September - Short Reviews

4.9.  Hitch (2005) - 10 / 10

Still my favourite romantic comedy. Also Will Smith is so freaking cute I can't handle this.

8.9. 21 Jump Street (2012) - 7 / 10

Wasn't as funny as the first time but still pretty good.

11.9. 22 Jump Street (2014) - 8 / 10

Now that I didn't watch the both movies the same night it's easier to see that 22 Jump Street is actually funnier.

19.9. Rush Hour 3 (2007) - 7 / 10

Rush Hour 3 isn't any worse or better than the first two, but I won't give it the same score as the first two. While the quality isn't any worse, this is getting tiring. Not the plot, not the thrilling action and astonishing fight scenes, but the humour. It's not as funny as it used to be and that's a shame.

The story is way better than in the second, considering it's heavily tied to the first movie. There are interesting new characters played by interesting actors, like Hiroyuki Sanada and Yvan Attal.

If you've written quite long reviews of the first two it's really hard trying to write something new about the third one. Everything that was good or bad is good or bad in this one as well - with the difference that some jokes are beginning to feel really tiring.

First one is the best out of the three. Rush Hour 3 has better story than the second one though, since after seeing the third one, Rush Hour 2 feels distant considering few characters that are in the first and third but not in the second. First one feels most original, even if it is just a simple, entertaining action comedy.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (2008)

Directed by: Robert B. Weide

Written by: Peter Straughan & Toby Young (book)

British Simon Young has been writing for a humorous gossip magazine, but he gets an offer to join a high profile magazine in New York. The ride is bumpier than he'd expect.

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I don't remember why I originally added this on my list on Netflix. I'm pretty sure I did not read to plot description. I mostly looked at the name and went with it. The name of the movie is strong and weak at the same time. It attracts attention, it certainly gives you a certain feel to the movie before you watch it. But eventually, is it accurate? And is it too long for people to remember, therefore making it harder for people to talk about it? "Hey, have you seen How to Lose Friends And Alienate People" just doesn't come so naturally to people. Thank god we can discuss it mostly online or in text messages.

The plot is intriguing because of two things: the beginning and Simon as a character. 

The beginning is a scene closer to the end - the "You're probably wondering how I got into this situation" kind of beginning. And when the movie actually starts, the contrast is amazing. You know where the main character Simon Young is going to be, but the how of the trip is intriguing considering the beginning doesn't seem to go so smoothly for him.

Somehow the beginning while interesting also made me sigh in frustration. Someone moves to New York? That certainly has never been done before! The story can be different, but the setting is getting tired. Is New York really that great? And people living in New York, don't come after me after I wrote that remark, you hear? 

Simon Young as a character is interesting. What are fictional journalists usually like? They always want to write serious stuff, win prizes and make a difference. That's always the way it goes, right? But Simon Young is into all the gossip articles. His priorities (he wants to have humorous, ironic look on different celebrities) are different from the people in other movies, and all the characters around him. Again, wonderful contrast. Now, is Simon Young likeable? He's a bit sympathetic, but some details about him annoy the audience. But what makes you mostly root for him is the way his opponent is even more annoying. There's nothing likeable in that guy, so you root for Simon. And eventually, you really like him, and you want to see him shine. 

Those are the two reasons that make you want to watch the entire movie. You want to know how Simon Young got to the place shown in the beginning, and you want him to be better than the more annoying character. Of course the movie is also enjoyable and fun, but those two are way more effective. If a movie is fun, but there's nothing else interesting going on, audience might not be as motivated reach the end.

It was weird listening to this movie. Almost every song on the soundtrack is on some playlist of mine. There's a chance it gets annoying if a movie is filled with recognisable, popular songs after another. In How to Lose Friends and Alienate People it works. Songs go well with the scenes, and they don't feel as forced as songs that are there just to trick you into enjoying a scene.

There are many typical details to How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, but it's also extremely refreshing. It's fun, even if a bit annoyingly vulgar at times, but at the end extremely enjoyable. It feels like this movie could be analysed way more - there's so much going on under the surface.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

7 / 10

Austin Powers movie series (1997-2002)

Lately I've been watching a lot of movies and shows I used to love years ago - Men in Black, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ginga Nagareboshi Gin... It is time for a movie series I first watched when I was eleven. 

Usually if movies are unnecessarily dirty it's slightly annoying to me, but in Austin Powers movies that doesn't matter. Why? Because that's what they mostly are - dirty spy comedies. Yes, it feels a bit corny now, but that's mostly because I watched them at the age where all that was incredible funny. Now it feels mostly nostalgic and sometimes slightly cringe-worthy. Best part of the dirty humour are the names of certain female characters. And apart from all the dirty humour, these movies are still pretty funny - like all the clever ways of covering up people's private parts.

I'll always prefer agent movies as a comedy instead of that grim dark angst, very serious agent movies á la James Bond. Yes, being a spy is a serious business, I will always prefer stuff like Austin Powers, Archer, Johnny English and Get Smart over James Bond and whatever else spy movies there are. On the top of my head I can't even name anything else than James Bond, I just automatically dislike all the serious spy movies, unless they really, really stand out.

Casts are always unbelievable, even though closer to the end it feels like the cast is 50 % Mike Myers. Still, every movie has at least that one actor or actress who is just so incredible - like Beyoncé Knowles Michael Caine in the third one.

It's hard to say if the stories are interesting when I've seen all the movies at least five times and they are extremely familiar already. Still they are enjoyable to watch.

My score for all these movies is

☆☆☆☆☆☆

6 / 10

Rush Hour 2 (2001)

Directed by. Brett Ratner

Written by: Ross LaManna (characters) & Jeff Nathanson

Lee and Carter are on a vacation in Hong Kong, when they get pulled into another criminal investigation, that includes a bombing and counterfeit money scam.

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Watching sequels is a risky business. Sometimes your love for the original gets butchered because the quality of the sequels dropped somewhere along the way - writers changed, maybe even director changed. Luckily Rush Hour 2 shares the quality with the original, and is not clearly worse. And hey, how much originality do you want from action comedies anyway? 

Pretty much everything that was good and right in the first one is good in the sequel. Rush Hour 2 is still hilarious and entertaining, and makes you laugh out loud. The fight scenes are as amazing as previously, and now even Carter seems to have learned something. Still, Jackie Chan's skills are far more astonishing.

The only thing that makes me feel a little disappointed is how you'd expect this movie to take place entirely in Hong Kong, but no, they go back to the US. There are enough movies taking place there, couldn't we have had this one in Hong Kong? The languages are pretty and the scenery feels refreshing compared to the tired streets of Los Angeles. 

The chemistry between the actors is still excellent. It might be even better now that the characters know each other better and aren't just two random people thrown into a same case - but it might not be as interesting to the audience. It was more interesting to see two strangers trying to get along and work together, but this works as well.

Rush Hour 2 is still a decent action comedy. It speaks about the quality when a director is the same in the sequels and in original. Usually when the director changes into someone not as good, the quality drops, sometimes as badly as in the Hostel series. But Rush Hour and at least this second sequel seems to be just as good - predictable and stereotypical, but still entertaining.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10

Rush Hour (1998)

Directed by: Brett Ratner 

Written by: Ross LaManna & Jim Kouf

When Chinese consul's daughter is kidnapped, the consul wants to get help from his best detective Lee in Hong Kong. Because FBI doesn't want Lee to ruin their operation, they pair him up with a big-mouthed loose cannon from  the LAPD. 

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I saw Max Landis talk about this movie on Twitter, but I didn't pay much attention to the conversation. My dad and I were looking for movies to watch on Netflix, and Rush Hour popped up. Since we wanted to watch an action comedy, it seemed perfect. 

Rush Hour is absolutely hilarious! Most of the comedy comes from the clash between two main characters. There are cultural and characteristic differences, which are so much fun and cause a lot of misunderstandings and unfortunate but hysterical situations.

Rush Hour is definitely a thrilling action movie. It just happens to be predictable as well. You know what's going to happen, because you've seen tons of movies like this one. What makes that better is that you don't know how it's going to happen, so Rush Hour - and all the other movies such as this one - may still manage to surprise you by taking you to the predictable destination by different means than you expected. And usually no one expects action comedies to be completely unpredictable, even if the old, boring ways are annoying. Action comedies are fun, and the movie being fun and thrilling is more important than it being unpredictable and completely new.

Hand to hand combat scenes are a pleasure to watch. They are well coordinated and the choreography is incredible. Most of that is because of Jackie Chan's wonderful talent.

Not only is Jackie Chan talented, he's absolutely charming. I've only seen him in the Chinese movie The Twins Effect (or Vampire Effect) in a small role, and this is the first time I saw him playing a main character. Of course the character he plays - Lee - is a bit typical, but still delightful. Chris Tucker, on the other hand, played a really typical character when it comes to  a black man in an action comedy, but I'd rather blame the director and writers than him. I've seen him before in Jackie Brown and that one David O. Russell movie I barely remember watching. Both characters are lovable and their chemistry works. Different characters would've made the movie a whole lot different.

I definitely liked this movie. My dad already asked if we're going to watch the sequels. Damn right we are. I don't know if the stories will be as interesting, but I love the characters more, and it will be interesting to see how their chemistry works now that they know each other better in the sequels. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10