Fast and Furious Review

Director: Justin Lin

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker

                The Fast and Furious series has been in a tail spin since the first film was released to theaters back in 2001.  Neither 2 Fast 2 Furious or the third installment Tokyo Drift were able to catch lightning in a bottle like the first one was able to.  I suppose Universal realized that the popularity for their franchise was slumping and so the original cast members were rounded up and the result is Fast and Furious. 

                The movie picks up sometime between the second and third films, taking place before the events in Tokyo Drift.  Dominic(Vin Diesel) and his gang, are in Mexico stealing gas, and O’Conner(Paul Walker) is in California chasing down thugs, attempting to bust up illegal drug rings for the FBI.  After learning that the cops are after him, Dom decides to leave his crew and return to the US, saving them from sharing in his demise.  When tragedy strikes, the same old players are thrown into the underground street racing scene once again; Dom to out for revenge, and O’Conner looking for a big bust.

                Fast and Furious is not going to be a film for every one, I will make that clear up front.  This isn’t the Citizen Kane of car flicks, the story won’t blow you away, and no one is going to win a academy award for their effort.  That isn’t what this movie is attempting to be, Justin Lin has a fairly good idea of what his audience wants to see, and he brings that vision to the screen.  People go to see Fast and Furious movies to see cars go fast and get smashed and the movie does not disappoint in this regard.  The racing sequences are edge of your seat thrill rides, with plenty of speed and destruction along the way and the story does just enough to keep it interesting in between the next action sequence. 

                The story in this F&F film is definitely an improvement over the last two and manages to keep the film from being just about the car chases, if you saw the first film, and are invested in the characters, the story is sure to keep your interest and provide a decent amount of entertainment value.  The acting can best be described as serviceable, Vin Diesel does a good job as Dom, but Walker can be somewhat wooden at times, in particular his early exchange with Jordanna Brewster’s character, Mia, feels awkward.  The scene is supposed to be an emotional charged one and Walker’s delivery is distracting and devoid of emotion. 

                The race sequences look great, and are well executed, with CGI being used sparingly, a welcome change.  In particular the tryout race, is a joy to watch, feeling like it is a real life representation of something you would seen in the Burnout video games series.  In these scenes Walker really comes into his own, as he really seems at home behind the wheel.  There is quite a bit of CGI at other times, but the CGI is necessary in those instances. 

                This installment in the F&F franchise is definitely the best so far, the story is good, they have quite a bit of actual car stunts, and none of the actor are major detriments to the film.  If you are looking for a movie where things go fast and stuff blows up then this is it.   Fast and Furious is a sure fire guilty pleasure.    

 

Score: 7/10            

Joker Art Exhibition

Pretty awesome collection of joker art, check it out.  

http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/04/02/cool-stuff-the-jokers-wild-art-show/#more-23869

Sunshine Cleaning Review

Director: Christine Jeffs

Starring:  Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin

Amy Adams latest film Sunshine Cleaning is a film that has a lot going for it.  The movie revolves around Rose Lorkowski(Amy Adams), and her family.  Her life is one with many problems, she is seeing a man that is married, her child can’t seem to keep out of trouble, and she is stuck in a less than desirable job.  Her family situation isn’t much better; her father is a widower (Alan Arkin), with get rich quick schemes dominating his time, and her sister (Emily Blunt) is a stoner/slacker living life on the fringe.  Desperate, after her sons latest problem cause him to be pulled out of school, her married cop lover (Steve Zahn), suggests that she get into the business of cleaning up crime scenes.  With the reluctant help of her sister, she jumps head first into the field of “biohazard removal”.

The plot of the film is admittedly weak and somewhat predictable; many will be able to guess what is coming next, but this is not necessarily a terrible thing.  While it does, at times, drift into familiar territory it does so in such a way that the audience can forgive it and the plot manages to be interesting enough to keep viewers engaged, enabling Blunt and Adams acting talents to shine.

This is the main attraction of the film, the acting of Adams and Blunt.  Adams is fantastic in her role and is able to connect with the audience and make her character both believable and sympathetic.  Blunt also does a fantastic job, owning her character and serving as a good counterpoint to Adams hardworking one.  Their interactions on screen are the highlight of the film, with the cleaning sequences, particularly the early ones, adding a humorous element; that keeps the film upbeat.

  Arkin, as the father and grandfather figure, adds to the mix, bringing his considerable talents to the table.  His role is similar to the one he portrayed in Little Miss Sunshine as the humorous, scheming grandfather.  The young actor, who plays Adams’ son in the film, is also amusing.  In particular, his scene in the candy store is memorable as he tells the young girl that strawberry fancy corn will give her bionic strength.

The film is an admittedly morbid, with death obviously in the forefront, but this is well balanced by the humorous elements, which keep it from becoming a drag.  Anytime that Blunt or Adams are on screen, either together or apart, they steal the scenes, showcasing their considerable ability.  Ultimately, I would recommend the film, it is sure to pull on your heart strings, and put a smile on your face, something many movies cannot claim.

Score: 7/10

CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR FAST AND FURIOUS REVIEW!!!!

Monsters vs. Aliens Imax 3D Review

Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Rudd, Rainn Wilson.

Monsters vs. Aliens is the latest CGI animated film to come out in Imax Intru3D.  The film blends 3D seamlessly into the viewing experience, with the addition becoming an added dimension of the film, rather than a distraction or becoming the center of attention.  By the time 30 minutes of the run time has gone by, the 3D effect had become no longer noticeable and only served to enhance the experience, making the scenery and characters pop out.

The film itself centers around a group of monsters, collected by the government, and stored in a secret area.  The monsters have been locked away to keep society safe and keep their existence a secret.  When a giant meteor impacts earth, and causes a normal human, Susan, to become a giant, she is also sent to this facility.  But the strange meteor also causes an evil alien to come seeking the benefits it possesses, with the worlds only hope being the monsters they have locked away.    

The animation in the film is smooth, the characters motions are fluid, the special effects during action sequences are spectacular, and everything looks great.  The style is an exaggerated one, with human characters being cartoonishly disproportionate.  The movie overall looks good, although in a post Wall-E world it isn’t spectacular, but it does not attempt to replicate those visuals.

The story itself is a simple one, good guys must save the days from bad guys while overcoming far obstacles, but it is executed effectively.  The movie is infused with many classic horror movie homages and parodies, which make it fun to watch for those who have seen the films it takes influence from.   The comedic elements are peppered sporadically throughout the movie, I would not call it the funniest CGI movie to come out in a while, but it does have its fair share of laughs.   

Voice acting is on par with most animated films with Seth Rogen standing out as perfectly cast for the brainless blob B.O.B., he is both funny and entertaining, as are the rest of the cast of characters, getting into their characters and really making the film go with their voice talents. 

Overall the movie is an enjoyable, if forgettable one, it is entertaining while it is on the screen, and when the credits roll it feels like a fulfilling movie experience, particularly in 3D.  The film is comparable to a summer action film, get the popcorn and candy out and sit tight for a fun filled ride that both kids and parents can enjoy.   

IMAX 3D Highly Recommended

Score: 8/10

Knowing Review

Director: Alex Proyas

Starring: Nicolas Cage

Alex Proyas, director of such film as I, Robot and Dark City latest film Knowing stars Nicolas Cage as a MIT professor that has stumbled upon a list, buried fifty years earlier, predicting various disasters throughout the last fifty years.  Finding disasters on the horizon, Professor Koestler attempts to decipher the code and save the day.  The film questions the audience, is life preordained or a random series of events?  A question cleverly posed in a lecture by Cage’s character.  This question is never really answered directly in the film, but doesn’t affect the story either way, allowing the viewer to decide. 

The film has a great initial premise and the first scene nails a perfect balance between eerie horror and intriguing drama.  This scene manages to inject a sense of terror into the film.  The terror element wears off quickly, though, as the story progresses more into sci-fi thriller territory for the remainder of the film, opting for spectacle over story.

Proyas manages to create great disaster set pieces throughout the film, with the carnage amped up to 11 and the overall execution makes the scenes a wonder to look at, with planes exploding, people burning, subway cars smashing everything in sight, and people being pulverized.  Cage can be distracting in these moments, looking on stupefied as everything around him crumbles. 

The acting in the film is fine but, Cage, in particular, plays the character so seriously that it detracts from the film, he becomes somewhat unbelievable as the movie progresses and makes himself, rather than the scene going on, the center of attention.  The child actors stand out as being very capable, the girl in the opening sequence coming off as legitimately terrifying and Professor Koelsters son(Chandler Canterbury) doing a good job of conveying the terror he was supposed to be feeling.

The real problem with Knowing is that the reasons behind most things that occur are not explained, instead the film moves along adding more elements and becoming increasingly bizarre up until the vague conclusion.  This leaves something to be desired, if the story perhaps only focused on the disasters and left out the supernatural element then it surely would have been more enjoyable.    

In the end Knowing is a spectacle film that is weighed down by the supernatural element it contains.  While the film works at times, it fails to create an enjoyable movie-going experience, and instead ranks as a missed opportunity.                 

Score: 4/10

I Love You, Man Review

I Love You, Man

Director: John Hamburg

Starring: Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jason Segal

I Love You, Man is the example of a movie that takes a simple concept, stretches it out over an entire film, and makes it work.  The film succeeds on the strength of its stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segal.  From the beginning Rudd and Segal seem natural in their roles and create characters that are engaging and entertaining, enabling the comedy to flow.

The film focuses on Peter Klaven, a real estate agent from California, who has always had luck with the ladies but has never managed to find any “guy friends”.  After getting engaged to his girlfriend (played by Rashida Jones), Peter is encouraged to find a best man.  Through this search Peter comes upon Sydney (Jason Segal) and their bromance becomes the centerpiece of the film.  While the film is funny it is far from perfect, the thin concept does, at times, become apparent as the movie seems to lose steam towards the middle before, gaining it again for the conclusion.  Many of the actors and actresses are surprisingly entertaining and genuinely funny.  Jon Favreau, Andy Samberg, Rashida Jones, and Thomas Lennon are great supporting actors, managing to use their screen time to infuse unique personalities into the film.  Lou Ferrigno also has a supporting role in the film and is amazingly awesome while on screen, as he is able to play off of his image as the Incredible Hulk.

This movie is ultimately a pretty funny, if formulaic, one.  It has many scenes that will have the audience laughing so hard theywill be on the verge of tears, but it also has long stretches where the movie theatre will be dead silent.  If you enjoy Paul Rudd and Jason Segal’s brand of comedy, particularly films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Role Models, go check it out.

 

Score: 7/10    

Top 10 Worst Super Hero Films

10. Spiderman 3

9. The Incredible Hulk (Bana)

8. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

7. Ghost Rider

6.Batman Forever

5. Batman and Robin

4.Superman Returns

3. Catwomen

2. Daredevil

1. Elektra