Fast Five movie poster

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I know we haven't talked about Fast Five much on the blog; I can speak for myself by saying I'm not a huge fan of the franchise.  Well, I sort of take that back.  The first one did nothing for me.  The second one, which most people hated, was entertaining at best.  The third was terrible in my opinion.  But the forth film, Fast & Furious, really did it for me.  I believe director Justin Lin was the difference.  He re-invented the franchise with a swagger and grit, the franchise was missing.  He did great bringing back Vin Diesel back to the franchise, along with Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez.  This year?  This year the franchise adds Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!  Also joining the huge cast are Tyrese and Ludacris from the second film.  Check out the official synopsis and my thoughts below (minor spoilers):

Since Brian and Mia Toretto (Brewster) broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail.

Hart-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can't separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey...before someone else runs them down first.

 I have to give credit where credit is due.  The franchise has financially always done well.  I'm really not into cars, but I know a LOT of people who are.  I have to give the producers credit for always making the films different and distinctive from one another.  That's really hard when you're dealing with relatively the same subject matter.  I doubt I will go see Fast Five in theaters, but you can bet I'll rent it.  Your thoughts?

Quickie: "Machete" Casting News

2007's "Grindhouse," which had two separate features films directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino respectively, had faux movie trailers in between the real two features. One of the trailers was for an action picture called "Machete," starring Danny Trejo (Con Air) as a machete-wielding Mexican ex-Federale bent on revenge after being double-crossed by a corrupt state senator named McLaughlin.

Well Robert Rodriguez is now bringing this entertaining little trailer to life in the form of a full-length feature.

Bloody Disgusting has posted some very interesting casting news recently.
Aside from the obvious Danny Trejo being cast as "Machete," they are reporting that Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious) is set to play the character "Luz," Jonah Hill (Superbad) will play "Julio," and the Robert DeNiro will play "Senator McLaughlin."

Hmmm... I can see Michelle Rodriguez cast in this movie. That makes sense.
And Robert DeNiro being cast, while totally awesome, isn't much of a shocker either. Tarantino and DeNiro have strong ties leading back to "Jackie Brown," and seeing how Tarantino and Rodriguez are very close friends, this one is very possible.

The surprise here is Jonah Hill. This news, if true, leads me to believe that the film will probably have the same underlying comedy cheesiness of the original trailer.

Any thoughts?