Film Review - "Baby Driver"

Baby Driver
Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring Ansel Engort, Kevin Spacey, and Lily James

It's nice to know in summers filled with sequels, reboots, and remakes we can still get films that are original and well-made. As of right now, Edgar Wright's Baby Driver is not just a highlight for this summer season of films, it's a highlight among this year's films.

Baby (Engort) is a getaway driver, in the debt of a criminal kingpin named Doc (Spacey). What makes Baby so special is he suffers from tinnitus in his ears, so he listens to music while he drives, sharpening his focus and making him the absolute best.

After Baby fulfills his debt to Doc, he seeks to live a life free of crime and strikes up a relationship with a waitress named Debora (James). Unfortunately Doc pulls him back in for one more job, which will give him enough money to start a new life with Debora. Doc assembles his crew with Baby and other criminals-for-hire (Jon Hamm, Eiza Gonzalez, and Jamie Foxx) and the job goes underway. It doesn't take long for Baby to realize that getting out will be a lot easier said then done.

Baby Driver is pretty much Drive meets Guardians of the Galaxy (I said it first Steve. You can check Twitter...). What's a pretty simple, dare I say cliche, story is elevated to new heights with buckets of humor and heart. Edgar Wright once again proves he's master at what he does, with stellar camera work and a unique brand of humor. The look of the film is great too, with some stellar, vibrant set pieces and some great light-work. The soundtrack is awesome, and it meshes with the film and story to a tee. Makes you wonder if Edgar Wright would do if he directed a Guardians of The Galaxy-oh right yeah. Damn...too soon?

One thing that brings the film down though is the relationship between Baby and Debora. It's not to say that Engort and James don't have any chemistry, they do, but the fact that they fall in love so fast and she's willing to run across the country with the guy she just met, it's a little too old school Disney for these modern times...not that I would ever, EVER bash old school Disney!!

As far as performances, this is the film that made me recognize Ansel Engort as a legit actor. Good job kid. Now cast aside a life of Divergent and The Fault In Our Stars and have a real career. In all seriousness he plays the calm, cool Baby perfectly and anchors the film. Lily James gives a sweet and charming performance as Debora. Kevin Spacey does his usual good work as Doc. Jaimie Foxx is okay as Bats but he's just doing a darker version of his Horrible Bosses character. Eiza Gonzalez is a fun addition to the cast as Darling, and Jon Hamm delivers a dark and charming performance as Buddy.

If you're feeling a touch overwhelmed with sequels and reboots right now, do yourself a favor and go see Baby Driver. It's a superbly crafted and fun film with a great cast and soundtrack. It's another classic from Edgar Wright that's sure to end up on many "Best Films of 2017" lists.

…maybe Edgar Wright can direct a DC film? Oh man imagine his version of The Flash...

Film Review - "Cars 3"

Cars 3

Directed by Brian Fee

Starring Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, and Chris Cooper

As I've said Cars 2 marked a major turning point for the studio. So far it's the only film from the studio to get a rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and ever since the quality of their films, and the public's reception to them has varied. Unfortunately the next film in the Cars franchise isn't a return to former Pixar glory, but it's still an enjoyable film.

The game of racing is changing, and Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is no longer the young hot-shot he once was (Even though the first film came out only nine years ago...maybe cars age differently...) A new generation of racers is taking over, including a sleek newcomer named Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer). In a desperate attempt to beat Storm, McQueen suffers a devastating crash. The film picks up four months later, and with a new season approaching, McQueen is desperate to get back on top. His sponsor assigns him to an enthusiastic trainer, Cruz Ramirez (Alonzo) who has racing aspirations of her own.

Let me just start by saying the film makes a great move in focusing back on McQueen and his career, and completely leaving the events of Cars 2 out of the narrative. There's a nice parallel drawn between McQueen and Doc Hudson's (The late Paul Newman) relationship, and the relationship he forms with Cruz. It is slightly strange though hearing new (unused) voice-over from Newman years after his death.

The film is trying to be the Cars equivalent of Toy Story 3, taking advantage of the passage of time and the aging of its main character. Sadly it's not very effective. For one we had like a decade between Toy Story sequels and only six years between Cars sequels, and they're just not sure what to do with the story. There's almost competing story-lines. One where McQueen has suffered a setback and is trying to get back on track, and another where he's at the end of his career and must look towards a future, training the next generation. Sadly both story-lines don't really get the development they deserve. Disney might have been afraid to retire McQueen, fearing a dip in merchandise sales, and a loss for potential sequels.

That and the pacing of the script is kind of all over the place. We go through a whole season of racing in like the first fifteen minutes or so, and it seemed to me like there was a lot of story potential lost there. The rest of the film is devoted to McQueen getting his groove back, but most of its pretty dull, and I found myself checking my watch a few times. Particularly during the sequence where he and Cruz go undercover at some sort of monster truck derby (By the way I'm not going to debate the existence of a school bus character in this universe...like so do smaller car children ride in her...).

I will say the sequence where McQueen goes to Doc Hudson's old training grounds and meets his old coach Smokey (Cooper) features some of the film's stronger points, and when it really focused in on the themes of legacy and the passing of torches, that's when Cars 3 really shines. Sadly though the film is bogged down by an underdeveloped script and moments that are geared strictly towards younger audiences. I can't really fault it for that though. Out of all Pixar's properties, Cars is the one more for kids than adults, but even adults can enjoy the original.

In terms of animation, this world again looks spectacular. If nothing else Pixar can always get the look and feel of their films down, and they really take advantage of the country's multitude of varying landscapes. The voice acting is top-notch. Owen Wilson gets back into the lead role naturally . Larry The Cable Guy still plays a fine Mater, although he's not in the film much (THANK CHRIST...). Chris Cooper nails the voice of Smokey, Doc Hudson's old trainer. Cristela Alonzo brings a lot of heart and humor to the role of Cruz. Armie Hammer plays Jackson Storm with a grade-A brand of cockiness and contempt. Nathan Fillion is his Nathan Fillion-ist as McQueen's new sponsor Sterling. As for returning cast members/characters, they all do fine but don't expect to see too much of them here.

Whether we like it or not, Pixar is full-in the sequel game now. While in 2015 they gave us two original properties (Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur), last year they gave us Finding Dory, and two of their next three films are sequels. We have Coco in the fall, the highly anticipated The Incredibles 2 next summer, and the highly questionable Toy Story 4 in 2019. It's only a matter of time before we find out if there's a Cars 4 in the future, but for now, Cars 3 is probably the best kind of Cars sequel we can get. Definitely not the most "for all ages" Pixar film out there but that's what we've come to expect from the Cars films, and it's still a worthwhile watch.

And I'm glad I can finally say this.....Still better than Cars 2.