| Welcome! It was the week when L.A. mourned the loss of some of its great theaters, and people wondered whether there's any way to avoid losing more. It was the week when the Fyre Festival fiasco saw a potential end in sight, not with a bang but with a modest settlement. And it was the week when Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez decided they were better off just being friends. |
Opening Argument: The F9 Trailer Was Just The Absurdity I Needed |
I cannot justify my affection for the Fast & Furious movies on either an intellectual or an aesthetic level; I can only acknowledge on a "YAAAAY!" level. By which I mean, literally, that at some point during every one of these movies I've seen in a theater, I have turned to my companion (which is often PCHH friend and The Prisoner podcaster Chris Klimek) and softly clapped while stage-whispering, "Yaaaaay!"
This week, they released a new trailer for F9, the movie-slash-theater-seat scheduled to come out on June 25. It's not outside the realm of possibility that if the world goes well between now and then, this will be the first movie I go back to a theater for.
If you're not familiar, these films are about a "family" of criminals-slash-heroes who drive fast and have escaped injury many times in spite of repeatedly inviting it. They are led by Vin Diesel as Dom, but the group also includes Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, Jordana Brewster as Mia, Ludacris as Tej, and Tyrese Gibson as Roman. They've sucked in other people at various times, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham, and this film apparently marks the return of Sung Kang as Han, who has seemed to be dead for the last couple of movies but is actually not (a thing that has happened to this crew before!). Charlize Theron is also here, with a very different hair situation from the one she had last time we saw her.
They've also added noted fun dude John Cena as Dom's brother (whom Letty meaningfully states in the trailer is ... Dom's brother!), and it appears that there are now flying cars. Nobody has ever accused this particular franchise of having a light touch, and nowhere is this more clear than when Dom responds to a question about how he wants to "play this" with the word, "Fast." Yeah, fast! |
These movies are just bonkers. They are wild, unrestrained, ridiculous, anti-gravity, anti-logic, extremely repetitive (how often can one man talk about family??) adventures in pure fantasy detached from the laws of physics. In fact, I wrote a list of 20 general rules that did not apply in Fast & Furious 6, way back in 2013, and they included everything from "Newton's Laws of Motion" to "The Integrity Of Vending Machines."
It has long been true that a movie like this benefits from a theatrical experience. Particularly in the age of the comfortable recliner in the multiplex, sitting with a bunch of other people who are also stage-whispering "Yaaaay!" when cars fly through windows is such a tempting, wonderful, magical prospect that I wanted to go even before I remembered Helen Mirren is in this world now, directing a car chase.
This was a bruising week for people who love movie theaters. It has been a bruising year for people who love them. And don't get me wrong: I will also return to theaters to watch important and serious dramas, and silly comedies (I haven't laughed with an audience for 14 months, and I think it's one of the things that's shriveling my spirit from the inside out). But I cannot tell a lie: Seeing the F9 trailer almost made me weep, simply because I want to go to the movies again. Not film, not cinema. I want to go to the movies. |
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| Are you catching up with The Nanny on HBO MAX? We are! And we’ll be doing an episode about it soon. If you have a question you’d like us to tackle, send us a voice memo at pchh@npr.org.
Did you miss the story of Prancer, the adoptable terrible lovable dog? Get on that.
I really enjoyed this piece from Roxana Hadadi on the effectiveness of All The President’s Men. |
Tracy Bennett/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. |
Our Monday show featured a conversation between Aisha, Glen and E. Alex Jung about some of the towering performances of Viola Davis.
Our Tuesday show was an overdue chat about the show Queen Sugar, featuring Aisha and FANTI host Tre'vell Anderson.
Wednesday brought Stephen and Cyrena Touros into the studio for a talk about some songs that are perfect for those times when you're not quite ready to go out yet -- you're just staring out the window.
On Thursday's show, Barrie Hardymon joined me to work through all our feelings about the HBO MAX show Made For Love, starring the divine Cristin Milioti.
And on Friday, I was absolutely delighted to sit down with LaTesha Harris, Lyndsey McKenna and Ella Cerón to talk about Legally Blonde at 20, and the ways in which it does and doesn't still hit just right.
Of course, if you're looking for music, don't miss NPR Music's New Music Friday, where Stephen joined the discussion. |
| Every week on the show, we talk about some other things out in the world that have been giving us joy lately. Here they are: |
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