Shenmue Dojo

Lethal Weapon 2 is better, imo. And no, Die Hard 1 is the best 80s Action film. Home Alone is the best Christmas movie. There, now we're right.

AnimeGamer183 wrote: I completed Die Hard 1-3 for the first time yesterday. I had no idea they were such Christmas movies as well.

It's like losing your virginity...

I've never seen Lethal Weapon.

Need to fix that sometime.

Lethal Weapon 2 is in top 5 favorite movies for me I think. It's great, even better than the first (which is also great).

This was an interesting Yakuza movie. It was even cooler that it took place on Okinawa. I don't know if I liked it more because of the fact that I was in Okinawa for 6 months and it was nice to see it again in such an intimate fashion. Either way its an interesting movie worth checking out. Takeshi Kitano is as good as always.

OL wrote: Just saw Big Trouble in Little China for the first time.
So uh... that was a thing.
Absolutely silly beyond belief, gotta say, but damned if it ain't entertaining as all hell. Funny thing is, it actually does have some really cool action in it regardless of the silliness. And it is kind of cool that even though Kurt Russel is clearly billed as the "protagonist," the real main character may as well be his Chinese buddy played by Dennis Dun. I once read an article that described the movie like that, as kind of stealthily making an Asian guy the main hero in a big Hollywood movie in the 80s without the studio realizing it, and that actually rings pretty true.
Good flick, silliness and all.

That's the genius of John Carpenter in the 70s and 80s. Dude was dynamite back then. Still one of my favourite directors.

I still haven't watched it ever. But, I am free tomorrow, so I might put it on and see what the deal is. I don't mind a bit of Kurt Russell. Watched Captain Ron for the first time last week and did enjoy it a lot.

Big Trouble in Little China is probably my favorite John Carpenter movie. It's just so damn creative and a great time. Glad you enjoyed it OL.

I'd also recommend Assault on Precinct 13 (the John Carpenter one not the remake) if you haven't seen it. It doesn't have a similar feel to Big Trouble, but it gives me the same kind of enjoyment that that movie gives me.

Carpenter envisioned the film as an inverse of traditional scenarios in action films with a Caucasian protagonist helped by a minority sidekick. In Big Trouble in Little China, Jack Burton, despite his bravado, is constantly portrayed as rather bumbling; in one fight sequence he even knocks himself unconscious before the fight begins. Wang Chi, on the other hand, is constantly portrayed as highly skilled and competent.

On a commentary track for the DVD release, Carpenter commented that the film is really about a sidekick (Burton) who thinks he is a leading man. According to Carpenter, the studio "didn't get [his film]"[13] and made him write something that would explain the character of Jack Burton. Carpenter came up with the prologue scene between Egg Shen and the lawyer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Troub ... hotography

After this film though, he became disillusioned by Hollywood since it bombed at the cinema. They Live is similarly another Carpenter film that could be seen as "silly fun" but has a great satirical edge to it from the 80s.

Watched "An" yesterday.

Slow yet moving triangular story. Loved it!

It has a few scenes that are quite graphic, but it gives a very honest depiction of what it's like in the crime ridden city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's in Portugese of course, but I didn't think that took anything away from the movie. That's coming from a guy who sees subtitled foreign games as a necessary evil. I highly recommend this one.

Watched the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie for the first time, and while there were occasional enjoyable parts, it was mostly shallow story and characters, and political dumb shit and too much military style action. The turtles seemed like really stripped down versions of themselves, and a few of the turtles didnt exactly fit their character in some parts. I mean they became that good of ninjas because master splinter read a book of ninjutsu? Master Splinter isnt even from japan, and he actually looks more chinese with his facial hair, idk if it was just some kind of cliche, but there was alot of bad stuff I didnt like about the movie. Also I cant believe Vernon was aprils love interest in this one, hes such a douccchhhheeeee in the cartoon and he is nothing like his original character either. THEN the turtles were originally aprils pets that were in her dads lab where they were experimented on with mutagen? It was difficult to watch alot.

Ya the whole Aprils childhood pets thing was a big stretch. NYC is a massive place.. thats just corny writing.
Besides that overall I liked it. Doesnt touch the original with a mile long stick but it was fun.

Just watched Ex Machina for the first time. What a kosher/classy little film, with plenty of artistic and creative aspects implemented, very interesting film but also very mysterious, much is left for the audience to figure out, its low key/in no rush pace with the intellectual and philosophical dialogue and unique characters kept you thinking through out, its worth a watch.