Rush Hour film series

The Rush Hour film series is a series of Hong Kong-American martial arts/action- comedy films starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, directed by Brett Ratner, and distributed by New Line Cinema. The main plot centers on a pair of police detectives: a Hong Kong Police Force inspector and an American LAPD detective (portrayed by Chan and Tucker) who go on a series of misadventures often involving corrupt crime figures. All three films achieved commercial success and incorporate elements of martial arts and the buddy cop sub-genre. 

Rush Hour was released on September 18, 1998 grossing $244,386,864 worldwide.  Martin Lawrence and Dave Chappelle were originally considered for the role of James Carter, but Chris Tucker was finally chosen for the part. Director Brett Ratner, a big fan of Jackie Chan's Hong Kong movies, felt that American audiences would not be familiar with the jokes in Jackie's other movies, and deliberately re-used some of his gags. For example, the scene where Inspector Lee accidentally grabs Detective Johnson's (Elizabeth Peña) breasts is a reference to Jackie Chan's film Mr. Nice Guy (1997).  Jackie Chan, fortunately, did win over the hearts of the audience.  Many people found him hilarious, and a great actor. 

Rush Hour 2 was released on August 3, 2001. The film grossed $347,325,802 worldwide, making it the most successful film in the Rush Hour series. In an interview, director Brett Ratner admitted that the first part of the karaoke scene with Chris Tucker was not supposed to be filmed. Tucker refused to act like Michael Jackson with the cameras running. During takes, he went up as entertainment for everyone. Secretly, Ratner told the cameramen to film it but to not let Tucker notice them. On an episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Tucker said that while he was filming this movie in Hong Kong, many locals mistook him for NBA star Kobe Bryant. In the film, while Tucker's character is running up the stairs, the old woman shouts, "Move out of the way, Kobe" to him. This film obviously had a very strong cast and crew connection, which is key for a well-made film to be produced.  It also creates the feel-good emotion that comes with great films. The mural on the wall of the Heaven on Earth Massage Parlor was copied from one in Scarface, which Harris Yulin and Ratner appeared in. It is funny to see a parody take place in such a popular film.  The scene where Jackie Chan and Tucker are running down the street naked in Hong Kong was an actual take; production could not block the street off for the shoot. The scene where Chan and Tucker run in the streets was inspired by a scene in The Accidental Spy (2001) which Chan made before this movie. Ratner saw the film and decided to include a similar scene in Rush Hour 2 (2001).  Although this film incorporates a lot from past films, it was very well put together, and obviously, the public reacted positively to it.  

Rush Hour 3 was officially announced on May 7, 2006, and filming began on July 4, 2006. The film, set in Paris and Los Angeles, was first released on August 10, 2007, and grossed $258,022,233 worldwide. Academy Award-winning film director Roman Polanski co-stars as a French police official involved in Lee and Carter (Chan and Tucker's characters) case.  This movie, said by most audiences, did not live up to the expectations of the last two movies in the series.  Rush Hour 3 was literally, rushed, and not as well made, I believe.  The story and plot could have been executed better. All in all though, it was a good third movie to a big series.  

Because of the films' collective box-office success, director Brett Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson were considering the production of a fourth installment. In the DVD audio commentary for Rush Hour 3, Brett Ratner joked that the fourth Rush Hour film could be released in 2012. Ratner and Nathanson are exploring many concepts, including the use of the motion capture technique for the possible sequel and various different film projects with Chan and Tucker. It has been reported that the fourth film may be set in Moscow.  Although I think that this series has had its run, and maybe they should just leave the legacy of the great movies alone, I don't think I would mind seeing a Rush Hour 4.  I would not like to see actors that are not Chan and Tucker.  To conclude, I think they should just leave it as is and count their blessings.  

This series was hilarious and is a must see for everyone who loves comedies!  Chan's stunts are impeccable and fun to watch.  Tucker's humor ties it all together in a fun, feel good, action-comedy. 

Montage: Oldies, Research, and Bill Viola

So I finally did it. I watched Chinatown. Surprisingly, the story line did have several parallels to the animation Rango. Although, I must say that I enjoyed Rango slightly more. 








Now, I love the old shows and movies. I grew up watching shows like Get Smart, I Dream of Genie, MacGyver, The Andy Griffith Show, Bonanza, and the list goes on. For some reason though, I wasn't sure if I would like Chinatown. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the mystery behind the story and how the characters had both good and not so good characteristics. It made them feel very human.

The cinematography was great. Somehow they were able to create that feeling of suspense in some parts of the film just using slow pans or zooms. The lighting was great in every shot, definitely leading the viewer towards that more detective or mysterious feel. Overall it was a really great movie that I won't forget.

After watching Chinatown, I was inspired to find other older films to watch. So, I scoured Netflix and came across Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing released in 1995 and directed by Henry King. As I sat and watched this film, I couldn't help but chuckle. The acting was sometimes so over the top that to just imagine real people speaking and acting like that would just seem odd. The story plot was about a female doctor who meets a man (no surprise there) in Hong Kong. She is eurasian, her father being Chinese and her mother being English. She meets a traveling journalist, and their hushed relationship grows throughout the middle of the film leading to a tragic climax.

Both of these seem unrelated, and they are, but they both got me to thinking. If someone really wanted to re-produce these movies, there would be a lot of research involved. I started to think of all the things that would have to be looked up: period clothing, the politics of the time, the way people spoke...etc. Research is such a huge part of filmmaking that I never really considered before Professor Sinclair brought it up. This is such an intriguing idea to me because history and learning about different time periods is something that I LOVE to do. It is like learning about another culture. I'm so glad we have the resources here at Ithaca College to be able to do that kind of research.

Lastly, I would like to mention that I really enjoyed watching the video on Bill Viola and his work. The pieces that we saw in the documentary were just so moving. I think what really drew me in, from an actor's perspective, was that the slow motion allowed me to study the facial expressions of the actors in such detail. Their joy, or horror, or frustration, or despair was so intense and felt so real. Right down to their eyes you could just take one glance and understand the emotion they were feeling. It was just beautiful to see. I would love to go to an exhibition of his work someday.
~Amber Capogrossi

Chinatown

I saw Chinatown for the first time yesterday and it was everything you  said it would be; simply a movie masterpiece.  Although I disagree with Mr. Polanski's extra curricular activities his directing abilities are undeniable.  Not to mention, Jack Nicholson's portrayal of good-natured, but strong willed private detective Jake Gittes is a prime example of his genius on the silver screen; you want to root for him.  For me though, Chinatown's story development is what makes it so enjoyable it feels as if right alongside Jake Gittes as he navigates through a world of crooks.  Plus, the plot keeps you guessing all the way up to the very end.  After seeing one of Mr. Polanski's earlier works I am eager to compare it to one of his more contemporary pieces!

Chinatown

The other day I finally watched the movie Chinatown. After watching it I now understand why it's considered to be one of the best movies ever made. Directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson, every aspect of the movie is executed pretty much flawlessly; the acting, directing, pacing, just everything makes this movie fit together perfectly.

The movie centers around J.J Gittes who is played by Jack Nicholson. He is a private eye who is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (played by Faye Dunaway) to find out if her husband is cheating on her. However as Gittes discovers more and more we very quickly discover that things are not at all what they seem. There are twists at every corner and the movie constantly keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. It's a very enjoyable ride.

As I mentioned earlier everything about this film is executed so so well. A very special mention goes to the acting in it. Nicholson absolutely nails the private eye character who slowly ends up realizing just what he's getting in to. Faye Dunaway is great as the damsel in distress female character. Even director Roman Polanski has a cameo which he's great at.

I could keep talking about this movie but it would only keep you from watching it. It's on Netflix instant watch so there's really no excuse to not watch it. You won't regret it.

Movies and goals.

This summer I stayed at Ithaca working for campus center and event services.  I was very busy and worked over time for five weeks.  This left little time to watch movies and television.  This semester I want to start watching more television and movies again, but at the same time I want to broaden my horizon.  Looking at Mubi amazed me by the size of its collections with classics that I really need to see like Chinatown.  Also coming into the school year I bought American History X and The Boondock Saints 1 and 2.  I really love all three of the movies.  What I love about American History X is how it switches between using color and black and white.  I think it is a really brilliant way to tell the story.  My goals for the class are to create the best projects I can.  I am hoping to be able to write some scripts for some of the projects and see where they end up.  I am very excited for the class and I can't wait for the projects to get underway.