Crisp Criticism - "The Fate of the Furious", "CHIPS", "Their Finest", "Personal Shopper"

by

Julien Faddoul

The Fate of the Furious

When a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew face trials that will test them as never before.

The worst of the series so far, falling deeper into the hole of systematic influence by the Hollywood cinema surrounding it. The characters and their relationships to one another now make no sense, and the car stunts never rise above the ordinary.

d – F. Gary Gray

w – Chris Morgan   (Based on the Characters by Gary Scott Thompson)

ph – Stephen F. Windon

pd – Bill Brzeski

m – Brian Tyler

ed – Paul Rubell, Christian Wagner

cos – Sanja Milkovic Hays

p – Vin Diesel, Neal H. Moritz, Michael Fottrell, Chris Morgan

Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kristofer Hivju, Elsa Pataky

CHIPS

The adventures of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers as they make their rounds on the freeways of Los Angeles.

Putrid screen version of the 80s TV series, peppered with its writer/director's quintessential fratboy humour.

wd – Dax Shepard   (Based on the TV Series by Rick Rosner)

ph – Mitchell Amundsen

pd – Maher Ahmed

m – Fil Eisler

ed – Dan Lebental

cos – Diane Crooke

p –  Ravi D. Mehta, Andrew Panay, Dax Shepard

Cast: Michael Peña, Dax Shepard, Jessica McNamee, Adam Brody, Ryan Hansen, Maya Rudolph, Adam Rodríguez, Justin Chatwin, Kristen Bell, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rosa Salazar, Ben Falcone, Jane Kaczmarek, Richard T. Jones

Their Finest *

A British film crew attempts to boost morale during World War II by making a propaganda film after the Blitzkrieg.

Enjoyable, cozy British dramedy that plods along being as tasteful as it possible can despite its clear lack of anything interesting to say.

d – Lone Scherfig

w – Gaby Chiappe   (Based on the Novel by Lissa Evans)

ph – Sebastian Blenkov

pd – Alice Normington

m – Rachel Portman

ed – Lucia Zucchetti

p – Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Stephen Woolley

Cast: Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, Jack Huston, Helen McCrory, Eddie Marsan, Jake Lacy, Rachael Stirling, Richard E. Grant, Paul Ritter, Henry Goodman, Jeremy Irons, Hubert Burton, Claudia Jessie, Stephanie Hyam, Lily Knight, Francesca Knight, Cathy Murphy, Emma Cunniffe

Personal Shopper **

A personal shopper in Paris refuses to leave the city until she makes contact with her twin brother who previously died there.

One of Assayas’ tightest films, using the emblems of horror and eroticism, and his typical prowling camera, to develop an affecting character study on grief. Stewart, who balances a mix of womanly vulnerability and cerebral skepticism, is consummate in the title role.

wd – Olivier Assayas

ph – Yorick Le Saux

pd – François-Renaud Labarthe

ed – Marion Monnier

cos – Jürgen Doering

p – Charles Gillibert

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Anders Danielsen Lie, Hammou Graïa, Nora von Waldstätten, Benjamin Biolay