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Faster, a review by Dragonfire

Faster

Since I have liked most of the movies I've seen Dwayne Johnson in, I decided that I wanted to see Faster.  It is a decent enough revenge movie, but it could have been better.  Johnson does return to action, but he can do better. 

The plot is very simple and straightforward.  As things progress, a bit more does come about the motivation for why Johnson's character - only identified as Driver in the credits - is doing what he is doing.  There is an attempt to add some complications to what is going on that don't really go anywhere.  The movie isn't that long, so things are happening at a very fast pace.  There isn't time for more story or character development.  The movie would have been better with a stronger plot.

Violence is in a lot of the scenes.  The killing starts really early in the movie.  Driver is very focused on what he is doing, and he shows no mercy to the people he is after.  He is only after certain people though, and he will go out of his way to avoid hurting innocent people.  The violence is rather graphic in some scenes.

All the characters, even Driver, are very flat.  It would have been nice if he had been a more rounded character.  He barely speaks.  Johnson does well with conveying emotions with his expressions, but this isn't one of his more entertaining performances.  The rest of the cast is fine in their roles and no one really stands out.

Faster works as a revenge action movie, though it could have been better. 

I did get a review posted on Epinions after seeing the movie in the theater.

Faster

(From Faster on January 2nd, 2011)

Rush Hour 2 , a review by Dragonfire

Rush Hour 2 Last time they nearly destroyed L.A., now they're about to break China!  Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprise their roles as mismatched detectives in this smash-hit follow-up that's even "faster and funnier than the first!" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) Reunited in Hong Kong, the two cops look forward to a much-needed vacation.  But their plans go up in smoke when a bomb explodes in the American Embassy.  Suddenly, they're tracking a group of slippery suspects, including a beautiful assassin (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Zhang Ziyi) and a mysterious mobster (John Lone, The Last Emperor).  With their irresistible mix of head-spinning action and gut-busting comedy, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan prove they're the team to beat in this can't-miss movie that delivers the entertainment rush of the year! My Thoughts I don't think this movie is as good as the first one, but it is still enjoyable.  The plot is ok, though it could have been a bit stronger.  Things seem to pick up right after the end of the first movie with James going back to Hong Kong with Lee for a vacation.  Lee doesn't bother to share that he's trying to work on a case.  The basic formula used for the first movie is used again, just with James and Lee in opposite roles for the most part.  James is definitely out of place in Hong Kong.  That does add some humor to a few scenes, but not all of it works because of how over the top he goes.  The action is the same type that was used in the first movie.  It is done well and entertaining.  The action does add a bit of violence, though it isn't extreme.  The characters are fine for the most part, though James is annoying at times.  Chris Tucker can be funny, but he frequently crosses the line into annoying in this one.  He does too much yelling.  Jackie Chan does fine with his part.  My DVD has all sorts of extras on it, some of which can be accessed while watching the movie if a certain option is picked.  It has been a while since I watched any of them, though I think I remember some of them being interesting. Rush Hour 2 has some issues and could have been better, but it manages to be mostly entertaining.  People who liked the first one may find something to like in this one. I did get a review posted on Epinions a few years ago. Rush Hour 2

(From Rush Hour 2 on September 30th, 2010)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon, a review by goodguy

2x15 Deset Cantos
Synopsis: The Connors investigate the company town connected to the destroyed factory and find something startling. Weaver searches for a survivor of the explosion.
My Rating:

While I can understand that from both a conceptual and ethical viewpoint, this episode was a bit of a let down after the previous strong run. I would go as far as saying it is the weakest episode of the season.

I liked that Sarah had to face the wife of the guy she shot at the warehouse, but the girl with the obnoxious boyfriend was merly a plot point, not very engaging. Too much X-Files stuff, dead cows and all. The basement confrontation of our unhappy terrorists with the "sleepwalking" townspeople was a nice note, but felt forced all the same.

It is good that Sarah's hunch was proven right, but on first viewing I was a bit worried about the drone thing. Without spoiling anything, let me just say that the worry was unwarranted. The guy Weaver sent to investigate is dead and at least one person and a piece of technology from the warehouse is still around.

A slightly above average episode that clarified a few things and set some plot points in motion, but was rather unsatisfying as far as the characters were concerned.


(From Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season marathon on February 19th, 2010)