‘Fast X,’ Mr. Fortune and a fairy tale

Bridgerton’s Queen Charlotte now has her own spin-off/prequel. NETFLIX PHOTO

Go on, say it. You’re rooting for the villain in “Fast X.” After all, it is Jason Momoa. Or maybe it’s high time the franchise is retired. The supposed wrap-up of the Fast family saga is upon us as long as the money keeps coming in for each installment. The latest “Fast and the Furious” movie is out and they always try to outdo themselves every time. Look for the return of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, along with Jason Statham, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Scott Eastwood, Charlize Theron, Michael Rooker and Tyrese Gibson, and joined by first-timers Brie Larson and Rita Moreno. About rooting for the villain, this series does seem to have a pattern — enemy in this film, unlikely ally in the next. Speaking of Jason Statham, I finally got around to watching “Operation Fortune.” It’s Guy Ritchie’s most recent action-caper movie. It’s not among his cleverest or funniest (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” “Snatch” and “The Gentlemen”). Still, it is a good romp with some of his “regulars.” Apart from Statham, who has done five movies with him (a.k.a. Orson Fortune), the cast includes Josh Hartnett, Hugh Grant, and Bugzy Malone. With them in the cast are Aubrey Plaza and Cary Elwes, who do well as a hacker with a clever quip for every occasion and a black ops agent in the service of the UK.

Rooting for the villain in Fast X? Of course you are. 

I do have to mention this film because Lourdes Faberes is in this and we had a great interview last year when “The Sandman” came out. Lourdes left the Philippines in the ’90s, moved to the UK and has built a great career, now appearing in three Neil Gaiman projects (“Good Omens,” “The Sandman” and the yet-to-be-released “Anansi Boys”).

If you want to throw in some romance and indulge in an escape via fairy tale, Netflix has released “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.” It’s a six-episode prequel telling the back story of Queen Charlotte. While a Queen Charlotte did exist about two and half centuries ago, this takes great liberties with the story, and “Bridgerton” itself takes place in an alternate regency era. So it’s all here — the costumes, the pageantry, the traditions, the expectations, the appearances, the family intrigue, the pomp, the circumstance, the gossip, the heartbreak, the romance and the sex — everything you need to take you away for an hour (or six). “Queen Charlotte” goes into Charlotte’s marriage to King George, and it also shows the beginnings of her lasting friendship with Lady Danbury.

After escaping, I think it’s also a good idea to find a little magic and adventure in our days and not rely totally on our screens to find it.