The NEW POLICE STORY & Herbie: Fully Loaded (info article)

Greetings, Film Junkies! I've had my hands full of so many activities and pseudo-projects lately, but not to worry, I'm still here with some researched info on the latest movies that opened up this week. Enjoy!


HERBIE: FULLY LOADED
The Love Bug is back! Herbie (AKA #53), the sweet little '63 Volkswagen bug with a mind of his own and a serious love for speed, pairs with Lindsay Lohan in HERBIE: FULLY LOADED for a sunny comedy. Maggie Peyton (Lohan) is a third generation member of a NASCAR racing family and dreams of winning from behind the wheel, but her protective dad Ray Peyton, Sr. nixes the idea, while her brother Ray, Jr. (Breckin Meyer) carries on the family legacy (even though he's not a very good driver). After graduating from college and securing a job at ESPN, Maggie has one month at home before leaving for New York City. When Ray Sr. offers her a car as a graduation gift, they visit a junk yard to pick out a used stock car and end up coming home with a thrilled Herbie. Maggie quickly discovers Herbie is more than just a regular car, and soon they're on their way to realizing her dreams of racing glory while battling ego-inflated champ Trip Murphy (Matt Dillon) with the help of her cute mechanic friend Kevin (Justin Long).

As Maggie, Lohan is spunky, determined, and adorable; young girls will love this inspirational character. Herbie himself is as winning as ever. The movie cleverly opens with highlights of Herbie's past exploits, going all the way back to his debut in 1969 in HERBIE THE LOVE BUG. Older fans of the series will delight in seeing Herbie back in action, while the newly initiated will easily see what makes this car so special. NASCAR devotees should look for cameos from drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears, Kevin Harvick, and Rusty Wallace. Fun, exhilarating, and touching, HERBIE: FULLY LOADED is the perfect family comedy.
Its screening schedule at Robinson's MovieWorld is 1:15 PM, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15 PM


THE NEW POLICE STORY
Inspector Wing (Jackie Chan) is the Hong Kong police's resident super cop. He's the best of he best, cracking every case he handles in record time. Fung (Nicholas Tse) is a rebel without a pause, a typically disaffected but street-smart Hong Kong youth who wastes his life in video game arcades. Talk is cheap, and no one talks cheaper than Fung. Due to his family's criminal background, it seems that Fung can never become a police officer, and follow in the footsteps of Wing, his all-time idol. Finally, Fung gets the chance to realize his goal of becoming a detective. He tricks Wing into joining forces with him on the trail of a truly vicious band of enemies: The Gang of Five!

This film was released in Hongkong last year and is yet to be released in the U.S. This is the newest installment in the long forgotten franchise of Jackie Chan's "Police Story" movies that were so popular in the 1980's. According to one report, Jackie Chan created New Police Story to showcase his dramatic abilities. It is his best serious performance to date, as I found even Heart of Dragon a bit melodramatic, and Crime Story somewhat generic. In New Police Story, Jackie Chan gets drunk (but not for drunken boxing), cries and even vomits in an alley.
Its screening schedule is 12:30 PM, 2:45, 5, 7:15, 9:15 PM