F9: The Fast Saga

F9 bills itself as The Fast Saga, but my showtime was The Slow Saga. It took about 20 minutes to get from the ads to the trailers (there's a difference). Then, quite a bit in, the picture cut out and it took a few minutes to get it back. This film already clocks in at 145 minutes. A few less, or no, delays could've been nice.

But I got a free ticket for next time...

Anyway, the latest part of The Fast Saga sees Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew called back into service when Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) disappears in Central America. His plane was shot down there while transporting supervillain Cipher (Charlize Theron) and half of a MacGuffin called Ares. Dom refuses to get involved until he looks a bit further...

It turns out Dom's brother Jakob (John Cena) is with the bad guys. Jakob killed their brotherly love by sabotaging their dad's race car. Jakob now plans to assemble Ares for his benefactor, a spoiled rich man named Otto (Thue Ersted Rasmussen). Our heroes split up internationally to get some help. In Tokyo, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) find Han Lue (Sung Kang), who was seemingly killed off in Fast & Furious 6 (and Tokyo Drift). Han and his ward, Elle (Anna Sawai), prove very relevant for the villains' plan.

Of course, the film indulges in wild car chases and stunts. I mean, the climax has two of our heroes going into space in a rocket car. But that's mundane compared to the giant magnet they procure from the villains. Cars, tables, phones and more are thrown around town whenever it's used. It's stylized mayhem at its best. 

A story still exists amidst the carnage. The crew's family dynamic is still entertaining. Dom and Jakob's rivalry has a few surprising twists, especially Jakob's reason for the sabotage. But sometimes, the film speeds along too quickly into action. Mia and Letty finding Han's apartment and meeting Elle immediately segues into an ambush by the bad guys. Talk about whiplash. Its themes of mortality amongst its mainstays is undermined by Han's sudden reappearance. Expect the best when the film sets up the worst for its cast. A lot. It must be a running gag. 

Now for a few cast highlights. The best scene is Helen Mirren's cameo as Magdalene Shaw. She makes off with a few jewels and slips away from the cops. An impressive car chase ensues when they notice. Rasmussen as Otto is an OK supervillain, though Theron as Cipher is an even better one. Otto's mute brute henchman is a memorable sight even if his name is not. Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) get the best laughs of the crew. And of course, Vin as Dom is the strong lead driver here.

Universal has promised The Fast Saga will end in two more movies. It's probably a good thing. Its piling-up continuity and retcons strains the story. It's full of mayhem worthy of the big screen but its length is too much. Its family dynamic is still strong here, though. There's much to like and much to nitpick. See it for yourselves to see what I mean. All this and more in F9: The Fast Saga.

In The Heights

 Long before he made the founding fathers sing and rap, Lin Manuel Miranda made contemporary New York dance and sing in his musical, In The Heights. It's now a big-screen musical adapted by its original librettist, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and directed by John M. Chu. It's ready to watch in theaters or HBOMax.

Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) runs a bodega in Washington Heights, NYC. His eclectic neighbors include the neighborhood matriarch, Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz), Daniela (Daphne Rubin-Vega) the salon owner, taxi owner Kevin Rosario (Jimmy Smits) and his employee, Benny (Corey Hawkins), and Usnavi's cousin, Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV). Usnavi wants to return to his native Dominican Republic and to ask out Vanessa (Melissa Barrera). 

Vanessa plans to move uptown to pursue her little dreams (or, Suenito, as the film phrases it) of fashion design. Usnavi's dreams get a little easier when he learns he sold a $96,000 winning lotto ticket. Meanwhile, Kevin's daughter, Nina (Leslie Grace), drops out of college and returns home. She's also dating Benny. The neighbors' personal problems get worse when a blackout hits. 

The film isn't an exact replica of the stage musical. But I think it gets the original points across pretty well. Hudes textually alters her libretto into a naturally flowing screenplay. It discusses a few political topics relevant since its original inception, for instance. It's still recognizably the same story from back then. Its 143 minutes are somewhat slow, but let's talk about the aspects that make them zip by.

Usnavi and his neighbors are a great ensemble. Usnavi, in particular, is a likable lead with a compelling dream. He's a good neighbor and friend to the Heights. He never loses his drive or decency easily. Benny is a cool guy. Their relationships with Vanessa and Nina, respectively, are strong ones. Not easy, but still good. Abuela is a warm maternal figure for Usnavi and the Heights. You'll miss her when she's gone. Daniela and her fellow salon employees, Carla (Stephanie Beatriz) and Cuca (Dascha Polanco), are fun supporting characters. Miranda gives himself the role of a Piragua vendor, while Broadway's first Benny, Christopher Jackson, is his arch-enemy, the ice cream man. Their rivalry is pretty funny.

Meanwhile, Chu and his technical team envision a fantastical New York for Usnavi and Co. I don't just mean the massive and magnificent numbers choreographed by Christopher Scott. I also mean a city where Benny and Nina dance on an apartment wall like Fred Astaire. It's that kind of city. Editor Myron Kerstein and cinematographer Alice Brooks give perfect visual form to Miranda's energetic music and lyrics. The opening number, the city post blackout and Abuella's last number are visual highlights. Production designer Nelson Coates and Costume Designer Nelson Coates bring splendor to the Heights.

In The Heights is worth the one-year delay. It embraces the fantastical in the musical to tell a compelling story of neighborhood dreamers. I've already seen it on HBOMax, but maybe I'll see it on the big screen sometime soon. It's just that great. Stay tuned this year as Miranda will direct another musical, Tick, Tick … Boom and compose for Disney's Encanto.

Raya and the Last Dragon

Raya and the Last Dragon came out on Disney Plus and theaters back in March. But it's only now available for free on the former. Time to see what others have seen.

Once upon a time, there was Kumandra, where dragons and people lived. Evil mist monsters called Druun petrified people and dragons until Sisu, the Last Dragon, stopped them with a magic gem. Kumandra broke apart into five tribes based on where they live along their Dragon River: Tail, Spine, Talon, Fang, and Heart, the last being the actual holders of the gem.

Our heroine is Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), Princess of Heart and the newest gem guardian. One day, her dad Benja (Daniel Dae Kim) invited the other tribes for a meal. But Raya got tricked into revealing the gem's hiding spot. The tribes fight over it, break it and accidentally bring back the Druun. Benja gets Raya to safety before the Druun stone him.

We now get to Sisu (Awkwafina) herself. Raya finally summons her after a six-year quest to save the world. But they need the other gem fragments to do it. Namaari (Gemma Chan), Princess of Fang and Raya's deceiver, is on their tail. They pick up a few allies across Kumandra; Boun (Izaac Wong), the littlest shrimp boat captain, Noi (Thalia Tran), a toddler con-artist raised by monkey-like Ongis and the warrior Tong (Benedict Wong). They'll have to hurry before either Namaari or Druun get to them.

Directors Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada are among the eight names with writing credits. Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen wrote the actual screenplay. The story has quite a few surprises in its 107 minutes. The funniest one is Noi being a con-artist. Namaari betraying Raya is the most serious. The story never lulls thanks to its great characters and action scenes. It all leads to a strong ending with one last "surprise." Some might question the "surprise" but I didn't.

Now about the characters. Raya is a compelling lead all the way through. Her being betrayed is a legitimate surprise and not really a facepalm moment. She does her best to remedy her mistake by saving the world. Namaari tests the audience's sympathy with her callous betrayal and antagonism. But she pulls through in the end. The best character is Sisu, who is delightfully hilarious and warm & serious. Boun, Noi, and Tong are funny as well. Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk), Raya's giant pill bug/armadillo is a memorable animal sidekick. 

The technicals make it great to listen and watch. James Newton Howard's score sets the majestic tone pretty well on its own. Combine it with the dragons at flight, for example, and it's superb. The dragons are wonderfully designed creature characters and their magical powers are splendorous. The tribal lands are visually superb; a highlight is the Talon marketplace. The Druun are perfectly fearsome evil things. The action scenes are excellent, especially when Raya's whip sword is used.

Raya and the Last Dragon is still playing in some theaters (like mine). But I want to make the most of my Disney Plus subscription. So I went there instead. However you watch it is a good option. It's that great of a film. The theatrical release has a short called Us Again, about a couple dancing in the rain like Gene Kelly. It's also available on Disney Plus; I gotta check it out.

Cruella

 Now for a choice. Either pay $30 for Cruella on Disney Plus or $9.50 for a movie theater ticket in a still spooky world. Maybe it wasn't much of a choice; I went with the less expensive option.

Cruella, of course, is Cruella de Vil, the fashionista who wanted to make fur coats out of those 101 Dalmatians in Dodie Smith's novel and Disney's prior versions. It's Emma Stone's turn to turn her hair black and white.

Cruella was once Estella Miller, a schoolgirl with a wicked side named … Cruella. Her mom, Catherine (Emily Beecham) met her end by the guard Dalmatians of the wealthy Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson). Estella escapes to London with her puppy, Buddy, and meets pickpockets Jasper and Horace (Jordan Fry and Paul Walter Hauser as adults) and their chihuahua, Wink. Years later, they busy themselves with grifts disguised as honest work.

Estella finds honest work at a Department Store. One drunken night gets her a job with the Baroness herself. The prestige isn't worth the Baroness's abuse, though. She even finds her mom's necklace on the Baroness. So she takes up the name Cruella once again to upstage the Baroness. It becomes more vicious when she learns the Baroness directly caused her mom's death. Then she gets a surprise...

Five names, including Dana Fox and Tony McNamara on the screenplay itself, have writing credits. There's some logical question presented here. First, how old are the dogs? We see Buddy age from puppy to adult over ten years. But the Dalmatians look no older than they did in the prologue. Second, we see Estella fully embrace the Cruella name at the end. But how does she become the fur-obsessed fashionista prior versions depict her as? The film depicts her as the sort who wouldn't kill puppies. At least some other prequels end with a clear direction to the present. Let's see what a sequel says.

I can say its villain is great. The Baroness is hilariously petty and vain; she'll throw anyone out just for accidentally upstaging her. Anyone who tries to accidentally upstage her get her worst. Her directing the Dalmatians to kill Catherine is villainous on its own. But then we learn her true connection with Cruella. That's when the film truly gets creepy. You'll remember her as much as Cruella from the original films.

Stone is great as Cruella's two halves. One half is a sympathetic young woman trying to survive, and the other half is a confident woman with a devious mind. Both are likable characters. Cruella tests her audience sympathy by mistreating Horace and Jasper. But she comes through in the end. We're in shock with her as she learns of her past. And we're in awe as she outsmarts the Baroness. Again, how will they explain the plot of 101 Dalmatians in a sequel?

Now for the supporting cast. Horace and Jasper are Cruella's likable moral anchors and sidekicks. Buddy and Wink are great dog sidekicks. John (Mark Strong), the Baroness's butler, proves himself a great father figure for Cruella. There's also Anita (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and Roger (Kayvan Novak), the future owners of the 101 Dalmatians. Both are OK supporting characters.

The technical star of the film is costume designer Jenny Beavan. Her wardrobe for Cruella and the Baroness is massive and elaborate. One standout is the cloak Cruella sets on fire in her debut. The makeup and hairstyling department gives Estella and Cruella striking dos and the Baroness massive wigs. Production Designer Fiona Crombie visualizes the imposing Hellman Hall and the stylish 70s London it inhabits. Nicolas Karakatsanis's cinematography is good, but the long take inside the Department Store threatened to make me dizzy. There is a score by Nicholas Britell but you'll notice the set list of oldies even more.

Cruella is a stylish take on the infamous villainess. Its title character is engaging throughout its 135 minutes. She's not much of a villainess by the end, but her nemesis is a modern highlight in villainy. Their banter and more make the film worth it. You can choose where and when to see it. As for me, another recent film just became available for free on Disney Plus. I'll go there next.