Martin Campbell seems to be a hit or miss director, and you have to wonder if it’s his choice of projects. I love his work with the Bond franchise, and I quite enjoyed his take on Zorro. But I also remember how much I hated Vertical Limit and (of course) Green Lantern. Pairing him up…
Tag: jackie chan
The Cannonball Run (1981) – Hal Needham
They don’t make cast-packed comedies like The Cannonball Run anymore. That doesn’t mean it’s all good, but it is damned enjoyable. Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds were coming off Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper, and this road movie was a fun next step. Originally designed as an action film for Steve McQueen, when the…
Armour of God (1986) – Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan directs and stars in this romp that seems to be a bit of a nod to an Indiana Jones-style adventure. Shot across Europe it’s not quite as exotic looking as a Jones film, or a Bond film for that matter, but it’s fast-paced, has some goofy humour, and features solid iconic stuntwork. Asian…
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) – 4K Steelbook
I’ve always enjoyed TMNT, I loved the idea, I loved the original (so much darker) comics, the cartoon when I came across it, and yeah, I saw that first movie in theatres. And if anyone asked who my favourite turtle was, it was, is and always will be Donatello. Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures brought us…
Rush Hour 3 (2007) – Brett Ratner
So the racism is a little toned down (not much), but the sexism is still on display as Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter (Chris Tucker) return for a third (and final?) go-round. Things get underway when Lee finds himself back in Los Angeles, serving as security for his old friend Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma). Han…
Rush Hour 2 (2001) – Brett Ratner
So the racism, sexism and homophobia are back on display in the follow-up to the break-out hit, Rush Hour. Rush Hour 2 brings Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker back into action as Lee and Carter in a sequel that looks worlds better than the first but is still steeped in the same racist issues as…
Rush Hour (1998) – Brett Ratner
I wasn’t a big fan of Rush Hour when it first came out. I didn’t see it in theatres or take it home on video (despite the countless free rentals we got working in a video store) and I was a little bothered to hear that Chris Tucker got paid more than Jackie Chan did…
The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017) – Charles Fisher, Bob Logan, and Charlie Bean
Opening like a Shaw Brothers movie, The Lego Ninjago Movie is from some of the creative minds that were behind The Lego Movie, and The Lego Batman Movie. It hits blu-ray and DVD today from Warner Brothers, and may find a measure of success that it didn’t quite gain at the theatres. Dealing with a…
Police Story (1985) – Jackie Chan
For this entry on the 101 Action Movies, Jackie Chan directs, stars, and choreographs in a no holds barred, knock-down stunt-filled flick. With an opening sequence that Bay stole for Bad Boys II, which sees a trio of vehicles busting their way through a shanty town, Chan keeps the action and the humor coming full…
Drunken Master (1978) – Woo-Ping Yuen
Jackie Chan debuts on the 101 Action Movies list with this Kung-Fu classic that cemented Chan’s style of stunning fight sequences with a comedic streak. Directed by Woo-Ping Yuen, who would later become the fight choreographer of such films as The Matrix, Drunken Master is a fun romp and a favorite amongst fans of the…
The Mind Reels 