Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver (2017)

7/10

Starring

Ansel Elgort

Kevin Spacey

Lily James

Eiza González

Jon Hamm

Jamie Foxx

Directed by Edgar Wright

Baby Driver starts with a chase scene that reminds me so much of the cop chases you encounter in the E.A. video game Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005). With that image in mind (assuming the reader has played the game), just imagine the excitement that comes with watching this movie. I found myself jerking around, wishing I was the one playing Baby (the name given to the lead) in this film.

Baby Driver is a crime action film written and directed by Edgar Wright, and it’s exciting, thrilling, and worth every minute you spend watching it. Imagine a movie where everyone you know—A-listers like Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx—are on the villain side. The movie puts the lead on the villain side too, and the vibe is completely different from what you get when watching Transporter.

The movie’s first scene introduces us to the lead character and his main role: getaway driver. He works for Doc (Kevin Spacey), who organizes the crew and the jobs that require Baby to drive like hell, escape the police, and bring the cash home. Baby is on a deal with Doc to do a certain number of jobs and then be free. But, like all criminals, Doc doesn’t keep his side of the deal and pulls Baby back in by threatening to hurt everyone he loves. Now, Baby is stuck with a violent crew that won’t follow the plan, and he needs to get out safe and alive to continue life with his girlfriend and foster father.

Edgar Wright is a popular guy behind the wheel. His famous work includes the Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy—Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World’s End (2013)—a set of movies he did with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Edgar is a director I’m very fond of, and his list of great movies is beyond cool. He wrote Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011) and wrote and executive produced Disney’s Ant-Man (2015).

The infusion of music in this movie is something you’ll enjoy to the fullest. Baby is a lover of all kinds of music genres, and we get to hear his picks as he spends most of his time with earphones in. Every intense moment—whether it’s from the twists and turns of the plot or Baby’s driving—will have you glued to the screen. 

The movie is packed with high-energy action and stylish direction, but it has its flaws. The plot, while entertaining, sticks to familiar beats and doesn’t dig too deep beyond its slick presentation. Some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped, making their roles less impactful. The pacing holds up for the most part, but a few scenes, especially in the final act, drag more than they should. The music is a standout, though at times, it drowns out the tension instead of building it. In the end, Ansel Elgort delivers a solid performance, stealing every scene he’s in.

Go see this movie, and keep an eye out for one of the best bass players, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, who’s also in it.

Girls Trip (2017)

Girls Trip (2017)

6/10

Starring

Regina Hall

Tiffany Haddish

Jada Pinkett Smith

Queen Latifah

Directed by Malcom D. Lee

Girls Trip is a foul-mouthed collage of blackness, girl power, and sex drive. Weirdly enough, I couldn’t stop watching. The jokes were cool, and the movie had enough funny moments to make you wish you were on the same trip with these ladies.

This all-girl comedy starts with the introduction of the four ladies—Ryan, Sasha, Dina, and Lisa—each with their own struggles and personalities as they navigate life. The writers, Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, developed the characters around the everyday woman, hoping to reach out to everyone. Whether you see yourself in one of these career women or recognize your sister, mother, or friend, there’s someone to relate to.

The movie’s plot revolves around a book tour to New Orleans. The four friends decide to make the best of this trip, reuniting for a long-overdue getaway. They also plan to visit the annual Essence Music Festival (which is filled with cameos from popular musicians like P. Diddy and Common). The story dives into the struggles of each lady as we watch them support each other during tough times and celebrate together during the good times. The whole group tries to make sure this trip isn’t just memorable but also life-changing.

Ryan (Regina Hall), as mentioned, is a successful author who has her husband by her side for show and tell. Her whole life is on display, and everything must look perfect, legit, and under control—even when it’s not.
Sasha (Queen Latifah) is struggling with success at the moment. Her website business has hit rock bottom financially, and her possessions are being repossessed. She puts up a front because she doesn’t want the others to notice her financial troubles.
Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is the one lady everyone needs to be—carefree and always ready to have a great time, even when having fun seems impossible. Her challenge is keeping her excitement in check, whether she’s angry or happy.
Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a divorced mother of two who’s struggling to get back into the groove of letting loose. She’s uptight and often the butt of many jokes.

Now, here’s something that’s a hit-or-miss with this movie—it leans too much on raunchy humor, sometimes trading depth for cheap laughs. The characters are fun, and the acting is solid, but their arcs feel predictable, with conflicts wrapping up too conveniently. The pacing drags in places, and honestly there’s nothing special going on, it mostly relies on the energy of the cast rather than standout cinematography. The celebrity cameos? Just there for the novelty.

Director Malcolm D. Lee took these four characters and everyone else in the movie and paced them in such a way that they don’t get in each other’s way. You’ll feel like the movie is trying to resolve each person’s story individually while still keeping you, the viewer, entertained.

It’s a good movie and worth seeing when you get the chance.

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017)

5/10

Starring

Ryan Reynolds

Samuel L. Jackson

Elodie Yung

Directed by Patrick Hughes

The very sad thing about this movie is the writing. We’ve all seen this before: a top security agency—in this case, Interpol—must transport a key witness who happens to be one of the henchmen of a high-ranking government official. The witness is set to testify against this official. A security unit is assigned to protect the witness, but the official has eyes inside the agency and learns the transport route to take it down and kill the witness.

There’s always one person who survives alongside the witness—always one. You must understand there can’t be two survivors and the witness; that wouldn’t add to the dramatic effect that the writers of such cliché movies learned in “Lack Originality 101.”

The lone survivor and the witness escape to some safe haven, and the lone survivor reaches out to someone for help with the transport.

If you haven’t seen a movie like this before, I’d have to say you must be living under a rock. The one thing this movie had going for it is the comedic tone it uses to carry us through this cliché roulette. The difference between this movie and others like it is the pairing of the lead actors.

Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds are the pair in this movie, playing Darius Kincaid and Michael Bryce, respectively. Their chemistry is on point, and their first meeting in the movie—after about twenty-seven minutes—is a good show.

In this movie, the lone survivor happens to be Michael’s ex-girlfriend (Elodie Yung, who we fondly know as Elektra Natchios in Netflix’s Daredevil and The Defenders series). It’s easy to guess this twist—you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how they were going to tie Michael into this rendezvous.

The movie also has issues with the mental capability of its characters, like the girlfriend forgetting that the safe house will trigger an alarm when entered.

When it comes to action, the movie doesn’t lack it. As for the directing (the director was Patrick Hughes, who also directed The Expendables 3 (2014)), based on what he had to work with, I’m not sure how to rate his effort here.

I did enjoy the ride because the chemistry between the two leads is something I think more writers need to explore—with a better script and a better director. Regardless, I can’t, in good conscience, rate this movie higher than a five. I also wouldn’t advise anyone to waste time on it. If you miss seeing this movie, you haven’t missed anything at all.