The fourth trailer for DC and Warner Brothers, Man of Steel, not only gives us a better look at the scope of the movie. It also gives us an better look at General Zod (played by Michael Shannon) and his army.  This is definitely the “action” trailer compared to the “drama” trailer we saw a month ago.  There’s also a quick look at Faora (played by Antje Traue).

Let’s take a look!

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When a young Vin Diesel and Paul Walker graced the silver screen in The Fast and the Furious in 2001, it was never expected we would see them in the fifth sequel nearly thirteen years later. The first film was blatantly similar Katherine Bigelow’s 1991 film Point Break, but was smart in how they adapted it to something the male culture clings to – fast cars. I enjoyed the first film, and thought it was a lot of fun. But when 2 Fast 2 Furious came out in 2003, I thought the series had blown all four tires. 2006′s Tokyo Drift was better, with some of the best racing scenes in the series, but still didn’t match up to the original. And then Fast and Furious hit theaters in 2009, bringing back the original cast – and with them, what made the first film so great. By that time they had the budget to make an even better film, and a huge following to go see it. The success of the fourth film spawned Fast Five, which was clearly the best film in the series – and an all around excellent action movie. Which brings us to Fast and Furious 6, a film which would aim to tie up any loose ends from the previous films, and bring the family back together once and for all.

Although not completely necessary to enjoy the film, it is best to have watched the previous movies to really get a feel for the characters and what is going on. In a nutshell, Fast Five brought pretty much all of the characters from the first four films together and landed them in Rio de Janeiro. After breaking Dom (Vin Diesel) out of police custody, Brian (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) also found themselves running away from the law. Along with their “family” comprised of Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Han (Sung Kang), they steal $100 million from drug lord Hernan Reyes – all while being chased down by DSS agent Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). In Fast and Furious 6 Hobbs tracks down Dom, not to bring him into custody, but to ask for his help. His target is former special operative Shaw (Luke Evans), who is trying to steal a computer chip that can take the globe offline. Although Dom is happily retired, he is motivated by a picture of former girlfriend Letty, whom he knows to be dead. In exchange for the help of Dom and his crew, Hobbs promises to take him to her – along with full pardons to finally come back home.

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Fast and Furious 6 is ridiculous, totally illogical, and probably one of the best action movies of the summer. Justin Lin hits a homerun with the 6^th installment in the FF franchise, thanks to great characters and some of the most over the top action sequence to ever hit the big screen.

The focus of this movie is evident from the start, as stated by Dom (Vin Diesel) – family and home. While Diesel is a part of some of the most gravity and physics-defying action sequences, he makes no qualms that the purpose of Fast and Furious 6 is to save his family. His family consists of characters from each of the first five films. Brian, played by Paul Walker, is still up to his same old tricks; trying to play a criminal cop, while bumping uglies with Toretto’s sister, Mia, played by Jordana Brewster. Mia and Brian now have an infant son named Jack, who is already getting lectured by Dom and Brian on what type of racing machine he will drive when old enough. Also back for the 6^th film are Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges and Tyrese Gibson. The pair make for a good source of comic relief in quite a few scenes in the film. Letty, Dom’s girlfriend, played by Michelle Rodriguez, also returns. Letty was thought to be dead at the conclusion of Fast 5. However, she has amnesia, which is explained between car crashes and explosions in the film. She is working for the wrong set of criminals with Dom finds her. Finally, the man who was mainly responsible for the fifth installment being so entertaining, Dwayne Johnson, returns as Luke Hobbs, the muscle-bound officer of the law. While Hobbs was after Dom and his crew in FF5, in the new film, he is working with them to stop a world renowned criminal, played by Luke Evans.

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When The Hangover exploded onto the cinematic scene in 2009, it was the surprise hit of the year. It was without a doubt, one of the more original, and funny movies I had seen in a number of years. It made Zack Galifianakis a household name, along with Bradley Cooper.

Then, came the stinker, Hangover 2. To say it was a letdown, for me, would be an understatement. I honestly thought it was one of the worst movies of the year in 2011. I understand that Scott Armstrong and Todd Phillips were trying to emulate the structure of the first film very closely, when writing the second, but it didn’t work. While the sequel made money, it was largely met with disappointed audiences.

So, going into the third installment, and reportedly the final one of the franchise, I was skeptical. Would this be another stinker like the second? Or, would it be similar to the first, and make me laugh so hard, I missed parts of the film? It’s hard to give a clear answer on that, but I will say, it’s way better than the second, but not as good as the original.

As soon as the film opens, you know it’s going to be different from the first two. The third opens with Chow, played by Ken Jeong, escaping from prison, Shawshank Redemption style. I found that homage to one of my favorite films, quite laughable. The film then immediately skips to Galifianakis’ character Alan.  Alan is enjoying a drive down the highway after buying a giraffe. What happens next can only be described as something out of a Final Destination film. Let’s just say, it’s not a good day to be a giraffe, but how funny it is to see the events transpire. By the way, Galifianakis shows his comedic chops in this film. He steals the show from everyone. In my mind, if there is one reason to see the third film, it’s because of Galifianakis’ performance.

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Enter to win a pass for two!

Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives in New York, but she doesn’t really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she¹s not really a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren’t really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness. FRANCES HA is a modern comic fable that explores New York, friendship, class, ambition, failure, and redemption.

Cast: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner
Director: Noah Baumbach

Frances Ha opens Friday, May 24!

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