Watcher
06-02-2002, 09:24 PM
<I><B>Roadshow Entertainment </I>
<center>
<h2>RUSH HOUR 2</h2>
Release Date: Feb 20
Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M15+
RRP: $39.95 </center>
<UL>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS </b></center>
<LI> Deleted scenes and outtakes with optional director commentary.
<LI> Audio commentary by director Brett Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson.
<LI> Making Magic Out Of Mire: Brett Ratner Production Commentary.
<LI> Evolution Of A Scene.
<LI> Analysis Of Selected Scenes
<LI>Visual Effects Deconstruction- Multi Angle
<LI>Theatrical Trailers (3)
<LI>Hidden Lord Of The Rings Trailers (2)
<LI>Cast and crew.
<LI>Fashion of Rush Hour 2.
<LI>Featurette - Jackie Chan's Hong Kong Introduction.
<LI>Featurette - Culture Clash - West meets East.
<LI>Language Barrier.
<LI> Attaining International Stardom.
<LI>Kung Fu Choreography.
<LI>"Lady Luck" Early Student Film by Brett Ratner with Commentary.
<LI>English language: Dolby Digital EX 5.1 audio, DTS ES 6.1, Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround.
<LI> English subtitles for the Hearing Impaired.
<LI>Aspect: 2.35:1 widescreen 16:9 enhanced.
<LI>Dual Layer/single sided
<LI>TOTAL Running Time: 90 Mins.</UL>
<center><b>CAST</b></center>
Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Roselyn Sanchez, Zhang Ziyi.
Director: Brett Ratner
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER</b></center>
<B> The fastest hands in the East re-teams with the loudest mouth in the West for the most anticipated sequel in ‘action movie’ history…. </B>
<i> Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprise the roles that have made them Hollywood’s most popular and hilarious screen partnerships in years – Royal Hong Kong Police Chief Inspector Lee and LAPD detective James Carter share high kicks, low blows, kick ass action and a total inability to understand a word the other is saying.
Now this clash of cultures is put to the ultimate test as they head to Asia for a holiday together.
No sooner do they arrive, when they are drawn into a deadly international case of espionage, smuggling and murder that will take them on a wild chase from Hong Kong’s mean streets to LA and then for a final showdown in Las Vegas; pitting them against the deadly head of the Triads, Ricky Tan (John Lone) and the seductively evil henchwoman Hu Li ('Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Zhang Ziyi).
This time it is Carter who is the 'fish out of water' as his big American mouth battles ag-old Asian customs. Explosively action packed and outrageously sharp and funny, RUSH HOUR 2 takes Chan's and Tucker's original chemistry and doubles the formula.</i>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL</b></center>
RUSH HOUR 2 features Dolby Digital EX 5.1 audio, DTS ES 6.1, and Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround and you won't be disappointed folks.
The Dolby Digital EX 5.1 is awesome. You are totally emersed in the sound from this movie.
All speakers are actively used. The front sound stage is very broad and strong with some nice speaker separation and directional effects. Speech is well suited to the screen and is very clear and easy to understand at all times, even with Jackie Chan's basic grasp of the English language. There didn't appear to be a problem with lip sync on this DVD. The sub is used well and conveys a good mix of thumping base and oomph as well as the more lower end rattles and hums which compliments the music and action of this movie well. The rears do a great job of supporting the mains and also work well on their own to provide sudden bursts of energy from the movie. They also come into play with the more subtle surround effects which always go a long way towards adding atmosphere and helping to immerse you into the action and the movie.
The movie is presented in an aspect of 2.35:1 widescreen and is 16:9 enhanced.
I had high expectations of the video quality of this DVD since it is a more recent release motion picture that is distributed by Roadshow Entertainment.
Well, I can say that I wasn't disappointed in the least. The sharpness and clarity of this movie on DVD is absolutely spot on. We are given a very clean image which is free from the usual marks, blemishes, scratches etc. Colours are very clean and bold with no signs of bleeding and the blacks and flesh tones look realistic and to me looked problem free.
Once again we have an audio/visual transfer which does justice to the DVD format.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES</b></center>
Jackie Chan's Hong Kong Introduction (2:03) -
This is merely a promotional video clip of Hong Kong, that has some narration by Jackie Chan. I must say that the actual quality of the narration is atrocious and it sounds like he was sitting on the microphone when he recorded it. Shown in widescreen.
Culture Clash: When West meets East (4:50) -
Crew talks of filming on location in Hong Kong, using local crews and locations, the experience of filming in Hong Kong with Jackie Chan, eating the local food etc... Shown in widescreen.
Language Barrier (4:18) -
Various people talk about the different nationalities and accents of the people filming this movie. Contains behind the scenes clips and is shown in widescreen.
Attaining International Stardom (7:00) -
Various cast and crew talk about the devotion and international success of Jackie Chan and then later focuses a little on Chris Tucker. Features clips of the first movie, behind the scenes of the latest movie and is shown in widescreen.
Kung Fu Choreography (9:28) -
Various cast and crew (including Jackie Chan) talk about filming and choreography of the various fight scenes and doing some things the "Jackie Chan" way.
This contains plenty of behind the scenes video and clips from the movie.
Lady Luck (2:29) -
This is the a black and white student film made by Brett Ratner (Director). The film itself has no audio, but does have Ratner doing an audio commentary on it over the top.
Audio Commentary with Director Brett Ratner and Writer Jeff Nathanson -
This is a very enjoyable and informative audio commentary. The two guys work well together in this feature and bounce off one another quite well with various tid bits on the movie. They let us in on some very funny situations such as Jackie Chan being asked for his autograph during the nude scene.
They cover everything from the technical aspects of the movie to add libs. This definitely makes sitting through the movie a second time worth while.
Making Magic Out Of Mire (8:53) -
Various cast and crew talk about Brett Ratner and his way of doing things. There's also a bit on Chris Tucker that has an amusing situation where he's avoiding the word "bitch" in a scene. It soon goes back to Brett Ratner and includes him talking of his way of making the film. Sown in widescreen).
Evolution Of A Scene -
Shows a very detailed analysis of the following 3 scenes....(all in widescreen)
CHICKEN CHOP (5:01)- Narrated video of finding the location, discussing it, actually filming it etc.
THE BOMB (9:21) - Narrated behind the scenes video of working out and filming one of the final climactic scenes.
SLIDE OF LIFE (5:47) - Narrated behind the scenes video that give a very good insight into making this scene.
Fashion Of Rush Hour 2 (3:50) -
Focuses more on the "gay" shopping scene in the Casino more than anything, but does contain still shots of various clothing worn by the cast.
Visual Effects Deconstruction -
Introduction by Visual Effects Supervisor, Kevin Lingenfelser (0:33) -
Vey quickly shows you how they didn't use the real building (to my surprise as it looks very real)
Then using the "angle" button on your remote, you can switch through the various stages of development of the visual effects in the Embassy Explosion scene.
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes with optional Director Commentary. -
* Outside the Raven Club (0:20) * Carter and Captain Diehl(1:10)
* Ping Pong Paddle (0:41) * Onto the Red Dragon (0:40)
* In-Flight Entertainment (0:33) * Wacky Bomb Chase (0:40)
* Original Truck Part 1 (0:55) * Original Truck Part 2 (1:25)
* Carter and Steven Reign (0:55) * Outtakes (5:05)
Theatrical Trailers -
Theatrical Trailer (2:19) - Very good quality, shown in widescreen and in Dolby digital 5.1
Teaser 1 (1:01) - Another good quality trailer shown in widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1
Teaser 2 (0:56) - very similar the first teaser. Widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1
Hidden Lord Of The Rings Trailers (2) -
Go to chapter selection, which looks like a cool slot machine screen and go to selection 7-8 and click on the dragon logo to get a LOTR trailer that's in widescreen, DD 5.1 and runs for 2.39 mins.
Also go to chapter 15-16 and then click on the number 7 which gives a LOTR trailer in widescreen, DD 5.1 and runs for 2.14 mins.
Cast and Crew -
Here, you're able to select from the major cast as well as Brett Ratner (Director).
You have a still shot of the person selected and one or two pages that contain their filmographies.
Each selection contains information such as the year of the Ox for instance where there is a picture of the animal, the years it falls on and a run down on what a person born in that year may be like.
<center><B>OVERALL</b></center>
Rush Hour 2 is an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes. I would say it is on par with the first one and the oddball combination of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker works well yet again. It is pretty much the same formula as the first movie so you will get plenty of Jackie Chan's well choreographed fight scenes where he seems to use everything in site to his advantage which are offset well by the comedic efforts of Chris Tucker.
As far as the DVD goes, the quality of the audio/visuals are top notch and as I said earlier they do justice to the DVD format. There is a list of extra as long as your arm and although many of them are fairly short you will be kept busy going through the lot of them, many of which are highly enjoyable.
A couple of them are stand out features such as the audio commentary and the Evolution of a Scene feature that is enjoyable, informative and very interesting to say the least. Being a Jackie Chan movie, there are the usual set of bloopers in the end credits, but viewers are also treated to an extra 5 minutes of bloopers in the extra features. Something that will surely entertain.
Fans are going to love this DVD as they are sure to get value for money when purchasing Rush Hour 2 on DVD.
Rush Hour 2 will be released on Feb 20 and has a RRP of $39.95.<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr></table>
Thanks for reading.......
<center>
<h2>RUSH HOUR 2</h2>
Release Date: Feb 20
Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: M15+
RRP: $39.95 </center>
<UL>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS </b></center>
<LI> Deleted scenes and outtakes with optional director commentary.
<LI> Audio commentary by director Brett Ratner and writer Jeff Nathanson.
<LI> Making Magic Out Of Mire: Brett Ratner Production Commentary.
<LI> Evolution Of A Scene.
<LI> Analysis Of Selected Scenes
<LI>Visual Effects Deconstruction- Multi Angle
<LI>Theatrical Trailers (3)
<LI>Hidden Lord Of The Rings Trailers (2)
<LI>Cast and crew.
<LI>Fashion of Rush Hour 2.
<LI>Featurette - Jackie Chan's Hong Kong Introduction.
<LI>Featurette - Culture Clash - West meets East.
<LI>Language Barrier.
<LI> Attaining International Stardom.
<LI>Kung Fu Choreography.
<LI>"Lady Luck" Early Student Film by Brett Ratner with Commentary.
<LI>English language: Dolby Digital EX 5.1 audio, DTS ES 6.1, Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround.
<LI> English subtitles for the Hearing Impaired.
<LI>Aspect: 2.35:1 widescreen 16:9 enhanced.
<LI>Dual Layer/single sided
<LI>TOTAL Running Time: 90 Mins.</UL>
<center><b>CAST</b></center>
Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Roselyn Sanchez, Zhang Ziyi.
Director: Brett Ratner
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER</b></center>
<B> The fastest hands in the East re-teams with the loudest mouth in the West for the most anticipated sequel in ‘action movie’ history…. </B>
<i> Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprise the roles that have made them Hollywood’s most popular and hilarious screen partnerships in years – Royal Hong Kong Police Chief Inspector Lee and LAPD detective James Carter share high kicks, low blows, kick ass action and a total inability to understand a word the other is saying.
Now this clash of cultures is put to the ultimate test as they head to Asia for a holiday together.
No sooner do they arrive, when they are drawn into a deadly international case of espionage, smuggling and murder that will take them on a wild chase from Hong Kong’s mean streets to LA and then for a final showdown in Las Vegas; pitting them against the deadly head of the Triads, Ricky Tan (John Lone) and the seductively evil henchwoman Hu Li ('Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's Zhang Ziyi).
This time it is Carter who is the 'fish out of water' as his big American mouth battles ag-old Asian customs. Explosively action packed and outrageously sharp and funny, RUSH HOUR 2 takes Chan's and Tucker's original chemistry and doubles the formula.</i>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL</b></center>
RUSH HOUR 2 features Dolby Digital EX 5.1 audio, DTS ES 6.1, and Dolby 2.0 Stereo Surround and you won't be disappointed folks.
The Dolby Digital EX 5.1 is awesome. You are totally emersed in the sound from this movie.
All speakers are actively used. The front sound stage is very broad and strong with some nice speaker separation and directional effects. Speech is well suited to the screen and is very clear and easy to understand at all times, even with Jackie Chan's basic grasp of the English language. There didn't appear to be a problem with lip sync on this DVD. The sub is used well and conveys a good mix of thumping base and oomph as well as the more lower end rattles and hums which compliments the music and action of this movie well. The rears do a great job of supporting the mains and also work well on their own to provide sudden bursts of energy from the movie. They also come into play with the more subtle surround effects which always go a long way towards adding atmosphere and helping to immerse you into the action and the movie.
The movie is presented in an aspect of 2.35:1 widescreen and is 16:9 enhanced.
I had high expectations of the video quality of this DVD since it is a more recent release motion picture that is distributed by Roadshow Entertainment.
Well, I can say that I wasn't disappointed in the least. The sharpness and clarity of this movie on DVD is absolutely spot on. We are given a very clean image which is free from the usual marks, blemishes, scratches etc. Colours are very clean and bold with no signs of bleeding and the blacks and flesh tones look realistic and to me looked problem free.
Once again we have an audio/visual transfer which does justice to the DVD format.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES</b></center>
Jackie Chan's Hong Kong Introduction (2:03) -
This is merely a promotional video clip of Hong Kong, that has some narration by Jackie Chan. I must say that the actual quality of the narration is atrocious and it sounds like he was sitting on the microphone when he recorded it. Shown in widescreen.
Culture Clash: When West meets East (4:50) -
Crew talks of filming on location in Hong Kong, using local crews and locations, the experience of filming in Hong Kong with Jackie Chan, eating the local food etc... Shown in widescreen.
Language Barrier (4:18) -
Various people talk about the different nationalities and accents of the people filming this movie. Contains behind the scenes clips and is shown in widescreen.
Attaining International Stardom (7:00) -
Various cast and crew talk about the devotion and international success of Jackie Chan and then later focuses a little on Chris Tucker. Features clips of the first movie, behind the scenes of the latest movie and is shown in widescreen.
Kung Fu Choreography (9:28) -
Various cast and crew (including Jackie Chan) talk about filming and choreography of the various fight scenes and doing some things the "Jackie Chan" way.
This contains plenty of behind the scenes video and clips from the movie.
Lady Luck (2:29) -
This is the a black and white student film made by Brett Ratner (Director). The film itself has no audio, but does have Ratner doing an audio commentary on it over the top.
Audio Commentary with Director Brett Ratner and Writer Jeff Nathanson -
This is a very enjoyable and informative audio commentary. The two guys work well together in this feature and bounce off one another quite well with various tid bits on the movie. They let us in on some very funny situations such as Jackie Chan being asked for his autograph during the nude scene.
They cover everything from the technical aspects of the movie to add libs. This definitely makes sitting through the movie a second time worth while.
Making Magic Out Of Mire (8:53) -
Various cast and crew talk about Brett Ratner and his way of doing things. There's also a bit on Chris Tucker that has an amusing situation where he's avoiding the word "bitch" in a scene. It soon goes back to Brett Ratner and includes him talking of his way of making the film. Sown in widescreen).
Evolution Of A Scene -
Shows a very detailed analysis of the following 3 scenes....(all in widescreen)
CHICKEN CHOP (5:01)- Narrated video of finding the location, discussing it, actually filming it etc.
THE BOMB (9:21) - Narrated behind the scenes video of working out and filming one of the final climactic scenes.
SLIDE OF LIFE (5:47) - Narrated behind the scenes video that give a very good insight into making this scene.
Fashion Of Rush Hour 2 (3:50) -
Focuses more on the "gay" shopping scene in the Casino more than anything, but does contain still shots of various clothing worn by the cast.
Visual Effects Deconstruction -
Introduction by Visual Effects Supervisor, Kevin Lingenfelser (0:33) -
Vey quickly shows you how they didn't use the real building (to my surprise as it looks very real)
Then using the "angle" button on your remote, you can switch through the various stages of development of the visual effects in the Embassy Explosion scene.
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes with optional Director Commentary. -
* Outside the Raven Club (0:20) * Carter and Captain Diehl(1:10)
* Ping Pong Paddle (0:41) * Onto the Red Dragon (0:40)
* In-Flight Entertainment (0:33) * Wacky Bomb Chase (0:40)
* Original Truck Part 1 (0:55) * Original Truck Part 2 (1:25)
* Carter and Steven Reign (0:55) * Outtakes (5:05)
Theatrical Trailers -
Theatrical Trailer (2:19) - Very good quality, shown in widescreen and in Dolby digital 5.1
Teaser 1 (1:01) - Another good quality trailer shown in widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1
Teaser 2 (0:56) - very similar the first teaser. Widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1
Hidden Lord Of The Rings Trailers (2) -
Go to chapter selection, which looks like a cool slot machine screen and go to selection 7-8 and click on the dragon logo to get a LOTR trailer that's in widescreen, DD 5.1 and runs for 2.39 mins.
Also go to chapter 15-16 and then click on the number 7 which gives a LOTR trailer in widescreen, DD 5.1 and runs for 2.14 mins.
Cast and Crew -
Here, you're able to select from the major cast as well as Brett Ratner (Director).
You have a still shot of the person selected and one or two pages that contain their filmographies.
Each selection contains information such as the year of the Ox for instance where there is a picture of the animal, the years it falls on and a run down on what a person born in that year may be like.
<center><B>OVERALL</b></center>
Rush Hour 2 is an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes. I would say it is on par with the first one and the oddball combination of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker works well yet again. It is pretty much the same formula as the first movie so you will get plenty of Jackie Chan's well choreographed fight scenes where he seems to use everything in site to his advantage which are offset well by the comedic efforts of Chris Tucker.
As far as the DVD goes, the quality of the audio/visuals are top notch and as I said earlier they do justice to the DVD format. There is a list of extra as long as your arm and although many of them are fairly short you will be kept busy going through the lot of them, many of which are highly enjoyable.
A couple of them are stand out features such as the audio commentary and the Evolution of a Scene feature that is enjoyable, informative and very interesting to say the least. Being a Jackie Chan movie, there are the usual set of bloopers in the end credits, but viewers are also treated to an extra 5 minutes of bloopers in the extra features. Something that will surely entertain.
Fans are going to love this DVD as they are sure to get value for money when purchasing Rush Hour 2 on DVD.
Rush Hour 2 will be released on Feb 20 and has a RRP of $39.95.<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>8.5/10 </b></td></tr></table>
Thanks for reading.......