Cindy Prascik's Review of The Fate of the Furious

Dearest Blog: After a two-week hiatus, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas to watch some of my favorite folks drive fast cars, shoot big guns, and blow stuff up in the Fate of the Furious.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

 

This being the eighth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, one has to ask: Did they miss an opportunity in not writing it "The F8 of the Furious?" Because I don't see it like that on any of the marketing (despite the official hashtag being #F8) and it's bummin' me out. Secondly: Is the series running out of gas? (Har. Har. Har.) I mean, literally, I think you HAVE to ask that, because every single headline I've seen so far has done so. But I digress...

 

The Fast and Furious franchise has buttered its bread by making each installment bigger and crazier, and this most recent outing is no exception. I didn't feel there was any one huge showpiece (like dropping the cars from an airplane last time), but the whole had higher stakes, better surprises, and more sustained lunacy. Vin Diesel is again front and center, as F8 sees Dominic Toretto turning on his team to work with an evil madwoman, portrayed with gleeful relish by the brilliant Charlize Theron. I was very pleasantly surprised by a couple much-loved faces turning up in the supporting cast, though I'd fervently hoped for one and the Internet tells me I should have known about the other. (Not spoiling here in case anyone else wishes to remain in the dark.) Dwayne Johnson is his usual charming self, and I say with only the tiniest bit of bias that the movie is a good deal better when Jason Statham is onscreen than when he isn't. Despite the world's fate hanging in the balance, F8 has plenty of lighter moments, and the humor, though juvenile and predictable, usually hits the mark. The film throws down massive stunts, explosive action, and, of course, some pretty sweet rides. Negatives are relatively few, but, as usual, the ending comes with extra cheese. Michelle Rodriguez is bad enough that I wondered how I ever thought she wasn't, and the movie could have used at least a 30-minute trim.

 

The Fate of the Furious runs 136 minutes and is rated PG13 for "prolonged sequences of violence and destruction, suggestive content, and language."

 

The Fast and Furious franchise gets full marks for giving its audience exactly what it wants, without ever taking that audience for granted. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Fate of the Furious gets seven.

 

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik’s review of 42

Dearest Blog, having survived a bout with the Death Flu on Friday, today I rewarded myself with a trip to the cinema. On the docket was my much anticipated baseball drama 42.

Spoiler level here will be as mild as possible for a story about a super-famous person who's been dead for four decades.
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson becomes the first man to break Major League Baseball's color barrier.

Well, dear Blog, there's no sense denying it: I'm stupidly sentimental about baseball, and therefore stupidly sentimental about baseball movies. Not once did I get through the 42 trailer sans tears, so needless to say I expected the film to be the emotional equivalent of a 15-car freeway pileup.

Chadwick Boseman, who isn't quite a newcomer but certainly is new to headlining a project of this caliber, carries 42 with flair. A weaker performance easily might have been overcome by Harrison Ford's strong turn as Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager (then titled "business manager") Branch Rickey; depending on how strong the field is, I won't be surprised if voters remember his performance come awards season. Supporting players include a few of my faves: Brett Cullen (too briefly...again), Christopher Meloni, Hamish Linklater, and Steve the Pirate Alan Tudyk as the bigoted jerk manager of my beloved Philadelphia Phillies. The cast is almost uniformly strong, with only Nicole Beharie coming off a bit too dewey-eyed and perfect as Robinson's wife Rachel. (In fairness, writing may be to blame there; more on that later.)

Though I loved it overall, 42 does have a few faults worth mentioning, the first being that it is, at times, too earnest with its message. There are two kid scenes at the ballpark (which I won't spoil here) that are played way too hard for tugging the heartstrings, and it was absolutely unnecessary; the film speaks for itself and needn't have hit viewers over the head. Secondly, the movie portrays Robinson's wife (now widow) Rachel, and therefore their relationship, as just a bit too perfect. Remember a few years back when VH1 did that Temptations biopic? At my house, we call it "The World According to Otis." The only surviving Temptation at the time was Otis Williams, and the mini-series went out of its way to make sure viewers knew Otis was the good guy in...well...everything. I'm not sure how much of a hand Mrs. Robinson had in this film, but it definitely skews towards making her look brave, flawless, and pretty much responsible for Major League Baseball not being an all-white sport to this day.

Finally, my two favorite teams, the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates, are portrayed as dicks and laughingstocks, respectively, a view many hold of both teams to this day. History is what it is, but they didn't have to keep saying, "Pittsburgh??" like it was some big damn joke. (Though I did laugh anyway.)

While 42 successfully tells what's ultimately an uplifting story, the racism that was the norm for the time is more than uncomfortable to watch...all the more so for knowing we aren't entirely past it a half-century later. Still, the fact that we keep telling the story leads me to believe we'll get there someday, and that the movie earned a houseful of applause in my not-necessarily-progressive little town lets me hope we're closer than I think. Oh, and to the staff and management at the Highlands' Marquee Cinemas, that flood in room 12 was just my tears. Sorry about that.

42 clocks in at 128 minutes that’s as deliberately-paced as the game of baseball itself, though it doesn't feel long. It's rated PG13 for "thematic elements, including language." (At one point, dialogue prompted a little boy at the back of my cinema to ask, "Dad, what's adultery?" to which his father hastily replied, "NOTHING!")

42 is a great movie about the great sport of baseball. If it comes on a bit strong with its message, well, that's easily forgiven when the message is this important.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, 42 earns seven and a half.

Now, dear Blog, if you'll excuse me, my flu-decimated self needs a nap. Until next time...




Thank you.

MOVIE REVIEW: LEGION

ON DVD

LEGION



Scott Stewart's supernatural thriller Legion, scripted by Peter Schink, concerns a group of strangers in an out-of-the-way eatery who become the first line of defense when God, believing the human race is no longer worthy of Him, decides to end their existence. This motley crew's only spiritual ally is the archangel Michael, played by Paul Bettany. Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Charles S. Dutton, and Lucas Black co-star in the Screen Gems production. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Directed by Scott Stewart

Cast: Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Charles S. Dutton.

Release Date: Jan 22, 2010

Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Terminator with a touch of the dash of biblical mumbo jumbo gives you the general sense of what to expect with Scott Sander’s Legion. It’s a film that is most aware of its B-movie schlockly roots and has fun with it on occasion but not nearly enough to make the entire experience enjoyable. Sander’s best attribute is his ability to move the nonsensical plot along at a nice quick pace, never lingering to long on any details. He hits the major and minor plot points like he’s playing darts. The script is littered with archetype characters that all have standard issue personal issues. The cast, made up of surprisingly strong performers, does as well as can be expected. Paul Bettany is stoic and provides his British Angel an other worldliness feel which fits the character well. Adrianne Palicki is believable if overly “troubled” as the mother of the messiah to be. Dennis Quaid phones in his performance to such an extreme degree you are kind left wondering if he ever wanted this film to see the light of day. Tyrese Gibson, Charles S. Dutton and Kate Walsh have small and limited roles but they do more with them than this film deserves. If the script has one strength its it admirable ability to keep you off balance by dispatching characters unexpectedly and abruptly, something I’ve always enjoyed. Outside of that there is very little new or innovative in this genre film.

D