Reviews

Not everyone is as they seem...

The Swift Knight was an engaging wuxia starring Lo Lieh, Chin Han, and Margaret Hsing Hui. Most of the main characters were shrouded in secrecy and none were who they appeared to be. Two lost royal heirs drew everyone to them like a magnet, those who wanted to save them and those who wanted kill them. They only had to gamble with their lives to figure out who was on their side.

Lo Lieh played the titular character, the Swift Knight. He robbed from the rich and sometimes the suave vagabond gave to the poor. While at a brothel one night the virginal Xian Qin caught his eye, inducing him to offer a down payment, promising to come back with the rest of the money that night. Chin Han, dressed as a beggar, also sought to take Xian Qin away from the brothel, though without paying. Perennial bad guy Wang Hsieh, who had more costume changes than a beauty pageant contestant was after the young woman, too. He wanted to take her away from the brothel—to execute her. The rest of the story involved a number of sword fights and horse chases all in lieu of seeing who would end up with the lass and her younger brother.

The story of political intrigue and secret identities was a familiar formula but entertaining nonetheless. Lo Lieh had the perfect charisma to play the shady Robin Hood. If I have one complaint about the movie it's that Lo wasn't used enough and he's such a dynamic actor that he makes even small scenes seem bigger. Chin Han gave a rather one note performance as the beggar hiding an honorable identity. Fan Mei Sheng as the constable who knew too much and was on the run with the little group provided levity without sliding into slapstick territory. Margaret Hsing Hui didn't give the greatest performance but was able to convey her character's reticence about living a royal life, especially after she had fallen in love with the Swift Knight. Wang Hsieh never met scenery he didn't want to chew and made for the perfect villainous foil for the good guys.

This was one of those rare Shaw Brothers movies which showed the care and forethought that was put into the script and settings. For a low budget martial arts movie, it had a scenic depth to it and didn't look like it was shot on a small sound lot. Flashbacks were bathed in vibrant blue or red. Well-developed characters made for a compelling story. In a martial arts film, complex characters you can care about give the fights higher stakes. Lau Kar Wing and Chan Chuen choreographed several fluid fights with plenty of dismembered arms and blood, though not the artery spewing type that would become popular in a few years. Most of the action was sword fighting although the baddies as always used some sinister weapons in addition to swords. Because it was a wuxia there was classic light body leaping. Instead of the old school filming in reverse, the wire work used was smooth and graceful, no flailing of arms, and happily I couldn't see the wires.

Director Cheng Chang Ho pushed the envelope for a SB film and gave it a hint of artistic flare, something often missing from this low budget genre. He even gifted the audience with a proper ending instead of the oft used freeze frame in mid-scene during the final fight! The Swift Knight had interesting characters, an intriguing story, and entertaining fights. For a fan of 1970's martial arts movies, what else could you ask for?

6/26/23

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"I don't understand"

The Three Swordsmen had an excellent cast-Andy Lau, Brigitte Lin, and Elvis Tsui as the titular swordsmen. And that's pretty much it. I have watched a number of old kung fu movies with convoluted plots, but this one took the cake. When a character made the comment, "I don't understand," I wanted to say, you and me both dude.

Andy Lau played "Smiling Sam"/Siu Sam Siu one of the three best swordsmen in the country. He was tied with "Blade" Wham Dao (Elvis Tsui) whose skills had earned him a place commanding the military. Most perplexing was Brigitte Lin as Ming Kim/Ming Jian who was not cross-dressing but actually playing a married man with a child and dubbed with a man's voice. Siu was framed for theft, rape, and murder. And that's about as much as I can tell you. He steals a man's wife. Falls in love with someone else. Ming helps him out or so he says. Wham discerns that something else is afoot, but palace and other politics preclude him from investigating the case as he would wish.

The fights were ridiculously dreadful. The director enjoyed filming too close or at odd angles obscuring much of the action. Yuen Bun and Tony Leung Siu Hung could usually be counted on for entertaining fight choreography, not in this film. The wire work and light body super leaping were comically bad. There was an awkward duel in the trees and over water predating CTHD and Hero, but were a prime example of how valuable good direction and cinematography are. Siu had his Invisible Whirlwind technique which belonged on a Saturday morning kids' show. He could also decapitate and disarm opponents with his clothes. One woman like a white-haired witch could defeat opponents with her hair. She even paused during a fight to breast feed her child.

The film was not pleasing to look at, the framing and cinematography were subpar. The pacing was erratic. And seriously, why would they dub Brigitte Lin of all people with a man's voice? It didn't appear to be done satirically. You know a story is confusing when characters have to stop and repeatedly dump pages of complicated and baffling exposition on the audience. It also felt like half the cast was playing the movie for laughs, especially Lau. Lin and Tsui were deadly serious along with a few other characters. I wondered if two writers wrote different parts of the story separately and then tried to do a mash-up of them.

The Three Swordsmen could have been so bad it was good. I found it so bad as to be annoying. The only good thing about the movie is that it was only 86 minutes long.

6/26/23

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Action packed

And I mean literally!

First, let's deal with the important stuff. Hyun Bin was MADE for action roles! That still, quiet, buff, piercing eyes guy...quite effective. I couldn't get over how thin his face was and how sharp his jawline was!!

The action was pretty much non-stop and it was very well done. I vacillated between practically jumping out of my chair and covering my eyes. Really good fight scenes and the car chases were excellent, whether they were in a car or chasing a car on foot.

This was my first time seeing anything that Yoo Hae Jin was in, and I loved him as the South Korean cop. Always in trouble and work and at home, he had that run down look about him. He and Hyun Bin were magic together, going from distrust to brother.

I know most people thought the story line with the sister-in-law was funny, but I was just embarrassed for her. Thankfully, that didn't go on too long.

I'm going to need to recover and then watch the second one!

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It was sweet but also short and confusing

The movie is quite short, so everything seems a bit rushed at times. I know it’s supposed to cover events that mostly happen over the span of a bit more than 24h with some extra scenes later on, but it still a lot of things that they tried to squeeze in. There have a been quite a few scenes that left me confused on what is happening exactly or what do they mean.

I found the couple, Min Soo and Seok Yi, absolutely adorable. I really liked their interactions, the little touches and looks. They were hiding who they truly are to one another, but you could tell if you looked closely. I also liked the fact that the two are an already established couple who has joint plans for the future. Ones that they have previously discussed and have also discussed during the movie. Their conversations actually had meaning to them. And their chemistry is amazing! For an older Korean BL, I was quite surprised how passionate the two were with one another and how much they showed on screen.

The side characters, side “couple”, left me mostly confused. I don’t really think they brough much to the story. Things wouldn’t be much different if they left the two out.

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NOT a BL but a proper queer movie

I find it important to make it clear that this is not a formulaic BL aimed at a (mostly) female audience, who enjoy watching pretty men get it on. Yes, men fall in love in this movie and yes, there are sex scenes, but this is where the similarities to BL end.

This movie explores gay relationships and gay life in today's Japan without being overly dramatic, but also without any of the "Love is Love and it'll all be good in the end"-sugar coating we see in most BLs.

During the Q&A session at a film festival, the director Matsunaga Daishi said that he deliberately cast queer (amateur) actors in some roles (eg. Kosuke's friend group) to further LGBTQ representation.

Suzuki Ryohei is simply stunning in his portrayal of Kosuke. He manages with sometimes minimalistic expressions or what should be mundane tasks, such as drawing in his eyebrows, to portray a man, who has learned to navigate a world which is hardly accepting of the LGBTQ community. A man, who has armored himself with success and a seemingly hard shell, but who shows vulnerability and his true self in places and among people he knows he is welcome.

The movie isn't perfect. There are aspects of Kosuke's and Ryuta's relationship I wish it had explored in more depth, but it is impactful and (as I said before) Suzuki Ryohei's performance alone makes it very much worth a watch.

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might be triggering...

My Broken Mariko is a visually stunning Japanese film that explores complex themes like mental health, grief, and redemption. The story follows Tomoyo as she travels across Japan to deliver the ashes of her best friend, Mariko, amidst the struggles of her painful past.

Through the visually striking imagery and outstanding performances, the audience is transported into Tomoyo's emotionally-charged world.

The music is thoughtfully composed and helps to create a vivid atmosphere, heightening the emotional impact of each scene.

Overall, My Broken Mariko is a journey of self-discovery and redemption that serves as a reminder of the human capacity for resilience and the importance of accepting help from others. The main reason why I can't give it a higher rating is because it has a low rewatch value because of triggering themes.

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Refreshingly Heartbreaking

I know my headline doesn't make sense at all. But for me it does. The story was refreshingly good because I didn't expect the plot twist at all! I thought it was a typical boy-crush-bestfriend-fighting -a for-a-boy type of story. It was heartbreaking but one way or another one has to experience heartache in one lifetime.
I have to warn the viewers that this movie is a tear-jerker and has its moments as far as cinematography is concerned as the movie's time plot headed to the 20th century. As someone who recently experienced a great loss, I broke down in the end. Although I was hopeful that just like in the movie, after 15 years, the aching and the heartbreak from a loss would get better over time. It doesn't go away. That gaping hole will forever be in the heart of the one who was left behind.
The story was good, and the movie left a certain feel-good emotion after. So I have to recommend this movie.

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Your average Horror (Comedy) movie

Pwera Usog is a movie I could consider a Horror-Comedy, utilizing the 'surprise factor' of a typical horror story among others. The comedy part comes comes mostly from how the actors acted their respective characters.

The story of Pwera Usog uses a lot of flashbacks to drive the main story forward. With this, the story is able to connect its characters which is probably the most enjoyable part of the story. Even the side characters, Jean's friends, especially Val, is tied to the flashback. I like that. However, Val's potential as a character stopped as soon as the story behind her character is revealed. Poor Val is not even included in the epilogue. The climax of the story is worth to mention though. The cliche "main character saves the day" gives Jean her redeeming moment when she was able to save Luna by sacrificing her self to let Luna leave and live. This also gives Quintin an opening to finally make things right and start thinking for himself, being able to save Jean on time, contrary to what happened with his mother, and at the same time, being able to finally decide for himself. As for Sherwin? Well, I do believe he is more there for comedic relief.

One other character I could consider to have contributed to the comedic part of the story is Quintin's mother, played by Aiko Melendez. Actually, her mere presence contributed a lot to it. I do believe that Aiko's character is supposed to be a serious one but the way she acted made the character unserious, in a way.

I don't think I could rewatch this in full ever again. Nothing extraordinary, definitely your average horror (comedy) supernatural film.

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Just as fun as the previous adventure

After viewing the pleasantly surprising Ironfinger I had to check out its sequel sooner rather than later. Golden Eyes, again a translator's joke of a title, plays itself slightly straighter than the previous adventure. I say slightly because there are still out-and-out ridiculous moments sprinkled through its runtime that rival that of its predecessor.

A killer-for-hire gets mixed up in an intense battle for control over a gold smuggling route from Beirut to Tokyo, all the while trying to support a little girl in her quest for vengeance over the men who killed her dad.

Golden Eyes continues the mysterious international intrigue set up by the Bond series with the globe-trotting antics of its cast. I'd mentioned that this film does contain some ridiculous moments worthy of its predecessor and that is true. Be it the amazing use of ricocheting bullets to shoot guns at guns to fight assailants dressed as nuns pushing baby carriages with machine guns mounted on them or the poison gas chicken room service or the champagne bottle firing squad, Golden Eyes hardly lacks inventive ideas. But there's an equal mean streak going on here and the moment the two leading ladies get tortured with a cigarette lighter is admittedly a hard watch.

Jun Fukuda's direction is perfectly solid, I don't think it's nearly as diverse as the previous film but serves it's duty well. He directs the action sequences with such kinetic energy you can't help but be suckered in, helped by the short 80-minute runtime. The man knows how to direct engaging gunfights. The writing is a strange combination of returning talent Michio Tsuzuki, Ei Ogawa of the Bloodthirsty trilogy and Space Amoeba fame and even Jun Fukuda gets some semblance of duties when handling the writing.

Akira Takarada continues to be an effortlessly badass, with all his charm and sophistication carrying over. Ichirô Arishima's character Detective Tezuka is back only this time played by the equally reliable Makoto Satō who makes the character his own while still managing to carry over elements of Arishima's portrayal. Bibari Maeda and Tomomi Sawa both play great equivalent Bond girls with Maeda's Ruby acting as a constant foil for Takarada's Andy to overcome. Of course, it's equally wonderful to see Yoshio Tsuchiya as one of the bad guys and is very much the film's primary antagonist to overcome even if he does get overshadowed by Andrew Hughes' blind eccentric billionaire Mr Stonefeller and his dog Sinbad.

The music by Masaru Satō continues his efforts from Ironfinger. Bringing back a few of his cues from the previous film but also enhancing a lot of them by adding more elements to them. The title song is also in English this time around and if anything is a bigger earworm than the last one, I definitely prefer it.

Overall, Golden Eyes may be seen as having diminishing returns when directly compared to Ironfinger, but what it lacks in contrast it makes up for in sheer fun, great acting and engaging action set pieces. The 100 Shot, 100 Killed series, unfortunately, ended here in what you can easily picture as turning into a multi-episode adventure.

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Japan meets 007

Ironfinger was such a pleasantly surprising film, the Japanese tend to have a good track record for Bondsplotation and this is no exception. I'd honestly say it's a much better film than most of the Connery outings and this one even stars a later Bond girl to boot. The title of this film is actually 100 Shot, 100 Killed, Ironfinger was more of a translator's joke to more closely associate it with the James Bond series that it's a parody of.

After being mistaken for an Interpol agent, a man who was just supposed to go on vacation gets mixed up in a war between two gangs intent on winning the favour of a notorious arms dealer.

For those of you who read my Godzilla reviews know I'm not a fan of Jun Fukuda's work on the series, nor his Star Wars venture The War in Space, I am however a big fan of his other works, the man clearly has a talent for mad-cap action and Ironfinger is just another film I can add to his repertoire of great films. Funny, inventive and full of wit, it's hard not to love its madness.

The whole idiot accidentally becomes Hero trope is nothing new, I'll admit. But it's played off in a fantastic way befitting of Fukuda's manic and inventive directional techniques, combined with a superbly written screenplay by Kihachi Okamoto and Michio Tsuzuki that balances the playful tone with a much more menacing and serious threat looming overhead with a deadly gang war with a poor tourist caught in the middle.

It's got everything you could want from a Japanese take on James Bond, the action, the gadgets, the humour, the girls, the partial nudity, the seemingly indestructible henchman and a likeable lead to boot, all presented in a nice mad cap Japanese concoction that should satisfy the most die-hard of Bond fans.

Akira Takarada is cast against his usual type of more buttoned-down archetypes into one of a bumbling fool that effortlessly switches between speaking Japanese, French and English with such outstanding effort, it can't be easy. Mie Hama stars as the film's female lead, eventually going on to play Kissy Suzuki in You Only Live Twice, she gets way more to do here than she does in her later official Bond film. It's kinda sad when a knockoff does that better than the series it's knocking off. Other familiar faces include Ichirô Arishima, Susumu Kurobe, Chōtarō Tōgin and of course, Akihiko Hirata playing the film's villainous henchman.

The score by Masaru Satō is genuinely good fun, it combines his usual trappings with a fun dose of John Barry-esque motifs. There's even a killer theme song to boot although not quite on the same level as some Bond numbers, it's catchy enough to stick with you.

Overall, Ironfinger is another fab film from Jun Fukuda, up there with the likes of ESPY and The Secret of the Telegain in terms of sheer quality mixed with brilliant storytelling. I'd easily watch more of this sort of stuff from Fukuda and thankfully there's a sequel.

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Verstility is the name of the game

Original Hong Kong Version

Even with this ancient DVD print full of screen tearing and damaged frames, God of Gamblers showcases one of Chow Yun-Fat's most versatile performances effortlessly switching back and forth between impeccably suave and utterly adorable on a dime. Backed by the ever-amazing Andy Lau, it's really only two extremely questionable moments that hold this film back from being rated any higher. Even then Wong Jing's intense gambling drama is a classic of Hong Kong cinema and one I will definitely pick up on Blu-ray. I do question the sheer number of sequels and spin-offs though with one of them being a time travel story... Nonetheless, sign me up.

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The best street fighter movie

I'm not overly familiar with Tsukasa Hojo's original manga, but I have seen the original anime a long time ago. As adaptations of the source material go, Wong Jing's City Hunter isn't really the most faithful, it tones down a lot of Ryō's antics to fit with Jackie's style of humour and image but offers in its place a genuinely great movie that doesn't repeat a lot of the mistakes of American anime adaptations by trying to make it gritty, it's bat shit insane in the best way possible. It's also the best adaptation of Street Fighter this side of Future Cops, who doesn't wanna see Jackie Chan dressed as Chun-Li?

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