Fast X, Hypnotic and Chevalier

 

Not sure if the script was decent as there was too much mumbled dialogue in Fast X. I cannot remember seeing any of the previous nine films in the Fast and Furious franchise. Apparently they all star Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez etc. But it's just one stunt after another. Occasionally these were totally impressive. It was interesting to see other members of the cast including Helen Mirren (she's only six months younger than me but time has not been kind), Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Jason Statham and Charlize Theron. The baddie (Jason Momoa) could have done with at least one sidekick. I was not convinced. I thought the film had elements of the Mission Impossible franchise and later found out that so did other people. Someone said that it was "dumber and more delicious than ever". Sorry but I had nothing with which to compare. What was really disappointing was that at the end I found out that this movie was the first in what maybe a series. The ending was a cliff-hanger right out of Saturday morning pictures. Just like the trailer for the new Mission Impossible told us that this will be over two movies. A joke, right?

I could not make up my mind whether Ben Affleck was deliberately trying to be an idiot, or whether this came naturally. Robert Rodriguez' s Hypnotic. is a reasonable science fiction thriller about people who have powers of hypnotism. It could have just been a fantasy movie but it tried to keep it's feet on the ground. Again some expensive stunts and it didn't outstay it's welcome.  

Chevalier is a  historical drama loosely based on the life of Joseph Bologne who wowed the French court in the mid eighteenth century. Or so we are led to believe. There is no doubt that he was an extremely talented classical composer and musician. A virtuoso violinist, a top class fencer is there nothing at which he did not excel? The story of the son of a slave and a plantation owner was always interesting in the absence of any other decent drama. A typical American production who, when faced with a foreign location, stuff the cast with British acting talent. Good for them. Samara Weaving, Lucy Boynton, Sian Clifford and Minnie Driver play alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr as Bologne. He was OK but it needed someone with more personality.