'Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'

Lucas Black
Nathalie Kelley
Bow Wow
Sung Kang
Brian Tee
Leonardo Nam
Sonny Chiba

PG13           104min           2006

‘The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift’ has Lucas Black, a street racer sent to Tokyo by his mother to get away from the trouble he has in America. Living with his father he discovers the underground racing world of Drifting.

It’s on par with the rest of the films. The first that doesn’t star someone from the original and takes the series back to its roots. Black, with his Alabama accent seems like a fish out of water in Tokyo. This time around the story goes back to what started this series.

Tokyo Drift’s story was more about the racing than the story itself. The movie’s story moved to showcase the cars and feature some of the best driving of the series. Drifting is a lot more complicated than you get from ‘Need for Speed’ and the stunt drivers made it look easy from the commentary.

Lucas Black (Sling Blade and Friday Night Lights) plays Sean to a tee. But how much acting really could go into playing a ‘Southern Boy in Tokyo’ went you’re a ‘Southern boy in Tokyo’. ‘Tokyo Drift’ also feature Nathalie Kelley in her feature film debut. She is stunning and not that bad as Neely. Bow Wow is Sean guide into the underworld of drifting and performance adding to his resume.

The story this time around takes a more interesting turn. Black enters the world of drifting and loses a car. Then taken in and mentor, then loses his mentor. Now he must use racing as a way to get out of the trouble his gotten into. This is more race driven, the characters develop around the racing instead of the racing developing round the characters.

I give it 3/5 Gs.

"Tristan + Isode"

James Franco
Sophia Myles
Rufus Sewell
David O’Hara
Mark Strong
Henry Cavill

PG13           125min           2006

“Tristan + Isode” is about second in line to the British crown who falls in love with the Irish princess who would be the future queen of Britain and their love affair that destroys the monarch and starts a war between Ireland and Britain.

“Tritan + Isode” is supposedly the real inspiration for “Romeo and Juliet”. It was neither compelling nor interesting. I disappointed in the story and acting. It was just painful to watch.

This film was a marketed on the basis of “James Franco”. The story was told even before you watched but nothing in it compelled you to watch. You didn’t feel that they passionately love each other. It was more that they were in lust with each other. Young children doing something that there parent told them not too.

I picked it up because it starred Sophia Myles, having seen her in “Underworld” and thought she was under used; I wanted to see what see could do. I wasn’t disappointed in anyone’s acting I was disappointed in the material that they were given. It gives Tristan and Isode no redeeming quality and uses youth as an excuse for stupidity. Not one character questioned their motives or stopped each other.

It gave you nothing interesting to hold on to. Tristan and Isode is a tricky film to pull off and on this they failed miserably at it. Several time during the movie I just stopped watch because it was just too painful to watch. How could two people be this stupid when everything and country depended on them.

“Lust” is a deadly sin and that’s just what they were in. If they truly loved one another they would have put the country ahead of their needs or even come clean. This film did accomplish on thing: Display affairs in a truly light. Affairs affect every around them and can destroy lives needlessly.

This tale has been told far better in “Romeo + Juliet” and “Titanic”. This film is to be seen only if you’re truly a fan of one of the actors.

I give 2/5 Gs