GRAN TURISMO Races onto Bluray

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray and Digital from director Neill Blomkamp, PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the story of gaming to reality with GRAN TURISMO.

Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) takes a chance going to Nissan and pitching an idea no one else would dare. The idea is to find the best Gran Turismo video game players and turn them into real race car drivers. The concept is so far fetched that Nissan agrees! Turning to someone who can train the racers, Moore calls on Jack Salter (David Harbour) who needs a moment and a talk down from his driver to walk away and join in the vision.

At home, Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) is a teenage gamer who is set on Gran Turismo much to his father Steve’s (Djimon Hounsou) dismay. When it is announced that there would be a qualification race to join the GT Academy, Jann believes this is his chance to prove his father wrong. When his chance is put to the test, Jann has to again compete but this time against the other gaming winners to get the final seat.

Jann realizes he must earn his professional license to get a contract with Nissan. Race after race, the young man learns what it takes to go from being behind the wheel of a video screen to the wheel of a real race car. Up against tested racers, he is also up against those who don’t believe a gamer should be anywhere near the race track and put him in danger. After many challenges, it is Le Mans that will test Jann and Salter to finally do what they both have dreamed possible!

Madekwe as Jann is a young man with a dream that is not impossible even though others around him might disagree. Given the chance, Jann is proving that not only is dreaming a good thing but that he is going to go further than he ever imagined. I truly enjoyed watching Madekwe portray the young driver. He is portraying a real person of course but he does it to the point that I forget he isn’t the real Jann. That’s what a surprise this was for me.

Harbour as Jack is a man who has his own issues and carries a big of an anger bag around with him. Not seemingly a nice person with his snaps and quips, he finds a relationship with Jann that is solid and positive in a way the young man needs. I always enjoy watching Harbour create his characters and their range or lack of range of emotion, he mixes them together and what comes out is so very cool.

Bloom as Moore is a marketing executive at Nissan who came up with the idea to bring gamers to the race track. He is a bit over zealous and an even bit more controlling, but up against Salter he doesn’t win much of the time. His success is his career and understandably he wants things to go well, when they don’t – he melts down a tad but sees that Jann is really in it. Bloom doesn’t get as much screen time but when he is, the emotions are clear and set. Win!

Shout out to Maeve Courtier-Lilley as Audrey, Jann’s love, as she sees something special in the young man and cheers him on at every track turn.

Other cast include Josha Stradowski as Nicholas Capa, Daniel Puig as Coby, Pepe Barroso as Antonio Cruz, Emelia Hartford as Leah Vega, Sang Heon Lee as Joo-Hwan Lee, Max Mundt as Klaus Hoffman, Mariano Gonzalez as Henry Evas, Harki Bhambra as Avi Bhatt, Lindsay Pattison as Chloe McCormick, Theo Christine as Marcel Durand, Nikhil Parmar as Persol and Takehiro Hira as Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of Gran Turismo.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Special Features include 4K UHD, Bluray and Digital Extras, Deleted & Extended Scenes, The Engine: Driving the Visuals,,The Pit Crew: Action and Stunts, The Garage: The Amazing Automobiles, The Plan: The True Story of Jann Mardenborough, and The Wheels: The Fast-Acting Cast. On DVD the Special Features include The Plan: The True Story of Jann Mardenborough and The Wheels: The Fast-Acting Cast.

The Gran Turismo game came about in 1992 by Kazunori Yamauchi as he took five years to complete. The idea was to create a game that came to be subtitles “The Real Driving Simulator” with vehicles that drive like actual cars. Each incarnation of the game created more and more definitive aspects as Gran Turismo released its 7^th version in 2020.

GRAN TURISMO is definetly exciting for several reasons, one if that it is the true story of a young man who stayed true to his dreams. It is also a story that resonates with other gamers who have dreams, perhaps not to race, but to do what others think they may not. Even the creator Yamauchi could never have imagined how his own dream would become so captivating to the world.

It is also the story of a young man who sees the world differently in that his loves his father despite their differences, has great fondness for his coach Salter and concern for his fellow racers whether they know it or not. Mardenborough’s story is a classic ‘rags to riches’ but it is also an inside look at what it took to accomplish his goal.

Director Blomkamp managed well to mix the story with intense and pretty darn awesome racing action. Hearing and seeing the interaction between Jann and Salter was intense and exciting at the same time and brings so much to the story being told.

In the end – from gamer to racer!

 

 

 

BABY DRIVER Rides in on Rails!

Jeri Jacquin

Racing into theatres this Friday from writer/director Edgar Wright and Tri-Star Pictures is the song mix of the summer with BABY DRIVER.

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a quiet young man who has the uncanny knack for calm driving in intense situations. That is exactly what boss man Doc (Kevin Spacey) consistently counts on. Using Baby’s wheel talent for heists, it quickly becomes clear that Doc is using him.

Taking car of a worried Joseph (CJ Jones), Baby lets him know that one more job will get him free of Doc. Using music to keep his focus, it takes lovely waitress Deborah (Lily James) to pull out the ear buds.

Finishing his last job with Doc, Baby wants to be part of life without fear. Taking a job in pizza retail, even Joseph is happier. Taking Deborah out for a grand dinner to celebrate, Baby freaks when he sees Doc who sways him in for one more go by threatening through charm.

Putting a plan into action, Doc recruits Buddy (Jon Hamm), his gal Darling (Eliza Gonzalez) and Batts (Jamie Foxx) for the most intense and brazen score. Keeping focused, Baby is about to turn left while everyone else goes right and all to the beat of his own iPod.

Never mistake being quiet for being a pushover!

Elgort as Baby is brilliant! Everything about this character, Elgort makes look so seamless and easy. From his smooth walking, music choices and quirkiness, Baby is somebody you watch intently and cheer on with an evil grin. Also, Elgort is as cool as an outsider can possibly be and I loved every minute of his performance. Can someone explain to me why isn’t he Han Solo?

Spacey as Doc is just impeccable because, as everyone should know by now, you don’t mess with the Spacey! This actor has brought roles of badness to a level no one can touch. As Doc he once again plays outside the good guy lines with a gleam in his eye all the way.

Jones as Joseph cares so much about Baby and it is in their relationship that a deeper understanding of his story comes to light. James as Deborah is charming, sweet and knows Baby isn’t all he seems yet she doesn’t hesitate to be all in.

Foxx as Batts is intense and out to get all he can. Having a problem with Baby from the moment they meet, Foxx has no problem showing his edgy side. Gonzalez as Darling is into her man and the money they get together. At the same time she certainly isn’t shy about cutting someone down who gets in her way.

Hamm as Buddy just rocks the screen. This is such a dark character and Hamm certainly embraces every scene and aspect of his character. There is one particular moment where his character just goes deep dark and the change happens right before our eyes. Absolutely fantastic!

Other cast includes Sky Ferreira as Baby’s Mother, Lane Palmer as Baby’s father, Flea as Eddie, Lanny Joon as JD and Jon Bernthal as Griff.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give BABY DRIVER four and a half tubs of popcorn out of five. Giving Edgar Wright the props he totally deserves, this film has saved my film sanity. Depressed at the ridiculous franchise films, superheroes being jammed down my throat and lack of imagination elsewhere in tinsel town, BABY DRIVER gave me story, action, cinematography and music for months to come.

The audience was yelling, cheering and laughing from start to finish. There is something to be said for sitting in a theatre and to be taken on a ride in so many storyline directions. Does it hurt to have a cool ass cast and awesome soundtrack? In this case, not one dayyuum bit!

In the first five minutes of the film I was happily hooked and like a kid, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat wanting more. Translated…I was having fun. Using music across so many eras allowed something for everyone to lip-synch too.

Car chases, underlying stories, sweet romance, good guys, bad guys and the lines between them blurred, BABY DRIVER is a mash-up of what summer fun at the movies is all about. Grab a group of cool, a large bucket of popcorn, sit middle seat dead center and mentally buckle up for 113 minutes of awesome.

In the end – all you need is one killer track!

CARS 3 Revs Up Their Engines for the Weekend!

Jeri Jacquin

Racing into theatres this weekend from writer/director Brian Fee, Pixar Animated Studios and Disney is everyone’s favorite racers with CARS 3.

Lightening McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) has been a winner on the track race after race. That is until one day a big race that he felt was a win suddenly changes when a new generation car speeds past to take the win. Shocked, McQueen meets Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), a new race car that is all teched out and he isn’t sure how to deal with it.

When an event on the track happens, McQueen goes back to his little town to basically hide. That is until his friends Sally (Bonnie Hunt), Luigi (Tony Shalhoub) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) convince him that he needs to reach out Rust-eze, the sponsor who is now owned by Sterling (Nathan Fillion).

Sterling gives McQueen trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) who makes her duty to get him up to speed, literally, before the next big race in Florida. Wanting to go back to training the old-school way, McQueen and Cruz begin to understand one another.

But there is still one more thing McQueen needs to do and that’s return to where his mentor Doc (Paul Newman) lived and discover what motivated him! He meets Smokey (Chris Cooper) who introduced him to old-school racers who push McQueen.

When they arrive in Florida, McQueen begins to realize that the racing world is changing and it might be time for him to change too!

Wilson as McQueen once again brings humor and fun to his vocal role. This is a character that just continues to grow, even if he doesn’t understand why he has to. Wanting to be the best for as long as he can isn’t a new concept in life and McQueen eventually shows us all that being the best only changes when we realize change can be oh so good!

Alonzo as Cruz is a young lady car that absolutely needs to know her worth. As McQueen begins to understand her drive, he realizes that he can either help his new friend or be part of the problem. I love Cruz’s get up and go but also her dreams.

Cooper as Smokey brings in the old school gang to straighten out McQueen letting him know that Doc has always been with him. Those scenes are extremely touching. Hammer as Storm is a car that plays to the cameras but his wit even though it is stingingly aimed at McQueen. The addition of Fillion as Sterling is an owner that seems committed to McQueen but, of course he’s only in it for what he can get out of it and not the love of racing.

Larry the Cable Guy as Mater is till the sweetest and sometimes smartest car of them all. He wants what is best for his friends, believes in them and will drop everything to help them. He helps McQueen in ways that even Mater doesn’t realize. Larry will always be Mater!

Other cast includes Ray Magliozzi as Dusty, Kerry Washington as Natalie Certain, Bob Costas as Bob Cutlass, Margo Martindale as Louise Nash, Darrell Waltrip as Darrell Cartrip and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as River Scott.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give CARS 3 four tubs of popcorn out of five. It is fantastic that Pixar and Disney have returned to the original formula that made the original CARS so much fun. Having come full circle with the inclusion of Paul Newman’s character just brought a tear.

The story gives each character an added depth of loyalty, belief in one another, can-do attitude and even when feeling defeated the uplifting of friends. It is thrilling that the original cast came together bringing all the comedy and laughs I felt missing in the second film.

Everyone in the audience truly had a great time and with school ending it is a great beginning to the summer family movie going experience. Lightening McQueen and the gang have brought their story full circle and it is nothing short of well done and fun.

Grab the family and head to the theatre this weekend for an amazing story from beloved friends who just happen to be CARS.

In the end – It’s not over until lightning strikes!