10 years and 5 movies in, you've probably already decided whether or not you're down with the Fast & Furious franchise. To be fair, the series has been all over the map in terms of so bad its good, so bad its bad and so awesome I can't take it anymore. Personally, I could watch these movies all day every day and never get enough.
Fast Five starts mere moments after Fast & Furious left us with Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster breaking out Vin from a prison bus with a spectacularly ridiculous and practical stunt piece. From there the movie barely slows down as Vin and Paul gather some familiar faces to do one last job before giving up life on the run for good.
As I said, this series has had its ups and downs, with its lowest point arguably being 2 Fast 2 Furious, though I personally can enjoy its levels of sheer stupidity. I think the turning point of this franchise though, is Tokyo Drift, directed by Justin Lin. It seems to be the first time where most everyone involved knew what kind of movie they were in, resulting in a genuinely fun time. Lin, who has been with the series ever since, deserves a lot of credit here. He's been able to hone and tinker with the tone with each go round, resulting in a near perfect action flick with Fast Five.
One of the best things Lin has done with this installment is his decision to go with practical stunts over CG as much as possible. All the previous films, while definitely including some solid stunt work, mostly relied on heavily CG'd car sequences, and the fact FF5 went completely in the oppostie direction really sets it apart from not only the rest of the franchise, but also from most big budget action films these days. The amount of wrecked cars in the final car chase alone is outdone only by The Blues Brothers from 1980.
I absolutely cannot talk about this film without mentioning Dwayne Johnson. He owns this movie. He knows exactly the kind of film this is and has a blast with his character, reveling in each and every cliched line he has. He and Vin also have an awesome brawl that is thankfully not over edited Bourne style, giving us a chance to actually see and feel punch after brutal punch.
Honestly, even if you hated every other Fast & Furious movie, I think you could find plenty to enjoy here. Yes, it's stupid, but it knows it, maybe even more so than the previous entries. The action in legitimately bigger and better than ever before, and while even being the longest FF film at 130 minutes, it goes by so fast you would have sworn it was only 90. Don't be a dick, go watch this movie and have a good time. I dare you.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Slumdog Millionaire
Most of the movies I've chosen to watch as a part of my mission have been movies I have only seen once before. Such is the case with Slumdog Millionaire. I watched it when it first came out in theaters, but unfortunately due to horrible timing on my part, I was forced to sit at the end of the second row, one of the worst spots to view a movie, in my opinion. Even with such a terrible spot, I was still able to get caught up in the film and was not surprised when it won the Best Picture Oscar that year.
Upon my second viewing a few days ago, I can safely say that Slumdog Millionaire is without a doubt a great movie. Director Danny Boyle has proven time and again that he doesn't wish to repeat himself and Slumdog is no exception.
Boyle has always had a particularly interesting visual flair to go along with his always interesting choices in material, and here he is able to bring that energy to what boils down to a simple tale of an underdog fighting for the love if his life. Now, yes, there is a lot more to it than that, but considering Boyle's genre jumping ways it makes it even more exciting to see him do something so heartfelt and genuine.
Boyle can't take all the credit though, as everything from the script, score and especially the younger actors portraying the leads as children do a lot in making this film as enjoyable as it is.
Having said all that though, I have to admit I can't really agree with its Best Picture win. Granted I'm still bitter from the fact that The Dark Knight was shut out of the Best Picture race, but out of the movies that were nominated that year I feel both Milk and The Wrestler were much more affective and will be able to stand the test of time a little better than Slumdog can.
Either way, it's still an extremely entertaining movie and if you've been on the fence about it you should definitely give it a shot. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Upon my second viewing a few days ago, I can safely say that Slumdog Millionaire is without a doubt a great movie. Director Danny Boyle has proven time and again that he doesn't wish to repeat himself and Slumdog is no exception.
Boyle has always had a particularly interesting visual flair to go along with his always interesting choices in material, and here he is able to bring that energy to what boils down to a simple tale of an underdog fighting for the love if his life. Now, yes, there is a lot more to it than that, but considering Boyle's genre jumping ways it makes it even more exciting to see him do something so heartfelt and genuine.
Boyle can't take all the credit though, as everything from the script, score and especially the younger actors portraying the leads as children do a lot in making this film as enjoyable as it is.
Having said all that though, I have to admit I can't really agree with its Best Picture win. Granted I'm still bitter from the fact that The Dark Knight was shut out of the Best Picture race, but out of the movies that were nominated that year I feel both Milk and The Wrestler were much more affective and will be able to stand the test of time a little better than Slumdog can.
Either way, it's still an extremely entertaining movie and if you've been on the fence about it you should definitely give it a shot. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Monday, April 25, 2011
For a Few Dollars More, Salt
I honestly can't remember if I'd seen For a Few Dollars More before. Blasphemy, I know, but it's just one of those movies that everyone has seen parts or is at least aware of it and its iconic score and imagery, that I honestly wasn't sure if I had sat down and watched the thing all the way through. So, yesterday, just to be sure, I put it on and watched that sucker.
I had watched A Fist Full of Dollars, the first part of Leone's Man with No Name Trilogy, a few weeks ago and while that movie is an undeniable classic, I have to admit I enjoyed For a Few Dollars More quite a bit more. Everything about this movie seems more confident than the first. Eastwood, Leone, and even Ennio Morricone's score impressively build on what they started with A Fist Full of Dollars. The addition of Lee Van Cleef as Eastwood's unlikely ally also adds the overall enjoyment.
For me, these movies are all about Eastwood. Even if he had never made a western again he would still be just as connected with the genre as he is today solely based on this trilogy. Not only does his Man with no name not give a fuck, but he only uses his right hand for shooting and nothing else. He lets his left do all the drinking and fighting. A serious badass.
As I've said before in this blog, the western is one of my favorite film genre's, so it's particularly exciting to watch this trilogy as it not only cements Eastwood as supreme western God, but it also influenced countless films and filmmakers alike. Leone's trilogy may not be my absolute favorite westerns, but they are without a doubt some of the best ever put to film.
I also watched Salt yesterday, an action flick starring Angelina Jolie as a spy who is forced to go on the run after she has been accused of trying to assassinate the Russian President.
I honestly don't know why I wanted to watch this all of a sudden. I've always enjoyed Jolie in action films, but this one really didn't speak to me when it came out last summer. However, when I saw it was on Netflix instant I kind of said to myself " Fuck it".
And you know what? I liked it. It's pretty silly and very stupid, but like I said, Jolie is easy to watch in this genre. I genuinely believe that she could kick my ass, as most people could.
Salt isn't as solid as Mr.& Mrs. Smith, or as ridiculous as Wanted, but it actually went places I didn't expect, something which is hard to say for a lot of mainstream action films these days.
The worst thing I could say about it is that I called out who the villain was 2 minutes in, but even so I was able to just go along for the ride. I recommend watching this one if you've got an afternoon to kill or some beers to drink, otherwise you might just end up hating me for having suggested it.
I had watched A Fist Full of Dollars, the first part of Leone's Man with No Name Trilogy, a few weeks ago and while that movie is an undeniable classic, I have to admit I enjoyed For a Few Dollars More quite a bit more. Everything about this movie seems more confident than the first. Eastwood, Leone, and even Ennio Morricone's score impressively build on what they started with A Fist Full of Dollars. The addition of Lee Van Cleef as Eastwood's unlikely ally also adds the overall enjoyment.
For me, these movies are all about Eastwood. Even if he had never made a western again he would still be just as connected with the genre as he is today solely based on this trilogy. Not only does his Man with no name not give a fuck, but he only uses his right hand for shooting and nothing else. He lets his left do all the drinking and fighting. A serious badass.
As I've said before in this blog, the western is one of my favorite film genre's, so it's particularly exciting to watch this trilogy as it not only cements Eastwood as supreme western God, but it also influenced countless films and filmmakers alike. Leone's trilogy may not be my absolute favorite westerns, but they are without a doubt some of the best ever put to film.
I also watched Salt yesterday, an action flick starring Angelina Jolie as a spy who is forced to go on the run after she has been accused of trying to assassinate the Russian President.
I honestly don't know why I wanted to watch this all of a sudden. I've always enjoyed Jolie in action films, but this one really didn't speak to me when it came out last summer. However, when I saw it was on Netflix instant I kind of said to myself " Fuck it".
And you know what? I liked it. It's pretty silly and very stupid, but like I said, Jolie is easy to watch in this genre. I genuinely believe that she could kick my ass, as most people could.
Salt isn't as solid as Mr.& Mrs. Smith, or as ridiculous as Wanted, but it actually went places I didn't expect, something which is hard to say for a lot of mainstream action films these days.
The worst thing I could say about it is that I called out who the villain was 2 minutes in, but even so I was able to just go along for the ride. I recommend watching this one if you've got an afternoon to kill or some beers to drink, otherwise you might just end up hating me for having suggested it.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
My Mission, Part III
It's been a while since I've been able to continue the journey through my movie collection. Most of that is because I was, for some reason, preparing to become a student for the first time since 2005. Unfortunately, I was able to achieve this goal and will be attending Wake Tech Community College this fall semester. In an attempt to console myself, I decided to watch two movies I hadn't seen before from my instant Netflix, Mary & Max and Following, and only watch one from my personal collection, Traffic.
I started with Traffic, director Steven Soderbergh's sprawling account of America's war on drugs, or lack thereof told through a number of point of views, all of which are connected in some form or another.
2000 was the year of Soderbergh. In addition to Traffic, he also directed Erin Brochovich, and both movies made over $100 million. What's even more impressive was that Steven was actually nominated as Best Director at the Oscars for both movies, a fact that many thought would cost Soderbergh the award due to splitting of the votes. He ended up winning for Traffic though, and it easy to see why. It's a two and a half hour movie dealing with at least 4 separate stories in two languages, and yet somehow it feels effortless. It's not exactly an easy movie to watch, but Soderbergh ensures that there is not a moment or character wasted, no matter how small. The pace of the film is another major asset, assuring that you don't feel too exhausted by the end of the 147 minute run time. If you are even the smallest Soderbergh fan, I highly recommend this one. It may not be his best, but it's definitely up there.
Next up was the Clay-mation film Mary & Max, an extremely heartfelt story about a young Australian girl who becomes pen pals with Max, a 44 year old man whose only wishes in life are to have a lifetime supply of chocolate and a friend. What follows is a 20 year correspondence affects their lives in both good and bad ways.
I don't want to say too much about this one, as there are many surprises throughout, but I will say that I was completely taken aback at how emotionally honest the movie is. Even though it is animated it's actually much more for adults than children. The filmmakers instead use the medium to help convey the characters growing relationship and feelings of happiness and pain throughout their lives. It's a move that adds unexpected weight to the material, not to mention the fact that this is apparently based on a true story. It's a truly original and touching film, and one I strongly urge anyone and everyone to check out.
Finally I watched Following, the first film by none other than Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight and Inception.
The movie focuses on a young writer who becomes obsessed with following people and breaking into their homes in an attempt to gain material for his stories.
Unfortunately, there's much to say about this one. It's definitely interesting to see a young Nolan play with storytelling techniques that we would later see in film's such as Memento and The Prestige, but again it's more interesting than entertaining. Even with a run time of 70 minutes, the film tends to be a bit slow, though never completely boring. I would say only check this one out if you are absolutely dying to see where Nolan started. For everyone else, just enjoy all the wonderful movies he has made since.
I'm hoping to continue my mission over the next two days while I celebrate what's his name's excuse for a day off, so until then, later dudes.
I started with Traffic, director Steven Soderbergh's sprawling account of America's war on drugs, or lack thereof told through a number of point of views, all of which are connected in some form or another.
2000 was the year of Soderbergh. In addition to Traffic, he also directed Erin Brochovich, and both movies made over $100 million. What's even more impressive was that Steven was actually nominated as Best Director at the Oscars for both movies, a fact that many thought would cost Soderbergh the award due to splitting of the votes. He ended up winning for Traffic though, and it easy to see why. It's a two and a half hour movie dealing with at least 4 separate stories in two languages, and yet somehow it feels effortless. It's not exactly an easy movie to watch, but Soderbergh ensures that there is not a moment or character wasted, no matter how small. The pace of the film is another major asset, assuring that you don't feel too exhausted by the end of the 147 minute run time. If you are even the smallest Soderbergh fan, I highly recommend this one. It may not be his best, but it's definitely up there.
Next up was the Clay-mation film Mary & Max, an extremely heartfelt story about a young Australian girl who becomes pen pals with Max, a 44 year old man whose only wishes in life are to have a lifetime supply of chocolate and a friend. What follows is a 20 year correspondence affects their lives in both good and bad ways.
I don't want to say too much about this one, as there are many surprises throughout, but I will say that I was completely taken aback at how emotionally honest the movie is. Even though it is animated it's actually much more for adults than children. The filmmakers instead use the medium to help convey the characters growing relationship and feelings of happiness and pain throughout their lives. It's a move that adds unexpected weight to the material, not to mention the fact that this is apparently based on a true story. It's a truly original and touching film, and one I strongly urge anyone and everyone to check out.
Finally I watched Following, the first film by none other than Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight and Inception.
The movie focuses on a young writer who becomes obsessed with following people and breaking into their homes in an attempt to gain material for his stories.
Unfortunately, there's much to say about this one. It's definitely interesting to see a young Nolan play with storytelling techniques that we would later see in film's such as Memento and The Prestige, but again it's more interesting than entertaining. Even with a run time of 70 minutes, the film tends to be a bit slow, though never completely boring. I would say only check this one out if you are absolutely dying to see where Nolan started. For everyone else, just enjoy all the wonderful movies he has made since.
I'm hoping to continue my mission over the next two days while I celebrate what's his name's excuse for a day off, so until then, later dudes.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Hanna
Hanna is the most refreshing action film I've seen in quite a few years. It's a film that doesn't reinvent the genre, but instead manages to just get everything right, including staging beautifully choreographed fight scenes without over editing them, which is a feat in and of itself.
Saoirse Ronan stars as Hanna, a teenage girl who has been raised in the arctic woods by her father, played by the amazing Eric Bana as a rouge spy who has trained Hanna to be the perfect assassin in an attempt to get revenge on the agency who betrayed him years before.
Ronan has already been nominated for an Oscar at the age of 13 for her work in Attonement, also directed by Hanna helmer Joe Wright, so it's no surprise that her work here is incredible. Her Hanna is a complicated teenager if there ever was one. She is every bit the killer her father trained her to be, but she's also a naive, confused and sheltered girl who is in the process of discovering who she is, just as most teenagers her age are doing. What's truly impressive though is Ronan's ability to go from vicious killer to innocent teen girl in the very same scene. It's a truly incredible performance that ensures Ronan will be someone to watch for years to come.
I have to say though, my favorite part of the movie is Eric Bana as Hanna's father. Bana is a complete badass here. Not only does he match Ronan and Cate Blanchett in the acting department, but he has the best action scene of the year so far with a jaw dropping fight sequence against four other men all shot in one take.
Which brings me to the action. Director Joe Wright has decided to just put the camera down and actually create an exciting sequence in front of the camera instead of trying to create it in the editing room. It's a move that is refreshing and old school at the same time. For too long now Hollywood has copied the frenetic editing style of the Bourne films fight sequences, and while I still believe they work in those films, I was so relieved and grateful to see such a ballsy sequence.
Before I end this, I have to also mention the film's score composed by The Chemical Brothers. I hadn't heard much of their stuff before this movie, but I can easily say that it's a score that's right up there with The Social Network and TRON: Legacy in terms of score's done by recording artists. Great, great stuff.
If you are at all a fan of action films and looking for something just a little bit different, then I highly recommend you see Hanna ASAP.
Saoirse Ronan stars as Hanna, a teenage girl who has been raised in the arctic woods by her father, played by the amazing Eric Bana as a rouge spy who has trained Hanna to be the perfect assassin in an attempt to get revenge on the agency who betrayed him years before.
Ronan has already been nominated for an Oscar at the age of 13 for her work in Attonement, also directed by Hanna helmer Joe Wright, so it's no surprise that her work here is incredible. Her Hanna is a complicated teenager if there ever was one. She is every bit the killer her father trained her to be, but she's also a naive, confused and sheltered girl who is in the process of discovering who she is, just as most teenagers her age are doing. What's truly impressive though is Ronan's ability to go from vicious killer to innocent teen girl in the very same scene. It's a truly incredible performance that ensures Ronan will be someone to watch for years to come.
I have to say though, my favorite part of the movie is Eric Bana as Hanna's father. Bana is a complete badass here. Not only does he match Ronan and Cate Blanchett in the acting department, but he has the best action scene of the year so far with a jaw dropping fight sequence against four other men all shot in one take.
Which brings me to the action. Director Joe Wright has decided to just put the camera down and actually create an exciting sequence in front of the camera instead of trying to create it in the editing room. It's a move that is refreshing and old school at the same time. For too long now Hollywood has copied the frenetic editing style of the Bourne films fight sequences, and while I still believe they work in those films, I was so relieved and grateful to see such a ballsy sequence.
Before I end this, I have to also mention the film's score composed by The Chemical Brothers. I hadn't heard much of their stuff before this movie, but I can easily say that it's a score that's right up there with The Social Network and TRON: Legacy in terms of score's done by recording artists. Great, great stuff.
If you are at all a fan of action films and looking for something just a little bit different, then I highly recommend you see Hanna ASAP.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
My mission part II
Last week, while Katy was out of town I continued my plan to physically watch every single movie I own by watching Where the Wild Things Are, Cop Land, The Hunt for Red October and Red.
I had only seen Where the Wild Things Are once, in theaters, but I remembered liking it a lot more than I did with this viewing. This time I found it to be pretty boring. I realize there's not a lot going on in the movie on purpose as it's more a reflection of how a child deals with his feelings than some kind of fantasy family film, but fuck, it's so boring.
Thankfully I watched Cop Land next, a movie that absolutely lives up to the potential promised by its cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta. It was amazing to see Stallone in this part. I had honestly forgotten how good an actor he can be outside of the Rocky/Rambo franchises. If you haven't seen this one, you must do so now.
Next was The Hunt for Red October, a very 90s thriller about a Soviet submarine commander, Sean Connery, who may or may not be hijacking his submarine to America. This wasn't quite as awesome as I remember, though there is still plenty to enjoy. I have a soft spot for almost anything from the 90s, and it doesn't hurt that Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin both are at the top of their game. It's especially nice to watch Alec in leading man mode, and it makes me wish he still got parts like this one.
Finally, I ended the night with Red, a movie starring Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Hellen Mirren and Morgan Freeman as assassins forced out of retirement in order to find out who is trying to kill them. I actually enjoyed this much more upon second viewing. I definitely enjoyed it in theaters, but watching it this time I was able to enjoy the smaller moments that are spread throughout the film. The cast itself is hilarious, particularly Malkovich as a spy who has been on one too many mission in his day. It's Karl Urban who really stands out for me though as the young hot shot given the task of taken these Retired, Extremely Dangerous agents down. He doesn't have a huge part per se, but he brings a gruffness to the part that reminds me of Timothy Olyphant, something that is definitely a good thing.
I'm not sure when I'll have another movie day, but I have seen Source Code and will be seeing Your Highness this weekend so I'll be sure and have something up about those ASAP.
I had only seen Where the Wild Things Are once, in theaters, but I remembered liking it a lot more than I did with this viewing. This time I found it to be pretty boring. I realize there's not a lot going on in the movie on purpose as it's more a reflection of how a child deals with his feelings than some kind of fantasy family film, but fuck, it's so boring.
Thankfully I watched Cop Land next, a movie that absolutely lives up to the potential promised by its cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta. It was amazing to see Stallone in this part. I had honestly forgotten how good an actor he can be outside of the Rocky/Rambo franchises. If you haven't seen this one, you must do so now.
Next was The Hunt for Red October, a very 90s thriller about a Soviet submarine commander, Sean Connery, who may or may not be hijacking his submarine to America. This wasn't quite as awesome as I remember, though there is still plenty to enjoy. I have a soft spot for almost anything from the 90s, and it doesn't hurt that Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin both are at the top of their game. It's especially nice to watch Alec in leading man mode, and it makes me wish he still got parts like this one.
Finally, I ended the night with Red, a movie starring Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Hellen Mirren and Morgan Freeman as assassins forced out of retirement in order to find out who is trying to kill them. I actually enjoyed this much more upon second viewing. I definitely enjoyed it in theaters, but watching it this time I was able to enjoy the smaller moments that are spread throughout the film. The cast itself is hilarious, particularly Malkovich as a spy who has been on one too many mission in his day. It's Karl Urban who really stands out for me though as the young hot shot given the task of taken these Retired, Extremely Dangerous agents down. He doesn't have a huge part per se, but he brings a gruffness to the part that reminds me of Timothy Olyphant, something that is definitely a good thing.
I'm not sure when I'll have another movie day, but I have seen Source Code and will be seeing Your Highness this weekend so I'll be sure and have something up about those ASAP.
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