This is the place where I put my random thoughts that I like to share with you all. It's also a place where I could post about things that interest me such as movies, TV shows, Games and just anything that's part of the Pop culture that I find necessary to post about.
The Korean dramas that I’ve managed to catch were usually the sad romantic ones that ends tragically (the only happy one I saw was ‘Full House’starring Korean pop superstar Rain, who was also in Speed Racer). So it was a bit refreshing to watch a Korean drama about cops and gangsters, a genre mostly associated with Hong Kong films. Sure, there is a love triangle plotline as you can guess from the picture above but it’s balanced out with several action sequences, plot twists and episodic cliffhangers.
Time Between Dog and Wolf is about Lee Soo Hyun (the guy on the left) who was adopted by a senior officer in the ‘National Intelligence Service’ (NIS) after his parents were murdered by gangsters. Soo Hyun grew up to become an NIS agent himself together with his foster brother, Kang Min Ki (the guy on the right). Later, Soo Hyun agree to become an undercover agent by faking his death and infiltrate a drug trafficking gang led by Ma Woo, the same man who murdered his parents. Further complicating things is a love triangle between Soo Hyun (now under the name of Kay), Ji Woo (Soo Hyun’s childhood friend and the daughter of the gang leader) and Min Ki (Soo Hyun’s foster brother).
As usual for an undercover cop, Soo Hyun suffered from a crisis of identity just like Tony Leung from Hard Boiled & Infernal Affairs. BUT, here’s where it gets better, Soo Hyun later had a car accident and lost his memories!!! So he’s a dude disguised as another dude who lost his memories and thinks he’s really the dude he disguised as!!!Beat that Tony Leung!!
That’s where the second part of the series began which was also when things get slow as the three main characters gets one dimensional (Soo Hyun acts like an asshole, the girl is like all confused and Min Ki just shouts a lot). Then things get better again in the last few episodes with cliffhangers and twists (aside from stupid acts by the girl). It has a sort of a happy ending LOL Hehe and it also leaves it open for a second season too.
Overall, the show at least kept me entertained throughout so that’s good I guess
Saw the movie last night at the Empire Cinema and as promised, I went there wearing my black Superman T-shirt (read here to know the story behind it). Coincidentally, I saw a guy wearing a white shirt (or sweater I think) with the bat logo. Talk about being opposites hehe..which is kinda appropriate because one of the main theme of the movie was duality; not just between Batman and Joker but also between Batman and Dent or Dent and Gordon.
***Warning: Possible Spoilers***
The Dark Knight is not just a Superhero movie, it’s a two and a half hours long epic crime drama that touches on themes like law & order, the price of heroism and what people can do when their comfort zone get disturb. Did I mentioned that this movie is tragic? Things just get worse and worse every minute till the end. Nop Batman doesn’t die at the end but his victory comes with a heavy price. Hell, I think Batman isn’t quite the main character of the movie. The movie is about Gotham City and the efforts of three men (Batman, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent) in saving it from the Joker, the self proclaimed agent of Chaos.
Let’s talk about the Joker first. I knew that they were going for a darker take on the Joker but one important aspect of the Joker is that he’s funny…well at least he thinks he’s funny and the fact that he thinks it’s funny makes me laugh therefore I find him funny (does that make sense). Funny in a twisted and wrong way, that’s what I like about Joker.
So I was afraid that in this movie, he’s just going to be crazy and evil but not ‘funny’. Well, let’s just say he “put a smile” on my face after his ‘pencil magic trick’. We all went ‘Ooooo!!’ followed immediately with laughs. Other funny moments includes him sliding down the pile of money, Joker cleaning his hands at the hospital and his amusement of getting beaten up by Batman. It was suppose to be an intense scene where Batman sort of crossed the line with his temper and two lives were in danger but I laughed when Joker seemed to enjoy the beat down.
There’s all this posthumous Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger and I think he deserves it. You don’t go “oh it’s Heath Ledger from Brokeback Mountain wearing a makeup“. His movement, his voice and everything changed.
Another highlight character is Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart. Dent is an idealistic and a badass District Attorney who’s determined to clean up the streets of Gotham. Courage and confidence are his greatest strength which even impressed Batman who considered retirement because he saw Dent as Gotham’s new hero or hope. We get to root for Dent which makes his inevitable transformation to Two Face more tragic. I also like the way that Two Face isn’t exactly a villain in this movie which is fine because I never get why he suddenly turned into a mob boss like in the cartoon. I mean I kinda cheered for Two Face when he starts hunting down corrupted cops and mobs (led by Eric Roberts!! ). But he went overboard at the end.
Joker saw Harvey’s descent into madness as his achievement and this reminds me of the Batman comic called the Killing Joke. Remember reading it in the High School library, it’s about the Joker trying test his theory that it only takes one bad day to make someone crazy like him. In that comic, he tried it with Gordon by tying him up and force him to look at pictures of his daughter’s paralyzed and bloodied naked body after being shot by the Joker. Joker failed of course when Batman came to rescue Gordon.
***Highlight to see spoiler***
Harvey Two Face dies at the end. This shocked me because I was so sure that Two Face will be the main villain for the third movie. But I’m fine with his death because, like I said earlier, I’m not a fan of the “ex District Attorney turned Mob Boss” storyline. As for the Joker, it was a good decision to not kill him so that we get more Joker vs Batman storyline but Heath Ledger’s death complicated things. Recasting?? No way.
Btw, this movie is dark and might not be suitable for children. Examples: a villain pointing a gun on a kid in front of his dad or the part where the Joker put a knife into someones mouth while telling a story of how he supposedly got the mouth scar is scary.
The movie also touches on heavy themes like post 9-11 fear culture and how it drives people to break moral codes (Just wait till you see Joker’s big Social experiment involving ferries and bombs). Gordon, Dent and even Batman are bound by moral codes and laws. Joker comes in and tries to push them over their breaking point and exploiting their flaws. Gordon knows that he’s leading a police force that’s mostly corrupted but he needs all available men to fight crime. Batman is a vigilante and not bound by the law but refuses to kill because that would make him just as bad as the criminals. Dent has a bigger problem because he’s a very public figure therefore has to keep up with his image as a promising, charismatic and strong District Attorney. He’s Gotham’s best hope in saving the city, the white knight. But beneath that image is a normal human being with emotions that sometimes overcome logic (his temper and his love for Rachel).
Image or symbol is another theme that plays a big part of the story especially the ending. The most important thing that can save Gotham is a symbol of hope which should be uphold at any cost. By the end of the movie, the characters die, lie and willing to be hated by many in order to keep that symbol/idea of hope alive. At least that’s how I saw it, I don’t know, I’ve only seen it once and I have to watch it again to dig up more.
So yeah, go watch Dark Knight!
Oh, you might also be interested in hearing the Joker theme from the movie. Really freaky and random
It’s July and that means my most anticipated summer movie will be released in few weeks. The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins and starring the late Heath Ledger in his final complete movie, will arrive in theatres on July 18.
Is this movie going to be good?! Are people only exaggerating the awesomeness of Heath Ledger’s performance just because he died? CAN THIS MOVIE LIVE UP TO ITS HYPE?!! Here’s the rundown so far of early reviews from movie reviewers I frequently check/trust:
Moriarty from AICN (easily my favourite and the more talented reviewer from that site)
…Chris Nolan accomplishes something that both WAR OF THE WORLDS and CLOVERFIELD tried to do, and with more grace and insight. Those films both used 9/11 imagery to resonate with viewers, and in both cases, the imagery is certainly arresting and upsetting, but to what end? Just to remind us? Just to tap into the fear we felt that day? Here, Nolan invokes 9/11, but he pushes past it to also deal with the fear that has stayed with us as a culture since that moment, and also the way it forced the world around us to change. This is the first mainstream movie to fully digest the events of September 11th and to deal with them in a way that starts to sort out who we are now as a result. Heady stuff for a movie about a dude wearing a bat suit who beats the shit out of criminals, but then… isn’t that the point?
Go ahead, bitch about the movie being too long, at two and a half hours, for short attention spans (it is), too somber for the Hulk crowd (it is), too smart for its own good (it isn’t). The haunting and visionary Dark Knight soars on the wings of untamed imagination. It’s full of surprises you don’t see coming. And just try to get it out of your dreams.
…Nolan has a more subversive agenda. He wants viewers to stick their hands down the rat hole of evil and see if they get bitten. With little humor to break the tension, The Dark Knight is beyond dark. It’s as black — and teeming and toxic — as the mind of the Joker.
While one might hesitate to throw around overused words like “masterpiece,” it’s refreshing that “The Dark Knight” is not a movie that can be viewed and easily discarded like so much other summer fare.
…there really is no better way to describe The Dark Knightthan to call it a great work of art because it transcends both the boundaries of comic book moviemaking and even the parameters of good filmmaking. What Nolan and Co. have created doesn’t just function as a thrill ride or even a terrific movie, but rather as a substantive and philosophical examination of why we need heroes, and then when we need them, what they mean.
There were too many characters and a good fifteen, twenty minutes could have been cut. Either trim down the love triangle mess or some of the unnecessary mob scenes to quicken the pace. Despite those negatives, The Dark Knight is an exciting movie to watch, especially on a giant IMAX screen. Just cover your kid’s eyes whenever Maggie Gyllenhall is on screen. It’s not the Joker’s face that will be giving them nightmares! Just kidding Maggie. I’d bang you in a minute. With a bag over my head.
ROFLMFAO!!! But he still gave it an A- (almost perfect) so that’s still very good.
“When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other. You’ll see, I’ll show it to yah”
The fourth season of LOST ended few days ago and the 8 month wait for the next season begins!! Nooooo!!
This is the best Lost finale yet (yes, even surpassing last year’s “OMG it’s a flash forward” episode).It has action, drama, romance and several moments of suspense. Oh and answers too….and new questions hahaha. I’m not gonna do a recap but just pointing out few things.
**Warning! This post contains spoilers for those who haven’t seen it yet**
Just saw Forbidden Kingdom starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li. What’s good? The fight scenes and hot Asian babes. What’s bad? Chinese English. Speak Chinese with english subtitles dammit!! Just speak English only when you talk to the American Kid. Oh another warning, there’s also too much of those ‘old wise Chinese proverb type of talking’. Something along the line of ‘the bridge between Heaven and Earth of the river with flower to the Sun within the Gate of No Gate’ . OK, it’s not exactly like that but you get my point.
In short, I see the movie as nothing but a tribute to the martial arts genre. Therefore, you get to see stuff like badass monks, a young loser who later turn into a great fighter after training under a martial arts master, sword fights, people defying the laws of gravity, extensive fight sequence (the main highlight is the Jackie vs Jet Li fight), a woman with white hair (like the ‘Bride With White Hair’ referenced in the movie), stuff about heaven and earth realms and lastly Jackie Chan fighting drunk just like the Drunken Master.
Speaking of Drunken Master, I went to Youtube to rewatch those Jackie Chan fight scenes from his past movies that I remember watching when I was a kid.
Here’s Jackie Chan kicking ass from Drunken Master II. No CGI, No Wires, No Chris Tucker LOL Enjoy!
Planning to watch these two polar opposite movies back to back in the near future. One is about the triumph & perserverance of the human spirit through the power of hope and the other just shows how easily we can get f***ed up badly by fear and desperation. Both of these movies were directed by the same man and adapted from books by the same author: Frank Darabont and Stephen King.
(Click the posters for trailers)
**this post contains spoiler from both movies. So if you haven’t seen either of the two movie then it’s recommended that you should not continue. Just go watch the two movies, it’s really good **
Shawshank Redemption (1994) is about Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a hotshot banker sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife. He is actually innocent but this isn’t an action movie where Andy escape and tries to clear his name while being pursued by the police. Instead, he stays there and develop a friendship with fellow inmates especially Red (Morgan Freeman), a man who has lost faith in the outside world and doesn’t believe in hope. Andy’s arrival changed the face of prison and led Red on the road of redemption. The movie was nominated for 7 Oscars but didn’t win any, a decision that many saw as the biggest Oscar snub.
The Mist(2007) is about a town being covered by a mysterious mist that hides many deadly creatures. A group of survivors takes refuge in the local supermarket where they have to fight against any of the deadly creatures (eg. giant bats, poisonous giant flies, large tentacles, etc) that attempts to break in. With each passing moment, hopes of survival diminishes while fear takes over. This led most of the survivors to turn to the religious fanaticism of Mrs Carmody. Some of the survivors found that their greatest threat does not come from monsters but from among themselves as the worst of mankind is brought to light when desperation and fear reached critical level.
One thing I notice is the contrasting relation between the setting and the theme in each movie. Redemption is set in prison yet the characters find hope and redemption within in it. In contrast to the Mist, where the supermarket (a place where you can find everything you need) became a place of chaos.
I see that these contrasting relations between setting & theme reinforce the idea of the strange nature of humanity and civilization. The relation between us and civilization is a tricky one because I see it to be paradoxical. We are a social species and the only way to ensure our survival is create a society/civilization governed by rules. Simple as that, it’s Sociology 101. But here’s the catch, civilization is also the seed of our destruction. What I mean by destruction is not that we’re going to explode and die; it’s more like how we start losing the real strength that’s within us as humans get too dependent on the construct of civilization. What if we took out those things that we are heavily dependent on? People get scared and when they do…well…just watch how things get ugly. Here’s some quote from the The Mist:
Amanda Dunfrey: You don’t have much faith in humanity, do you? Dan Miller: None, whatsoever. Amanda Dunfrey: I can’t accept that. People are basically good; decent. My god, David, we’re a civilized society. David Drayton: Sure, as long as the machines are working and you can dial 911. But you take those things away, you throw people in the dark, you scare the shit out of them – no more rules.
And this…
Ollie: As a species, we’re fundamentally insane. Put two of us in a room, we pick sides, and start dreaming up reasons to kill one another.
Yes, this sounds like JJ Rousseau’s views on Humanity and society. He believed that society corrupts mankind but not along the line of ‘wild man = good, civilized man = bad’. It’s more to do with the difference between a man that strives to survive with the power of reason and a man who are bogged down by ‘artificial’ construct of society. In a situation like the one that happened in the Mist, the later wouldn’t fare well. Unfortunately, most people are in the later group. When the rules change and don’t apply anymore, they seek some other means to make them believe that the normal rule still applies. Hence, they turned to fanatical religion of Mrs. Carmody. She seemed to know better at what’s going on and what to do.
In Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne isn’t bowing down to rules. He did not start a prison riot or anything but discovered something more powerful. He realize that there is something incorruptible within all of us and it’s the endurance of human spirit or hope. Take this quote from the movie:
Andy Dufresne: That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you… Haven’t you ever felt that way about music? Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn’t make much sense in here. Andy Dufresne: Here’s where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don’t forget. Red: Forget? Andy Dufresne: Forget that… there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours. Red: What’re you talking about? Andy Dufresne: Hope.
Red refuses to believe in hope and he has also accepted his predicament as governed by the society he lives. He calls it being ‘institutionalized’; admitting defeat to the labels that you are given by a society. Here’s Red’s explanation:
Red: Would you knock it off? Brooks ain’t no bug. He’s just… just institutionalized. Heywood: Institutionalized, my ass. Red: The man’s been in here fifty years, Heywood. Fifty years! This is all he knows. In here, he’s an important man. He’s an educated man. Outside, he’s nothin’! Just a used up con with arthritis in both hands. Probably couldn’t get a library card if he tried…these walls are funny. First you hate ‘em, then you get used to ‘em. Enough time passes, it gets so you depend on ‘em. That’s ‘institutionalized’…They send you here for life and that’s exactly what they take, the part that counts anyway.
Later, Red finally redeemed himself when he gave a piece of his mind to the Parole guys.
1967 Parole Hearings Man: Ellis Boyd Redding, your files say you’ve served 40 years of a life sentence. Do you feel you’ve been rehabilitated? Red: Rehabilitated? Well, Now let me see. You know, I don’t have any idea what that means. 1967 Parole Hearings Man: Well, it means that you’re ready to rejoin society… Red: I know what *you* think it means, sonny. To me it’s just a made up word. A politician’s word, so young fellas like yourself can wear a suit and a tie, and have a job. What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did? 1967 Parole Hearings Man: Well, are you? Red: There’s not a day goes by I don’t feel regret. Not because I’m in here, or because you think I should. I look back on the way I was then: a young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him. I want to try and talk some sense to him, tell him the way things are. But I can’t. That kid’s long gone and this old man is all that’s left. I got to live with that. Rehabilitated? It’s just a bullshit word. So you go on and stamp your form, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Because to tell you the truth, I don’t give a shit.
Powerful stuff!!
Lastly, I want to talk about the ending. Shawshank’s ending is still one of my favourite movie ending, it gets me everytime I watch it. As for the Mist, it’s great!! Giving a happy ending to a grim movie isn’t the right way. You need a big ‘F You!’ type of ending and it delivered.
Few weeks ago was our national day and on that same day, I felt an urge to do something that I haven’t done since started this blog; write something related to my country. I thought it would be easy, just sit down in front of the PC (yes, I don’t have a laptop so I cannot blog anywhere) and expect some ideas for a topic relating to my country would just pop into my head. I was mistaken and this can be seen with this post where it went off topic pretty quickly.
Now, I have an idea. I’m going to write about Radio Television Brunei (RTB), our very own national TV channel. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny it’s one of those things that has a special place in your life as a Bruneian.
So how did I get this idea? One night, it was raining hard and I couldn’t watch ASTRO cable channels. To make matters worse, the living room TV was controlled by my mom and her indonesian dangdut satellite TV channel. So bored, I watched RTB in my brother’s bedroom. WOW! Quite cool Hehe.
I watched the local news for the first time in years and I see all these new young faces reading the news (except for the lady who recently won the best female newsreader award). But I know they’re not new, it’s just that I haven’t watch RTB news in ages thus I didn’t recognize any of the news readers. Gone are the familiar older newsreader I grew up with (the guy with the moustache and glasses, the guy who sort of looks like my friend’s dad, the lady with contact lenses eyes doing the ‘Consumer’ section and THE sports guy…Hj Malik, I think that’s his name..he’s THE MAN when it comes to SEA games or football coverage).
I’ve noticed that the local channel have changed in it’s nature over the years. When I was young, RTB aired sitcoms like Friends and weekly movies ranging from made for TV quality to blockbusters (eg. Sunday matinee, Wayang pilihan). Then there was X-files. That show was the highlight of our local channel in the old days. It made all of us glued to the channel every week. We always talk about it in morning at school after each episode Haha.
Then RTB seems to change its focus towards more of an educational direction. You start having more documentaries (of which most of them are fascinating) and religious shows. I think they try to balance it out between entertainment and educational programmes but found it difficult hence the expansion recently: RTB1 and RTB2
I heard about this RTB2 long time ago but never bothered with it. So I checked that channel recently and I see all these commercials for shows that they’re airing:
The Office?! That’s a really funny show and it’s in our local channel. NCIS?! i’ve seen some episodes of this show and enjoyed it. Bones?! That’s the David Boreanaz show. Everybody Hates Chris?! Wow another good comedy Psych?! Lost?! you mean THE LOST?! my favourite show with that Crazy island, that one?! Every Friday 9pm?! LOL
But let’s not forget about local drama. In the old days, local dramas were kind a fake. You know, the characters talked with Malaysian accent instead of a Bruneian accent. The dialog seems forced. But things have improved. Sure, it’s not top quality but it’s improving and it’s more Brunei-ish. I saw this local drama about the Anti-Corruption bureau and I enjoyed it. The cases looks like something that would probably happened in Brunei. They talk in Bruneian dialect and even the dialog sounds like how a Bruneian would talk. For example, this old boss talks about having a surgery in Singapore. THAT’s so Bruneian. I love little touches like that. I found out later that this show is actually old and it was a repeat telecast. Ketinggalan zaman banar aku ani . The show is called KOD 468 and if only they release it on DVD
Speaking of local shows on DVD, I was a big fan of Catatan Misteri. That show was a big hit few years ago and I want to see that on DVD. Whoever I talked to and the subject of locally produced drama comes up, they always talk about this show. The episodes ranges from frightening (the 1st episode with the Balau ghost and another episode with exorcism), dark humour (the one with young guys playing darts and saw hantu pocong), unintentionally funny (the unemotional reaction of the father who lost his daughter), brilliant (the roti panas episode) and downright stupid (the kung fu scene between two ‘makhluk halus’). Now I want to see that on DVD.
And then there are the commercials. People always laugh about the quality of the local commercial but that’s what makes it memorable. Who could forget catch phrases like “Anu lain mana durang suka tu!” or “Murah kali ah!” from a Sabli sauce and a Pizza hut commercial respectively. Speaking of the Pizza Hut commercial, there was a line where the guy was complaining that he couldn’t a afford the normal price meal because of ‘Bulan tua‘ LOL ‘Bulan Tua’ refers to a period of time between paydays for many workers here. In other words, it’s a time when most people don’t have money. Like I said earlier, I like the little local touches.
So yeah, I’m not saying that I’ll abandon my cable channels forever but it was nice to watch RTB again. Kinda like meeting an old friend you haven’t met for a long time. Like the slogan says, Sentiasa Bersama Biskita/ Always be with you.
Previously we checked out how our old action heroes did with their attempt in reviving their famous franchise. This time I would suggest which action heroes should revive their franchise.
Highlights: A reckless Detroit cop busting some ass in Beverly Hills with a crappy blue Chevy; stop bad guys by putting a banana on their car’s tailpipe (genius); signature Eddie Murphy laugh; that funky theme song
Why it needs to be made?
Remember when Eddie was funny? Nowadays he’s doing shit like Haunted Mansion, Pluto Nash and Daddy DayCare. He did make a comeback with his Oscar nominated role in Dreamgirls but then he makes shit again with Norbit. Come on Eddie!
Brett Ratner (Rush Hour Trilogy, Xmen3) will direct. According to MTV Movie blog he said:
“10-year-old kids, 12-year-old kids don’t really know the old ‘Beverly Hills Cop.’ So it’s an opportunity to make it new for kids,” Ratner said. “The same way it felt for me watching ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ when I was a kid, that’s what I want to do for kids today.”
BHC4 for kids??? PG13?? No wait, he said this afterwards over at Latinoreview
“Dont believe everything you read on the internet. Believe me, this is going to be a hard core ‘R’ Beverly Hills Cop. I start shooting next year”
As for Eddie, he has this to say regarding the fourth movie over at MTV Movies Blog:
“Because the third ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ was horrible!” the once and future Detective Axel Foley laughed. “I didn’t want to leave it like that. The first two were cool and the third one was sh—y. [Let's] get the franchise fixed again, clean up this old mess and do a good movie.
“[Don't] just leave Axel with his thumb up his a– from the last movie,” the comic continued, chuckling. “Whatever happened to Axel Foley? He’s sitting in Detroit with his thumb up his a– since ‘Beverly Hills Cop III.’ Let’s take those thumbs out and make a great movie!”
Highlights: Saves a jackass President from Manhattan-turned-mega-maximum-security-prison only to later make him foolish at the end of the movie (the epitome of anti-hero, not taking any sides); “switching off” the earth, cool eye patch; NO SNAKE PLISSKEN = NO METAL GEAR SOLID
Why it needs to be made?
The right atmosphere. With all the stuff about Iraq War, patriot act, terrorism nowadays I think we need another Escape From installment.
As for Kurt Russell, he’s been doing movies like Miracles, Dreamers and Sky High which was cool to see how Kurt has changed. But then came Grindhouse/Death Proof and wow he can still be a badass.
Then there’s the troubled remake of Escape from New York. Gerard Butler (300) was attached to star but dropped out due to creative difference. Stop with the remake and just make a sequel. Kurt can still do it. And I saw Escape From New York again recently on TV. It’s still cool.
Highlights: Dead Vietnam war soldier turned super soldier; fights Dolph Lundgren, Bill Godlberg and Michael Jae White; those deadly Van Damme kicks
Why it needs to be made?
There is a new Van Damme movie called JCVDwhich is a semi-biographical movie starring Jean Claude Van Damme as JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME! This could be a fun movie and maybe his comeback. Now if only he could follow that up with a R rated action packed summer theatrical release of Universal Soldier 3.
Highlights: An ex Navy SEALS chef stop terrorist aboard a US navy ship with the help from a Playboy Playmate, stop terrorist aboard a train with the help from young Katherine Heigl, So much ass kicking
Why it needs to be made?
I just want to see Steven Seagal kicking ass on the big screen again not straight to video. Show these young kids how to really kick ass. And my mom is a big fan of Steven Seagal too. I want the new Under Siege to be set in an airplane. Why?
Snakes on the Plane & Flight of the living dead – Planes are now a trend for cult moviegoers
Planes are now an “in thing” for wannabe terrorists. So all we need is Seagal to kick their ass in a plane
Steven Seagal did not even made it on the plane in Executive Decision. Redeem it!
Note: Check this out! Oh and even though Under Siege is the only successful Steven Seagal franchise, Nico Toscani from his first movie, Above the Law is my favourite Steven Seagal character.
Highlights: Teams up with the late Lee Marvin against terrorist who are hijacking a plane, blows up a guy with a rocket that shoots out of his motorcycle, fought a war against drugs his way
Why it needs to be made?
It’s Chuck Norris!!! The theme of Delta Force is still relevant today. Sure, they can tone down the American propaganda a bit with the new movie.
Status Not gonna happen LOL
Note: I just found out that there was Delta Force 3 but Chuck Norris wasn’t in it therefore I pretend that movie didn’t exist. Another famous character played by Chuck Norris is Col. James Braddock of the MIssing In Action Trilogy. Why it’s not included here is because I prefer Delta Force than MIA series. Besides, the main theme of the MIA series wouldn’t be relevant today because it was unique for its era (Vietnam was the hot topic). Of course you can say the same thing about Rambo hence why some only love the first two Rambo movies. But hey, I love Rambo more than Chuck Norris so Rambo being in Afghansitan and Burma doesn’t bother me at all :-)
Reviving our old movie heroes to the big screen has become a trend in Hollywood these days. Arnie flexed his ‘acting skills’ for Terminator 3 before becoming the governor, Bruce crashed a car against a helicopter, Stallone did double duty with Rocky & Rambo and Ford is back for more treasure hunting. Let’s take a look at how our action heroes have performed and see whether their effort did justice to their respective franchise.
Highlights: Sent from the future to kill the mother of a future leader of the human resistance movement; battle against a superior shape shifting killing machine; “Hasta La Vista, Baby”
Recent effort – Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
The Terminator goes up against an indestructible sexy female terminator.
Justice to the franchise?: Action packed with lots of CGI, this movie was entertaining but not as memorable as Cameron’s T2.
Highlights: defeat a group of European faux terrorist in the Nakatomi building on Christmas, stop terrorist that hijacked an airport, partnered with Samuel ‘Muthaf***ing’ Jackson to stop bad guys, Yippee Kay Yeah Muthaf***er!!
Recent effort – Live Free or Die Hard Partnered with Justin “I’m Mac” Long to stop cyberterrorists from crippling the infrastructure of USA. Action packed movie
Justice to the Franchise?:A really good action movie that keeps on getting over top (the McClane vs Jet fighter). The downside is that McClane needs to say F*** more.
Highlights: two times heavyweight champion, defeated Mr.T and a cold blooded Soviet boxer (in those days all Russians were cold blooded LOL), suffered a really bad sequel (Rocky 5)
Recent effort – Rocky Balboa Coming out of retirement to fight an arrogant young boxer in a promotional match.
Justice to the Franchise?: A slow movie but overall gave the character a fitting end. One of the best entry to the franchise.
Highlights: Gave not one but two emotional speech about the treatment of Vietnam veterans by their home country, rescue American POWs while blowing up enemy village, assisted the Afghans against the Soviets (the irony).
Recent effort – Rambo Rescue a group of Christian missionaries from the sadistic Burmese army.
Justice to the Franchise?: Brutal action sequences gave Rambo a competitive edge against recent bloody movies like Hostel and Saw. The ending was fitting to the character too.
Highlights: Fought against the Nazis for the Ark of Covenant and the Holy Grail, battle against an evil Indian cult group, has a funny relationship with his father.
Recent effort: Fight with the Soviets for the powerful Crystal skulls.
Justice to the Franchise?: Don’t know. It hasn’t been released yet. But Spielberg has stated that he’s going ‘film’ instead of digital with this film to retain that retro Indy feeling.
***
That’s it for now. I will do the second part later where I would suggest which movie heroes should take one final shot on the big screen (eg. Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley of Beverly Hills Cop fame and Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken).
So he’s a dude disguised as another dude who lost his memories and thinks he’s really the dude he disguised as!!!Beat that Tony Leung!! 
). But he went overboard at the end.
