cityonfire.com | Movie News & Developments |
- Retrospective: The ‘Rush Hour’ franchise
- New poster and release date for ‘Samurai Cop 2’
- ‘The Crow’ reboot can’t fly no matter what…
| Retrospective: The ‘Rush Hour’ franchise Posted: 01 Aug 2015 12:45 AM PDT  "Rush Hour" Japanese Theatrical Poster It’s time for Rush Hour The two largest movie markets in the world are the US and Asia, and both countries have fervent fans of the other's trademark films. So it was only natural that director Brett Ratner hoped that combining the iconic styles of each culture would become a hit with Rush Hour (1998). “The Buddy Movie” meets “Comedy Kung Fu” There's a long standing Hollywood tradition of pairing two distinctly different personalities and having them work together. Police films work especially well for this genre. While some films such Red Heat (1988) and the Lethal Weapon (1987) movies have semi-serious plot lines, most of the buddy movies involve somewhat of a comedic element as the two partners clash in terms of style and personality. The classic kung fu movies mostly featured a singular hero and a more serious and somewhat moralistic plot line, at least until Jackie Chan invented the comedy kung fu film with Drunken Master (1978). Rush Hour, and the subsequent sequels, was one of the first tastes many mainstream American audiences had of the comedic kung fu style. In the films, Chan plays a Hong Kong detective whose case brings him to the US, where he is paired with a Los Angeles detective played by Chris Tucker. The plot lines in all three are somewhat hackneyed and are heavy on formula. The main draw is Tucker and Chan and their interactions.
 "Rush Hour 2" Japanese DVD Cover Did Rush Hour work? The general consensus is that any movie that spawns multiple sequels (with another supposedly in pre-production) is a success. By Hollywood standards Rush Hour, with US box office receipts of $141 million, was a modest success. The fact that the film succeeded at all is surprising due to Chan's frequent statements that he does not understand nor fully appreciate American humor. When you combine that aspect with the fact that Chris Tucker improvises most of his lines, the fact that the movies succeed at all is somewhat amazing. Chan's well documented desire for perfection (he once demanded 300 takes for a single scene and almost 3,000 for a ten-minute segment) played a large role in the trilogy's success. Rush Hour Fun Facts This was one of the first American films where Jackie Chan's lines were not overdubbed. Chan was never comfortable with his English and all of his previous English roles were overdubbed. Director Ratner felt that having Chan deliver his own lines would add to the authenticity of the film. Ratner's addition to detail is not as evident in other aspects of the film. All three of the movies are stand-outs in the field of continuity errors. Chan's suspenders change patterns, bar stools change colors, the wheels on Tucker's Corvette change, and in one of the more standout mistakes a taxi changes make and model and then back again. Some of the technical details are just as bad. A car loaded with C4 explodes from a gunshot and kidnappers demand a ransom in small bills meaning that the payout would weigh over a ton.  "Rush Hour 3" Japanese Theatrical Poster The movies do have some nice little Easter-Egg type touches, especially in Rush Hour 2 (2001). Jackie Chan has long said that his favorite number is 32, perhaps that is the point where he started counting the numerous of broken bones he has sustained from doing his own stunts. The number makes numerous appearances in the film, including on the license plate of the villain's car. However the best use of the number 32 comes in one of the mandatory fight scenes. In a scene that relies heavily on Chan's comedic talents, he finds himself in the unpleasant position of having a remote controlled grenade taped in his mouth. Chris Tucker manages to remove the tape and Chan spits the grenade from his mouth and onto the roulette wheel. As anyone who knows from playing roulette the probability and the odds of the pill landing on any number is 38-to-1, but of course we (briefly) see the grenade land on number 32 just before it explodes. Longtime Chan fans will notice many familiar jokes and situations in the film. The director felt that American audiences would be unfamiliar with the kung fu star's earlier work and had several of his classic gags and moves incorporated into the script. The building used for the exterior of the Chinese Consulate is the same one as was used as the exterior for Wayne Manor in the original Batman! TV show.  Justin Hires and Jon Foo in the "Rush Hour" TV series. The casino in Rush Hour 2 was the empty Dessert Sands in Las Vegas. The production company erected a huge "Red Dragon" casino marquee out front and painted part of the exterior red. Several windows were blown out and the walls sustained smoke damage during the filming. The casino remained standing for several months after production ended and provided an interesting conversation topic for tourists on the Las Vegas strip that were unaware of the upcoming movie. About a year ago, Jackie Chan told British television presenter Jonathan Ross that for him to consider doing another instalment in the series that the script would have to be really good. Hollywood insiders feel that director Ratner is keen to do so mainly due to the lackluster results of his latest efforts. According to a number of sources, Rush Hour 4 is in pre-production and should be released by 2017, while the franchise is also being turned into a television show – which has Jon Foo taking over Jackie Chan’s role, and comedian Justin Hires filling in for Tucker. Despite the star power in the previous films, none of them honestly rate much higher than a C+. There have been a number of films in the genre over the past few years, none of which were blockbusters. That plus the fact that at 61, Chan may decide that it's time to rest a bit, means that the film may never get to the screen and that its success if far from assured. |
| New poster and release date for ‘Samurai Cop 2’ Posted: 01 Aug 2015 12:00 AM PDT  "Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance" Theatrical Poster 25 years ago, they joined forces to take on the Yakuza in Samurai Cop (1991), now Detective Frank Washington (Mark Frazer) and Joe Marshall (Matt Hannon) are teaming up once again in Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance, which will be directed by Gregory Hatanaka (Violent Blue). This time their mission is to solve a series of assassinations being committed by a secret group of female vigilante killers. The original Samurai Cop (1991), directed by the late Amir Shervan (Killing American Style), is a cult classic that found a whole new audience during its midnight theatrical circuit and film festival re-release. Its resurgence prompted producers Rich Mallery and Gregory Hatanaka to start production on a sequel! In addition to its returning stars (including Gerald Okamura and Robert Z’Dar), Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance will also include Mel Novak (Game of Death), Bai Ling (The Crow), Tommy Wiseau (The Room), Mindy Robinson (American Slaughter), Shawn C. Phillips (Aliens vs Titanic), Joe Estevez (Lockdown), Laurene Landon (Maniac Cop), Kristine DeBell (The Big Brawl) and adult film stars, Kayden Kross and Lexi Belle. | First trailer. Updates: Click here for the film’s new poster for Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance. It may look identical to the previous one, but if you click here, you’ll see the differences in a side-by-side comparison. The film will have a limited theatrical release on October 9th in Los Angeles. Other screenings in cities will soon follow. Producers are also working on foreign distribution for non-US residents. Stay tuned! |
| ‘The Crow’ reboot can’t fly no matter what… Posted: 01 Aug 2015 12:00 AM PDT  "The Crow" Japanese Theatrical Poster Relativity Studios has been trying to get a remake of Alex Proyas’ 1994 cult classic The Crow off the ground for what feels like years now. The project has burned through numerous directors (including Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and F. Javier Gutiérrez) and actors (Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Normal Reedus, Luke Evans and Jack Huston). Of course, many fans of the original film who still mourn the tragic loss of star Brandon Lee feel that this is a franchise best left in our memories. Updates: Variety reports that James O'Barr, creator of the original The Crow graphic novel, is on board as a consultant for the reboot. "I believe that this movie will stand alongside Brandon and his film as a valid work of art, and I look forward to collaborating on the project," said O'Barr. In a recent interview with creator James O'Barr, The Crow remake will be closer to a John Woo film. Here are more details: "We're not remaking the movie, we're readapting the book. My metaphor is that there is a Bela Lugosi Dracula and there's a Francis Ford Coppola Dracula, they use the same material, but you still got two entirely different films. This one's going to be closer to Taxi Driver or a John Woo film, and I think there's room for both of them – part of the appeal of the Crow comics after all is that they can tell very different stories after all." Deadline reports that Relativity Studios has hired short-filmmaker Corin Hardy to direct the Crow remake. Want to see one of Hardy’s short films? click here. | Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion) is in talks to play Top Dollar (the film's main villain) in the The Crow remake. Michael Wincott previously played the role in the 1994 film. | Forest Whitaker is in negotiations to join the film in an undisclosed role. According to the director, a new lead will be announced in the next several weeks. BREAKING NEWS: Following Relativity Studios’s bankruptcy last week, pre-production on The Crow is once again in limbo. According to THR: Relativity is still hoping to go into production this fall, and a source at the company said “we continue to be excited by The Crow.” But whether the embattled company keeps hold of the title remains to be seen. |
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