Apr 3 2015

Furious 7

It’s all about family as shadow ops specialist Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) seeks revenge for the death of his brother, naturally, Shaw’s targets include Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel) and his associated family, Brian, Letty, Roman, and Tej (Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris). Meanwhile, Torretto’s team is tasked by U.S. spook, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), to protect a notorious hacker named Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) and obtain the God’s Eye technology, the world’s most powerful espionage tool– simple, all in a day’s work, save the family, save the girl, save the world, can it be done? And, what about the U.S. arm of the law, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), put on injured reserve, what will his role be this go round?Furious7Directed by James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring), this new breed of road warriors is every bit as cartoonish as we’ve come to expect, as thuggish as we’ve ever seen, and still as overly dramatic on the points of loyalty and family as always. That is to say, the film does everything we’ve come to expect from the previous 6 installments, perhaps with a little too much complexity in the sub-plotting (not that it’s tough to follow, but at a certain point more doesn’t mean better, it just means messier). And, over the top action from the driver’s seat continues to remain moderately interesting, we do love ourselves a good ole car chase don’t we? Oh, cars from the sky, cars through the trees, and cars through buildings, endless wonders never cease; all, the while suffering from “A-Team-itus” or the lack of evidenced carnage on screen. Collateral damage and intended damage never seems to be faithfully depicted on screen, somehow characters bounce back from the impossible, and rarely do we ever hear from the local authorities; so again, points for realism no, but points for fun, you bet! And, with a fitting and sensitive farewell to Paul Walker who died in an unrelated car crash during the period in which the film was being shot, the film qualifies to garner your attention in the theatres this weekend, that is if crazy car chases are your thing. Furious 7 is rated PG-13.


Apr 3 2015

Woman In Gold

Based on the true life story of Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), a Jewish refugee from Austria and her attempts to reclaim artwork stolen from her family during World War II while aided by a young lawyer also an Austrian descendent, and the grandson of composer Arnold Schoenberg, Randal Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), the two have their work cut out. Taking on the Austrian government and seeking to right decades of wrongs will not be an easy task and may not come with payoff, but, based on principle alone, the fight is a necessary one. Who will stand victorious and with what implications? womaningold Directed by Simon Curtis, this biopic story that elegantly slides between past and present, bringing to life the ghosts of Austria, illustrating the impact of Hitler’s war, and the reach of anti-Semitism that lingers today. While overall a procedural film that works to abbreviate massive amounts of time, sometimes a little too brief, the important lessons contained within still ring strong. And, for Reynolds, a role to remind us he’s not just a screwball comedic or comic actor while tucked nicely next to the legendary Mirren, both performances are sharp, although for the picky, Mirren’s British accent does bleed though on occasion, so it goes. Worthy as a matinee or a rental for the history buffs or the curious, Woman in Gold is rated PG-13.