This one's for my Fast and Furious Family.
Well, whether we're ready or not this Friday our movie comes out for the last time with our beloved Brian O'Conner. Furious 7 focuses on the vengeance of Owen Shaw's brother Ian (played by the exciting Jason Statham) with the startling (yet expected) murder of Han Seoul-Oh. Who appeared in four Fast and Furious films and a previous Justin Lin film entitled Better Luck Tomorrow. A fan favourite, he moved to Tokyo after the death of his beloved (and our beloved) Gisele Yashar.
I was (of course) very, very excited for this film after Fast 6. So beyond impressed in a franchise that managed to take its worst film (Tokyo Drift) and turn it into the most important and pivotal one of the series some six years later. Turning Tokyo Drift effectively into the 6th movie of the franchise instead of the third and tying in moments that previously seemed insignificant, like a cameo from Vin Diesel and the erratic behaviour of previously zen-like Han into key moments in the franchise. The Fast series has always gone above and beyond to be much better than it needed to be but it just seemed more and more to be ageing like a fine wine, there really was every reason to believe we'd be seeing more of the #FastFam for years to come.....
Then the worst happened, I remember I used to watch Paul Walker/Tyrese interviews and #FastFam spoofs late at night when I was having a bad day or feeling particularly down and they would always cheer me up these people are so good at being ridiculous and their chemistry is just ludicrous and amazing! (see what I did there). The skits and the familial bond just got better and better and behind the scenes we learned that Tyrese's Roman definitely got his big mouth from his portrayer always stirring ish in the most bizarre and amusing ways.
When Paul Walker died, all that positivity and great energy changed for me, that safe and happy place I would go to when things were crappy disappeared, All the hope I had in a franchise that represented me and so many other faces and races that were under-represented or misrepresented by action films and by films in general, seemed to die suddenly. The heart of the franchise was gone. But we still have to honour him, and we have to honour, respect and protect what he created and valued on-screen and off, because when you care about someone that's the best way to make their memory live on and the only way to honour their legacy.
I don't have a f*cking clue how to answer what to do when someone you care about is gone for good and I'm still trying to figure it out, 2013/2014 were not particularly good years for me as I lost a lot of people I cared about in what almost seemed like a fire sale.
All I can hope is that the answer to how to respond (when you lose someone you care about and admire like Paul Walker or Jack Layton) is somewhere in this incredible speech that Tyrese gave. Somehow something that Paul and Jack understood about the planet that other people didn't or don't maybe made God or the universe call them home.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. So here is your Fast and Furious reupped playlist much love (as always) and I wish the best of coming weeks to you. Please donate, support, (purchase cute shirts and caps) from ROWW (Reach Out Worldwide you can learn more about the charity here. And (just started my sentence like I shouldn't) keep your calendar clear this Friday April 3rd for our date with Fast 7! One last ride y'all, let's make it sweet.
xo
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