The Weather Outside Is Frightful..."Geostorm"

Geostorm (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Gerard Butler, Max Sturgess, Eugenio Derbez, Andy Garcia, Ed Harris, Abbie Cornish,

Directed by Dean Devlin

The Story:

To battle climate change, the governments of the world create the Dutch Boy program. This series of satellites counteracts severe weather and keeps the Earth peaceful and stable. Until now. Suddenly the satellites are apparently causing severe weather and attacking major cities across the globe. It's up to the original project manager, Jake Lawson (Butler) to head into space and find out what's going wrong.

Oh Dean Devlin, how we've missed you!

These epic disaster movies with just enough tongue in cheek are always a blast to check your brain at the door, grab the popcorn and have a rollicking good time.

Here, Butler takes center stage and battles to find out if his programming has gone haywire or if there is a traitor in space trying to sabotage his best work.

There is political intrigue and corruption.

There is space sabotage and a series of red herrings to throw you off of who is behind the madness.

But at the end of the day, this movie isn't nearly as bad as it was made out to be.

It was fun, completely watchable, and yes, I'd even watch it again or heaven forbid even buy it if the price was right.

:)

Your mileage may vary.

Final Grade:  C+

Here We Go Again..."London Has Fallen"

London Has Fallen (2016)

Rated R

Starring Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman,

Directed by Babak Najafi

The Story:

President Asher (Eckhart) heads to London for a funeral. Naturally, that's when a terrorist attack takes out all the leaders of the visiting nations except for the President, thanks to the planning of Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Butler). Can he keep the President alive again, or is this finally the Vice President's (Freeman) chance for promotion?

Okay, I admit, I had a blast watching Olympus Has Fallen a few years ago. It was Die Hard...in the White House!

Much like the Die Hard franchsie, the setpiece has to get bigger, and this one plays more like Die Hard With A Vengeance as the two race all across London trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys who want to catch and kill the President on live tv.

So that being said, this is a popcorn film, round two!

If you didn't like the first installment, you'll find nothing redeeming here.

Otherwise, if you didn't mind it, you'll have a good time watching London get blown up, real good.

;)

I'm not sure if they can pull off yet another sequel in the franchise.

Eventually, the President is going to stop going places, or run out of time in the office.

But if they decide to give it a go in the future, I'll be back.

I watched the DVD version, but now that this review has moved to the top to be published, you also have the option of streaming on Netflix.

It doubles your chances of being able to watch and enjoy some popcorn!  :)

Final Grade: B-

No Wonder They Stopped Worshipping The "Gods Of Egypt"

Gods of Egypt (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Brenton Thwaites, Courtney Eaton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Chadwick Boseman, Gerard Butler, Bryan Brown, Rachael Blake, Geoffrey Rush,

Directed by Alex Proyas

The Story:

The story of how Set (Butler) betrayed his brother Osiris (Brown) and took over the throne of Egypt, much to Horus' (Waldau) dismay. The only one who can hope to stop Seth is a little mortal named Bek (Thwaites) who refuses to acknowledge the gods of Egypt, but will do anything to help his beloved (Eaton) return to life.

And yes, of course this is based on a true story.

Or, at least the cool myth of Osiris, Set and Horus.

Getting my background for the film, it appears that the main complaint about this film, it should have been filled with black actors instead of white actors.

Okay.

I guess.

In theory, it should have been filled with actual Egyptian actors, but this is Hollywood, and you pretty much take what you're given.

I've seen enough black actors playing white roles and women playing men's roles, etc. etc. etc...

I pretty much don't care anymore.

As long as they are a decent actor in a decent story that will hold my interest, I'm pretty easygoing on this subject.

So the question becomes really this:

Is the film any good?

The answer?

Yes, it kind of is.

Not in a Gladiator or Ben Hur or other dramatic swords and sandals epic drama.

More in the Clash of the Titans can I check my brain at the door, munch some popcorn and not be thoroughly bored for the next 90 minutes, then Gods Of Egypt succeeds.

The size differential aspect between gods and mortals is a concept that doesn't get used very often, and establishes that there is indeed something different about this Gerard Butler than other Butlers we may be used to.

It's a cheesy throwback, but with today's technology doesn't look nearly as laughable as it once did.

The action scenes are well choreographed and the plot keeps moving you along to the final battle with very little to drag things down.

It's a popcorn movie, through and through. :)

 C+

One Of Last Year's Best..."How To Train Your Dragon 2"

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Rated PG for violence and dragons!

Starring Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Honsou

Directed by Dean DeBlois

The Story:

It's been several years since we last met the Vikings of Berk on the big screen, and as the film opens, it turns out they have adjusted to life quite well being dragon-riders.  Stoik (Butler) has designs on Hiccup (Baruchel) taking over as Chieftan of Berk, but Hiccup is too busy trying to find his way in the world and deciding what he really wants to be.  He's having too much fun exploring the world with Toothless and discovering all of the new lands.  It's on one of these adventures when he discovers two very important things:  there is an evil army collecting dragons in preparation for war; there is a mysterious dragon-rider who has ties to Berk and could help Hiccup unlock more dragon secrets than he ever imagined.

Dreamworks Animation has done it again.

If it sounds familiar, that means you read this review when I saw it in theaters last year.

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and it found its way under the tree.

That should come as no shock to anyone either, Dreamworks has been on a roll that the other studios haven't been able to match.

At least at our house, if not the box office.

I gave the nod to the original for my Top 10 of 2014 simply because I hadn't seen it before, so it was eligible.

Take it off the table, and Part 2 easily makes the Top 10 films of last year.

It's simply breathtakingly gorgeous, and the scope of the film grew tremendously since the first part.  Time has passed, the characters have aged and grown.

There will be a shift in the dynamics of the film by the time the credits roll.

Whether that's good... we'll find out in Part 3!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: We own it, and are looking forward, sadly, to the final installment.

How To Enjoy The Weekend Part 2: "How To Train Your Dragon 2"

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Rated PG for violence and dragons!

Starring Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Honsou

Directed by Dean DeBlois

The Story:

It's been several years since we last met the Vikings of Berk on the big screen, and as the film opens, it turns out they have adjusted to life quite well being dragon-riders.  Stoik (Butler) has designs on Hiccup (Baruchel) taking over as Chieftan of Berk, but Hiccup is too busy trying to find his way in the world and deciding what he really wants to be.  He's having too much fun exploring the world with Toothless and discovering all of the new lands.  It's on one of these adventures when he discovers two very important things:  there is an evil army collecting dragons in preparation for war; there is a mysterious dragon-rider who has ties to Berk and could help Hiccup unlock more dragon secrets than he ever imagined.

Dreamworks Animation has done it again.

That's pretty much your spoiler-free review right there!

:)

If you loved the first one, and just about everyone who has ever seen it, does... well, you're going to love this one.

If you've missed the first one, I don't think you'd be too terribly lost.  The narration provides you everything you need to get caught up, but it doesn't feel like a horrid rehash of what has gone one before.

The animation is mesmerizing.  Such beautiful landscapes, it's absolutely breathtaking.

The voice work is top-notch, with several new characters being introduced alongside all of your favorites from the first film.

What can be said about Toothless?  Perhaps the cutest animal ever to appear on film.  Half cat... half dog...

All dragon.

The only piece of advice I might offer...

Don't be surprised if like over half of my viewing companions last night...

Tears might be shed.

You've been warned.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: It's a purchase...no question.  Only a few of the family will see it in theaters, the rest are waiting for DVD. 

Will there be a 3rd outing?  Hard to say, but if they choose to, we'll be back!

How To Enjoy Your Weekend..."How To Train Your Dragon"

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Rated PG for violence and dragons

Starring Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristin Wiig, America Ferrera,

Directed by Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

The Story:

On the island of Berk, the Vikings are led by Stoick the Vast (Butler).  What these Vikings do is try an survive and kill dragons when they are attacked.  Stoick's son Hiccup (Baruchel) is not exactly the Viking his dad had hoped he would be.  Very imaginative, but not very...Viking-like...Hiccup wants to help out, but nobody really wants him around.  When he uses one of his contraptions to actually shoot down the elusive Night Fury dragon, Hiccup will go to prove that he's got what it takes to be a Viking.  However, when he finds his dragon, he is going to discover that everything the Vikings thought they know about dragons...

Is a lie!

Better late than never is one way to approach this film.

My kids have adored this movie for the last 4 years, and they always begged me to watch it.  I would always come up with some excuse or another to not join in the festivities, so this one remained unseen by me until recently.

However, with a sequel set to come out today, and the kids hoping that I will either take them, or maybe go with them, there was no time like the present to give this one a shot.

Boy, am I glad I did.

Continuing in a line of impressive Dreamworks Animated films, this movie has everything you want in an animated movie:

a) It's absolutely gorgeous
b) The voice cast is great, but not overbearing in stunt celebrity casting
c) The story itself is enjoyable
d) There is a deeper heartfelt aspect to the movie that proves it's not just for kids.

Sadly, many of Dreamworks offerings are overlooked at the box office, but when they have a hit, it hits big!

It's weird at the feast or famine aspect of Dreamworks at the box office.  This was every bit as enjoyable as Rise of the Guardians or Turbo, but those two were flops and this was a success.

At this stage in the game, Dreamworks should be celebrated like Pixar.  They aren't, and that's puzzling.

I won't attempt to explain it, I'll just admit that I'm disappointed.

At the end of the movie, the film has resolved all of the issues that were raised during the film.

That they put their hero(es) as capable to save the day with a disability is an extra feather in the cap that Dreamworks should really be proud of.

As usual, my kids were right, and I'm glad they finally got me to come around.

It won't be 4 years until I see the sequel.

If you or your kids haven't seen it yet, or as a primer for this weekend's sequel, I highly encourage you to do so!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it.  Looking forward to the sequel.  And this marks the 2nd Dreamworks Animated film in the running for Best Films of 2014. If Part 2 is half as good, I may end up with 3 animated features from one studio all vying for the top spot!

Come back tomorrow and see how Part 2 fared!

:)

No, "Chasing Mavericks" is Not the Sequel to Top Gun

Surf's up.  Way up!

The Story:

The inspiring true story of 15 year old Jay Moriarity (Jonny Weston) who just loves to surf.  Inspired by his neighbor Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler), he wants to learn how to surf Mavericks.  Those are the giant waves that will kill normal mortals.  The two begin their training as they prepare to face the Mavericks at the end of the season.  Will Jay be ready??

Of course he will!

Now, I'm not sure how inspiring it is.  This has to be one of most downer of an endings movie I've seen in a bit.  More on that in  a second...

First, the relationship between the two surfers is an interesting dynamic.  Again, Butler's charisma on screen carries him through most roles fairly effortlessly.

Here's a man that doesn't want to give up surfing, and yet has every reason to do so.

Fate naturally will intervene later and make sure that Frosty never suits up again to stare down the Mavericks, and sadly, Frosty has to grow up and learn that lesson.

As for Jay, well, him and all of the other "teenagers" are played by kids that look older than me. ;)

But seriously, I don't for a minute believe any of them are young enough to still be in High School.  In fact, the movie has a real issue with characters and aging.

Heck, Elisabeth Shue plays Jay's mom, and she looks younger than the girlfriend!

Aside from that, the scenes on the ocean are spectacular.  If they really surfed, it looked great and believable.  If it was done CGI, it was well done and didn't look fake.

Thankfully, most of the movie is filmed on the ocean, so it keeps you involved.

Then when the movie ends, you just think to yourself... Really?  That really happened?

That's the hardest part to believe, moreso than surfing monster waves.

Shame.

Final Grade: C+, carried on Butler's shoulders and the cinematography.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again in the distant future, but won't actively seek it out.

A Step by Step Guide to Overthrowing DC... "Olympus Has Fallen"

It's like Die Hard...

In the White House!

The Story:

Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is a Secret Service agent on the President's (Aaron Eckhart) detail.  After a disastrous event, he removes himself off the detail and goes to push a desk at the Treasury Department.  Ah, but fate is a fickle mistress, and 18 months later, terrorists take over the White House, and only one man can save the day.

But since John McClane is a different franchise, Mike Banning will have to do!

:)

Directed by competent action-helmer Antoine Fuqua, this was the first of 2 big budget "White House attacked by terrorists" films.  Much like Armageddon and Deep Impact from a few years ago, sometimes studios have great minds thinking alike at the same time.

Sometimes it pays to be first, sometimes it simply pays to be better.

I'll let you know how the two Secret Service to the Rescue films fare head-to-head after I've seen the other, but for now...

Olympus Has Fallen is pretty decent action fare.

Much as I had hoped, Gerard Butler returns to his roots in all his butt-kicking glory.  Again, pigeon-holing this as a "Die Hard" rip-off is both fair and critical at the same time.  The setup begs for the comparison, so if you're going down that road, you have got to make your lead character likeable, believable, and a bit humourous doesn't hurt.

Well, the screenplay lets Butler down, as he's got the first 2 down, but really doesn't get to unleash any McClane-isms at the bad guy until the film is well into the third act.

The terrorists, hands-down, are quite brutal and believable.  Again, take the destruction of DC as you will, the plot is only as far-fetched as you want it to be.

The assembled cast is pretty impressive, it was nice to see Angela Bassett again, and Ashley Judd's extended cameo is thankless, yet necessary to the overall plot.  It's nice to see them both in a box-office hit again.

Plus, this film has the Morgan Freeman factor, so that makes it automatically better just by including him.  He does a great job as the President who's not the President.

It falls in the long line of Die Hard-ish movies that cannot escape the shadow of the original.

That said, it's a good attempt, and extremely watchable.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd watch it again, and for a decent price, I'd pick it up and add it to the action pile.

He Shoots...He Misses! "Playing for Keeps"

Gooooo...away.

The Story:

George(Gerard Butler), a former soccer star becomes the little league coach for his son's team.  This gives him more time seeing his son since his marriage to Stacie (Jessica Biel) fell apart. Things get complicated as George wants to become a sports anchor for ESPN, and all the Soccer mom's want to get in George's pants.

Another contender for Turkey of the Year.

Which is a shame, because I love Gerard Butler.  Or at least his accent. : )

Even his romantic comedies which are blasted by critics, I've actually enjoyed because he seems to be having a good time, and generates at least some chemistry with his leading ladies.

And here, Gerard Butler is really the only star who attempts to rise above the atrocities being committed in the movie.

He's a good guy, sucked into bad situations, each one more absurd and foolish than the last one.


As for the rest of the cast... well if they decide to make a Desperate Housewives spinoff, here's the cast to start with:

Jessica Biel plays the annoying ex-wife.
Catherine Zeta-Jones comes off slightly less annoying than the last movie I saw her in (Lay the Favorites) but cannot rise above the script.
Uma Thurman is downright pathetic in her role.
Judy Greer always annoys me in any role she ever plays. : )

Dennis Quaid chomps the scenery overacting to his heart's content as a soccer dad with a wandering eye...

The movie made it past the 20 minute mark, I think, only because nobody was paying attention to it.

It just continues to go downhill from there, I looked around and nobody was paying attention to the film, and those that were, were not too happy with it, so out it comes.

Pretty sure Butler will rebound with Olympus Has Fallen. Or at least, How to Train Your Dragon 2.


Final Grade: D-

Would I Own It: Hahahahaha...