DVD Collectors Online

Kiss of the dragon, a review by Rich

23/11

Kiss of the dragon



The writers of THE FIFTH ELEMENT, Luc Besson (who also directed the Bruce Willis film) and Robert Mark Kamen, have teamed up again to deliver Jet Li in the action thriller KISS OF THE DRAGON. Li stars as Liu Jiuan, a Chinese agent so dedicated to his job that he has no friends, no family, no dreams. He is sent to Paris to help the French police capture a Chinese gangster, but France's top cop, Jeanne-Pierre Richard (Tcheky Karyo), has set Liu up to take the fall for a brutal killing he himself carried out. On the run in a strange city, Liu keeps a low profile until he unwillingly becomes friends with an American hooker, Jessica (Bridget Fonda)--who just happens to hold the key to his innocence. But Richard is always one step ahead of them--he has Jessica's daughter. Li and Fonda make a great team; their relationship is at the core of the film, as neither character has ever been able to put his complete trust in another person before. The action scenes, directed by Corey Yuen, are fast and furious and very violent, featuring mesmerizing moves by Li, especially one involving a billiard ball. Chris Nahon, in his directorial debut, makes excellent use of the location, including numerous shots of famous Parisian landmarks as the bad cops try to machine-gun down Liu in the streets and sewers and on the Seine.

Definately not Jet Li's greatest movie.
As opposed to the last film I reviewed I had high expectations, and although in essence I quite enjoyed the flick, the high praise I'd heard and read about Kiss of the Dragon set it up for a fall.
The Action, although atrractively relentless, is artificially sped up, occasionally to the point of being distracting, all the main characters are fairly uninspired and the dialogue was entirely functional, humorless and shallow.
Ill stick with Hero or Romeo Must Die in preference, but it justly deserves a 


(From November Alphabet Marathon - Discussion/Review Thread on November 23rd, 2008)

Stephen King's Riding the Bullet, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: Stephen King's Riding the Bullet
Year: 2004
Director: Mick Garris
Rating: R
Length: 99 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Jonathan Jackson as Alan Parker
David Arquette as George Staub
Cliff Robertson as Farmer
Barbara Hershey as Jean Parker
Erika Christensen as Jessica Hadley

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Featurettes
Gallery
Storyboard Comparisons

My Thoughts:
As most of you know I am a big Stephen King fan.... and I did enjoy this movie... but it will not be one of my favorites of his movies. There was very little... if any scares in this movie. Some of the time you couldn't be sure if you were watching something he was imagining in his head... or if it was really happening. That said... I did like the concept of the movie and the actors in it did a wonderful job. I just think it could have been done a bit better on the whole. I am glad I watched it... and I am glad I have it in my collection... but this one is not one of the movies that will get watched often.



Reviewed: Aug. 11, 2005

(From What Movies I Been Watching on January 31st, 2010)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

September 2009 is an opportunity to catch up on my collections unwatched TV series pilots 14 months after previous listings.

Murphy's Law: The Complete First Series

PILOT



A team of undertakers are moonlighting as diamond thieves, and the bodies are stacking up. Murphy infiltrates the group and discovers a somewhat sinister connection with Japanese heroin dealers. Meanwhile, the team's leader, Hatcher, is planning the most audacious heist yet. Murphy has to hold his nerve in an epic final showdown.

Run of the mill Saturday night BBC fare, an unorthodox cop uses questionable means to infiltrate gangs and solve cases, whilst his superiors question whether they should rein him in or let him run loose.
The pilot is a showcase for Nesbitts undoubted talent, as he dominates proceedings in a good pilot full of red herrings, twists, cockney gangsters and a solid background for the series to progress. Claudia Harrison in the leading lady role was a newcomer to me, and impressive.
Quality tv without brilliance, I will certainly view the remainder of series one in due course.
 


(From My PILOT Marathon on September 1st, 2009)