John’s Horror Corner: The Greasy Strangler (2016), a disgusting, awkward, exploitative, gross horror comedy.
MY CALL: This trashy movie aims for discomfort, awkward hilarity and excessive disgust. If you like that, then you should like this. MOVIES LIKE The Greasy Strangler: Movies like Street Trash (1987), Class of Nuke’em High (1986), Mutant Hunt (1987) and The Toxic Avenger (1984) come to mind. Perhaps even Manborg (2011), Turbo Kid (2015), Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991) and Kung Fury (2015).
Director Jim Hosking’s (The ABCs of Death 2 segment G is for Grandad) film is weird AF, socially awkward AF, perverted AF and gross AF. It’s important to be in the right frame of mind before venturing such deliberate filth. The social awkwardness blares in the opening scenes during a strange (almost stale) childish exchange between father and son. It smacks of a hard-R Napoleon Dynamite (2004). The gross-out factor also tiptoes the unease of The Human Centipede (2009), except that it makes Centipede feel more mainstream while sparing us any “realistic” situations or gore.
Father and son team, Ronnie (Michael St. Michaels; The Video Dead, Another) and Breyden (Sky Elobar; Son of Zorn), share the family business. During their “walking” disco tours they lead dumbfounded tourists to mundane locations while citing stupid facts about 70s music icons. These scenes seethe idiocy.
There’s an alarmingly heated debate over “free drinks” and, while drunkenly entertaining, this scene appropriately forecasts the bombarding lunacy to come. This belabored exchange is one of many that will induce uncomfortable “marijuana giggles.” It’s actually painfully shocking how many times the characters repeat essentially the same inanely argumentative lines—as if to nail an awkward joke, kick a dead horse until viewers are impatiently confused or uncomfortable, and then keep kicking that horse carcass until it’s perhaps funny again. At this point, films like Idiocracy (2006) may come to mind. But Idiocracy (2006) was far more intelligible and way less perverse. You know that extremely uncomfortable feeling you may have when you oversee something disturbing like a severely mentally disturbed person dry-humping a hand-rail or pooping, pants down, in the front lawn…and you just want to NOT be there? Yeah, a lot of the scenes are like that.
Our source of conflict is discovered when a young woman attends Breyden and Ronnie’s historical disco tour. Breyden is smitten, whereas Ronnie is awash with skepticism, fear of abandonment and jealousy.
The title may suggest this to be more of a slasher/killer flick, but such concepts take a back seat to the strange father-son-love relationship. This is more of a psychologically abusive, perverted love story. The gore was limited to a few scenes and, despite an obviously low budget, included playfully rendered imploding face punches and cheap “choking until their eyes (literally) pop out” scenes. These effects are super cheap, but solidly amusing in their deliberate silliness.
This movie may not feature much gore or sex, but it remains quite graphic. We endure lots of wrinkly old man butt, old man banana hammock, chubby men in skibbies, ding dong dangling, windblown (fake) old man weenis in the numerous “car wash” scenes, and full frontal (fake) nudity. It’s hard to explain, but all of these elements are pushed to weirdly excessive limits. For example, whereas full frontal nudity or sex scenes may make you uncomfortable watching a movie in certain company (e.g., your parents, kids or spouse), “this” full frontal nudity and “this” sex scene made me uncomfortable even though I was watching alone and free of judgment. Giant fake pubic wigs are just plain weird, especially when worn while having deadpan-straight-faced conversations about a father-son love triangle spewing dialogue fit for a 2nd grade reading level. Good Lord, this is weird. LOL. Let’s not even get into the “food” scenes…which were frequent and strangely disgusting on their own.
This film is for people who love weird, raunchy and perhaps somewhat exploitative films. I often felt as if every seen was specifically designed to incite discomfort and awkward giggles, and it does so obnoxiously. But despite this, I just shook my head, smiled and somehow enjoyed it. I enjoy a lot of weird, “extreme” cinema.
Some may find the lunacy of this film to be a rather novel flavor, others may simply find it exhausting after a while. I believe where you fall on this spectrum will depend as much on your taste as it does your expectations and mood when viewing something like this. Loads of “fake penis” scenes and rerunning the same retarded gag over and over can take its toll on someone who isn’t in an adventurous mood when hitting the “play” button on this. Contrastingly, some people might be looking for exactly this kind of hilarious ridicule.
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Shin Godzilla: Bureaucracy and the Beast
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Shin Godzilla tells the story of the Japanese government learning how to defeat a familiar creature that can’t be stopped. It’s not everyday that a giant creature comes from the sea and wrecks havoc on Tokyo. It most certainly isn’t expected that this creature evolves at an alarming rate and is virtually impenetrable to any weapon. Thus, the government elite (AKA many many people) and a rogue grouping of beautiful minds spend countless months figuring the creature out and learning how to exploit any weaknesses. It is an inspired take on Godzilla-lore and I love how it takes a classic creature and brings it successfully into the modern world. Shin Godzilla won Best Picture at the Japanese version of the Academy Awards and has deserved the praise heaped upon it.
I had no clue what to expect when I watched Shin Godzilla. I’ve been so conditioned to monster mayhem, rubber suits and random naps that I figured I would be watching more of the same. However, as the film progressed I dug how the focus was more on the dozens of people trying to deal with an unknown and dangerous threat. Every situation and idea are covered and I appreciated the systematic nature and political satire that take us down a rabbit hole of jurisdiction, more jurisdiction and American’s wanting to drop nuclear bombs.
What I like about this version of Godzilla is how it evolves in front of our eyes. It begins as a slimy little thing that crawls around Tokyo and smashes various cars, buildings and unlucky pedestrians. It eventually starts walking and resembles a big-eyed/bug lizard that doesn’t know what to do with its growing body. Eventually, its arms unfold from its massive body and it starts to resemble the Godzilla that we know and love. This fully grown version of Godzilla is a lumbering giant who shoots lasers out of pretty much everywhere and doesn’t have an interest in property destruction. It just seems to be milling about in a hungover fog while people shoot missiles at it.
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If you are looking for all-out monster mayhem that has a total disregard for plot, character and science (think Pacific Rim) you probably won’t love Shin Godzilla. However, if you like political satire, laser lights shows and a new spin on Godzilla it is worth a watch!
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Hello all. Mark here.
I love using somewhat relevant data to predict a films Rotten Tomatoes score. The data isn’t exact and only somewhat reliable, but I enjoy seeing if old trends and actors/directors averages can somewhat predict the success of a film. I don’t have flowcharts, abacuses or an around the clock crew of rogue movie predictors working furiously in a dimly lit office. I have a will to scour through Rotten Tomatoes, Google and Youtube in an effort to have a solid data that predicts unimportant things.
I predicted XXX: The Return of Xander Cage would have a 36% RT Score and was pleasantly surprised when it received 43%. I actually wanted to add five more points to the finished product but I went against my Vin-O-Meter and ended up short. This time I’m trying to predict the RT score of Baywatch.
- I brought back my Jet Action Scene data because Baywatch features JS action. Jet ski action scenes are the worst and they average 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. Listen to our podcast to learn more.
- I collected the RT scores of recent comedic television adaptations. Aside from 21 & 22 Jump Street (85, 84), television adaptations haven’t done well with the critics. The overall average is 45.6% and only 21 & 22 Jump Street, Charlie’s Angels, Starsky & Hutch and The Man From U.N.C.L.E have fresh averages. Bewitched, Get Smart, Land of the Lost, Dukes of Hazard and The A-Team (and more) were not loved by the RT critics.
- Between The Fast & the Furious, G.I. Joe, Be Cool, Journey 2, Scorpion King, Get Smart, Walking Tall, Race to WitchMountain and Hercules, The Rock loves stepping into a preexisting material. Thus, I averaged out the scores and came up with 50.3% average
- Zac Efron’s recent comedic films have been up and down on RT. Neighbors 1 & 2 are fresh (73%, 62%) whereas Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (35), That Awkward Moment (23) and Bad Grandpa (11) are pretty rotten. The uneven comedies lead to a 40.8% average. It’s not good, but it could be a lot worse.
- Seth Gordon exploded onto the scene with the brilliant documentary The King of Kong (97%). The documentary about Donkey Kong catapulted him into directing big budget comedies Four Christmases (25%), Horrible Bosses (68%), Identity Thief (19%) and now Baywatch. His four films have an average of 52.25%. You need to watch The King of Kong now!
The average of these five categories is 42.32%. Normally I’d be happy to bestow that average on a film that features jet ski action scenes. However, the movie looks really funny and it features the beloved Dwayne Johnson. So, I’m going to add another 20 points to the average and boost it into fresh territory with a 62.32% average. I’m putting my reputation on the line with this score but I’m sticking to it.
Final Rotten Tomatoes average for Baywatch – 62.32%
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Hello all. Mark here.
You can download the pod on Itunes or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF Podcast is back and we talking about movies that feature Foghat, pencils and hyperbolic words. I love dumb data that has no real world importance because the dumb results put a smile on people’s faces and open up their world to jet ski action scenes and terrible songs by rock bands. If you are into strange data that digs deep to figure if movies with Best, Perfect, Great, Fantastic and Good in their titles are any good you will love this pod.
A Good Day to Die Hard is not good.
As always we answer random listener questions and ponder if mad scientists can also be mad engineers. I also busted out my Matthew McConaughey impersonation and momentarily convinced the Johns that McC might actually be on the podcast. If you a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the pod!
You can download the pod on Itunes or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
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Free Fire: Guns, Guns and More Guns
Free Fire is a blast of old school mayhem that features lot of gore, death and profanity. Director Ben Wheatley (Sightseers, Kill List, A Field in England, High-Rise) is one of my favorite directors and I love how all of his films have been insanely different. The guy keeps expanding his filmography and you never know where his films will go. The dude has guts and has proven he can balance cults, violent travelers, tall mayhem and people yelling at each other in fields. If you are into genre film making that doesn’t pull punches you should check out Wheatley’s films.
Free Fire revolves around two crews of insane people shooting at each other. On one side you have two IRA members Chris (Cillian Murphy) and Frank (Michael Smiley) and their idiot sidekicks. On the other side there is South African gangster Vernon (Sharlto Copley), his associate Martin (Babou Ceesay) and their idiot sidekicks. Joining the fray are Justine (Brie Larson) and the broker Ord (Armie Hammer) who flip-flop allegiances throughout.
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What I love most about Free Fire is how you never know where it is going. Like most Ben Wheatley films there are twists, turns and people being shot while turning. There are no heroes and the people you originally dislike become kinda likable. Each and every person has a unique personality and you hate as they get filled with bullet holes. My favorite part of the film involves the clash between dirtbag Stevo (Sam Riley) and fellow dirtbag Harry (Jack Reynor). Their feud from the prior night is what makes the night go bad and I love how the two of them just really want to kill each other. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a feud end so terribly and you will cringe as the gore is turned to 11.
Some of these people die in terrible ways…..
Free Fire is bound for cult classic status and I can’t wait to watch it again. It is grimy, nasty and would make for a perfect doubleheader with the grimy/nasty War on Everyone. I understand why mainstream audiences have shied away, but I hope fellow cinephiles help spread the word and get more people to watch this violent little thing.
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Guarding the Galaxy: The 10 Best World Savers of Cinema
With the Guardians of the Galaxy ready to save the galaxy again I wanted to praise movie characters who helped save planets. These great heroes saved billions of lives, sacrificed themselves and even deployed some sweet dance moves to save the day.
Enjoy! Comment below and let me know who your favorites are!
10. Joshua Keyes and Rebecca Childs – ‘The Core’
Imagine if you were tasked to drill to the center of the earth and ignite some nuclear bombs to save the world. I’d humbly turn the job down and hope whoever decided to go on such a bonkers mission succeeded. The Core is not a good movie, but I love the idea of the mission. The cast is amazing and Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank do their best to make the stupidity palatable.
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9. Lone Star – ‘Spaceballs’
When a giant Meter Maid starts sucking all the air out of planet Druidia a miracle needed to happen. It’s a good thing Lone Star was there to use the Schwartz and switch the giant machine from “suck to blow.” I love that the bad guys plan was to suck the air out of a planet so they didn’t have to rely on canned air. Spaceballs is the best.
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8. Korben Dallas and Leeloo Dallas – ‘The Fifth Element’
Love will save the day! The Fifth Element is a bonkers masterpiece and it features some beautiful world saving. When all seems lost and no missiles, guns or spin kicks will save the day, it comes down to Bruce Willis simply saying “I love you” to Milla Jovovich. Not a bad deal!
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7. James Bond – ‘Moonraker’
James Bond has been saving the cinematic world for well over 50 years. However, Moonraker features him saving the planet from space. Watch the clip below and you will hear one of the most insane innuendos ever featured in cinema.
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6. Steven Hiller and David Levinson – ‘Independence Day’
What I love the most about Independence Day is the chemistry between Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. I want a movie that features them sitting in a spaceship talking about life. They are polar opposites but I love how their characters flew into space, snuck into a giant enemy spaceship, blew it up and then walked like absolute bosses.
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5. Robert Capa and Cassie – ‘Sunshine’
Sunshine is my favorite science fiction film and the ending is pure insanity. If you are into trippy rides that go to crazy land you will love how Sunshine ends. Cillian Murphy and Rose Byrne are the best and if you are a fan of Chris Evans films you will dig his performance that got him the Captain America role.
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4. Luke Skywalker – ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope’
Luke nailed an impossible shot (Thank you Ersos) that for almost 40 years confused everyone. I love how he stayed calm, trusted the force and somehow shot two laser blasts into one convenient hole. With one shot he saved the rebels and blew up the most dangerous weapon ever created.
3. Harry S. Stamper – ‘Armageddon’
Harry S. Stamper is the bravest man to ever live and he earned the number three spot on this list. The dude flew into space, drilled a hole into an asteroid and sacrificed his life to save the world. This list needed a blue-collar dude and Harry is that man.
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2. Rita Vrataski and Cage – ‘Edge of Tomorrow’
I love everything about Edge of Tomorrow. Emily Blunt, Tom Cruise and Bill Paxton are perfection and the action is amazing. Emily Blunt’s character Rita Vrataski is my favorite action character of this decade and I love how she was able to be tough without acting tough (know what I mean?) The ending is pure action awesomeness and I actually want to watch it again right now!
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1. Peter Quill – ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’
Dance off bro!
Peter Quill saved a planet via dancing. Anytime someone can save a planet with some dance moves it goes straight to #1. I love Guardians of the Galaxy.
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The Void: Squishy, Scary, Creative and Very Fun
The Void is a horror film that does a lot with little and will become a bonafide cult classic. What I love is how the budget was stretched incredibly thin but still looks and feels like something that didn’t need crowdfunding. The film first hit my radar when Mr. John Leavengood of John’s Horror Corner wrote in support of the film’s funding. Two years later we are blessed with a film that is totally confusing but nice to look at. If you are a fan of gore, practical effects and head-scratching you will love The Void.
I am going to be 100% honest (not just 93% or 72%) when I say that I don’t care what The Void is all about. I was able to follow the plot but in the end, I was more pleased with the trip than the destination. After reading through Wikipedia, Reddit and message boards I’ve come to the conclusion that I love what directors Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie were able to achieve. The made a tiny budget look amazing and provided us with cool monsters, neat visuals, and nerdy triangle cultists.
The Void focuses on a ragtag group of randoms who are trapped inside a small town hospital by white-robed triangle cultists. Since it is a horror film they also have to deal with squishy/gooey creatures inside of the hospital. Also, the people inside are turning on each other and becoming squishy/gooey creatures. Thus, there is a whole lot of murder, mutilation and people being stabbed in their eyeballs. As more squishiness happens we are transported to an alternate dimension (I think) where people come back to life and look gross.
You may be thinking that I wasn’t paying attention to the plot of The Void. I’m pretty sure the directors didn’t even know what was going on. In an interview with Dread Central, the directors said there is a meaning to it but I still don’t buy it. Here is what Gillespie what to say:
There’s a definite meaning behind it all, but there’s also an element of dealing with the unknowable, so we made a conscious decision in the beginning that we wanted to be meticulous in how we presented it, putting the audience in the same position as the characters in the film. I’m personally a fan of art that gives you some latitude to fill things in yourself because that’s always more powerful than if it’s just explicitly told to you.
The Void is a really neat horror film that will appeal to horror lovers and fans of independent cinema. It hits above its weight and I loved every second of the insanity. If you like horror and ingenuinty I totally recommend The Void.
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MFF Special: John Travolta, Cigarettes and Box Office Data
Post-workout cigarettes are the best.
John Travolta had a beautiful run playing villainous men who maniacally smoked tobacco products. Beginning in 1994 with Pulp Fiction and going all the way to 2004’s The Punisher no man has smoked so villainously. What I love most about his smoking is how the various smoking styles differed.
Pulp Fiction – Stylish but not over the top
Broken Arrow – Full on addiction
Face/Off – Kinda cool
Swordfish – Looks like he is always about to facepalm himself
The Punisher – Dude smoked a pipe……
I wrote a post a couple years back about the smoking and now I’ve returned to breakdown the box office and critical data.
Sidenote: This data features zero correlation, causation or major calculations. It is dumb data intended to put a smile on your face.
1. The Average Rotten Tomatoes critic score is 59.2%
I love that Face/Off currently has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes because it is wildly insane. Travolta went full overacting villain and the result was glorious, strange and awesome. It is only two points below the much beloved Pulp Fiction which has a 94% rating. If it wasn’t for The Punisher 29% and Swordfish 26% Travolta would be the king of all smoking villains (I think).
I’m kinda bummed that the Thomas Jane Punisher movie didn’t do well. What I love is how Travolta was in the cigar land of Tampa and chose to smoke a damn pipe. Tampa finally gets put on the map and the dude doesn’t go with the obvious (maybe that is brilliant).
Excuse me while I prepare this pipe while you sit there…..
2. The Average IMDb score is 7.04
7.04 is a very good average for Travolta. Pulp Fiction has a crazy 8.9 score but the others carry their weight and prove that people love movies that feature Travolta chain smoking. Broken Arrow and Face/Off were legit events and they were carried in part by Travolta’s smoke inhalation. My theory is that he looked awesome in Pulp Fiction so he just kept doing it until he didn’t (Punisher).
3. The Average inflated domestic box office is $120,357,903
$120 million is nothing to blow smoke at. During his smoking run Travolta put people in the seats and undoubtedly taught people how to smoke cigarettes incorrectly. I remember being 100% stoked to watch Face/Off, Broken Arrow and Swordfish. Travolta was a cool villain who wasn’t afraid to rock funky haircuts and do weird face waterfalls all over people’s faces and that made $$$$.
Nowadays R-rated action fests have a tough time breaking the $100 million mark. John Wick 2 is unbelievably awesome and it only made $91 million (which is really good). Both Face/Off and Broken Arrow made over $100 million domestically and Swordfish came close with $96 million. That doesn’t really happen anymore when it comes to original R-rated properties.
Travolta loves showing off his cigarettes.
Conclusion: Travolta should’ve smoked cigarettes in Battlefield Earth
Battlefield Earth is pure unbridled garbage. However, if Travolta would’ve been smoking cigarettes his character would’ve looked cooler (I have no proof of this). Also, the smoking might’ve helped him in The Taking of Pelham 123, Mad City and The Killing Season. My theory is that without the prop he couldn’t channel a properly evil character and he floundered in massive prosthetics and overly-manicured facial hair.
Make sure to check out the following posts and podcasts!
- Jet Ski Action Scenes Are the Worst
- A Closer Look at Movies That Feature the Words Great, Good, Best, Perfect and Fantastic
- An In-Depth Look At Movies That Feature Pencils Used as Weapons
- Cinematic Foghat Data
- Explosions and Movie Posters
- The Fast & Furious & Corona
- Nicolas Sparks Movie Posters Are Weird
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MY CALL: This was excellent! EXCELLENT! Isolated, cautionary, atmospheric excellence. MORE INDIE REVIEWS (solicited reviews): Here at MFF we occasionally do horror short film and pre-release indie film reviews on request. Among recent solicited promotions are Order of the Ram (2013; short film), Love in the Time of Monsters (2014; feature length), Interior (2014; feature length), Smothered (2014; feature length), In the Dark (2015; feature length), Trailer Talk: The Void, The Void (2016; feature length), TRAILER TALK: Blood Money, Short Film Buzz: Burn (2016; press release), Brother (2016; short film), the indie techno-horror Other Halves (2016; feature length), Short Film Buzz: Kickstarter Campaign for Scythe (2016; press release), Scythe (2016; short film), and Shallow Waters (2017; short film).
Disclaimer: This review was solicited by the filmmakers and/or producers who provided privileged access to the film. However, my opinion remains unbiased as I was neither hired nor paid to produce this critical review, nor do I have an investment stake in the film.
Not gonna’ lie—I really like the movie poster and tagline. Posters and taglines are meant to hook us and can misrepresent the film’s actual content. But I’m intrigued nonetheless…and, it turns out, this film delivers all you could have wanted.
IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6636968/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
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Twitter: @4leaguesmedia & @greendragondan
At but a brief 12 minutes, I was captivated in minute one! [I wrote 400 words of this review after only seeing the first minute]. Some excellent shots, even if not necessarily of “innovative” style. But that’s not always the point, nor would flare be in this film’s style. Consistently thoughtful, well-practiced and technically sound shots leave us at the mercy of the film’s atmosphere. The camera lingers on a boy’s weathered face…we are taken aback by the circumstances of his existence as his mother’s harrowing voice plays on a cassette-tape recording narrating the “rules” by which the abandoned blind boy lives, tethered to a weary wooden shelter surrounded by bells and animal traps.
The acting and camerawork were exemplary; the editing…perfect, abrupt, uneasing. The film opened powerful intrigue overlaying melancholy, with the rigid remoteness and fable-like rules beckoning memories of the finer qualities of The Village (2004), the tip-toeing isolation in The Witch (2016) or the opening shots in The Hallow (2015). The finer moments of the sound editing/mixing (e.g., the rabbit scene) really dropped me deep down the abyssal mystique of this dark woodland fantasy that all viewers, by now, fear will be a cautionary tale of dire consequence.
After you watch the entire film, rewind to this part. 0:44-0:58 (i.e., “the 1st rule”) were 14 of the best seconds of editing I’ve seen this year. It reminded me of the pub/pint pouring excellence (the brief, quick-cut montage) of Shaun of the Dead, only harrowing!
Complete newcomers to film, the actors playing the boy (Jared Cook) and voicing the mother’s recording (Grace Mumm; whom we never see) were both outstanding. Jared carries no lines of dialogue (well, one word, off-screen), so part of me might question his ability to carry lines. But his taciturn intensity radiates merit. Lines or not, he acted the shit outta’ this role and Grace Munn, as his mother’s voice…again, perfect. These two were perfect and they roped me along into their dark journey.
But what lies beyond the rope’s length?
A man appreciative of nuance, director Daniel Robinette (Samca, Drawn to Fear, The Time Will Come) breeds mood and mystery into this fantastic film—especially in those first two minutes. He’s generated all I need to support whatever he next pursues. Solomon’s desperation is as tattered as his clothing, and his soul-broken longing noted each time he pushes “rewind” on his mother’s departing message.
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The Fate of the Furious (2017), the most action-heavy action movie I’ve seen since Mad Mad: Fury Road!
MY CALL: If Michael Bay and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) had a baby and then exposed it to Godzilla-levels of Marvel’s Gamma radiation, you’d get this action movie. I want to label this the most action-heavy action movie I’ve seen in years—it makes The Expendables movies feel slow and plotty. I had so much fun yelling and laughing at the screen! MORE MOVIES LIKE The Fate of the Furious: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)—the only other recent film of remotely comparable levels of grand-scale action. Of course, there are also a lot of other Fast and Furious films. Personally, after the original (for the sake of historical franchise significance), I most strongly recommend Fast Five (2011; best story and best brawl), Fast and Furious 6 (2015; best technical fight scenes), and Furious 7 (2015; most action galore). For yet more Fast and Furious opinions be sure to check out our Podcast on Corona, Belgian Beer, BBQ and the Fast and Furious films, A Closer Look at the Corona Drinking in The Fast and The Furious Franchise, Ranking Fast and Furious 1-6 and Paul Walker’s 7 Best Fast and Furious Moments.
This franchise has taken us across the globe. From Mexico (Fast and Furious), Tokyo (Tokyo Drift), Brazil (Fast Five), all over Europe (Fast and Furious 6), and even to the Middle East (Furious 7). Every film faces Dom’s crew against bigger villains with larger-scale plans speckling massive explosions and property damage across the globe. So, then, what can the franchise give us that we haven’t seen before, and that Dom’s crew hasn’t faced before? The answer is Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel; The Last Witch Hunter, Guardians of the Galaxy, Riddick) himself!
After being double-crossed by Dom, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson; Pain and Gain, Ballers, G I Joe: Retaliation) is imprisoned in an “ultra-maximum security” for crimes he didn’t commit and his only salvation is to take down Dom and his new cyber-terrorist extraordinaire boss, Cipher (Charlize Theron; Prometheus, Mad Max: Fury Road, Snow White and the Huntsman). To do this, Hobbs is reluctantly forced to team up with fellow inmate and Furious 7’s villain Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham; The Expendables 1-3, Mechanic: Resurrection).
The Rock is a physically tremendous person with a larger-than-life personality. Yet Statham’s Shaw is so cheeky and menacing, we aren’t entirely convinced Hobbs would “beat him like a Cherokee drum” as he had threatened. With the unreasonably insane resources of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell; The Hateful Eight, Bone Tomahawk, Furious 7) and Dom’s crew, they get to work.
As usual, the crew brings back all of our favorite characters: Roman (Tyrese Gibson; Legion, Transformers 1-3, 2 Fast 2 Furious), Tej (Chris Ludacris Bridges; Gamer, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and rap performing artist), Elsa (Elsa Pataky; Snakes on a Plane, Fast Five), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez; Resident Evil, Machete Kills, Avatar), and hacker Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel; Game of Thrones, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Fast and Furious 6). We also find cameos by Leo and Santos, Shaw’s brother (Luke Evans; Fast and Furious 6’s villain), and even Helen Mirren (Trumbo, RED 2)!
Director F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta’ Compton, Law-Abiding Citizen) has taken a different approach than his predecessors. Among franchise parts 5-8, The Fate of the Furious has by far the most plot holes, unexplained developments, and completely unrealistic character appearances. We also don’t enjoy the fun aspect of seeing the crew plan their heists, rescue missions and escapes. Instead of each of these things (which I do miss), we basically get more, more and even yet MORE action scenes than any Fast and Furious film has ever contained stitched together by vague explanations and hand-waiving as Mr. Nobody says “watch this…” and “here you go [pointing to 89 500hp cars in a warehouse or the most powerful surveillance device in the world].” I’m not complaining, the action was earth-rattlingly awesome.
So much flavor breathes insane hilarious exhilarating life into this movie. Shaw and Hobbs’ “I’m tougher than you” banter, the crazy combat prison break scene (packing some utterly brutal action for The Rock and Statham), Cuban street racing in reverse while on fire, the spectacular arctic ice-marauding submarine “chase” scene, a public service announcement regarding the dangers of self-driving cars, “Uncle” Shaw’s laughably awesome plane rescue-escape sequence, The Rock throwing a torpedo, perhaps more car crashes than I’ve ever seen in a single action movie, and so much more (truly there were so many action scenes) that I can’t even remember what else.
My one complaint about the action was that the technical combat choreography clearly received less attention and the action camerawork was overly choppy (often too close-up and way too many cuts to see what’s going on). However, despite my whining, I still LOVED the fight scenes (e.g., the prison break, submarine chase and the plane escape scenes). As for the vehicular action scenes, WOW! If you thought the action was turned up to an “11” in parts 5-7, then now I guess we’re at a “12.” Sure, the plot was lacking and the storytelling was weak (much like comparing The Mechanic to Mechanic: Resurrection or The Transporter to its sequels), but the action scenes here were longer and more frequent than in parts 5-7 while being every bit as grand-scale and elaborate.
These scenes could have been half as numerous and half as long and STILL this would have been a great action movie—but now it’s yet greater! We’re talking Michael Bay levels of destruction and explosions. It may have fallen well into the deep end of physics-defiant absurdity (even compared to this already absurd franchise populated by cars with Wolverine’s Adamantium shocks and struts)… but I somehow just don’t care. I loved it. I can’t wait to see this again.
Beyond the fact that IMDB (Vin Diesel’s page) and movie media announcements confirm Fast and Furious films through a 9th and 10th installment (in 2019 and 2021; when Vin Diesel will be 54 years old), we end part 8 with the storyline wide open for a sequel for reasons that I obviously won’t spoil.
Movies, Films & Flix 
