Wednesday, May 27, 2009

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Fast and Furious Review

Bottom Line: flashes of brilliant dramatic and action sequences throughout the movie, but I wish director Justin Lin took the combustive relationship between Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to its explosive climatic conclusion. If you like fast cars, hot women, and strong men, this is the movie for you.

More: Paul Walker's portrayal of a policeman as a borderline sociopath is at times scary and brilliant, reminiscent of Andy Lau/Matt Damon's portrayals in Infernal Affair/The Departed.





It will be interesting to see if Justin Lin and Paul Walker decide to take the darker side of Brian O'Connor to the next level.

Vin Diesel gives his one of his best performances ever. Gone are the blank stares that make the audience wonder did he forget his lines and the unintentionally comedic hollering. This time, Diesel lets his eyes and actions speak for him. Keep it up, and the Diesel has the chance to become the best action-hero in current cinema.

Terminator Salvation Producer: Dan Lin

Dan Lin is an up-and-coming Hollywood producer who has a special knack for shepherding blockbuster projects through the studio system.

He helped reboot the Terminator franchise and is working on the finishing touches of the action-oriented Sherlock Holmes. He spoke about these movies and the new Lara Croft prequel at the premier of Terminator here.

After graduating from Harvard Business School, he rose to become a creative executive at Warner Brother's. He later decided to strike out on his own "to be more entrepreneurial." He spent his childhood in Taiwan and Hong Kong before moving to the States, which mirrors my own childhood.

Dan is perhaps the most active and powerful Taiwanese-American producer in Hollywood. He comes across as articulate and intelligent in his interview. Tracking this "pioneer's" career will be interesting from both an artistic and cultural stand point. Along with Ang Lee winning the Oscars and Justin Lin directing the wildly successful Fast and Furious franchise (to name a few other examples), it signals that Chinese and Taiwanese people's passion for cinema is beginning to bear fruits on the American-global stage.

For Variety's profile on Dan Lin here

"Slumdog" makers buy flat for homeless child star

here

Terminator Salvation Review

Bottom Line: This is the type of movies the most critics hate, but come on, you bought the movie ticket because you loved the Terminator series and were dying to see the post-Judgment Day world, not because you were looking for good drama. Terminator fans, don't be turned off by the reviews, go watch the movie!

Surprise!: The action sequences are amazing. You actually care about whether the characters live or die. The decisions these characters make in heated moments reveal their values and beliefs, and they set off real consequences.

Roger Ebert's Journal: Archives

Roger Ebert's Journal: Archives

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