Dwayne Johnson

  • Moana review: Same story, same heart

    ‘Moana’ is almost a shot-for-shot, live-action adaptation of the animated film, which means if you like the original, you’ll like this one.

  • Review: ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ is pumped to reinvigorate the franchise (Includes first-hand account)

    With eight movies under its belt and at least a couple more on the way, everyone knows what to expect when they go to watch the a Fast and the Furious movie: fast cars, high-speed chases, entertaining quips, an emphasis family and a “do or die” attitude. But with the franchise potentially coming to a close, the studio would understandably have an interest in branching out and extending its longevity. Thus, they approached two of the series’ side characters about starring in a spinoff together — they’re already well-liked by audiences, so they’re the perfect candidates for launching a new franchise in the same world. And this brings us to, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

  • Review: ‘Skyscraper’ is so big it misses out on the details (Includes first-hand account)

    Endangered family members have been a motivating factor for action heroes more than once — it’s one of the many reasons these ties to loved ones are generally considered a weakness and frequently leveraged as such. But it also makes for a great ticking clock narrative in which the protagonist must complete some task by the deadline in order to save them… though the villain’s demands are often ignored in favour of a plan that results in the rescuing of loved ones and the death/apprehension of the bad guy. The latest movie star to take on this role is Dwayne Johnson in Skyscraper.

  • Review: ‘Rampage’ delivers on its promise — no more or less (Includes first-hand account)

    There is something very entertaining about watching giant monsters tear apart famous cities. Whether stop-motion creatures or CGI beasts, it’s often difficult — or even unintuitive — to root for the armed forces attempting to bring them down; this is particularly true when the creature has the potential to be cured/rehabilitated/relocated… alive. Often agitated at no fault of their own, the misunderstood beast acts out destructively. On the other hand, choosing sides in a winner takes all battle between two or more monsters is far easier. Such are the dilemmas faced when watching Rampage.

  • Review: ‘The Fate of the Furious’ is difficult to predict after this film (Includes first-hand account)

    The Fast and the Furious franchise established itself on a principle of fast cars, crazy stunts and good-looking people. The storylines are generally pretty thin, but that’s not really why audiences go to these movies. The death of one of the stars, Paul Walker, hasn’t slowed their momentum, but whether it’s affected the quality of the movies is another matter. The latest picture, and the first in what is expected to be a closing trilogy, is The Fate of the Furious, which separates the team and replenishes its numbers.

  • ‘Baywatch’ trailer knows what the series was really about (Includes first-hand account)

    The definition of “family-friendly programming” was different a few decades ago. We thought Looney Tunes was great entertainment for kids (when’s the last time you saw someone get flattened with a mallet on Saturday morning?) and didn’t have a problem with shows that objectified people’s bodies coming on at any time of the day. Of course the networks still received complaints from far-right conservatives, but the majority of audiences and executives didn’t see the problem. Things have changed a lot since then, but that’s emboldened some big screen revivals of small screen hits to push the boundaries even more than the originals. One of the most anticipated of these re-imaginings is the Baywatch movie.

  • Review: ‘Moana’ isn’t letting anything stand between her and her mission (Includes first-hand account)

    Disney has always been ahead of the curve when it came to featuring female protagonists in their animated features. However, more importantly, the types of women portrayed and their narrative trajectories have evolved over the years; though it’s been most noticeable in the last decade. The princess is no longer hunting for a husband or waiting for a prince to save her from her evil relatives or a witch’s spell — she’s going on dangerous quests and vowing to save others. She has become the master of her own destiny and found the strength within herself to accomplish great things. Moana is the epitome of this evolution.

  • Review: ‘Furious 7’ gives fans everything they want and then some (Includes first-hand account)

    When the first film premiered in 2001, there was a lot of uncertainty whether The Fast and the Furious would launch a successful franchise — a theory the second film did not do much to refute as it focused on only one-half of the dynamic duo that propelled the original. Though none of the early characters appear in the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift breathed new life into the franchise. The fourth film‘s reunion unleashed a can of NOS and it hasn’t slowed down since. In Furious 7, the story is looping in on itself and doing everything required of a successful series.