Fast & Furious - It’s more than just about being FAST – It’s about FAMILY

Anyone that knows me knows of my fascination with Vin Diesel and cars.  This makes the Fast & Furious franchise a winning combination for me.  I’ve been hooked since seeing the first installment in 2001.  Ron and I enjoyed it so much we saw the first one twice in theaters the same weekend!  And we’ve made it a point to see each installment on opening weekend – seeing many of them on the first showing at our local theaters.  Yes, this means that we’ve even been to a midnight showing.  Lucky for us the theaters are now showing the early screenings a little bit earlier. And I can't even count the number of times I've watched the films at home.  One of my favorite rituals is to re-watch all of the previous films immediately before the new release.  I never get tired of watching them. 

On opening night Ron and I (with several friends) saw Furious 7 in IMAX at Pier Park Grand on Panama City Beach.  It was a great night spent with some great friends watching an awesome movie.  While we see a lot of movies (typically one every weekend) we don’t usually go with other people.  This outing was special though.  We were with friends that we’ve made through the car scene.  Like-minded people!  We don't typically see films in IMAX either...the few we have haven't really lived up to being worthy of the extra bucks you have to pay.  This one is an exception though.  It was fantastic in IMAX!!

I know there are a few people that haven't seen the films (but for the life of me I don't know why not...LOL).  For those few people (and anyone that just wants a refresher), here’s a short recap of the previous movies (courtesy of their IMDB descriptions).... (you can skip down past this section if you are already as familiar with them as I am).

***Spoilers Ahead...Only on previous films / NO spoilers about Furious 7***

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Rated PG-13 / Worldwide Box Office: $207.3 million

Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster........

Directed by Rob Cohen

This was the first installment of the franchise and was inspired by an article entitled Racer X written by Kenneth Li in May 1998. Read it here: Racer X

Los Angeles police officer Brian O'Connor must decide where his loyalties really lie when he becomes enamored with the street racing world he has been sent undercover to destroy.

IMDB page: IMDB - The Fast and the Furious

Trailer: Official Trailer

There is also a 1955 film by the same name but there is no connection between the two.  You can watch the 1955 film here: The Fast and the Furious 1955 film

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Rated PG-13 / Worldwide Box Office: $236.4 million

Stars: Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Cole Hauser...

Directed by John Singleton

Brian O'Conner and childhood friend Roman Pearce are re-united by the FBI to bring down a Miami drug exporter in exchange for clear records.

IMDB page: IMDB - 2 Fast 2 Furious

Trailer: Official Trailer

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

Rated PG-13 / Worldwide Box Office: $158.5 million

Stars: Lucas Black, Zachery Ty Bryan, Shad Moss...

Directed by Justin Lin

A teenager becomes a major competitor in the world of drift racing after moving in with his father in Tokyo to avoid a jail sentence in America.

IMDB page: IMDB - Tokyo Drift

Trailer: Official Trailer

This film was the third film released but had little to do with the first two.  When the franchise picked up speed again it became obvious that they would get back to this storyline...which they did in Furious 7.  This is why I suggest watching it after Fast & Furious 6.

Fast & Furious (2009)

Rated PG-13 / Worldwide Box Office: $363.2 million

Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster...

Directed by Justin Lin

Brian O'Conner, now working for the FBI in LA, teams up with Dominic Toretto to bring down a heroin importer by infiltrating his operation.

IMDB page: IMDB - Fast & Furious

Trailer: Official Trailer

Vin diesel and Paul Walker together again - enough said.

Fast Five ( 2011)

Rated PG-13 / Worldwide Box Office: $626.1 million

Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson...

Directed by Justin Lin

Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers plan a massive heist to buy their freedom while in the sights of a powerful Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal agent.

IMDB page: IMDB - Fast Five

Trailer: Official Trailer

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

Rated PG-13 / Worldwide Box Office: $788.7 million

Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson...

Directed by Justin Lin

Hobbs has Dominic and Brian reassemble their crew to take down a team of mercenaries: Dominic unexpectedly gets convoluted also facing his presumed deceased girlfriend, Letty.

IMDB page: IMDB - Fast & Furious 6

Trailer: Official Trailer

**********Total Worldwide Box Office so far: $2,380.1 billion!!!!**********

Which brings us to the current film:

Furious 7 (2015)

Rated PG-13 / Worldwide Box Office - TBD (but massive I'm sure)

Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson
IMDB page: IMDB - Furious 7
Trailer: Official Trailer

If you're like me you can't get enough of the scenes from these movies or the extras.  You can find MANY videos from the entire franchise on their YouTube page here: Fast & Furious YouTube Channel.  And if you want even more information check out this page: Fast and Furious wikia

In my opinion this just might be the best action film franchise ever. Why, you ask?  Well, let me tell you.  The films appeal to a global audience with their racially diverse cast. The storytelling is complex and thought provoking while at the same time offering up soap opera worthy twists.  There are elaborate stunts, car chases, car racing, and action packed fight sequences.  When watching the films you will experience humor and joy and escapism.  Don't get me wrong....there are definitely things in these films that are unrealistic...but isn't that one of the reasons that we go to the movies?

These films show the value of friendship.  The friendship with the entire group is awesome...but the friendship between Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) is spectacular.  It's even obvious in 2 Fast 2 Furious and Vin isn't even in that one.

The films have romance...and does it right.  The films are action films and if the romance was done wrong it would come off as campy. But these films have all shown just the right amount of romance to keep you rooting for the characters' love story.  I would venture to say that romance is exactly why Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) returned to the series after being killed off.  Dom and Letty are the perfect couple because they aren't perfect.

I do love Vin and have seen almost everything he has been in.  I haven't seen The Iron Giant (which he voiced) but I have seen everything else.  I'm pretty sure I've seen almost everything Paul Walker has been in also.  And I do love cars!  There is certainly not a shortage of awesome cars to gawk at in these films (and cry over when they are wrecked).   I should note that while I love the racing in these films I do not support street racing.  I can only hope that the people that see these films keep in mind that the stuff you see on screen is choreographed.  Please do not try this stuff!!!  And obviously I don't support all the criminal acts committed in these films.  But anyone that thinks that's all these films are about should look a little harder for the real story.  The real story in all of these films is FAMILY, not just your family by blood, but your family by choice! This group has bonded together and are a family.  They are loyal to each other to a fault. They stand by each other and support each other.  They defend each other.  They love each other. The cast did a great interview on the Today show where they talk about that family dynamic - on screen and off..  Watch it here: Today Show Cast Interview

Furious 7, is an action packed thrill ride.  With an already great cast there are additional characters introduced, including Jason Statham as a villain no less!  Finally, the Tokyo Drift story line has been successfully woven into the franchise.  You get exactly what you expect in this film and so much more. I was so excited for the next installment, but at the same time extremely sad. With the loss of Paul Walker last year the franchise was on shaky ground.  A member of the family was now gone - and his death happened while the film was still in production.  While the circumstances had nothing to do with the film the fact that he was killed in a car crash really hit home.  It was unknown for a while if they would even finish the film....but thankfully they did.  My understanding is that about 85% of the movie had been shot when Paul died.  His brothers stepped in and finished for him (with the assistance of CGI magic).  I'm not going to put any spoilers here on how this situation is handled in the movie - you really need to see it for yourself.  But I will say that it is some of the best moments I have seen on film.  I don't know if there will be more installments in the franchise (but I think, and hope, there will be).  I don't know how they will move forward without Paul (but I think they can).  But I do know one thing for sure....this film was finished for him.

I'm sure I will watch all of the films many more times and will continue to love them.  I'm also sure that I will forever see them a little differently....

Remember the buster...

For Paul....

Insurgent – Faction or Factionless?

Insurgent

Rated PG-13 / Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Release date: March 20, 2015

Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James, Jai Courtney, Mekhi Phifer, Miles Teller…

**Some spoilers ahead**

Insurgent, the second movie installment of the Divergent trilogy has now been released in theaters.  Ron and I went to see it this past weekend.  The movie was good – but I definitely could have done without all the side conversations going on.  It seemed like everyone wanted to jibber jabber through the whole movie.  I really don’t understand why people even bother buying a movie ticket if they can’t sit quietly and actually watch the movie! Ok, enough of my rant…now on with my review.

The first installment of this series, Divergent, was released in June 2014.  I watched Divergent prior to reading the books, and while I read A LOT, it was the first movie that really made me want to read the book AFTER seeing the movie. After watching Divergent I HAD to see how this book was written. As an aspiring writer I was extremely curious on how what I had just seen was translated from page to screen.  I needed to see how the author played this story out on page.  I’m happy to say I was pleased with both versions.  I blogged about this last year as well – you can read that entry here:

Divergent Book-vs-Movie.

For those not familiar with the Divergent series here’s a short summary.  The series is a trilogy written by Veronica Roth and includes Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant.  There are also a few short stories you can read in addition.  The series follows Beatrice “Tris” Prior (played by Shailene Woodley in the movies) who lives in a dystopian Chicago.  Everyone is divided into factions based on particular virtues: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent).  Individuals must decide which faction they will devote their life to at the Choosing Ceremony on their 16^th birthday, after which they are put through a highly competitive initiation process in order to remain in their chosen faction.  Those that don’t pass their initiation into their chosen factions become Factionless and live their life in poverty and violence.   

In Divergent Tris surprises everyone when she chooses Dauntless (she grew up in Abnegation).  The story continues to explore Tris’ transformation into the Dauntless world as she undergoes rigorous physical and psychological tests…not to mention an attachment to her Dauntless leader, Four (played by Theo James).  While going through this battery of tests Tris finds out that she is “divergent”, someone who has elements of all the factions and is considered dangerous, so she must keep this information secret. 

Insurgent continues the story with conflict between the factions.  Tris and Four, along with a group of their friends and associates, are on the run from the Erudite ruler (played brilliantly by Kate Winslet) who wants to kill all of the divergents.

The movie is different than the book – but of course I knew it would be.  Hollywood has a habit of changing things when making the transition from page to screen.  I’m not going to go into any detail on the differences between the book and movie here.  If you’re really interested all you need to do is Google it.  Trust me there are many blogs and articles on this subject.  I know because I Googled it.  Instead I want to discuss what really interests me about this series.

While watching these movies and reading the books I couldn’t help but to wonder which of the factions I would fit into…or which one I should fit into.  Is it logical to think that society would function better divided into self-contained factions, or would conflict still arise amongst them?  I think it would be an issue.  Just because people seem like minded doesn’t mean that they will actually get along.  In fact, many like-minded people actually do not get along with each other at all.  And I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “opposites attract”.  If we spent our time surrounded only by people who were like us how fulfilling would our lives really be?

Segregation has been done over and over and has really never been successful…no matter the reason behind the segregating.  In this series the groups were put together based on their virtues.  The assumption is that you should be in the group that best suits your skills.  But can you really pick just one of these groups?  I’ve listed a description of them again below and have included each factions manifesto as noted from http://www.divergentfans.com/page/faction-manifestos. I know it’s a little lengthy…but I think this will give you a better picture of what each faction is like. 

Abnegation (The Selfless) – This faction values the needs of other above the needs of oneself. 

I will be my undoing If I become my obsession.

I will forget the ones I love If I do not serve them.

I will war with others If I refuse to see them.

Therefore I choose to turn away From my reflection, To rely not on myself But on my brothers and sisters, To project always outward Until I disappear.*

(*Some members add a final line: “And only God remains.” That is at the discretion of each member, and is not compulsory.) 

Erudite (The Intelligent) – This faction values knowledge.

We submit the following statements as truth:

“Ignorance” is defined not as stupidity but as lack of knowledge. Lack of knowledge inevitable leads to disconnect among people with differences. Lack of understanding leads to a disconnect among people with differences. Disconnection among people with differences leads to conflict. Knowledge is the only logical solution to the problem of conflict. Therefore, we propose that in order to eliminate conflict, we must eliminate the disconnect among those with differences by correcting the lack of understanding that arises from ignorance with knowledge. The areas in which people must be educated are:

1. Sociology

So that the individual understands how society at large functions.

2. Psychology

So that the individual understands how a person functions within the society.

3. Mathematics

So that the individual is prepared for further study in science, engineering, medicine, and technology.

4. Science

So that the individual better understands how the world operates. So that the individual’s study in other areas is supplemented. So that as many individuals as possible area prepared to enter the fields devoted to innovation and progress

5. Communication

So that the individual knows how to speak and write clearly and effectively.

6. History

So that the individual understands the mistakes and successes that have led us to this point. So that the individual learns to emulate those successes and avoid those mistakes. Leaders must not be chosen base on charisma, popularity, or ease of communication, all of which are misleading and have little to do with the efficiency of a political leader. An objective standard must be used in order to determine who is best fit to lead. That standard will be an intelligence test, administered to all adults when the present leader reaches fifty-five or begins to decline is function in a demonstrable way. Those who, after rigorous studying, do not meet a minimum intelligence requirement will be exiled from the faction so they can be made useful. This is not an act of elitism but rather one of practicality: Those who are not intelligent enough to engage in the roles assigned to us— roles that require a considerable mental capacity—are better suited to menial work than to faction work. Menial work is required for the survival of society, and is therefore just as important as faction work. Information must always be made available to all faction members at all times. The withholding of information is punishable by reprimand, imprisonment, and, eventually, exile. Every question that can be answered must be answered or at least engaged. Illogical thought processes must be challenged when they arise. Wrong answers must be corrected. Correct answers must be affirmed. If an answer to a question is unclear, it must be put to debate. All debates require evidence. Any controversial thought or idea must be supplemented by evidence in order to reduce the potential for conflict. Intelligence must be used for the benefit, and not to the detriment, of society. Those who use intelligence for their own personal gain or to the detriment of others have not properly borne the responsibility of their gift, and are not welcome in our faction. It bears repeating: Intelligence is a gift, not a right. It must not be wielded not as a weapon but as a tool for the betterment of others.

Dauntless (The Brave) – This faction is made up of brave, fearless individuals.

We believe that cowardice is to blame for the world’s injustices.

We believe that peace is hard-won, that sometimes it is necessary to fight for peace. But more than that: We believe that justice is more important than peace.

We believe in freedom from fear, in denying fear the power to influence our decisions. We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.

We believe in acknowledging fear and the extent to which it rules us. We believe in facing that fear no matter what the cost to our comfort, our happiness, or even our sanity.

We believe in shouting for those who can only whisper, in defending those who cannot defend themselves.

We believe, not just in bold words but in bold deeds to match them. We believe that pain and death are better than cowardice and inaction because we believe in action.

We do not believe in living comfortable lives. We do not believe that silence is useful.

We do not believe in good manners.

We do not believe in empty heads, empty mouths, or empty hands.

We do not believe that learning to master violence encourages unnecessary violence.

We do not believe that we should be allowed to stand idly by. We do not believe that any other virtue is more important than bravery.

Amity (The Peaceful) – This faction values peace and harmony above all else.

Conversations of Peace

Trust

A son says to his mother: “Mother, today I fought with my friend.”

His Mother says: “Why did you fight with your friend?”

“Because he demanded something of me, and I would not give it to him.”

“Why did you not give it to him?”

“Because it was mine.”

“My son, you now have your possessions, but you do not have your friend. Which would you rather have?”

“My friend.”

“Then give freely, trusting that you will also be given what you need.”

Self-Sufficiency

Daughter says to her Father: “Father, today I fought with my friend.”

Her Father says: “Why did you fight with your friend?”

“Because she insulted me, and I was angry.”

“Why were you angry?”

“Because she lied about me” (In some versions: “Because I was hurt by her words.”)

“My daughter, did your friend’s words change who you are?”

“No.”

“Then do not be angry. The opinions of others cannot damage you.”

Forgiveness

A husband says to his wife: “Wife, today I fought with my enemy.”

“His Wife says: “Why did you fight with your enemy?”

“Because I hate him.”

“My husband, why do you hate him?”

“Because he wronged me.”

“The wrong is past. You must let it rest where it lies.”

Kindness

A Wife says to her Husband: “Husband, today I fought with my enemy.”

Her Husband says: “Why did you fight with your enemy?”

“Because I spoke cruel words to her.”

“My wife, why did you speak cruel words to her?”

“Because I believed them to be true.”

“Then you must no longer think cruel thoughts. Cruel thoughts lead to cruel words, and hurt you as much as they hurt your target.”

(The following section was part of the original manifesto, but was later removed.)

Involvement

One friend says to Another: “Friend, today I fought with my enemy.”

The Other Friend says: “Why did you fight with your enemy?”

“Because they were about to hurt you.”

“Friend, why did you defend me?”

“Because I love you.”

“Then I am grateful.”

Candor (The Honest) – This faction values honesty above all else.

Dishonesty Is Rampant.

Dishonesty Is Temporary.

Dishonesty Makes Evil Possible.

As it stands now, lies pervade society, families, and even the internal life of the individual. One group lies to another group, parents lie to children, children lie to parents, individuals lie to themselves. Dishonesty has become so integral to the way we relate to one another that we rarely find ourselves in authentic relationships with others. Our dark secrets remain our own. Yet it is our secrets that cause conflict. When we are dishonest with the people around us, we begin to hate ourselves for lying; when we are dishonest with ourselves, we can never attempt to correct the flaws we find within us, the flaws we are so desperate to hide from our loved ones, the flaws that make us lie. What has become clear is that lies are just a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Lying to spare a person’s feelings, even when the truth would help them to improve, damages them in the long run. Lying to protect yourself lasts for so long before the truth emerges. Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged. These are examples we clearly see in our own lives, yet we fail to understand that they do not just apply to the dynamic between ourselves and our neighbors, or ourselves and our friends. What is society but a web of individual-to-individual relationships? And what is conflict except one person’s dark secret crashing into another person’s dark secret? Dishonesty is a veil that shields one person from another. Dishonesty allows evil to persist, hidden from eyes of those who would fight it. Dishonesty Leads to Suspicion. Suspicion Leads to Conflict. Honesty Leads to Peace. We have a vision of an honest world. In this world, parents do not lie to their children, and children do not lie to their parents do not lie to their parents; friends do not lie to one another; spouses do not lie to each other. When we are asked our opinions we are free to give them without having to consider any other responses. When we engage in conversation with others, we do not have to evaluate their intentions, because they are transparent. We have no suspicion, and no one suspects us. And most of all - yes, above all else - we are free to expose our dark secrets because we know the dark secrets of our neighbors, our friends, our spouses, our children, our parents, and our enemies. We know that while we are flawed in a unique way, we are not unique because we are flawed. Therefor we can be authentic. We have no suspicions. And we are at peace with those around us. Truth ‘Makes ‘Us ‘Transparent. ‘Truth Makes Us Strong. Truth Makes Us Inextricable We will raise our children to tell the truth. We will do this by encouraging them to speak their minds at every moment. For the child, withholding words is the same as lying. We will be honest with our children even at the expense of their feelings. The only reason people cannot bear honesty now is because they were not raised hearing the truth about themselves, and they can’t stand to. If children are raised to hear both honest praise and honest criticism, they will not be so fragile as to crumble beneath the scrutiny of their peers. A life of truth makes us strong. Adulthood will be defined as a time at which each member of society is capable of bearing every other member’s dark secrets, just as every other member will be subjected to The Full Unveiling in which every hidden part of their life is laid bare before their fellow members. They, too, will see the hidden parts of their fellow members’ lives. In this way we bear one another’s secrets. In this way we become inextricable. Truth Makes Us Inextricable.

And then there are the Factionless – This group is made up of those that do not fit in any of the social classes listed above. In this series it is described as being homeless and most that are factionless suffer in many ways because they do not have the same resources as the other factions.

If you were in Veronica Roth’s Divergent world where do you think you would best fit in?  Would you fit in just one of these factions, or do you have traits of more than one, or all?

If you want to dive in further to this world here are just a few links to get you started on your journey.  I find it fascinating.  The books, and the movies so far, have been very entertaining, and have lots of ideals that run parallel to the real world.

IMDB link: Insurgent IMDB link

Official Site: http://www.thedivergentseries.com/

Divergent Wiki: http://divergent.wikia.com/wiki/Divergent_Wiki

Goodreads link: Insurgent book

Amazon link: Insurgent on Amazon

The Gunman - A Sure Shot For Me

The Gunman 

Rated R / Action, Crime, Drama

Stars: Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Jasmine Trinca, Javier Bardem, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance…

**spoilers ahead**

With two new movies out this weekend Ron and I decided to start early and take in one of them on Thursday night.  Last night we went to see the new Sean Penn flick The Gunman.  The movie is based on the 2002 novel The Prone Gunman written by Jean-Patrick Manchette. 

The Gunman is an action movie and in many ways is presented like every other action movie I’ve seen – which is not a negative thing in my opinion.  Sean Penn, who is now 54 years old, looks great physically!  He has obviously been spending lots of time in the gym as evidenced by his buff and toned body (you can get a good look at it during a surfing scene later in the movie – yes, I said a surfing scene).  My only complaint about him in the entire movie is his continual need to smoke a cigarette!

Sean Penn plays Jim Terrier.  Jim is a private security contractor who also happens to be a sniper on a mercenary assassination team in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The movie starts in 2006 with images that I would definitely have rather not seen…but were important for the theme of the movie.  Thankfully the images of starving babies, war, and other atrocities were brief as they were extremely hard to look at.  While showing these images there were also clips from news programs as well as voice over discussing things like the private security contractors, world’s deadliest conflict, rape, vast mineral wealth, and meeting the demands of the Western world.  From this you know right up front that there will be lots of political overtones throughout the movie.

Jim’s girlfriend Annie is played by Jasmine Trinca, and exotic and beautiful woman.  Annie is an aid worker at a local clinic – where she gets to see firsthand the results of all of the atrocities in the Congo.  From the way they look at each other it’s obvious that Jim and Annie are deeply in love…something that seems to be a problem for Jim’s colleague, Felix (played by Javier Bardem).

During an operation, which I’m sure was supposed to be one of those “good for the country” operations but seems more like a “good for greed” operation, Jim kills the minister of mines of the Congo on the orders of an unknown client, unknown to everyone but Felix anyway.  As a condition of the successful operation Jim must immediately leave the Congo and his girlfriend Annie behind.  But don’t worry about Annie…Jim asked Felix to look after her so she’s bound to be in good hands…right?

Eight years later Jim returns to the Congo, but this time is not there as a private security contractor; instead he works for an aid group providing safe drinking water.  See, Jim is a good guy after all.  Jim is still having flashbacks from the minister’s assassination in which he pulled the trigger.  The flashbacks are accompanied by horrible headaches (as they should) which we later find out is because he has “post-concussion syndrome”.  While I don’t doubt that he would have these flashbacks, I do doubt that a person that can accomplish this kind of assassination would not have done MANY other things that would also be causing him duress, yet we never see flashbacks of those.

While working with the aid group the group is attacked by locals looking for “the white man”.  Jim manages to evade death (after killing most of the others in true action star style) and then commences his trek to find out who sent them.  He is certain it has something to do with the DRC assassination so he hunts down some of his old colleagues in London, Terry (played by Mark Rylance), who is now an executive at the security firm they both used to work for, and Stanly (played by Ray Winstone), who appears to be a beach bum.  You know that one of these is going to end up being a bad guy for sure.

Jim eventually ends up in Barcelona, where he finds that Felix and Annie are now married.  This seemed to surprise him but I doubt that anyone in the audience was surprised by this. After some “as expected” confrontations between the three of them, and some adultery between Jim and Annie (you knew that was going to happen right?), the action (and violence) in the movie really starts to heat up. 

It turns out that Jim has been keeping journals containing evidence of all the things the security company, including himself, did over the years.  Needless to say, the security company doesn’t want this information to come out….enter Interpol.   Of course Interpol is very interested in obtaining this information and they have the perfect agent for the job – Idris Elba.  Idris Elba really doesn’t do a lot in this movie…but he still looks good just standing there.

The remainder of the movie is full of action sequences, including a bull fight, leading up to the “happily ever after” ending.  Ok, so maybe I left out some significant scenes…I don’t need to tell you everything, do I?  You really need to watch this movie to truly appreciate the action scenes. 

I’ve seen some bad press about this movie criticizing everything from the Africans in the film not having any lines to speak to Sean Penn’s performance to the degrading of women to the predictable storyline.  But I enjoyed it.  I knew exactly what to expect when walking into the theater…an action film with political overtones.  I thought Sean Penn’s performance was great.  The movie actually kind of reminded me of the Bourne movies and the Taken movies….and I wouldn’t mind seeing other movies with the Jim Terrier character in them.  So even though some may not like it…it was a sure shot for me. 

You can find the movie info on IMDB here:

IMDB - The Gunman

And the official site here:

Official Site - The Gunman

And if you want to read the novel it was based on you can get that here:

Novel - The Prone Gunman 

  

Chappie Did Not Make Me Happy

This weekend my husband and I went to the movies and saw the new Sci-fi movie Chappie.  Being a Hugh Jackman fan, as well as a Sci-fi fan, I expected to enjoy this movie.  Boy was I wrong!  I was extremely disappointed in it on so many levels.

The description of the movie according to IMDB is:  In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. 

The link to the IMDB page is here:IMDB - Chappie 

The link to the official page is here: Chappie Official Page

The movie was written and directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9)…yet one more reason to expect it to be a good sci-fi flick.  

The idea of a robot learning to think and feel for himself is actually very intriguing to me.  With all the advances in technology recently this seems like something that could definitely be on the horizon….and could actually be a good thing on many levels.  Blomkamp really missed the mark on telling this story though. 

**Spoilers ahead**

The movie is set in Johannesburg, South Africa in the near future at a time when order is maintained largely by a robotic police force called Scouts of which Chappie is one of.  Chappie is injured early on and scheduled for destruction.  Deon Wilson, the developer of the Scouts (played by Dev Patel) wants to test a new program on Chappie (to see if robots can actually learn to think and feel on their own) but is denied by his company’s CEO (played by Sigourney Weaver).  So what does Wilson do?  He steals the robot out of the scrap pile to test on his own and as he is leaving with the robot he is carjacked by some street thugs (played by the rap group Die Antwoord).

This is where the movie went downhill to me.  The street thugs began teaching Chappie their way of life….the criminal way of life.  In the next segment of the film Chappie learns how to talk and walk like a gangster, how to use a gun, how to use a knife, how to harm humans (and repeadedtly does so), how to steal cars, etc…generally, he is taught how to be a thug.   And of course, there is the unnecessary dog fight scene.  They didn’t actually show the dog’s fighting but they implied it and they did show dogs dead.   

Hugh Jackman’s character, Vincent, has also developed a robot, The Moose, which is operated by a human wearing a helmet that links him to the robot.  The Moose is loaded with armaments and extremely lethal with Vincent at the helm.

The altercation with The Moose and Chappie, and all the humans in the crossfire, is over-the-top violent….to the point of one person literally being cut in half by The Moose.

Anyone that knows me knows that I’m not easily offended by violence in movies.  I prefer to watch crime movies, thrillers, action…you get the idea.  But I have a huge problem when the violence in the movie is done in such a manner that it actually teaches people, especially children, to be violent just for the sake of being violent. 

This movie was rated R – something definitely not made clear through the trailers. In fact the trailer made the movie seem as if it was more geared for children…WRONG. 

While I am not big on censorship, I would strongly recommend that parents use caution when allowing their children to watch this movie.  The lessons they will learn from this movie are simply how to be (or at least act) like a thug.  I told this to Ron while we were watching the movie and my point was proven as soon as we walked out of the theater.  There was a group of children (probably all under age 10) that watched it with one adult.  They left in front of us and when leaving the theater were talking about how much they liked the movie while pretending to hold guns and talk about shooting.  Yes, I know this is something that is shown to children everyday…on television, movies, video games, books, etc….but there really has to be a line drawn somewhere.

I can’t seem to find the right words to really express how much this movie disappointed me.   And I don’t want to be a voice for censorship.  I really do think that people should make up their own minds.  I would hope that all parents that allow their children to see this movie also take the time to sit down with them and discuss it.  And again I will say…Chappie did NOT make me happy.  L

Fifty Shades of Cray Cray!!!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or completely off the grid, by now you have undoubtedly heard of Fifty Shades of Grey.  The best-selling trilogy written by E.L. James is hugely popular…so popular Hollywood snatched it up and has brought it to the big screen.  I have read the books and now that I have seen the movie as well I thought I would jump on the commentary bandwagon.  I will warn you though….you might not agree with my thoughts about the books or the movie.

If you are looking for me to tell you NOT to read the books or NOT to go see this movie you should just stop reading this right now. I am of the opinion that you can make up your own mind as to whether you want to read the books or see the movie – you don’t need me telling you one way or the other.  What I will tell you is what I think about them.  You can agree or not.

I have to admit that I didn’t read the books when they were first released.  It’s not the typical genre that I read as I usually choose murder mysteries instead.  But after so many were talking about it I had to see what all the hoopla was about.  The books were ok…not great…just ok. The writing was not the best – but they were never intended to be literary classics.  And to be perfectly honest I was a little surprised at the sex in them.  No surprise right?  Actually wrong!  From all I had heard I expected the books to be full of sex – extreme sex – they were being called pornographic after all - yet the majority of the books was just typical romantic dribble.  Now don’t get me wrong…the sex that was in them was pretty intense…but I really expected it to be all throughout from the way everyone was talking about them.

I read the books and put them aside really not thinking too much about them until they started casting for the movie. Wow, did everybody have an opinion on that! Once casting was complete and filming started the controversy with the movie really got amped up.  It seemed that everyone had an opinion on it.  Either people were complaining about the casting choices or preparing for a wild night out or campaigning to get it shut down. Regardless of which side you might fall on I can assure you that all the controversy has been great for the books and for the movie.  As they say…there is no such thing as bad publicity.

The movie stars Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia (Ana) Steele.  According to the website www.imdb.com this is what the movie is about: Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey. (Here’s the IMDB link…IMDB - Fifty Shades of Grey)

I have read A LOT of stuff about the books and movie.  From Facebook statuses, to comments, to blogs, to articles….a lot of people have opinions about this one…and most of the opinions are pretty strong one way or the other.  Many of the things I have read have been writers trying to convince people to NOT go see the movie.  The funny thing about that is that in almost every one of these writings the writer had NOT read the books yet proceeded to express an opinion about them – even saying that the books were poorly written.  And no, I’m not assuming that they didn’t read the books – they actually say that in their articles.  How can they possibly have an opinion on the way the books were written if they didn’t read them?

I even read one article from a journalist that had the chance to see an advance screening of the movie but had not read the books beforehand.  Some of the things she specifically complained about being in the movie were straight from the book (like Ana biting her bottom lip all the time).  Why would that not be in the movie?  It was an important part of the books – and had this journalist read the books she would have known that.

In many of the articles I read it was stated that this series teaches people that it’s okay to be a cold, sadistic, person as long as you are good looking and rich.  True, Christian Grey – the main character in the series, is in fact good looking and rich.  He also happens to enjoy sadomasochism (or S/M) sex.  Does this fact make him a sadist?  To some people apparently it does.

According to www.dictionary.com the definition of sadist is: A person who has the condition of sadism, in which one receives sexual gratification from causing pain and degradation to another. A person who enjoys being cruel.  I agree that Christian definitely receives sexual gratification from causing pain – but it is not done by causing degradation.  There is nothing degrading about the way the acts are performed because there is nothing done without consent.

For those that have actually read the series it’s obvious that Christian Grey is not a cold, sadistic, individual.  He may be a little unusual and definitely has different sexual tastes than most….but Ana knew exactly what she was getting into BEFORE she had sex with him.  She agreed to the conditions he outlined with no promise of financial gain.  And the series shows in depth how this type of relationship can have negative results as well.  Their relationship (or Christian’s prior relationships) may not be something you are interested in getting involved in or it may be against what you believe in personally or spiritually….but when it comes down to it Christian and Ana are both adults and entered into a consensual relationship with each other with a complete understanding of what was to be expected.  The only time Christian hit Ana was as part of a sexual act in which she was told exactly what was going to happen and had a “safe word” to use if she wanted it to stop.  So technically, she was ALWAYS the one really in control.  If Christian were a true sadist he would have committed acts of actual abuse on Ana, acts such as beating her, kicking her, throwing her around, or telling her she was worthless.  Christian doesn’t do these things to Ana.  He clearly outlines what will happen…she agrees…and then it happens….all for the purpose of sexual gratification.    

Some articles have stated that the series does not promote love or romance but instead promotes sex purely for pleasure.  Really???  Have these people even read the books??  Never mind…we’ve already established that they haven’t.  In this series Christian and Ana do not have sex outside of a committed relationship.  No, they weren’t married, but they had an agreement with each other that was stronger than a lot of marriages I know of in the “real” world.  Christian may not have done a lot of stuff that some people consider romantic…but he did what he thought he was supposed to.  He bought her things – clothes, expensive dinners, a car! – isn’t this what happens in a relationship?  You provide for your partner right?  He took her on exciting adventures (like in his plane) all the while wooing her.  Is this not what romance is?  You find out what your target likes and you do what you can to woo them into the relationship.    

I heard someone compare this to prostitution.  Yes, Christian buys stuff for Ana.  Doesn’t that happen in all relationships?  She wasn’t given these things on the condition that she have sex with him.  He gave her these things because he wanted to have a relationship with her, sex only being a portion of the relationship.  He wanted a commitment – not just a one night stand like is fairly common amongst many today.  I couldn’t tell you the number of people I hear talking about how they just want to “get laid” with no intentions of having an actual relationship with the other person.

The relationship with Christian and Ana was not one sided either.  Ana was not just a subservient slave to Christian.  She didn’t put up with anything she didn’t want to.  She let him know when something made her uncomfortable. She worked with him on his issues and helped him deal with his Fifty Shades state and heal and grow as a person.  Isn’t this what you are supposed to do in a relationship?    

Some claim that Fifty Shades of Grey teaches guys that they can do whatever they want to a girl and she will just take it.  Once again – the one’s that say this must have either not read the book or definitely interpreted it differently than I did.  When it seemed as if the relationship was over she felt like her heart was being ripped out BUT that doesn’t mean she was going to just accept things as they had been.  She demanded a different relationship and he conformed.  This does not mean that they no longer had a S&M sexual relationship – that wasn’t where the real problems were.  Even when Ana worried on occasion that their relationship had become “too vanilla” for Christian to be satisfied, she still wasn’t willing to back down from her limits and what she expected from the relationship.  The relationship did change though.  It adapted to what was best for both of them.  Again…isn’t this what is supposed to happen in a relationship?  Aren’t all successful relationships full of adapting and compromising?

And all the complaints that this series, including the movie, is loaded with sex to make it a best seller… well of course it is.  Sex sells people.  That’s been proven forever!  It’s nothing new for Fifty Shades of Grey.  Sex is everywhere. It’s in books (including the Bible).  It’s on TV.  It’s in the movies. And I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.  If this is a problem for you then don’t participate in it.  Don’t read the books.  Don’t watch the movie.  But don’t judge me because I do either.

I, like many others, did not read the books because I am missing something in my relationship.  I did not read them because I am missing something sexually or emotionally.  I read them because I wanted to.  I read them out of literary curiosity.  Now that I’ve read them does this mean that I want my relationship to be the same as Christian and Ana’s? No…but if I did, really, whose business is it?  Can I not enter into whatever type of relationship that I want to with my husband as long as we both agree on it?  

There are many that say that reading these books or seeing this movie is not supporting your spouse…that you are dishonoring the relationship you are in.  I may be a minority in this but I just simply don’t believe it.  As a matter of fact I discussed the books with my husband.  He went with me to see the movie.  It doesn’t mean that we in turn felt the need to change our relationship to be more in line with Fifty Shades of Grey. 

Anyone that knows me knows that I think everyone has a right to make their own decisions.  If you want to read these books – read them.  If you want to watch the movie – watch it.  If you don’t – then don’t.  But don’t just assume that because I have it’s going to somehow take over my psyche and change me into what I have read about or seen.  I absolutely love Vin Diesel.  My husband is completely aware of this.  My fascination with Vin, or any other good-looking man, does not mean that I intend to cheat on my husband.  I’m fascinated with mysteries – but that doesn’t mean that I have any intention of murdering someone.  I love horror movies, the more gore the better – but that doesn’t mean that I plan to run around chopping people up with chainsaws or want to experience it actually happening to someone else.  I read a lot of different types of magazines and books – but it doesn’t mean that I want all of what I read to play out in my real life. 

It’s called entertainment people.  Books, TV, Movies, and Music are all forms of escape.  They are meant to be watched for entertainment purposes – to give yourself a small break from the hustle and grind of your real life.  Sure, sometimes I wish I could jump into what I’m reading/watching/ listening to…but I can assure nothing that I read, watch, or listen to is going to convince me to do anything I don’t really want to do.  In my opinion, anyone that is so mentally pliable that they can be easily swayed to take actions they wouldn’t normally take because of a form of entertainment (including a video game) needs to work on their mental fortitude.  If a work of fiction can alter their stance on issues then they are likely to be in danger of blindly following anyone or any movement.  Know where you stand.  Know where your limits are and stand firm by them.  But don’t judge me or others because we have different limits than you.  And DON’T force your limits on me or other people.

As for my grading of the movie itself…it was ok.  Certainly not the best I’ve seen but absolutely not the worst I’ve seen either.  It stuck close to the first book in the trilogy and ended leaving me anticipating the adaption of the second one.  The actors performed exactly as I expected.  Sure the story is a bit weak…I already knew that…remember I read the books.  But in my opinion the movie is a success. It is erotic (as expected).  It is definitely NOT pornographic.  It’s for people with an open mind.  It’s for people who just want to be entertained…therefore it’s for me.

And as an added blog bonus...here's a interesting read sent to me by a good friend:

25 Facts About BDSM That You Won't Learn In "Fifty Shades of Grey"