Month: July 2017

Today’s quick review: Fast & Furious 6. Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) come out of retirement when Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) recruits them for a special mission. Their task is to hunt down Shaw (Luke Evans), a terrorist close to assembling a device capable of crippling a country’s military for 24 hours. Dom and Brian must reunite their tight-knit crew of drivers, thieves, and friends to scour London for Shaw.

Fast & Furious 6 is an action movie and the sixth entry in the Fast & Furious series. Fast & Furious 6 takes the series one step closer to pure action, with a plot more resembling a spy movie than the series’ roots in street racing. The transition is handled with good humor: the characters make jokes about the shift in scale, and cars remain at the center of the action.

The change in plot allows Fast & Furious 6 to go even farther in terms of action. The car scenes include a few creative conceits that keep the driving fresh. The extra gunfights and hand-to-hand combat are enjoyable, especially with Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson providing some muscle. While the plot is not quite as tight as Fast Five’s, it serves up plenty of action both on and off the road.

Like its predecessor, Fast & Furious 6 features an ensemble cast headlined by Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson. Most of the cast from Fast Five returns, bringing their easy banter with them. Fast & Furious 6 plays up the familial aspects of Dom’s crew, and their compatability and loyalty are enough to give the movie a bit of heart without having to include too many character arcs.

Watch Fast & Furious 6 if you are looking for a well-executed action film with a large cast and imaginative stunts. Though a direct sequel to Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 stands well enough on its own that knowledge of the previous films is not necessary to enjoy it. The shift towards generic action may turn off some Fast & Furious fans, but Fast & Furious 6 remains a solid entry into the action genre while retaining its unique focus on cars.

7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for great action, a good cast, and a reasonable plot.

Today’s quick review: Fast Five. When a job in Brazil goes wrong, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew find themselves on the run from the police and in possession of the key to a drug kingpin’s fortune. Together with his partner in crime Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), and friend Vince (Matt Schulze), Dom assembles a crew to take the drug lord for all he is worth. But their planned heist hits a snag when American agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) arrives in Brazil to track them down.

Fast Five is an action movie and the fifth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise. Fast Five strays somewhat from the series’ street racing roots by injecting a hefty dose of action into the mix. The emphasis is still on fast cars and technical driving, but the car stunts are bigger and are joined by foot chases, gunfights, and hand-to-hand combat. The transition feels like a natural escalation of the universe and adds enough action to please any fan of the genre.

Fast Five’s other big changes are the addition of an ensemble cast, a heist plot, and Dwayne Johnson. Dom’s massive crew includes a bevy of familiar faces from previous movies, including Vince (Matt Schulze) from The Fast and the Furious, Roman Peirce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) from 2 Fast 2 Furious, Han (Sung Kang) from Tokyo Drift, and Gisele (Gal Gadot) from Fast & Furious. The returning characters give Fast Five a strong sense of continuity with previous films, while their interactions provide the film with comedy and camaraderie.

The heist plot is a welcome variant of the crime movie formula that is typical of the franchise. The heist revolves around fast cars and improbable stunts, while the impressive cash sum provides stakes befitting the expanded cast. Agent Hobbs serves as the heist’s wildcard, a brutally efficient American agent on loan to the Brazilian government. The addition of Dwayne Johnson to the cast fits the tone of the series well and restores the crime/law enforcement balance upset by Brian’s defection to Dom’s gang.

Watch Fast Five if you are in the mood for a high-quality action film with fast cars, big stunts, and an ensemble cast. For all its connections to previous films, knowledge of them is not necessary to enjoy the film. Skip Fast Five if you dislike the action genre.

7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for a heist plot, an enjoyable ensemble cast, and all-around action.

Today’s quick review: Fast & Furious. After the death of a loved one, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), a legendary thief and street racer, returns to Los Angeles to seek revenge on the responsible party: Arturo Braga, a ruthless drug kingpin. There he reunites with Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), now an FBI agent hunting Braga, and they must put aside their troubled history to bring Braga to justice.

Fast & Furious is an action racing movie and the fourth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise. Fast & Furious picks up five years after the end of The Fast and the Furious and serves as the first proper sequel to the original film. Brian O’Conner has finagled his way back into law enforcement, while Dom Toretto and his gang are beginning to feel the heat of the law on their tail, driving Dom to leave his crew behind and venture out on his own.

In some ways, Fast & Furious is a return to roots for the franchise. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel lead once again, picking up their strained relationship where they left off. The film injects a bit more action into the old formula, with bigger stunts, more guns and explosives, and a more involved plot than the first film. But the core of the film is still car racing action coupled with two protagonists on opposite sides of the law.

Watch Fast & Furious if you are looking for an action movie with great stunts and a strong leading duo. Knowledge of the first film is recommended but not strictly necessary; the other two sequels have no bearing on the plot. Skip Fast & Furious if you disliked the previous films or dislike the action genre in general.

6.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for layering extra action onto an already solid base.

Today’s quick review: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is a rebellious teenager who spends his time street racing. After a destructive accident, his mother sends him to live with his father (Brian Goodman) in Tokyo. There he falls in with Han (Sung Kang), the good-natured partner in crime of D.K. (Brian Tee), a wannabe Yakuza and rival racer. But to make it in Tokyo’s street racing scene, Sean must master drifting, a difficult new technique.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a racing movie and the third installment of the Fast & Furious franchise. Apart from street racing, Tokyo Drift has almost no connection to the previous two movies in the series. Sean, the new protagonist, is a teenager with no reason to race beyond the thrill, and he quickly gets himself into a situation where further racing will only hurt him more. As such, Sean never really clicks as a protagonist, and he lacks any strong motivation.

Tokyo Drift does deliver when it comes to the racing. The key conceit of the movie is drifting, an advanced driving technique that lets the car take corners without losing as much speed. The races feature twisting urban and mountain courses with a mixture of closed courses and traffic. The driving is tight and satisfying, although it eschews the big stunts of the second film or the raw speed of the first film’s straightaways.

Watch The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift if you are looking for a bit of action and are willing to disregard a weak plot and main character. Once again, the driving serves as a viable substitute for more typical types of action, even for those who are not car fans. However, the missing star power and lack of a compelling plot make it a weaker film than its predecessors, so watch them first if you are interested.

6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for quality driving let down by a lackluster plot and protagonist.

Today’s quick review: 2 Fast 2 Furious. When Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), an undercover cop turned illegal street racer, gets arrested, he is given a chance to clear his record by helping undercover agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) bring down Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), a drug smuggler based in Miami. To infiltrate Verone’s organization, he recruits Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), an old friend and talented driver who blames Brian for his arrest years before.

2 Fast 2 Furious is an action movie and the sequel to The Fast and the Furious. 2 Fast 2 Furious picks up with Brian O’Conner, who has been drawn completely into the life of a street racer. The plot is typical for the crime genre, although it has little to do with the plot of the original film. The main draw of 2 Fast 2 Furious is its impressive set of car stunts, which have been kicked up a few degrees in intensity from the first film.

Dom Toretto has been replaced with Roman Pearce, a driver with a grudge against Brian. Tyrese Gibson’s character is not as strong as Vin Diesel’s, but his reckless methods and strained friendship with Brian O’Conner provide some nice tension. 2 Fast 2 Furious also focuses more on style than the first film, with a larger, more glamorous community of racers and flashier stunts. The changes push the film a bit farther into the realm of fiction than its predecessor without going as far as the action genre sometimes allows.

Watch 2 Fast 2 Furious if you enjoyed the first film and do not mind the indirect nature of the sequel. 2 Fast 2 Furious promises and delivers on high-end cars and impressive feats of driving. The other aspects of the film are adequate by action standards, although Vin Diesel is missed. Skip it if you dislike the action genre or are looking for a film with more substance.

5.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for enjoyable car stunts and good popcorn value.

Today’s quick review: The Fast and the Furious. Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) is an undercover cop assigned to infiltrate Dom Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) street racing gang. Toretto and his gang are suspected of perpetrating a series of daring highway robberies using skills honed in the underground racing circuit. But as Brian gets drawn into the life of a street racer, he begins to doubt where his loyalties lie.

The Fast and the Furious is a racing-based action movie and the first entry in the Fast & Furious franchise. The Fast and the Furious offers a decent lead plot, a strong lead duo, and some impressive driving. The film portrays a glamorous world of illegal racing, where muscle cars meet dangerous races and high-stakes gambling. The tone is polished, consistent, and fitting for an action movie, while the races inject the film with a bit of adrenaline.

Paul Walker and Vin Diesel play off each other well, with Paul Walker as an up-and-coming street racer with a secret agenda and Vin Diesel as the racing kingpin who takes him under his wing. Walker plays a resourceful, well-intentioned Brian O’Conner who finds himself genuinely drawn to his cover life. Diesel fits naturally into the tough, loyal role of Dom Toretto, leaving his imprint on the world around him without having to carry the film by himself.

Watch The Fast and the Furious if you are looking for an easy, satisfying bit of action. The racing appeals even to those with no particular interest in cars, and the world and characters are strong enough to make the film feel cohesive if not outstanding. Skip The Fast and the Furious if you are looking for a more substantive plot or if you prefer an action movie with combat rather than racing.

6.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a good balance of action, plot, and characters.

Today’s quick review: Chinese Zodiac. J.C. (Jackie Chan) leads a team of treasure hunters in search of the world’s most valuable artifacts. He and his team are hired to hunt down and steal twelve bronze Zodiac heads from their scattered locations around the world. Along the way, he recruits the help of an activist campaigning for the return of artifacts plundered from China a century ago.

Chinese Zodiac is an action adventure film from Jackie Chan. The movie follows the usual Jackie Chan formula: impressive martial arts, a couple of big stunts, and a dash of humor. Unlike most of his other films, however, Chinese Zodiac has a high-tech element to it, borrowing gadgets from the spy genre to fuel J.C.’s criminal escapades. The movie focuses more on general action than pure martial arts, but the fight scenes are as clever as ever and the extra action is quite creative.

Where Chinese Zodiac suffers is its rapid pacing. The film has almost none of the exposition it would need to make sense. The main plot barely gets explained, while several unnecessary subplots materialize out of nowhere only to vanish again. The accelerated pacing extends to individual scenes, with insufficient time spent on establishing shots, important lines of dialogues, and reactions, yielding a blitz of a story that is almost impossible to follow.

Though the poor pacing and weak writing can make Chinese Zodiac a confusing watch, neither of these aspects detract from the action as it is happening. Watch Chinese Zodiac if you are in the mood for action and are willing to ignore a film’s plot to get it. Skip Chinese Zodiac if you are looking for an action movie that handles its plot better.

6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for impressive action with poor pacing and story.

Today’s quick review: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Two years after a man named Sephiroth almost destroyed the world, Cloud Strife, the leader of the adventuring party who saved the world, has isolated himself from his friends due to his geostigma, a disease caused by the calamity. When a trio of powerful men appear with the aim of completing Sephiroth’s work, Cloud must face his fears and reunite with his friends to save the world again.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a science fiction fantasy movie with intense action sequences, sophisticated CGI visuals, and a gorgeous soundtrack. The sequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children picks up two years after the end of the game with a story designed to explore the aftermath of Sephiroth’s attempts to destroy the world. As such, the plot feels tacked on and unnecessary compared to the longer, more fully resolved conflicts of the original game.

What Advent Children contributes to the series is a visual feast that brings to life the world and characters of Final Fantasy VII as never before. The world features a creative blend of sci-fi and fantasy elements, where swords, magic, and monsters coexist with guns, motorcycles, and cell phones. While the setting takes back seat to the characters, action, and plot, the world feels rich and expansive, even as a backdrop.

The graphics are detailed CGI that still looks amazing over a decade after the film’s release. The gorgeous set pieces include a ruined church, a forest of glowing trees, and an abandoned highway. The characters are a satisfying blend of realism and video game design. Advent Children does not skimp on rendering, even in crowded city shots, and the attention to detail is the equal of any live-action movie.

Advent Children boasts intense, gravity-defying action that gives the film appeal even for those who are not fans of the game. The film’s many fight scenes are seamless blurs of unfettered action that show just how exciting superpowered combat can be. Realism takes a back seat to spectacle: nearly every character has superhuman strength and speed, while the laws of physics contort themselves to accommodate the incredible jumps, dodges, and impacts that fill the movie.

Fans of the original game should check out Advent Children as the high-resolution, action-packed realization of the game’s story and setting. Though the shifts in characterization and the epilogue feel to the plot may leave a peculiar taste in fans’ mouths, the production quality and creative action are more than enough to justify the watch.

Fans of sci-fi action should check out Advent Children as well simply for the spectacle. The plot will be difficult to follow without familiarity with the game, so a bit of background reading is recommended for maximum enjoyment. But simply taking the events of the movie at face value is enough to make Advent Children an enjoyable watch for anyone interested in physics-defying action and stunning visuals.

7.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for astounding visuals and high-octane fight scenes held back by a confusing, tacked-on plot.

Today’s quick review: High Anxiety. Dr. Richard Thorndyke (Mel Brooks), a renowned psychiatrist, takes a position as the director of a prestigious mental hospital whose previous director died under suspicious circumstances. As Thorndyke settles into his new job, he risks upsetting the status quo at the institution and incurring the wrath of Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman) and Dr. Montague (Harvey Korman), two shady figues linked to the strange events at the hospital.

High Anxiety is a parody of Alfred Hitchchock’s films from Mel Brooks. The plot mimics a psychological thriller quite credibly: an ordinary main character finds himself in a subtly unnerving situation and must get to the bottom of it before he winds up dead. But unlike Hitchcock’s films, High Anxiety is pure comedy, with no real tension and enough humor to offset what little builds up.

The comedy amuses, but it never quite clicks the way Mel Brooks’ best work does. The film’s best sequences are its elaborate parodies of Hitchcock scenes, some of which require quite elaborate setup. The rest of the humor works well enough, even without familiarity with Hitchcock’s movies, but lacks any standout moments.

Watch High Anxiety if you are looking for a bit of Hitchcock-flavored comedy. The thriller skeleton gives the plot a little more credibility than most comedies, but the scene-to-scene comedy saps most of its dramatic potential. Those who come in expecting anything resembling a real thriller will be disappointed, but those looking for a light diversion will appreciate the decision to leave out the suspense.

6.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for an unusually cohesive plot and decent humor, but missing the spark of Brooks at his best.

Today’s quick review: White Christmas. Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye), a pair of successful Broadway producers, set aside their vacation plans to join the Haynes sisters, Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen), for Christmas in Vermont. The ski lodge is owned by their old commanding officer, General Waverly (Dean Jagger), but the unseasonably warm weather has left it almost empty. While Bob puts together a show to draw in customers, Phil and Judy conspire to set him up with Betty.

White Christmas is a Christmas musical with a talented cast, smart dialogue, and a wonderful soundtrack. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play two Army buddies who form a musical act after the war and eventually parlay their success into a Broadway career. The two hit it off with Betty and Judy, a sister act with a job coming up in Vermont, so Phil and Judy seize the opportunity to play matchmaker.

The musical talent in the film is top notch. The songs are written by Irving Berlin, and the song list contains a pleasant mix of Christmas songs and Broadway numbers. There are two or three standout hits, including the title track, and even the least memorable songs are vibrant and cleanly executed. Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen have several chances to show off their spectacular dancing, while Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney lend their melodious voices to Berlin’s beautiful lyrics.

The story is a light tale of loyalty, romance, and misunderstanding. There are two main plot threads: the show for General Waverly and the budding romance between Bob and Betty. The former is a sentimental tribute to a respected man, showing the ups and downs of returning to civilian life for the soldiers in World War II. The latter is a romantic comedy in the classical mold, with the growing affection between Bob and Betty helped and sometimes hindered by the cajoling of their partners.

The character dynamics are the glue that holds the movie together. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye make quite a pair, with natural chemistry, sharp banter, and impeccable timing. Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen play opposite them as a pair of devoted sisters with opposite approaches to life. The vivacious Judy quickly finds a fellow conspirator in Phil, while the steady Betty finds a mature companion in Bob.

Watch White Christmas if you are in the mood for a pleasant holiday classic with excellent music and acting. The comedy is subtle but clever, the songs have a nice variety to them, and the plot is insubstantial but sweet. Skip it if you are looking for more overt comedy or a more substantive plot, or if you dislike older musicals.

7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 9.0 for high quality and being a personal favorite.