Hey folks, Harry here with a pair of reviews of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS... that Vin Diesel vroom vroom errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr CRASH flick that's trailer just makes me giggle... I've got a feeling this one is going to surprise alot of folks... It's just a feeling, but both of these reviewers fell in love... Now Chumquat has reviewed before, giving WHAT PLANET ARE YOUR FROM a passing rating, well... here ya go...
Hiya Harry,
This is Chumquat with a review of the new Universal car flick: The Fast and the Furious. I had seen the trailer and read some reviews, so I went in expecting something decent. I don't know about any of the people involved with the movie, since there were no opening or end credits on this print. I also got the whole speech about how the movie isn't finished and so on, so that might be why.
I'll just come right out and say that this was the best action movie I've seen in theaters in a long time. Remember Gone in 60 Seconds? Yeah, the Bruckheimer movie from last summer that sucked, but had pretty cars to drool at? Well, The Fast and the Furious just plain out negates its existence. Every copy of Gone in 60 Seconds should be burnt or destroyed, because it has no reason for being anymore. Fast and the Furious kicks ass and kicks it hard. The first car chase is an absolute showstopper. The movie is laughably entertaining until this chase. I don't really know how to convey the experience through writing, so I'll just give you one little detail that'll give you an idea of how cool this movie is. We get to see the inner workings of the car through CG effects as the chase is going on.
I have one complaint, and it's the ending, or the lack thereof. The movie just fucking ends. There's this great chase at the end, and then the screen goes fucking black. What the fuck??!! There's no resolution or anything! What about the love interest? The main character's job in the LAPD? The rest of the goddamn supporting characters? Unless they're planning some kind of follow-up, I'm really annoyed. I enjoyed the acting of this movie quite a bit. First order of business on the acting: Vin Diesel kicks ass. This is a fact. He has in his other movies, and he does here. Paul Walker (the main character) was very solid. He sounds exactly like Keanu Reeves, but without the brain-death. You don't feel like laughing at him when he looks serious, either, which is the opposite of what I do when Keanu tries it. That chick from Girlfight is pretty good here too. She doesn't have much to do, but she never embarrasses herself. Also, there's a weasely guy in this movie that looks exactly like Giovanni Ribisi, but plays his sympathetic character very nicely. (I hate Ribisi. He was the worst thing about Gone in 60 Seconds, which says a lot).
Just as long as people go to the movie with this in mind, they wont be disappointed. In fact, I'm happy to say that the ending is my only major complaint with the movie. The movie is just cars, women, and noise. Oh yeah, this movie is insanely loud. The title makes a great description of the movie. I can't see Driven being a better experience than this is, either. Judging by the trailer, Driven's greatest downfall looks to be that it's going to shoot for a serious dramatic story, complete with a Hospital Bed Scene, a requirement for every cliched drama.
Well, to sum up: The Fast and the Furious is great, gratuitous fun, I
grinned like an idiot the entire time, and it requires some kind of
sequel/follow-up. This is Chumquat, bouncing out.
Alrighty then, now we move on to the never heard from before fella... so take it with a grain... here yus guys go...
Tonight I checked out the new movie The Fast and the Furious at City Walk in LA. One of the perks of going to school here is that I'm constantly getting to go to these sorts of advance screenings. So usually this is no big deal - just another reason not to study. But, I gotta admit, I was kind of excited to see this after seeing a commercial during the Super Bowl (I think) ---one of the only memorable things about the Super Bowl--and after starting to think about what those guys (and I guess girls) do with their suped up Toyotas with the "Bad Boy" stickers all over them. So, anyway, I started listening to the chatter around me and winced when I remembered that Paul "The Skulls" Walker was in it, but got psyched when I was reminded that Vin "Boiler Room, Iron Giant, Private Ryan, and Cool-As-Shit" Diesel was in it too. So, here I was, about to get plunged into something for probably 2 hours that could either make me hurl or drive to get a Bad Boy sticker for myself - the risk of the preview screening.
Well, let's just say I didn't hurl... and while I didn't buy a sticker for my car (it just wouldn't fit on my used Mazda)... I had a fuckin' great time and probably broke a few speed laws on my way home.
I watch a lot of movies and I haven't seen anything like this in a long time. It's a little bit Rebel without a Cause, a little bit Point Break, a little bit American Graffitti, a little bit Smokey and The Bandit, and a little bit Bullitt. So, now, a bit of the story: Paul Walker plays this cop who goes undercover into the world of illegal street racing in LA (a la "Johnny Utah" in Point Break). This world is filled with a lot of tough guys and hard girls of various ethnic backgrounds, but the top dog in town is Vin (think Patrick Swayze in PB). What they do is race down deserted streets at midnight... the winner either gets cash or a pink slip to a car -- and sometimes the stakes go even higher. Anyway, Paul enters the scene, gets in close, meets a hot chick, gets in closer, tries to figure out whose behind a string of thefts, and once immersed in this culture he has to figure out where his loyalties lie.
No, not the most original story in the world but it's not that typical teen pablum (oooh, SAT word) that Hollywood churns out and shoves down your throat til you gag on pretty faces and empty plot. It's gritty and urban and you actually give a shit about the characters. I was particularly impressed with the gaggle of hoochie-mommas in short-shorts and push-up bras who provided a little extra motivation for the drivers. Probably the best thing about the movie was the way the races and the stunts were pulled off. This was in your face, fuck you action. The first street race was shot in a way that totally blew me away - it's probably the most unique effect I've ever seen on film. I don't know what it feels like or looks like to go 180 miles an hour, but the effect kind of bends the images and fucks with time to at least give a good impression of what it must feel like to go that fast. There was also this other effect which took the "camera" inside the cars' engines as they had a power boost of what they call NOS (Nitrix Oxide??). The stunts were also amazing - from the first big rig heist in the opening scene to the final car and motorcycle chases - there were guys hanging from trucks, jumping from car to car, cars going under trucks, cars hurtling over other cars, shootouts, motorcycles leaping and crashing, -- you get the point.
All that, fuckin solid music and some sweaty sex... I was ready to race the first car I could possibly beat (my choices are limited). Anyway, it was a cool movie. I'd pay 8 bucks. Hope you print this...
Call me Luke Duke.
