'Hobbs & Shaw' is Fast, Furious, and Funny

The Fast & Furious movies will not back down from the franchise era of the film industry. After eight films that left a mark in all racecar buffs, heist lovers, and Paul Walker fans around the world, it has now reached a status where they can produce their own spinoff, and alas, they did.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their roles as the titular Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw.

Photo Credit: United International Pictures

The film starts off with an action-packed chase between Idris Elba as Brixton Lorr, a cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist, and Vanessa Kirby as Hattie, a fearless MI6 agent--both are in pursuit of gaining control of a bio-threat virus called "The Snowflake". A huge detriment to mankind, America's Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs, and former British military operative Deckard Shaw were summoned to acquire possession of this virus from spreading all across the globe. The catch? They hate each other's guts. To complicate the scenario, Hattie turns out to be Shaw's long lost sister, who also developed a little bit of sexual tension with Hobbs.

Hobbs & Shaw is a change of gear from the franchise as we know it. It was initially about illegal street racing, then evolved to heist and spies, and now it seems like it wants to reach a broader audience by amping up the action, and even the humor. It doesn't hurt that they cast the currently most cash-grabbing charismatic actor, Dwayne Johnson. Combine his toughie but softie persona with Jason Statham's hot-headed macho character, it's a perfect formula for a love-hate dynamic.

Despite being in the franchise since 2011, we only knew a little about their backstories. Hobbs & Shaw changes that effectively by giving both characters a proper intro, not only fleshing out their persona, but introducing their families as well via a side-by-side juxtaposition of their daily routine--from how they start their day, to their family interaction, and their career.

Their huge differences are well-highlighted, so it's really fun to watch the characters endlessly one-up and trash talk each other. It never even gets tiring. Vanessa Kirby's presence is a huge help to distract these two from destroying each other, and from becoming repetitive. Kirby, who's also a comedian and a budding action leading lady, has never been this distinctive in a film since her stint in Mission Impossible: Fallout.

But it's not all fun, as usual, it's still as action-packed as before, if not more. And it helps a lot that they've utilized new locations to provide never-before-seen action. London and Los Angeles may not be new, but the scenes including a toxic factory wasteland in Moscow, and the mountains and cliffs of Samoa are refreshing and incredibly exciting. Idris Elba's mechanic body also makes him semi-invincible and difficult-to-defeat. His final act with Statham and Johnson is epic. Sure, some side details like Elba's robotic body may not make sense, it's still nothing short of entertaining.

Photo Credit: United International Pictures

Overall, Hobbs & Shaw may have deviated from the familiar characters OG fans have learned to love, Statham and Johnson are good replacements from the likes of Vin Diesel, Walker, and Michelle Rodriguez. I won't even be surprised if they take charge of the future of this franchise. And to be honest, they just might.

'Yesterday' - Another Richard Curtis Feel Good Fantasy Romcom

 

People are going to see Yesterday for its curious premise--what if no one remembers The Beatles except for one person? And that person can claim their songs as his own?

Once in a while, we get movies celebrating the timeless music of the best British band ever. May it be in a musical like Across the Universe, starring Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood, or a drama like I Am Sam, where the soundtrack is filled with Beatles covers. It's been a while since those movies came out so I think it's just right about time another movie with The Beatles gets made.

But Yesterday is more than The Beatles. It's about life and love that rings true to some of the band's songs. And it's written by Richard Curtis!--the man behind movies like About Time and Love Actually, and the man who wrote rom-com classics like Notting Hill, Bridget Jones Diary, and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Based on his work, the man seems like he loves music as much as he loves movies. He is even one of the executive producers of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and Yesterday is not the first time he used 'Yesterday' in one of his films. Remember Bean? He also wrote it!

This is the guy that made some of the most collectively life-affirming movies, and Yesterday is just an addition to his credentials. It's also directed by one of the most stylish directors there is Danny Boyle, who's always good at incorporating music in his movies. Yesterday included.

United International Pictures

Then again, it's more than just the music, and the premise. It's not even just about the nature of stardom and the consequences that come with it. The movie always falls back to love. The love between  Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), an aspiring singer-songwriter, and his manager slash childhood best friend, Ellis (Lily James). Their dynamic is nothing extraordinary especially in Curtis' standard, that's why the unimaginable side premise about the wiped out history is earned.

The film tries to mix these two contrasting things together, that sometimes, the fantasy aspect overpowers the romantic one. Himesh Patel and Lily James as Jack and Ellie are cute, but we are also interested on where Jack Malik's claim of The Beatles song would end up on. Especially when Himesh is joined by a funny Ed Sheeran playing as himself who's also struck by Malik's "songs", and Kate McKinnon, who steals most of the scenes she's in even if her character is verging on caricature as Jack and Ed's agent. Not to mention Patel's singing voice and guitar chops are impressive, that it makes us want to watch more of the music than focus on the central love story.

But with The Beatles, one can never go wrong, really. However shocking and out-of-this-world the film can be. And overall, the film is just simple, tender and really sweet. Sometimes, we forget about its loopholes as long as it teaches us things about life and it makes us feel good about it. At the core of Yesterday, it's really about that and as corny as this may sound, it teaches us that all we really need is love.