Sleight of Film

Today’s quick review: The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult. After his marriage, Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) retires from Police Squad to lead a quiet domestic life with his wife Jane (Priscilla Presley). But crimefighting is in his blood, and he soon finds himself doing police work behind her back. To stop Rocco (Fred Ward), a dangerous hitman, he must go undercover as a criminal, putting his marriage on the line to save the day.

The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult is a crime comedy and the third film in the Naked Gun series. The Naked Gun 33 1/3 offers the same wacky humor as its predecessors and is packed slapstick, parody, and wordplay. Leslie Nielsen is as sharp as ever, and O.J. Simpson and George Kennedy return as Nordberg and Ed, Frank’s partner and boss, respectively.

The Naked Gun 33 1/3 does have a little less meat on its bones than the original. The plot is less of a police spoof and more of a grab bag, while the humor is a bit coarser. Still, the film delivers a couple of great laughs and makes for an enjoyable watch for any fans of the original. Watch it if you are a fan of silly humor and slapstick. Skip it if you are looking for a sophisticated or mature comedy.

6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for silly humor only missing a little polish of the original.

Today’s quick review: The Life Aquatic. Renowned oceanic explorer and documentary filmmaker Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) is suffering from a midlife crisis. His films have lost their luster, his funding is drying up, and his best friend was killed by a monstrous shark while filming Steve’s latest movie. With the help of his long-lost son Ned (Owen Wilson), a pregnant reporter named Jane (Cate Blanchett), and his romantic and professional nemesis Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum), Steve sets out to hunt down the shark that killed his friend.

The Life Aquatic is a quirky comedy adventure from director Wes Anderson. The Life Aquatic differs from Wes Anderson’s other work in its subdued humor, personal drama, and meandering plot. The story focuses on Steve Zissou, a filmmaker who has fallen on hard times, and his loyal crew. The twin impetuses of a flagging career and a dead friend drive him to embark on one last voyage to find the remarkable Jaguar Shark, an adventure that only gets rockier as it goes along.

Steve Zissou makes for an odd protagonist, a world-weary egotist clinging to the remaining tatters of his reputation. Zissou lives in a world of his own, from his oceanic voyages in search of exotic marine life to his personal island and fan club, painful relics of his glory days. He is capably acted by Bill Murray, who delivers a somber, understated performance in stark contrast with the lively, humorous roles of his youth.

The rest of the cast follows a similar pattern: familiar faces playing characters who are either odd or disaffected. Willem Dafoe plays Steve’s unusually loyal crewmate Klaus, Anjelica Huston his remote wife Eleanor, and Jeff Goldblum his bitter rival Alistair. The one exception is Ned, a sweet but not very bright man who wants to reconnect with his estranged father. His kind heart contrasts nicely with Steve’s selfishness, while his interactions with Jane are perhaps the most normal relationship in the movie.

Wes Anderson takes these elements and wraps them in a story that lacks a clear direction. The Jaguar Shark is the nominal goal of the story, but the incidents along the way are connected more by tone than any overarching plot. The dry, subtle comedy makes the characters harder to relate to than usual; they come off less offbeat than broken. The themes of the film are interesting, chief among them the phoniness of Steve’s life, but the core story drifts.

Still, The Life Aquatic is a creative and skillfully realized film that is worth a watch for curiosity’s sake. It does not crackle the way Wes Anderson’s other work does, but fans of the director are sure to get something out of it. The film’s unconventional world, subtle humor, and attention to detail are enough to make it interesting for the right kind of viewer. If you are not already a Wes Anderson fan, check out a few of his other films first.

7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for creativity and attention to detail held back by too-flat characters and an aimless plot.

Today’s quick review: Sahara. Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey), a globe-trotting explorer, adventurer, and archaeologist, ventures into Africa with his best friend Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) in search of a lost Confederate ironclad. Their expedition is sidetracked when they meet Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz), a doctor for W.H.O., and help her track the origins of a strange epidemic.

Sahara is an adventure movie based on the book by Clive Cussler. Sahara is a light film with an interesting plot and fun protagonists. While not a standout in any particular aspect, it offers a base of Indiana Jones-style adventure, a layering of buddy comedy, and a dash of spy thriller. Sahara also delivers a steady stream of low-level action, just enough to keep the excitement up without turning into a full-blown action movie.

Matthew McConaughey stars as Dirk Pitt, an adventurer with expertise in a variety of fields. McConaughey fits the easygoing, resourceful side of the character quite well, although he struggles when Dirk tries to be suave or romantic. His friendly chemistry with Steve Zahn gives the movie much of its spark. Penelope Cruz rounds out the main cast as Eva Rojas, a doctor whose dedication draws her into a dangerous investigation that Dirk and Al are eager to join.

Fans of Indiana Jones, The Librarian, or Romancing the Stone will find Sahara particularly enjoyable, although the overall quality is closer to the latter two than the former. Casual action fans will like the film as well, provided they are not bent on big stunts or flashiness. Skip Sahara if you are looking for a more polished take on the adventure genre or if you dislike Matthew McConaughey.

6.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for fun, light adventure.

Today’s quick review: The Scorpion King. Mathayus (Dwayne Johnson), an Akkadian warrior, is hired to assassinate a sorceress (Kelly Hu) in the service of Memnon (Steven Brand), a seemingly unstoppable conquerer. Mathayus has almost completed his mission when he is betrayed and left for dead. Now out for revenge, Mathayus kidnaps the sorceress in an attempt to draw Memnon out into the open.

The Scorpion King is a fantasy action movie set in ancient Mesopotamia. A loose spinoff of The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King fits neatly into the sword and sorcery mold, with mighty warriors, forgotten empires, and scantily-clad men and women. While not a particularly high-budget or polished film, The Scorpion King covers its bases when it comes to the action genre, with serviceable characters, plot, and combat.

The cast is formulaic but satisfying. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as Mathayus, a skilled and cunning fighter driven by honor and revenge. Kelly Hu plays opposite him as the sorceress, the reluctant servant of Memnon and the source of his victories. Grant Heslov fills the role of comic relief as Arpid, a loud-mouthed horse thief who joins Mathayus on his quest, while Michael Clarke Duncan plays Balthazar, a warrior king and Mathayus’s rival. The only real weakness is Steven Brand as Memnon, a generic and forgettable villain.

Watch The Scorpion King if you are in the mood for fun, shlocky action that does not take itself too seriously. Though not outstanding in terms of plot, budget, or stunts, The Scorpion King makes an enjoyable watch for fans of the action genre. Skip it if you are looking for a more substantive movie.

5.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for popcorn action and excitement.

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.