The Torettos and friends search for a codebreaking device. More of the increasingly-interchangeable series: 150 minutes of soapy sentimentality, decent stuntwork, and terrible physics-worrying spectacle. Director Lin does what he can with the material tho, and there’s some fun moments from seasoned character actors like Shea Whigham.
Here’s the trailer. And here’s another view.
Ridiculous extension of the tired franchise. So bereft of new ideas it borrows from its own cannon. The result is 2hrs of absurd plot contrivances, gravity defying stunt stupidity, terrible scripting and horrible acting from everyone. Cena is especially wooden and bloody awful. For die hard F&F fans only.
Superior telling of the Arthurian legend with a fine cast, beautiful cinematography and strong direction from Boorman. Perhaps a tad over romanticised, but fabulous performances from the likes of Williamson and Byrne hold this together creating something very special.
The rise and fall of Handmade Films. Linear documentary – reliant on talking heads, clips, and archive interviews – charting George Harrison and Denis O’Brien’s company; in doing so, offering a potted history of 80s British cinema, and of the making of some key movies (Time Bandits, Withnail & I, Mona Lisa etc) of that period.
Mismatched agents team up to prevent a bio-engineered villain from stealing a deadly toxin. Dumb-but-fun-but-dumb again action-comedy sidequel to the later Fast/Furious flicks. Jolly bickering and star cameos help, but the film too-quickly becomes wearying in its CG excesses when it should be at least physics-aware.
Another viewpoint? Here!
A lost young woman becomes an elite model by day, a KGB assassin by night. It’s Besson-by-numbers in this straightforward Europacorp espionage/action thriller, lifting bits from La Femme Nikita and in so doing aping the recent Red Sparrow. Decent setpieces, some lazy tech-related anachronisms, and reliable character actors slumming.
A widowed doctor is hired to prove that the eccentric owner of a weapons company is insane. Handsomely-mounted jumpscare horror that doesn’t find much to do with its based-on-a-true-story premise, so settles for a few boos and no eews. Disappointing, given the talent involved.
![F9 [AKA F9: The Fast Saga; Fast & Furious 9] (2021, dir. Justin Lin)](https://255review.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/f9-fast-saga-poster.jpg?w=650)
![Hobbs & Shaw [AKA Fast and Furious (Presents): Hobbs & Shaw] (2019, dir. David Leitch)](https://255review.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/ffhs.jpg?w=464)
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