Rampage pushes the PG-13 line

Movie Title:   Rampage

Grade:   B

Rating: PG-13, 
1 hour 47 minutes

In a Nutshell:   My 4 sons used to play the 1997 Midway Rampage video game, so I was curious to see how well director Brad Peyton would adapt the game to a movie for the fans. 

Historically, movies that take video games to the Big Screen are horrible.  Well, yeah.  This movie requires you to turn off your brain and not care.  If you just want to see some monsters destroy a city and watch the ROCK do his thing (he’s awesome), then this movie is for you.  If storytelling and character development is important to you, then you’re going to have trouble watching this.  The monsters look great; it’s the humans in the movie that feel more like they’re in a video game.

                                    

Tips for parents: 

• George , the silverback gorilla, flips the bird several times.
• There is a HUGE body count.  There are a lot of bloody bodies and some of the deaths are almost portrayed as a joke, which was a bit alarming.  Lots of blood splatter.
• Lots and lots of destruction and violence
• Some profanity
• People in perilous situations
• Talk of poachers.  You’ll need to explain to your little ones what poachers are and why they’re so bad.
• Cleavage
• Inappropriate joke at the end.

Uplifting theme: 

• Family
• Friendship
• Loyalty
• Animal protection

                                                  

Things I liked:

• Some humor, although there could have been more since the movie already feels like a cartoon.   
• According to IMDB, an original cabinet of the Rampage arcade game can be seen in Claire Wyden’s office.  That’s a fun Easter egg for fans, but it doesn’t make sense for her to have it. Midway Arcade Origins - Xbox 360
• The movie shows George, the gorilla, living in the San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary.  As far as I know, that doesn’t really exist, but the San Diego zoo is fantastic.  They actually have a really good gorilla habitat there.  About 40 minutes outside San Diego is the awesome Wild Animal Park.  I used to live in San Diego and can highly recommend both!
• I think Malin Akerman’s eyes are so pretty.  I hated her stiff hair that looked like plastic.  Her character, unfortunately, was ridiculous.  If you're a Billions: Season One fan, you'll like that she gets to finally play the boss.
• Well done CGI.  The monsters look really cool.
• You see Dwayne Johnson get out of some zip ties.  First of all, his biceps are soooo massive!  Second, you actually can do it and big biceps aren’t required.  A former CIA agent taught me how.  Make sure the zip lock thing faces up.  Then, lift up your arms above your head and quickly pull them down to your hips, pulling your elbows back as fast as you can.  Ta da!
• SPOILER: Jeffrey Dean Morgan does a bad guy so well.  He was so maniacal in The Walking Dead Season 7 [DVD] that I had to stop watching the show.  Seriously evil.  Luckily, he has a heart in this movie.
• You’ll actually learn a little bit of sign language.  My niece married a deaf man, so I’m always thrilled when sign language is used in movies.  Another movie that uses sign language and is currently in theaters is A Quiet Place.  I thought it was really good!  You can read my movie review of A QUIET PLACE by clicking here.
• I thought it was a respectful nod that the city rampage occurs in Chicago, the headquarters of Midway video games.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were quite a few differences in the movie and game, although George and Ralph keep their names in the movie.  Lizzie’s name is never mentioned as the crocodile.  George was never an albino in the game.  The biggest difference is that the monsters in the video game were mutated humans, not mutated animals.
• The villains are terrible, but not in a good way. 
• Some characters are introduced in the beginning, but completely disappear from the story.
• There are some really dumb details that could have been easily fixed if anyone working on the movie had been paying attention or cared.
• The young male gorilla that is new at the Sanctuary in the beginning of the movie looks totally fake.  George looks much better.
• Naomie Harris doesn’t really do anything, other than run around and rely on the ROCK to come up with a plan.
• The clip in the movie trailer that shows the gorilla crack the crocodile’s jaws open like King Kong does to the dinosaur in his movie didn’t actually make it into this movie.

Funny lines:

• “Of course the wolf flies!” – Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) 
• “You know there are other ways of dealing with people, don’t you?” – Dr. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris)

“Of course I do, but that’s no fun.” – Davis

• “That’s a big arm.  Don’t fight it.” – Davis
• “Who are you?  Homeland? CIA?  Justice League?” – Dr. Kate Caldwell  
• “Girls love him.  I should shave my head.” -  Nelson  (P.J. Byrne)

         

  

                                        
                                         @trinaboice

The Fate of the Furious is fast fun for true fans

Movie Title:  The Fate of the Furious

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG-13, 136 minutes

In a Nutshell:  It’s fast.  It’s furious.  The franchise is back.  

I was kind of over the whole The Fast and the Furious saga until…Charlize Theron.  I’ve always thought she was so gorgeous ever since I first saw her in Mighty Joe Young. I was curious how she was going to turn Dom away from his family in this movie's plot.   

Everything about this movie is high octane and ridiculously over-the-top, just the way fans of this franchise like it.  If you’re a fan, you’ll get a kick out of this new addition.  No, it's not going to win any Oscar's, but it's pretty good fun.

Uplifting theme: 

• “You make a deal, you gotta live up to it.” – Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel)
• Family
• Obligation, accountability, respect

Things I liked:

• The chemistry of this “family” is undeniable.  This installment features Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Kurt Russell, Elsa Pataky, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Scott Eastwood.
• The cast's quick one-liners and jabs at each other are entertaining as always.
• You get to take a little trip to Havana, Cuba in the beginning of the movie.
• So funny watching The Rock do the fierce Hakka dance with a bunch of little soccer girls.
• Helen Mirren just made the franchise better.  Rumor has it that she lobbied for a role in the movie because she loves racing so much.  I love her in everything she does.
• It’s fun to watch Scott Eastwood’s career unfold.  You know he’s the legendary Clint Eastwood’s son, right? 
• Tough bald guy banter.  Ha ha
• The set pieces are as gigantic as Dwayne Johnson’s biceps.  
• The stunts are OFF THE CHAIN!
• SPOILER: I never really thought about how self-driving cars could be hacked into to create havoc.  Interesting, right?  There’s an awesomely fun and destructive scene with a bunch of them on New York City streets.
• Some of the action sequences are soooooo impressively long.
• I think it's funny that Kurt Russell's character name is "Mr. Nobody."  His assistant, played by Scott Eastwood, is called "Little Nobody."
• Jason Statham has some absolutely great moments with The Rock, Helen Mirren, and a little baby.  

Things I didn’t like:

• Lots of butt cheeks and scantily clad women.
• Some of the characters talk about being free, with no obligations to anyone, as if that’s the ultimate form of happiness.  Thankfully, the ultimate theme of the movie is that it’s family that gives life meaning.
• The plot is extremely predictable.  There is nothing super surprising about how the story is going to play out, but the ride is pretty doggone fun.
• So many things are just so unrealistic that if you require that in a movie, you'll hate every minute of this.

Funny lines:

• “I will beat you like a Cherokee drum.” – Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson whose arms are ridiculously massive while he holds them up during this line.)
• “We’re gonna need a bigger truck.” – Hobbs
• “Your team is about to go up against the one thing they can’t handle.” – Cipher (Charlize Theron)

“What’s that?” – Dom 

“You.” –  Cipher

• “Manis and pedis later on at the mall.” – Hobbs
• “It’s neon orange.  The U.S. space station could see it coming.” – Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood)
• “Ouch.” – Cipher
• “What’s it gonna be, Rook?  Are you gonna close your eyes on this one too?  Pray that the Apocalypse doesn’t come knocking on your mama’s front door? Or are you gonna saddle up and be a man and save the entire Gxdxxmn world?” – Hobbs
• “Why are you always yelling?” – Hobbs
• “Time to get my young Selfie levels up!” – Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson)

“You realize this is classified, right?” – Little Nobody

“Not today!” -Roman

Interesting lines:

• “See, that’s the funny thing about fate: it’s cunning.  It can bring you beautiful things and it can also bring you moments like this…” –  Cipher  
• “Have you heard of choice theory, Dom?  There’s a bunch of axioms, but only two you really need to concern yourself with: 1) The only person’s behavior we can control is our own, and 2) The only thing we can truly give another person is information…” – Cipher 

Tips for parents: 

• Lots of profanity, including an F-bomb, surprisingly by the lovely Helen Mirren.
• There are some subtitles that you’ll have to read to kids who can’t read fast.
• As expected in a movie designed for men, there are a lot of scantily clad women.
• TONS of explosions and MASSIVE amounts of destruction.
• Tons of violence in many forms, including hand-to-hand combat, shootings, stabbings, and beatings. 

Did you miss some of the previous movies? You can start here: The Fast and the Furious
Fast & Furious (2009)
Fast & Furious 6
2 Fast 2 Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Fast Five (Extended Version) Furious 7

@trinaboice 

Moana is picture perfect for families

Movie Title:         Moana

  

Grade:  A+

Rating:  PG, 103 minutes

In a Nutshell:   Disney brings us another animated film that is simply gorgeous.  Each frame in the movie could be a postcard.  The animation is stellar and absolutely breathtaking.  The hair, sand, water, feathers, fabric and textures are done so well you feel you could reach out and touch them.

It has everything you want in a family-friendly film: solid characters, adventure, memorable music, a positive lesson for kids to learn, a good role model, comedy, peril, and touching family moments.

Before the movie begins, another Disney short entitled “Inner Workings” plays that reminds us to live our lives with meaning and joy.  Adorable.

Uplifting theme: 

• You need to have heart.
• “Find happiness right where you are.” – lyrics in one of the songs
• “That voice inside is who you are.” – Grandma Tala
• Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface.” – Moana
• “The things you have learned will change you.  The people you love will guide you.”  - Grandma Tala
• Your weaknesses don’t define you.

Things I liked:

• Some of the song were written by writer and star of the Broadway smash hit Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) [Explicit], Lin Manuel Miranda.  The lyrics are powerful and meaningful.
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently earned the title as “Sexiest Man Alive”.  Now we get to hear him sing!  He has great comedic and dramatic timing in everything he does.
• Auli’I Cravalho does a fantastic job voicing Moana.  The character even looks like her.
• Hei Hei, the stupid chicken, got lots of laughs from the audience.  I adore Alan Tudyk and was tickled to learn that it was his voice that brings the chicken to life.  Pua, the cute pig, was just that…cute, but didn’t grab the audience’s attention nearly as much.

• Maui’s tattoos interact with Maui and even the audience.
• Clever use of tapa bark cloth prints to set up the story in the beginning.
• I love a good romance in a movie; however, I love that there is no prince or hero in this one...Moana is the hero. Moana’s future is determined by her own efforts and leadership.  She is a strong role model for your daughters. You go, girl!
• This movie will make you want to go on vacation to Hawaii or some other Polynesian destination.  If you’re in Hawaii, be sure to visit the famous Polynesian Cultural Center where you can get a taste of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand and more!
• Stay seated until the very end of the rolling credits for a funny moment with the crab.
• While watching the credits, you’ll notice a long list of babies who were born during production.  Cute.
• I loved it when baby Moana helps a baby turtle find its way to the ocean.  I got to participate in a turtle release in Cabo San Lucas in November several years ago.  The turtle sanctuary invited us to help them release hundreds of babies. Soooooo cool!
• Cute choreography.
• Who knew coconuts could be so dangerous?  ha ha
• The plot is pretty simple, yet Moana has a lot of interesting and creative adventures along her journey.

Things I didn’t like:

• For some reason, Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison) was the only character with a Polynesian accent.
• You have to listen to the songs a few times to understand the clever lyrics, because sometimes they're sung so fast you can't catch everything the first time around.
• You don't have to see it in 3D to love it.

Funny lines:

•  “Nothing?  Really?  What’s a demigod gotta do?” - Maui
• “Really?  A blow dart in my butt cheek?” – Maui
• “I’m the village crazy lady.  That’s my job.” – Grandma Tala
• “When you use a bird to write with, it’s called Tweeting.” – Maui
• “What’s nunya?” – Moana     “None of ya business.” - Maui

Interesting lines:

•  “The call that calls isn’t out here – it’s inside me.” - Moana

Tips for parents:

• There is a theme of reincarnation you might want to talk to your kids about.  Do you believe in reincarnation?  Resurrection? Talk to your children about where you believe you go after this life.
• There is a fiery lava monster that might scare young children.
• Young children may need to be reminded that they have to be very careful in the ocean when they go to the beach.

Central Intelligence showcases funny chemistry and potty mouths

Movie Title:   Central Intelligence

  

Grade:   B

Rating:   PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

In a Nutshell:    “Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson…”  The movie tag line is as racy as a lot of the other lines in the movie, but you can’t deny the great chemistry Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have together in this action buddy comedy.

 Uplifting theme: 

• #Blessed
• Overcoming bullies in your life, whatever or whoever they are.
• Be the hero of your own story.
• “In life, the most important thing you can be is yourself.” – Bob Stone

Things I liked:

• It’s so fun seeing Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart as high school students.  The impressive CGI makes them look young and morphs Dwayne Johnson’s face onto another body.  We saw similar effects with Tony Stark in the latest Avenger movie, “Captain America: Civil War.”
• Funny fight scene in Calvin’s office.
• I am a geek who makes random movie references in conversations, so I got a kick out of the shout-outs to “Sixteen Candles”, “Good Fellas”,  “Barber Shop”, “Twilight”, and “Road House.”
• From the trailers, I had no idea that Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, The Office’s Amy Ryan, and funnyman Jason Bateman were in the film.  Another fun surprise was Mellissa McCarthy!
• Fanny packs make so much sense, right?
• I always enjoy funny outtakes at the end of movies.  I thought the joke about “The Rock” being a dumb name was hilarious.  Dwayne Johnson, apparently, thought so too.
• I really enjoyed the fact that I wasn’t completely confident about who the good guys and bad guys were during most of the movie. 
• Director Rawson Marshall Thurber had a challenge with framing to fit both lead actors in the same shot because of their height difference.  Nice job.  By the way, Thurber brought us other raunchy comedies such as "We Are The Millers" and "Dodge Ball."
• It's refreshing to see the two lead actors switch comedic roles.  We're not used to seeing Hart as the straight man and Johnson as the funny man.
• It's set up perfectly for a sequel.  Get your unicorn shirts ready.

Things I didn’t like:

• LOTS of crude jokes about farts, porn, and body parts.
• The plot isn’t exactly original, but it still worked…enough.
• Some racist jokes.

Funny lines:

• “You’re like a chocolate Google.” – Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson)
• “You are Jason Bourne in shorts!” – Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart)
• “What did you do?  One thing? Tell me!” – Calvin

“I worked out 6 hours a day for 20 years straight.” – Bob

• “You look like a black Will Smith or something.” – Bob

“Oh, OK. I don’t know if that’s racist, but I’ll take it as a compliment.” – Calvin

• “I got a plan.  It might get us both killed, but if it works, it’ll be a totally boss story. Cool?” – Bob
• "No!  Not cool!" - Calvin
• “I’m not in.” – Calvin

“But I think you are.” – Bob

“But I’m not.” – Calvin

“It might be a perception vs. reality thing happening right now.” – Bob

• “Well, there’s no coming back from that.” – Principal Kent (Phil Reeves)
• “Black people don’t go to therapy.  They go to barbershops to talk about their problems.  And then they watch “Barbershop.” - Calvin
• “You’re the power couple.  I mean, you’re like Taylor Swift and whoever she’s dating right now.” – Bob
• “Is that from the Twilight movies?” – Calvin
• “Take my gun, Jet.  We may have to kill some people.” – Bob
• “Are you OK?  You kind of sound like Ray Liotta at the end of Good Fellas.” – Maggie (Danielle Nicolet)

Ha ha.  That’s so funny.  That’s such a good reference.” - Calvin

Did you notice?

• Bob Stone likes cinnamon pancakes and unicorns on his Facebook profile?  Bob said “Oh yeah, I’m big time into corns.  They’re so magical.”
• The centaur mascot at the high school assembly?

Tips for parents:   

• You will see the complete naked back side of a fat kid when Bob was in high school and then again as an adult…this time it’s really Dwayne Johnson’s posterior.
• High school bullying is depicted in the first 5 minutes of the film. In the next 5 minutes there is sexual harassment depicted in the work place.
• Kevin Hart flips the bird at someone.
• Lots of profanity, including 1 F-bomb.

San Andreas rocks the box office

Movie:    San Andreas [HD]

PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

Grade:  Special effects = A, Plot = C,  Dialogue = C

In a Nutshell:   There are a lot of moving rocks in this movie, but the best one is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who is so big and strong that he could probably pull California’s tectonic plates together single-handedly.  Seriously, the guy is gigantic and just doggone fun to watch.  You get to see him rip a door right off of a car, as well as a bunch of other life-saving stunts. 

His box office draw is also huge: this film took in $53.2 million dollars opening weekend, completely crushing the competition.

Pay a little extra to see this one in 3D.  The CGI team was incredible.  I remember when the 1974 Earthquake movie came to a new theater near my house when I was a little girl.  The theater boasted that you could feel the shaking.  I could and was immediately addicted to disaster movies.  If you want that same experience, upgrade to IMAX.  If you’d rather save money, have your buddy sit next to you and bump into you every 3 minutes while you watch this silly popcorn flick.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Be prepared!   Paul Giamatti plays a professor at Cal Tech who is researching earthquakes.  He tells his class “It’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN.”  Later he laments “No one listens to us until the ground shakes.”  Sadly, that’s true.  You need to start preparing now.  It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark…

·         SPOILER ALERT:  There is a moment at the end of the movie where you see an American flag unfurl to show off the great American spirit and resolve a la post-9/11.  One character asks “So, what now?”  Another person states “Now we rebuild.”   

·         We have to help each other.  In the movie, in order to survive, the characters have to move to higher ground.  That’s not just physically-speaking.  We need to be better and kinder to one another.

Things I liked:

·         I get a kick out of Paul Giamatti, who consistently gives us good performances.  I’m currently watching his mini-series John Adams and recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about one of America’s Founding Fathers and presidents.

·         The beautiful Alexandra Daddario plays Blake, The Rock’s daughter and the eye candy for the film.  Her acting and looks are more mature than when we last saw her in Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief .

·         Did you notice the purple trees surrounding the buildings at California Institute of Technology?  They must have taken those aerial shots over the campus last spring when the Jacaranda trees were in bloom.  Beautiful. Why would I even notice that?  Hey, I live in the desert in Las Vegas and notice anything that blooms!
     Notice the heart necklace floating in water at the very beginning.  It’s important.

·         If you’re a disaster freak, you get to see earthquakes, fires, and even a Tsunami.  Sorry, no plagues or pestilence.

·         I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so it was fun to see some of my old stomping grounds, although I wasn’t happy to see most of them destroyed!  Here’s a picture I took of Coit Tower when I visited there with my parents a couple of years ago.  It’s featured as one of the landmarks in the movie.   

Things I didn’t like:

·         Product placement in movies always kind of annoys me.  I had to snicker when every single student in Lawrence’s college classroom  owned a Mac.

·         Super dramatic music.  The movie takes itself very seriously.

·         I seriously wanted to shave Paul Giamatti’s scraggly beard.  Hey, I saw this movie in IMAX, so those fly-away facial hairs were all over the place!

·         SPOILER ALERT:  It’s so cliché to make the rich guy a complete jerk.

·         I have to admit that some of the material was pretty ridiculous.

Funny lines:

·         “It’s been awhile since I got you to 2^nd base.” – Ray says to Emma while they’re standing in San Francisco’s famous AT&T baseball stadium

·         “Elgin, if you move any faster, you’re going to break a hip.” – Ray

·         “Contrary to popular belief, scientists don’t know everything.”  - Lawrence

·         “I can’t wait to be 20.” – Ollie,  as he watches his big brother kiss a beautiful girl

·         “Who wants an A in an independent study class I’m starting: “how to hack media outlets!”?  - Lawrence

·         “If you’re not already dead, I’m going to F-n kill you!” – Emma (Carla Gugino)

Tips for Parents:

·         The PG-13 rating is for intense disaster sequences, a pretty high body count, and, as you can imagine, a lot of people swearing as they try to survive the death and destruction.  Most of the profanity is when people say “OMG” when they realize how serious a situation is, but Emma (the mom) gets the honor of dropping the only F-bomb in the movie because she’s ticked off that someone hurt her daughter.  Hey, you don’t mess with mama bears.

·         The college professor gives you a short history of the biggest earthquakes in the history of the world at the beginning of the movie.  Did you know the largest earthquake in North America was a gigantic 9.1 in Alaska?

Prepper tips based on this movie:

·         Be married to a hulk of a man who has easy access to a helicopter to save you.

·         “You need to drop, cover, and hold on because your life is going to depend on it.”  - Lawrence

·         Learn how to hotwire a car

·         You need a plan

·         “Every city has a tactical channel.”  - Blake   (Get yourself a ham radio or GMRS radio so you can communicate with your loved ones when the cell towers are down.)

·         Learn to run fast.  Surviving a disaster involves lots of running.

·         Learn CPR and First Aid.  When your loved ones are hurt, you’re going to wish you knew how to help them.

·         Don’t wear flip flops before disaster strikes.  Ha ha  (Both leading ladies are conveniently wearing boots.)

·         Don’t text and drive.

·         Know what the threats are to the city in which you live.  I live in Las Vegas where people were completely shocked when we had a 4.8 earthquake last weekend.  The city sits on SEVERAL fault lines!  If you want to see where the most recent earthquakes hit in the world TODAY, go to  http://earthquaketrack.com/recent      SPOILER ALERT: Hoover Dam is completely destroyed in the movie, which is pretty spectacular to watch, but not something I hope ever happens.  I just drove across that amazing bridge last weekend on my way to visit my son in Arizona!  It’s so high and scary!  It snapped like a toothpick in about 2 seconds in the movie after a 7.1 earthquake.  EEK!  I hope it takes a much bigger earthquake than that to crumble the surrounding area.  Fun fact: Alexandra Daddario pronounces the state of Nevada incorrectly in the movie….it’s not Nevoda people!

·         Know how to commandeer an airplane and boat.

·         Keep a map of your city on you.  Nope, the cell phone navigator probably won’t work.

·         For more great emergency preparedness tips, visit my friend’s preparedness web site at http://michael.coxfam.org/family-home-storage/


Can't get enough of the moving and shaking?  Try some of these earthquake movies:

Furious 7 is playfully preposterous and a sweet tribute to Paul Walker

Movie:    Furious 7 

PG-13, 2 hours 20 minutes

Grade:  A for amazing stunts and action, C for cheese

In a Nutshell:  Paul Walker’s character says “Just when you didn’t think it could get any better, huh?” as if he were really talking about this film.   If you love this action franchise, you’ll love this new addition to the ongoing saga.  Like the others before it, this one has LOTS of action and testosterone, not to mention cheesy lines that you’ll be laughing at and quoting with your friends for a long time.  

You’ll think you’re watching one of The Terminator movies, because villains and heroes refuse to die, despite unbelievable crashes and over-the-top fights.  Don’t get me wrong, the body count is high and some of the deaths show pretty yucky endings.  

The absolute best/funniest moment of the movie is when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson bulges his massive muscles and bursts out of an arm cast, saying “Daddy’s gotta go to work.”   Haha  

Uplifting Theme:

·         Sadly and ironically, Paul Walker was tragically killed in a real life car accident about midway through the filming of this movie in 2014.  The characters in this film, as well as Paul Walker, lived their lives doing what they loved.  He will be missed.  The song See You Again (feat. Charlie Puth) plays in the movie and is a touching tribute to Paul. Vin Diesel even named his new baby daughter Pauline after his dear friend.

·         Dominic (Vin Diesel) affirms “Everyone’s always looking for the thrill, but what’s real is family.” Family is who you surround your life and love with.

Things I liked:

·         It’s always fun to see Kurt Russell in anything.  I was in love with him when I was a little girl.  I want a pair of his cool night-vision glasses.

·         Epic fight scenes between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.

·         I love looking at Jordana Brewster.  She is such a beautiful porcelain doll.

·         Michelle Rodriguez looked beautiful in that red dress.  Note to girls: make sure there is a big slit in your gown so you can kick butt in case you get into a serious cat fight at your fancy event.

·          

Things I didn’t like:

·         Most of the stunts are so ridiculously awesome that they couldn’t possibly ever be done in real life.  I’d like to see Myth Busters try them.

·         If you haven’t seen any of the Fast & Furious (2009) movies before, you won’t appreciate the backstories that bring all of these characters together again, but you’ll still enjoy the fun ride.

·         Vin Diesel poses and stares off in contemplation a LOT.  There’s also a lot of slow-motion walking scenes so you can linger on the stars' awesomeness a bit longer.

Cheesy lines:

·         “They say an open road helps you think.” – Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel)

·         “You better start talking before I break that finger six different ways and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.” – Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson)

·         “He doesn’t miss the cars.  He doesn’t miss the girls.  He misses the bullets.” –Mia talking about her husband

·         “When you find the guy who killed Han, what are you going to do?” –

“Words haven’t been invented yet.” – Dominic

·         “Did you bring the calvalry?” – Letty (Michelle Rodriguez)

“Woman, I AM the cavalry!” – Luke (The Rock)

Funny lines:

·         “Don’t worry.  You’ll get use to this in no time.” – Preschool mom

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of .” – Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker)

·         “You risk your life to save the world and they give you Jello and a bad ‘70’s show.” – Dominic

·         “I’m just a guy.  I’m just a nobody.” – Petty

“That’s a pretty big entrance for a nobody.” – Dominic

·         “Your file’s not only detailed, it’s extremely entertaining.” - Petty

Tips for Parents:

·         What do guys like?  According to this movie...fast cars and scantily clad girls.  There are a lot of both, including close-ups of thongs, buns, and inappropriate jokes about women’s bodies.

·         I sat next to two different sets of teenage boys.  They all clapped, laughed and squealed with delight.  That’s entertainment.