Midway

First Hit: Besides being too long, I didn’t like and couldn’t engage with the main character Dick Best (Ed Skrein).

As portrayed here, Best was a pilot who liked breaking the rules, thought highly of himself and his flying skills, but eventually, his arrogance, depicted as bravery, helped to win the war over Japan at Midway.

I don’t know what it was, but if another actor played Best, I might have better related with this character. Actors, from another time, who might have made this role work are Steve McQueen or Paul Newman. These guys had a way of being edgy and arrogant but likable.

There are other issues with this film that stood out as well. There were sections that were supposed to provide a depth to the story but seemed needless. Additionally, the strategic planning of the attack on Midway became muddled.

On a positive note, many of the action scenes were well choreographed and very exciting to watch.

This film is about how the battle of Midway became the turning point of the Pacific War between the United States and Japan. Early on, we see Pearl Harbor being bombed. This was particularly effective and was well depicted with the surprise and the panic that set in after the attack.

The US goal was to hit back at Japan in a way that would have them rethink their choice to attack the United States.

The key players in this story are Best, Lieutenant Commander Edwin T. Layton (Patrick Wilson), who was an intelligence officer, and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (Woody Harrelson). Layton had developed data, with a team of intelligence analysts, that gave him a hunch that the Pearl Harbor attack was coming. Nimitz had heard about Layton’s ideas and after his assignment to head the Pacific Fleet, he told Layton to bring him information that would allow his decimated fleet to execute a surprise counterattack.

Midway was that surprise attack. In addition to this story, there were side stories. One was about Vice Admiral William “Bull” Halsey (Dennis Quaid), who was the on-boat commander of the aircraft carrier leading the fleet. He had a horrible case of shingles, which eventually put him out of commission. There was also a story about Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart) who first bombed Japan, and because the way the mission worked out, he and his entire squadron had to ditch their planes because they ran out of fuel.

There are also sweet scenes with Best and his wife Anne (Mandy Moore), one of the few who understood and embraced her husband’s erratic intensity. There are also depictions of Japanese ship commanders and Admirals, which are brief and attempt to show the ignorance of and blind devotion to the war effort as commanded by their emperor.

Skrein was not likable as Best. What I don’t know was it Skrein or his character I didn’t like or want to champion. Eckart, in the bombing of Japan side story, was solid as Doolittle. Wilson was excellent as the intelligence officer Layton. The scene where he is pressed for the details on the theory of a Midway attack by the Japanese was powerful. Harrelson gave a strong performance as Nimitz. His belief in his team, especially Layton, was well executed. Quaid was good as Halsey, a “bull” of a man. Moore was excellent as the trusting and understanding wife of the film’s wildcard character. Wes Tooke wrote a meandering script that seemed to take in too many stories. Roland Emmerich had an excellent eye for many of the action scenes, but the story seemed to take too large a bite.

Overall: Because I couldn’t get into the main character, the film fell flat.

Bleed for This

First Hit:  Although very well acted, it didn’t stay with me nor was I inspired.

The oddity for me about this film was seeing this amazing struggle that Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller) went through to fight again, yet also being turned off by a number of the movie's characters. The pushiness and arrogance of his father Angelo (Ciaran Hinds), promoter and son Lou Duva (Ted Levine) and Dan Duva (Jordan Gelber), and the treatment of family members, just left me cold.

It is not that I have to like the characters in a movie, however for some reason, Angelo, Lou and Dan turned me off to other parts of the film. On the converse side Vinny’s relationship with his trainer Kevin Rooney (Aaron Eckhart) was priceless. This was the best part of the film. The push/pull and of their personalities was exquisite.

The film shined when it was about how Vinny found his inner strength to really live again. Up until that one point, Miles did a great job of moving Vinny to level of complacency while healing. But then it switches and he becomes the focused Vinny the film begins with, thus moving the film into another gear. When Kevin joins him in his quest, the movie started to sing again and the bonding between these two men in the basement was outstanding.

The fight scenes were OK. Some of the the ring choreography was puzzling but overall it was exciting and gave an air of the battles Vinny went through. The training scenes and the appropriately dark and grungy gyms used to train in, were perfect given the era and type of boxer Vinney portrayed.

Vinny’s mom Louise (Katey Sagal) not being able to watch any of his fights, spent that time in front of her alter of Jesus emblemed candles and other Jesus iconic stuff. It was difficult for me to relate to that kind of praying, yet it made sense for the film and Italian family. Additionally, the scenes of Vinny and entourage in strip joints also fit the film’s genera, and were insightful to the characters in their own way.

Teller was very strong as Vinny and made his battle believable. Each time he had to get into a car or duck under something I cringed and ducked in my seat as well. Eckhart was outstanding as Vinny’s trainer. I loved his drunk scenes as well as his sober focused scenes equally. Hinds was perfectly obnoxious, egotistic and arrogant as boss of his family and what he wanted. The scene of him chomping and smoking a cigar on the porch while telling off Kevin was perfect in all ways. Levine and Gelber was wonderful as the father and son promoters always looking out for their interests while feigning the interest of the fighters they promote. Sagal was good as the suppressed mom always worried about her son’s fighting. Ben Younger both wrote and directed this film. The writing in many of the scenes was outstanding and getting the actors to deliver on those lines was skillful.

Overall:  Engaging film to watch but forgetful by the next day.

Sully

First Hit:  An amazing, crisp, and well-acted film about a remarkable event showing how this pilot made an extraordinary set of decisions under extreme pressure.

I was profoundly affected by how much Tom Hanks (as U.S. Airways pilot Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger) embodied the deeply rooted sense of responsibility for the 155 people on the plane he had to land in the Hudson River.

Like Sully, I was fully engrossed in wondering about everyone on the plane. The concern is demonstrated in so many ways:  1) Sully going up and down the aisle ensuring everyone is out of the plane. His last look towards the back of the plane before he exited was telling.  2) When he asked one of the officers of the pilot’s union to help him find out if everyone got off the plane.  3) the release of the subtle out-breath while being given a physical when he’s told, the survivor's count was 155.

We get multiple views of the event. We get a glimpse of what the air traffic controller went through, his heart being in the job. We get to see how the airline's insurance company and investigators aimed to have the water landing be pilot error. We see the closeness and distance Sully has with his wife Lorraine (Laura Linney).

We get to embrace the pilot and co-pilot (Aaron Eckhart as Jeff Skiles) relationship and how this event brought them closer together. Lastly, we the audience, see a public hearing about the event. All of this in a crisp well executed 96 minutes.

The dream sequences were powerful and were reminders of how a commercial airline plane can create enormous damage to a city. The film editing of the differing views of this event, was perfect. The conclusion, even though it is already public knowledge, is wonderfully suspenseful and gratifying.

Hanks is superb. He embodies the weight of the role of pilot and all the decisions Sully has made over the years. I would want all my pilots to be this man. Linney is good as Sully’s wife. While we never see them together, and her relationship with Sully during this film is solely by phone, it works, she’s able to bridge the gap. Eckhart is wonderful and strong as co-pilot Skiles. He was perfect. Todd Komarnicki wrote an very strong engaging script. Clint Eastwood’s direction was sublime. He captured so many aspects of the event and did this in a clear concise manner.

Overall:  This is a wonderfully executed film depicting a set of life saving decisions made clearly and with concise conviction.

London Has Fallen

First Hit:  It was as expected and it works – it was entertaining.

As a Secret Service protector of President Asher (Aaron Eckhart), this is what you’d expect a Gerard Butler (as Mike Manning) film to be like.

The basic story is, the US executed a drone attack on Aamir Barkawi (Alon Aboutboul) a weapons dealer who sells to terrorists. The drone attack was at his home compound during his daughter’s wedding.

Revenge is deeply bred, and two years later, Barkawi sets up a “natural cause death” of the British Prime Minister which brings all the Western Heads of State to London. Barkawi has an inside connection to British intelligence and surprises all the heads of state by killing most everyone except President Asher who escapes with Manning’s guidance and protection.

To create more tension and softness in the story, Manning’s wife is about to give birth to his first child and he realizes that his job won’t allow him to be much of a dad. Barkawi wants to kill the President on social media in front of the world, however as most Hollywood films end, it ends with the hero winning.

Butler was well cast in this role. There is a certain level of sarcastic humor and physicality that makes his role work. Eckhart is good as the President yet he’s more physical in action than one might expect. Aboutboul was strong and effective as the revengeful father and terrorist. Elsa Mollien as MI agent was wonderful. Angela Bassett as the President’s secretary was good. Morgan Freeman was effective as Vice President Trumbull. Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Christian Gudegast, and Chad St. John wrote a typical and entertaining screenplay. Babak Najafi did a good job of creating an entertaining film.

Overall:  It is pure entertainment and it does work.

Olympus Has Fallen

First Hit:  Despite big holes in the plot and feasibility, it was entertaining enough.

It is hard for me to believe that a big, prop driven, slow plane such as the one that riddles Washington DC with Gatling gun bullets, could and would get as far as it did.

If our defense system consists of two jets (with follow-up planes as well) and they cannot figure out how to shoot down this big slow plane at the outset then… oh we wouldn’t have had a film. Anyway, the timeliness of this film about a North Korean dissident Kang (Rick Yune) trying to teach the US a lesson about the Korean Peninsula made me smile just a little.

The film sets the audience up by showing the close relationship between Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), President Asher (Aaron Eckhart), and his family (wife Margaret – Ashley Judd and son Connor – Finley Jacobsen). Through no fault of his own Mike gets excused from the protecting the President by protecting the President.

When the Korean’s storm the White House, Mike gets back into action and does what he can to save the President, his country, and to save his own life. Another hole in the story is that when the President is shot, and everyone knows there are no more bad guys, no-one rushes into the White House to assist the wounded President – they waited until Mike and Asher slowly made their way out of the rubble – all for drama.

Butler is OK at portraying the troubled agent – but it wasn’t a stretch at all. Eckhart was OK as the President doing the Presidential and honorable acts by letting his Secretary of Defense give up her code to keep her alive. Judd was fine in her small role. Yune is good as the dissident. Morgan Freeman was very good as Speaker Trumbull who ends up being the President in Charge. Angela Bassett as Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs was good. Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt wrote a script that had an interesting concept but too filled with holes. Antoine Fuqua directed this with the idea of fantasy not reality.

Overall:  It might be something to watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon at home, but not worth the money to see in the theaters.