Movie #392 - Kiss of the Dragon

Kiss of the Dragon
2001 - Rated R - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Chris Nahon
Starring: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tcheky Karyo, Max Ryan

It's been a while since my last viewing of this movie so I couldn't even really remember what it was about when I sat down to watch it.  Yes, Jet Li kicks butt -- that's to be expected.  But this movie does have a little more substance to it than your run-of-the-mill action flicks.

Apparently based on a story by Jet Li himself, this one chronicles a Beijing cop framed for a murder in Paris.  Behind the frameup is a chief Parisian inspector who's been abusing his power left, right, and center, unbeknownst to his superiors.  Bridget Fonda and her daughter are caught in his evil web and she winds up square in Li's path to clear his name.  Their mutual hatred unites them (obviously) and they work together to achieve their individual goals.  Clean and simple, but full of some great action scenes too.  Aside from a scene where Li takes out a full class of black-belts, there aren't really any stand-out performances.  What you see is what you get here, but if you've got a love of some good Jet Li action.

Movie #375 - Army of Darkness

Army of Darkness
1992 - Rated R - 1 hr 21 min
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Elizabeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert, Bridget Fonda

Another recent acquisition (on top of the 50+ title haul from last month - ugh!).

But it's okay, because this is a great movie and one that was sorely missing from our collection until now.  And for $4, you can't pass that up. So here it is.

Who would've thought that a bad B movie (Evil Dead) would spawn this fantastic cult-classic sequel... well, a sequel to the remake Evil Dead 2. It's confusing, really.  And they're all thanks to the genius of Sam Raimi and the unparalleled "action" comedy of Bruce Campbell.  This, of all three movies, is my absolute favorite.  Just for quotability alone it ranks pretty highly!

It's campy and a little cornball, but I really didn't mind adding this one to the queue!

Movie #355 - Lake Placid

Lake Placid
1999 - Rated R - 1 hr 22 min
Director: Steve Miner
Starring: Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, Betty White, David Lewis, Mariska Hargitay

Oh, Betty White!! I think this movie might be the first time we saw this Golden Girl swear and it was so worth out.  And look where she is now!

Anyway, I know this movie is crappy.  It's like Anaconda. You want to hate it but you just keep watching it.  And you're rooting for Oliver Platt to get eaten by the crocodile and for Bridget Fonda to shut the hell up.  And you're glad to see Betty White's (SPOILER ALERT) "litter" of tiny crocodiles that will one day take over the placid lake and eat everyone.  Not psyched enough to watch Lake Placid 2 or Lake Placid 3, but psyched all the same.

And no, it does not take place at the real Lake Placid.  Bummer, I know. But the po-dunk town is the perfect place for this beastie to have its way with humanity.  Awesome.

Movie #233 - The Godfather: Part III

The Godfather: Part III
1990 - Rated R - 2 hr 42 min
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talie Shire, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, George Hamilton, Bridget Fonda, Sofia Coppola

Yup, don't think I ever seen this one.  Also did not realize it was released 16 years after Part II. Huh.  I was alive when this came out. Still had no idea.

This is probably my least favorite of the movies and that's mostly just because they can't all be perfect.  There has to be one that's the "weak" one, right?  And it's also not all Sofia Coppola's fault, although her acting is atrocious.  It's nice to see the Corleone family try to go legit, but it's sad to see all that bad-assery evaporate from Michael.  In his personal life, it's too little too late and in his business life, it's pointless.

You can't go legit if no one else will let you.  And you'd think they'd have figured out by now that you can keep killing each other all you want but it never ends.  There's always someone to pick up the gun.  Having all those efforts be in vain, however, stays true to the story. And for that, I do like the end.  It's sad and empty, but believable.

Now I want to read the books.