Booty, booty, booty, booty rockin everywhere....

A few years ago I stopped going to the movies. Netflix was the best thing since sliced bread and I had a lot of catching up to do. I literally watched 5 movies a week for an entire semester. I slowed down my viewing cause my brain was beginning to turn to mush and I was running out of good movies to catch up on. In the past 18 months I have ventured back to the movie theatres and realized what a joy going to the movies was. 

In the past I have been rather picky about the movies that I chose to see in the theatre, who can blame me at $12 a ticket and $13.50 for a medium popcorn and soft-drink combo. However, this weekend I threw caution to the wind and decided to see the forth installment of The Fast and Furious series cleverly titled....wait for it....wait for it.....Fast and Furious.

            Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are reunited after two films apart and are both after the notorious heroin smuggler, Braga. Brian (Walker) as an FBI agent is after his big bust and Dom (Diesel) is out to avenge his girlfriends’ death. The movie opens with a 20-minute action sequence that trumps any opening scene in the series and I was thoroughly excited for what was to come. 

The major reason I try to avoid movies like Fast and Furious, although I have somehow managed to see everyone, is that the combination of bad acting, poor dialogue, and unrealistic situations gets under my skin. I find myself getting annoyed for spending the money and time to see such a juvenile movie. However, the fourth installment didn’t get under my skin and in fact, I found myself  having a really good time. The scantily clad females scattered throughout the movie didn't hurt the experience either.

      The joy in seeing a movie like this is all about the experience. The booming soundtrack, the larger than life explosions, and some crowd participation is sometimes all you need to look past all the little things that can make a PG-13 action flick less than memorable. A lot of critics have hammered this movie saying it was nothing more than a re-make of 2001 The Fast and Furious also starring Walker and Diesel. Lets get one thing straight; if  Fast and Furious is a remake of anything, it’s a remake of the 1991 classic (yeah, I said classic) Point Break starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Now, with that out of the way, I will make another comparison. This movie gave me the same tickle as Back to the Future II. 

Let me explain. 

Back to the Future II is a much more exciting experience if you have seen the original because it cleverly manages to combine the best of the first film with it's new story-line. Fast and Furious accomplishes the same feat. While someone who is unfamiliar with the series would be able to watch Fast and Furious without a hitch, knowing the history between Brian and Dom makes you feel like they are characters that you have been friends with for years. The Fast and Furious 2 tried to re-create this situation between Paul Walker and Tyrese but failed miserably. The 5^th installment in the series is on its way, to no ones surprise, given the huge success at the box office. This 4^th installment, I think, will prove to be the favorite among the fans though.

My Vote; A fun action movie for anyone….see it in the theatre rather than waiting for the DVD, no matter how big your flat screen is.

Next Week

Fast and Furious

            &

Sunshine Cleaning

Don't Observe

Observe and Report stars Seth Rogen as Ronnie Barnhardt, a bi-polar mall-cop whose mall is being corrupted by a heavyset flasher and a thief. His mother is a drunk so it’s no surprise he is in love with a drunk, Brandi, played by Anna Ferris. There was a lot of buzz around this movie and Seth Rogen has been quoted as saying he can’t believe they let him make it. Well Seth, neither can I.

            I am not easily offended by language, drug use, nudity, etc. I love dark comedies and more specifically movies that break the Hollywood mold. Todd Solondz’s 1998 movie Happiness was a dark comedy, and damn good. Observe and Report tries to be dark, funny, confusing and it tries to break the mold. It accomplishes all of these things, but not as one coherent piece of work but as a bunch of muddled scenes strewn together that vaguely resemble what modern moviegoers will call a movie. There is a beginning, middle and an end but I can’t say that any of it really mattered.

            In the upcoming days I am sure there will be a lot of buzz around this movie for a lot of different reason. The first thing that has been getting attention is the “date rape” scene. This was actually a bright spot in the movie and I wish there were more moments like this throughout. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t support date rape, but it fit, it was funny, and in the end Anna Ferris delivers a memorable line that makes everything okay.

            In the end this just isn’t a good movie. I was bored in the first 10 minutes, 45 minutes in I was considering walking out and about an 1 hour 20 minutes in I was just mad. The director Jody Hill, who also directed the Foot fist way, likes movies that “break the mold” and includes Pulp Fiction as a favorite. While Pulp Fiction included many of the same elements as Observe and Report, it had purpose and it said something. Observe and Report doesn’t accomplish either of those things. I take that back, it does demonstrate how if you say a word enough (fuck) it starts to loose its power. Gratuitous violence, illicit drug use, and full frontal (not to mention fat and saggy) male nudity strung together in a weak plot do not make for a good film. I could name 10 movies where those elements are part of a greater purpose and serve the film (well maybe not the saggy full frontal).

            I was pretty hard on Paul Blart. I will watch that movie 10 times before I watch Observe and Report again.

 

My Vote; Do I really have to say it.