EPISODE 118 - Furious 7: LIVE

[Guyinthebag 18]

It should be noted that Arnold Schwarzenegger lifts a car in the movie "Twins" which validates that it is possible.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

So, in Three, they have Diesel swing by at the end and be, "I need your help." From the guy who was the lead in Three, and then they have three movies that flash back before that movie. So, like this guy from Three must be so important, right? Nope! This three movie flashback is only setting up a brief chat about Han. The guy contributes nothing.

 

Of course, the real takeaway from the end of Three is, "Yeah, we're done with these 'means nothing' sequels. Diesel is back for the next one, so you can start caring about these movies again, starting with the next one.

Also, maybe they were planning on that actor becoming something in the meantime, but then it didn't really pan out.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

pretty sure this is how i would have reacted if jason popped up in this

 

[pscudese 701]

It should be noted that Arnold Schwarzenegger lifts a car in the movie "Twins" which validates that it is possible.

 

But for only :15-:20 seconds

[Cameron H. 23786]

Okay, I recognize arguing against the sexism in the Fast & Furious movies is a Sisyphean task, there are a couple things I did take issue with. Even though the marginalization of the female characters in the movies was addressed in the episode, they more or less gave Michelle Rodriguez a pass as being the one woman in the movie with agency; however, I feel that couldn't be further from the truth.

 

The movie seems to only play lip service to how her memory loss, and basically her loss of identity, makes her feel. Instead, the movie focuses more on how her memory loss effects Dom personally. Her happy ending isn't, "Oh my God! I can remember what my parents looked like again!" but "Thank God, I remember when I married this douche-nozzle in his dumbass A-shirt."

 

For other another example of how poorly her character is treated, how about at Race Wars where Dom has to tell her how to beat her opponent? Even with her memory loss, she never lost her driving skills; but rather than show her ignoring Dom and beating her opponent her own way, she has to take her driving cues from him. What the fuck? This movie won't even allow her to win a car race on her own--a feat she has accomplished in these movies before without him whispering advice in her ear.

 

Later on, she is described as "Mrs. Alpha," and while I believe the intent behind the line was to describe her as a "tough woman," but by using the term "Mrs. Alpha" instead of "Alpha Female" or even "Ms. Alpha" she is again being defined by her relationship to Dom.

 

But the moment that pissed me off the most was at the end of the movie.

 

In the finale, Shaw is chasing Dom, Djmon Hounsou is pursuing Brian, Tej, and Roman by helicopter and drone, and Letty is straight up ignored. Tej calls for help, and Letty, who has apparently just been speeding around the city directionless for the past few minutes, comes to their aid.* She takes Ramsay in her car and they take off. A panicked Ramsay says, "So if this car goes south, who's coming to save us?" Letty replies, "Save us, honey? We're it." Hell-fucking-yeah! That shit is fucking baller. Letty, with her superior driving skills, is going to save the motherfucking---oh wait, Dwayne "the Deus ex Machina" Johnson has just flown an ambulance off a bridge to save their asses.

 

I mean, I liked the movie just fine--I liked it more once I saw the tribute to Walker at the end--I just could not stand that the main female character is treated so shabbily. It's condescending and disingenuous to portray her as some kind of badass and then treat her as anything but. I just wish Hollywood would get to the point where they recognize that being "tough" woman isn't necessarily about being able to stand toe-to-toe with Ronda Rousey, cussing like the boys, or chugging a Corona without throwing up. To me, being a "tough" female character is more about being an independent woman, who is her own individual, and isn't defined solely by the men around her.

 

 

*Why did all the cars have to split up at the end? There's got to be an explanation, right? If the bad guys have the God's Eye, then they know not to follow the other cars. Is it just so they're not all in the same place if something happens? I guess that makes sense, except, when something does go wrong, the other cars have to race across town to help out their friend. It just seems needlessly convoluted.

[Smigg 1488]

It should be noted that Arnold Schwarzenegger lifts a car in the movie "Twins" which validates that it is possible.

 

Because he's Arnold Schwarzenegger, everything that guy does in a movie is plausable, Commando might as well be a documentary.

[NikGomez 2]

So I am going to call it now! In the next installment, we will see a fully healed Owen Shaw breaking his brother Deckard out from prison and the two will team-up to take on Toretto and his "family"

 

I would also have to say, the next installment should be called Family Furious due to all the references to family and having the Toretto's fight the Shaw's. This will become similar to the Hatfield's and McCoy's!

[Guyinthebag 18]

But for only :15-:20 seconds

 

Only because that is all that was required at the time.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Okay, I recognize arguing against the sexism in the Fast & Furious movies is a Sisyphean task, there are a couple things I did take issue with.

 

How about Hobbs' repeatedly addressing the female characters as "Woman." I know he did it in 6, and they mentioned it in that ep, but somehow, it bothered me a lot more in this one.

 

I would also have to say, the next installment should be called Family Furious due to all the references to family and having the Toretto's fight the Shaw's.

Nope. It has to be called Infuri8ed. I'm sticking by this.

[EllenM 943]

About them all living together, I always assumed that Brian and Mia lived there and Dom just kept his car in the garage. Like, the garage is a guest bedroom or your old room when you visit your parents.

 

Also, who looks after the house when they aren't there? When Mia is in DR or when they went to Brazil, do they have friends from the Race Wars check to see if there's water in the basement etc?

[Smigg 1488]

So I am going to call it now! In the next installment, we will see a fully healed Owen Shaw breaking his brother Deckard out from prison and the two will team-up to take on Toretto and his "family"

 

I would also have to say, the next installment should be called Family Furious due to all the references to family and having the Toretto's fight the Shaw's. This will become similar to the Hatfield's and McCoy's!

 

I see it where a third Shaw brother is revealed, and he's the baddest motherfucker of the three, they'll come up with some stupid analogy to describe the three of them like:

 

"Owen is a scalpel, sharp, surgical, precise. Deckard is a Samurai Sword, quick, violent, deadly" and then Vin Diesel says "Ah wu buh th'uh bruh....Family" (which is "And what about the other brother?!" in Dieselese)

Then there's a pregnant pause, allowing for the camera to slowly zoom in on a concerned looking Rock

 

"He's a nail bomb!"

 

If something like that was said, I'm well and truly in with these movies for the rest of my life.

[Cameron H. 23786]

I would also have to say, the next installment should be called Family Furious due to all the references to family and having the Toretto's fight the Shaw's. This will become similar to the Hatfield's and McCoy's!

 

Ooh! What about, The Family Circus Furious? God's Eye, be damned! I'd like to see the Shaw's catch this little fucker...

 

[SexAstronaut 36]

Haven't listened to the podcast yet, but Furious 7 is easily in my top 10 of the year so far. It's so much fun and I actually think these films are a lot more self-aware than people give them credit for, despite Diesel clearly labouring under the delusion that he's in a high art. All that said, F7 is, for me, behind parts 6 and 5 in my own personal rankings. Mainly because that no matter how crazy the action was in the Lin era films, you always had a clear idea of what was happening. Lin was a really fantastic action director and you always knew what was happening, and if my memory serves me correctly he mostly refrained from CGI. With Furious 7 I don't think Wan was as adept with the staging of the action and some scenes suffered from wobbly camera work and choppy editing. I think it's that style that hampered the Statham VS Rock fight, which should have been awesome and epic. But it's still a really fun watch, and I wasn't expecting a Furious movie to make me cry.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

So I am going to call it now! In the next installment, we will see a fully healed Owen Shaw breaking his brother Deckard out from prison and the two will team-up to take on Toretto and his "family"

 

I would also have to say, the next installment should be called Family Furious due to all the references to family and having the Toretto's fight the Shaw's. This will become similar to the Hatfield's and McCoy's!

 

How about this? Like the audience member suggested, Helen Mirren plays Mama Shaw. Because she's awesome. (Have you guys seen "Red"?) She breaks one of her boys out of prison, then straight up yells at the other one to cure his coma. Believable. Helen Mirren can do anything.

 

Then Hobbs hires Dom et al to whatever vague law enforcement agency he works for, and they have to track down the Shaws. Ultimately, the Shaw family goes toe-to-toe with Dom's family.

 

Having Helen Mirren would also solve the problem of no female character with agency. So basically, I think I just fixed everything, right??

 

[Cheyenne Radd 13]

So why was the God's Eye in the Arab guy's car? He wasn't using it to hunt people down?...or was he? It seems like he didn't really know know or care what it was. Why couldn't they just ask for it back nicely instead? IDK maybe I'm too much of a girl.

 

Loved this movie. I lost my shit when they parashooted those cars out of that plane.

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

Having Helen Mirren would also solve the problem of no female character with agency. So basically, I think I just fixed everything, right??

 

 

I believe so...now we just need to find a man to pitch it.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

 

 

How about this? Like the audience member suggested, Helen Mirren plays Mama Shaw. Because she's awesome. (Have you guys seen "Red"?) She breaks one of her boys out of prison, then straight up yells at the other one to cure his coma. Believable. Helen Mirren can do anything.

 

Then Hobbs hires Dom et al to whatever vague law enforcement agency he works for, and they have to track down the Shaws. Ultimately, the Shaw family goes toe-to-toe with Dom's family.

 

Having Helen Mirren would also solve the problem of no female character with agency. So basically, I think I just fixed everything, right??

 

Up through the first part, I was thinking of the bad guys from the Goonies...

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

inspired by the audience question

 

[Maximilian 99]

Really? I find it so hard to care about anyone but Han in that movie. When I saw Furious 7 in the theater, I was so worried that Lucas Black and his obnoxious Alabama accent was going to be joining the crew.

I might not have been entirely honest. I've seen it more than any of the others and I enjoy parts of the film. The movie would have been infinitely had it been a sequel to Like Mike. I do like the Incredible Hulk car though.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

when this movie came out i have to admit i sniggered abit when vin diesel said it would win the best picture oscar. http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/04/05/vin-diesel-is-convinced-furious-7-deserves-best-picture-at-the-oscars/

 

however, that was before i saw it. i dont mean its going to win the best picture oscar, and im probably making an arse out of myself here, but i do think its going to get nominated for the best original song.

 

i know not everyone likes wiz khalifa's "see you again" but unless theres a musical coming out over the next few months i think it will get a nod. it fit perfectly with what i thought was a perfectly judged exit for paul walkers character.

 

i went to see this with my dad and at the end we both just kinda just gave each other a nod of approval.... it was the most emotional i have seen him in years

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

when this movie came out i have to admit i sniggered abit when vin diesel said it would win the best picture oscar. http://www.forbes.co...-at-the-oscars/

 

however, that was before i saw it. i dont mean its going to win the best picture oscar, and im probably making an arse out of myself here, but i do think its going to get nominated for the best original song.

 

i know not everyone likes wiz khalifa's "see you again" but unless theres a musical coming out over the next few months i think it will get a nod. it fit perfectly with what i thought was a perfectly judged exit for paul walkers character.

 

i went to see this with my dad and at the end we both just kinda just gave each other a nod of approval.... it was the most emotional i have seen him in years

 

Google gave me this as a result ( amongst many other images ) when I searched "Furious 7 +car +building"

 

 

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

So why was the God's Eye in the Arab guy's car? He wasn't using it to hunt people down?...or was he? It seems like he didn't really know know or care what it was. Why couldn't they just ask for it back nicely instead? IDK maybe I'm too much of a girl.

 

Loved this movie. I lost my shit when they parashooted those cars out of that plane.

 

The Gods Eye Program or App was hidden in the speed control chip of that car...

[Vegas820 17]

Am I the only one who noticed how close the cars were when they pulled up for the races only to be spaced much further apart when they actually raced? Their initial spacing is so close they would kill the cute girls who start the races. Every. Single. Time. I know it's probably for some cinematic reasons as far as framing a picture or whatever, but it bothers me to no end.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

talking of lifting cars ...

 

[teddy pendergrassi 7]

Why in the heck did the US Military do nothing as a unknown drone flew around a major city and shot it up? Does this universe not have a military? The response time if LA were under any form of attack would be super quick yet no presence of it what so ever in this film.