Fast and Furious Franchise

With Furious 7 coming out on Friday, I thought I'd take a look at the franchise leading up to it. I won't talk about to short films between them because those are pointless and boring...and who cares? I actually have unpopular opinions on this series so this will be interesting. Here we go!

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Brian O'Conner (played by Paul Walker) goes undercover to become part of a street racing gang lead by Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel). Through many racing scenes and bro chats, Brian ends up letting Dom go at the end. I actually don't like this movie much at all. I think it's pretty cheesy, the acting is...not there, and it doesn't age well either. There are some cool parts, but I think this  is the worst film in the series. 2/5 🌟🌟

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Most people consider this worst or second worst, but I like it more than the original. I think it's 3rd worst. It's got Eva Mendes in it and that's always awesome, but no Vin Diesel. Tyrese Gibson...can't really act. He's basically in there to say some stereotypical line (same in Transformers). Oh and he totally shouldn't be Green Lantern. Anyway 3/5 🌟🌟🌟

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

A movie with that name should be terrible, but it's not. Justin Lin takes over as director of the franchise and it's the best so far. It uses the music well, has a solid supporting cast, and some great moments. The scene where Han drifts around that girls car and gets her number. Beautiful. Also the chase scene leading up to Han's death is great. 3.5/5 🌟🌟🌟

Fast and Furious (2009)

This one is...not good either. It kills off Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) which somehow turns Vin Diesel into Sherlock Holmes. It has a CGI car chase scene through a mine shaft. It's just not good but still pretty fun 2.5/5 🌟🌟

Fast Five (2011)

This is the best one. Takes all the best parts of the other ones and turns it into a heist film. Great. It shouldn't be good but somehow is. It's the Rock. Dwayne Johnson helps make this movie fantastic. Not to mention the car chase at the end when they just destroy a city with a safe. 3.5/5🌟🌟🌟

Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

This one keeps up with the previous installment. Still as crazy. The Rock is back ....and so is Michelle Rodriguez. Look, if you're gonna bring back a character, make sure we like them. Letty is one of the most unlikable characters in recent movie history for me. She doesn't like anything, and her only redeeming qualities are that she's tough and badass, which we have Vin Diesel and The Rock for. Also Gina Carano is in this and she is killed by Letty...(with help). Ronda Rousey will be in the next movie, probably in a similar role. Luke Evans is the villain and it's perfect. This guy kills it in everything he's in! Good movie. And the tank scene is amazing. The plane scene is a little overdone. 3/5🌟🌟🌟

Which leads us to Furious 7 (2015)

I'm excited for this because Kurt Russell, Tony Jaa, and Jason Statham are joining the cast. It looks to be just as crazy as the last 2 movies and a great way to kick off summer! 

So in case you missed it, my rankings go

Fast Five

Tokyo Drift

Fast and Furious 6

2 Fast 2 Furious

Fast & Furious 

The Fast and the Furious 

What are your thoughts?? Let me know and stay tuned for a review on Furious 7 later this week!

This Week in Comics 3/25/15

The Flash #40

After a great cliff-hanger, this issue picks up immediately where issue 39 left off. Great resolution and can't talk about much without spoiling. Another good cliff-hanger has us anxious for June. Grade: B+ 

Aquaman #40

Aquaman is on the run from his mother and fighting a giant lava monster. Comics are awesome. One half action. One half emotion closure. Solid issue with a good ending to the Maelstrom story line. Grade: B

Darth Vader #3

Vader needs help in this issue. He quietly guides a new recruit for his own bidding, and offers one of the funniest lines in comics. Worth the pickup! Grade: B

Deadpool #44

 Not as funny or crazy as the last 2 issues, you can tell the writers are saving it all for next months 250 when Deadpool dies. Nonetheless Deadpool continues to be one of the better comics out there. And my favorite Marvel run. Grade: B

Also check out the Legendary Star-Lord run. Read the first issue and gave it a B+

I'll be back next week, and I'll stop with the Instagram posts and YouTube videos on comics!

Arnie is back!! Probably...I hope

Today was a big day for Arnold Achwarzenegger. A motion poster for Terminator Genisys was released featuring his face turning into the robotic Terminator skeleton, and a trailer for his newest film Maggie was as well. He looks to be more grounded than ever and showcasing possibly his best performance ever.

 Arnie obviously took a break from acting to focus on governing the small state of California and has had a lackluster return since. The Expendables films are C+ at best and he plays a small role in them. The Last Stand was good for what it was but made nearly nothing at the box office. I have yet to see Escape Plan but I did see Sabotage and it was terrible. But now he's back in full Arnie mode, headlining two vastly different films. 

Arnold was king in the late 80's and 90's.  My personal favorites being The Terminator films and the original Predator. 

He very rarely has to act out of his normal character, similar to John Wayne or Will Smith. Yeah I said it. Actors do this sometimes because they're very bankable this way. Arnie was a huge action star, Will Smith was/ kinda still is one of the most charismatic actors of his generation, and John Wayne practically saved the movie industry with his films. 

To see Arnold pushing his limits in the  film Maggie, says something. Arnold could very well be pulling a Matthew McConaughey turn around. 

Or we could all be disappointed by Terminator and not care about his performance in Maggie. 

Honestly, I love Arnold and I hope we get to see more of him soon!

A look at the Mission: Impossible Series

So the first trailer for Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation was released today and I am pumped! So I thought I'd talk about the series so far before voicing my excitement for the fifth installment in this great action series. 

By the way, I haven't seen one episode of the original TV series! 

Mission: Impossible (1996)

Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, a member of IMF (Impossible Mission Force) and must solve the mystery of who killed his comrades (Emilio Estevez and Jon Voight among others) in their last mission in order to clear his name. Henry Czerny plays a character who is chasing him down. He recruits Ving Rhames (playing Luther Stickell) and Jean Reno into his crew and they pull off a few crazy stunts in order to find the perpetrator. It turns out Jeno Reno's character is helping Jon Voight (who is playing Jim Phelps, the main character of the original TV series) who faked his death. This has some great action scenes and some pretty intense dialogue scenes as well. Brian De Palma (Carrie, Scarface, and The Untouchables) directed this and it feels very much the same as those films. 3.5/5🌟🌟🌟

Also Vanessa Redgrave is in this and she's always awesome....and old looking since like 1975. 

Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Oh boy... They handed the franchise over to John Woo, who was coming off of Face/Off. And man, this was disappointing. Too many masks, flying birds, and crazy fights. Though the cast is legit. With Cruise and Rhames returning and adding Dougray Scott, Richard Roxburgh, Thandie Newton, and even Brendan Gleeson and Anthony Hopkins. 2/5 🌟🌟

Thandie Newton is hot though and Cruises hair looks great

Mission: Impossible III (2006)

After the first two films, one could argue that the franchise was dead. But who do you give a dying franchise to? JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Star Wars). A star studded cast and brilliant action scenes save this movie, who's plot is a little crazy at times. The Bridge scene is great and so is the capture of the rabbit's foot. Billy Crudup, Jonathon Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, and Laurence Fishburne join the cast and do great in their short screen times. Maggie Q is in this as well, right before she was in Live Free or Die Hard and now is in the terrible Divergent Series. Also Simon Pegg's character Benji joins the cast and helps Ethan, who is now married to Michelle Monaghan's character. And I couldn't go without saying something about Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Owen Davian. He's a great villain and truly menacing. 3.5/5 🌟🌟🌟 

Also this was during Tom Cruise's crazy phase. This movie also has the worst posters of the franchise...just sayin.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol 

Ethan Hunt is once again on the run, and enlists Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner to help him. Brad Bird (director) lets Tom Cruise go all out on his stunts. Most famously the scene where Tom Cruise is dangling from the tallest building in the world. Talk about white knuckle. Also the hallway scene is pretty good as well. This put M:I back on the map and let us know Tom Cruise is still kicking ass. This is the best of the series 4/5🌟🌟🌟🌟

Also Tom Wilkinson makes a cameo, as do Ving Rhames and Michelle Monaghan at the end. 

Which leads me to...

Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation (2015)

Have you seen the trailer?? Tom Cruise is hanging off of a plane as it takes off! It's insane! Also it's IMF vs The Syndicate while the CIA is chasing Ethan Hunt. The Syndicate being an "anti-IMF" group who possess the same skills. Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, and Ving Rhames are all back for this adventure which drops in July. Also Alec Baldwin leads the force hunting the IMF agents. 

Christoper McQuarrie directs this. He previously directed Jack Reacher, which also starred Tom Cruise. That film was alright and I'm excited to see what will become of this film!

Any requests for these reviews, just tweet at me or leave a comment on Instagram!

How Divergent copies other Franchises

A post-apocalyptic sci-Fi adventure series with a cast with proven heavyweights and great young pieces. What could go wrong? Oh yeah...plagiarism. Now I haven't read the books, nor have I seen Insurgent yet. These are just my thoughts I came up with when I watched the first film. I didn't hate it, but I didn't think it was very good either. Shailene Woodley is a great actress and does a good job in this movie. She doesn't underperform lik Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, or Kate Winslet. Jai Courtney has always been on my bad side since A Good Day to Die Hard. Anyway, I'd like to show how I think Divergent is similar to other franchises from recent memory:

Harry Potter

The test administered to Tris to help her decide what faction to choose is awful similar to the sorting hat from The Sorceror's Stone. The sorting ceremony later also reminded me of the same scene, because everyone sits in silence as the choice is being made. Also Miles Teller's character reminded me a lot of Malfoy. Jai Courtney is McGonagall. Also Harry is different and famous just like Tris. Except I think Tris is more allegedly famous.

The Matrix

Tria must undergo different tests to prove she's dauntless, and takes these tests I am alternate reality. This is similar to Neo in The Matrix when he learns Kung Fu and the other tricks of the Matrix. Also Tris is factionless and able to operate outside the laws of the tests, similar to Neo's ability to bend physics because he is The One.

S.W.A.T.

Okay technically not a franchise, but it's a TV Show and 2 movies. I'm talking about the movie with Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jeremy Renner. The "tryout scenes" reminded me of this movie a lot. And the layout is similar. First half: tryout. Second Half: what should've been the whole movie, crammed into 45 minutes. 

And obviously...The Hunger Games

This has "Hunger Games wannabe" written all over it. You've got your post-apocalyptic world. You've got remains being split into different sections.  You've got your strongwilled female lead. You've got your love interest fighting on your side against an evil president. Oh why are they fighting? To rebel. *Rue Whistle*

Then again...The Hunger Games is a rip-off of Battle Royale

Side note: Hunger Games Copies Battle Royale

Being a book first and made into a film in 2000, this Japanese story follows a crumbling Japan who's resorted to killing off their young, uncontrollable youth. High school classes are taken on field trips and then equipped with special necklaces that explode if they try to escape. Then it's Battle Royale. 30 or so kids on an island fighting to survive. This helps to strike fear into other Japanese youths, because the event is broadcast nationally. The films differ. The Hunger Games has more likable characters, but Battle Royale has more mature themes and is more fun to watch. Except for Catching Fire. Catching Fire is the bomb. Oh and Battle Royale 2 shows the Japanese youth rebelling against the government. Pretty clear cut copy. Except Battle Royale 2 sucks. Although so does Mockingjay-Part 1. Maybe we should keep the Death Battle as part of the Death Battle movies?? 

Anyway thanks for reading! I'll be back soon with more !

Alien (1979)

Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott directs this sci-fi thriller set in a distant star system, which follows seven crew members of the Nostromo spacecraft as they fight against a murderous stowaway alien. This film is like watching two different television episodes back-to-back. The first half consisting of a slow build-up and a mysterious tone and the second half turning into an all-out pulse pounding thriller. 

This film starts off with an interesting title sequence which slowly shows us the film’s title while brilliantly setting up the film’s tone and the silence of space. The camera takes the viewer through the various rooms of the spacecraft that will later be used as a pseudo haunted house. The computer system, called Mother, running the craft awakens the crew who have been in a sort of hibernation to endure the long trip between galaxies. 

It’s here that the film really showcases some of it’s brilliance. The crew seems very realistic and the interactions are very believable. They are not dressed in flawless white spacesuits but more dark, dirty suits that have seen wear. The story does not revolve around any of the characters more than the others. There is no clear cut hero and everyone is shown to have flaws. This makes the second half more intense as anyone is subject to be killed. Parker (Yaphet Kotto) and Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) are engineers and are concerned with money. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) seems to be standoffish and untrusting of the others. Lambert (Veronice Cartwright) keeps to herself and is short with the others. Ash (Ian Holm) is the newest member of the crew and is not trusted as it seems he does not have the crew’s best interests in mind. Kane (John Hurt) seems to be the least flawed but are not given as much screen time to justify himself as a hero. If a main character had to be picked, it would be Dallas (Tom Skerritt), the ship’s captain, who is in direct contact with Mother. 

After intercepting a signal from an unknown origin, the crew is contractually obligated to investigate the source. After landing on an unknown planet, an alien gets aboard the spacecraft and starts killing off members of the crew. With no chance of making contact with Earth for years, the crew of the Nostromo have to fend for themselves against an alien who is seemingly unbeatable. 

The tone is really set up with the lighting. The spacecraft is well light in the first quarter of the film, while the crew is safe and preparing to investigate the signal. The planet, which is the setting for most of the second quarter of the film, is plagued by harsh winds, mist, and darkness. This adds to the mystery of the planet and the signal itself. The second half takes place on the spacecraft again but the lights are not as bright and the same halls seem much more unsettling. A sequence toward the end of the film uses a flashing emergency light to set up the panic in the situation. Ridley Scott uses the slow movement of the camera, seemingly in Steadi-Cam, in the first half to suggest the calm safe nature of the hallways in the first half. Then in the second half switches toward a handheld camera to illustrate a more frantic tone. 

The actors do a phenomenal job of setting up a frightening tone. The alien is rarely seen, and this adds to the paranoia perfectly illustrated by the actors. While some characters are heroic, others are terrified, and other try to calm the crew down. This makes the entire film seem very realistic even though it is set in outer space. Because of this realism and the low number of characters, each death seems to have more weight.

One of the things that create a sense of wonder and mystery in this film, is the sequence on the planet from which the signal came. The design of the planet and the alien itself are extremely unique. H.R. Giger designed all of this and it seems very realistic. The things the crew sees on the planet are never fully explained and this makes the tension even better. The crew never knows if the signal is an SOS or a warning. The alien itself is insanely menacing and creeps along the ship like an extraterrestrial Michael Myers.

One of the best things about this film is it’s score, or lack thereof. The quiet calm nature seems soothing, until an unstoppable alien is hiding on the spacecraft. Then the quiet nature turns into a tense, maddening silence which makes every sound a plot twist. 

This film’s slow build, pays off with a thrilling second half. The acting, directing, and cinematography keep the audience interested in the beginning and on the edge of their seat at the end. This film is a testament to not only how great sci-fi  or horror films can be but to how great films can be.