She's the Man
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
She's the Man
In "She's the Man," inspired by Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," teenager Viola decides to impersonate her brother because only boys are allowed into the school's soccer team 's and she so desperately wants to prove that girls are just as good as boys at soccer. Her masquerade, of course, causes a lot of tumult, especially when the school's "hottest chick" falls in love with Viola (thinking she's a guy) and Viola, in turn, falls in love with her hunky teammate. This movie does, though, have several scenes worth watching. Amanda Bynes has an endless amount of energy and a fair amount of charm in the role of Viola. There are a couple of humorous bits concerning the differences between boys and girls. At some points, it almost seems like the movie is trying to be a satire on American teen culture and not just your conventional, stupid teenage comedy. However, the stupid teenage comedy gets the upper hand, which is a shame. If the more edgy stuff had been allowed to play out, this could have been an entertaining little flick. But in the end, it's a wasted opportunity with an unbearably sappy conclusion. Truth be told, it's not really worth anyone's time.
( Julie Vinten )
"She's the Man" is an exuberant and charming teen comedy that overwhelms you by the sheer force of its enthusiasm. Part "Twelfth Night" and part "Bend it Like Beckham," the convoluted story is about a feisty teenage girl called Viola (Amanda Bynes) who pretends to be her brother in order to get into his school's soccer side. She ends up falling in love with her dorm roommate, while the hottest girl in school falls in love with her. Amanda Bynes is absolutely delightful as Viola. Her ridiculously improbable posturing as a teenage guy is so silly that it is genuinely comical. The script is also very sharp in places and manages to be both a joyous affirmation of adolescence while mocking its many absurdities. "She's the Man" is hardly groundbreaking but it is certainly better than most teen comedies. The soccer scenes are embarrassingly unrealistic though, and Vinnie Jones' turn as a hard-as-nails soccer coach is downright annoying. It also gets a little exhausting toward the end as the film's exuberance turns into an all-out barrage. One happy ending normally suffices but "She's the Man" offers up a whole load of them just to ensure that no one leaves the movie theater with anything less than a cheek-wrenching grin on their face.
( Tim Ochser )
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
For the ones that like fast, gorgeous cars and fast, gorgeous women, things don't really get any better than something like "The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift." As a piece of cinema, however, the movie leaves something to desire. After wild child Sean (Lucas Black) is penalized for crashing his sports car into state property - he gets the choice of going to jail or living with his father in Tokyo - he chooses Japan. But once in Tokyo, he still can't escape trouble with cars, girls and the Yakuza. A Sonny Chiba appearance and well-shot race sequences might help the movie, but they don't necessarily make it good. I guess the worst thing you can say about a movie with as many wild race scenes as this is that it's boring. The filmmakers most likely wanted to make a movie about the dreams of troubled youth, a movie with more character development and story than the previous "Fast and Furious" films. But the character depiction is as horrible as the narrative. As for the director's attempt to make this flick something more than fast cars and fast women 's it crashes and burns.
( Julie Vinten )
I was dreading having to review this film and my worst fears were confirmed after a mere 10 seconds into it. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is an execrable fart of sound and fury, signifying considerably less than nothing. The plot can be summed up in just two words: vroom vroom. But even that is a tautology. The main character of the film is Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), an actor with as much charm and charisma as a potato with a face carved into it. Actually, that's an insult to that earthiest of vegetables. Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, potassium and vitamin C, whereas the rubber tuberous character of Sean abounds only in vile cliche and idiocy. The dialogue naturally involves lots of talk about engine size and horse power, while the story is a rerun of countless other films, with the difference that it is set in Tokyo and involves the art of drifting. "There's nothing wax on wax off about it" explains Sean's Japanese mentor, a handsome criminal who "drifts" as a way of showing off to women. I don't wish to sound dramatic but when I watch films like "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" I cannot help but wonder what has gone so horribly wrong with the world.
( Tim Ochser )
