Not a bad end to the trilogy, but miles behind the first two.
Wesley Snipes was excellent as always, but seemed pushed to the slow lane in favour of other characters…
Ryan Reynolds smart-ass chat started to grind on my nerves (okay for his character in ‘Deadpool’), but not cool here…Just irritating after a while. It’s no wonder that his character had the shit kicked out of him.
Plus side: Jessica Biel was super-hot, super-cool, super-sexy, and kicked vampire butt…
Yesterdays was my letterboxd day (the day of the year the number of movies watched hits the number of days in a year), so now I log net positive films in my list (yes I am a psychopath)
Dragon Lord - 3.5/5 I think this might go up to a 4 when I rewatch the Hong Kong theatrical version as the extended version dragged a bit too long in the two lengthy sport scenes. Has a really great fight at the climax with Jackie sending the villain flying after doing a slide kick down a grain chute.
Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin - 3/5 A very early Jackie film and it shows. The fighting scenes - although plentiful and decently choreographed - feel a lot more robotic and not as smooth as most of Jackie’s later entries.
Rush Hour - 3.5/5 I’m probably gonna stay away from most of Jackie’s modern US movies but I did want to check out Rush Hour as I have heard many good things about it. Really loved Chris Tucker and Jackie’s chemistry in this one. As with most early 2000s American comedies, there were a few obnoxious and painfully unfunny jokes but they didn’t overshadow the actually funny moments. Also, there was a surprisingly decent amount of fights/stunts so I can’t really complain.
Rush Hour 2 - 3.5/5 I like this one a little bit more than the first entry, mainly because we get that great Tucker/Jackie chemistry right from the get-go. The stunts and action were on par with the first and I really enjoyed the bomb in Jackie’s mouth sequence.
Spiritual Kung Fu - 3/5 Jackie pees on tiny ghosts that teach him kung fu and dance around in red wigs. I’m sure it’s no surprise that this is one of the worst of Jackie’s early films and is only saved by 2 pretty good fights near the end.
Fearless Hyena - 4/5 Jackie’s directorial debut is unsurprisingly very good. Jackie had always been interested in how films were made when he was just an actor and it really shows with just how good this film is considering it was his first time directing. Plenty of great fights including Jackie beating down a big dude in drag, and lots of Jackie style comedy. Fantastic ending fight which uses some hilarious kung fu styles and defeating the villain with a powerful fist to the groin (ouch).
Heart of Dragon - 4/5 This one seems to get a lot of flack online, mainly for the lack of kung fu, but I don’t really understand why as this isn’t even a kung fu movie.I really loved the emotional scenes between Jackie and Sammo and naturally, there is a fantastic final brawl in a construction site at the end. It’s a great drama/action movie but Sammo’s portrayal of a person with learning difficulties is pretty terrible may ruin the movie for you.
Shaolin Wooden Men - 4/5 Jackie fighting wooden soldier contraptions is as awesome as you expect. He plays a mute for most of the film until the final showdown where he faces his mentor in a fantastic final fight. I loved the villain in this one and the Shaolin temple has some really beautiful scenery. I know the ‘villain turns out to be someone the hero looks up to’ trope isn’t super unique, but the extra conflict it adds to the final fight is really welcome and helps it stand compared to regular kung fu flicks.
DUNE. Holy shit… that’s quite something. If you can, go see it in IMAX even. What an experience that movie. And really well made. And as if I wanted to doubt it: I went with a friend who is a total Frank Herbert nut, and he also loved it. So that’s a seal of approval.
I’m glad to hear an advanced opinion as I was really hoping it would be awesome. On the down side, it won’t be releasing in the United States until next month.
I went in a Herbert virgin. But my friend who is a total crack also loved this one, deemed it very accurate to the books whereas lynch took some liberties.
One of the great surprise hits from 2019, that is: shortly before Covid-19 (the virus formerly known as Corona) changed our lives and our way of watching movies. Escape Room could be characterized as a PG version of CUBE (which had a similar premise) and SAW (which had similar puzzles), and the whole thing is sauced with references to a handful of other horror movies and stories (the opening scene brings Edgar Allen Poe’s famous horror story THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM to mind).
The premise is rather simple: Six young people are invited to play a game in which they must try to escape several inter-connected rooms by solving elaborate puzzles. What they’re not told, is that the losers not only lose the game, but also their lives … Nothing new here, but the film has some easygoing charm thanks to an attractive young cast and a few inventive traps. It’s far from great, but simply fun to watch if you’re in the right mood.
out of Five
Of course the film’s success led to a sequel:
ESCAPE ROOM: TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS (2021, Adam Robitel)
Instead of enjoying their lives, the survivors of the first movie, Zoey and Ben (Taylor Russell and Logan Millar) want to expose the Minos Corporation, the organization responsible for the deadly games, but of course they’re quickly lured into a new survival game involving inter-connected escape rooms.
No less than six screenwriters made contributions to the script but what looked fresh in the first movie, quickly becomes off-putting in this extremely noisy and hectic sequel. After the first negative reactions, the film makers created a so-called ‘extended version’, bookending the film with a few additional scenes painting the background of the people behind the corporation Minos: it was suggested, in the first movie, that rich people with victimizing teenagers just for fun, but it turns out that a troubled father-daughter relation was at the base of things. Does that make sense?
Enjoy the first movie (if you like mild horror flicks) and avoid this turkey
I love this film. Based on the true story of a plot to assassinate Hitler, the film is engrossing from beginning to end…real edge of the seat entertainment. Directed by Bryan Singer, and starring Tom Cruise, the acting, the script, the costumes, and the real-life locations, are all top-notch.
You will find much to enjoy…
I like it.
