Movie #397 - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
2003 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 50 min
Director: Stephen Norrington
Starring: Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Shane West, Jason Flemyng, Richard Roxburgh, Max Ryan

One of the first in a wave of Alan Moore comics to go to the movies, this one's not the best of the bunch.  It's not awful, but it does get a bit campy at times.  Ooh.... all these characters from fiction fight crime together!

But honestly, why is Tom Sawyer fighting crime?

United by Connery's Alan Quartermaine, the troupe is formidable... but also a bit twisted.  Deception and betrayal runs amok and soon, it all falls apart.

As adventure movies go, there's much that's pleasing to the eye and much to rev up that adrenaline level.  As plots go.... meh.  Connery's the best thing about this one, if you ask me.

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.