“The Fate of the Furious"
The eighth in the franchise. The first one without the late Paul Walker- so despite it’s all-about-family theme- this is not as touching as the last- which actually made me cry with its farewell to walker.
BUT this one has the goods that makes this franchise so beloved: ridiculous car racing scenes. I mean- in this one it literally rains cars. And they’ve come up with a great addition to the cast: Charlize Theron as the bitchy cold villain- with the door left wide open for her return. I knew she had a villain in her when played the queen in “Snow White & the Huntsman” 5 years ago. Great addition !!! Also a plus: the baby. The cutest baby on screen in ages. As usual, the dialogue is cheesy. The plot is insane, but overall- you get exactly what you expect from this franchise- which has a long way to go in terms of length to match up to “James bBond”- which has had 23 movies. “Godzilla” had 30 films!!!
2-and-a-half stars
“Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary”
A really really educational film not just about Coltrane, but other pivotal jazz artists. Coltrane, or Trane, was one of the most significant saxophonists in history. He was fired by miles davis because of his heroin use. Davis had been addicted earlier in his own career and abused other drugs later on. Trane went cold turkey with heroin and as a result, became super spiritual. A really revealing biography and a music/civil rights history lesson all in one.
3 stars