The Fate and the Furious is not only the eighth film in the franchise, but it’s the third that we have covered on the show since launching InSession Film. Meaning – it’s the first time that we have covered a full “trilogy” as it happened in real time. We have, of course, talked about The Before Trilogy, Star Wars and other properties as part of our Movie Series segment, but The Fate and the Furious is a small milestone that is nostalgically interesting to me.

By now you know exactly where you sit with the Fast and Furious films. You either have fun with their absurdity or they’re simply not for you. The Fate and the Furious isn’t going to do anything to change that for anybody. In fact, it’s insanity is only going to amplify that divide for most audiences. At this point, I feel like their next move is to go to space, right? I mean, what else can they do to top cars jumping buildings or racing against a submarine? It’s pure lunacy. But that’s exactly what I love about these films, especially given how the franchise has embraced its crazy antics, while giving these characters a reason to be together.

Speaking of, and I know it has become somewhat of a joke, but the franchise’s ability to make these characters a “family” of sorts is impressive – and it works. The tragedy of Paul Walker is heartbreaking in any context, but for me there’s additional pathos in how Furious 7 was able to crystallize his character because of how the franchise had already established that notion of family among these characters. Even if it doesn’t all work, at least they’re trying, which is something that some action franchises can’t say.

Additionally to all of that, The Fate and the Furious brings back all of the major players, plus the addition of Charlize Theron. It also looks like Jason Stathom – and perhaps Luke Evans – will have a bigger role here as well. At any rate, the cast looks great and I’m excited to see how it all unfolds.

What about you? Are you excited for The Fate and the Furious?

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Here’s what else you can expect at the box office this weekend:

Spark
The Lost City of Z (limited)
My Entire High School Sinking Into The Sea (limited)
Sandy Wexler (streaming)

This weekend on Episode 216 we’ll be discussing T2 Trainspotting, as we look forward to seeing what happened to Spud, Renton, Sick Boy and Begbie over the last 20 years. We are pretty big fans of the first Trainspotting, and while a sequel wasn’t 100% necessary, this film has a lot of potential. The first Trainspotting ended in a way that has allowed for curiosity to provoke the mind and to wonder where their choices led them. Given the tragedy and addiction that engulfed their lives, what happened after they conjured all that cash?

The premise itself should be interesting, but one of the bigger components for me going into T2 Trainspotting is seeing the same actors back for the sequel. Alongside Ewan McGregor, we’ll see Ewen Bremner, Robert Carlyle and Jonny Lee Miller back in their respective roles, which is very exciting if you ask me. I loved the characters from the first film, flaws and all, and much of that is due to the performances that each of these gentlemen give in that film. I’m fascinated to see how their dynamic plays this time around and if it’s as captivating as the first go-round.

On top of that, I’m excited to see Danny Boyle back in the director’s chair. His energy, pacing and stylistic flair was magnetic in the first film – and so unique to what is the Trainspotting flavor – that it’s essential to have Boyle back for T2. He knows these characters intimately and his way of emulating their behavior gives the film the necessary ingredient to make Trainspotting….well Trainspotting.

That said, what about you? Are you excited for T2 Trainspotting?

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Here’s what else you can expect at the box office this weekend:

Going in Style
The Case for Christ

Smurfs: The Lost Village
The Assignment Crime (limited)
Colossal (limited)
Queen of the Desert (limited)

Well, here we are again. It’s taken way too long but now I’m back. From outer space. Okay, obviously not but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say that.

So, it’s probably a given by now but I had not seen ROTLA until the day I wrote this article. I’d seen both of the sequels and had the misfortune of watching Crystal Skull for my podcast (BlokeBusters), but until today I’d never seen the film which sparked the franchise. I’ve seen parody after parody, visited the stunt spectacular at Disney World and even made references to it. But today I finally watched the source material. Today I got to see Indy on his first cinematic adventure. What did I think? Well, you’re about to find out….

…after a little more set-up. My opinion of Indy before watching this film was that the character was fun and well played by Harrison Ford. Just the right amount of smugness and yet never the best *insert-skill-here* in the room. The side characters could get annoying (DR JONES!!!!!!!) and the films were full of cliches (the Stormtrooper Training School graduates were everywhere!), but all-in-all they were a fun ride and always entertaining. And then I watched Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

I was not disappointed! The camp acting from the Nazis was sublime. The damsel-indistress was a force to be reckoned with (most of the time)! The side characters were actually fun! I’ll say that again. They were genuinely fun! The last time I actually enjoyed ALL of the side characters was in The Fifth Element. I felt invested in what Indy was doing, I wanted to see how he got out of the situations he got into. Obviously I knew he had to get out, but it was never an issue to me that I knew that. And I promise you that me saying that is a big deal.

It’s odd to come at this the way I have. I’ve seen the choices that they made going forward. I knew which aspects of his character changed down the line, which ones stayed the same. Imagine coming to The Matrix having seen both the sequels and The Animatrix first. You’re looking at the man who became God before he opens his eyes for the first time. I knew that the man I was watching was nick-named after his father’s dog. I knew about his alien encounter. I knew all about the magical fedora. And yet it wasn’t diminished at all for me. I enjoyed seeing the man before his adventures (though chronologically not true, in terms of filming I’m still right!) and his very rough fighting style. In many ways, I’m glad I saw this last. Wait, what?

Well, had I seen this first I probably wouldn’t have been overly interested in watching the sequels. True, I just said how much I enjoyed it but that’s because I was watching the origin of a franchise I’ve enjoyed. As a story, and especially the way it ends, I couldn’t get behind it. Without giving it away, the ending is VERY Deus-Ex-Machina and I have a real issue with it. It looks cool but felt as if the writers went “Wait, they’ve got to get away! Bugger. Ok, how about this…”, and that’s never good. In fact, I would have been far more interested had the Ark turned out to be a fake in the end and the ‘real’ Ark actually still out there.

But hey, that’s by-the-by. I’ve now finally seen the film that most people are shocked to hear I haven’t seen and probably enjoyed it a lot more than I would have had I watched it first. I hope you enjoyed my take on it, and I’m not going to be rating these watches due to… well…. I feel like I’d be lining myself up for a firing squad if I didn’t score “correctly”.

So everybody pop on your leather jacket, worn fedora and whip and let’s get out there and find us some history. Oh yeah, watch out for those snakes!

This weekend features the release of the new live-action Ghost in the Shell, starring the always wonderful Scarlett Johansson. Up until earlier this week, I was not very familiar with this property in any way. However, I was able to catch up with the 1995 animated film, Ghost in the Shell, which really blew me away. The intelligent and creative concepts that the film introduces is robustly imaginative and very human in its execution. The existential ambiguity of Motoko is vastly nuanced and smartly constructed, but what I loved about it the most, is how emotionally rooted it all is for her. For how deep the intellectual rabbit hole is in Ghost in the Shell, it’s equally as strong in the emotional undercurrent.

Personally, I’m not expecting the new live-action Ghost in the Shell to be quite as apt in exploring the ideas that Mamoru Oshii executed to near perfection. Nothing against Rupert Sanders, the director of the live-action remake, but he doesn’t strike me as someone experienced enough to render the complexities of Ghost. If you’ve seen the trailer, there is no doubt the film will be gorgeous to look at. Aesthetically speaking, Sanders will deliver on that end. If you’ve seen Snow White and the Huntsman, you’ll know that he can do visuals. It’s the story and characters that concerns me. It’s the themes of Ghost and the deeply interconnected emotions that come with those notions. I’m not sure Sanders will deliver on the “ghost” inside his aesthetic “shell” if you will.

As for Johansson, a lot of people were understandably upset when she was cast in the leading role as Major. Ghost in the Shell is based off a Japanese manga of the same name, so I can sympathize with the outrage, even though I love Johnsson as an actress. In terms of sheer talent, she is perfectly capable of leading a franchise like this and resonating the emotional and intellectual qualities that is necessary for her character and the film overall. I’m not saying we should forgive the studio, but that Johansson is a proven actress that I think is very good. At the same time, this could have been a great opportunity for a Japanese actress to jump into the spotlight to showcase her talents, which I would have loved to have seen as well. Either way, I’m hoping and rooting for a female-led franchise do well.

What about you? Are you excited for Ghost in the Shell this weekend?

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Here’s what else you can expect at the box office this weekend:

The Boss Baby

The Zookeeper’s Wife
The Blackoat’s Daughter (limited)
The Discovery (limited)