4m 4s: Lenght

• The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) -- Stunts can't overcome the forgettable cast and disposable script, 5/10. WATCH full episodes of "Movie Night" -- http://bit.ly/JogJPMN TWEET a review with the #JPMN hashtag, and have it featured! ~~ Watch More Reviews ~~ Browse By Year ----- http://bit.ly/MNYear Browse By Rating --- http://bit.ly/MNRating Trailer Reviews ------- http://bit.ly/MNTrailers ~~ Other Channels ~~ Jogwheel (Main channel) --- http://bit.ly/Jogwheel Jon's World (2nd channel) -- http://bit.ly/JonWorld The Microwave Show --------- http://bit.ly/TMSArchive uStream Live Shows ---------- http://bit.ly/JogLive ~~ Social Media & Merch ~~ Twitter ---------------------------- http://bit.ly/JonTW Facebook ----------------------- http://bit.ly/JonFBFan Instagram ----------------------- http://bit.ly/JonInsta Patreon -------------------------- http://bit.ly/JonPatreon Letterboxd ---------------------- http://bit.ly/JonLetterboxd T-Shirts -------------------------- http://bit.ly/JogStore ~~ Technical Credits ~~ Created by ------ Jonathan Paula Camera ---------- Panasonic HMC-150 Microphone ----- Sennheiser ME 66 Software --------- Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2014 Computer ------- http://bit.ly/JAV010 • Jogwheel Productions © 2015 • ~~ Review Script ~~ This action crime drama was released in June of 2006, where it nearly doubled its estimated $85 million dollar budget. Abandoning all of the characters and locations from the previous two installments, this PG-13 rated effort introduces us to an all new group of street racers and their adversarial relationships. With enough chest hair for a character twice his age, Lucas Black stars as an impatient teen who becomes a rising star in Tokyo's drift racing scene. Despite his obnoxious southern accent, he's a pretty enthusiastic protagonist... even if his acting is limited to him grimacing and winking. Defending himself against an automotive insult, Lucas confidently responds, "It's not the ride, it's the rider". It's appropriate though that "black sheep" of the "Fast" franchise is lead by an actor whose surname is "Black". His reckless behavior in a thrilling car chase that opens the film, against the oldest brother from "Home Improvement", forces him to relate to the land of the rising sun - where the story pivots to a fish-out-of-water narrative. Once the 104-minute film is done focusing on his culture shock, we're introduced to the supporting cast, which includes juvenile rapper Bow Wow, Nathalie Kelley, Brian Goodman, Brian Tee, and Sung Kang making his first of four appearances in the franchise. Kang has a few key moments delivering sage advice as the mentor character, while Tee is perfect as the cocky, close-talking bad guy you'll love to hate. Goodman provides an interesting father / son dynamic with Black as well, which are some of the picture's strongest scenes. I was annoyed however that even in a cast populated entirely by Asians, the Peruvian born Kelley was chosen as the romantic foil. Well, at least I think that was her intended purpose: she never actually kisses Black, who seems more turned on by a V8 motor than the sexy women around him. Like the cars they're driving, the music here is a fast and loud blend of American rock and Japanese pop. Director Justin Lin makes his franchise debut; with a decently steady and focused style that shows off the exotic imports as well as the Asian babes. Although the professional stunt drivers employed on "Tokyo Drift" reportedly destroyed north of 100 vehicles, all of their drifting was accomplished without the aid of CGI: and makes rally driver Ken Block look like an amateur. As it's explained in the film, drifting is only performed for show and doesn't actually provide advantage. Much like the franchise itself: the slick skidding maneuver is all fluff, and little substance. Universal Studios relinquished their rights to the "Riddick" series just to secure Vin Diesel for a final-scene cameo, which results in fun bit of fan service that attempts to tie this picture together with later installments. Indeed, with zero returning characters, and as the lowest grossing entry in the series it would have been easy to disavow this picture and pretend it was just a bastard spin-off that didn't work. Instead, the franchise doubled down on this picture's continuity by referencing its irrelevant plot in the next three films, which in-effect, became defacto prequels. This retroactive integration actually improves this film's divisive legacy, saving it from being the worst in the series. The paint-by-numbers approach of this film is worth seeing at least once, and only then because of its title, and unique, oriental location. And while some of the stunts and chases are frantic and enjoyable, the characters lack depth, and the story originality. "The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift"... Exciting automotive stunts can't overcome the forgettable cast and disposable script. I'll score this an ALRIGHT. ~