Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum
Director: Jon M. Chu
In a few words...: Bruce Willis leads the outlawed G.I. Joe's in a quest to overthrow the evil Cobra Commander and free the President of the United States.
Rating: 7/10
Beware: SPOILERS AHEAD
This movie has been a long time coming. We heard that it's release date had initially been pushed back in order to make Channing Tatum the real focus of a new promotional campaign, thanks to his rising star power. Then it was all about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson being the main man for an even newer promotional campaign.
Finally, a handful of years after it was first intended, the sequel to GI Joe - Rise of Cobra has hit screens, and, if you want a big, loud, visually exciting film, this is it. I'm not a giant fan of the 3D format, but there were some good effects in that extra dimension and the conversion didn't seem forced, proving that there's a market for 3D movies; maybe it's the big budget comic book-style adventure.
After Cobra infiltrates the White House and takes over the Oval Office, with Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) impersonating POTUS (Jonathan Pruce), the Joe's are sent on a mission designed to be a trap, and in a spectacular abmbush scene in the desert, most of their number are killed. Surprisingly, Channing Tatum's Duke Hauser bites the dust - literally and figuratively here - leaving only Roadblock (Johnson), Flint (D.J Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) as survivors.
At the same time, Cobra Commander is rescued from prison, and once more put to at the pointy end of the organisation. Storm Shadow, injured during the operation, is tracked to a mountain retreat by Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Jinx (Elodie Yung), who are involved in an epic cliff-side sequence, fighting off large numbers of bad guys, all whilst protecting their parcel, Storm Shadow. The action scenes are jaw-dropping right throughout the movie, but this one might've been the very best. You can't help but be impressed.
Then Bruce Willis is introduced, and he's at his best as a the wise-cracking template for the G.I. Joe's, Joseph Colton, and with his help, the surviving Joes launch an audacious plan to free the President and interfere with Cobra's plans for total word domination, which are taking place at a supposed peace summit at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbour, South Carolina. In a show of force, Zartan (in his guise as the President of the United States) shows off his orbital bombardment weapons after tricking the rest of the world's leaders into disabling their nuclear devices by destroying London.
It's very loud and it's very exciting, with the action switching back between the main attack at Fort Sumter and the operation led by Colton (Willis) to rescue the President from the bunker where he is being held, but Cobra Commander escapes - setting up the premise for a third film, no doubt - whilst Roadblock manages to thwart Cobra's plans for detonating the orbital weapon.
At a White House ceremony, hosted by the rescued president, honouring the G.I. Joe's for their service, Colton gives Roadblock a Colt .45 pistol that he has been carrying, and asks Roadblock to use it to kill Cobra Commander. Presumably, Colton will get his wish if the rumoured third film becomes the final piece in the G.I.I Joe trilogy.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman
Director: Antoine Fuqua
In a few words...: A Die Hard-style movie with North Korean terrorists commandeering the White House.
Rating: 8/10
Beware: SPOILERS AHEAD
One thing this film got eerily correct is the relevancy of it's bad guys. In Antonie Fuqua's latest effort, North Korean terrorists storm the White House and it's left to a disenchanted, on-the-outer Secret Service agent - who, handily, is a Special Forces combat vet and, rather precipitously, has ties to the president, whose house is now under siege by a bunch of gun-toting rebels who have no qualms about assassinating political figures. Early on, the South Korean president, visiting 1600 Pennsylvania, is killed, and the Vice President meets a grisly end, too.
Yes, we've seen it before, in varying ways and with varying degrees of success, the memories of Die Hard's John McClane, the ultimate "guy in the wrong place at the wrong time" character. Gerard Butler's Mike Banning, once a member of the Secret Service President Detail before a horrible accident on a snowy night ends with the death of the First Lady, and now a desk jockey at the Department of Treasury, relegated there because the president cannot look at Banning - who, everyone admits, did the right thing that night - and not see the ghost of his dead wife.
When the North Koreans storm the White House, with an assist from some duplicitous Americans, Banning is everyone's last hope - and particularly the President, who, not surprisingly, is the focus of the terrorists. They want, not only to embarrass the United States of America, but to turn it into a wasteland by detonating nuclear warheads in their silos, as they believe America helped do to North Korea.
Fuqua, whose films Training Day and Tears of the Sun I absolutely love, turns on the action in a big way here. The set pieces, featuring the destruction of some very famous Washington D.C. monuments and locations, when the White House isn't being destroyed by way of turning into a battlefield, are spectacular. Jaw dropping, thrilling, edge-of-your-seat stuff. Of course, you know how it's going to end. The good guy always wins in these films. But that's beside the point, because the journey to the end credits is a wild one.
Gerard Butler is brilliant as Banning, once an integral part of White House operations, then relegated to the outer, and suddenly back on the Big Stage once more. Sure, he isn't Bruce Willis - you can't help but imagine what Detective John McClane might have done in that situation - but he brings a certain realism to the starring role here. The man is a lethal weapon, totally bad-ass in every way. Where a lot of films shy away from lots of violence, Fuqua ramps up the realism, and the film deserves it's MA15+ (in Australia) rating. It allows Banning to show off his spec ops skills, thinning out the ranks of the North Korean terrorists, dispatching rogue Americans, saving the president's son, and managing some solid one-liners as well as an interesting tit-for-tat antagonistic relationship with the head bad guy along the way, as the body count starts to stack up.
Solid, though without much to do, is Aaron Eckhart as President Benjamin Asher. His personal relationship with Banning is established early on, and the moment - the death of the First Lady - that comes between them, resulting in Banning being removed from the Detail, sets up the rest of the story. After that, as a hostage, he's left with little to do. At least he looks presidential, square-jawed and serious, a little like JFK.
The imagery is what makes this film. The entire White House attack sequence is, for visual effect, the film's crowning moment. But there's more: a toppling Washington Monument, it's top third sheared off by a converted C-130 Hercules loaded for bear with Gatling guns; an ill-advised raid to retake the White House that ends with the destruction of a third of the buukding; Banning waging a one-man war on the terrorists, stabbing, shooting, breaking necks; the bullet-riddled American flag at sunset. It's all there, in what is obviously a patriotic nod to America - natural, when the White House is the main subject - and although Olympus Has Fallen isn't going to win any action films, it's a solid action film with plenty of bang for your buck.
Opening up the night, was Scotland's Amy MacDonald, who is making her Australian debut after finding great success in Europe. Her voice is amazing, and the acoustic cover of "Dancing In The Dark" was amazing. As was the Tweet wall between the opener and the headliner, where any Tweet tagged with @bryanadams was displayed on the big screen behind the stage. As one Tweet suggested, maybe one day a live Twitter feed will replace a support act?
Then, right on 8.30pm, the lights went dark, and away we went. Bryan Adams took the stage with arms raised, guitar ready, and rolled right into the music.
I always go into these "classic rock" era shows with a certain amount of trepidation, because you can't be sure how good an artist's voice is going to hold up. We've seen some voices deteroriate rapidly - Vince Neill of Motley Crue comes to mind, as does Meatloaf - whilst others - Bruce Springsteen, John Farnham - continue to be powerhouses, making a mockery of their advanced age.
Well, you can add Bryan Adams to that list. The pride of North Vancouver, British Columbia still has it - in a big way. Through a set that ran for nearly two and a half hours, the guitar-playing legend reminded us of just how many big hits he had, rolling through just about all of them, to the delight of a capacity crowd at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. With a brilliant four-piece band, led by long-time lead guitarist Keith Scott, a man of immense talent with an axe in hand, there was barely a song that didn't have the entire crowd up on their feet. No wonder Adams himself, and the tour, is getting such glowing reviews. They're well-deserved.
Adams makes Bruce Springsteen, himself notoriously short of a word during his songs, seem like an out-and-out conversationalist.He barely said more than a handful of words, aside from when he brought an audience member out of the crowd. That lucky woman was "Liesel from Penrith," who looked like she was having the time of her life, singing with Adams and the band on "Baby, When You're Gone, the song that was originally a duet with Melanie C of Spice Girls fame.
Other than that, it was hit after hit, stuff from the eighties and nineties, great anthemic rock that might be widely thought of as a guilty pleasure beyond the walls of whatever arena is boasting Bryan Adams as it's headliner that night. The giant hits were all there, peppered nicely through a set that, to be honest, was just about all giant hits, be they anthems or ballads. Of course "Summer of 69", "Heaven", "Can't Stop This Thing We've Started", "Cut's Like A Knife" and "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" were all there, and more, including a roaring "House Arrest" and a Tina Turner-less romp through "It's Only Love."
The focus of the night - and the tour - was, we were told, the twenty-year anniversary of Waking Up The Neighbours, the album that shot Adams to a new level of the stratosphere in 1991. A lot of songs from that landmark release were played, including the big hit, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" that made it's mark thanks to Kevin Costner's action epic Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The incredible thing is that Adams' voice doesn't sound much different than it did twenty-odd years before.
When the big songs were played, the crowd stood and sung - and danced - the night became epic. "Summer of '69" particularly, is one of those anthems that's really stood the test of time. You tend to remember where you first heard a song like that (in the same vein, for instance, as Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer", and when there's 10,000+ people singing it at once, and when the guys up there on the stage respond in kind, giving it everything they can, it's a moment that simply can't be recreated in a smaller, more intimate venue.
There were no encore breaks here - because no one really believes that the band is going anywhere without having played all their big hits - and not much in the way of stage sleight of hand. Certainly, no pyro or extravagant lighting. Just a group of guys on a stage, singing great songs, all night long. Stadium rock - long may it reign.
The only downside? No "Let's Make It A Night To Remember". Other than that, a top-notch night. Bryan Adams still has it!
Bryan Adams - Sydney 2013 Set List:
1. House Arrest
2. Somebody
3. Here I Am
4. Kids Wanna Rock
5. Can't Stop This Thing We've Started
6. Cloud Number Nine
7. I Thought I'd Died & Gone To Heaven
8. Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?
9. Hearts On Fire
10. Do I Have To Say The Words?
11. 18 Til I Die
12. Back To You
13. Summer Of '69
14. If You Wanna Leave Me
15. Touch The Hand
16. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
17. Cuts Like A Knife
18. When You're Gone
19. Heaven
20. Please Forgive Me
21. It's Only Love
22. The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
23. Run To You
24. There Will Never Be Another Tonight
25. Straight From The Heart
26. All For Love
Swans lethal in the second half, win by 39 on a cool afternoon in Hobart
SYDNEY 3.4 5.6 16.10 20.11 (131)
NORTH MELBOURNE 4.2 7.8 8.11 13.14 (92)
Goals: Sydney: J Bolton 4 B McGlynn 3 D Hannebery 3 A Goodes 2 J McVeigh 2 L Parker 2 A Everitt J Kennedy L Jetta R O’Keefe. North Melbourne Kangaroos: L Thomas 3 B Cunnington 2 L Hansen 2 R Tarrant 2 D Wells J MacMillan S Wright T Goldstein.
Umpires: Simon Meredith, Brett Rosebury, Nicholas Foot.
Venue: Blundstone Arena
In Grand Finals, we hear that old - but relatively true - cliche about the third quarter being the Premiership Quarter. Generally, teams who win the third stanza are on top at the end of the fourth. On Saturday at Blundstone Arena in Hobart, the third quarter was the game-winning quarter for the Swans, and the scene of another disastrous breakdown for the North Melbourne Kangaroos.
For the blue-and-whites, a handy, if not game-winning lead at the long break disappeared in a cloud of goals for the team in red-and-white. It was a veritable avalanche, eleven for the Swans, who had, to that point, managed just five. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the reigning AFL premiers woke up in the third, to the detriment of North. Whatever John Longmire said at half time...well, Horse might want to bottle that particular address and use it again. Whatever he said, worked in spades.
Not for the last time - and, Swans fans hope, not for the last - it was the old hands and the big guns who sparked the red-and-white revival. Goodes, Jack, McVeigh, Bolton, McGlynn, O'Keefe...and on the list goes. The same names kept bobbing up, slicing the Kangaroos to shreds. The Swans had all the run. They moved around Kangaroos defenders like they were witches hat. It was a rout, all the footballs going one way. Yes, there was a breeze. No, it wasn't an eleven-goal breeze. At the end, it was party time. Kieran Jack made moves like he was his father on a rugby league field. Ben McGlynn potted a miracle goal from almost on the boundary line.
That's how it went for the Swans in the third. Everything fell their way. Nothing fell North Melbourne's way. By the end, the goal count in the third was 11-1. A dagger-like quarter of football, and the game was, for all intents and purposes, over. Brad Scott's face said it all. The North coach knew it wasn't to do with the breeze. Quite simply, his team were out-played, and he had been out-coached.
It isn't the first time that the Swans have made another team's coach look perplexed and frustrated. Three times out of three games, the Bloods have been tested, and three times out of three games, they've kicked their level of play to another level, running out comfortable victories, scoreboards perhaps not showing the true nature of the way the game transpired. What matters, though, is the Swan's 3-0 record in 2013. It doesn't matter how they win, just that they do.
The onslaught of the third quarter helped most forget about an indifferent first half, which had been dominated by the Kangaroos for the most part, leading to their sixteen-point lead. There were good patches here and there for the Swans, but the ability to put together a full effort for two quarters was lacking. They haven't played a four-quarter game yet in 2013. When they do, you can only imagine where this team, full of talent and depth, might be able to do. A scary thought for opposition coaches. Ironically, the Kangaroos have had the same problem. The difference? The Swans are 3-0, the 'Roos 0-3.
A slight sense of deja vu, in the third, wherein North Melbourne kicked three straight to open, before the Swans got onto the board in any shape or form - a behind to McGlynn, that could've and perhaps should've been a major. Granted, the breeze had certainly stiffened late, and the game was not truly in doubt for the Bloods. Predictably, those same names popped up, O'Keefe and Goodes, booting majors, and it was a case of put down the glasses.
A triumphant day for the midfield. They ran, tackled, pressured and boy, did they kick goals. McGlynn had three. as did Dan Hannebery, the evergreen Jude Bolton 4, to lead the way, with McVeigh and Kennedy also getting amongst the goals. When they weren't kicking goals, they were setting them up. The performance of the engine room overshadowed how good Ted Richards and his corps of defenders were down back, as well as Shane Mumford's work in the ruck. And Goodes, with a handful of touches and two goals, has a habit of bobbing up to inject some added class, not that this Swans team struggles in that department. Nice, though, to have a player like Goodes to just take over the contest when necessary. Long may that continue.
Friday night footy returns to Sydney next week, as the Swans face Geelong. Their SCG tilt last year was one of the games of the season, with Andrejs Everitt kicking a wonderful game-winner late. Let's hope there's less heart-attack material, but as much of a contest, on Friday.
Go Bloods!!
A one-day stopover in the Windy City on a chilly Black Friday in 2010. Amtrak from Detroit, Michigan early in the morning, and a few hours in Chicago before an early-morning departure for Los Angeles, California the next day. The very definition of a whirlwind visit!
Photos from my Sony Cyber Shot camera.
(Click on each one for a bigger view.)
Iconic view of the Chicago River, the Wrigley Building and the impressive Chicago Riverwalk taken from E Wacker Drive. Bridge crossing the river is N Michigan Avenue.
The Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago next to the Wrigley Building and N Michigan Avenue.
Chicago River and the Sheraton Chicago.
Chicago Sheraton features again, as the Chicago River flows out towards Lake Michigan.
Portillo's flagship store at 100 W Ontario Street in Chicago. The best shredded beef sandwiches and hot dogs I've ever tasted, all with a definite Windy City flare. Go here if you're in Chicago. It's iconic and it's delicious.
It became a beautiful afternoon - too beautiful to not visit the Hancock Tower Observation Deck. Navy Pier juts out into Lake Michigan. (Excuse the exposure of the deck's windows in the upper right corner!!)
Downtown Chicago in all it's sunny glory. The iconic Sears Tower is in the right of this shot.
Now officially known as Willis Tower, it was Sears Tower for years and years, immortalised in nearly every modern movie about Chicago, and will always be remembered that way by most Chicagoans and those who visit.
Lakeshore Drive trails off into the distance along the immense Lake Michigan. The shadows of the buildings in the water are amazing!
Another shot of downtown Chicago. Not quite visible from here are the lakefront parks, and iconic Chicago locations like Soldier Field, the Adler Planetarium and the Field Museum.
Known colloquially simply as "The Bean" the Cloud Gate sculpture by Anish Kapoor sits as the centerpiece of AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park and is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions.
In the shadow of the Cloud Gate sculpture at AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park is the seasonal McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink, very popular during the holiday season.
The McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink with The Heritage at Millennium Park and the Crain Communications Building visible in the background.
Another iconic sculpture in Millennium Park, the Crown Fountain, showing images of everyday Chicagoans. The fountain is a popular escape from the heat of summer, though there was no such problem on this day.
A view of downtown Chicago, including Navy Pier and Sears Tower, from the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel.
The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel.
Michigan Avenue by night.
The Chicago River at night.
The iconic and beautiful Chicago Tribune Building on Michigan Avenue.
Night time view of the Chicago River from the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
