I don't feel the need to defend my film viewing choices, but I'm going to anyway...
Consider this a review for "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."
It's almost guaranteed that anytime I mention I saw this movie to anybody, usually of the female persuasion, that they will have a snide, negative remark in return. The fact of the matter is, if all I watched were indie art house flicks with serious social commentaries,then I think it would make me pretentious and boring. I've never been one NOT to see a movie because it looks stupid. Nor do I insult people as a result of the films they view and enjoy. Let me put it to you this way: I enjoy these types of films because they are formulaic. I'm not going to be surprised by what happens, and for an hour and forty minutes, I can escape into a world of speed junkies.
I've enjoyed every film in the trilogy for different reasons. The first one because it was fresh and new, an aspect of culture we hadn't been properly introduced to yet. The second because Tyrese's constant sarcastic comments were, amazingly enough, well timed and very funny. The third because it was the most compelling, and showed a different aspect of that new culture. Not only that, but they decided to cast Sonny Chiba (a.k.a Hattori Hanzo a.k.a The Street Fighter) and simply put, the man is fucking awesome.
If anybody saw "Better Luck Tomorrow," the guy who directed that, Justin Lin, directed this movie as well. All of these films have been in the hands of highly capable directors, and as a result, all of them have been extremely entertaining. I don't think it's any secret...I'm a guy. I have been my whole life. I enjoy cars with bright colors, big rims, ridiculous sound systems, and ludicrous top speeds. In addition to that, I enjoy girls in skimpy outfits wiping down said cars with rags. Why? Because it's stylish, doesn't require a deeper interpertation, and it's pleasing to the male senses.
Why do movies like "The Notebook" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" appeal to female audiences. Because they're formulaic. Develop a "deep" emotional bond amongst 2 or more characters, show all the good times and love, then smack it with a sad as shit ending. Bust out the tissues, and you have box office gold. Do I question why women eat this up? No, because it's apparent why. I think "The Notebook" was probably one of the least entertaining movies I've seen in the last 5 years with characters I really didn't care about at all, but I can understand why women like it. Those two dying together at the end of the movie in their sleep is the chick flick equivalent to the giant climatic race in a guy movie- both of them are over the top and compleley ridiculous.
Listen, it breaks down to this; you can learn as much from a bad movie as you can from a good movie. You can learn what NOT to do. "The Fast and the Furious" films won't have the same impact on society as say, "Raging Bull" or "Saving Private Ryan." I don't harbor any delusions about what their place is in the pop culture pantheon. But damned if I didn't have a good time at the movie theater Friday night. So anybody who questions my cinematic taste is getting smacked. I don't care who are you. We can make an appointment so you won't miss out on your due smacking.
Mark.
It's almost guaranteed that anytime I mention I saw this movie to anybody, usually of the female persuasion, that they will have a snide, negative remark in return. The fact of the matter is, if all I watched were indie art house flicks with serious social commentaries,then I think it would make me pretentious and boring. I've never been one NOT to see a movie because it looks stupid. Nor do I insult people as a result of the films they view and enjoy. Let me put it to you this way: I enjoy these types of films because they are formulaic. I'm not going to be surprised by what happens, and for an hour and forty minutes, I can escape into a world of speed junkies.
I've enjoyed every film in the trilogy for different reasons. The first one because it was fresh and new, an aspect of culture we hadn't been properly introduced to yet. The second because Tyrese's constant sarcastic comments were, amazingly enough, well timed and very funny. The third because it was the most compelling, and showed a different aspect of that new culture. Not only that, but they decided to cast Sonny Chiba (a.k.a Hattori Hanzo a.k.a The Street Fighter) and simply put, the man is fucking awesome.
If anybody saw "Better Luck Tomorrow," the guy who directed that, Justin Lin, directed this movie as well. All of these films have been in the hands of highly capable directors, and as a result, all of them have been extremely entertaining. I don't think it's any secret...I'm a guy. I have been my whole life. I enjoy cars with bright colors, big rims, ridiculous sound systems, and ludicrous top speeds. In addition to that, I enjoy girls in skimpy outfits wiping down said cars with rags. Why? Because it's stylish, doesn't require a deeper interpertation, and it's pleasing to the male senses.
Why do movies like "The Notebook" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" appeal to female audiences. Because they're formulaic. Develop a "deep" emotional bond amongst 2 or more characters, show all the good times and love, then smack it with a sad as shit ending. Bust out the tissues, and you have box office gold. Do I question why women eat this up? No, because it's apparent why. I think "The Notebook" was probably one of the least entertaining movies I've seen in the last 5 years with characters I really didn't care about at all, but I can understand why women like it. Those two dying together at the end of the movie in their sleep is the chick flick equivalent to the giant climatic race in a guy movie- both of them are over the top and compleley ridiculous.
Listen, it breaks down to this; you can learn as much from a bad movie as you can from a good movie. You can learn what NOT to do. "The Fast and the Furious" films won't have the same impact on society as say, "Raging Bull" or "Saving Private Ryan." I don't harbor any delusions about what their place is in the pop culture pantheon. But damned if I didn't have a good time at the movie theater Friday night. So anybody who questions my cinematic taste is getting smacked. I don't care who are you. We can make an appointment so you won't miss out on your due smacking.
Mark.