Stars Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Alexandra Maria Lara, Robert Sheehan, Daniel Wu, with Ed Harris and Andy Garcia Directed by Dean Devlin While Roland Emmerich managed to make weather go crazy to the extremes in 2012, his one-time producing partner Dean Devlin decides to chip in on the disaster genre with Geostorm where the crazy weather caused by global warming has been brought under control by a network of satellites. That is, until someone starts a calculated sabotage scheme designed to create the titular global disaster. The production itself may have been a disaster or epic proportions with (unconfirmed, or at least I couldn’t really verify it) reports of production delays and last minute replacements suggesting mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer taking over and bringing in Danny Cannon to direct. (not that I’d rely heavily on Wikipedia.) Neither name really appearing in any of the credits. So, who’s responsible for what is difficult to determine in what would have been Devlin’s directorial debut for the big screen. Devlin has had major success on TV with series such as The Librarians and Leverage (having directed several episodes in both series), as well as being Emmerich’s producing partner for over a decade (meeting on Moon 44 (1990) then collaborating on the likes of Universal Soldier, Stargate, Independence Day and others). Perhaps it was timing or budget (originally a reported 81 million budget), but the 2014 production with a 2016 release got… well, see reports following the above links. Plot-wise, Gerard Butler is Jake Lawson, the guy who led the project that created the satellites that hold the catastrophic weather at bay. Despite being an international effort, the US still wants to exert its might to control the system for an additional 3 years before it’s supposed to be handed over to the UN (or something) and Jake is dismissed from the project. Just as the 3 years is coming to an end, things start to go wrong and Jake is called back in to fix things. And things don’t quite go as plan. This is the kind of plot and story you might find on some SyFy or even Netflix movie of the week albeit with major stars and way better special effects than you’d get on a TV movie (Shaknado 5: Global Swarming, anyone?). While the space scenes, or on the main space station with Jake, are fine, more of the familiar action beats are on the ground with Jake’s brother, Max (Jim Sturgess), particular a standout car chase scene with Max’s girlfriend, secret service agent Sarah Wilson (Abbie Cornish). Despite being a producer on the movie, Butler seems to be phoning it in where his performance is concerned, coming alive more towards the end of the film. The rest of the cast is fine although there’s also a sense some can’t believe what exactly they’re doing in a movie like this. Not that the movie is bad, more like some of the cast are either typecast or trying to stretch their acting muscles by plying something out of their typical character base. Even Daniel Wu is playing a nerdy programmer. Only Ed Harris seems to know exactly what he’s doing here. Like those movies on cable or online streaming, this one has its entertainment value, and given its pedigree, you really do know what to expect. Kinda like fast food; you don’t mind it, you may even enjoy it when the mood is right, but it’s not some 5-star meal at a fancy restaurant. And that’s okay. It’s quite likely some of the effects sequences may permeate the web the way the storm sequences from Into The Storm (2014) has done. Rating **1/2/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support.
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Stars Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Ray Fearon, Charlie Murphy, Orla Brady Directed by Martin Campbell Jackie Chan has been very aware that he can’t go one without he action films forever and has been selective with his projects over the last decade or so in order to move past his Action Star status. More so in his Asian films, be it the more serious tone of his Police Story films, sharing out the action in the likes of Railroad Tigers or Dragon Blade, and even Chinese Zodiac (essentially the third Armour of God flick) and Kung-Fu Yoga (basically a sequel to The Myth). There are the voice work for animated features (from the Kung-Fu Panda series, The Nut Job 2, to the current LEGO Ninjago Movie). Here, The Foreigner is likely the most dramatic English movie he’s done, playing to his age and showcasing some depth in his performance. Teaming him up with Pierce Brosnan under the direction of Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Casino Royale) is smart move too, with Chan and Brosnan playing off each other remarkably well in their few scenes together. Throughout the first half, it’s almost hard to separate the good guy from the bad with Hennessy (Brosnan) trying to investigate a terrorist bombing that killed Quan’s daughter (Katie Leung), while Quan (Chan) harassing Hennessy for information in increasingly dangerous ways. The flow of the story makes it clear this is adapted from a book (Stephen Leather’s “The Chinaman” and there’s a title that won’t grace any movie anytime soon in these days of cultural sensitivity). Still, this is very much a Jackie Chan production (he even contributes the end credits song) and while there are stunts and action beats, they are somewhat toned down and far more controlled than his much earlier flicks. There are a couple of outstanding hand-to-hand fights that would be major highlights. More of the dramatics are under the steady guidance of director Campbell, and he does well to keep the flow of the story going, even if there’s nothing particularly outstanding in terms of plot. It’s still an entertaining and solid thriller, and it might only disappoint those who are expecting Chan to continue doing his death-defying daredevil stunts and not getting any of them. After all, this is Chan expanding his horizons for the future and he knows he can’t keep doing those action scenes that made him famous world-wide. While it is likely he will tone down the action, it’s also likely he’ll keep doing them but at a pace that would be more appropriate for his age. how that bodes for this other upcoming projects at this time (like the confirmed Rush Hour 4 ~ and do we really need another?) remans to be seen. As far as dramatics go, he’s always put his heart and soul into his projects, and his dramatic turns have always been interesting. Rating: ***1/2 / 5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. Stars Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Edward Holcroft, Hanna Alstrom, with Elton John, Colin Firth and Julianne Moore Directed by Matthew Vaughn There’s not much I can say about this one. Director Matthew Vaughn delivers in terms of action and fun. The stars do well enough with their characters. Elton John pretty much steals all his scenes, no matter how ridiculously sill it gets. Some of the greatest hits from the previous instalments return in a somewhat diminished capacity…. … and it’s long and loud to the point of distraction. Still enjoyable at times but mood might change throughout the film. Rating: ***/5 Find the best online deals here. | Barnes and Noble | Google Play Store | Book Depository Discover more about the books here. Please Support. |
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