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VeronikaRooWriter
Reviews
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Good for hate-watching, good for America
A quiet Christmas Eve at home calls for an action movie. My husband and I select Olympus Has Fallen. It is an ideal choice.
For hate-watching.
Every few minutes, we pause the remote to point out the ludicrous plot's flaws. To yell at the TV.
The acting is terrific. Morgan Freeman. Need I say more? Gerard Butler is a hero to root for, who executes cheer-worthy fight scenes. Ashley Judd is a lovable first lady, wife and mother (and inspires me to wear sparkly hair ornaments). Robert Forster embodies the "he just doesn't get it" old man with power. Malala Lea makes being evil look good. And Keong Sim's character? Let's hope there's no bad guys in the real world like him.
Things blow up. Blood splatters and flows. People scream and run.
None of which overcomes the fact that this is not a well-written movie. It is, however, ideal for the type of hate-watching that strengthens marriages, friendships and families. For this reason, the movie is good for the nation.
Cat Run (2011)
Bad Babes and Bungling Boys
Don't let the fine china for a spot of tea fool you, the middle-aged woman (Janet McTeer as Helen Bingham) with a penchant for literary aliases is an assassin. Our heroes, Anthony Hester and Julian Simms (played by Scott Mechlowicz and Alphonso McAuley, respectively), shrug off their lack of experience as private eyes and rely on their desire to succeed, Anthony's money and a hand from D.L. Hugely as Dexter. Their first case is personal.
Catalina Rona (Paz Vega) enchants as the cat on the run. Bullets fly in slow motion, blood spurts, bodies mount and beautiful bare breasts serve as exclamation points in this enjoyable bromance. Clever but not cloying graphics punctuate the we-should-vacation-here Serbian scenery. Magicians and a cute baby round out the cast in this perfect for munching microwave popcorn action comedy.