CALEB RAVES REVIEWS "FAST AND FURIOUS 7"

DIRECTOR-James Wan LAST LOOKS- Racing back into theaters is Furious 7. It's incredible how one of the longest action movie sequences has been able to stay so popular over the past decade plus. It's interesting to see where the theme is going to go now as Fast and Furious seemingly made the transition from being an underground racing flick to an international heist thriller. But somehow with good story lines, fresh faces and lots of riveting entertainment the Fast Franchise looks to be back better then ever. I was really saddened to hear of the death of leading man Paul Walker as I think he was a good actor and obviously an instrumental role in the Fast and Furious movies seeing he has been involved since the very first one. He will greatly be missed. The show must go on however as I think Walker would have wanted it too. Much respect for the entire Fast and Furious crew to come together and still complete the project after such devastating news. From a storyline aspect the Fast Franchise left off in a scene from Tokyo Drift where Han died in a racing accident or so was it?? We learned at the end of Fast 6 that he was actually killed by a new character Deckard Shaw the big brother of Ethan Shaw. Wow just when you thought this anthology couldn't possibly go on any longer they always have some sort of twist that keeps us as viewers interested. That is extremely important in movies that have multiple successors not to be completely redundant. Great job by the Fast and Furious team by coming up with fresh exciting plots and character development that engages interest. Strap in! BREAKDOWN- The Fast and Furious crew are being hunted by Deckard Shaw(Jason Statham) who is out for revenge for his baby brother Owen. Toretto(Vin Diesel) and O'Conner(Paul Walker)  is then introduced to Petty (Kurt Russell) a special ops leader who offers to help the fast team obtain Deckard in exchange for helping him retrieve a female computer hacker named Ramsey. She is the creator of a device called Gods Eye, a program that can track a person using any digital device in an area who was abducted by a gang of thieves.  NOSE CANDY  "I put a hurt on him so bad his momma woulda wished she kept her legs closed"-Hobbs "Wanna know how to kill a shadow shed a little light on it"-Petty "2 things that keep a group together fear and loyalty and I don't sense a drip of fear from any of you"-Ramsey "Would you believe I knocked him out of my charm?"-Letty  "If we're going to be in a war we are going to fight it on the streets we know best" -Torreto "Thought you could leave without saying goodbye?"-Brian O'Conner STYLE POINTS-Mr. Wan thank you for figuring out why the camera was invented as the abundance of ass shots of beautiful women were well on display in this movie. No but for real I think it was great that this Fast film went back to the essence of what this film was predicated on which was underground street racing, fast cars even faster women and felt Wan did a great job of recapturing that initial look at race wars. Even though there was the only street race in the film Wan made it very spectacular. The fight scenes were excellent. I love girl fights as Rhonda Rousey and Michelle Rodriguez squared off for an epic encounter. Rousey is on her way to superstardom as I feel she has the talent that can transcend MMA. The dream fight sequence between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham was also done real well as The Rock delivered a sick rock bottom that was Wrestlemania worthy. The ending fight between Diesel and Statham was awesome with the music and usage of big sticks. Unreal. Of course the free falling out of the airplane with cars was awesome as well as the car going through the two towers was cool too. As unrealistic as a lot of the scenes that happen in this film are they are shot masterfully and are intriguing to watch.  The shot where Walker was on the bus leaning off a cliff was well done as it made the whole theater shift no exaggeration. The party in Abu Dhabi was great with the upscale attire and the girls spray painted gold. Sometimes you close your eyes and can Invision a great set and in this case I dont think the result couldn't have come out any better than they imagined it. Some other cool shots included the traumatized shot of O'Conner in the mini van. The Parkour from one of the thieves in the cellar as I feel Wan did that intentionally to win me over. Watch out for a nice zoom out shot on Paul Walker as there is a close up on his face and the camera pulls out to reveal this rugged staircase. COLD JAMS- The music during the final fight between Toretto and Shaw was something you would hear during an epic gladiator battle. Everything always sounds better with a little opera. Also "When I See You Again" was well done by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth. I can predict this being the "pour out some liquor for my fallen homie" anthem for the foreseeable future. ROLE PLAY-Vin Diesel(Dominic Toretto)Always looks good in these mega action movies also I thought he was set up real good for his epic one liners. Paul Walker (Brian O'Conner) I dont know if this franchise will be the same without Walker. He always added a level headed cool swag to these films and will greatly be missed. Also good use of camera angles for Paul Walker's brothers in this film too as it must have been difficult to pull off but did an amazing job in their brothers absence. Great call by the Fast staff to allow Walker's brothers to work those scenes in his memory. Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs) Even though he was injured for majority of the film the "muscle" of the group never dissapoints when he goes attitude era Rock with how bad he is going to beat your ass quotes. Michelle Rodriguez (Letty Ortiz) very believable as far as being the bad ass tough girl but also has the ability to be vulnerable and really sweet as well. The scene where she regained her memory and professed she remembered that her and Dominic were married was incredible work. Jordana Brewster(Mia Toretto)-I think its a shame she did not get to kick some ass in this film but I liked her sentimental side as she was believable in her attempt to lure Brian away from the Fast lifestyle. Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pierce)-always adds a humerus aspect to these films as he always holds his own in huge blockbusters. Chris (Ludacris) Bridges- A multi talented guy. Bridges is not just "the token rapper" in movies. I think he has long proved he is a good actor and takes the craft very seriously. Luuudddddaaaa! Kurt Russell(Agent Petty)-Adding a veteran to a franchise like this was a good move. Russell added that voice of reason to the gang and also some wise humor. Jason Statham(Deckard Shaw) An ass kicking machine like he is in all of his movies. He came off very creepy and remorseless. We get to see Statham in movies like "The Expendables" where he holds his own very well amongst his peer. this movie is no different as Statham was perfect for the antagonist role. Money Shot- With all of the fast cars, big explosions and epic fight scenes, I'm going with the Paul Walker tribute at the end. I think that in action movies you try to steer away from scenes that are too sentimental but in this instance given the circumstances it was only fitting. The heartfelt words by Vin Diesel really hit home as he and Paul Walker recreate the ending scene from the original Fast and Furious movie as both of their cars ride off into the sunset going in separate paths. Touching.  Final Score -Whoo that was a lot of fun to watch. This is probably the best time I will have at a movie theater this year. James Wan's hands were all over this film. I thought Wan as a director did a great job of honoring the essence of the previous fast films as well as having the vision to turn it into his own. I don't care about the plot holes, entertainment wins over logic any day in my book. I don't know where the Fast Franchise could possibly go from here but the series did leave the door open as Deckard Shaw didn't die and is incarcerated. I also appreciate the fact that the Brian O'Conner character was not killed and was masterfully wrote off as he wanted to retire from the fast life and spend his time as a family man. If you're looking for pure excitement that's going to leave you on the edge of your seat you wont be disappointed. Furious 7 takes off real quick and for 2 hours never let's up!

CALEB RAVES REVIEWS "WRESTLEMANIA 31"

Last Looks

I know I'm a nerd but I have always been a huge professional wrestling fan. I don't care if its fake its real to me damn it! Really I think there is a great amount of athleticism and  performance capabilities to this grappling art and I have a great deal of respect for sports entertainment. It's Wrestlemania season but for some reason it feels like Christmas in July. The special aura for the showcase of the immortals has just not been there this year. Mostly due to a lackluster build with rare appearances from part time talent who will be in main events this year has prohibited this Wrestlemania from being must see. There are matches I really want to enjoy such as Sting vs HHH and Taker vs Wyatt, but honestly up until Brock Lesnar broke the news he had signed a new contract earlier last week I wasn't excited to see the World Heavyweight Championship match. I knew it had been predetermined that Roman Reigns was winning this match since last years Wrestlemania and WWE had went all in on trying to put Reigns over and making him the next face of the company. I am a huge Reigns fan and think he has the "It Factor" but creative has not done him any favors by shoving him down our throats and writing him awful fairy tale promos. Now with the news of Lesnar's new contract it at least puts the doubt in our minds that Reigns is actually going to lose. A lot of different scenarios and I'm pretty much ready for anything at this point. Lets get Ready to Rumble!

Ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship
Wade Barrett vs Dolph Ziggler vs Luke Harper vs Daniel Bryan vs R Truth vs Dean Ambrose vs Stardust

The spot fest we all thought it would be. I hope that with all of the participants going after the belt it adds some prestige to the title. Even though I wanted Bryan in the main event I think it was the right call giving him the title because I think WWE would have lost the the crowd had they not done so. Its crazy how much the reaction of Bryan dictates so much of the story lines. I think Bryan having the belt will add instant credibility to a championship that was once very prominent.
Winner- Daniel Bryan 

Style Points

Stardust's jacket

Wade Barrett bull hammering every one

Ziggler with the zig zag off the ladder

Luke Harper powerbombs Dean Ambrose through a ladder

Ziggler and Bryan headbutting each other to finish. 

Rollins vs Orton 

Good match and everything I expected from two stellar workers. Orton has been my favorite wrestler for some time now and even though I think he is a better heel he can tween and be face if needed. The only issue I had was I felt Rollins should have won. This Wrestlemania had newcomers vs veterans and I thought if one of the younger guys were to win it should have been Rollins being that he had the MITB briefcase and should be booked very strong. Still solid match between the two.
Winner-Randy Orton

Style Points 

Orton double ddt off the apron on the floor to J and J security

Rollins moonsault to the outside

Orton with a rope ddt to Rollins

Rollins attempts a curb stomp and jumps 10 feet in the air and Orton counters to an RKO 

Nose Candy

"The greats make it look easy"

Sting Vs HHH

This match stole the show and to me was the best of the night. Some may say it was too gimmicky but who cares. Thats the special aspect only sports entertainment can provide and did so to perfection. It was everything you could imagine. I marked out when DX and NWO faced off. Sometimes you just need two big names and the rest will take care of itself. I hope this is not Sting's last match because he worked at a very high rate and can still go. A classic match between two legends. I didn't like the handshake at the end because I don't think the chapter in this rivalry is over and HHH had to use the sledgehammer but outside of that this was pretty much a perfect match
Winner HHH

Style Points

Sting's awesome drum entrance 

The fact Sting didn't wear a T-shirt

HHH terminator entrance was awesome the bromance between Hunter and Arnold Schwarzenegger lately is kind of strange  

Sting with a cross body on DX from the top rope

Nwo and Dx face off

The HBK superkick was great!

Unanswered Questions
How did DX win full custody of Xpac? 

Nose Candy 

"You can go down with the ship but nobody remembers the name of the captain of the Titanic"

Backstage Promo

This was great to see. Legendary Intercontinental champs chanting yes with Daniel Bryan. This was a little cheesy but the geek in me was chanting too. Like I mentioned earlier having Bryan with the title adds instant  credibility.

Paige and Aj vs the Bella twins

Give divas a chance has sparked a change in the way the women have been booked for the past few weeks. I'm glad to see the ladies get a chance to show what they can do on the grandest stage. This was a pretty good match it was a little short but I think they told a good story in the amount of time they were given. I know the Bellas get a bad rap for just being reality show stars but they have greatly improved and Nicki I think deserves the title because of how over she has gotten as a heel and she can work a quality match. Great outing from these 4 gals!
Winners -Paige and Aj

Style Points 

Vertical suplex from the Bella twins on Paige

Paige flip off the apron

Nice black widow by Aj for the the win

Nose Candy 

"Two great individuals always beat a good team"-JBL

"The Bellas have been twins for most of their lives"- JBL

Rusev vs John Cena

Wow Lana is gorgeous. My WWE crush never looked better. Ok now that I got that out of the way very good match here. Cena does so good at performing in front of hostile crowds. Its become "cool" to sing John Cena sucks during his entrance. Cena has always been a favorite of mine and has so many high profile matches to prove he does not suck. Really great outing from him and lets not leave Rusev out as he showed up big time too and displayed he can hang with a big star in a high profile match. I agree with Cena winning even though it is a risk to ruin an up and coming star. But this will help Rusev in character development as this was the first time he was pinned and can stop utilizing the "Im the big bad evil undefeated russian" character. Now we can see what Rusev can do without those elements and gain a lot more depth. As for Cena similar to the Intercontinental title I hope he adds relevance to the US championship.
Winner-Cena.....but Rusev still has Lana so technically  he never loses. 

Style Points

Rusev on the tank

John Cena sucks being sung by the crowd 

Rusev rollover suplex 

Lets go Lana chants

Rusev jumping knee.

Rusev headbutt from top rope

Cena rope spring board to a stunner

Nose Candy

"If Rusev hates every thing about America why is he here?"

Segment: The Authority vs The Rock and Rhonda Rousey 

Nobody knew the Rock was going to be there and the place became unglued when he came out. Always glad to see the great one. Stephanie was the star of this segment because she is so great in her role as the rich princess who always gets what she wants and owns everything. Rhonda Rousey was great mainstream promotion. Very cinematic but genius because that picture of Stephanie in Rhonda's hold is going to be on the front page of every media website. This segment kind of dragged but was worth it for the press WWE is going receive.

Nose Candy

"I would say the Rock just blew the roof off this place but there is no roof" -King

"Left your balls in Stanford Connecticut" -The Rock

"That look means that Rhonda Rousey is going to reach down your throat rip out your Aretha tube
and play jump rope with it"-The Rock

Bray Wyatt vs The Undertaker

That awkward moment when you have a lantern in the daytime. Bray's entrance with scarecrows didn't do much for me. Meanwhile that guy who got caught on stage during the Undertaker entrance is going to be in the unemployment line next week. Good match here I thought Bray carried this match but Taker showed up big here. Taker has that aura where you want him to win and do well. That mark comes out of you the moment he walks out.Taker proved he can still work at a high level and I hope he comes back next year.
Winner-Taker

Style Points 

Taker goes old school 

Bray slamming Taker and hitting the splash

Taker hitting the choke slam and tombstone made me feel like i was 10 years old again

Taker sit up vs the Wyatt hand stand crawl

Nose Candy

"The gunslinger still runs the town"

"I don't care why the Undertaker is back I am just glad that the
Undertaker is back"

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar

Wow Roman took a beating. Lesnar is really stiff but Roman smiled through it. Roman has more than earned my respect as I do feel a lot of the boos and negative reaction are unwarranted. I get that he is the "chosen one" but Reigns is very talented and has that It factor. Lesnar does his normal suplex repeat sequence when Roman finally makes it interesting by fighting back and nailing a couple of spears. With both men laid out Seth Rollins decides to cash in his money in the bank briefcase and gets a pinfall on Reigns becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I love this ending. One it was unexpected for me especially with Rollins losing earlier in the night to Orton but was the first time the briefcase was ever cashed in at mania. Rollins has come so far and I think he has what it takes to be a great champ. For Lesnar I think he still is a special attraction but 2 title defenses in over 200 days is unacceptable and I believe there should always be a full time champ because that is the face of the company. Lesnar announced he had signed a new deal and think he is still is a once in a generation athlete. He also can be used as a big name to sell out a pay per view. I can't help but feel bad for Reigns but I think now he finally has the monkey off his back. But does that mean the circus has left town? I wonder if fans will finally start to rally behind Roman now that he didn't win the big one and now its safe to like him. Whatever happens I think Reigns has a bright future and will soon hold the title and become the next man in WWE for years to come. But for now that man is Seth Rollins a great match with the right outcome. The finish could not have been executed any better.
Winner-Seth Rollins

Style Points

Roman walking down to the ring with security and matrix shot of fireworks 

Lesnar being very stiff especially the clothesline to the outside

Suplex city 

The Seth Rollins cash in and celebration

Final Score 

What can I say Wrestlemania was spectacular far exceeding my expectations. I have to give credit where credit is due. From top to bottom the show was incredible. It is no wonder why the biggest show in sports entertainment has become such a global phenomenon. I know the PG era of WWE gets a bad rap for being too corny and unoriginal and plain out of touch at times. Not for this years Wrestlemania. It's shows like this that make me proud to be a mark! Vince McMahon is a genius and still has the vision to lead WWE. Much respect. Now where do we go from here? WWE really set the bar high and it will be tough to keep the momentum going but I have new found faith in WWE. They have plenty of storylines to capitalize off of such as the elevation of the US and Intercontinental titles, the give divas a chance hype, the Rhonda Rousey mainstream tie in and Rollins with the belt with an array of hungry challengers. Being a wrestling fan is very difficult at times. But it's. shows like this why you can never "count" me out as one.

-Raves