BABY DRIVER (2017)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Running Length: 1:53
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Eiza Gonzalez, CJ Jones, Jon Bernthal
Director: Edgar Wright
Screenplay: Edgar Wright

Life lesson: Not everyone appears the way they seem. So don't be too quick to judge and be kind to everyone you meet, for they could be fighting their inner demons you know nothing about.

From a narrative standpoint, BABY DRIVER doesn't really break any new ground. The story is about Baby (Elgort), a getaway driver who works for a criminal mastermind (Spacey). After finishing his "one last job", Baby retires to spend time with his new found love (Lily James). As predicted, nobody really gets to leave the world of violent crime.

Sounds familiar but yet, writer director Edgar Wright manages to create a very visual and fresh viewing experience. And it's all gotta do with the directing, the magic of editing and the SONGS! Almost the entire movie was cut in time to the songs employed. It was edited in such a way to have us hear Baby's personal soundtrack as he goes through his day-to-day.

His choice of songs not only informs us of his mood but we get to also know his character better with every song played. Such a concept reminds me of Guardians of the Galaxy but Wright's technique is much more refined here. As a result, this movie feels like a pseudo-musical especially its first half. What more with some scenes where bright colours are exploited.

Eventhough such an approach hint a world of fantasy, this movie is actually pretty grounded especially the second half where things take a dark turn. The car chase scenes generated real suspense (vs the Fast and Furious kind which are...kinda boring) and I felt nervous when a character is about to shoot another person (vs the John Wick kind which is also...kinda boring). Perhaps the latter movies remind us of video games where we are desensitized by its CGI violence. People do get hurt in this movie, sometimes in shocking ways.

That said, some characters are not really well written particularly the female characters. They felt one-dimensional. The same can't be said for their male counterparts as they have much more layers in their characters. I didn't really enjoy Ansel Elgort's smarty pants performance in The Fault In Our Stars but in this film, he is perfectly cast and is charismatic as hell. And Jamie Foxx! He is so intense here as the live wire and walking time-bomb of the group, I was genuinely terrified whenever he appears on screen.

Not the best movie of the year but definitely the most fun.

RATING: 8.5/10  

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (2014)

Genre: Drama/Romance
Running Length: 2:05
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe, Lotte Verbeek
Director: Josh Boone

It's actually not a bad movie but there is nothing unremarkable about the "teenage cancer romance" date-flick THE FAULT IN OUR STARS. In fact towards the end, the film became a little draggy and was trying a little too hard to manipulate some tears out from the audience. However, it's a different story altogether for the two leads; as their portrayal of cancer patients who are falling for each other are beautifully realized. Their performance are honest and heartfelt and when they are together, they are adorable. A special shout out to the male lead, Ansel Elgot, who is insanely charismatic as the can-do survivor for the first 3/4 of the film but really nails his performance towards the end. One interesting thing to point out is that the film manages to capture a sense of immediacy in an unforced manner mainly through its sharp and witty dialogue. The main characters are definitely living in the now (because they have no future) for they do not hide their thoughts and emotions - "That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt."

Although many of the movie goers in the cinema couldn't stop crying towards the end, I actually felt that the ending was hopeful. This quote beautifully summarizes it:

"To love someone fiercely, to believe in something with your whole heart, to celebrate a fleeting moment in time, to fully engage in a life that doesn’t come with guarantees – these are risks that involve vulnerability and often pain. But, I’m learning that recognizing and leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability teaches us how to live with joy, gratitude and grace." Brene Brown

Rating: 6/10