Review: "FAST X" is Too Fast, Too Furious For One Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 of 2023 (No. 1911) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fast X (2023)

Running time: 141 minutes (2 hours, 21 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material

DIRECTOR: Louis Leterrier

WRITERS: Justin Lin and Dan Mazeau; from a story by Justin Lin & Dan Mazeau and Zach Dean (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)

PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Justin Lin, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, and Samantha Vincent

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Dylan Highsmith and Kelly Matsumoto

COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Leo Abelo Perry, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster, Charlize Theron, Jon Cena, Brie Larson, Scot Eastwood, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior, Pete Davidson, Joaquim de Almeida, Rita Moreno, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Helen Mirren

Fast X is a 2023 action movie that is directed by Louis Leterrier and is produced by Universal Pictures.  It is the tenth installment in the Fast & Furious movie franchise (now also called the “Fast Saga”).  A direct sequel to 2021's F9, Fast X finds Dom Toretto and his family targeted by the vengeful son of a drug kingpin they defeated over a decade ago.

Fast X begins in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro and recounts events, some of which were depicted in Fast Five (2011).  That time, professional criminals, Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Connor, led their crew/family in a heist against drug lord, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).  It is revealed that Reyes' son, Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), failed in his bid to stop the heist.

In present day Los Angeles, Dom is living a quiet life with his wife, Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), and his son, Brian “Little B” Marcos (Leo Abelo Perry).  Dom holds a family reunion that gathers the current incarnation of his crew-family:  Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Han Lue (Sung Kang), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), as well as Dom's grandmother, Abuelita Torreto (Rita Moreno).

Roman, Tej, Han, and Ramsey are about to embark on a mission in Rome, Italy – with Roman leading – for Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood), the current head of “the Agency.”  However, what Dom and his family will discover is an elaborate trap laid for them by Dante Reyes, returned after over a decade and looking to avenge himself and his late father, Hernan.  Dante promise to kill Dom, but not before he makes him suffer by targeting his family and everyone connected to them or who helped them.  Now, a ragtag friends, enemies, and frenemies must gather together to stop Dante, who is always one step ahead of Dom and his family.  And Dante is enjoying every minute of the chaos and violence he causes.

When the first film, The Fast and the Furious, arrived in movie theaters in June of 2001, I ignored it, although I recognized the film's two stars, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (1973-2013).  However, a few years later, I wanted to see 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) because it was directed by the late John Singleton (1968-2019) and because I was a fan of actor Tyrese and rapper/actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.  Three years later, I was in a local theater to see The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), but I called it quits after that, refusing to see Fast & Furious (2009).  I eventually did see it because I wanted to see the fifth film in the series.

That would be 2011's Fast Five.  I found it hugely entertaining, and it was the film that made me a consistent fan of the “Fast & Furious” film series.  I think that Fast Five was the first film in the series in which the action was more fantasy or fantastic than realistic.  Beginning with Dom and company's adventures in Rio, the series became some hybrid of science fiction-action, quasi-superhero fantasy, and James Bond-type super spy adventure.  After Fast Five, the series was never the same.

I won't say that Fast X epitomizes that any more than the previous four films:  Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), and F9 (2021).  There may be more crashes and collisions of automobiles, military vehicles, aircraft, etc, but it is all familiar, solidly entertaining, but familiar.  Fast X does seem to have the highest body count of any of the films, which I did find off-putting.  The characters shoot to kill and injury as if they are players in a video game and not characters in a narrative film.

Jason Momoa and Charlize Theron really give stand out performances in the film.  Momoa's Dante Reyes seems to be the first series villain that can really destroy Dominic Toretto, and Theron's Cipher is simply, majorly cool.

Fast X is also surprisingly funny, with more wit and humor than I think the series has delivered since 2 Fast 2 Furious.  The action is non-stop, but it is also apparently too big for a single film, as you will discover when you watch it, dear readers.  Fast X isn't a great work of cinema, but it is a superb entry in this crazy series.

[Fast X has one mid-credit scene.]

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, May 19, 2023

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 7th, 2021 - Update #24

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

COMICS TO FILM - From Negromancer:   Here is my review of "The Suicide Squad."

TELEVISION - From YahooAP:   CNN has fired three employees for going to work although they had not received a COVID-19 vaccination.

TELEVISION - From Variety:   Actress Colbie Smolders, who has made numerous appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will play real-life political commentator, Ann Coulter, in FX's "Impeachment: American Crime Story."  She replaces actress Betty Gilpin, who had to withdraw from the project due to scheduling conflicts.  "Impeachment" focuses on the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky.

ANIMATION - SouthPark:   MTV Entertainment Studios inks new and expansive deal with creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone through 2027. South Park TV series extending to season 30 for Comedy Central linear. 14 South Park original made-for-streaming movies exclusively for Paramount+ starting with two films in 2021

SCANDAL - From YahooWashPost:   In Hawaii, a case of mistaken identity so crazy that you have to read it yourself.  The victim spent over two years in jail and also in a mental institution.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Taylor Sheridan has created a prequel to his hit TV series, "Yellowstone."  Entitled "1883," the series will star Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Apple's "Apple Original Films" is closing in on a big deal to obtain worldwide rights to director Matthew Vaughn's star-studded next film, "Argylle."

MUSIC/SCANDAL - From TheDailyBeast:  This month, specifically Aug. 25th, is the 20th anniversary of the plane crash in the Bahamas that killed singer and actress Aaliyah D. Haughton, simply known as "Aaliyah."  This article talks about a new book, "Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah," that makes the claim that the singer was drugged by one of her entourage and carried onto the plane before it crashed.

From Complex:   There have been hints that Aaliyah's music will be available on all streaming platforms this month (Aug. 2021).  In response, her family issues a statement about unauthorized projects.

COVID - From Stat:  For many people, the belated realization that COVID-19 will be "a long war" sparks anger and denial.

CELEBRITY/COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Jennifer Aniston says that she has had to cut ties with "a few people" over COVID-19 vaccinations.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Actor Brendan Fraser, best known for Universal's wonderful "The Mummy" franchise, has landed two huge acting gigs.  He has joined Martin Scorsese's highly-anticipated "Killers of the Flower Moon" and also Max Barbakow's comedy, "Brothers."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Nicholas Hoult will star in Universal Pictures' "Renfield," which focuses on Count Dracula's henchman.

MEDIA - From Deadline:  Meet "DirecTV Stream," the new entity born as a result of AT&T spinning off DirecTV.

CELEBRITY - From CNN:   Emmy winning television personality and comedian, Kathy Griffin, has announced that she has lung cancer and will have surgery.

STREAMING - From Variety:   Amazon has released an image from and a release date (Sept. 2, 2022) for its series, "The Lord of the Rings."

BUSINESS - From WSJ:  Reese Witherspoon’s media business, Hello Sunshine, is selling itself to a firm backed by private-equity giant Blackstone Group Inc., reportedly for 900 million dollars.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 7/30 to 8/1/2021 weekend box office is Disney's "Jungle Cruise" with an estimated take of 34.2 million dollars.

From Deadline:   New Line Cinema's "The Conjuring" franchise, which is currently comprised of seven movies, has crossed the two-million dollar mark in worldwide box office.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Alex Kurtzman, the architect behind CBS Studios' "Star Trek" universe, has signed an overall mega-deal with CBS Studios.  The deal is reportedly worth 150 million dollars, which would put Kurtzman among the top writer-producers in TV.

MUSIC/POLITICS/BLM - From YahooRollingStone:   Willie Nelson returned to the stage Saturday (July 31st) to take part in the Poor People’s Campaign march for voting rights outside the Texas Capitol in Austin.

MOVIES - From TimesUK:   From "The Sunday Times" comes this article:  "Is Matt Damon the Last of Hollywood's Leading Men."  The actor says, “Movies as we know them aren’t going to be a thing in our kids’ lives.” “And that makes me sad.”

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Veteran movie car coordinator Dennis McCarthy breaks down the back stories behind two of the biggest vehicular stars of "F9" as Yahoo Entertainment presents exclusive 3D augmented-reality renderings of the film’s "Dodge Charger Wide Body" and "Dodge Charger Hellcat" — two of the nine Chargers McCarthy and his 12-person team built for the film — which you can virtually place in your family room.

BLACK FILM - From TheGuardian:   Melvin Van Peebles and Perry Henzell made seminal 70s films – now their kids have recovered their fathers’ would-be classics.

OBITS:

From Deadline:   Songwriter and musician, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, has died at the age of 70, Saturday, August 7, 2021.  Thomas an alto saxophone player was one of the founding members of the American R&B, soul, funk, disco, jazz, and pop band, "Kool and the Gang," and he had been with the band since its inception in 1964 until his death.

From YahooSports:  Former Major League Baseball pitcher, J.R. Richard, has died at the age of 71, Wednesday, August 4, 2021.  A Houston Astros legend, Richard was one of the most feared pitchers of the 1970s.  Richard had a stroke in July 1980 that effectively ended his career.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 1st to 10th, 2021 - Update #18

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SPORTS - From CNN:   Zaila Avant-garde, a 14-year-old from New Orleans, Louisiana, won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, becoming the first African American contestant to win in 93 editions of the competition.  Zaila is also a basketball prodigy who owns some Guinness world records.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena and Samuel L. Jackson will star in director Matthew Vaughn's spy film, "Argylle."

TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:   Veteran television music composer, Jonathan Wolff, talks about composing the music for the iconic late NBC TV series, "Seinfeld," and about the soundtrack album of music from the series.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 7/2 to 7/4/21 weekend box office is "F9" with an estimated take of 24 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From Variety:   HBO Max's "Pretty Little Liars" reboot has its first two cast members, Chandler Kinney and Maia Reficco.  The original series ran from 2010 to 2017 on ABC Family/Freeform.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   "Lovecraft Country," one of HBO's most celebrated and inventive recent TV series will not return for a second season.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The second "Downton Abbey" film to open in theaters in March 18, 2022, moved from its planned December 22, 2021 opening date.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Superstar television showrunner, Noah Hawley, talks about his FX series based on the "Alien" film series.  Hawley says that it is not about signature "Alien" character, Ellen Ripley, and that it will start shooting next spring.

ACADEMY AWARDS - From Deadline:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization which hands out the Oscars, have invited 395 new members.

ANIMATION/LGBTQ - From Insider:   Animation's queer women, trans, and nonbinary creatives are pushing gender boundaries in kid's cartoons their counterparts couldn't — or wouldn't dare

BILL COSBY - From Deadline:   Television icon Bill Cosby has been released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 sexual assault conviction, finding fault with the way prosecutors pursued a case against him after earlier declining to file charges.

From Deadline:  Hollywood reacts to Bill Cosby being released from prison.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor John Lithgow is joining Michael C. Hall in Showtime's revival of its hit drama, "Dexter."  Lithgow's character in the original run was bumped off...

OBITS:

From THR:   The actor, William Smith, has died at the age of 88, Monday, July 5, 2021.  Smith was a legendary Hollywood tough guy and action star.  He was a lead character in NBC's short-lived Western TV series, "Laredo" (1965-67), and he was a main cast member on the final season of CBS cop drama, "Hawaii Five-O" (1979-80).  Other memorable roles includes playing Conan's father in "Conan the Barbarian" (1982), playing Clint Eastwood's nemesis in "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), and the 1976 ABC miniseries, "Rich Man, Poor Man."

From Variety:   Actor and filmmaker, Robert Downey, Sr., had died at the age of 85, Wednesday, July 7, 2021.  Downey, Sr. is best known for the writing and directing the 1969 underground film, "Putney Swope."  He is also known as the father of Oscar-nominated actor, Robert Downey, Jr.

From Essence:  The actress Suzzanne Douglas, has died at the age of 64, Tuesday, July 6, 2021.  She was best known for the role of "Jerri Peterson" on The WB sitcom, "The Parent 'Hood."  She won acclaim for her supporting role in the 1989 dance-drama film, "Tap."  She also appeared in a number of acclaimed African-American films of the 1990s, including "The Inkwell" (1994), "Jason's Lyric" (1994), and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (1998).  She most recently appeared in Ava DuVerany's Netflix miniseries, "When They See Us."

From Deadline:   Beloved director and producer of films and television, Richard Donner, has died at the age of 91, Monday, July 5, 2021.  Donner's long career included directing "The Omen" (1976), "Superman: The Movie" (1978), "The Goonies" (1985), and "Lethal Weapon" (1987), and its three sequels, to name a few.  Donner also started work on what would be "Superman II" (1980) before he was replaced on the film.  His version of the film would eventually arrive in 2006.  Before he directed films, Donner directed episodes of such television series as "Wanted: Dead or Alive," "Wagon Train," "The Rifleman," "The Twilight Zone," "Perry Mason," and "Gilligan's Island," to name a few.  Donner's widow is film producer, Lauren Shuler Donner.

From APNews:  Latvian professional ice hockey player, Matiss Kivlenieks, has died at the age of 24, Sunday, July 4, 2021.  Matiss apparently died of chest trauma from "an errant fireworks mortar blast."  Matiss was currently the goalie for the "Columbia Blue Jackets" of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 20th to 30th, 2021 - Update #33

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BLM - From VICE:   Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and America’s first Black billionaire, wants a reparations check. He wants it from the government. And he wants it to come with an apology for slavery, Jim Crow, and hundreds of years of racism.

SCANDAL - From Variety:   "Smallville" actress Allison Mack was sentenced to three years in federal prison for her part in the NXIVM cult on Wednesday morning in federal court in Brooklyn, NY.

MOVIES - From IndieWire: "F9" star Sung Kang finds its validating that acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan, has a "soft spot" for, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006), the third entry in the "Fast & Furious" saga and the one that introduced his Kang's character, "Han Lue."

MUSIC - From MJVibe:   According to the site, recent streaming sales data has made the late Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Michael Jackson, the solo artist with the highest sales of recording music.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Rian Johnson has alerted us. "Knives Out 2" has started production, as filming begins in Greece.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 6/25 to 6/27/2021 weekend box office is "F9" with an estimated total of 70 million dollars.

From Variety:  "F9's" 70 million dollar weekend box office debut is the largest opening since the COVID-19 pandemic started affecting movie theaters in the North America.

From Variety:  The stars of "F9" react to its record-breaking box office success.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:   On that HBO asshole show, writer-director Quentin Tarantino insists he will retire after he directs a tenth film (his next) and that he thought about doing a reboot of his first film, "Reservoir Dogs."

EMMYS - From Deadline:  If you care, here is the full winners list from the 2021 / 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

DISNEY - From WeGotThisCovered:   Set photos from Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid," reveals film's star, Halle Bailey, with reddish hair.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   "Supernatural" (2005-20) was one of the most important shows in the history of The CW.  Now, one of its stars, Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester), is joining his wife, Danneel Ackles, are working on a prequel series, "The Winchesters."

From Deadline:  Meanwhile, Jensen Ackles's "Supernatural" co-star, Jared Padalecki, is "bummed" about not being involved in the prequel series.

TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  Courtney Cox was hurt that she was the only one of the six stars of the former NBC sitcom, "Friends," who was never nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award during the series' original run.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Paramount Pictures revealed the title and details about its seventh "Transformers" film, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts."

DISNEY - From Collider:  Scarlett Johansson will star in and produce a film based on Disney's theme park attraction, "Tower of Terror."

DISNEY - From ABCNews:   Actor Harrison Ford, the one and only Indiana Jones, takes a break from filming "Indiana Jones 5" after injuring his shoulder on set.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry and T.D. Jakes got the go-ahead from local authorities Thursday to purchase over 130 acres in Atlanta including a proposed expansion of Tyler Perry Studios for an entertainment district with theaters, retail shops and restaurants.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   "Fast & Furious" actor, Vin Diesel, talks about his feud with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson."

DISNEY - From Variety:    Rachel Zegler has been cast as Snow White in Disney’s upcoming remake of the classic fairytale. Zegler is making her feature film debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” which bows later in 2021, and will also appear in the superhero sequel to “Shazam.”

LGBTQ/SPORTS - From OutSports:   Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player in history to announce that he is gay.

SCANDAL - From TheDailyEdge:   A list of Republican and Trump-connected child rapists, sex traffickers, pedophile enablers and child porn offenders

OSCARS - From Deadline:    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday announced its newly elected 2021–2022 Board of Governors.

From WeGotThisCovered:   Warner Bros. reportedly wants Dwayne Johnson to joins its "Mortal Kombat" film franchise.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Mike Epps will play legendary comedian and actor Richard Pryor in Adam McKay's HBO drama series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers.  Three others actors have been cast, including Carina Conti as Paula Abdul.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Steven Spielberg has entered his Amblin Partners into a Netflix that will find the Amblin producing multiple films each year for Netflix.  Spielberg and Amblin will continue to produce films for Universal Pictures.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 6/18 to 6/20/2021 weekend box office is "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" with an estimated take of 11.6 million dollars.

CULTURE - From YahooEntertainment:  Grammy Award-winning singer Macy Gray wrote an op-ed for "Market Watch, in which she called for the U.S. flag to be replaced: "It is tattered, dated, divisive and incorrect."  She has drawn cheers and rage.

 

From MarketWatch:   Opinion: "For Juneteenth, America needs a new flag that all of us can honor" by Macy Gray.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:   Pacific Theatres Exhibition Corporation, which includes Arclight Cinemas, is really not set to reopen anytime soon. The exhibition company released a statement today that they’re filing Chapter 7 in order to liquidate their assets for creditors.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:   Netflix has released a trailer for its African-American cast Western film, "The Harder They Fall," from director Jeymes Samuel which arrives in Fall 2021.

From YouTube:  Here is the trailer to Universal/Illumination's "Sing 2," the sequel to 2016's "Sing."  The film is due December 22, 2021.

From YouTube:  Here is the second trailer for Universal's "Candyman" reboot/re-imagining, which is due August 27th.

From YouTube:  Here is the official trailer for "Halloween Kills," which is due October 15th.

Review: "F9" is for the "Fast & Furious" Family of Fans

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 43 of 2021 (No. 1781) by Leroy Douresseaux

F9 (2021)
Running time: 145 minutes (2 hours, 25 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Justin Lin and Daniel Casey; from a story by Justin Lin, Daniel Casey, and Alfredo Botello (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Justin Lin, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Clatyon Townsend, and Samantha Vincent
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Greg D'Auria, Dylan Highsmith, and Kelly Matsumoto
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Charlize Theron, Jon Cena, Kurt Russell, Anna Sawai, Don Omar, Shea Whigham, Vinnie Bennett, Finn Cole, JD Pardo, Michael Rooker, Lucas Black, Shad Moss, Jason Tobin, Thue Ersted Rasmussen, Isaac and Immanuel Holtane, Cardi B, and Helen Mirren

F9 is a 2021 action movie from director Justin Lin and is produced by Universal Pictures.  It is the ninth installment in the Fast & Furious movie franchise (now also called the “Fast Saga”).  A direct sequel to 2017's The Fate of the Furious, F9 finds Dom and his racing family facing a powerful figure from Dom's birth family.

As F9 begins, Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) has retired from his previous life.  He is living in seclusion with his wife, Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), and his son, Brian (Isaac and Immanuel Holtane), the child he conceived with his former girlfriend, the late Elena Neves.  Dom and Letty get a surprise visit from his team/family:  Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel).  Their sometime compatriot, covert operative Frank Petty (Kurt Russell), a.k.a. “Mr Nobody,” apparently captured cyberterrorist, Cipher (Charlize Theron).  The plane in which Mr. Nobody was transporting Cipher was attacked by rogue agents, but Mr. Nobody was able to send a coded distress signal meant for Dom and his team.

The leaders behind this attack are Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen), the mysterious son of a very wealthy and politically powerful man, and Jakob (Jon Cena), a man who has close ties to Dom.  Soon, Dom's sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), a former member of Dom's team, returns to join the hunt for Jakob.  They must stop Jakob and Otto before they can obtain and activate a device called “Aries,” which can hack into any computer system in the world.  Before this mission is over, however, Dom will have to reveal his past and his past mistakes, and he will need help from a few figures from his past – including one thought to be dead.

As I write this, it is the morning after I saw F9 at a Thursday night preview show.  I can say the same thing about F9 that I wrote about The Fate of the Furious in a review I wrote a few days ago.  I love F9.  It is the latest installment of a film franchise that has seen its over-the-top action become so … over-the-top that it is practically a kind of superhero and car chase movie series.  However,  F9 sends this franchise higher – literally – than it has ever gone before.  The ludicrous and ridiculous, but oh-so-fun set pieces are a hallmark of this franchise, but F9 actually takes two characters into space.  Gravity and physics are totally subverted, but “Fast & Furious” fans won't give a damn while watching F9 anymore than they did watching the last 12 years of this franchise.

I will give F9 credit, however, for inserting some dark and edgy family drama into the story, melodrama even darker and edgier than what The Fate of the Furious gave audiences.  And, as in that film, Vin Diesel gets to show his dramatic chops, and he reveals that Dom isn't right all the time, and that sometimes his errors really cost the people close to him.  I don't think F9 is quite as good as The Fate of the Furious because the new film's villains are not quite as diabolical as Fate's super-villain (the aforementioned Cipher).  Still, I like how F9 puts the family in the fast and the furious.

7 of 10
B+

Friday, June 25, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS is Perfectly 2 Fast 2 Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 of 2021 (No. 1780) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged sequences of violence and destruction, suggestive content, and language
DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Chris Morgan and Michael Fottrell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Christian Wagner and Paul Rubell
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring:  Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood, Elsa Pataky, Kristopher Hivju, Patrick St. Esprit, Luke Evans, and Helen Mirren

The Fate of the Furious is a 2017 action movie from director F. Gary Gray and was released by Universal Pictures.  It is the eighth installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise (now called the “Fast Saga”).  A direct sequel to 2015's Furious 7, The Fate of the Furious introduces a mysterious woman who has the power to turn Dominic Toretto into a terrorist.

As The Fate of the Furious begins, Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) are on their honeymoon in Havana, Cuba.  While there, Dom meets a mysterious woman who turns out to be the elusive cyberterrorist, Cipher (Charlize Theron).  She has obtained something that she uses to coerce Dom into working for her.  Soon afterwards, Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), recruits Dom and his team – his family:  Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) to retrieve an EMP device from a military outpost in Berlin.  However, Dom betrays them all and steals the device for Cipher, and Hobbs and Dom's family, including Letty, are branded criminals.

Intelligence operative and leader of a covert ops team, Frank Petty (Kurt Russell), a.k.a. “Mr Nobody,” arrives with his protege, Eric Reisner (Scott Eastwood), and he has an offer.  Mr. Nobody wants Hobbs and Dom's family to help him find Dom and capture the highly elusive Cipher.  Mr. Nobody also has a surprise for Hobbs and company.  He has recruited Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the rogue British Special Forces assassin who was hunting Dom and his family until they defeated him and Hobbs and the DSS imprisoned him.  But will even Shaw be enough?  Cipher can disappear at will and with Dom at her side, she seems unbeatable.  Cipher's threat to the world and Dom's betrayal will test the family as never before.

When The Fate of the Furious was initially released to theaters in April 2017, I was too mired in family troubles to bother going to a movie theater to see it.  And quite frankly, after what I considered to be a barely average installment in Furious 7, I thought I was done with the franchise.  In fact, I didn't even watch The Fate of the Furious when it started playing on basic cable.  Recently, I saw a clip from the soon-to-be-released F9 (2021), and I was shocked to see Dominic Toretto playing with a baby.  A friend informed me of the events in The Fate of the Furious, and because he and I talked about seeing F9, I decided to rent The Fate of the Furious via Netflix.

Well, I will never doubt you again, Fast & Furious / Fast Saga.  I loved The Fate of the Furious.  This film franchise's over-the-top action has become so … over-the-top that it is practically a kind of superhero and car chase movie series.  These movies are fun, but I thought that the series had reached narrative exhaustion with Furious 7.  The Fate of the Furious was the hot-shot injection of jet fuel that the series needed, as far as I'm concerned.  And Vin Diesel may have given his best performance of the series in The Fate of the Furious.  He really seemed like an evil terrorist, but, at the same time, his grit and determination to manage the evil in order to protect his family feels genuine.

I also want to credit Universal Pictures and The Fate of the Furious in using Havana, Cuba as the setting for the film's opening scenes.  It is a love letter to a place that looks beautiful on film.  And The Fate of the Furious is also a crazy, mad, insane, and beautiful action movie.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, June 23, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 23rd to 31st, 2021 - Update #22

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "A Quiet Place Part II" leads the four-day Memorial Day weekend holiday (5/28 to 5/31/2021) box office with an estimated gross of 57 million dollars.

 

From Variety:  The winner of the 5/28 to 5/30/21 weekend box office is "A Quiet Place Part II" with an estimated take of 48 million dollars.  That is also the biggest three-day take of the pandemic era.

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MEMORIAL DAY - From BusinessInsider:   A soldier who photographed World War II in Europe describes 6 of his photos that reveal the "insanity of war."

TV NEWS/OBIT - From Deadline:  The television and film actor, Joe Lara (58), his wife, diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara (66), were two of seven people killed in a plane crash near Nashville on Sat. May 29, 2021.  Joe Lara was best known for his starring role in the syndicated TV series, "Tarzan: The Epic Adventures" (1996-97).

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:  Does Universal Pictures really want a "Fast & Furious"/"Jurassic World" spinoff?

MOVIES - From Deadline:   In an interview with the site, Grammy Award-winning electronic music legend, Moby, talks about making a documentary about himself, "Moby Doc."

CHADWICK BOSEMAN - From Variety:  Howard University announced today that the newly re-established college of fine arts, led by Dean Phylicia Rashad, will be named the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts for Chadwick Boseman ("Black Panther"), the late actor and distinguished alumnus.

 

From WashPost:   The renaming of Howard University's newly re-established college of arts and sciences unites Howard and Walt Disney Co.’s executive chairman, Bob Iger, who will spearhead fundraising for an endowment named after Chadwick Boseman, as well as help raise money for the construction of a state-of-the-art building on Howard’s campus. The new building will house the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, the school’s TV station, WHUT, and radio station, WHUR 96.3 FM.

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AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon is reportedly buying movie studio, MGM, for 8.45 billion dollars.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   The CW has announced its 2021-22 Fall television schedule.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Universal Pictures will release "The Boss Baby: Family Business," the sequel to DreamWorks Animation's 2017, Oscar-nominated hit, "The Boss Baby," on July 2nd in theaters and streaming on the premium tiers on the "Peacock" streaming service.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Oscar-nominee Timothee Chalamet to play "Willy Wonda" in an origin story film from Warner Bros. and Roald Dahl Story Co.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   CBS has announced its initial 2021-22 television season lineup and it is full of crime shows.

STREAMING - From BloodyDisgusting:   Hulu has reportedly obtained Spyglass Media's remake of the cult horror classic, "Hellraiser" (1987).  HBO Max is also working on a "Hellraiser" TV series with director David Gordon Green of the "Halloween" remake.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:   The winner of the 5/20 to 5/22/2021 weekend box office is "Spiral: From the Book of Saw" with an estimated take of 4.55 million dollars.

 

From Variety:   The "Saw" film franchise is now a billion-dollar franchise.  “Spiral,” the latest entry in the horror series, earned another $4.5 million in North America and $2.67 million overseas this weekend.  That haul pushed the property to $1,000,799,533 globally across nine films.

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MOVIES - From Variety:   To coincide with the release of his new film, "Army of the Dead," writer William Earl of Variety ranks director Zack Snyder ("Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice") ten feature films - 10 through 1.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Sigourney Weaver is to lead a series adaptation of Holly Ringland’s book, "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart," for Amazon.

OBITS:

From Variety:   Noted television actor, Gavin MacLeod, has died at the age of 90, Saturday, May 29, 2021.  MacLeod appeared in the first two seasons of the former ABC sitcom, "McHale's Navy."  He was a series regular on CBS' "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1970-77), during the entire length of the series.  However, MacLeod was best known as "Captain Merrill Stubing" on ABC's romantic comedy-drama series, "The Love Boat" (1977-86).

From Deadline:  The singer and recording artist, B.J. Thomas, has died at the age of 78, Saturday, May 29, 2021.  His biggest hits were recordings of songs written by others, including "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (1969), and "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (1975).  Thomas' recording of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" appeared in the film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969) reached #1 on the "Billboard Hot 100" chart.  It also won the "Best Song" Oscar for the songwriters, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  Thomas also won five Grammy Awards for his Christian music recordings.

From DeseretNews:   Former NBA player, Mark Eaton, has died at the age of 64, Friday, May 28, 2021.  Eaton played his entire 11 year career (1982-93) with the Utah Jazz.  At the height of 7 feet 4 inches, Eaton was known as a "gentle giant" and as a gentleman.  However, Eaton was a dominant defender winning "NBA Defensive Player of the Year" in 1985 and 1989, and he was either "NBA All-Defensive First Team" or "Second Team" from 1985 to 1989."  He was a 1989 NBA All-Star.

From Deadline:  Musician and former child star, Kevin Clark, has died at the age of 32, Wednesday, May 26, 2021.  At the age of 13, Clark played the drummer, Freddy "Spazzy" McGee, in the 2003 film, "School of Rock."

From BroadwayWorld:  The actor and singer, Samuel E. Wright, has died at the age of 74, Monday, May 24, 2021.  Wright was best known as the voice of "Sebastian the Crab" in Walt Disney's classic animated feature film, "The Littler Mermaid" (1989).  He provided the lead vocals for the film's signature hit song, "Under the Sea," which one the "Best Song" Oscar.  Wright was also an original cast member of Disney's "The Lion King" Broadway musical, playing "Mufasa."  Wright was also a two-time Tony Award nominee.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 26th to 31st, 2020 - Update #31

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

TRAILERS - From YouTube:  The trailer for "F9: The Fast Saga" debuts.  The film is due May 22, 2020.

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MUSIC - From BET:  Music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs calls out the Grammys, and former label mate, Ma$e calls out Diddy!

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SCANDAL - From THR:  Jessica Mann is the second key accuser to claim that Harvey Weinstein raped her during Weinstein's New York rape trial.  Earlier this week, Miriam Haley testified to the same.

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FESTIVALS - From Deadline:  At Sundance, the buzzy "Bad Hair," from Justin Simien ("Dear White People) is nearing an 8 million dollar worldwide rights deal with Hulu.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  The Casting Society of America is another group that also hands out awards for movies, the "Artios Awards."  The 35th edition of those awards handed about trophies to "Once Upon a Time... in America" and "Jojo Rabbit," among others.

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KOBE - From Deadline:  "Grey's Anatomy" actress, Ellen Pompeo, has said that the "TMZ" television series should be cancelled for breaking the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash story and for other abusive behavior.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning director Ron Howard will direct "The Fixer" for Paramount Pictures.  The film dramatizes the real-life story of a plot to assassinate Cuban revolutionary, Fidel Castro.

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MOVIES - From Newsarama:  Universal Pictures has released seven character posters for the upcoming film "F9: The Fast Saga," the ninth film in the "Fast & Furious" franchise.

From ScreenRant:  The trailer for "F9" is due for release online Friday, Jan. 30th, 2020.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Wes Anderson's next film, "French Dispatch" will be released July 24th, 2020 by Searchlight Pictures.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Newly minted U.S. citizen, John Oliver, talks about the return of his Emmy-winning TV series, "Last Week Tonight."

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  It's "pilot season" for the broadcast networks and they are facing stiff salary competition for top talent because of the streaming giants.

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GRAMMYS - From CNN:  At Sunday's (Jan. 26th) 2020 Grammy Awards ceremony, First Lady Michelle Obama won the Grammy Award for "Best Spoken World Album."  Her husband, President Barack Obama, has previously won the award twice.

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FILM FESTIVAL - From Deadline:  The 2020 / 70th Berlin Film Festival (Feb. 20th to March 1st, 2020) has announced its competitive film lineup which will include 18 films.  Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Iron will serve as the president of the international jury which will hand out the Golden and Silver Bear awards.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  "True Detective" creator, Nic Pizzolatto, reunited with one of the series' biggest stars, Matthew McConaughey, for the series, "Redeemer," for FX.

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MOVIES - From THR: Priyanka Chopra joins "The Matrix 4."

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OSCARS/KOBE - From THR:  The late basketball great, Kobe Bryant, killed in a helicopter crash Sun., Jan. 26th, will be remembered at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony on Sun., Feb. 9th.

From THR:  The late Kobe Bryant, an Oscar winner himself, was remembered at Monday's (Jan. 27th) Oscar nominees luncheon.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  CBS gives a pilot pick-up order to a reboot its old TV series, "The Equalizer" (1985-1989), with Oscar-nominated actress Queen Latifah in the lead.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures has removed its "Masters of the Universe" reboot film from its release schedule.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/24 to 1/26/2020 weekend box office is "Bad Boys for Life" with an estimated take of 34 million dollars.  It is a repeat winner having topped its debut weekend last week.

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GRAMMYS - From Deadline:  The site is updating the winners list at 2020 / 62nd annual Grammy Awards.  UPDATE:  Billie Eilish sweeps the marquee cateogries: "Album of the Year," "Song of the Year," "Record of the Year," and "Best New Artist."

From YahooEntertainment:  Here is a complete list of winners at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards.

From YahooEntertainment:  Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell, set or tied numerous records at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards last night (Sun., Jan. 26th).  Eilish becomes only the second artist to win the coveted "big four" awards: "Album of the Year," "Song of the Year," "Record of the Year," and "Best New Artist." The first person to do it was Christopher Cross, 39 years ago.  The article in this link also talks about the Grammys ceremony's "highs and lows."

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  Sam Mendes wins the "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Film" award at the 2020 / 72nd Directors Guild Awards for his film "1917."  This is the second major guild win for "1917" after winning the top prize at the Producers Guild Awards.

From Deadline:  Netflix's "Klaus" wins "Best Animated Feature" at the 2020/ 47th Annie Awards, one of the seven awards the film won.  Netflix's entries won 19 Annies at the ceremonies, which were held last night (Sat., Jan. 25th).

From Deadline:  Cinematographer Roger Deakins wins the top prize, the "Theatrical Release" trophy, for his work on the film, "1917," at the 34th annual ASC Awards, which are given by the American Society of Cinematographers.

From Deadline:  Greta Gerwig took home top film honors Saturday night (Jan. 25th) at the 32nd annual USC Libraries Scripter Awards for "Little Women," her adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel.  In the TV category, the Scripter went to Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the first episode of her English TV series "Fleabag," which is streamed on Amazon Prime and is based on her one-woman play.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The cast is set for Tyler Perry's Nickelodeon series, "Tyler Perry's Young Dylan."  Carl Anthony Payne II of the 1990's series, "Martin," is one of the stars.

OBITS:

From THR:  NBA player and legend and member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, has died at the age of 41, Sunday, January 26, 2020.  Bryant was a five-time NBA champion; two-time NBA Finals MVP; league MVP in 2008; 18-time NBA All-Star; fourth-leading scorer in NBA history; and he was a two-time Olympic gold medal winner with the USA Basketball team (2008, 2012).  Kobe played his entire career for only one team, the Lakers.  Kobe wore two numbers in his career, and both No. 8 and No. 24 have been retired by the Lakers.

From Deadline:  American television network executive, Fred Silverman, has died at the age of 82, Thursday, January 30, 2020.  He was an executive at CBS, ABC, and NBC.  During his time at these networks, he was responsible for TV series like "All in the Family" and "MASH" at CBS; "Happy Days" and the miniseries, "Roots" at ABC; and "Hill Street Blues" and the miniseries, "Shogun" at NBC.

From Deadline:  Theater and television actress, Marsha Kramer, has died at the age of 74, Friday, January 24, 2020.  Over a forty year career, Kramer appeared in numerous TV series, including a recent stint on ABC's long-running sitcom, "Modern Family."

Movie Review: "Hobbs & Shaw" a Good Start for a Spin-Off Series

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2019) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Running time: 135 minutes; MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material and some strong language
DIRECTOR:  David Leitch
WRITERS:  Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce; based on Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS:  Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Morgan, and Jason Statham
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Sela
EDITORS:  Christopher Rouse
COMPOSER:  Tyler Bates

ACTION

Starring:  Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren, Eiza Gonzalez, Eddie Marsan, Eliana Su'a, Cliff Curtis, Rob Delaney, and Lori Pelenise Tuisano,  with (no screen credit) Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is a 2019 action movie from director David Leitch.  It is a spin-off from The Fast and the Furious movie franchise.  Hobbs & Shaw focuses on a federal agent and a mercenary who are forced to work together to keep a super-human villain from obtaining a deadly virus that could lead to human extinction.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw opens in London where Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) and her team of MI6 agents attempt to retrieve a virus, known as “Snowflake.”  This virus can be programmed to decimate millions of people, and the mysterious terrorist and tech organization, “Eteon,” wants it.  Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) is an Eteon operative with advanced cybernetic implants inside his body that allow him to perform superhuman feats.  Eteon has assigned Lore to obtain Snowflake, but before he can do so, Agent Shaw escapes with the virus.  So Lore uses Eteon's media sources to brand Shaw a traitor who killed her team.

Lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is a federal agent working for the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service).  Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is a former British Special Forces assassin-turned-mercenary.  Hobbs and Shaw are both informed of the missing Snowflake virus and are assigned to work together to find it and Hattie Shaw, who is Deckard's estranged sister.  Hobbs and Shaw have a troubled history together and refuse to team-up.  However, Brixton Lore's advanced cybernetic implants give him strength and speed far beyond that of normal humans.  He is practically a “Black Superman,” and if Hobbs and Shaw want to stop him, they will have to stop him together.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is not a great movie, but it is an entertaining action movie.  If you, dear reader, like the crazy car chases offered by The Fast and Furious franchise, Hobbs & Shaw offers wreck-filled automobile chase scenes that recall the great Mad Max: Fury Road.  Luxury sports cars, souped-up trucks, military vehicles, motorcycles, drones, and more tear across roads, onto walls, and over buildings.  This is a non-stop thrill-machine of car chases, crashes, and wrecks.

I do have to be honest.  I think Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham's screen chemistry seems forced.  It will probably get better in potential sequels.  Personally, I am not crazy about actress Vanessa Kirby; she just doesn't work for me.  Idris Elba delivers a good performance, but he could have made Brixton Lore a remarkable villain is this film's screenwriting were better.

Hobbs & Shaw also offers some surprise appearances by actors who are not featured or emphasized in any of the film's trailers and previews:  Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Helen Mirren.  Reynolds and Hart are actually quite good in their supporting roles; Mirren's role (as Magdalene Shaw, Deckard and Hattie's mother) feels contrived and forced.  If there is a sequel to this film, Reynolds and Hart must return in bigger roles.

I do think that Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw runs too long by about 15 or 20 minutes.  The last act is mixed – exciting action set pieces, but the family reunion melodrama is forced.  Maybe the thing that keeps Hobbs & Shaw from being as good as the best Fast & Furious films is that too much of it feels forced.  The filmmakers want this movie to be “2 fast, 2 furious,” but the movie often feels too forced and too contrived.  They need 2 relax.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw has the ingredients to start a quality action movie franchise.  Warts and all, this first movie is a good start.

6 out of 10
B

Saturday, August 3, 2019


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "Furious 7" is Furious and Bittersweet

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2016) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of this review first appeared on Patreon.]

Furious 7 (2015)
Running time: 137 minutes (2 hour, 17 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged frenetic sequences of violence, action and mayhem, suggestive content and brief strong language
DIRECTOR: James Wan
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, and Michael Fottrell
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon and Marc Spicer
EDITORS: Christian Wagner, Leigh Folsom Boyd, Dylan Highsmith, and Kirk Morri
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou, Lucas Black, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Brotherton, Tony Jaa, Ali Fazal, Ronda Rousey, Iggy Azalea, Sarah Sohn, Noel Gugliemi, T-Pain, Luke Evans, and Sung Kang

Furious 7 is a 2015 action movie from director James Wan and released by Universal Pictures.  It is the seventh installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise.  Furious 7 is set after the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, but follows the events of Fast & Furious 6.  In Furious 7, a new enemy seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family.

Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), and their friends are trying to live a normal life, but that is a bit more complicated than they imagined.  Dom is troubled that his longtime girlfriend and ride-or-die chick, Letitia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), is having trouble regaining her memories.  Brian struggles with domestic life as a husband to Mia (Jordana Brewster), who is also Dom's sister, and as a father to their small son, Jack.

Meanwhile, trouble is brewing overseas.  Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the older brother of Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), swears revenge against Dom and his racers who defeated Owen (in Fast & Furious 6), leaving him in a coma.  Deckard infiltrates the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service) office in Los Angeles to get information on Dom and company.  In the process, Deckard severely injures Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who brought Dom and his race team into his hunt for Owen Shaw.

After Deckard launches a series of attacks on his friends and family, Dom reunites Brian, Letty, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej Parker (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), to find Deckard.  They get help from Frank Petty (Kurt Russell) a.k.a. “Mr Nobody,” the leader of a covert ops team.  However, Deckard finds an ally in Mose Jakande (Djimon Hounsou), a mercenary and terrorist who leads a private military company.  Now, all parties are chasing Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), a computer hacktivist and her creation, God's Eye.

One cannot talk about Furious 7 without making note of the death of actor Paul Walker in November of 2013.  Walker and Vin Diesel were the face of The Fast and the Furious franchise.  Walker was only half-finished with the scenes he needed to film for Furious 7 when he died.  Stand-ins for Paul, including his brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, and the judicious application of computer-generated imagery were used to finish the rest of Walker's scenes.

Other than for a few scenes and some dialogue/audio, I could not tell the difference between Paul and the Paul stand-ins.  Besides, Furious 7 is so full of over-the-top, eye-popping, and breath-taking action scenes and sequences that my focus was on taking it all in and not on detecting real-Paul vs. faux-Paul.  Yes, Paul's death hangs over Furious 7, but not in a morbid way.  This film is a celebration of the work for which Walker is best known and for which he will be best remembered.

I do find Furious 7 to be a little too long, but there is no point in talking about the art of filmmaking when it comes to Furious 7.  Yes, it is well acted, surprisingly so.  James Wan seems superfluous as director; any of the three directors who have helmed previous installments of this franchise could have directed this film.  The script is half well-written, in terms of drama, and half-ridiculous, as the screenplay for a movie like Furious 7 must be.

When talking about Furious 7, we must talk about the action.  I loved the Predator drone; the multi-million dollar sports car driven through three skyscrapers; the Caucasus Mountains sequence that begins with five vehicles dropped from an airplane; the Tony Jaa-Paul Walker fights; and the awesome Dwayne Johnson-Jason Statham fisticuffs, to name a few.  This is not a great film, but it is fast and furious.  So why let Furious 7 be the last one?  Keep 'em coming.

6 of 10
B

Friday, October 30, 2015


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Review: "Fast and Furious 6" is Pure Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action and mayhem throughout, some sexuality and language
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, and Clayton Townsend
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon
EDITORS: Greg D’Auria, Kelly Matsumoto, and Christian Wagner
COMPOSER: Lucas Vidal

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Luke Evans, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Elsa Pataky, Gina Carano, John Ortiz, and Shea Whigham

Two years ago, I started off my review of Fast Five, the fifth movie in The Fast and the Furious film franchise, by telling you, dear reader, that my beat up Random House dictionary defines the word “furious” as meaning full of fury, and defines the word, “fury,” as unrestrained or violent anger.

Fast & Furious 6 is a 2013 action movie from director Justin Lin and released by Universal Pictures. It is the sixth installment in The Fast and the Furious movie franchise. Justin Lin was able to add scenes he could not use in his previous franchise installments (for various reasons, including budget and technology), so Fast & Furious 6 is even more unrestrained than Fast Five. It is the first Summer 2013 movie I have seen that really made me say, “Wow!”

Following the successful Rio heist (shown in Fast Five), Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew have retired to different places around the world. That includes disgraced FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and his girlfriend, Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), who welcome the arrival of their first child, a baby boy.

Retirement is not to be. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) officer, Lucas “Luke” Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who was tasked with capturing Dom and company in Rio, arrives at Dom’s home with a shocker. He has a recent photograph of Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), Dom’s former girlfriend and fellow street racer who is supposed to be dead. Letty is apparently working for Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), a former British Special Forces soldier. Shaw leads a crew of professional criminals who steal military-grade technology.

Shaw plans to build a device that could leave an entire nation or region in the dark. Hobbs promises full pardons for Dom and his crew if they can help him capture Shaw and his gang. Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker (Ludacris), and Han Lue (Sung Kang) reunite with Dom and Brian in what may be their fastest and most furious heist yet.

Fast & Furious 6 takes the massive gun battles, bone-crunching fights, and reality-bending car chases of Fast Five and makes them even crazier. I thought that Fast Five proved the franchise could still surprise, but Fast & Furious 6 seems to declare that this movie franchise will always surprise. You may think you’ve seen the car chases through the city streets before in other Fast and Furious movies, but you’ve never seen them with these cars (especially the cool “flip car”), nor have you seen these crashes, with cars spinning through the air, as you will see in Fast & Furious 6.

Remember the body-slamming brawls between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson’s characters in Fast Five? Fast & Furious 6 offers the hot-chick version of that with Michelle Rodriguez and Gina Carano’s characters crashing into each other like angry bucks in two monster clashes of the lady titans.

But it comes down to this simply fact: Fast & Furious 6 is a joy to watch. It is another fine action movie from director Justin Lin. I laughed and cheered, and the audience that saw it with me did, too – almost as much as the audience that saw Marvel’s The Avengers with me liked that movie. Fast & Furious 6 is one of those movies that deserve to be called “the ultimate summer movie.” It has fights, non-stop action, car chases, tanks, gunplay, sleazy Euro-trash bad guys, girl fights, and guys who love cars probably more than they love girls (even if it’s just a little more). Fast & Furious 6 has all the low-brow stuff that makes an action movie good, and this action movie is quite good.

8 of 10
A

Monday, June 03, 2013

Review: "Fast Five" Most Furious Yet

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fast Five (2011)
Running time: 130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell, and Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Stephen F. Windon
EDITORS: Kelly Matsumoto, Fred Raskin, and Christian Wagner
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Joaquim de Almeida, Elsa Pataky, and Michael Irby

My beat up Random House dictionary defines the word “furious” as meaning full of fury, and defines the word, “fury,” as unrestrained or violent anger. Fast Five is the fifth movie in The Fast and the Furious film franchise. It is unrestrained.

Fast Five picks up where the fourth movie, Fast and Furious (2009), left off. Former FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) leads an assault on a prison transport bus to free his pal, elite street racer and ex-con, Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel). Brian and Dom’s sister, Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), go on the run to Brazil, where they reunite with Dom for a train heist of high-end cars. The heist goes badly, which earns them the ire and unwanted attention of drug lord, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).

Now, backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, Dom suggests they pull one last job in order to gain their freedom – steal 100 million dollars from Reyes. They assemble an elite team of racers, techs, mechanics, and weapons experts. These include Brian’s friends from his time in Miami, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej Parker (Ludacris), and some of Dom’s associates like Han Lue (Sung Kang).

However, Reyes is not the only one hunting Brian and Dom. They are wanted by the FBI, which has assigned a Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) officer, Lucas “Luke” Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), to apprehend Brian and Dom. The hard-nosed Hobbs never misses his target, and he leads an elite strike team on an all-out mission to capture the two men. As his men tear through Brazil and he gets closer to his targets, Hobbs learns that he is caught between desperate forces – Dom and Brian on one side and Reyes on the other.

Fast Five takes the best of the previous four movies and crams that into an action movie extravaganza that runs at just over two hours of massive gun battles, bone-crushing fights, and reality-bending car chases. I give director Justin Lin some credit because this movie does have some moments of genuine character drama with a smattering of poignancy. Still, Lin, his crew, and creative collaborators know what this franchise is about – street racing.

But Fast Five gives us more than mere street racing. This film is furious and unstrained, offering loud, over-the-top, absurd action set pieces. Why just have pretty girls when you can have pretty girls with their butt cheeks hanging out? Why have a car chase when you can have a car chase with two cars dragging a giant safe? Everything is bigger, louder, and sleeker, and much of it defies the laws of physics. This movie made my breath catch a few times.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are as cool as ever, even if they aren’t the best actors. I’m sure readers want to know if this movie is as good as or even better than the others. Whether Fast Five is better is matter of taste, and I think it is. I can say one thing for sure. Fast Five is bigger, more outrageous, and more furious than anything else in The Fast and the Furious franchise.

7 of 10
B+

Sunday, May 01, 2011
 

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Review: "Fast & Furious" Faster and More Furious

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fast & Furious (2009)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin
WRITER: Chris Morgan (based upon characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS: Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell, and Neal H. Moritz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Amir Mokri (director of photography)
EDITORS: Fred Raskin and Christian Wagner

ACTION/CRIME

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso, Gal Gadot, John Conley, Shea Whigham, Liza Lapira, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Greg Cipes, Brandon T. Jackson, and Sung Kang

Fast & Furious is the fourth film in The Fast and the Furious franchise, but it is set before the events of the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The plot of Fast & Furious connects with the original 2001 film and actors Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez reprise their roles from the first movie. Having them return makes it feel as if this franchise got its mojo back.

Fast & Furious opens with Dominic “Dom” Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his new crew, which includes Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), hijacking fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic. A shocking murder brings the fugitive ex-con Dom back to Los Angeles looking for payback against a mysterious drug lord named Arturo Braga. Meanwhile, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), the FBI agent who 5 years earlier infiltrated L.A.’s illegal street racing underground, of which Dom was part, is also after Braga. Although he is still feuding with Brian, Dom will have to forge a new trust with the lawman if they are to have a hope of outmaneuvering the wily Braga. As they cross international lines to foil Braga, Dom and Brian are also forced to do what they do best – push the limits of what is possible behind the wheel of an American muscle car.

Even with its explosive beginning and shocking turn of events, Fast & Furious starts off slow. The character drama and set up of the plot are clunky, but the stars rise to the occasion. Fast & Furious, for the most part, is exactly that – fast and furious, so viewers will get what they expect from this franchise, but not exactly. The car chases and races are so fast and crazy that computer generated images obviously played a part in making them. The story is, overall, darker and edgier than ever before. However, Fast & Furious doesn’t seem derivative, even as part of a franchise, and in spite of some occasionally uninspired character moments, it is just plain fun to watch.

I thought I knew how much I missed Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, but I really had no idea. When they’re blazing, these two stars show us why Fast & Furious had to be and why there will be more.

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

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