‘F9: The Fast Saga’: The series jumps the shark (again) and something much bigger in the 3rd act

“F9: The Fast Saga” (2021) – Saga is the right word when describing “The Fast and the Furious” series.  Director Justin Lin’s “F9: The Fast Saga” is actually the 10th film if you include “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (2019).  Ten films dating back to 2001 is quite the cinematic run, and by comparison, Hollywood released six James Bond, seven “Star Wars”, and four “Star Trek” movies over the same period.  Thankfully, only one “Cats” film reached theatres, but I digress. According to BoxOfficeMojo, these films have raked…

Movie of the Week: ‘A Single Man’

“A Single Man” (2009) – Fashion designer Tom Ford steps into the world of cinema and directs and co-writes “A Single Man”, the story of an English professor (Colin Firth) mourning the loss of his partner, Jim (Matthew Goode).  Set in 1962 Los Angeles, Ford, cinematographer Edward Grau, production designer Dan Bishop, and art director Ian Phillips get all the visuals of the period exactly right, as birthday-cake-icing pinks and blues and muted browns regularly pop into the frame.  Meanwhile, George (Firth) is feeling blue and muted.  He can’t shake…

Celebrate age 13 with ‘Luca’, a pleasant Pixar journey

“Luca” – What’s the most challenging age during childhood?  How about age zero?  Sure, you load no responsibility, and your mom, dad, grandmother, a daycare worker, or some other parental unit feed and change you throughout your first year on Planet Earth.  Then again, your folks completely control your daily itinerary.  Walking is a problem, and so is speaking in clear, concise sentences.  Age zero is no picnic, but when looking back, 13 years young probably is – “Survey says” – the #1 answer on “Family Feud”, seven days a…