NEWS OF THE WEEK: Cardi B confirms long-awaited second studio album
The Bodak Yellow rapper unveiled her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, back in April 2018. After fielding questions from fans about when they can expect new music for the past seven years, Cardi announced on Monday that her sophomore project, Am I the Drama?, will be released on 19 September. 'Marking a bold evolution in her sound and storytelling, the project arrives after her record-breaking debut album Invasion of Privacy - not just aiming to top it but showing how far she's come and how much more she has to say.'
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F1 Review: I Love The Eye-Popping Races, But The Sports Movie Clichés Are Overwhelming
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. There is no question that director Joseph Kosinski knows how to shoot things moving super fast. He first demonstrated this expertise about a decade and a half ago with Lightcycles zooming around The Grid in Tron: Legacy, and his collaboration with daredevil Tom Cruise three years ago yielded the wild aerial awesomeness of Top Gun: Maverick. All of this is to say that the filmmaker is a natural fit for a film about Formula 1 racing – a project that offers ample opportunity for Kosinski to make audiences feel like they are moving at extremely high velocity while simply sitting in a comfy chair. F1 Release Date: June 27, 2025Directed By: Joseph KosinskiWritten By: Ehren KrugerStarring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier BardemRating: PG-13 for strong language, and actionRuntime: 156 minutes As one would anticipate, F1 is an impressive technical achievement. It repeatedly offers the visceral experience of being strapped to the hood/side/back of one of the title sport's speedy cars, with inventive cinematography and brilliant sound design working in tandem to create the powerful effect. I can say without any reservation that the film met all my expectations in that respect, as I felt like I could practically smell the burning rubber on asphalt. However, it also falls short in some key narrative and storytelling arenas, which very much hamper the 156 minute epic. Brad Pitt is using every ounce of his star power playing driver Sonny Hayes, but the movie nonetheless fails to make it over two key hurdles: fast cars and crashes/explosions can't disguise the fact that the script by Ehren Kruger is excessively trope-ridden and formulaic. For those who don't know the various rules and regulations of the sport going in to the movie, it provides very little assistance and asks that you figure everything out via context (which I normally wouldn't ding a film for, but the reality is that I felt confused more often than desirable for an entertaining big screen experience). If you're a veteran fan of sports movies, this is a tale you'll probably recognize: Sonny Hayes is an aging, but still passionate driver looking for any excuse to get behind the wheel, and out of nowhere, he gets a golden ticket. His old friend Ruben (Javier Bardem) has a team that is desperate to win races and in need of a veteran to train hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Sonny is far from the first choice, but he is the first one to say yes. Things start off rocky as the team fails to synchronize and mistakes are made. But as Sonny and Joshua starts moving in the same direction toward the target goal, personality conflicts are overcome. And with the help of technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) using her knowhow to make the cars work best for the drivers in the tandem driving sport, they start to win. I don't know if anyone has ever tried to calculate a golden 'cliché to runtime' ratio, but F1 is certainly a film that goes far beyond what it would be. Stock characters and story can be fine if properly packaged into a breezy 90-minute feature, but the Formula One feature asks for an hour-plus more than that, and it's too big an ask. Stakes and emotional investment dwindle when the moviegoer is left waiting for next obvious plot development to unfold, and that comes paired with disappointment as you consistently recognize that the work isn't going to make any effort to try something new. It can't be denied that some people find comfort in a movie like this, as it's a nostalgic throwback to a past era of filmmaking… but if I'm seeking that kind of comfort, I simply go back to watch the titles from the late 20th century that originated it. Anyone's desire to see the storytelling evolve and to get something sincerely fresh out of the experience will be wanting (those seeking a similar aesthetic thrill can also find it elsewhere, with recent titles springing to mind including James Mangold's Ford vs. Ferrari and Neill Blomkamp's Gran Turismo). As for the presentation of the eponymous sport, I will admit to being of two minds. I have vitriol for mindless exposition that gracelessly spoon feeds information to ensure that everyone in the audience understands everything that is going on, and I also understand that Formula 1 has a massive, worldwide fanbase that would be insulted if F1 tried to hold their hand through every racing sequence in the film. All that being said, I am a layman who struggled to fully understand certain mid-race events and found myself disengaged during my screening. I get it: I would hate any baseball movie that felt the need to explain to me that three strikes equals a strikeout and/or what a home run is. But a little hand-holding isn't the worst thing. A great baseball movie can get across the mechanics of the game and potentially turn a non-fan into a fan; after watching F1, I can't say I feel any kind of motivation to learn more about Formula 1 (which offers a kind of disappointment unto itself). Die-hards will love seeing their favorite sport on screen, but newbies like myself are kept at arm's length and won't feel regarded as a target audience (a contrast with everything else about it that screams 'mass appeal'). The various characters are as clichéd as the plot – from Kerry Condon's 'the only woman rebelling in a male-dominated field' to Tobias Menzies' 'slimy executive-type offering back-stabbing deals' – and there is exactly nothing unique about the dynamic between the grizzled veteran and egotistical rookie. F1 is a case of actors elevating material, though. Brad Pitt isn't exactly developing his range playing Sonny Hayes, but there certainly is a proper exploitation that has made him a star in the last 30+ years, and a great deal of credit is deserved for his work actually getting behind the wheel and driving at three-figure speeds. And while this is certainly a case of 'The Brad Pitt Show,' it can be said that Bardem brings a lot of charm as the 'good friend who is way out over his skis' and Damson Idris demonstrates impressive confidence as an up-and-coming performer going toe-to-toe with his A-list co-star. F1 is a movie that seems to have a very clear idea of who it is for, but a consequence is that anyone on the outside of that target won't find much to love. It's a proper big screen experience, as you'll want to feel your chair rumbling from the sound mix and have your entire field of vision dominated by whizzing scenery and blurry asphalt, but thanks to its underwhelming script, its shelf life beyond cinemas is going to be questionable.
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18 minutes ago
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Critics Are Calling F1 ‘A Hell Of A Ride,' But They Agree There's One Thing Keeping It From The Finish Line
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Brad Pitt's F1 has been one of the most highly anticipated theatrical releases of the year, and now the wait is almost over. Critics had the opportunity to screen the Formula One-inspired sports drama ahead of its June 27 release on the 2025 movie calendar, and while F1's first reactions suggested audiences are in for a wild ride, they all agree it's full of sports movie clichés. So, where do they stand on the movie overall? With Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski at the helm, we're no doubt expecting an experience worthy of being seen in 4DX or IMAX with intense race scenes (and yes, Brad Pitt and Damson Idris actually did get behind the wheel). According to Ross Bonaime of Collider, it fulfills those expectations and delivers one of the best racing movies ever, despite hitting all the tropes. He rates it 8 out of 10 and writes: This is the sort of film built for the summer: a loud, exciting movie that just feels expensive that'll make you want to clap with excitement over even the most minuscule moments and high-five the stranger next to you in a packed theater. F1 is an absolute blast and one of the most exciting films to come out this summer, a film that will put you on the edge of your seat and make you glad that filmmakers like Kosinski are still making films like this today. Mae Abdulbaki of ScreenRant agrees, also giving the movie 8 out of 10. The critic says F1 is basically a 156-minute commercial with brands everywhere and a completely unoriginal story, and still, Abdulbaki was riveted by every minute of it, saying: F1 is a theater movie for sure. It's exciting to watch it with a crowd that'll react appropriately, from the laughs to the gasps to the cheers (my theater audience had all three reactions). Even if you're not into the sport or have never watched a race in its entirety (I haven't), F1 will still hold your interest. It might be a Formula One promotional movie at its core, but at least it's a damn good film. Clint Gage of IGN admits that F1 'won't win any awards for originality,' but says the sports movie formula has stayed the same for a reason — it's pretty hard to mess up. Despite giving in to those tried-and-true tactics, the critic says you can tell everyone had fun making this movie, and that enthusiasm is infectious. Gage gives it a 'Good' 7 out of 10 and writes: Top Gun: Maverick's Joseph Kosinski assembles an all-star crew in front of and behind the camera for F1, and they craft a technical marvel of a movie. It's gorgeous and thrilling to look at, with top-notch editing backing up Brad Pitt's IMAX-consuming charisma. It's a faithful devotee to the sports-movie formula that's kept from greatness by a few too many unnecessary components and a finish line that maybe should've been closer than two and a half hours away. But in spite of that, it's still a hell of a ride. Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence gives the movie a B+ for how it captures the adrenaline and danger of being in the driver's seat. The movie (especially the races) is never boring, Miller says, but you definitely start to feel that 2.5-plus-hour runtime. The critic says: Story-wise, the plot is substantial enough to keep F1 from feeling like a two-hour-and-35-minute Formula 1 advertisement. (Yeah, this one's long.) The bad news is that it covers more than a few of your classic sports movies tropes, such as Sonny's tragic past, and of course Sonny and talented up-and-comer Joshua (Damson Idris, who makes the most of his limited character development) wind up butting heads. You'll see some of the other cliches coming a mile down the track, and it feels like there's maybe one more big plot beat than necessary. Witney Seibold of SlashFilm has the least patience for F1's shortcomings from the reviews I read, rating the film 4.5 out of 10. Like Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, Brad Pitt is a 'previous generation's pretty boy' determined to prove he's 'still got it,' Seibold says. The driving sequences are fun, but the critic says that's not enough, writing: Had F1 been a tight 90 minutes, perhaps a lot of its more glaring writing flaws could be forgiven, or at least ignored (well, the terrible handling of Condon's character notwithstanding). But at a bloated 156 minutes, audiences will have too ample time to ponder the film's many weaknesses. The racing will be exciting — very exciting, in fact — and Pitt is certainly a movie star, but quite frankly, I can have my own midlife crisis, thank you. I don't need to watch Pitt's. The critics seem to agree that F1 goes on a little longer than necessary and doesn't exactly bring the originality. However, at least for most, that's hardly a concern. Sports movie tropes are popular for a reason — they make for good movies, and it sounds like Brad Pitt and Joseph Kosinski have succeeded in making one of those. F1 hits theaters on Friday, June 27.
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18 minutes ago
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I Can't Get Enough Of Tom Cruise Honoring Days Of Thunder As Jerry Bruckheimer's New Racing Movie Premieres
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. F1 finally roared into theaters this weekend, and the Joseph Kosinski-helmed movie features high-octane action and a charismatic performance from lead actor Brad Pitt. Wildly enough, this 2025 movie schedule blockbuster opened on the exact same day that Tom Cruise's Days of Thunder hit cinemas decades ago. The two films also have something else in common (other than the fact that they're about racing). Both are produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and I'm loving that Cruise honored his colleague and both films. Days of Thunder opened in 1990, which means we've just hit its 35th anniversary. To this day, the sports movie remains one of the signature titles in Tom Cruise's filmography, and he seems to have much affection for it. Such a notion was evidenced by the fact that Cruise took to Instagram on June 27 to share some cool BTS photos from his time making the classic film. The veteran actor also penned a warm tribute in which he reflected on production and shouted out the F1 team: I always love the fun and adrenaline of a racing film. Today marks two racing milestones for my friend Jerry Bruckheimer, the release of F1 and the 35 year anniversary to the day of our collaboration with the great Tony Scott on Days of Thunder. Incredible to look back on this film today, and congratulations to Jerry, Brad, Joe and the whole F1 team on their release! At the time of its release, Tony Scott's beloved racing film received mixed reviews. However, many have seemingly warmed up to it in the years since it hit theaters. The late Scott made great use of special effects in order to provide an exciting depiction of NASCAR racing. As a film buff, I love seeing the behind-the-scenes photos that Tom Cruise dropped on social media. The snapshot with the camera rig on the car, in particular, is a sweet example of how Scott was trying to push the boundaries of filmmaking at that point. More on Days of Thunder I Recently Watched Days Of Thunder For The First Time, And I Didn't Get Why Tom Cruise Would Choose It To Usher Him Into His Sequel Era – Until Now Likewise, Joseph Kosinski, Jerry Bruckheimer and Brad Pitt were also trying to push technical-based boundaries with their own racing movie. Formula 1 fans could certainly argue that F1 isn't always realistic, even if the racing sequences are breathtaking. However, I'd argue that there are still a lot of cool filmmaking techniques at play, which makes the production worthy of at least some admiration. On that note, F1 received praise from some critics in that regard. Jerry Bruckheimer should be proud, considering what he and his colleagues have accomplished and, per reports, he's not done with the world of racing just yet. A Days of Thunder sequel is reportedly in the works, and it's already sparking interest from NASCAR veterans. Details on the project are scarce at the moment, but sources indicate that Tom Cruise is down to reprise his role as Cole Trickle. Paramount Plus: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a yearTom Cruise fans should hit up Paramount+ for Days of Thunder, Top Gun and the star's other great movies. Grab the Essential plan or go the ad-free route. A larger content catalog is available with Showtime through the Premium plan, which starts from $12.99 a month. Also, get 12 months for the price of 10 using the annual Deal I look forward to seeing what happens on that front, and I'm wondering how the team can possibly match or top what's presented in Joseph Kosinski's latest flick. Of course, unlike a race, this doesn't seem to be a competition. Tom Cruise is clearly excited for the release of this latest racecar movie as he is passionate about the flick he made over 30 years ago. Check out F1, which is playing in theaters nationwide now! Also, those who'd like to stream Days of Thunder can do so using a Paramount+ subscription.
