I’m not sure I follow. Are you saying that the disparity between white people and everyone else in the movies is due to the fact that the white people are better actors? Or what do you mean by “do the role”? And what do you mean about Friends and NYC and changing the location? And are you just saying that the reason there aren’t real Japanese actors in this movie is probably that they couldn’t find any who could speak English and drive the cars?
I will absolutely be going to see this. I love this type of stupid entertainment, and if by going to see this we can convince Hollywood to make more car movies, I’m all for it. 
Plus, a local rally guy does a lot of the driving in the movie (Tanner Faust), so I know that, at least, will be impressive (go rallyists!).
I wonder what the atmosphere at the theater will be on opening night. I just hope my car doesn’t get jacked while watching the movie. 
Ditto here. I love those rounds. Rev! Revvv! Skreeeeeeeeee! “Great drift!” Kreeeee! “Outrageous!” CRUNCH! dammit Rev! Revvv!
So this looks incredibly stupid (it’s from the guy whose Annapolis stunk up cinemas earlier this year, and who is attached to the Oldboy remake), but I’ll probably secretly watch it when it arrives on HBO.
Oh, and I’m also looking forward to 2 Planes 2 Thousandsnakes.
No, but i did have a freebie rental I wasted on the original TFATF, where I saw the Supercharged Charger (SuperCharger?) break two rules of physics in a drag race, it both wheelied (too much traction) AND performed a burnout (too little traction) simultaneously…
one or the other, guys, it can’t do both… but then again I shouldn’t expect too much accuracy when “NAWSSSS!!” ends up blowing out the passenger side floorboard, especially when NO2 tanks are generally kept in the trunk, nowhere near the passenger side floorboard…
Ensign Edison - Calm down (geez, I could’ve spent more time on this…). Okay. Friends got some heat during the early seasons because, well, it was a story about six white people set in…New York. As it turns out, there were a lot of choices for the auditions, and those where the six that got selected. Nothing more, nothing less. My suggestion that the location could be move to somewhere less cosmopolitan, but apparently that was a little too drastic a change at that point.
As for Tokyo Drift, I don’t think anyone even attempted to get Japanese actors at any point. When you need someone who can act, speak reasonably good English, and drive (CG helps, but it can’t do the job alone), you take what you can get.
Bryan Ekers - Were you watching the same movie?
The first Camaro driver knocked a signboard into the road (and just as Rome had hit the nitrous). Rome swerved way out of control and gave up a huge lead. Then, as the second Camaro driver was on the way back, Brian engaged him in a game of chicken, and the Camaro driver, unbelievely, accepted this ridiculous challenge. He chickened out, lost a huge amount of ground, and eventually lost the race. It wasn’t rice cheating to beat American muscle, it was both sides playing dirty and the heroes prevailing because, well, they’re the heroes.
I’m not even going to touch that allegory on flash vs. good writing or whatever.
In this case, the “cheating” I’m referring to is that of the writers, i.e. the second Camaro driver is sufficiently stupid to charge into a game of chicken, and then lose, rather than just easing to a stop and waiting for Brian to pass. As I recall, even within the scene the “heroes” were concerned that the Camaros would outperform their tricked-out neon-mobiles. I was rooting for them to lose. No luck.
And what was the deal with the screen blurring every time the nitrous was used? Was it leaking into the cabin and causing the characters to hallucinate?
I’ve only seen the trailer, but it strikes me as a fun Knight Rider movie – e.g., you’re only there to see the car(s). The boring bits with the human actors are the breaks for bathroom runs and popcorn refills. 
It’s just normal racing, they’re just drawing a lot of attention to a driving technique that’s used by the characters (see Cuckoorex’s post).
According to a slew of magazines a few years back, and the storyline of the Initial D series of Anime/Manga, Drifting as we know it today is descended from racers in Japan who would race the twisty downhill roads that make up a lot of the more rural areas in Japan.
They would utilize drifting quite a bit in turns, in theory, to keep up their speed and still make the turn. It’s also showy, and takes a lot of skill.
These days, in the US, it’s mostly done on flat tracks, but still utilizes the drifting turn (break the rear traction, slide the car around, and then regrip and shoot forward out of the turn) to get around.
About 5 years ago, SuperStreet started covering it, and in fact wrote a story about some guys who had started drifting on the Grapevine down in/around LA.
Dangerous, to be sure, and certainly hard on the car.
And, in regards to the orginal Fast and the Furious, I was both entertained, and disappointed. I really hoped it would show a more realistic take on the import scene. It failed in that regard. Failed badly.
All of the guys I know had the same disappointment.
I pretty much stopped watching the 2nd one when Star #1 found a dilapidated and torn up SKYLINE in a junkyard in Texas.
Getting a Skyline into the US, legally, and street legal costs upwards of $85,000 through Motorex and similar import companies. You’re not going to find one in a junkyard. Ever.
I’ll probably watch this one, if only to see if they manage to get a Hachi in there somewhere…
Yeah that was my whole point with people who are complaining about Paul Walker and Vinny not being a part of this. I didn’t think I’d ever see the day that people would NOT want to go to a movie b/c eaither of them were missing. Hell hath frozen over I guess.
To me its the cars that are the stars of this flick. The races and the action are what I signed up for on each one of these films and so far they have not failed to deliver. i’m expecting the same witht he third.
By the way I did hear that Vin was making a cameo at the end, so hopefully that will appease the people that go to enjoy that big meathead. 
vid out of Japan—I don’t know who tuned the Supra, vs Mine’s Skyline
Now, I LOVE the Supra, and will one day own one, but watching this Skyline makes me want to start looking for importers…there are two Japan GT racers testing them, and they both say the Skyline is too fast for any street car.
and just because I can’t leave a post like this without pimping a Supra-
Autobanh Supra(street legal) hits 201.75mph at the Texas Mile in March(new record)
http://videos.streetfire.net/search/autobanh/0/08C5634E-6912-471C-8310-FCB9E5188C9E.htm
http://videos.streetfire.net/search/autobanh/0/95D36BFB-1DBC-4E91-B056-A458384E1FC6.htm
this car just sold on Ebay for 77K
Yeah, just put your carjack on, get yourself some popcorn and enjoy. That’s cool that Tanner Faust is involved and he’s from around you. I’m really excited about the pro drivers they chose for this one. worht the price of admission alone for alot of us.
Yes, definitely agree. If you don’t have it already, pick up the current issue of SCC where they test a lot of the cars used in the movie. The article has an excellent quote about Rod Millen’s driving for the movie, saying that he could just place the car in a slide in the same place over and over again. Awesome.
Point Break - surfboards + Honda Civics + nitros = Fast and the Furious
I’ve already said that I am not going to see the movie, but I will give props to any theater that lists it as 3 Fast 3 Furious on its marquee.
That’s awesome thanks. Did you get a chance to check it out this weekend? The weather was too beautiful for me to rationalize being inside for two hours, but i plan on going sometime this week.
Everyone i’ve talked to has said the racing scenes are pretty sick.
Yep, caught it this Saturday night.
I must say that they did a much better job with this one than the second film. I think I will always like the first one the best, but this one is up there.
For one thing, the driving in this one is the best of the three. There are couple of CGI sequences (particularly in the big race at the end), but most of the driving appears to be real. VERY impressive.
They also managed to avoid any of the technical discussions that made the first movie the stuff of Internet forums, and just stick to the driving.
I was especially gratified to see the featured role of RX7s. (In addition to the crazy orange one, you can spot the Falken 3rd Gen D1 drift car at the head of the pack during the night drift secotion). Although this will probably make life for a 7 owner unpleasant at stoplights, much like the first one did for Supra owners.
Best moment from the movie that no one else in the theater seemed to pick up on: When the main character is learning to drift in a parking lot, there are two fishermen watching and commenting on the spectacle. The guy with the speaking lines is Keiichi Tsuchiya. I loved it.
If they had been able to actually hire someone who could write dialogue, the movie could have been much better. Still, I’ll probably see it again in the theater and buy it when it comes out on DVD.
Very nice. I’m glad that they were so true to form with the racing, I wasn’t expecting it to be better than the first, sequels rarely are. (Besides pirates which I thinkis going to be sick… sorry OT).
I can’t wait to RX7s, I heard about them from a friend, but I know I gotta see it for myself. I’ll def look out for the fishman. Did anyone drift out of the parking lot? I’m expecting some of that. But, you know you gotta love a movie that inspires people.
Roeper gave it a thumbs down, Ebert gave it a thumbs up. That prick Roeper had to snicker and snort the whole time Ebert was talking.
All the reviews I’ve seen (informal ones) seem to indicate that this one is somewhat more technically accurate WRT physics and driving techniques. Also, it I understand the cast does feature at least one notable in the Japanese motorsport world.
I want to see it. You just have to go into these movies with the right expectations.