London Has Fallen R
In this sequel to Olympus Has Fallen, Gerard Butler returns as Mike Banning, the formidable Secret Service agent charged with protecting the U.S. president (Aaron Eckhart). Attacked in London while attending the British prime minister’s funeral, the president and Banning flee highly trained and motivated terrorists who plunge the city into chaos and promise to continue their assault until the president is in their custody. Though their prospects look bleak, Banning and the president are skilled runners, and they are helped by an MI-6 agent (Charlotte Riley) who rightly trusts no one.
The Other Side of the Door R
This horror film squanders its exotic Indian setting and R-Rating, neither exploring Eastern traditions nor delivering adult-level scares. Americans Maria and Michael (Sarah Wayne Callies and Jeremy Sisto) lead an idyllic existence in India until their eldest child, Oliver (Logan Creran), dies tragically. Guilt-ridden, Maria follows her housekeeper’s (Suchitra Pillai-Malik) instructions to visit a remote temple where she can communicate with her son’s spirit. Warned never to open the temple door, Maria does just that and is followed home by a host of angry poltergeists. Will Maria receive the punishment she so richly deserves? We can only hope.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot R
In this adaptation of Kim Barker’s autobiography, Tina Fey portrays a journalist embedded with allied troops in Afghanistan and Pakistan during 2002-2004. Initially persuaded to sign on for a three-month tour, 40-something Kim soon jettisons her boyfriend back home in favor of romance with sarcastic Scottish photographer Iain (Martin Freeman). Kim’s efforts to climb the career ladder trump any examination of the region’s politics or of America’s role in the Middle East. We might enjoy her two-year romp were the film funnier.
