Weekend Movie Previews.... Rush Hour 3 and Stardust

[Emperor]

[glow=red,2,300]Rush Hour 3 (New Line)[/glow]

Starring Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Youki Kudoh, Max Von Sydow, Noemie Lenoir, Vinnie Jones, Yvan Attel, Roselyn Sanchez, Roman Polanski

Directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Rush Hour 2, X-Men: The Last Stand, Red Dragon, After the Sunset); Written by Jeff Nathanson (Rush Hour 2, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, The Last Shot)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller

 

[glow=blue,2,300]Rated PG-13[/glow]

Tagline: "This summer they're kicking it in Paris"

Plot Summary: LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) and China's Chief Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) reunite, this time traveling to Paris to take on a division of the Chinese organized crime family, the Triad.

 

Of Note: After six years, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan reunite for a threequel to their blockbuster action-comedy

 

From commingsoon:

 

Mini-Review: "Rush Hour 3" isn't as much a sequel as it is a stand-alone movie using the same formula as the first two movies, this time transplanting the duo to Paris for the usual fish-out-of-water shenanigans. Most of the movie's humor is as obvious as the fact that Brett Ratner and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson watched every single Bruce Lee and John Woo movie before making this, but for all the decent fight and chase sequences, there's a lot of cheesy overplayed drama (mostly from Chan) with Tucker cracking-wise at every opportunity. There are a few bits that work like an extended sequence involving a nun being asked to translate expletives and a French cab driver who steals a few scenes, but for the most part, the film seems rather dated and stagnant compared to the summer's other offerings. (Even "Live Free or Die Hard" allowed the modern-day world into its formula.) After plodding through a convoluted plot, it all leads up to a fairly predictable battle on the Eiffel Tower and after another cutesy stunt ending, you're left wondering why anyone who watches this would want to see a fourth movie using the same formula. Rating: 6/10

 

Why I Should See It: You've been holding your breath waiting to see Chris Tucker make another movie with Jackie Chan for six years.

Why Not: Does anyone even remember Rush Hour 2 or care for a sequel?

 

[glow=red,2,300]Stardust (Paramount)[/glow]

Starring Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Sienna Miller, Ricky Gervais, Jason Flemyng, Peter O'Toole, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Ian McKellen

Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake); Written by Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

[glow=blue,2,300]Rated PG-13[/glow]

Tagline: "This summer, a star falls. The chase begins."

Plot Summary: Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox) is sent on a wild adventure when he agrees to capture and bring back a star for his spoiled love interest Victoria (Sienna Miller), but when he crosses the wall into the fantasy world of Stormhold, he discovers that the star is a living being (Claire Danes) and that there's a bunch of unsavory characters including an evil witch (Michelle Pfeiffer) trying to get her for themselves.

Of Note: Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess' fantasy graphic novel comes to the big screen with an all-star cast.

 

Review (variety): Everything but the enchanted kitchen sink shows up in the sprawling fairy tale "Stardust," including evil witches, airborne pirate ships, double-parked unicorns and Robert De Niro as a cross-dressing sea captain. Sprinkled with tongue-in-cheek humor, fairly adult jokes and some well-known faces acting very silly, this adventure story should have particular appeal to fans of "The Princess Bride," but in any event will never be mistaken for a strictly-for-kids movie.

 

Why I Should See It: Gaiman and Vess' fantasy epic is brought to vibrant life in this exciting and fun adventure.

Why Not: It might be too whimsically British for American audiences.

 

[Majsju]

That Neil Gaiman is involved is reason enough for me to go and see Stardust, with a fair bit of expectations.

 

Rush Hour 3? Have yet to see RH 2, and it's not something I plan to do in the near future. Jackie Chans good movies are the ones shot in Hong Kong.

[Mendorah]

Eee!  I can't wait for Stardust!  I'm going to see it on Friday.  I heart Neil Gaiman.  And the costumes in this movie are going to be scrumptious too.  I havent' read the book, so the whole story will come as a surprise to me.

[Cadsuane]

1. I don't remember RH2, I won't go see RH3.  However, if I'm bored somewhere that has cable, and nothing more appealing is on, I'll be content to watch it.

 

2. Never even heard of Stardust until the movie, but it looks like something I'll enjoy. I probably won't see it in theaters, but I'll keep it in mind for rental.

[Banger0812]

I can't wait to see Stardust, either!  Looks great!  Can't wait to see De Niro as a mafia strongarm pirate capo, er...captain!  I'm about as excited to see this as I am to see the Golden Compass, which, despite being based on a kid's book, looks awesome, too!

[ironcross]

stardust looks relly good, nerver heard of ittill they started putting trailers out on tv a week ago, but i will try to see it in theaters.  i cant remember anything about rh 2 except that it was in hong kong......  i think. lol

[Emperor]

Going to see it tonight, but to get your more interested, a review from AICN

 

 

Being completely unaware of Neil Gaiman's source novel, I went into Stardust a little skeptical that any filmmaker (even the great Matthew Vaughn, director of LAYER CAKE) could fill my curmudgeonly soul with wonder and amazement in this fantasy world of witches, talking stars, princes, unicorn, flying pirates and magic. Maybe I'm not all that old, because Stardust is a charmer even as it constantly reminds you that this film is coming from a slightly darker and more subversive place than the film it is destined to be compared to, THE PRINCESS BRIDE. And while these comparisons aren't exactly fair, STARDUST is the closest to that landmark work I've seen since. Stardust doesn't shy away from death (however comical in nature) or the threat of death. Charlie Cox does an admirable job establishing himself as Tristan, the reluctant hero, while Clare Danes (who has never looked more lovely) plays a fallen star that must somehow return to the heavens after being knocked down by a dying king (Peter O'Toole). The king's sons (including Rupert Everett, Jason Flemyng and my favorite actor in the whole production, Mark Strong) are all trying to kill each other to win the crown, while three witches (led by Michelle Pfeiffer) seek the star to cut out her heart and grant them eternal life.

 

Without giving too much away, the only problem I had with STARDUST was the Robert De Niro pirate captain character. I wasn't offended by his portrayal of the rugged man with a secret; I just didn't think it was a very inspired performance. On the other hand, Ricky Gervais makes an appearance here as a slick tradesman, and he made me laugh every time he was on screen. The film takes a while to show us where its various stories are going, which is surprising since the entire first act seems very rushed. But once we start to see how the storylines will come together, the movie gets progressively better, funnier and more thrilling. This will be one of the few times I ever use this word, but I found STARDUST utterly enchanting. It has a great story that I believe older kids and adults will get more out of than younger children, and that's quite alright; I felt the exact same way about RATATOUILLE. STARDUST is magnificently original even when it clings to fairy tale traditions, and I hope you're fortunate enough to see it with an audience that allows itself to get into the fun the film is having with the convention.

[F Horn of Valere]

I just saw Stardust and was thoroughly impressed. VERY thoroughly impressed.

 

This is an EXCELLENT date movie! As a romantic fantasy, it has the perfect mix of the two genres to keep the girl dreamy and the guy not bored!

[Emperor]

Agreed.  I thought this movie was quite good.  Do not go expecting Princess Bride and you will be happy.  Probably a movie in my top 5 of 2007.

[F Horn of Valere]

Easily... I'd say in my personal top 10 for any year. They have the PERFECT balance of action/adventure, romance, and comedy, and wrapped it up with a beautiful fantasy epic feel.