Review: Furious 7

by Trevor Kirkendall

★½

I’m finished being nice to movies that are “just supposed to be mindless fun.” Filmmakers get a free pass when that phrase is uttered. Just because it’s supposed to be fun doesn’t mean it has to be stupid. And that’s exactly what all of these “just for fun” movies coming out of Hollywood over the last several years have been and I’m over it. I’m not going to critique movies based on what they're “supposed to be,” rather I’m going to judge them based on what I want every movie to be, which I don’t think is too much to ask for.

First under my new standards is one of those aforementioned films, “Furious 7.” Should I be nice because it’s the latest installment of a franchise that’s grossed a billion dollars? I know a lot of people like these films, and they are indeed entertaining, but just because it holds my attention doesn’t make it a good movie.

“Furious 7” is about more high stakes missions, fast cars, impossible stunts, close ups of bikini clad women walking slowly through the streets/beach, impossible stunts, product placements in every other shot, impossible stunts, rapid pace editing so fast you can’t tell what the hell is going on, and, of course, impossible stunts. Literally. In no other universe could these people survive the falls, crashes and explosions our heroes take.

In this seventh installment, the crew is being targeted by the evil Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), brother of the villain from the previous film. He sends a bomb to the home of Toretto (Vin Diesel), which almost kills him, Brian (Paul Walker) and Brian’s wife Mia (Jordana Brewster) who also happens to be Toretto’s sister. Shaw also goes after Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and ends up throwing him out of a five-story building onto the roof of a car, which Hobbs survives (but does suffer from a broken arm and collarbone) of course.

Toretto and Brian get the crew back together (Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Michelle Rodriguez) to go after Shaw, but a mysterious government agent who calls himself Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) picks them up first. He offers them the job of recovering a computer program that could help the US government track anyone on the planet to their location in a matter of minutes. Mr. Nobody promises they can use the device to track down Shaw once they recover it.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about “Furious 7.” If you’ve seen any of the other six films in this far-too-long running franchise, then you know exactly what you’re getting into with this. It is mindless fun, but it’s very hard to swallow. Based on what we’ve seen in these films, I’m pretty sure our main characters could survive a nuclear blast from 10 yards away. Honestly, where’s the thrill when the people we’re supposed to care about are completely invincible?

There are only two things I’d like to address, but they’re two big problems with about 90% of the Hollywood movies today. The first is the screenplay. It’s hardly a screenplay. I guess it’s technically called that since it is a stack of papers with camera direction and dialogue, but there’s nothing good about it. Written by Chris Morgan (who’s had a hand in most of the previous sequels), the script is a disconnected mess with no flow and clichéd backstories meant to further develop the characters. That’s the problem with a franchise with so many sequels: we already know these characters and don’t need to bog down the run time with that unnecessary filler. The script also breaks its own rules time and time again. Don’t tell us a location is impossible to get to and then have the primary villain just appear out of thin air to increase the tension of the action. That’s just as hard for me to swallow as The Rock surviving a five story fall into the roof of a car.

Second, the editing. This is a problem running rampant in Hollywood these days that no one seems to be talking about. “Furious 7” has four credited editors on this movie. All action scenes are cut together so fast that each shot seems to be less than a second each. It’s dizzying and could possibly cause seizures. Is the attention span of the international movie-going public so short that there has to be a cut every split second? I find that hard to believe, but they must think people want to see stuff like this. Either that or these four editors received the footage and saw how poorly acted it was and saw how poor of a direction job James Wan did that they had to cut it like this in order to cover-up all the crap.

I will say one positive thing about “Furious 7,” and that is how well the filmmakers handled the sudden and tragic loss of series star Paul Walker. Walker was killed in the middle of filming on November 30, 2013 in a single car accident at the age of 40. The filmmakers enlisted the help of his brothers to finish the film. The touching tribute this franchise paid him was about as perfect as it could have been. I’m sure the final scenes of this script were different than what was given to us in the film, but it just seems right and is the most acceptable scene in the film. The franchise won’t end with Walker’s way-too-early death, but it won’t be the same without him.

From a filmmaking standpoint, these movies aren’t good at all. As a paid advertisement for Corona and Maserati, I guess they are in good fun. There are far worse franchises out there than this one, but I’m tired of critiquing them differently. I’m going to call it as I see it, even if I do have a soft spot for these stupid films. And they are stupid. They’re also fun. But they’re also terrible.

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★½

Is it just me, or is “Marvel Studios” becoming synonymous with “quality movies?” In case “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” didn’t make you think that way back in April, James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” will.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” follows Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), an intergalactic thief who likes to be called by his outlaw name: Star Lord. He works alongside Youndu (Michael Rooker), a mercenary who steals artifacts from around the galaxy and sells them for enormous profit. Quill has been tasked with picking up this film’s MacGuffin: a small silver orb.

Of course, they’re not the only ones looking for it either. The evil Ronan (Lee Pace), a ruthless fanatic hell bent on destroying the universe, also wants it since he thinks it will help him attain his goal. Working alongside über-villain Thanos (Josh Brolin), who was teased at the end of “The Avengers,” Ronan sends Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to steal the orb from Quill and bring it back to him.

Gamora has no intention of actually doing this since she’s well aware that Ronan is a complete mental case. She ends up getting tangled up in a scuffle between Quill and a couple of bounty hunters, Rocket Raccoon and Groot (voiced by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel). All four end arrested and thrown into an intergalactic prison where they meet Drax (Dave Bautista). Drax also has a bit of a vendetta against Ronan. It’s up to the five of them to break out of prison and retrieve the orb before Ronan can get his hand on it.

It’s been a while now since I’ve had a truly memorable movie going experience from a summer film. Sure they’re still huge in size and production value, but so many of them just aren’t fun anymore. They’re dark and serious instead of being fun. I’m not trying to say anything bad about the serious films like “The Dark Knight,” but they don’t all have to be like that.

Enter Marvel and “Guardians of the Galaxy” to restore my faith in the mega studios’ ability to make movies fun again. Like Pixar before it, Marvel seems to be on a mission to create movies that contain stories very well told. Sure, you can say Pixar movies are for kids and Marvel movies are for comic book fans, but that’s not the case anymore. These studios are making movies for everyone now.

“Guardians” reminded me a lot of the first “Star Wars” film (that’s “Episode IV – A New Hope” for all you young people who’s parent’s did you wrong by showing you the films in episodic order). From the structure of the screenplay to the design on the characters, the “Star Wars” influence in this film is everywhere. It’s more homage than a direct rip-off though. And if you’re going to make a giant space opera such as this, it’s not a bad film franchise to emulate.

Everything about this film works just the way it needs to. Written by Gunn and Nicole Perlman, the script is sharp and witty. All of the humor in this film is well placed and well timed. The plot is thick and the characters are many, but it is never confusing to follow. And unlike other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these characters are all very relatable to every member of the audience. It’s not hard to find likable characteristics, despite being aliens, a raccoon, and a talking tree.

It is hard to pick out a character that steals the show, however. I liked every character in this film, including the villain. Lee Pace has been one of my favorite actors since his stint on the short lived ABC series “Pushing Daisies.” He’s probably one of the best villains I’ve seen in a Marvel film. He’s evil to his core and Pace plays it effortlessly. Chris Pratt is an obvious choice for Peter Quill. As is Zoe Saldana for Gamora. The two work well together and I have a hard time seeing anyone else in these roles. But Rocket and Groot are the real show stealers. Their Han Solo/Chewbacca relationship is the perfect addition to an already motley crew of heroes.

I loved this movie. I can’t think of any simpler way of putting it. I haven’t had this much fun at the movies in a very long time. It’s able to funny without being campy. It doesn’t overuse its CGI. And director Gunn handles it all very well. And the soundtrack is sensational, probably one of the best movie soundtracks to come along in years. Marvel movies aren’t just for the comic book fanboys and fangirls anymore. They’re out to make quality films for everyone. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is proof of that.

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

by. Joe Moss
★★★1/2

The Marvel Universes’ newest blockbuster to be, “Guardians of the Galaxy,” directed and co-written by James Gunn, starts firing on all cylinders right off the bat. Not a shoot ‘em up, blow ‘em up adrenaline junkie rush, rather an emotional rush—foreshadowing events for later in the film. However, from that moment on, the movie is hilarious, pretty much a non-stop adrenaline rush til the final credits. I laughed wholeheartedly and am planning on a return visit to the theater to see it one more time within the week.

Peter Quill (Chris Pratt…and Wyatt Oleff in the beginning sequence) is a young boy of the 80’s in the throws of personal agony. His mother is dying of cancer, and the only way he knows how to cope is to lose himself in the world of “awesome mix”-tapes from his mother. On her deathbed, she gives him one last gift (which he refuses to open) and wants to hold his hand to say good-bye. Rather than take her hand, he cannot cope with the pain and loss of both of his parents, so runs away. Not only runs away, but is abducted by a traveling group of mercenary-thieves led by Yondu (Michael Rooker). [Yes…All of this within the first 10 minutes of the film.]

Flash-forward to today, and we see a very tech-savvy Peter in the midst of acting out a sequence much like an Indiana Jones film, but with a lot more galactic gadgetry. He steals a silver orb from a dead planet, and just as he is about to leave, is confronted by Korath (Djimon Hounsou) and emissary of Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) who desires the orb for himself as a means of taking over the galaxy and destroying anything that may get in his path. No plot spoilers here…

Peter barely gets off the dead planet, and makes his way to Xandar to trade his trinket [no we still don’t know what this REALLY is] for cash (units) when he is confronted by a lethal, green beauty, Gamora (Zoe Saldona) who also wants the orb for her own nefarious purposes—and 4 billion units. As she attempts to take the orb, Peter and she are confronted by Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Voiced by Vin Diesel) who want to abduct Peter and turn him into Yondu for 40 thousand units. Much shenanigans ensue and the lot finds themselves in prison. And it is here we are finally introduced to the last Guardian, Drax (Dave Bautista), who desires to kill Gamora since she works for the psychotic Kree, Ronan, who is in cahoots with Thanos (Josh Brolin), to destroy the universe.

No more plot lines….now let’s get down to brass tacks. The plot I have summarized for you is only about 12%  of what occurs within the film. If you think this is insane, just watch. While overly convoluted, the screenplay never seems to lose itself and all of the main points are well addressed and answered by the end of the film—yet, a few new caveats are well planted to lead us into the sequel.

Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Bradley Cooper are a great team. They work so well together, and get so into character, they you almost completely forget who they are as individuals. I think that Chris' ability to infect every line he delivers with a great amount of facial sarcasm and joy is what truly sells the film. Between his facial expressions and Bradley Coopers quick-tongued barbs, there is not a scene of the film where I wasn't laughing, crying, or both.

The entire plot, while loosely based off of the Marvel stories by Dan Abnett and Andy Landing, is a completely new twist on who each of these characters are and from whence they came. The writing team of James Gunn (Scooby-Doo, Super) and Nicole Perlman have re-envisioned the entire Guardians universe so that they have complete freedom to inline the script with the other Marvel movies already completed and in the pipeline. And while they do try to remain true to a few points of the comics, the entire Star Lord premise for this film is given a new evolution.

The editing team of Hughes Winborne, Fred Raskin and Craig Wood was amazing. The movie seemed to flow seamlessly through each sequence--even with all of the green screen. Additionally, I LOVE the soundtrack. The music is almost a 6th main character...it makes the movie what it is. A film that does not take itself seriously (much like the Guardians themselves), and yet...works! As I stated at the beginning, this will be another summer blockbuster for the Marvel Universe. Go...Have Fun...Laugh hard.  AND remain through BOTH of the credit Easter Egg sequences...

Review: Fast & Furious 6

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★½

Who would have thought after 2001’s summer hit “The Fast and the Furious” that we’d be looking at a sixth installment twelve years later? The original film was dry and the second was terrible. Once director Justin Lin took over the franchise with “Tokyo Drift” in 2006, it became pretty evident that we had a franchise on our hands. At the same time, the creativity when Lin took over seemed to hit the breaks. But people continue to come to these movies whenever they’re released, and “Fast & Furious 6” will probably be no exception. More fast cars and special effects, what else can you expect from this franchise?

“Furious 6” takes place some time after the events in “Fast Five.” Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest of the crew are living their lives as newly minted multi-millionaires. Brian now has a child with Mia (Jordana Brewster), Dom’s sister. Life is good and simple for the whole crew.

Then one day “Fast Five’s” nemesis Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) shows up on Dom’s doorstep looking for his assistance. Hobbs and his new partner (UFC’s Gina Carano) are after a highly trained group of thieves lead by an ex-solider named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans). Shaw and his crew have been stealing military equipment to build a device that would greatly hinder an army’s ability to fight in the field. They only need one more component to make it operational. Oh, and one of the members of Shaw’s crew is Dom’s ex-girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) who was thought to be dead.

Dom can’t resist going after Letty, and neither can his crew. Along with Brian, Dom gets the whole team back together: Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges), Han (Sung Kang) and Gisele (Gal Gadot). The team assembles in London, armed with more fast cars, advanced gadgets and full pardons if they successfully bring down Shaw.

The rest of the film is pretty standard stuff. The highly choreographed car chase sequences loaded with shaky camera movements and staccato editing techniques are what people want to see when they come to these movies. “Furious 6” absolutely delivers in that regard. This is Justin Lin’s fourth film in a row with this franchise and his ability to construct these action sequences continues to improve with each outing (although he is not signed on to direct the forthcoming seventh installment).

There is some disconnect in the action sequences, however. Throughout the epic climax sequence, there are so many different individual things going on that it’s kind of hard to keep track of what’s going happening. At times the cuts come so fast, its difficult to tell who was punching whom, or which car just crashed and burned.

And when Lin decides that he wants his film to have depth and emotion, he really drops the ball. Numerous moments in “Furious 6” drag on and on for longer than needed. A family-first mentality is one of the themes that’s hammered throughout the film, but every time its brought up it feels out of place. In the middle of action sequences when lives are on the line is really not the time to remind the guy hanging on by a thread he needs to do it for the family.

The sentimental moments are monotonous and laughable. Everything feels scripted. Everything feels forced. The dialogue is cheesy. The comic relief – thanks mostly to Tyrese and Ludacris – works well, even if there really isn’t a need for comic relief in a high-octane action flick such as this.

But lets be honest, you can’t just throw together a two-hour movie with only cars zinging by at top speeds through the crowded streets of London. I suppose you probably could but then it would just look like you were watching someone playing “Gran Turismo” on the PlayStation for two hours. Not a whole lot of fun. There needs to be some kind of narrative in there. But why spend a whole lot of time on the story when you know everyone is just there to see the fast cars?

“Furious 6” is yet another example of one of those movies where the built in audience is going to get exactly what they wanted to see. There’s no depth, but plenty of special effects and stunt driving. The size and scope of the action sequences pretty much warrant a required viewing in a big theater. I doubt the same effect will come across at home. As long as expectations are curbed, “Fast & Furious 6” is exactly what’s advertised. Nothing more and nothing less.