Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVDs

[Dragonfire]

I thought that The Medallion was entertaining too...very silly and definitely not Chan's best, but entertaining.

[goodguy]

Problem is, Chan's movies are all about the stunts and fight scenes. So, more more he gets cut loose, the more exciting he can be. US insurances can't allow him to do all his crazy stuff, so it all looks often rather lame compared to the balls-out Hong Kong originals

David Bordwell just had a piece on his blog on Jackie Chan and HK action cinema compared to US.
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=10077

[Achim]

David Bordwell just had a piece on his blog on Jackie Chan and HK action cinema compared to US.
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=10077

Awesome article!

[addicted2dvd]

I have Rumble in the Bronx... had it for years and thought it was a US movie. I was just given Rumble in Hong Kong... but afraid I don't have a very good copy of the movie. While profiling it I notice the video quality at least at the very beginning and very end was pretty hard to watch. (quality wise)

[Jon]

David Bordwell just had a piece on his blog on Jackie Chan and HK action cinema compared to US.
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=10077

Awesome article!

Seconded! That's quality.

[addicted2dvd]

I notice you have some of the same movies that I got via "The Kathy T Collection"...movies like Brokeback Mountain, 3000 Miles To Graceland and all of the Matrix movies.  I do hope to watch and review some of those movies eventually myself.  I think you should watch The Man Who Fell To Earth...especially since I never plan to watch that movie again    And maybe Bad Girls...I didn't notice if you had any other westerns there...

I was just looking at what was given to me lately... other westerns (Other then Bad Girls) recently given to me are...

- Bandidas
- The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Which I somehow missed in the list)
- Tombstone

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Bandidas
Year: 2006
Director: Joachim Roenning, Espen Sandberg
Rating: PG-13
Length: 92 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Penélope Cruz
Salma Hayek
Steve Zahn
Dwight Yoakam
Denis Arndt
Audra Blaser

Plot:
Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz have never been sexier as they team up for this hilarious, action-packed western! Determined to avenge the deaths of their fathers, Sara Sandoval (Hayek) and Maria Alvarez (Cruz) vow to seize the ill-gotten gains of robber baron Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam). So, with help from a retired bank robber (Sam Shepard) and a jittery criminologist (Steve Zahn), these two beauties become unlikely outlaws, blazing a trail of larceny and laughter across Mexico!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This is another title of the many given to me here in the last couple months. What to say about this movie. It is far from the best Western I ever seen... it is not something one can take seriously. But it definitely has something going for it. The beauty of Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek. And this movie is something that.... while it is not what one would think of as a good movie... it is entertaining in a guilty pleasure type of way. It is not something I could see myself watching often... but I could see myself watching it again. Matter of fact... I am a bit curious about watching it with the commentary track on... which has Cruz & Hayek on the commentary.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[Rogmeister]

I actually also own a copy of Bandidas but haven't seen it yet.  I clearly bought it because of the two female leads and am not expecting something to rival such western classics as The Searchers or Stagecoach... 

[addicted2dvd]

Title: National Security: Special Edition
Year: 2003
Director: Dennis Dugan
Rating: PG-13
Length: 88 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Pan & Scan 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Martin Lawrence
Steve Zahn
Colm Feore
Bill Duke
Eric Roberts
Timothy Busfield

Plot:
When Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys) and Steve Zahn (Daddy Day Care) team up as security guards, no one's safe!

LAPD reject and major troublemaker Earl (Lawrence) got L.A. cop Hank (Zahn) kicked off the force for brutality. Now, these two guys who can't stand each other, are stuck working together as lowly security guards. And they're playing cops to bring down a smuggling ring—if they can stay alive and stay one step ahead of the real cops.

Co-starring Eric Roberts (The Specialist), NATIONAL SECURITY will take you on a wild ride with the most unlikely heroes ever to wear a badge!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Bonus Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Music Videos
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
Felt like a bit of comedy... so popped this in. Unfortunately I found very little to laugh at in this one. I went in expecting a little more what with Martin Lawrence... but basically all I got is average entertainment at best. Getting no more then a chuckle or two out of the entire movie. Just a decent way to waste an hour and a half. If you watch this one don't go in expecting too much.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Caddyshack: 20th Anniversary
Year: 1980
Director: Harold Ramis
Rating: R
Length: 98 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Chevy Chase
Rodney Dangerfield
Ted Knight
Michael O'Keefe
Bill Murray
Sarah Holcomb

Plot:
Greenskeeper Carl Spackler is about to start World War III – against a gopher. Pompous Judge Smails plays to win but his nubile niece Lacey Underall wants to score her own way. Playboy Ty Webb shoots perfect golf by becoming the ball. And country club loudmouth Al Czervik just doubled a $20,000 bet on a 10-foot putt. Insanity? No. Caddyshack.

Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray and Ted Knight tee off for a side-splitting round of fairway foolishness that does for golf what National Lampoon's Animal House did for fraternities and Police Academy did for law enforcement. With hitmaker Harold Ramis (National Lampoon's Vacation, Analyze This) in the director's chair, the virtuoso comic skills of all four blend into a riotous hole-in-one for comedy fans. In Caddyshack, the term "golf nut" takes on a deranged double meaning – and nonstop laughter is par for the course!

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Production Notes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This one I haven't seen in many years... so many years in fact that I really didn't remember the actual movie... just remembered I enjoyed it.This has an all-star cast of some great comedians. I really enjoyed all of them in it. But if I was to be completely honest... as much as I did enjoy this one (and I really did)... I thought I remembered it being a bit funnier then what it is. I don't know... maybe it just wasn't as good as I remembered... or maybe my taste has changed somewhat since I was in my teens (that is how long it has been since I seen this one!). But either way... it was a lot of fun seeing this one again.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5