Rush Hour 2

Well, I watched Rush Hour 2 tonight. It was interesting, and I suppose pretty good--once I got past the first 15 minutes, anyway, during which I cringed a great deal and was tempted several time to stop it in disgust. I have to agree with Ebert's comments on the film--Tucker is way too over the top, often offensively so. But that seems to be part of the American formula for making use of Jackie--stick him with a loudmouth who can't stop talking, so that he comes off seeming debonair, clever, and cute by comparison. They did it in the Rush Hour films, they did it in Shanghai Noon (and presumably its impending sequel, Shanghai Knights). Why can't they let Jackie work on his own for a change?

Chan's action scenes work well, for what they are--but they're toned down to the American style of filmmaking, as the director feels that American viewers don't have the patience for fight scenes that last much longer than 3 minutes. Oh well.

It's sort of unfair to compare this to The Accidental Spy, given that they're from two different schools and styles of filmmaking--yet I can't help but think that Spy has it all over Rush Hour 2 in terms of plot, staging, cinematography, and action. It will be interesting to see what reactions are when it opens on North American shores this spring.

If it opens here, anyway. Apparently the January release date has been pushed back to some nebulous time in the spring. I suspect part of the reason for this might be the film's McGuffin, which the DVD box calls a "lung cancer virus," but the story reveals to be a refined new type of Anthrax, called "Anthrax II". Now, of course, the film was made long before September 11th (when Jackie narrowly avoided being shooting on top of the WTC when the attacks happened), back when we didn't have lunatics mailing the stuff around. Still, I can see it presenting a problem in terms of bringing the film over here; I expect the name of the thing to be changed during dubbing at any rate.

Bedtime.

Fellowship of the Ring

Well, I went to see it tonight. Wow. I mean, wow! That movie has "classic" written all over it. I'm completely stunned, and impressed in a way that I was never impressed by the Harry Potter movie. The Harry Potter movie covered the events in its book well enough--but this movie made you feel them. Everything from the acting to the height effects (how did they make those actors so short, anyway?) to the lighting contributed to it. Sure, there might have been some alterations to storyline, but hey--the most important things stayed in, and that's what matters.

In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't reread Fellowship before seeing the movie. It would have put me in nitpicky mode, and I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it as much. I think that was also my problem with the Harry Potter movie. Harry Potter entertained me--but Fellowship moved me. I am so looking forward to the next two films. I am so completely impressed that I just don't feel like going into detail on it at the moment. Maybe some other time.

As I was getting done with work today, I spoke to a co-worker, Kristy Berger--a friend from the church back home, and the daughter of one of the fellow Church elders with my father. I mentioned that I was going to go see the movie, and asked if she'd gone yet. She said no, and she didn't plan to--because "then I'd have to watch the other two."

What the heck kind of a rationale is that? Isn't it sort of the point that you're going to have to watch the other two? And for that matter, what kind of a problem is that? "Oh no, woe is me, I...I have to watch some movies!" Geez.


I picked up a couple more DVDs today, with the last of the Christmas gift card money--the Buckaroo Banzai DVD, and, since it was cheaper than I'd expected (only $15), the first Jon Pertwee Doctor Who episode, Spearhead from Space, too. I'll probably watch one or both of them tomorrow. And I still have Tomb Raider to watch, too.

I notice that a lot of my recent journal entries have been about what movies I've been renting, buying, or watching. Well, I suppose to some extent that's just what's going on in my life at the moment. When I have something further to report, I'll report it.