Olympus Has Fallen: Not Just Die Hard in the White House

Not sure why I never saw this movie, but hat tip to Ralph Garman for bringing it up. Now, I have zero fingernails.

Last week on the Friday episode of his wonderful podcast The Ralph Report (my review), Garman commented on the third film in the series, Angel Has Fallen, debuting. He and co-host Eddie Pence, chuckled at the name of the main character in this franchise--Mike Banning--as being a typical action film movie name. The little bit made me chuckle, and Garman mentioned he liked the first film. The new movie looked interesting as I have a fondness for the Movies of August so I checked Netflix to see if Olympus Has Fallen. It did. So, I settled in to see "Mike Banning, Secret Service Agent."

The Premise

Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is a secret service agent to President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart), First Lady Margaret (Ashley Judd), and their son, Connor (Finley Jacobson). They're in a snowstorm at Camp David, but they have to drive somewhere. Never a good idea. There's an accident, and Banning makes the only choice he can: save the president, lose the First Lady.

Eighteen months later, Banning mans a desk. He wants back in but Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett) reminds Mike the president doesn't want to be reminded of that night even though Banning made the right choice. All of this is prelude for the terrorist attack on the White House where Banning finds himself on the outside and rushes to the scene.

The Attack

Look, I know it's a movie, but there's something visceral when you see the seat of our government attacked not by aliens but by flesh-and-blood terrorist. Director Antoine Fuqua shows all the Secret Service agents, military personnel, and policemen and women trying in vain to stop the attack. All of them fall, and its sobering. Especially when the bad guys--led by Kang Yeonsak, as played with wily cunning by Bond villain veteran Rick Yune--have an answer to every counterattack. It was during this series of visuals where my fingernails started being assaulted.

As with Air Force One, I was really, really hoping one of the good guys wasn't a traitor. Well, that must be in another movie, because one doesn't cast Dylan McDermott as a Secret Service agent only to get shot. No, he's with the president's detail as he and the South Korean delegation take shelter in the bunker. McDermott's Forbes makes himself known as he and the South Korean  "security detail" reveal themselves and take out the remaining resistance surrounding the president.

Then things get really nasty.

The Ticking Clock

If it wasn't bad enough as a viewer to see the White House attacked and defeated, when the bad guys start torturing the administration officials for the nuclear codes, it gets worse. One always hopes good people can stand up to bad ones, but we're human, and good people always care about one another. It is brutal, and the acting is fantastically believable.

What's also scary are the reactions to all the folks outside the bunker when they realize that the particular nuclear codes are being entered. There's absolutely no way to stop it from the outside. They can only watch.

But they have a man inside: Banning has entered the White House, and into a certain type of film.

Die Hard in the White House

Look, if we're being honest, that is what this film is about. One man against a team of bad guys and he has to do what he can. It starts with finding the president's son and getting him out. Because if the terrorist capture his son, the president will give in. Any parent would, no matter if he or she is the president or not.

As a writer, I was already imagining where this was going. But...and spoilers if you've not seen it...Banning finds Connor and he escapes unharmed! He climbed up through an air shaft and had to watch the shadows of Banning killing a guy. Then, in pure tough-guy-as-likeable-'big brother' type, Banning just says it was a false alarm and for Connor to continue. Even though I was watching this show by myself, I literally uttered a "Yes!" and pumped my fist. The wave of calmness that swept over me was visceral. And it's just a movie.

But isn't that what is supposed to happen? It did when I watched the new movie Hobbs and Shaw this year (on the same day in fact). Or Avengers. Or Mission Impossible: Fallout. Or name any other movie for which I've written a review. The feels--whether happiness, sadness, sorrow, love, or excitement--is why we watch movies.

As much as I enjoyed the "Die Hard in the White House" aspect, there was still a doubt in my head and fingernails to be chewed. I knew the nuclear codes would be turned off. Why? Because we have sequels, and the previews for the new movie, Angel Has Fallen, doesn't take place in a post-nuclear America. But what it does show is Morgan Freeman as the president. In Olympus Has Fallen, Freeman is Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull. He's brought in when both the president and vice president are captured (and the VP is killed). Trumbull is the acting president in Olympus...and he's president in Angel Has Fallen...and I didn't want to look at the synopsis of the middle film, London Has Fallen, but something happens to where Trumbull is elevated to the top job.

Speaking of that, what's up with the poster? This is Butler's movie with Eckhart as the president. Why does Freeman get center billing?

Would Aaron Eckhart's President Asher make it out of Olympus alive? Well, thankfully for this movie and this viewer, he does. Because of bad ass Mike Banning. Just like Bruce Willis's character in Die Hard and Harrison Ford in Air Force One and others, Banning's not without injury and pain. But he does what he must to save the president and save the world.

Because he's [assume that deep, baritone movie trailer voice] Mike Banning, Secret Service Agent.

Man, I thoroughly enjoyed Olympus Has Fallen, despite the beating my nails took. It's an action film, sure, and its one using a template we've had for over thirty years. But this one is different. It's a sobering reminder that there are men and women out there who's sole job it is to protect the president, our governmental institutions, and our country. It's something each of us should never take for granted.

I'll seek out London Has Fallen soon so I can catch Angel Has Fallen in theaters. Olympus Has Falled is very much recommended.

Year of an Indie Writer: Week 19

This was one of those weeks when the day job's activities outweighed the writer job activity. It was a light week, all things considered.

A List of Favorite Podcasts

This week's theme on the blog was some of my favorite podcasts. I started off the week with a look at The Ralph Report by Ralph Garman, then followed that up with a review of Fatman Beyond with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin. After a quick review of The Empire Film Podcast, I ended the week with a pair of podcasts devoted to KISS: PodKISSt and The KISS Room.

And that is basically what the writing week was like. Didn't get a ton of fiction writing done this week.

The highlight of the week was finally getting to see The Struts! Talk about a great show! Luke Spiller truly is a rock star. We saw them in the House of Blues, but the next time he comes through town, the venue will be larger and I'll be further away.

It was a low-key week. Sometimes that's not a bad thing. Especially considering the summer I've got planned.

Podcast Review: The Ralph Report

If it wasn't for Luke Skywalker, I would never have discovered Ralph Garman.

How I Got There

Seven years ago, I was listening to an episode of the SF Signal podcast about Batman when one of the panelists referred to a then-recent interview with Mark Hamill on a separate podcast. I wrote down the name of that other podcast: "Fat Man on Batman" by a guy named Kevin Smith. Didn't have a clue about Smith, but I headed over and downloaded the Mark Hamill episode. Over two episodes, I listened enthralled to Hamill talk about his life and origin story, mixed in with Smith's questions about Batman. When I finished those episodes, I was hooked on this new-to-me podcast devoted entirely to Batman. It was awesome.

I binged all the available episodes including episode 9 when the guest was a friend of Smith's, Ralph Garman. In Ralph's discussion of his origin story, he talked about how huge a Batman '66 fan he was. What sold me was him telling the story of his mom making not only a Batman Halloween costume but a better-than-you-could-buy Batcave playset for his Mego action figures. The humor and relationship between Smith and Garman was palpable and that led me to the show they do together, Hollywood Babble On. It is profane, irreverent, and hilarious.

After Garman was unceremoniously fired from his twenty-year radio gig in November 2017, Smith convinced Garman to create his own show and work on his own terms. At the same time, I was also in a tenuous employment situation and, being a dad, I understood Garman's predicament. So, when he announced he would be creating a new podcast show available on Patreon, and having enjoyed Hollywood Babble On for years, I easily made the decision to subscribe to The Ralph Report.

And I've enjoyed every episode.

What Is The Ralph Report

Monday through Friday, Garman produces an hour-long show every day. The episodes are available around 5:00 a.m. PST so his long-time Los Angeles radio fans can continue to have his voice in their cars during the morning commutes. For me, he is the voice I hear on my drive home in the afternoons. I am usually not even out my office door before the opening notes of his theme song are bursting from my iPhone. He is appointment listening every single weekday.

At the beginning of the series, Garman was the sole host of the show except for when he would have in-depth interviews. He would look at the day's entertainment news and provide his own brand of acerbic commentary. Without the filter of live radio, Garman freely uses all the adult words you can think of, and probably a few more.

His devoted listeners, dubbed the Garmy, actively participate by leaving voice messages or sending emails. He reads them or plays excerpts on the show, reacting to them along the way. It was the listeners who suggested Garman find a co-host with whom he can chat and to which he can respond. Enter stand-up comedian Eddie Pence. With these two in place, The Ralph Report went to eleven.

Highlights of Any Given Episode

Holiday or Holi-nay - Where Ralph and Eddie take a look at certain holidays associated with a particular day and discuss whether it's bogus or not. Of particular interest are all the food-related holidays because Eddie has an interesting taste palette and you just never know what Eddie will or won't eat.

TV Tunes Tuesday - Where Ralph and Eddie play an old TV theme song, usually suggested by the Garmy, and talk about it. Here, Ralph does some background research, often uncovering some interesting nugget for the next trivia night.

One Hit Wonder Wednesday - Same concept, but for songs. Sometimes, he'll get his celebrity guests to namedrop their favorite one-hit wonder.

Eddie's Drunk Thoughts - By happenstance, one listener observed that when the podcast is slowed down to half speed, non-drinker Eddie sounds like a drunk at the end of the bar, talking to no one and anyone. It's true, and it's one of the funniest bits on the show. Heck, even the jingle associated with the segment makes me laugh.

A Shared Community

For these bits and more, members of the Garmy write little musical jingles that Ralph tacks on at the beginning or ending of the segments. These jingles even have passionate fans. Heck, even some of the frequent callers have fans. It's really a community.

There's a camaraderie and respect between Ralph and Eddie that comes through the speakers. And that respect is extended to the listeners and supporters of the show. Everyone may joke about Eddie's particular eating habits, but recently, the Garmy came out and supported Eddie in his bid to record his act and prepare it to make a show.

Moreover, when there's a cause near and dear to their hearts, all joking vanishes and sincerity prevails. Lots of the content may come at you wrapped in profanity, but underneath, The Ralph Report's real gift is in its big-hearted host.

The Art of the Hustle

Ralph is a few years older than I am. As many of us grow older and near the proverbial retirement age, we fantasize about taking it easy. Even in our day jobs, we may not want to do as much hard work as we did in our thirties or forties. We want the cushy position where you can do half the work but get all the perks.

That hand wasn't dealt to Ralph. Imagine yourself at age fifty-three being fired from your long-time gig and having a wife and child to support to say nothing about the usual bills. What would you do?

The answer is whatever it takes. Ralph Garman picked himself up after having been knocked down and carved out a place for himself amid all the options we have to consume. It wasn't easy. It never is. He hustled, learning whatever he needed to learn, to create, from scratch, this daily podcast we listeners can enjoy. He might even work longer hours than he did on the radio, but he did whatever it took to get The Ralph Report up and running and into the small, independent business is to support his family.

As a indie writer who created a business to publish my own books, Ralph Garman's story is inspirational, and I happily support The Ralph Report.

Highly recommended.

Tune In Tomorrow...

...for a little Batman talk.