Movie Review: “London Has Fallen”

Starring
Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Charlotte Riley, Colin Salmon, Robert Forster
Director
Babak Najafi

“Olympus Has Fallen” was a pretty blatant rip-off of John McTiernan’s “Die Hard,” so it should come as no surprise that “London Has Fallen” – which is more of a spiritual successor than a literal sequel to the 2013 film – takes a page from another installment in the John McClane series, “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” by staging it as a buddy movie between Gerard Butler‘s gruff, no-nonsense Secret Service agent and Aaron Eckhart‘s hostage-prone president. The premise itself isn’t all that different from its somewhat enjoyable predecessor, but while “London Has Fallen” has its charms, this lean, mean POTUS-in-peril action thriller is ultimately hindered by its reluctance to fully embrace its own stupidity.

When the British Prime Minister unexpectedly dies after a routine surgery, U.S. President Benjamin Asher (Eckhart) insists on traveling to London for the funeral to pay his respects, despite the logistical nightmare that it creates for Secret Service director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett) and head of security Mike Banning (Butler). Many of the world’s most powerful leaders are scheduled to attend, which provides the perfect opportunity for Yemenian arms dealer Aamir Barkawi (Alon Aboutboul) to launch a synchronized terrorist attack that kills several heads of state and reduces London’s most famous landmarks to rubble. President Asher manages to survive the initial attack, but when his rescue chopper is shot down, he’s forced to go on the run from his pursuers, relying once again on the highly skilled Banning to keep him safe and neutralize the threat.

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Mayweather defeats Pacquiao but the fight falls falt

It’s always deflating when a massively hyped event fails to live up to expectations. Strangely, however, for true boxing fans, not much was surprising about the Floyd Mayweather – Manny Pacquiao fight. Floyd did what Floyd always does – he plays defense, runs away from most confrontations, and uses his jab and counter punches to score. He’s a great boxer, but frankly not much of a fighter, and that leads to boring wins like we saw this weekend.

There was no way for this fight to live up to the hype. Las Vegas was flooded with celebrities for the event, as Vegas is always starving for huge happenings like this one. It’s what the town thrives on, and the rest of the country loves the spectacle as well. You have A-List celebrities like Tom Brady catching the Kentucky Derby during the day and then taking his private jet to Vegas to take in the fight.

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Fitness Facts: 8 Perilous Pitfalls to Avoid at the Gym

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Joining a gym can be a scary experience. You never know exactly what you’re getting into until after you join. Unfortunately, many gyms try to obscure broken equipment, shady liability waivers, and other inherently dangerous things about their gym until after you’ve paid your dues. To add insult to injury, it’s often easier to walk on water than to cancel your membership. Here’s how to avoid some of the more obvious perils lurking at your average gym.

Check For Broken Equipment

Broken equipment is very common in many gyms across America. In the 1970s new machines were being invented which were supposed to make it easier for average folks to work out. However, as gyms bought into these machines, they realized there was a lot of money which had to be tied up into maintenance. Some gyms chose to forego the maintenance and instead let gym-goers figure it out on their own.

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Picture of the Day: Alisha Lucik next to a waterfall

Alicia Lucik shows off her assets in a thong bikini as she poses next to a waterfall in a beautiful pool.

Alicia Lucik next to a waterfall

  

24 Blog 9.9: Catch Me Now I’m Falling

24 9 9-1

This is not hyperbole, though it might be forgetfulness: this might be Jack Bauer’s finest hour.

He saved Big Dick Heller by using a trick from the playbook of the 1994 movie “Speed,” which is to hack the camera feed and create a continuous loop that the terrorist won’t notice (until they do). Then he landed a helicopter on Mommie Dearest’s building, because stealth (which is to say, everyone in the building should have heard this coming). Then he rappelled down the building and worked his way into their fortress through the window.

That setup makes me want to write one of those click whore-type tag lines now. You know, the one that doesn’t tell you what happens next, but makes sure you know that you absolutely need to click on this link right now, dude! (You see these on Facebook 100 times a day.) I’m new at this, so here goes:

“This soldier is one step away from death. What happens next is amazing.”

How did I do? Don’t answer that, it’s a trick question: those tag lines all suck.

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