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ItsFineImFine
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shadow1
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The Accidental Spy (2001) - 6/10
An orphaned adult meets a rich businessman who may be his father, which leads him on an exotic journey where he comes into possession of a dangerous virus - Anthrax II.
Jackie Chan stars as Buck Yuen, an exercise equipment salesman who works in a shopping mall. During his lunch break, an armed robbery occurs which he helps to thwart. The incident gains Yuen minor media attention, and he is contacted by a private investigator (Eric Tsang) who was hired by wealthy Korean business man Park Won-jung (Joh Young-kwon), who believes Yuen may be his long lost child. Park is terminally ill and there is not enough time to verify is Yuen is actually his son, so he sets up a posthumous game for Yuen: follow clues successfully and the reward will be the inheritance intended for Park's real son. However, after following the first clue to Istanbul, things turn deadly for Yuen.
The Accidental Spy was written by Ivy Ho and directed by Teddy Chan. The film marked the end of an era for Jackie Chan, as it was the last time he worked with Golden Harvest, the production company he had worked with consistently for over 20 years. The Accidental Spy also marks a rare Hong Kong film for Jackie around this time, produced in the middle of a string of six Hollywood movies. I have always considered 1998's Who Am I? as the bookend to Chan's great string of HK flicks. If so, where does that leave The Accidental Spy?
Based on its title and the fact that Jackie Chan is famous for his action-comedy, you'd think this film would be very light and fun. On the contrary, it has a more somber, dark tone as Chan's Yuen character gets deeper into the game set up by potential-father Park. However, the tone is very inconsistent. The film mostly plays it straight, but then in the middle of the film there's a huge action sequence in which Jackie runs through the streets of Istanbul completely naked, fighting off attackers while simultaneously using props to cover his private areas. It is extremely entertaining and easily the best part of the film, but this sequence seems very out of place with the rest of the movie.
Plot wise, The Accidental Spy is easy to follow, but is convoluted at the same time. Some of the "clues" left by Park would have been impossible - IMPOSSIBLE - to figure out, but Yuen manages to do so with ease. The film also has a couple plot twists, but they do little to change the film, and make absolutely zero sense. It's disappointing because the movie starts off fairly intriguing, but overshoots the landing by a mile. In that same vein, I also think the Accidental Spy has poorly written characters, who feel like cardboard cutouts. Heck, the antagonist doesn't even appear (or be mentioned) until towards the end of act 2. Why would the audience care about his defeat? One side character perishes in the middle of the movie and it's supposed to be a big emotional moment, but I felt indifference because of how inconsequential and poorly flushed out that character was.
With that being said, as the The Accidental Spy's plot starts to fall apart, it begins leaning on the thing that got audience members to watch the film in the first place: the action. The film's final act has a rip off of the movie Speed (1994), which is very entertaining (though it doesn't make a lot of sense how the situation developed). Jackie Chan was pushing 50 when this movie came out, but you'd think he was 35 based on his stunt work in this film. It's also worth noting the film has a lot of good set variety, with scenes filmed him Hong Kong, Korea, and Turkey.
(One other note, because this review clearly isn't long enough: the Dimension Films release of this movie is somewhat of a mess. 20 minutes of footage was removed, and the drug of Anthrax II was changed into a narcotic, which is a big change to the story. Additionally, a lot of the movie was filmed in English, and most of Jackie's original dialogue is left in. However, there are instances where Jackie is dubbed, and while most of it is done by Jackie himself, there are a handful of instances where it's done by a different voice actor. The voice actor does sounds similar to Jackie and dubbed him in several other movies (like 1987's Project A II), but it's jarring here because there but there are scenes where it bounces back and forth between real Jackie and fake Jackie. My only hypothesis as to why: Jackie did his dub work, Dimension realized they missed a few insert lines, and had to get fake Jackie to fill in due to real Jackie's unavailability. Either way, what the heck!)
Overall, The Accidental Spy is a complicated film. Most Jackie Chan movies seem to shoot for a rating of a "6"/popcorn movie territory, but usually end up getting a "7" from me because of how extremely entertaining and accessible they are. The Accidental Spy is the opposite, clearly having bigger ambitions than the usual Chan flick, but falling flat due to a clunker of a story. However, despite the many flaws pointed I've pointed out, it's still a very watchable movie with enjoyable moments. The intriguing opening act and strong action sequences make The Accidental Spy worth checking out for fans of Jackie or action movies.
White Heat (1949)
3.60 out of 4stars
“A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex takes a false plea bargain for a separate crime after a train robbery goes wrong. He then plans to break out of prison and rob a chemical bank with his old gang, while unknowingly sharing a cell with an undercover cop.”
An excellent noir that is smart, tough, and tense while being an intricate character study of a psychotic mobster, expressed through Cagney’s explosive turn. Cagney steals the screen with his presence, whether it’s him gooning it up, planning his next move, or giving us a look inside his head. Cagney had heavy rewriting influence on the script, which for the better of the audience, painted a full picture of why Cagney’s Cody Jarrett was the way he was. In Jarrett, we see a neurotic obsession with his mother that borders on Oedipus-ness and/or infantile psychological fragility, genetic mental illness, problematic family childhood issues, real or psychosomatic migraines, psychopathic/sociopathic tendencies, and possibly hints of closet homosexuality. None of it was for riches or power. That said, the police dynamic is interesting as they are shown to be technologically and cerebrally steps ahead of their targets at all times as they wait to pounce when the time is right. Good action, good dialogue, and a blast of an ending top it off. “Top of the world!”.
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
3.35 out of 4stars
“A recently institutionalized woman has bizarre experiences after moving into a supposedly haunted country farmhouse with her husband and friend, fears she may be losing her sanity once again.”
An excellent psychological horror that is a freaky tale with a slow-growing and consuming eerie claustrophobia, that is as spooky as it is tragic. The whole film is told from the perspective of our protagonist Jessica, a clinically diagnosed mentally ill person with a questionably tainted view that the film thrives off. Throughout the film we either see Jessica falling deep into madness or uncovering something sinister and possibly supernatural, or both. First hand, we see the nightmarish reality of a self-cognizant schizophrenic that fears for and questions her own sanity, life, lifestyle, husband, and future, hopeful or repressed and ostracized. All-encompassing trust is non-existent. It’s sad when a person is insane, but it’s cataclysmic when they are mindful of it. Anything and everything preys on Jessica’s mind, including the voices in her own head. The rest of the film just has this aura of odd unsettlement. Aspects exhibiting this include the isolated setting, townsfolk, cove, hearse, graveyard, woman in white, house squatter, estate, and score. The piano and synthesizer score create a lurking dread that is sometimes grim and at times even heavily nerve-racking, with one scene’s use of what sounds like a drum to excellent effect. The cinematography is beautifully shot at low-budget quality as well. Supposedly Rod Serling claimed it to be one of the scariest films he’d ever seen, and one of Stephen King’s favorite horror films.
Ravenous (1999)
2.90 out of 4stars
“During the Mexican-American War in a remote military outpost, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission after encountering a debilitated stranger. Things take a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.”
A great western horror black comedy mash-up whose fun tonally scattershot approach doesn’t always work, but is elevated through its performances and material with a vampire-esque cannibal metaphor based on the Native American Wendigo myth. Kudos to Kallio on the notation. A nice reminder of how Pearce was once a well sought after leading man with character actor skills, and how Carlyle was known for playing fun dark villains. Clearly uses its “vampiric-cannibalism” metaphor as a criticism of the madness of so many things that create gain from the destruction and/or extraction forced upon others, almost always involving excesses. Examples include Manifest Destiny, Native American disbandment, personal wealth and power accumulation, all war/conquest, and even toxic masculinity. In such a world, true courage is choosing the morally conscious path of temperance. Lastly, its soundtrack is just as unorthodox as its delivery in a folk-ish/world-ish style, with memorable usage of banjos, accordions, and something called a Jew’s harp.
3.60 out of 4stars
“A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex takes a false plea bargain for a separate crime after a train robbery goes wrong. He then plans to break out of prison and rob a chemical bank with his old gang, while unknowingly sharing a cell with an undercover cop.”
An excellent noir that is smart, tough, and tense while being an intricate character study of a psychotic mobster, expressed through Cagney’s explosive turn. Cagney steals the screen with his presence, whether it’s him gooning it up, planning his next move, or giving us a look inside his head. Cagney had heavy rewriting influence on the script, which for the better of the audience, painted a full picture of why Cagney’s Cody Jarrett was the way he was. In Jarrett, we see a neurotic obsession with his mother that borders on Oedipus-ness and/or infantile psychological fragility, genetic mental illness, problematic family childhood issues, real or psychosomatic migraines, psychopathic/sociopathic tendencies, and possibly hints of closet homosexuality. None of it was for riches or power. That said, the police dynamic is interesting as they are shown to be technologically and cerebrally steps ahead of their targets at all times as they wait to pounce when the time is right. Good action, good dialogue, and a blast of an ending top it off. “Top of the world!”.
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971)
3.35 out of 4stars
“A recently institutionalized woman has bizarre experiences after moving into a supposedly haunted country farmhouse with her husband and friend, fears she may be losing her sanity once again.”
An excellent psychological horror that is a freaky tale with a slow-growing and consuming eerie claustrophobia, that is as spooky as it is tragic. The whole film is told from the perspective of our protagonist Jessica, a clinically diagnosed mentally ill person with a questionably tainted view that the film thrives off. Throughout the film we either see Jessica falling deep into madness or uncovering something sinister and possibly supernatural, or both. First hand, we see the nightmarish reality of a self-cognizant schizophrenic that fears for and questions her own sanity, life, lifestyle, husband, and future, hopeful or repressed and ostracized. All-encompassing trust is non-existent. It’s sad when a person is insane, but it’s cataclysmic when they are mindful of it. Anything and everything preys on Jessica’s mind, including the voices in her own head. The rest of the film just has this aura of odd unsettlement. Aspects exhibiting this include the isolated setting, townsfolk, cove, hearse, graveyard, woman in white, house squatter, estate, and score. The piano and synthesizer score create a lurking dread that is sometimes grim and at times even heavily nerve-racking, with one scene’s use of what sounds like a drum to excellent effect. The cinematography is beautifully shot at low-budget quality as well. Supposedly Rod Serling claimed it to be one of the scariest films he’d ever seen, and one of Stephen King’s favorite horror films.
Ravenous (1999)
2.90 out of 4stars
“During the Mexican-American War in a remote military outpost, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission after encountering a debilitated stranger. Things take a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.”
A great western horror black comedy mash-up whose fun tonally scattershot approach doesn’t always work, but is elevated through its performances and material with a vampire-esque cannibal metaphor based on the Native American Wendigo myth. Kudos to Kallio on the notation. A nice reminder of how Pearce was once a well sought after leading man with character actor skills, and how Carlyle was known for playing fun dark villains. Clearly uses its “vampiric-cannibalism” metaphor as a criticism of the madness of so many things that create gain from the destruction and/or extraction forced upon others, almost always involving excesses. Examples include Manifest Destiny, Native American disbandment, personal wealth and power accumulation, all war/conquest, and even toxic masculinity. In such a world, true courage is choosing the morally conscious path of temperance. Lastly, its soundtrack is just as unorthodox as its delivery in a folk-ish/world-ish style, with memorable usage of banjos, accordions, and something called a Jew’s harp.
Personally, Bridge of Spies I'd say is notably better. Ready Player One was pretty fun and enjoyable too.
Bounces R Way
Registered User
Gia (1998) - 8.25/10
I forgot how much I love this movie. I hadn't watched it in maybe 10-15 years and stumbled upon it tonight after a somewhat random dinner discussion of Angelina Jolie's mastectomy. Jolie plays Gia Marie Carangi, a girl born to humble beginnings from a broken home in Philadelphia who rose to international stardom as a supermodel in the late 70s early 80s in New York. The story follows her obsession with her makeup artist and her spiral into heroin addiction while trying to juggle her career and personal relationships.
What an incredibly emotional tone this movie sets. Give me the strange white out fades and the strange slow saxophone interludes. Give me the blend of documentary and film that while often imitated has never captured story and the character as completely as this film. Give me the vast variety of sets and moods and colors and shifts the director uses in this movie to communicate with their audience. You kind of have to be in the right mood to watch this, but if you are properly committed I think it resonates.
Gia explores themes that were far ahead of its time, from opioid addiction to conflicted bisexuality to the superfluousness and disposability of the fashion industry to the complexities of the mother-daughter dynamic to the AIDS crisis of the 80s. It really packs a lot of subject matter into a succinct but captivating package. Jolie is terrific in this film, I've always liked her as an actress and think she most often adds to the movies she does but in this one there's no question who is the star performer. She is incredible. The supporting actors are also quality and while there are some missed dramatic beats, as a complete piece I think there is a lot of brilliance here. The storytelling is very unique and I feel the portrayal of drug addiction is low key one of the better ones captured on screen. The film's focus on relationship dynamics between the user and those closest to her present a dramatization the audience can feel involved and invested in. All in all it's a worthwhile watch if you haven't seen it before and a departure from the standard fare if you have.
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shadow1
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Missing aka Searching 2 (2023) - 7/10
A young girl uses the internet to try to find her mom and mom's partner, who've gone missing.
Storm Reid stars as June, an 18-year-old who lives with her mom Grace (Nia Long). Grace and her boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung) set out on a romantic weekend trip in Columbia, but never show up on their return flight back home to Los Angeles. June contacts the hotel and the US Embassy, but no one can seem to locate Grace and Kevin. Using the tools available on the internet, June works to locate her mom...
Missing was directed by Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick, and is a sequel to 2018's Searching (at my theater, this film was titled Searching 2). Just like the first movie, the events are shown to us (mostly) through the perspective of a laptop, with Google searches, FaceTime conversations, and text message conversations moving the plot along. This style of storytelling is no longer brand new, but it still feels fresh and interesting.
Given that this Missing is a mystery film, the less said about the plot the better. What I will say about it is I thought it was well written, with a good amount of curveballs to keep you on your toes. I only had to suspend my disbelief once or twice, and even that is being somewhat nitpicky.
I also thought the performances in the movie were really good, and the characters were well developed and felt like real people. My favorite performance has to go to Joaquim de Almeida, who plays a side character; but everyone did a good job in general.
Overall, Missing (aka Searching 2) is a good mystery-thriller. Consider this a nutshell review, because it's best to go into a movie like this with the bare minimum amount of information. If you enjoyed Searching, or the premise of Missing sounds interesting, then check this movie out - you won't be disappointed.
Well, the Sundance Film Festival is on. January 19 to 29, 2023. The last link is Wikipedia which has a complete list of films. The first 3 links are reviews of different films (some the same).
editorial.rottentomatoes.com
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24369162/1457275191.jpg)
www.theverge.com
www.theguardian.com
en.wikipedia.org
15 Films We Can't Wait to See at Sundance 2023
This year's lineup includes timely docs, fascinating biographies, relationship dramas, a potential horror hit, and Jonathan Majors in a speedo.
editorial.rottentomatoes.com
Sundance 2023: all the latest movie reviews and updates from the festival
Stay up to date.
www.theverge.com
Sundance 2023: films to look out for at this year’s festival
A return to in-person premieres will bolster the indie festival as will a string of big movies including Cat Person and Magazine Dreams
www.theguardian.com
2023 Sundance Film Festival - Wikipedia
Agreed. Well done. The tools used always keep you attentive and on your toes, and midway through the twists get bigger and hit harder. De Almeida was a great side character . After I saw the film though I did think about a couple of things, one in particular, that happened within the film that felt a bit too suspension of disbeliefy for me in retrospect. Took nothing away from the movie for me though, something you need to have some flexibility on when seeing a movie like this. Did like Searching a bit better, partially because I felt Cho was on another level in the main role for that.
Missing aka Searching 2 (2023) - 7/10
A young girl uses the internet to try to find her mom and mom's partner, who've gone missing.
Storm Reid stars as June, an 18-year-old who lives with her mom Grace (Nia Long). Grace and her boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung) set out on a romantic weekend trip in Columbia, but never show up on their return flight back home to Los Angeles. June contacts the hotel and the US Embassy, but no one can seem to locate Grace and Kevin. Using the tools available on the internet, June works to locate her mom...
Missing was directed by Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick, and is a sequel to 2018's Searching (at my theater, this film was titled Searching 2). Just like the first movie, the events are shown to us (mostly) through the perspective of a laptop, with Google searches, FaceTime conversations, and text message conversations moving the plot along. This style of storytelling is no longer brand new, but it still feels fresh and interesting.
Given that this Missing is a mystery film, the less said about the plot the better. What I will say about it is I thought it was well written, with a good amount of curveballs to keep you on your toes. I only had to suspend my disbelief once or twice, and even that is being somewhat nitpicky.
I also thought the performances in the movie were really good, and the characters were well developed and felt like real people. My favorite performance has to go to Joaquim de Almeida, who plays a side character; but everyone did a good job in general.
Overall, Missing (aka Searching 2) is a good mystery-thriller. Consider this a nutshell review, because it's best to go into a movie like this with the bare minimum amount of information. If you enjoyed Searching, or the premise of Missing sounds interesting, then check this movie out - you won't be disappointed.
shadow1
Registered User
- Nov 29, 2008
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Are you referring to...
the big twist?
If so, I agree. To me it doesn't make a lot of sense why Grace wouldn't tell June the truth about her father James, and even worse edited the old video clip to make it seem like James was a loving saint - when in fact he was a drug dealing convict with a nasty violent streak. It would be one thing if James was dead and Grace wanted to spare June the truth, but it's another when he is on the loose and even sent a threatening email three months before the events of this movie.
Also, thinking back, I'm a little unsure of that James's end game. Clearly he had a vendetta against Grace, but he didn't do anything super terrible to her (i.e. torture or outright murder) as revenge; just confinement. He also clearly wanted to connect with June, but with Grace's disappearance all over the news, did James think his sudden reappearance wouldn't draw scrutiny?
I'm either overthinking it now, or was underthinking it earlier. Like you said, this type of movie gets some flexibility, so I can live with a few things that might seem questionable. I did like how the 2008 video clip ended up having new meaning for the audience once we had more information though.
If so, I agree. To me it doesn't make a lot of sense why Grace wouldn't tell June the truth about her father James, and even worse edited the old video clip to make it seem like James was a loving saint - when in fact he was a drug dealing convict with a nasty violent streak. It would be one thing if James was dead and Grace wanted to spare June the truth, but it's another when he is on the loose and even sent a threatening email three months before the events of this movie.
Also, thinking back, I'm a little unsure of that James's end game. Clearly he had a vendetta against Grace, but he didn't do anything super terrible to her (i.e. torture or outright murder) as revenge; just confinement. He also clearly wanted to connect with June, but with Grace's disappearance all over the news, did James think his sudden reappearance wouldn't draw scrutiny?
I'm either overthinking it now, or was underthinking it earlier. Like you said, this type of movie gets some flexibility, so I can live with a few things that might seem questionable. I did like how the 2008 video clip ended up having new meaning for the audience once we had more information though.
Yeah, that's the big one. At minimum, for her own safety you have to tell your daughter about her father after that e-mail. I would have had the date on the calendar marked off when he was getting released and probably have lost sleep or more likely taken extra safety measures for that full week if that were me. Good question on the end game. It sounded like a mix of revenge and wanting to see his daughter. Which he could have easily seen his daughter "if she actually went on that vacation with Kevin" for a week, and maybe even break through convincingly enough to make a connection and/or play an act out where she comes back into his life for good, begging for forgiveness no less. Still doesn't make sense on the wife capturing angle though. Torture? Murder? I don't see how anything ends up well if she gets released and there's no need for hostage money given that end was already covered. Definitely odd.
My other notable one was the Kevin part of it on multiple angles that I'll just rapid fire out. Given Grace's past dating history, why would she go on an out of the country vacation with someone she's only been dating a few months? And while knowing of his past criminal history? Kevin has an extortionist background, but what did he think was going to happen when James took Grace and how much money did Grace actually have to take? I don't recall if they ever stated her occupation as a single mother. Not to mention, you have an actor play Grace the whole trip but don't make the trip back to America "with her" or even leave the country you told everyone you were going to? And how long could this con on Grace have taken? It took a solid amount of planning and commitment and felt like it went by very quickly in real time. The whole Kevin part of it all just felt too on the nose to work out as it did with all angles: James, Grace, Grace imposter actress, and post-extortion Kevin life where it seems like there was no plan at all.
Again, didn't hurt the movie for me given what it was, but just took the realism of it all back a couple wavelengths.
shadow1
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Very good points about Grace's actions and of the con itself. And now that you mention it, I can't recall Grace's occupation either.
Come to think of it...
Police must have access to and know of Grace's name change and separation from her ex-drug dealing abusive and recently freed husband, why wasn't James one of the top suspects the police would look into? At minimum you think he would have been questioned and had his property searched right?
shadow1
Registered User
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That's true. They threw a line in there from the lawyer friend Heather that Grace's "file was sealed". Of course Heather knew the truth and didn't say so because she was being blackmailed. But considering the national media attention, including the publicity about Grace's secret past, a judge definitely would've unsealed it.
Seems like Missing has more plot holes the more we think about it
Seems like Missing has more plot holes the more we think about it
ItsFineImFine
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- Aug 11, 2019
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The Hill (196something) - 7.5/10
It's just a really hard movie. It's not that it's particularly enjoyable or interesting of a story it just goes full on for nearly the full run-time with no lull, tells a f***ed up story, and leaves while getting a fairly good performance out of everyone especially Sean Connery. Don't think it would've been possible for a British director to distance himself from it and direct the story the way Lumet did and it's full of the usual sweatiness and dialogue and camera angles and close-ups of a Lumet film.
It's just a really hard movie. It's not that it's particularly enjoyable or interesting of a story it just goes full on for nearly the full run-time with no lull, tells a f***ed up story, and leaves while getting a fairly good performance out of everyone especially Sean Connery. Don't think it would've been possible for a British director to distance himself from it and direct the story the way Lumet did and it's full of the usual sweatiness and dialogue and camera angles and close-ups of a Lumet film.
shadow1
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The Tuxedo (2002) - 5/10
After his secret agent boss is injured, a driver masquerades as him through the use of a high tech tuxedo.
Jackie Chan stars as Jimmy Tong, a lovelorn New York cab driver with a history of speeding. One day he is offered a lucrative paying job to chauffeur Clark Develin (Jason Issacs), a mysterious wealthy socialite. After Develin is injured in an attack, he reveals to Jimmy that he's a spy and instructs him to wear his Tuxedo, telling him to trust no one and find a man named Walter Strider. The Tuxedo gives Jimmy unbelievable abilities, such fighting, super speed, and invisibility. Now undercover as Develin, Jimmy is assigned to work with Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a government lab tech on her first field assignment. The two rookies work to investigate the death of an undercover agent, who mysteriously died of dehydration.
The Tuxedo was written by Michael J. Wilson, and was directed by Kevin Donovan in his first and only feature film. Made on the heels of Rush Hour 2 (2001), the movie came out at the height of Jackie Chan's commercial success. Though it didn't see Rush Hour-level theatrical returns, The Tuxedo was still a moderate success, earning $104M against a $60M budget. It would be the last successful Hollywood movie made by Jackie Chan for a while, as he released a series of commercial bombs following this film. However, despite decent commercial earnings, The Tuxedo received poor reviews. Is it really that bad?
I would say it's more flawed than it is downright bad. The Tuxedo is an action-comedy with a very generic premise, and you pretty much know what type of movie you're getting into just by looking at the poster. The barebones plot means that the enjoyment level of the film is going to be dependent on how well it pulls off the action and comedy genres. Action wise, though there are a few decent sequences, it's nothing to write home about. The action is pretty tame for a Jackie Chan film, but is okay within the scope of the action genre as a whole.
That brings us to the meat of the film, which is the extremely hit-or-miss comedy. The film has some scenes which I find to be very funny, but ironically the most humorous scenes have more to do with Jimmy being out of his element as a spy, rather than the movie's high tech tuxedo gimmick. For example, one mission requires Jimmy and Del - who doesn't know his real identity - to get into a fancy night club. He's undercover as billionaire Clark Develin, but unsuccessfully tries to bribe the maître d' with $7. That's funny!
The tuxedo itself is more of a dues ex machina, getting Jimmy out of situations he's too unskilled to handle. It feels like somewhat of a missed opportunity to inject more humor involving the suit. A movie like 2019's Spiderman Far From Home had funnier situational humor involving Spidey's high tech suit than Jackie Chan has in this film, in my opinion. Despite this, Jackie still manages to be his usual funny self, and I think Jennifer Love Hewitt does a good job in her role as his snarky, know-it-all side kick.
With that said, the big issue with the comedy is there are some painfully unfunny sexual "jokes" peppered throughout. For example, there's a scene where Del and a co-worker are at a firing range, and two unnamed characters in the control room use the security cameras to zoom in on their butts. Is this supposed to be funny? There are tons of little moments like this, and it always involves irrelevant side characters. Obviously the writer and/or director thought these moments were hilarious, but they're painfully stupid and unfunny.
I really feel like The Tuxedo could've scored a PG rating had it removed the random sex jokes. The premise seems like one that would work great as a kids movie, and film is very tame in general. It's the stupid, random sexist moments that make this movie feel at all like a PG-13 film. One might argue this film has an identity crisis, and I wouldn't disagree.
Overall, The Tuxedo is a highly watchable popcorn movie with some problems. It has many qualities of a film that I'd normally give a "6", but the inconsistent comedy and somewhat underwhelming situational humor involving the tuxedo itself hold it back for me. I do recommend this movie because it has a number of funny moments, but only watch if you're looking to turn your brain off for 90 minutes.
JackSlater
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- Apr 27, 2010
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I preferred Wages of Fear (even with the university freshman level philosophy in the early parts) but they each offer something worthwhile. Wages felt like it had co-leads and that made a big difference for me since you were not just interested in a single character. The famous bridge sequence is as good as advertised in Sorcerer.
Wait. You're saying that the camera zooms in on Jennifer Love Hewitt's butt? That does sound painful to watch!
KallioWeHardlyKnewYe
Hey! We won!
- May 30, 2003
- 15,772
- 3,808
Babylon. Messy. Chaotic. Gross. Ugly … and for long stretches hilarious. I understand why its excesses may make it divisive but I enjoyed all the cocaine-fueled insanity. This is aggressive, hyper filmmaking. There is substance here, but the style pummels it into submission, which is perhaps why only about two-thirds of the movie worked for me. When the parties predictably end and our characters are faced with the consequences of their decisions, I didn’t feel a whole lot because the time spent with them has primarily been in manic set pieces that had everything to do with directorial verve and very little to do with character. The movie clearly wants me to feel things I didn’t no matter how many times Brad Pitt would speechify that I should.
But when this baby is on (cocaine), it’s an absolute riot. Margot Robbie turned up to 11.
As an aside, there’s an interesting contrast to be made with The Fablemans here. That outwardly appears to be a YAY MOVIE MAGIC! movie but actually has a bit of a darker heart on the subject as Sammy Fableman is at times almost cursed by his gift whereas Babylon outwardly appears to be cynical but boils itself down to a YAY MOVIE MAGIC! conclusion.
But when this baby is on (cocaine), it’s an absolute riot. Margot Robbie turned up to 11.
As an aside, there’s an interesting contrast to be made with The Fablemans here. That outwardly appears to be a YAY MOVIE MAGIC! movie but actually has a bit of a darker heart on the subject as Sammy Fableman is at times almost cursed by his gift whereas Babylon outwardly appears to be cynical but boils itself down to a YAY MOVIE MAGIC! conclusion.
Saint Omer (2022) Directed by Alice Diop 8B
Laurence (Guslagie Malanga) is a black woman, an immigrant to Paris from Senegal. She is on trial for murdering her 15-month-old baby by leaving her on a beach and letting the tide carry her away. Rama (Kayije Kagame), French-born but of Senegales heritage, is young professor. She is attending the trial because she is interested in writing a book that compares Laurence's crime to the Medea myth (a sorceress kills her sons to take revenge on her unfaithful husband). Simultaneously there are two lines of development here. One involves various members of the court interrogating Laurence in an attempt to discover her motives; the other deals with the impact that the trial has on Rama's own sense of well being. She is an expectant mom, and like Laurence has an emotionally distant mother, intellectual ambitions, and difficulty finding her way in French society. And, though native born, she feels much like an immigrant, too.
This is more a movie about questions than answers. In terms of Laurence's responses (she hopes the trial will help her figure out why she did it because she doesn't know) and Rama's reactions, we observe a clear gulf between the two women outsiders' way of feeling and reasoning and the French court's way of perceiving things. Questions of guilt aside, how can one side ever understand the other when their experience rests on such different ethical and intellectual pillars? Racism is certainly an issue, and dirctor Alice Diop shows it with marvelous subtlety: the French court can't bring itself to quite believe that an African woman would choose to study Wittgenstein and attempt a degree in European philosophy. But racism isn't all that is going on here. Diop isn't trying to let anybody off the hook--Laurence's crime is portrayed as a heinous one. Yet this intelligent, articulate woman remains a phantom, certainly to the Court and largely to the audience as well. Rama's fears are not far removed from Laurence's--she is better off, she is not going to kill her child, but she may fall victim to some of the same feelings eventually. There is a part of her that feels invisible, too. One could call Saint Omer a deep probe into why it is so hard for the twain to ever meet.
subtitles
Best of 22
1) The Banshees of Inisherin, McDonagh, Ireland
2) Aftersun, Wells, UK
3) Decision to Leave, Park, South Korea
4) The Quiet Girl, Bairead, Ireland
5) Pacifiction, Serra, Spain
6) Saint Omer, Diop, France
7) No Bears, J. Panahi, Iran
8) Hit the Road, P. Panahi, Iran
9) Everything Everywhere All at Once, Kwan and Scheinert, US
10) Moonage Daydream, Morgen, UK
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ItsFineImFine
Registered User
- Aug 11, 2019
- 3,745
- 2,389
I've got a challenge for anyone. Find and recommend a good Egyptian/Middle-Eastern classic from before the 70s and not one that was co-produced with France or Spain or whatever, I'm talking about a film made in those actual countries which isn't Cairo Station and which can be streamed or downloaded online.
Maybe The Land, even though it was released in Jan 1970? I haven't seen it, but was considering it just last week, saw that it has an 8.0 on IMDb and read a lot of acclaim (such as it being the best Egyptian movie ever, similar to what others say of Cairo Station). It's on Netflix.
Missing aka Searching 2 (2023) - 7/10
A young girl uses the internet to try to find her mom and mom's partner, who've gone missing.
Storm Reid stars as June, an 18-year-old who lives with her mom Grace (Nia Long). Grace and her boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung) set out on a romantic weekend trip in Columbia, but never show up on their return flight back home to Los Angeles. June contacts the hotel and the US Embassy, but no one can seem to locate Grace and Kevin. Using the tools available on the internet, June works to locate her mom...
Missing was directed by Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick, and is a sequel to 2018's Searching (at my theater, this film was titled Searching 2). Just like the first movie, the events are shown to us (mostly) through the perspective of a laptop, with Google searches, FaceTime conversations, and text message conversations moving the plot along. This style of storytelling is no longer brand new, but it still feels fresh and interesting.
Given that this Missing is a mystery film, the less said about the plot the better. What I will say about it is I thought it was well written, with a good amount of curveballs to keep you on your toes. I only had to suspend my disbelief once or twice, and even that is being somewhat nitpicky.
I also thought the performances in the movie were really good, and the characters were well developed and felt like real people. My favorite performance has to go to Joaquim de Almeida, who plays a side character; but everyone did a good job in general.
Overall, Missing (aka Searching 2) is a good mystery-thriller. Consider this a nutshell review, because it's best to go into a movie like this with the bare minimum amount of information. If you enjoyed Searching, or the premise of Missing sounds interesting, then check this movie out - you won't be disappointed.
Searching has a sequel? It seems good too, based on the review, so I will check it out.
Lately, I got into other hobbies, so I am completely out of the loop. I have to visit more often.
Shadow1 seems to be on a Jackie Chan marathon.
Hong Kong folks have a love-hate relationship with the man. He is no-doubt one of the greatest action cinematographer of all-time, but they are also put-off by his personal life. He had a child out-of-wedlock who he refused to acknowledge or care for, and he cowers to the Communist Party so much that he is pretty much a stooge. That is why instead of "Become Dragon", which is the literal translation of his artistic name, most people refer to him as "Become Worm".
There is also something called the Jackie Chan curse. Whenever he becomes a spokesperson for a product, that company will either lose a lot of money within a year or two, or downright go bankrupt. It is probably due to the fact that he just takes the money and does no background checks, but it is kind of hilarious that he has a near 100% failure rate, and companies still pay him a ton of money to be a spokesperson.
Hong Kong folks have a love-hate relationship with the man. He is no-doubt one of the greatest action cinematographer of all-time, but they are also put-off by his personal life. He had a child out-of-wedlock who he refused to acknowledge or care for, and he cowers to the Communist Party so much that he is pretty much a stooge. That is why instead of "Become Dragon", which is the literal translation of his artistic name, most people refer to him as "Become Worm".
There is also something called the Jackie Chan curse. Whenever he becomes a spokesperson for a product, that company will either lose a lot of money within a year or two, or downright go bankrupt. It is probably due to the fact that he just takes the money and does no background checks, but it is kind of hilarious that he has a near 100% failure rate, and companies still pay him a ton of money to be a spokesperson.
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Bullet Train (2022) - 7/10
Multiple underworld operatives, unaware of each other's presence, all board the same train in search of a briefcase.
Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an operative with a notorious bad luck streak that has resulted in several accidental deaths. He is assigned to steal a briefcase off of a bullet train in Japan that belongs to Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), two assassins who are trying to deliver the case to a notorious Yakuza boss called The White Death (Michael Shannon). Meanwhile, a distraught father named Yuichi (Andrew Koji) seeks revenge on The Prince (Joey King), a young woman who injured his son. Despite the chaos, Ladybug quickly retrieves the briefcase and prepares to exit the train at the next stop, until things go horribly awry...
Bullet Train was written by Zak Olkewicz, and is based on a 2010 Kotaro Isaka novel of the same name. The film was directed by David Leitch, who's most well known for directing Deadpool 2 (2018), as well as with serving as producer on the John Wick films. Leitch's association with those two films should inform the audience what they're getting into here, which is an over-the-top action film with wacky comedy.
Bullet Train is a very stylish movie, but in my opinion it goes overboard in the first 20 minutes. There is way too much going on at the start of the film, and with editing that I'd consider to be schizophrenic, I could see this opening alienating viewers. I also wasn't a fan of how much narrative the film tries to spoon feed early on. However, for audiences who stick with the film, things calm down considerably and the Bullet Train becomes a lot more digestible.
Brad Pitt is very funny as the chronically unlucky but wholesome Ladybug, and the rest of the cast does a good job as well. I'd recommend skipping the trailers - or reading the IMDB cast list - for this one, as there are three major cameos that may be spoiled for you. Story wise, the film is somewhat of a Neo-noir, with lots of twists and turns as events unfold. I wouldn't call any of the twists too shocking, but they do enough to keep the audience on its toes.
The meat of the movie is the action-comedy, which it does well. It's very stylized in a way that's very similar to Deadpool 2, which I personally enjoy. I wouldn't put the fight scenes on the same level as a Jackie Chan film (can I go one review without mentioning him?), but they were still entertaining. The comedy - most of which was physical humor - was also good, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times.
Overall, Bullet Train is a popcorn movie that embraces the fact. It's unapologetically over-the-top and was very enjoyable, aside from a rocky opening to the film. It's a film that you'll know whether or not it's your cup of tea by just reading the synopsis, and if it is you won't be disappointed.
I like it too. It is downright mindless, and the humour is forced from time to time, but for a summer popcorn blockbuster, it does the job. The pace is brisk, the characters are fun, and the action sequences are good enough, so I am entertained. If people just want a time killer, this is a great choice. I have it at 6.25/10, but mainstream movies has a high floor, low ceiling for me.
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