking about how great Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were together and I have to agree with them. They had a very effortless and natural chemistry. I haven’t seen Pitt in a lead role, with as much hype as this movie, in quite a while, so I was pleased with his triumphant return. DiCaprio was surprisingly very funny and vulnerable. I thought that the character development was strong for them which made both likeable. Where the character development lacked for me was with Sharon Tate’s character. Not only was I was hoping Robbie would have had more lines but her on screen time wasn’t as extensive as it could have been. You are just left feeling like she was a sweet girl but nothing else. You couldn’t really connect with her character.

The movie was long but didn’t feel like it. The only issue I had was with some of the editing. There were these odd, sometimes lingering shots of characters feet. It didn’t make sense in the scene and after further research I discovered that apparently Tarantino has a foot fetish. Other than those few minutes of confusion I thought that the movie was entertaining, unpredictable and funny. This isn’t my favorite Tarantino movie but it is worth checking out.