I love martial arts movies, and Jackie Chan is the major reason behind that. I’ve been watching Jackie Chan movies before Rush Hour, when the only movies he was in were dubbed. Fun fact: Jackie Chan dubs himself in his non-US movies (e.g., the Police Story franchise, Who Am I, etc.). The selections this month are some of my favorite Jackie Chan films in the US.
Also, September was an ambitious month this year due to the numerous special event movies; it’s almost as busy as May.
Anyway, here is the list and the discussion:
Rush Hour films
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Starring: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker
My Rating:
It’s hard to pick between these movies and the rest on this list. Rush Hour is Jackie Chan’s first film he made in the US, and it’s a lot of fun. Honestly, I enjoy all three. Granted, the third film isn’t as good, but I like it for the martial arts and most of the humor (some of it falls a little flat). The first one is the best and my favorite of the three. If you want to get into Jackie Chan films, this is where you start.
Fun fact: Rush Hour was the inspiration for the website Rotten Tomatoes. To be honest, it’s not my favorite film website. Sometimes people like to use it nefariously by purposefully tanking a film or TV series for political reasons instead of basing it on actual criticism.
Shanghai Noon/Shanghai Knights
Directed by: Tom Dey/David Dobkin
Starring: Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson
My Rating:
These are just as much fun as the Rush Hour movies. I like the banter and chemistry between Jackie and Owen. It also amuses me, for whatever reason, to see the fight between Jackie and the indians. Perhaps it’s because it’s a fun take on East meets West. I love the little homages they pay in Shanghai Knights (ex, Singing in the Rain).
This is back when Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson were in their prime. If you like the Rush Hour movies, then I think you’ll enjoy these as well.
Karate Kid: Legends
Directed by: Jonathan Entwistle
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson
My Rating:
This movie follows the same plot trope as the previous films. Kid moves to a new city. Kid annoys the cocky antagonist and gets his ass kicked. Then the kid learns martial arts and fights the arrogant prick in a final showdown. I don’t mind that it’s just a plot repeated; this movie evokes all the nostalgia.
For starters, while Ralph Macchio is on the poster art, he isn’t given top billing. In fact, he doesn’t show up until an hour into the film. It doesn’t matter; I loved the chemistry and collaboration between Danny LaRusso and Mr. Han. You know what else gave me nostalgia? I think the last time I saw Joshua Jackson was in The Mighty Ducks!
If you’re an ’80s and ’90s kid, you’ll probably enjoy this movie.
Bonus & Special Event Movies
We did not get out to see a movie in the theater this time. There weren’t many family options available, and we didn’t have the time for another Screen Unseen. However, there are several special event movies in September, starting with something new (if you’re a sports fan). There are several excellent football movies out there, so for the start of the NFL season, I will randomly pick one. This year, I chose American Underdog, the story of NFL quarterback Kurt Warner starring Zachary Levi and Anna Paquin. It is a great movie, I highly recommend it.
Next up is Star Trek Day, which occurs on September 8th. I picked the movie Section 31. I was very disappointed with this film, and I’m sad that I picked it for Star Trek Day. It barely qualifies as a Star Trek movie. It’s more of a science fiction film set in the Star Trek universe. The only links it has to the franchise are the occasional mention of Starfleet and Vulcans. The music isn’t bad. In fact, it’s probably one of its redeeming qualities; however, we don’t hear any of the familiar themes until the end of the film. Michelle Yeoh’s performance and combat feel stiff and stale. The witty banter between some of the characters is entertaining, but not frequent enough to save it from a poor rating. I wouldn’t watch it again. Giving it three stars would be very generous.
September 13th (the 12th during a Leap year) is Programmer’s Day (because it’s the 256th day of the year, IYKYK), and I picked Hackers. This is one of my favorite ’90s movies starring Johnny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie. Finally, September 20th is Unification Day in the Firefly universe. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to watch Serenity. This event occurred on a weekend, and all my weekends were busy. I’ll probably try to slip it in during October; the Reavers are kind of scary, so not a bad choice for Halloween month.
Do you enjoy martial arts movies? What are some of your favorites?
“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick
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