Father Knows Best..."The Foreigner"

The Foreigner (2017)

Rated R

Starring Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan,

Directed by Martin Campbell

The Story:

When his teenage daughter is killed in an alleged terrorist attack, Quan (Chan) wants answers. That leads him to the desk of politician Liam Hennessey (Brosnan) a former IRA member who is attempting to keep the peace after nearly 20 years, and trying to keep the British Isles from erupting in violence again. However, Quan is determined, and will do anything to keep pushing Hennessey to reveal what he really knows.

Acclaimed action-director Martin Campbell returns after a too-long hiatus since the doomed Green Lantern movie.

Totally not his fault, DC still doesn't know what it's doing with their movies.

Reteamed with an older, wiser James Bond, Campbell puts much more drama into this thriller and lets the action come in bits and pieces, but always turning up the pressure on the characters to find out who is really committing these bombings and how much the government did or did not really know.

Chan still has the moves that has dazzled audiences for decades, but at an older age, the sequences are dialed back a bit so it's not non-stop Kung Furious action spectacles.

If you passed on it thinking you were getting a subpar, direct-to-dvd fare, try this one again, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Final Grade: B-

How The East Was Won..."Railroad Tigers"

Railroad Tigers (2017)

Not Rated

Starring Jackie Chan, Jaycee Chane, Zitao Huang, Kai Wang,

Directed by Ding Sheng

The Story:

Ma Yuan (Chan) and a group of ragtag railroad workers decide that to get much needed supplies to the poor, they are going to have to start robbing the supply trains that China is heavily guarding as they roll through Japan.

Going into a Jackie Chan movie, you pretty much know what to expect at this point.

Humorous situations. Great stunts.

You'll get all of that here in this movie.

The problem, it's a very slow film that has lots of boredom crammed around those fight scenes.

Creaking in at over 2 hours, the movie is just too long, and the pacing so uneven, that it's hard to gain a vested interest in what is happening onscreen.

Still, Jackie's still bringing it after all these years, and you get to see him team up with his son Jaycee, and see that the master has a willing protege to follow in his footsteps if/when he decides to finally retire.

It has since been added to the Netflix streaming library since I watched it, and is currently available to stream as of this writing.

Final Grade: C/C+ range

Terrible Title...Not A Bad Movie..."Skiptrace"

Skiptrace (2016)  

Rated PG-13

Starring Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Bingbing Fan, Eric Tsang, Eve Torres, Winston Chao,

Directed by Renny Harlin

The Story:

Detective Bennie Chan (Chan) is on the trail of shadowy gangster who killed his partner (Tsang) years ago. His obsession with a case is taking a toll on him, and he is sent on vacation. Meanwhile, an American gambler (Knoxville) is having issues of his own. When he witnesses a murder, he might finally have the evidence that Chan needs to finally catch the bad guy red-handed!

If that plot sounds awfully familiar, it's pretty much the plot to Rush Hour and works pretty much the same way:

Chan can't find notorious bad guy.

Chan meets his humorous partner.

The two are oil and water.

They work against each other.

They finally work with each other.

They catch the bad guy.

Happy ending.

And if you've got a successful scenario like that, and the most famous international action movie star of all time, you don't tinker with it too terribly much.

So yes, it's familiar enough...

That's what you get with just about any Jackie Chan film.

And if you're a fan, that's really more than enough.

Considering the man is over 60, his action scenes are still really enjoyable to behold and it's amazing what he can still do out there.

Knoxville works well as an obnoxious American, but when hasn't he?

:)

Final Grade: C+

China's # 1 Export: Jackie Chan! "Dragon Blade"

Dragon Blade

Rated R

Starring Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody

Written and Directed by Daniel Lee

The Story:

Tiberius (Brody) is heading to conquer the Silk Road in China. Huo An (Chan) gathers his brothers in arms to prepare to defend themselves. They end up receiving assistance from General Lucius (Chan) and his legion that defected from Rome to escape Tiberius' madness. Together, this band of warriors are all that stands between freedom and a world under Tiberius' mad rule.

So let's begin with the old standby, "based on a true story". Because it is.

Sometimes that story may be as simple as once upon a time, some Romans and Chinese met one another...

But that's still a good place to base this story on, though there was a bit more to it than that. There may not have been the full scale battle that's going to unfold here, but at least you know it's not totally making up the idea that the Chinese and Romans ever met one another.

Pretty cool concept, really.

Yep, Chinese cinema is alive and well, and you're looking at the number one export from Chinese cinema last year.

While it may look like a budget/straight to video affair from our side of the spectrum, it's really quite the lavish film with pretty good production values and a lot of effort to make this period piece shine.

From the reports I read, it was the # 1 film in all of China last year, and one billion people can't be totally wrong, right? :)

Seriously though, it's a pretty good "sand and sandals" period piece that allows the Roman legions to fight alongside Chan's Chinese freedom fighters.

Cusack turns in a fine performance, and Brody was hired to chew the scenery and twirl his evil villainous moustache.

Which he does, even without the benefit of having a moustache.

Nothing you can't do without, but if you're a fan of Chan and his films, definitely worth a peek.

Final Grade: C+

Special Guest Reviews: "Kung Fu Panda 3 "

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons, David Cross, James Hong

Directed by Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh

The Story:

Po (Black) reunites with his long lost father (Cranston) and they journey to where the rest of the Pandas are located.  However, while he is away, a new villain, Kai (Simmons) begins defeating the Kung Fu masters. Po must teach the new pandas how to do the Fu in order to save his friends, and the world!

Kung Fu Panda was released in 2008 to much commercial and critical success.

In 2011, Kung Fu Panda 2 came out and did the unusual and unthinkable: it was the sequel that was better than the original.  It matched the humor of the original, but this time it brought some emotional heart to the festivities.

I never bothered with either for years, until I finally watched both last year. Hmmm. I guess I should've thrown some reviews on the site! ;)

So with the release of Part 3, I sent the experts on all thing Panda into the theater to do my dirty work for me.

Here then are some of their thoughts on the movie:

First we'll start with the biggest fan of  Kung Fu Panda in the house -

There was a very good plot. A great balance between the action and the humor.  It didn't let me down with the franchise and go out on a low note.  I'd give it an A!

Next kid:

Amazing.  I give it an A!

How about # 3?

I think it was very funny, not too serious and not all action. I really liked what the movie did with both of Po's dads. I give it an A!

As for the oldest that saw the movie on Friday:

 So far the best film I've seen all year. It didn't exceed the the greatness of Part 2, but it may very well have equaled it. Definitely an A.

And the opinion of the youngest:

It was great. There were two sad parts that made me cry sad tears. I was glad I got to see it.

Apparently it was so good, the oldest had to go see it on Sunday to see if it was indeed truly as good as everyone said.

Her text: It was phenomenal. She elaborated later that it was by far the prettiest of all three movies and the animation was just spectacular. Then her comments seemed to echo just about everyone else, not quite as good as Part 2, but really, really, really good nonetheless.

Overall final grade (for now):  Looks like the A's have it. Sounds like a contender for Best of the Year if I know what's good for me.

The real grade will be revealed when it comes out on Netflix or for sale later this year.

;)

There's Got To Be A Faster Way To Go "Around the World in 80 Days"

We've got a long way to go...
And a short time to get there!

The Story:

The story opens with a thief (Jackie Chan) escaping from the Bank of England with a rare jade Buddha.  He hides out with an eccentric inventor, Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) who entrusts his new companion as his valet.  When they are mocked at the Royal Academy of Science, a wager is made between Fogg and Lord Kelvin (Jim Broadbent).  If Fogg can circumnavigate the globe and return to the Academy within 80 days, he can become the new minister of science.  If not, then he must never invent...again!

Would it help to remind you that this film, that's about to celebrate its 10th Anniversary, was a Disney film?

Because that will explain how the source material is blown up and completely rearranged from the book.

The book was a wonderful read by Jules Verne, but since it's been nearly 30 years since I read it, but it remains a happy memory for me.

This movie, well it's designed to entertain the kids, and not bore the parents.

In that regard, well it mostly succeeds.

The cast is generally likeable, and they sprinkled in famous cameos to bump into Fogg and Passepartout along the way. 

Plus they add Cecile De France who plays Monique La Roche, who joins the duo on their madcap race around the globe, as a potential love interest for Fogg.

Naturally with Jackie Chan in the movie, there will be several fights which serve to wake the film back up.

However, the movie is a bit bloated as it churns along for 2 hours. 

There are times you might feel it's taking 80 Days...

Overall though, it could've used a good 10-20 minutes of trimming/tightening and it would've made the picture stronger, and I would give it a stronger recommendation to boot!

Overall, agreeable fluff for the family.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Once every 10 years seems to be about right. ;)

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.

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.