I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.
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| Furious 7 - Trying too hard. |
Watch Furious 7
Written by: Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson (characters)
Directed by: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Kurt Russell
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
Every time they try to get out, they're pulled back in. In this completely new adventure, Dom Toretto's team has to drive fast cars while things blow up. Wait, they did that before. They have to steal something, wait, been there.
In the continuing saga of fast cars, explosions, and evil megalomaniacs, the Toretto team drive fast cars while things blow up.
Review:
I liked the original The Fast and the Furious because it was a movie that had a genuine love for cars, something that is rare. The series experienced a major shift with the second and third movies, and the series has now settled into the action genre. It's a completely over the top popcorn movie.
At the beginning of the movie, I'm left wondering what this movie wants to be. The Statham cold opening was well done making me thing this was an over the top, ridiculous, action movie. The next sequence is a cheesy joke about Paul Walker's character being a dad. Is this a comedy movie? Then we delve into the amnesia story line with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez. It's a ridiculous storyline. Why has it not been dropped altogether? Is this movie going to be about their romance? It takes a while before this move picks a genre.
This film is trading in on name only. Without a franchise behind it (and being Walker's last movie), this movie would have bombed. I don't have a problem with it being over the top, but the logic isn't always consistent, and it goes a bit too far in trying to include cars in everything. The car scenes used to have more logic. They put a parachute on a car. Come on!
Why do we stick with the amnesia story line, but have no problem making these guys into special forces fighters? How many times does Vin Diesel say "family"? The writing hurts this. It feels like part homage to the previous movies with references, but there is never any tension or surprise. We get exactly what we expect; cars, explosions, and fights. It tries to follow the rule of cool and doesn't pull it off. There is a head on collision as a prelude to a fight. During the fight I'm thinking they wouldn't have been able to walk away from that. The script comes off as trying to be too clever and not even coming close. The comic relief never succeeds . In every action scene, the guiding thought is what's the craziest thing we can do? Logic is thrown out the window. Vin Diesel with two foot long wrenches street fighting? Sure. Oh but give him a one liner. That will be cool. The directing tries to be too stylish and is a complete turnoff. There are a lot of cheesy one liners. They aren't cheesy in a good way. It's trying to be cheesy, but not making it.
The end as a tribute to Walker is very nice. It has a lot of undertone as far as what the movie implies and what we know happened.
Verdict:
This is what happens when you throw money at a movie. It's a B movie in almost all categories save for production values. If it wasn't a sequel in the Fast and Furious franchise it would have tanked. The only good thing about it is the Paul Walker send off. That was well done, but it's not worth sitting through this movie.
Skip it.
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| Stretch - Entertaining and fun. |
Stretch (2014)
Watch Stretch
Written by: Joe Carnahan (screenplay), Jerry Corley & Rob Rose (story), and Joe Carnahan (story)
Directed by: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, James Badge Dale, Jessica Alba, Chris Pine
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
Limo driver Stretch gets in over his head courting a crazy millionaire client for a big tip to pay off his bookie as he tries to avoid a rival driver and the cops.
Review:
This movie is a lot of fun. It's got a great mood with Wilson as a down and out limo driver. The celebrity cameos set the standard. Norman Reedus. Ray Liotta. David Hasselhoff. Hasselhoff is amazing in his short cameo. This movie is the right amount of ridiculous. Chris Pine did a great job. It's surprising, fun, and entertaining. They are many good one liners. "You got a Facebook, dude?" This movie delivers. It keeps getting better. The ending is telegraphed just a bit at the end, but I think it's intentional as it we realize it just as the main character does.
Verdict:
A movie should entertain and surprise. This movie does that. It has action, dark humor, and a little bit of drama. Good acting, fun story, and completely ridiculous in just the right way. It would be worth it for the cameos alone, but the movie delivers. If it's not a cult classic, it needs to be.
Watch it.
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| The Devil Wears Prada - Surprisingly good. |
Watch The Devil Wears Prada
Written by: Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay), Lauren Weisberger (novel)
Directed by: David Frankel
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Adrian Grenier
Rated: PG-13
Plot:
Andie, played by Anne Hathaway, gets a job at fashion magazine Runway as the assistant to the domineering editor-in-chief played by Meryl Streep.
Review:
This is the type of fun we don't see in movies anymore. All of the actors do a fantastic job, especially Streep. The story is a bit cliche with the girl who doesn't fit in. It feels like a potential makeover type movie, and it kind of is. The movie loves montages, but it really works and adds to the feeling that the movie is older than it actually is. One thing this movie gets right is that it gives actors a chance to emote. We learn more about what characters are thinking by facial expressions rather than by exposition. This stuck out to me, especially after seeing Furious 7, where actors just recite lines completely devoid of any emotion. The writing is impressive. One reason you don't see this type of movie is that if the writing doesn't screw it up, the directing does. This movie does both really well. It's not a unique story, but it is unique when it's done well.
Verdict:
It's unfortunate light hearted movies like this aren't made anymore due to poor writing and direction. This movie gets both right. It provides a character to root for and a villain to loathe. While the fashion industry setting is unfamiliar, the fish out of water story is easily relatable.
It depends.
The Imposter (2012)
Watch The Imposter
Documentary
Directed by: Bart Layton
Starring: Adam O'Brien, Anna Ruben, Cathy Dresbach
Rated: R
Plot:
A man claims to be a teenager missing for three years. While the man bears no resemblance to and is not the missing child, the family readily accepts him.
Review:
It's just such a crazy story. The culprit is part of the documentary and admits even he couldn't understand why this family took him in when he looked nothing like the missing boy whose identity he was claiming. The amount of manipulation and pure luck is crazy. How did he get a passport? Eventually the story unravels when a man happens to see the story on the news and feels something isn't quite right.
Verdict:
It's not the best documentary I've ever seen, but the story is so crazy it needs to be seen.
It depends.
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