WHITE HOUSE DOWN
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, Maggie
Gyllenhaal
Released: July 2013
Roland Emmerich likes blowing up the White House. That’s his
fetish. He is the same guy who blew up the White House in Independence Day. And
to anyone who grew up in the 90’s, that image of a giant saucer-like craft
beaming a streak of light straight down to the White House thereby blowing it
to Kingdom Come is one of the most iconic images of that era. There is no such
memorable scene in this movie. Other than a Malcolm X-looking, Jordan sneakers-strutting
Jamie Foxx as US President, a really old-looking James Woods and scattered
punchlines, absolutely nothing in this movie will be talked about next week. If
you’re a fan of John McClane in Die Hard, then you may either like this movie
or cringe at the sight of a grossly unoriginal knockoff. Channing Tatum’s John
Cale is John McClane 2013 (Look they even have almost similar names!). Cut and
paste Bruce Willis for Channing Tatum’s character, and Willis’ wife for Tatum’s
daughter and you basically have the same characters in basically the same
movie. And don’t even get me started on
how a movie like this comes out just a few months after “Olympus Has Fallen”—a similar
terrorists-taking-over-the-White-House movie.
That’s a $150-Million reason why they should not have made this movie. But they
did. You know, Hollywood. So look at the box-office numbers this weekend, you’d
doubt this movie would break-even with that $150 Million budget. Moviegoers get
it right sometimes.
SPRING BREAKERS
Directed by Harmony Korine
Starring: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens
Released: 2012
I love looking at Selena Gomez. She has that cute jawline
and cuddly baby-like cheeks that I find even sexier than her curves. But this
movie is not just about Selena Gomez, nor the extensive display of skin by the
four lovely lead lady characters, nor the inordinate showcasing of boobs that
would make the testosterone levels of every male go crazy like a dog with rabies.
The movie feels hallucinogenic, shots are over-exposed, dialogues go on repeat
and offbeat-ly super-imposed in almost over-extended scenes. In short, this is envelope-pushing,
genre-bending stuff, surely not your run-of-the-mill popcorn movie you’d be
expecting shown at SM anytime soon. The film is a mélange of neon shots of booze,
drugs, sex and violence, all within the context of a movie about deviant youth
behaviour. James Franco churns out a masterful performance as a gangster and he
goes head-on with Gucci Mane—that alone is enough reason to make this movie
interesting. But that should not take away the screaming-in-your-face social
commentary that this film has beautifully injected through its LSD-induced
cinematography and Britney Spears soundtrack. And Selena Gomez’s jawline.
