Furious 7

When I think back to the first time I watched 2001's The Fast and The Furious -- probably about 13 years ago -- I remember liking it but not loving it. I can safely say I never thought that six movies later the franchise would be stronger than ever, and that I also would be disgustingly excited for each new entry. I've been counting down the months, weeks and days until the latest franchise entry. Maybe you've heard of it, a little movie released in theaters this past weekend, Furious 7.

Having put their mission in England and Spain behind them in putting away Owen Shaw, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew of street racers and drivers have moved on. Well, that's the plan at least. Having moved back to his old stomping grounds in Los Angeles, Dom, friend and partner and crime, Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker), and his sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster) barely survive an explosion from a bomb sent their way by Shaw's older, more dangerous brother, Deckard (Jason Statham). Worse than that? Their friend, Han (Sung Kang), has already been killed by Deckard who has vowed to dispatch anyone involved in the attack on his brother. As if the younger Shaw hadn't been good enough, now Dom, Brian and the crew are going up against the very best. Their best hope of getting Shaw before Shaw gets them? Teaming up with a government agent who knows the perfect way to bring that confrontation into reality.

Let's start with the uncomfortable. Star Paul Walker tragically passed away in November 2013 as filming was in high gear for this action-packed sequel. His death left the production in a troubled state. Should they continue on or abandon the project? How would the Brian character be treated in terms of a send-off? In stepped Walker's brothers Caleb and Cody who helped stand in for their brother in scenes that hadn't been filmed yet. Some brotherly look-a-likes, some quick CGI work, yeah, it stands out at times the scenes Walker wasn't there, but it's never distracting. Is it a difficult movie to watch at times knowing it will be Walker's last? Hell yes, but it is a fitting send-off for an incredibly likable actor and movie star.

The movie itself, well, it continues on without missing a beat. In steps director James Wan, replacing Justin Lin who had directed the last 'Fast' entries starting with 'Tokyo Drift.' I was a little wary, but Wan follows the formula that's made these movies so successful and amps it up quite a bit. The biggest compliment I can give here is that this is the type of fun, ridiculously over the top entertainment that movies SHOULD be. These movies are F-U-N from beginning to end. 'Furious' is the longest such entry at 137 minutes, but it never even remotely feels long. The pacing and story actually fly by. It's far from the most pointed story and drifts along with crazy action sequences filling in the blanks, but you go along for the ride. Pun intended by the way. This is a popcorn movie at its absolute freaking best.

Yes, the action is ridiculous and will be discussed later. I have thought and continue to think that the heart of these movies is the characters. Seven movies in, you're familiar with them. You like them and you're rooting for them. That starts with Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, the team's leader, a philosophizing, growling street racer who holds family and loyalty above all else. Mess with his family and brace to incur his wrath. The most important relationship is between Dom and Walker's Brian, a brotherly relationship that has gotten better and deeper with each passing movie. These aren't the youngsters of 2001's original film. They're a little older, a little wiser, but they're still two of the best, most skilled drivers around. Their dynamic throughout is the real heart of the movie, two friends off-screen who allow that friendship to carry over onto the screen.

But wait, there's more! Basically the whole team is back. Unfortunately Dwayne Johnson isn't around much for his part as muscle-bound, one-liner spewing Agent Hobbs. He's there at the beginning and end but not the middle. When he's there, it's prime stuff. He just brings an energy to the character no matter how long he's around. Along with Brewster's Mia, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris are all back. Rodriguez's Letty is slowly getting her memory back and gets some surprisingly effective scenes with Dom about their past. Tyrese as fast-talking jokester Roman Pearce and Ludacris as tech and hacker extraordinaire Tej provide some comic relief, a one-two punch who consistently get laughs from their bickering back and forths. Kang and Gal Gadot make quick appearances in footage from the previous movies and in a cool touch uniting the seemingly disjointed timeline of the franchise, Lucas Black reprises his role from Tokyo Drift as young driver Sean Boswell. Just a fun cast who are familiar with their characters and continue to bring them to life.

What would a successful franchise be without some fresh blood? Expanding on his surprise appearance at the end of 'F+F 6,' Statham has some fun as Deckard Shaw, a brooding, menacing villain who isn't given much to do other than pop up and wreak havoc at the least opportune time. I wish he was given more to do, but it's Statham in villain mode. That's rarely a bad thing. Other new faces include Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, a world-class hacker, Djimon Hounsou as an international terrorist and Tony Jaa as his brutal enforcer, and UFC fighter Ronda Rousey as a bodyguard who tangles with Rodriguez's Letty. My favorite new part? Kurt Russell having a blast as Mr. Nobody, an incredibly capable, dangerous government agent who teams up with Dom and Co. to bring Shaw to justice. Russell is smiling almost every scene he's in, and it looks like he's genuinely having some chaotic fun.

Most movies would be hard-pressed to improve on the action of its two predecessors, Fast Five and Fast and Furious 6. '7' manages to do just that. The action is flat out, over the top, ludicrously nuts, never possibly exist in this reality type of action. Car chases in abundance, Statham taking on Hobbs early and then Diesel in the finale, Rodriguez and Rousey tearing each other up (in some classy gowns at that), it is all NUTS. It works though because the story and characters commit. It never plays out like a spoof. So yes, there's cars dropping out of a plane and parachuting to take down an armored convoy. Yes, the attack is nuts. Yes, Dom and Brian crash from one skyscraper to another....and another in Abu Dabi. The finale itself is probably about 30 minutes long and just a smorgasbord of excessive action on the streets of Los Angeles. Car chases, fist fights (with wrenches), helicopters and missile-loaded drones....and very few cops in sight. Go along with it and have some fun.

I read heading into this sequel that Wan and Co. filmed a poignant tribute to Paul Walker for the finale. Yeah, about that...it's a perfect, moving ending. And no, those aren't tears in my eyes. I'm allergic to something, anything, whatever. Don't Judge Me!!! The final scene and a quick montage of Walker's involvement in the series is beyond a perfect send-off to the very popular movie star and actor. If this is the end of the series, so be it. This was a more than worthy finale. If it isn't -- supposedly there's at least 2 more sequels coming -- I'll welcome them with open arms. This is that rare series that has gotten better in the second half of its run. Judging by the box office money on opening weekend, I'm not the only one to feel that way. It made $400 million this weekend internationally. 400 MILLION!!!! That perfect popcorn movie and a fitting finale for Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor character.

Furious 7 (2014): ****/****

Pain & Gain

There are stories you see on the news, in the newspapers, on the Internet, on the radio, and you just shake your head. There's no way it could possibly be true. It's just too ridiculous to be based in any sorts of reality. That's what I kept thinking while watching 2013's Pain & Gain, a mismarketed film that isn't what it is was made out to be. It's got its positives and negatives with an interesting cast and a generally schizophrenic tone. I think I liked it. Think.

Working as a personal trainer at a Miami gym and fitness club, fitness nut and budding bodybuilder Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) wants more. He wants to be successful, to have some money, a house with a lawn. He wants the American dream, and he's willing to work for it. There's a problem though. There's just no easy way to do it....until now. One of Daniel's clients, Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), is a self-made man and a bit of a condescending, arrogant idiot at that with lots of money. Lots of money. Daniel comes up with a plan to not only kidnap Kershaw for a ransom, but have the businessman sign over all of his empire; houses, businesses, money, offshore accounts. Daniel enlists the help of two fellow bodybuilders, Paul (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian (Anthony Mackie), to pull off the kidnapping/robbery. After several bumbled attempts, the trio does it, capturing Kershaw, but these amateur crooks don't know what they've gotten themselves into.

From director Michael Bay, this is a movie that defies any real description, a straightforward one at least. What defies logic the most is that this....actually....happened. Read more about it HERE with some obvious spoilers. In Miami in 1995, a gang of three bodybuilders actually kidnapped a businessman and held him captive for almost a full month. I don't want to give too much away, but the story takes some surprising twists following the kidnapping that I definitely didn't see coming. 'Gain' has everything including kidnapping, ransoms, blackmail, strippers, drugs, murder, extortion and probably a whole lot of other things I'm forgetting. If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was all made up, the twisted ideas of some warped screenwriters, but no, THIS HAPPENED. Keep that in mind as one bad plan turns into another one here in this bizarrely twisted true story.

Michael Bay has never struggled to cast his flicks, and it's no different here. It's not that the cast is assembled, it's that the script gives them a chance to flex their muscles (pun fully intended). Wahlberg's Daniel Lugo is a very interesting if not at all sympathetic lead character. It's not your typical Wahlberg. He's fiery and over the top and charismatic, desperately wanting something more out of life. It's almost unfathomable the depths of how far he'll go, but that's just another layer in the surreal quality of this flick. I was equally impressed with Johnson as Paul Doyle, an immensely large muscle-bound bodybuilder with quite the checkered past. He balances out his desire to do what God and Jesus wants him to do....with his love of fighting, punching, strippers and snorting cocaine. It's a darkly funny part, especially the surprising friendship he develops with Shalhoub's Kershaw. Mackie rounds out the crew, his Adrian searching and working for the perfect body, falling for a nurse (Rebel Wilson) who helps him with his steroid-induced erectile dysfunction. Quite the trio, ain't it?

Playing the equally shrill, annoying Kershaw to balance out our intrepid heroes, Shalhoub is perfectly whiny as the perpetually shrill, horny motormouth. You can't decide who's dumber as the story develops. Ed Harris plays Ed DuBois, a retired private investigator who gets caught up in the kidnapping, one seemingly decent person amidst all the shenanigans. Also look for Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong, Bar Paly and Michael Rispoli in key supporting parts. 

As a director, Bay has a reputation for flicks that are usually far more style than substance (the Transformers series, Pearl Harbor, Armageddon among others). This 2013 comedy-drama manages to find a balance between the two. There's some hyper-fast editing, a visual look full of color and flash, slow motion galore at times, on-screen messages popping up to introduce people, places and ideas, all that good stuff. Maybe it's because of the frenetic style, but all those different elements worked surprisingly well together. It's not overdone like so many previous Bay ventures. I thought the best stylized element was the narration, all the characters getting a shot at it at different points during the story. It gives the ensemble a good chance to step into the limelight, none of them disappointing.

You really need to know what you're getting into here. The truth behind the film is ridiculously stupid, sinister, idiotic and incredibly dark. Sometimes just within a scene we see all of those elements. It is darkly funny and takes an out of left field turn near the halfway point of the movie. It's easy to see this Michael Bay-directed movie offending a lot of viewers. I take pride in my really awful sense of humor so I was able to go along with things as they developed. I recommend it, but do your research and brace for a movie you really don't like.

Pain & Gain (2013): ***/****

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

While it made over $300 million back in 2009, I can think of exactly one person I know who saw and liked G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. Okay, one person other than me. It was mindless, stupid fun with a cool cast. Well, the makers didn't exactly strike while the iron was hot, but it didn't seem to matter. With little of the same cast returning, 2013's G.I. Joe: Retaliation was an immense box office success. Is it any good?

Having led a successful mission to recover stolen nuclear devices in Pakistan, a G.I. Joe force is prepping for evacuation when an air strike wipes out much of the force. What happened? Who ordered the attack? Only three G.I. Joes survive the air strike, including Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). They manage to escape in the aftermath, vowing revenge. All evidence points to Cobra Commander being up to something, but no one knows that he's replaced the President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce) with one of his right-hand men, Zartan (Arnold Vosloo). The evil Commander is just waiting for the right opportunity to unleash his plan. The surviving Joes are back in America by now. Can they figure out what's going on before they're eliminated too?

As mentioned, this sequel from director Jon M. Chu is a not so timely follow-up to the 2009 original. It earned over $370 million in theaters so it obviously landed well with audiences, a good thing considering it had some issues getting to theaters. A release date was pushed back almost a year to transition the film to 3-D (more on that later) amidst rumors of horrific audience screenings. Only a handful of cast members from the original even returned, and those parts are pretty weak in execution. It's not quite a sequel in name only because there are unifying links, but it sure is close to being a stand-alone movie. I'll be giving it a positive review based almost solely on some cool characters and action, but there's some big issues along the way. We'll get there in time.

Taking the helm for the franchise going ahead -- supposedly at least -- Johnson does a fine job as Roadblock. We learn little about him other than meet his two daughters (very briefly), and that he's a capable soldier with just about any weapon at his disposal. Cotrona and Palicki are okay as the rest of the Joes, Palicki there mostly to wear skimpy outfits and fire automatic weapons. Other member of the G.I. Joe organization are Snake Eyes (Ray Park), a helmeted, silent, sword-wielding ninja, and Jinx (Elodie Yung), a ninja who's....well, a ninja with no other background provided. Also joining the cast is Bruce Willis as General Joe Colton, the original inspiration for G.I. Joe. It's not a big part, but Willis makes the most of it, deadpanning his way through a couple good one-liners.

Now for the bad guys, cool because they're bad guys without any real background, reasoning and motivation. Price is the evil President, hamming it up and having some fun with it. Vosloo is there in appearance only, not uttering a word. Byung-hun Lee is the coolest villain as Storm Shadow, a sullen ninja with a tricked out pair of swords with only one rival, Snake Eyes. Ray Stevenson joins the villains too as Firefly, a mercenary working with Cobra. Luke Bracey plays Cobra Commander (replacing Joseph Gordon-Levitt), but it's a wasted part. Little in the way of lines or actual screen time, it's there because the G.I. Joes fight against Cobra commander. That's all. Walton Goggins has a small part as a sinister, brutal prison warden.

Not surprisingly, the best thing going here is the action. With a movie that runs about 100 minutes, I'm guessing no more than three to four minutes go by in between action scenes. We're never far from a chase, shootout, fist fight or cool one-liner. The opening raid to get back the Pakistani nuclear weapons is solid, and the finale at Fort Sumter (yes, Fort Sumter!) is cool because about 100 different things are going on at the same time. The high point is Snake Eyes and Jinx trying to capture Storm Shadow from a heavily guarded mountainside in the Himalayas. Using bungees, Snake Eyes, Jinx and a small army of Cobra ninjas swing perilously thousands off feet up in the air. The action is pretty good, making up for a script that isn't interested in character development at all (we're talking any background at all), scene to scene transitions and dialogue that isn't a snappy one-liner. This is an action movie, pure and simple. Literally, there's nothing else going on!

Okay, quasi-spoilers from here on out. When this sequel was made, producers/studios apparently decided 'Cobra' star Channing Tatum wasn't capable of carrying the franchise going forward. Well, their mistake, because in the time in between, Tatum shot to stardom with 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike among others. As for the pushed back release date? Supposedly audiences hated that Tatum was dispatched rather quickly in this sequel. Reshoots had some more development between Tatum's Duke and Johnson's Roadblock, scenes that are pretty decent but also pretty obvious in how forced they are into the story. Tatum has goatee, doesn't have goatee, does have goatee. It's a ridiculously forced, contrived "solution" that works because Tatum and Johnson have good chemistry, but it's hard not to notice.

In general, there is something missing here. 'Retaliation' is so ridiculously all over the place with so many freaking characters that it is almost frenetic in its final version. It's never dull so that's always a positive, but it is so mindlessly stupid it's hard to describe. A mildly positive review because even through all the flaws, I was entertained from beginning to end.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013): ** 1/2 /****

Snitch

I wasn't much of a wrestling fan growing up, but hanging out with friends, I certainly got my fill. If nothing else, I did hear about the bigger names; if Hulk Hogan was a good guy or bad guy, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and also The Rock. I would have never thought The Rock would become a bona fide movie star, but I'll eat my words when it's called for. Proving me wrong again, Dwayne Johnson stars in 2013's The Snitch, again proving he's got some genuine acting chops. 

Married and with a daughter, John Matthews (Johnson) owns a previously successful but struggling construction business. His world is turned upside down when he finds out his son, Jason (Rafi Gavron), has been arrested and charged with distribution of narcotics. It seems to be an open and shut case facing a minimum sentence of 10 years. The district attorney (Susan Sarandon) offers him a lighter sentence should he snitch/testify against any other known drug dealers/distributors, but Jason doesn't know anyone else. Knowing his son's future hangs in the balance, John makes a desperate decision. He decides to go undercover himself, to become a snitch, and do what Jason wasn't able to do in hopes of limiting his son's sentence. John finds a way in to the drug and criminal underworld, but with just one mistake his plan could crumble in an instant.

Released this past February in theaters, 'Snitch' was billed as a typical action shoot 'em up starring THE ROCK!!!! It earned $42 million and earned decent reviews but never really took off. It's too bad because it is a solid, dramatic and exciting -- if not action-packed -- thriller. Supposedly based on true events, I think it is more effective because it isn't two hours of mindless action. It focuses on story and characters so kudos to stuntman turned director Ric Roman Waugh (writing the script with Justin Haythe). There is action -- more on that later -- but it isn't the main focus. The look of the movie is cold and dulled, the music from composer Antonio Pinto a mix of trance and synthesized sounds that helps build the tension and drama as John gets deeper and deeper into the drug world.

When Johnson made the jump from WWE to films, I figured he'd be a more than worthy action star. With movies like the Fast Five series, The Rundown, Doom, and Faster, he more than showed his action capabilities. With each passing movie though, I've been more impressed with his acting ability too. Playing a father trying to save his son from an extended jail sentence, Johnson is a very strong lead. He's making a decision that could ruin his own life, especially with his wife (Nadine Velasquez) and daughter waiting at home, but he plods on even though the danger increases with each passing moment. His business is struggling, but John dives in headfirst to help save his son. Nice work by Johnson. Also look for Melina Kanakaredes as his ex-wife and Jason's Mom, Sylvie.

'Snitch' it at its best once John decides to go undercover and snitch himself. Where his son wouldn't turn informer, John will do whatever it takes. The tension is a key ingredient mostly because there's no room for failure. All the people he meets would not think twice about putting a bullet in his head if they found out what he's up to. The always reliable, always watchable Barry Pepper is a scene-stealer as Cooper, the DEA agent working with John to reel in a kingpin. Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal is similarly very good as Daniel, an ex-con working at John's construction company who offers him an in to the drug world. It's a part that could have been one big stereotype, but as another desperate family fan, Bernthal makes it that much better. Michael Kenneth Williams similarly avoids being a stereotype as Malik, Daniel's main contact, a low-level dealer with lots of connections. Even look for Benjamin Bratt as El Topo, a powerful man in the Nuevo Leon drug cartel with JD Pardo as his main enforcer. Harold Perrineau and David Harbour also co-star.

So while the focus is on the story and characters, the intensity and tension, let's not forget about the action. It is parceled out over the course of the movie, but when it makes an appearance, it is more than worthwhile. John's "in" is to work as a driver for a cartel, using his company's 18-wheelers to move supply. His first job offers an action surprise courtesy of an ambush from another cartel. The highlight though is the finale -- go figure -- as John is tasked with smuggling cartel money into Mexico. A car chase and shootout on the highway offers plenty of action to get your blood boiling with plenty of cool stunts.

If there's one flaw, it's the message here. The script criticizes drug laws that come down so harshly on drug dealers, distributors and basically anyone caught with drugs. The counter point is that these sentences have longer sentences than crimes of rape, manslaughter and other crimes. It may be a fair point, but a crime is a crime. The point itself is muddled. Are we supposed to feel bad for Jason? He wasn't going to sell the drugs, but he agreed to have them sent to his parent's house. Are we supposed to congratulate him for not being a snitch? These are issues, but not deal breakers. It's a good movie regardless, well worth seeking out.

Snitch (2013): ***/****     

Fast & Furious 6

I can't say I saw this coming. When I watched 2001's The Fast and the Furious in high school, I enjoyed it the story of an undercover cop trying to bust a street racing heist crew. Did I think it would become a hugely successful series that would spawn five sequels, and more to come? Nope, I definitely didn't see that coming....but that's just where it is. Go figure. I love where the series has gone, upping the ante with each passing movie. I L-O-V-E-D 2011's Fast Five and was naturally psyched for the sixth entry in the series, 2013's Fast & Furious 6. Moral of the story....it more than lives up to expectations.

Having pulled off a successful heist in Rio, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his team have retired to spots around the world....for the time being. Having worked with and against Dom and his crew in Rio, DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) has tracked them down. He needs their help to take down Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), a former British special forces soldier who with his own crew of specialists has been stealing the pieces necessary to build the technology that could cripple a nation. Hobbs enlists Dom with offers of pardons for his past crime, but there's more. Dom's former love, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) -- who was believed dead -- is working with Shaw, giving Dom all the motivation he needs to take Hobbs' offer. Dom seeks out friend and fellow driver Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and his team to help him, but even his crew's unique driving talents and criminal abilities will be put to the test against the likes of Shaw's crew.

Where Fast Five left off, '6' picks up without missing a beat. It does seem a long ways off from the street racing origins of the first film, but again, this is the rare series that gets better and better as it develops. I think much of that success can be attributed to director Justin Lin who quite simply just knows what he's doing. Since taking over the series with the third film, Tokyo Drift, Lin has helped take 'Fast and Furious' to different places than the first two movies. Yes, there's ridiculously exciting car chases and action and hand-to-hand fights and awesome cars and beautiful women and tough guys being tough and.....Yeah, I think that's it. That description could sound very common denominator, even stupid, but Lin has made an art of that formula. He takes these familiar genre conventions, throws them in a blender and comes up with these ridiculously entertaining popcorn flicks.

I will devote plenty of words to the action on display here (of which there is a ton), but I'm going to mention again what takes these movies up a notch beyond pure action flicks. It's the characters. If you've made it to the sixth entry in the series, you like something enough to stick with it. Yes, the cars and chases and action is awesome, but I genuinely like the characters and am rooting for them. I love the dynamic among Dom, Brian and the team, especially when you throw Johnson's Hobbs into the mix again. The script is far from Shakespearean, but it also knows these characters inside and out. At 130 minutes, you can't have all action (well, I suppose you could), but as was the case with 'Five,' some of the best moments come from the quieter moments as members of Dom's crew interact, bust each other's balls or even.....just talk!?! I know, crazy, right? Kudos to screenwriter Chris Morgan for turning in an underrated script.

Let's face it though. These are some pretty cool characters, and there's a whole lot of them. The original stars, Diesel and Walker, are the basis for it all, enemies turned friends turned family. Neither are considered great thespians, but they are great tough guys, great action stars. Their back and forth is natural, not forced, and flows effortlessly. Johnson again is a great addition to the series, and he also looks like he could tangle with a dozen or so grizzly bears and come out on the winning side. Jeez, look at his arms! Also returning to round out the team is Tyrese Gibson as Roman, the motor-mouthed driving specialist, Sung Kang as Han, the master thief and chameleon extraordinaire, Gal Gadot as Gisele, Han's girlfriend of sorts, weapons specialist and precision driver in her own right, and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges as Tez, an electronics and tech whiz. Jordana Brewster and Elsa Pataky also return in small, cameo-like parts as the love interests.

With so much talent assembled, new names aren't necessary, but the new stars are gems here, especially Evans as Owen Shaw, the brutally efficient, ice cold master thief/criminal who finds himself working against Dom and Hobbs. As a villain, he's the best the series has seen mostly because he's a more than worthy opponent for our heroic anti-heroes. His one-on-one scene with Diesel near the midpoint of the film is a gem. Evans isn't a huge physically imposing bad guy, but his intensity goes a long way. Also joining the crew is Gina Carano as Riley, Hobbs' assistant in the developing case. She isn't given a ton to do, but she does get not one, but TWO fight scenes with Rodriguez (who's "death" in Fast and Furious is explained in somewhat believable fashion). It's tough to find fault with that statement.

Blah blah blah talking and dialogue and scripts blah blah blah. FAST CARS! EXPLOSIONS! CHASES! I thought 'Five' had set the bar at a pretty unattainable level.....well, yeah....I was wrong about that. Things get ratcheted up even more with three amazingly choreographed set pieces. The first has Dom, Brian, Hobbs and Co. racing through the night streets of London in pursuit of Shaw. An excellent sequence in itself, but just the start. The follow-up is a chase along a Spanish highway overlooking the sea. Oh, and there's a tank, and American muscle cars, and crashes, and ridiculous collateral damage. It features stunts so ridiculous, premises so beyond reality that it's almost laughable. You know what? I didn't care. Just sit back and watch it develop. This scene defies the laws of physics countless times, and it doesn't matter.

Both of those set pieces could make a movie worthwhile to watch on their own, but then there's the finale. Shaw is making his escape via an airfield (apparently the longest runway in the history of aviation) as an immense cargo plane tries to land to pick him up. Dom, Hobbs, Brian and the entire team are racing behind him in a variety of souped-up muscle cars trying to keep the plane on the ground. This extended sequence is schizophrenic in the best sense of the word. Cars zipping around at inordinate speeds, fistfights and brutal hand-to-hand fights, explosions left and right, it's an incredible, adrenaline-pumping scene. It goes on for something like 15-20 minutes, and It....Is....Nuts. It's hard to give audiences an action scene we haven't seen before, but Lin and screenwriter Morgan find a way to improve on the finale chase in 'Five,' but yep, they completely succeeded. And credit to Lin, he cuts the action so you can see it, always keeping tabs on what's going on. At no point it is an indecipherable blur.

That's enough rambling movie crush for now. Having just watched this newest entry earlier today, I feel like it's too soon to compare the films. I think I liked Fast Five a tad bit more, but it's really close. The more I think about this one, the more I like it, and here's why. This is a movie that knows exactly what it is and isn't trying to be anything else. It is a popcorn flick that will hopefully get your adrenaline pumping. It is fun from beginning to end whether it be the cast (who appear to be having a ball) or the ever-increasing and ridiculous action. It's just fun. If it isn't The Godfather or Citizen Kane or an all-time cinema classic, so be it. Sit back and enjoy it.

Oh, and yes, there will be a sequel. Much the same way Fast Five led into this film with a post-credit scene, so does '6' and it is a doozy. It ties the series all the way back to Tokyo Drift with a mystery that has baffled some series fans about the fate of one of the key characters. There's a huge star added to the mix -- no SPOILERS here -- setting the series up nicely for future ventures. I, for one, am most definitely psyched to see where it goes.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013): ****/****

Doom

One of the biggest successes and breakthroughs in video games in the 1990s as new systems and higher technology games became available was the first-person shooter. These games put the player right in the game. What you saw on the game was the game. You traveled through levels and worlds, taking out bad guys, goons, zombies, monsters, and any other imaginable opponent. Nintendo 64 had Goldeneye, PC platforms had Wolfenstein, but the most popular and probably the most well-known was Doom and its many incarnations. It was only a matter of time before a movie version was made so while 2005's Doom isn't exactly a case of striking while the iron is hot, it's a good example of a video game turned into a movie...semi-successfully at least.

Just to get this out of the way, I should say I never played Doom as a video game and have little background knowledge on the game or its sequels.  I knew the basic background but went into the movie with no preconceived notions of what this movie had to be about, what it had to get right. So I started it, enjoyed it, and read up about it.  I can't say I was surprised to see the decidedly negative response from both critics and movie-going audiences.  This is not a movie made to impress the critics. It's a stupid shoot 'em up action flick that tries to deliver some sort of adrenaline rush while also giving some scares and surprises along the way.  Many of the negative fan reviews seem to stem from a personal background in the game. "Oh, they changed this...they didn't do that...that's stupid." You get the idea, usual fan complaints. I liked it for what the movie was, mindless action with a cool cast and some very cool, unique action sequences.

Far in the future in the year 2046 on Mars, a scientific archaeological dig site sends out a transmission claiming something strange is happening, something is attacking the staff.  Sent to investigate and hopefully save the staff on-site is a Marine response team, a Rapid Response Tactical Team, headed by veteran soldier Sarge (Dwayne Johnson) and Reaper (Karl Urban). Leading a six-man team, the Marines find out that the remaining staff isn't telling them everything they know.  Reaper's estranged sister, Samantha (Rosamund Pike), is one of the scientists on Mars, but her motives may be more for the company than for the survivors. Investigating exactly what caused the distress call, the bodies start to mount.  Waiting in the long stretches of vacant hallways and underground sewer system is something that threatens to kill all of Sarge's men, and possibly, get back to Earth and unleash Hell there too.

A mix of science fiction, horror, and action, Doom is at home with the men on a mission sub-genre....I should say men on a mission on steroids.  Everything is amped up here. Early on in his efforts to make the jump from pro wrestling star to the big screen, Johnson -- AKA The Rock -- is quite a presence in the lead.  His Sarge is tougher than nails, ready to sacrifice anything and everything if it helps him accomplish his mission.  He's driven to the point of obsession, even more so as he sees some of his men start to get picked off.  Another rising star in the action genre, Urban is the real star here, or at least I thought so. His John Grimm -- call sign Reaper -- is a prototypical action here, the loner with a checkered past dealing with his fair share of inner demons.  The team of Marines include Destroyer (Deobia Oparei), armed with an immense mini-gun, Duke (Razaaq Adoti), Destroyer's best friend and a ladies man, Portman (Richard Brake), the sex freak and smart-ass, the Kid (Al Weaver), the newbie trying to prove himself, Goat (Ben Daniels), the religious fanatic, and Mac (Yao Chin), the guy fated to be monster bait. With so many characters, much of the focus is placed on Sarge and Reaper, but the remaining six members do a good job bringing their characters to life with limited screen-time.  It is a sci-fi men on a mission movie though, and it's always interesting to see who makes it, and how the others are dispatched in typically gruesome fashion. Also worth mentioning is Pinky (Dexter Fleming), a tech expert working with the team.

Using that mix of sci-fi, horror and action elements, Doom doesn't waste much time with any unnecessary storylines or characters. Those other story lines are there, but the focus is on the mysterious creature(s) terrorizing the station. Director Andrzej Bartkowiak doesn't go overboard with attempts to shock or surprise you, things jumping out of the darkness at the screen. The tension is there naturally, playing on your fears of what could be in the dark, what's waiting there to strike.  The obvious negative of that feature is that the movie is incredibly dark visually. Watching Sarge and his men weave through the sterile hallways and claustrophobic sewers, it's hard to see anything, much less distinguish between good guys and bad guys.  The look of the movie is pretty cool though when you can actually make things out.  If this makes sense, it has the look of a video game, the generally empty hallways with their robotic, empty walls, the expanses of the meeting places and conference rooms.  If you're going to make a video game movie, do it right, like this one.

Now this is a video game movie so one thing it just can't mess up is the action sequences.  Thankfully, it doesn't as Doom can hang its hat on some well-handled, exciting and nerve-wracking action.  There aren't many in the way of extended shootouts, more so quick firefights that are over as quick as they started.  It is a movie based off a first person shooter, and in one of those scenes that just had to be made, one character has a shootout as if the viewer was the character. It's a video game turned into a movie, the viewer seeing what the character sees as he maneuvers his way through a zombie/monster infested grid of hallways.  You know it's coming, but a video game that revolutionized the first person shooter genre had to have this scene and do it well. Wisely though, this camera technique isn't overused or overdone. It's used exactly once toward the end of the movie for maybe three or four minutes all told.  Definitely a cool way to liven things up in the action department, a department always looking for something new and exciting to keep audiences interested.

More than the action though, the actual storytelling steps to the forefront in the last 45 minutes.  With no background in the Doom world, I wasn't sure how everything was going to be explained, how it would all come together.  For a sci-fi/horror flick that isn't exactly taxing on the brain, the explanation is pretty cool.  No spoilers here though, but the explanation did provide some groans judging from the reviews I read.  Good and bad natures in individuals end up playing a key role, and I'll leave it at that.  The last 45 minutes though try and throw you off though, playing with some action genre and character conventions that as fans we often take for granted.  It produces one great line (I'm not supposed to die!) and generally keeps the finale on an upward arc, always making you guess what's coming next.  Nothing flashy, but the effort was appreciated. A sequel was in the works early on, but this first movie struggled at the box office so video game afficionados and Doom fans will have to enjoy this one for now.

Doom <---trailer (2005): ***/****

Fast Five

I'm a sucker for the Fast and the Furious series. There I said it. After watching Tokyo Drift a few summers back, I talked with my cousin about how cool it would be if a sequel brought together all the stars of the first three F and F movies. It seemed like a natural progression. Team up all those cool tough guys. Now, I'm not saying I can predict the future or anything, but 2011's Fast Five hit theaters April 29 to huge business with basically that premise. Bring together all the stars from the first four movies (including Fast and Furious) and let them go to work. If this early -- very early -- summer release is any sign of things to come, it's going to be a fun summer at the movies.

What's odd about the franchise (to me at least) is that by the end of the first movie, racing almost became a secondary thing. By this movie -- the fifth in the franchise -- that trend continues. It's funny because like so many movies, the first one was really good and could have served as a stand-alone, single movie.  That's not how things work nowadays, and four sequels later, here I sit writing a review. I liked 2 Fast 2 Furious, enjoyed Tokyo Drift, enjoyed Fast and Furious, and to my complete surprise, I L-O-V-E-D Fast Five. Loved it. It follows the same formula (cool cast, badass cars, exotic locations, gorgeous women, awesome soundtrack) and amps it up to 10 or 11. This sounds like some bad line you would see on a movie poster, but I haven't had this much fun at a movie in a while, maybe back to the Bourne movies.

After freeing Dom Torreto (Vin Diesel) as he's being transported to prison, former FBI agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and his girlfriend, Mia (Jordana Brewster), are on the run, hiding out in Brazil as countless law enforcement agencies track them down. Needing some sort of bankroll, they take a job robbing three high-end cars but find out they've messed with the wrong guy. Three DEA agents are killed in the heist by enforcers from the local kingpin, Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), but the murders are pegged on Dom and Brian. Things closing in on them, they know they have to take down one last epic job and fade away, but to do so they're going to need a ton of money. Putting together a team of specialists and drivers, Dom and Brian put together a job that will hit Reyes where it hurts most, his drug money. The job seems impossible though as he's put all his money -- over $100 million -- in a bank vault...in a police station. As if that wasn't enough, a hardcore FBI agent, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his team are hunting Dom and Brian down, and nothing is going to stop him.

If you're a fan of the previous movies (even casually), this is the movie for you. Everyone is back. A little more than 45 minutes into the movie when Brian says "We need a team" there was a genuine buzz in the theater, that sense of 'Here we go, this is gonna be fun.' Rounding out the team is Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (hip-hop artist Ludacris) from 2 Fast 2 Furious, Han (Sung Kang) from Tokyo Drift, and Leo (Tego Calderon), Leo (Don Omar), and Gisele (Gal Gadot) from Fast and Furious. Even Vince (Matt Schulze) from the original is back. It's Fast and the Furious, the reunion tour, back after a 10-year absence! All these characters were really cool on their own, and then you throw them all into one movie? Too perfect. This is a men on a mission movie for a younger, hip hop audience. It's that team pulling off that one last dangerous, even suicidal, but necessary last job. As the movie developed, I just kept smiling. A ridiculously cool cast, a team of specialists working together, and trying to pull of an improbable heist. I'm in movie heaven.

You don't head into these movies thinking you'll be hearing Shakespearean dialogue, words spoken so eloquently and beautiful that it gives you faith in writing and movies. Not this series, and not anytime soon.  To counter that, I will say that this is a well-written movie. No, I'm not talking Academy Award winning stuff, but director Justin Lin and screenplay writer Chris Morgan clearly know their characters and how to have them interact. Some of the movie's best scenes come from the cast just hanging out, talking, busting each other's balls, planning out the job. There is an ease to the scenes that never comes across as contrived or forced, just a genuine group of friends working together. There's some laughs, some male bonding, some possible love connections brewing, so basically a little bit of everything. Something to please everyone in the audience.

To the credit of the franchise, they've always tried to keep things fresh. And here Fast Five is no exception. If you're going to assemble this team of super criminals/crooks and drivers, you need an opponent who is equally as big and bad, imposing just standing there. Enter stage left...Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson looking like he lived in the gym for several months prior to filming.  This guy looks absolutely jacked, like he could rip a man's head off with ease. His FBI agent Luke Hobbs is a great addition to the series. And thankfully, he's not some clueless dupe for Dom and Brian and Co. to keep on taking advantage of.  He's a worthy adversary, always keeping up with them. And yes, his one-on-one knock down, drag 'em out, it hurts just watching the confrontation fight with Vin Diesel is appropriately epic.  Two heavyweights beating the crap out of each other is just one of many highlights of this flick. Oh, and sequels? Yeah, it looks like the Rock will be back for more. Stick around through the credits. Also joining the cast -- because the gorgeous actress category hadn't been filled enough already -- is Elsa Pataky as Elena, a Brazilian police officer working with Hobbs' team.

Okay, enough with all this talk about characters and plot and dialogue. You go into these movies for the action, the blow you out of your seat, crazy, ridiculous could never happen in the real world action. All other things aside as mentioned earlier, this movie is an incredible action flick. The opening sequence showing Dom getting busted out of the prison bus is quick and hard-hitting in its effectiveness.  A railway heist on a speeding train is classic. A later chase through the Brazilian favelas shows how to do a foot-chase with multiple chases going on at once through the crowded backstreets of Rio de Janiero. And in a throwback to the racing roots of the franchise, an epic, truly epic quarter mile race between Dom, Brian, Han and Roman through Rio...in stolen police cars at that...is a thing of beauty. Action, this movie has plenty of it. You may be disappointed about any number of things. But action? No way. Even better is that the movie is edited so you can actually see what's going on. It is edited in that hyper-quick fashion, but never to the point where they're just incoherent blurs. As a fan of the sometimes incomprehensible Bourne movies, I say thank you.

All those action scenes mentioned, they pale in comparison to the finale. Driving some souped up cars, Dom and Brian attach an immense bank vault to their cars and chased by basically all of the corrupt cups in Rio try to make away with over $100 million bucks. The movie itself is 130 minutes long -- by far the longest in the series -- and I'm thinking that longer running time is because of this sequence. We're talking a full 15 minutes of non-stop chaos and action through Rio as this vault tears the city and its police up.  It's an orgy of explosions, crashes and fast cars that rivals The Blues Brothers in terms of fullscale destruction. That's the movie. Ridiculous amounts of fun. It's great to look at (Rio even in its squalor is incredibly visual) and the montage of where everyone ends up (to Don Omar's Danza Kuduro) is a great wrap-up. As for that post-credit scene, it certainly leaves it open for another sequel with a not so great twist. Who am I kidding? I'll be seeing that one too. Hopefully, it's just as good as this one.

Fast Five <---trailer (2011): ****/****

Faster

Making his rise to stardom as a wrestler, Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) has diverted on his career a bit over the last couple of years.  Instead of tough, hard-hitting characters, Johnson went down the route of making more family friendly movies, and good for him for being brave enough to do that -- while also making bajillions of dollars. Still, it's always good to see a big star go back to his roots, and he's done that with the recently released Faster.  Don't be thrown off by the struggles the movie has had at the box office, this is a bare bones, exciting, fast-paced action movie that won't disappoint.   

My first thought when I saw the trailer for this movie a couple months back was that it felt like a throwback to the 1970s when car chases, anti-heroes, and equally bad cops dominated movies.  Well, I wasn't too far off.  It doesn't feel like a throwback, this movie IS a throwback to the good old days of 1970s cop/anti-hero/road movies like The Vanishing Point, Death Race 2000, Two-Lane Blacktop and many more I'm forgetting.  Oh, also add in some pretty strong violence and you've got the 2010 version.  Nothing groundbreaking here, and there were some things that threw me off, but never enough to distract from a very enjoyable, highly entertaining action flick.

Released from jail after a 10-year sentence, a prisoner known only as Driver (Johnson) knows exactly where he's going.  He walks into an office and promptly shoots a telemarketer in the forehead, only to get back into his classic Chevelle and drive off.  Two police officers, Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and Lt. Cicero (Carla Gugino), are called in to investigate and figure out what's going on. The Driver isn't done yet though, and some more bodies start to pile up.  Someone wants him dead though, hiring a young English hitman, Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), to knock him off. Cop and Cicero continue to follow the clues, but Killer is hot on the trail too.  Who can get to Driver first, or will he get them instead?

Story-wise, 'Faster' is about as simplistic as you're going to find.  Dude needs to kill five people, cops want to stop him, killer wants to kill him.  Handled correctly though, you're going to find a quality finished product.  It reminded me a lot of 1978's The Driver, a story similar in characters and tone, even addressing the stars by their occupation (driver, cop, killer).  And as I mentioned, Faster could have been released in the 1970s and no one would have batted an eye.  There are no pretensions about delivering a message here, just a man looking for revenge (his reasoning is revealed, and you definitely side with the Driver here), wielding a bad-ass six-shooter Magnum and driving a classic early 1970s SS Chevelle.

I've always liked Dwayne Johnson, and he shows with his part here he's got some legitimate talent.  Granted, he says about 50 words the whole movie, but that's a minor thing.  The man is a beast and looks like he could kill an elephant by flexing his arms a couple times.  It is definitely good to see him return to his action roots, and hopefully he sticks with them.  Driver is an anti-hero, but not one without any redeeming qualities.  You're rooting for him, and as the bodies mount, he begins to question what he's doing and what purpose it serves.  That's my kind of anti-hero, one struggling from within about what if he's doing is right.  The ending and how it resolves everything (one somewhat obvious twist aside) is a little predictable, but not a movie killer.  Kudos to the Rock, and welcome back to action.

Then there's the two men on his trail, the cocaine-using, chain-smoking cop two weeks away from retirement (uh-oh, heard that before), and the maniacally egocentric but very talented hit man.  First, Thornton looks, feels, and is the perfect choice for Cop.  You just know he's got a checkered past as involved as the crooks he's chasing, and he may know more than he's letting on.  Jackson-Cohen is more hit or miss with a character that could have been cut out almost completely from the story without affecting much.  It's just an unnecessary character in a story that doesn't require him to be there.  Also watch for Tom Berenger as the warden, Lost's Maggie Grace (looking great) as Lily, Killer's fiance, Moon Bloodgood as Cop's ex-wife, and Lester Speight, Courtney Gains, John Cirigliano and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as the Driver's intended victims.

As the movie moved along to Clint Mansell's appropriately moody and memorable score, I couldn't help but think of Faster as a modern day western. Instead of six-shooters and horses, we've got classic cars and automatic weapons. Right down to the characters and their background is reminiscent of the western hero, the loner riding into town on his horse.  The three main characters are all deeply flawed and seem to know they're doomed but continue on the road they've chosen regardless.  You just know they're all going to meet at some point down the road, just not who's going to make it out alive.

Faster <---trailer (2010): ***/****

The Other Guys

When it comes to current comedic stars, I don't know if there's one that splits audiences so much as Will Ferrell does. Critics say he plays basically the same character in every movie, and to be fair it's not that far from the truth.  But it's a good character, typically a very funny one.  His movies have been hit or miss the last few years with some successes like Step Brothers and bombs like Land of the Lost.  I'm in the 'like' group so I'll basically see anything he's in.  Chugging along at the box office, The Other Guys is a bit of a departure for Ferrell, but in a good way.

It comes from one of the more reliable sub-genres you'll find in movies, the buddy cop movie.  Put two opposites together and let the fireworks begin.  The biggest selling point of 'Other' is that Ferrell doesn't play his typical dolt, and co-star Mark Wahlberg completely commits to being the straight man and gets a ton of laughs in the process. Is it particularly original? Not especially, but through all the cliches this buddy cop venture is funny from beginning to end.  And always important in a comedy, it's quotable with too many good lines to even mention.

In a New York Police Department precinct, unlikely detective partners Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Wahlberg) are in the shadow of other detectives all over the force.  Allen revels in routine and sticking around the office doing paperwork while Terry after an incident with an accidental shooting feels cooped up with nowhere to go.  Almost by accident, Allen and Terry stumble into a major case no one else seems interested in.  A mega-millionaire (Steve Coogan) is in trouble with his clients for losing billions of dollars in a shady business deal (think Madoff).  No one seems to believe these two cops no matter what they say, and it doesn't help that their bumbling technique often gets them in more trouble than necessary.  But something doesn't seem right as Gamble and Hoitz get deeper into the case.

Best starting point is Ferrell and Wahlberg who together have this great chemistry that produces some of the movie's biggest laughs.  Neither of them is hamming for the camera, just letting the lines and the delivery do all the work necessary.  Ferrell in comedies and Wahlberg typically in dramas are both talented guys and play well off each other.  Ferrell's Gamble has a "dark" past that has heavily influenced the way he acts, fearful of what might come out if he resorts to his old ways.  Wahlberg's Hoitz was involved in an accidental shooting (maybe the biggest, funniest surprise of the movie) and is still dealing with the repercussions.  So it's a good start in a comedy, the history is played for laughs as it rightfully should, but we actually get to see some of these two knuckleheads and their past.

Now on the other hand, they're just funny together.  Ferrell is clueless in a kind of adorable ignorance way as opposed to his usually oblivious moron who doesn't realize he's an oblivious moron.  Some of his line deliveries are beyond perfect, including one epic comeback to a threat from Wahlberg that goes on and on, getting better all the way.  Wahlberg was already one of my favorite actors and an ideal choice to play alongside Ferrell's toned down antics.  He's intense, on the edge, a little crazy as this great cop who made one mistake and is still paying for it.  Of course, he realizes this and lashes out -- in a funny way -- at everyone around him.  He sees things that he wishes were there (watch out! Colombian drug lords!) and ends up leaving a very positive impression by the end.

Director Adam McKay has a knack for getting the best out of his supporting cast, including a few surprises here and there. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson are phenomenal in small parts as two super cops who are the pride of the NYPD. Michael Keaton plays Captain Gene, the captain of the precinct, a part incredibly subtle in its humor with one great running gag about him unknowingly quoting TLC songs as motivation/inspiration. Eva Mendes looking as beautiful as ever shows off her comedic chops as Sheila, Allen's smoking hot wife, and Coogan in an underused part as the slimy businessman up the creek and looking for cash.  Ray Stevenson plays the resident bad guy, necessary to look tough every so often. There's some great cameos, including one so perfect I can't ruin it, but NY Yankees fans shouldn't be disappointed.

Reviewing all sorts of movies here, it's nice every so often to just review a movie that's funny non-stop and entertaining with no higher pretensions.  The story just drifts along at times before focusing back on the important elements.  The action toward the end is ridiculous and over the top, the soundtrack sounds like a bad 1980s soundtrack, and there's just enough of a new spin on the buddy cop relationship to keep you guessing what's coming next.  Really though, check this one out for Ferrell and Wahlberg, a nearly perfect comedic team.

The Other Guys <---trailer (2010): ***/****