It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.




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It really seems like the Fast movies are coming at an even more furious pace recently, certainly buoyed by the series phenomenal success over the past few installments. Well, here we are again with The Fate of the Furious, the 8th movie in a series that now goes back all the way to 2001.

Taking a complete 180 from this wham bang action franchise is Genius, a biographical drama starring Colin Firth and Jude Law. It takes on some hefty material, so let’s see if it can live up to its source material.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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The Fate of the Furious (2017, F. Gary Gray)
A mysterious woman seduces Dom into a world of crime and betrayal.

The Fast and the Furious was never about award-winning acting or subtlety. That’s not to say that the franchise doesn’t have these, but that they’re not the focus. What is does have in spades is incredible action, likeable characters, and some truly beautiful sequences that truly showcase what this team, this family, has.

With Dom and Letty on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia retired from the game - the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime he can't seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City, to the icy Arctic Ocean, they will crisscross the globe to stop their latest enemy, Cipher, from unleashing chaos on a world stage, and to bring home the man who made them a family.


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Genius (2017, Michael Grandage)
A chronicle of Max Perkins's time as the book editor at Scribner.

Genius is a stirring drama about the complex friendship and transformative professional relationship between world-renowned book editor Maxwell Perkins (who discovered F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway), and the larger-than-life literary giant Thomas Wolfe. Based on the biography "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius," Genius stars Colin Firth as Perkins, Jude Law as Wolfe, and Nicole Kidman as Aline Bernstein, a costume designer sharing a tumultuous relationship with Wolfe.

The film has a lot going for it, but also stumbles around, not living up to what it could be. The editing and cinematography are both top-notch, but it trips itself up with some awkward writing that never elevates the story to where it needs to be. It’s interesting, for sure, but lacks in imagination and has too many good intentions gone wrong.

Colin Firth remains a bright spot, and the movie maintains its attractive cultural background, too, while showing the valuable contributions made by the featured authors. Just don’t go into it expecting it to change your life.