Do You Understand the Review That Is Coming Out of My Mouth? "Rush Hour"

It ain't 'you all', it's y'all!

The Story:

Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) comes to America to help find the kidnapped daughter of his old boss.  He is handed over to LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) by the FBI who want those two as far away from the case as possible.  Can the two figure out a way to work together long enough to save a little girl's life?

Well, duh!

: )

15 years ago, Rush Hour burst onto the scene.


It was a Lethal Weapon for a whole new generation.

Though this action flick was not nearly as gritty as before, there was much more emphasis put on the comedic tone of the movie than Lethal Weapon had employed.

Which also explains why the kids have seen this franchise, and not thrilled to the exploits of Riggs and Murtaugh...

Yet!

But they followed the formula of oil and water...night and day... with two cops that are polar opposites, but both are really good at what they do, and when they finally work together, magic happens.

Helmed by Brett Ratner, one of the more disliked directors in Hollywood.  However whenever I see a Brett Ratner movie, I've always enjoyed it.  Heck, I own most of his library!

:)

Jackie Chan of course, was the big draw to this film for me.  I've always loved his action films and stunt work.

The big surprise was Chris Tucker, who did not annoy me to death when I watched the film.  The more I've watched the franchise, the more fun I've had watching these films.  He has the best lines, and delivers them with style.

Finally, whenever the song "Fantasy" by Mariah Carey plays on the radio, I can't help but think of this movie.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd say it gets watched roughly once a year, and yes, I happily own it.

I Don't Remember "The Fifth Element" on the Periodic Table...

Hold on!

The Story:

The Fifth Element is the ultimate weapon against evil.  It saves Earth once, but it's getting too dangerous, and must leave the planet for safety.  Don't fear though, it will return to save the day in the future.

Welcome to the future!  The Fifth Element is on its way to save the day when tragedy strikes.  Scientists however are able to recreate the element in the form of LeeLoo (Milla Jovovich).  She escapes to try and complete her mission and is rescued by Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) former military, now cab driver.    It's up to Dallas to help LeeLoo save the planet from Evil, and evil's # 1 henchman, Mr. Zorg (Gary Oldman).  With a little luck from the clergy (Ian Holm)...it just might work!

I've got nothing but love for this film.

They had fun, but take the premise seriously...at least seriously enough.  : )  The tongue is never too far from the cheek as the situation dictates.

This is another Luc Besson masterpiece that he did double-duty on this time as both the writer and the director.

Gary Oldman runs around the movie as the scenery chewing bad guy, and he's just having a blast.

Bruce Willis plays to his strengths, the wisecracking hero who saves the day, and that's perfect for this film.

In fact, all of the supporting cast is enjoyable throughout the movie.  I suppose I should give special mention of course to Chris Tucker.

This was my first exposure to his work, and I would say that the first time I saw this film, I absolutely hated him.

Talk about annoying!

Then the years passed, and the Rush Hour series came along. 

Then I've come back to this film every once in awhile in the 16 years since it came out...

Does it trouble anyone else that all of these movies are getting up there in how old they are, or is it just me??!!

: )

Anyway, Tucker's annoying Ruby Rhod grew on me, and now I look forward to seeing him having a ball onscreen.

Naturally, you also can't overlook Jovovich's launch to movie stardom from this film.  She is a force of nature, and it has translated successfully to the Resident Evil franchise as well.

Movies like this are a perfect example of why I love movies.  It's a B movie that tries to entertain and have fun with itself, and it translates well to the audience.

I would imagine that many Sci-Fi purists might hate this film, but for this guy?

Works like a charm.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and again, it sees a spin every 3-4 years or so.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 42 ~ Rush Hour

The following review is G-14 Classified....


Another day...another unconventional choice for a Top 100 list.

Jackie Chan returns to the countdown in another "Buddy Picture".  This time, he's a cop from Hong Kong (please, stretch your imagination to make this work...) and he gets teamed with L.A.s most obnoxious cop: Chris Tucker.  Together they will solve the crime that the rest of the FBI is unable to solve.  If they survive the bad guys...and each other.

I've mentioned it before, I am a big fan of the buddy picture.  This isn't my first foray on the list... and it won't be the last, either.

Where to begin?

Jackie Chan.  I love Jackie Chan.  Ever since Cannonball Run, I thought he was an awesome little daredevil.  Until Rumble in the Bronx, I hadn't seen much from him.  Luckily with the success of that film, many of his other films became available for me to watch, and I've seen many.  Some were great...some good...some...meh.

But at the end of the day, I still love me some Jackie Chan.  He gets to play the fish out of water who learns a few things, and teaches a few things to his brash partner.  Which leads us to...

Chris Tucker.  My first exposure to Mr. Tucker was in The Fifth Element.  He was annoying...and yet funny...  Amazingly, I realize he is simply playing Christ Tucker. : )  Again, same character traits in Rush Hour, but with a little more humor and action than I had seen before.

For the record, unlike many sequels, I also enjoyed Rush Hour 2, and 3.  3 more than 2.  Your mileage of course may vary.

Finally, Brett Ratner, the director of the trilogy.

I will not apologize for the fact that I have enjoyed ever Brett Ratner film I've ever watched.  All 3 Rush Hours, The Family Man (which I believe I mentioned just missed making this list), After the Sunset, Tower Heist and yes, X-Men 3.  Actually, I may have enjoyed X-3 better than the first 2 installments.

So there.

And if they decide to make a Rush Hour 4, that's fine with me, because I will be more than happy to add it my collection.