Olympus Has Fallen Review

After enjoying a steak dinner at The Whisper Lounge and buying a small popcorn  at the theater for dessert, I settled into my usual aisle seat to watch Olympus Has Fallen on Friday night.  For a 10:00  p.m. showing, the movie was pretty full, with people still coming in during the opening credits.

I understand I just missed seeing Gerry.  I read somewhere he was at The Grove Friday with a bunch of the stunt players from the movie checking out crowds for OHF on opening day.  This will be the third (or is it the forth) time we have just missed each other by inches and/or minutes in the past three/four months, so it doesn't surprise me at all.  We are ships passing in the night, not destined to say hello (grinning here because I don't do autographs or photos with celebs, so a simple hello would have to do).

I'm happy to report that I think he has a hit on his hands and I congratulate him and all associated with the movie.  It will be the salvation/resurrection, not only for Gerry's career, but for Film District as well.   Mr. Fuqua was destined for another hit too and it's nice to see him get it with this one.

I found the movie to be very entertaining, escapist fare and think that all the critics on the left or the right seeing it as anything else are taking their jobs just a little too seriously.  Not every Hollywood movie has to send a political message.  I think the producers were looking for another "kick ass" vehicle that would bring in a core male audience for Gerry and this one fit the bill.  They already know he has a built in female fan base that will see him in anything but they needed to pull in that male audience who knows him as the 300 dude and they found it.  Fuqua was the right director to bring it to the screen.  Pure and simple.  Good for everyone, all around.

I found all the performances to be believable (even if the story took a lot of liberties) and Gerry again showed he can shine in a decent action flick, although I would still like to see him do something very different some day.  Again, like in all his movies, I see tinges of his potential to really shine as an actor in something more serious, despite some of the critiques calling him a two dimensional actor.  I sometimes get the feeling that some of the critics who love to trash him don't even see the movie (and borrow from other reviewers) or go in with preconceived notions about him (or this type of movie) that make them see what they want to see.  Some of them simply can't suspend disbelief and not judge the movie without dragging out their political baggage.  Sometimes a movie is just a movie, despite the very extreme partisan climate!

Having said that, I do have to say the movie scared the "sh__" out of me when it got me to thinking that if anything were to happen to our President and Vice President, we would be stuck with the likes of our present Speaker.  God save us!

I came out of the theater hoping and praying that we don't ever have to face that kind of scenario and also feeling content the Muse has a solid box office hit that will give him the time to dig deep and explore where he wants to take his career from here on in.  Having a hit expands his choices.

The "pause" that conveys...

Personally I'd like to see him spend a little of that time working with a good acting coach (maybe female for a change of pace) who will show him some tools to relate to female characters on screen in a very natural way.  I want to see him learn (or relearn) to use his his body language, his eyes and yes, even his ever present wrenching gut to make me feel what the character feels in a role just by watching him feel it.  A good director should fill a little of that role for an actor on a project but I'm wondering how many do.   I do realize it all has to start with the bones of a good script that will give the actor the room to breath a little of his own life experiences into a character, once he understands who the character is.  Let's hope he will find a script that will fill that bill for him and shock the hell out of his worst critics.  Revenge can be sweet, served up with your hard work.

Congratulations Muse!   I hope the rest of the weekend box office is as good as the first day and I hope the movie has legs to carry it for a good run.

You did good!  Celebrate!  See you around.

Zoni

Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN

Just bought my ticket for the 10:00 p.m. show at The Grove tonight.  Despite some mixed  reviews, I'm wishing Gerry much luck and success on this one.   I know it's a "make or break" one for him and I think if he has a box office hit, he will have the chance to go on and maybe do some good work.

He's become such a fashion plate, trim and well fitted in some lovely looking designer suits, I can't poke fun at his "style" too much anymore....although I was tempted to post the "Airport" photo to show he's still the same guy underneath the fashionable exterior.   I especially loved the photo of him being dried off before his appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael.  It is so much something my "very bright" late husband would have done.... accidentally turn on the wrong faucet and splashed himself before an important meeting.  He too would have shrugged it off and put a good face on it like Gerry.   Perhaps that's part of the reason I like the Muse and am still here caring about what happens to him.


Songs out of tune, the words always a little wrong...Canzoni Stonate