Reviews

I Will Never Forgive You For What You Did to JJ

So.... Spoiler-Free: Girl is "sick", dad packs her up to head to the abbey for "medicine", she meets a tiny albino boy. 12 years later, goes to abbey again, meets much taller and well-built albino boy. Tragic romance ensues.

Not much else to say except that the actors did their absolute best with the material and I'm proud of all of them. Where this movie lacks is in the story. Again spoiler-free, let's just say the adults are missing ALL the logic, and are just acting like they think essential oils are going to fix everything.

I still love and support you, JJ, and will do my best to see the good in this.

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A little too hopeless for me

I really like this movie, but not the ending, I honestly don't really understand why he had to kill in the end, I guess it's the only way to successfully run away, but I would've liked it if Yeon-gyu and the older brother had survived together, or that there was a twist where the killing was a set up so that they could all run away together. I mean I know the title is called "hopeless" but I thought there would be a more fulfilling ending, or at least some sort of twist. By joining the gang he really gained nothing, it would've been easier to just run away with Hyeon in the beginning if everyone was going to die at the end.

Also really loved the cast, the acting was top tier and I am a huge fan of Bibi's acting, she does so well in every role, and she did this one perfectly too.

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"Betting on yourself is true gambling"

13 Assassins managed to transcend the average samurai film not only with the political maneuverings but with a final hour that was explosive and thrilling. Two men on opposite sides had to decide if samurais serve their master or the people. The answer would be written in blood.

Doi Toshitsura, the Shogun’s senior advisor, is appalled at the atrocities committed by Lord Naritsuga against noble families and commoners alike. Rape, torture, murder, dismemberments—everyone was a plaything to him. The Shogun refused to have him step down fearing chaos while Doi recognized that the vengeful clans would likely revolt when Naritsuga joined the Shogun counsel. Doi needs a solution and his turns out to be Shimada Shinzaemon, a retired samurai who worked under the previous Shogun. Shinza’s eyes light up when given the chance to help the people and die a glorious death. Shinza puts together a team of 12 samurai, “nobodies” who have no titles, families, or affiliations. His goal is to kill the Caligula of Japan on the lord’s annual trip home. Shinza’s old school buddy who works for Naritsuga stands in his way. Cunning and connected, Hanbei will prove a clever foil to Shinza’s plans.

The first hour or so of the film saw the reasons for the team and the team pulling together and training. “There’s no fair play in battle!” On the way to their destination, Shinza’s group picks up an unlikely ally that resembled Toshiro Mifune’s mad samurai in The Seven Samurai. The final 45 minutes of the film showed Shinza’s and director Miike Takashi’s genius. I’ve watched a lot of action films and never have I seen the element they used to great effect in this film. As expected, there were buckets and buckets of blood spilled but for the most part it never turned truly gory. The battle was brutal, with Samurais utilizing whatever weapons were nearby.

Yakusho Koji as Shinzaemon was perfect. He conveyed the warrior’s desire to return to battle, his horror at the cruel lord’s actions, patience when a strategy called for waiting, and humor even in the face of death. And above all, he displayed the sense of honor a samurai should have, not only for the Shogun, but also for the people. Most of the other 11 samurai were difficult to discern between. I was able to familiarize myself with about six of them. I wish they’d spent more time developing them. Inagaki Goro gave Naritsuga a mad emperor vibe that only grew stronger as the blood began to flow. The cinematography encompassed not only the towns and interiors, but the dense Japanese mountains the samurais had to trek through. Some of the shots were breathtaking.

13 Assassins maintained the tension of Samurais going against the code in order to murder the second man in charge for a greater good. Not one of the 13, well, maybe one, thought they would walk away alive and all were ready to die for their cause. The last 45 minutes was utterly thrilling with the explosive action and wondering if the 13 would succeed and if any of them would survive. If you enjoy samurai films, you’ll find few better than this one.

9 March 2024

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Good buildups but there's a tone shift

Spectacular cinematography and insane acting performances, the horror element is effective with a good amount of reasoning behind the plot, though the way it turns out at the end might be a little anticlimactic for some. The third act takes a weird tone shift after all the amazing buildups that were done earlier, more specifically its resolution part was given a superpower treatment instead of supernatural ones. Still, the historical and geopolitical backstory had lots of details which are quite logical, and their quality suspense holds well enough to make this an excellent movie overall.

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Butterflies deserved better

Eagle’s Claws & the Butterfly Palm was a deeply disappointing kung fu flick. The only thing it had going for it were spinning butterfly shields with spikes on them. Who knew butterflies could be so deadly?

The defeated Mongol king along with his son and daughter are plotting how to return to power. In the opening minutes, the Mongol king wearing his lemur tails hat is assassinated, leaving the siblings in charge. The princess has magic powers and can control people with a secret butterfly potion and her flute. The last of the clans work together to bring down the deadly duo but become ensnared in the Butterfly clan’s plots. Three heroes-Mao, Eagle, and Lung plan to bring the Butterfly clan and Mongol princess down, but spend most of their time either in an abandoned temple or wandering around. Things are not looking up for the good guys.

When someone asked, “Who’s there?” when he entered a room, the answer should have been, “Who knows, it’s so d*mn dark in here!” Most of the fight scenes were filmed in the dark making it almost impossible to follow the action. Perhaps it was by design as the fight choreography was quite poor illustrated in the few well lit fights. Even with all the kung fu posing, many of the hits and kicks missed by a mile. Lo Lieh did a twist on his red hands from King Boxer, only this time with the butterfly palm. The sword work was also rudimentary, though the creative stuntmen tried to jazz it up with flipping over multiple railings or doing creative falls. The producers must have gotten a deal on buying trampolines in bulk. Characters leaped across the country and even rooms like giant bullfrogs.

The female lead known only as Lung’s daughter was extremely annoying both from the writing and acting. Everyone else seemed to be going through the motions as if they realized this film was a real stinker. Lo Lieh can usually perk up any movie, but looked like he wanted to fire his agent for getting him involved in the movie. Tsung Hua, Yu Tien Lung, Nancy Lau, Sun Chia Lin, and Lee Kwan were the only actors with significant lines, everyone else seemed to be a guest role. Maybe the others negotiated ways to stay off the screen for professional preservation. The story barely made sense and tried to use double crosses, secret identities, mind control, and treachery to spice things up. It didn’t help. Characters hopscotched around without any real purpose. A bad high school play would have been a step-up from this movie.

I normally save low scores like I gave this one for movies who delve into sexual exploitation. This film was just ridiculously bad. Bad script. Bad fights. Bad acting. Bad lighting. And lastly, hilariously bad costumes. I can even handle bad if the movie entertains me. Eagle’s Claws & the Butterfly Palm never took flight.

8 March 2024

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"The best fights are the ones we avoid"

How you feel about The Karate Kid remake may largely depend on how old you were when you first watched it and how old you were when you watched the original. Despite the title, in the remake they practiced kung fu, not karate, and Xiao Dre was quite a bit younger than Daniel-san had been. Other than those elements and the Chinese travelogue inserted, the basic storyline was the same.

Twelve-year-old Dre has to leave everything behind when his mom is transferred to Beijing, China. While his mom looks at it as an opportunity, Dre feels left adrift. On his first day in his new home, he runs afoul of the local kung fu bullies and is beaten. He also meets sweet Mei Ying who is a classmate and violinist. After the maintenance man saves him during a vicious beating, the story is set up for Mr. Han to train Dre in kung fu.

Jaden Smith’s size made him a perfect target for bullies and it was easy to see why Dre would be afraid of Cheng and the pack he ran with. The Kick Them in the Dragon Balls School of Kung Fu mantra of “No Weakness! No Pain! No Mercy!” didn’t leave a lot of room for negotiation, especially with its abusive and sadistic master. Taraji P. Henson was gorgeous and tenacious as the over-protective mom. Jackie Chan gave a subdued performance as the mentor, Mr. Han. He only had one fight and it was with the prepubescent bullies. The kids who played Cheng and Mei Ying were adequate.

The cinematography and scenery were beautiful. There were trips to the Forbidden City, a kung fu monastery on a mountaintop, and training on the Great Wall of China. I suspect the last one is a big no-no in real life. The strange new home upped the ante on the fish out of water trope, especially when Dre didn’t speak any Mandarin. The travelogue elements while stunning, also hampered the movie as the pace was already doggedly slow. No kung fu movie needs to be 2 ½ hours long. There was also the change to the kids’ ages that I found troubling. In the original, Daniel, Ali, and Johnny, were on the verge of becoming adults. They were high schoolers where the romance seemed more natural and the fighting more acceptable. In the 2010 Karate Kid, these were 12-year-olds beating each other senseless. No wonder Mei Ying’s parents didn’t want her seeing Dre.

The original film wasn’t great but it was a touchstone for kids during that simpler time period just as this one may have been for its generation. Both Karate Kids showed that there are jerks and good people everywhere. Xiao Dre learned to show respect for his mom, his sifu, his new home, and himself. He also discovered that success required focus and dedication. The 2010 film was a fine addition to the Karate Kid family, if only they’d changed the name to correctly reflect the skill being taught. RIP Mr. Miyagi. No one can take your place in my heart.

8 March 2024

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One of the best movies I watched recently

It's 3am and I just finished watching this movie and bawling my eyes out.

I am not a fan of sad endings. Dramas and movies are an escape from reality, so I stay away from sad endings because why need them more when you see them in reality.

But this movie surprised me. I didn't mind how they ended up... the years and years of being together but still not together. I just found it all so profoundly sad, that to be with someone but still not be. I didn't mind the sad ending. I went in blind for this movie, seeing the synopsis never knowing it didn't have a HEA. But I think I wouldn't have liked this movie if it had ended up with a HEA. Because this was the perfect ending for a perfect story.

I loved the plot. Out of the box, out of the movie, into a movie, in a movie. It was perfection. The story, the cast, the music. It's been a long long while since I have loved a movie this much. I don't think I would rewatch it again because I can't go through the pain again.

I would recommend this to all, even someone who stay away from sad endings. This movie is the one where you should at least watch once.

Rating: 9.5/10

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Master Z diverges from the Ip Man path but employs much of the same formula. Cheung Tin Chi who lost to Ip Man behind closed doors abandoned teaching and practicing Wing Chun and left town with his son. Now residing in Hong Kong, he will have to face a host of new challenges including a disgruntled Triad member, a drug smuggler, and a corrupt police force. It doesn’t take long for him to realize what the audience already knows, he will have to put the cape back on and fight. Fight for his son. Fight for himself. Fight for his people.

Cheung Tin Chi had been working for Yuen Wah and Tony Jaa as muscle for hire with a code. He earned enough money to open a small store under his apartment. Fate puts him in the path of Julia and Nana who are running away from Tso Sai Kit who runs the local opium den. Cheung protects the women but makes an enemy of Kit. Soon he will be working with Julia’s brother Fu who has a bar that caters to Westerners. He also comes into contact with Kit’s sister who is trying to convert their gang into a legitimate business and Owen Davidson, a giant of a man who runs an upscale restaurant and is a philanthropic businessman or so he would have people believe. Soon Cheung is in a battle for not only the lives but the souls of the people on Bar Street.

Master Z was a by-the-comic-book interpretation of history. Bar Street was pristine and gleaming, far too perfect looking. Cheung’s son even idolized Black Belt/Batman. The villain was bald, white, and enormous, similar to Daredevil’s Kingpin. You know he was a villain because he ate steak which is code for barbaric, I guess. Michelle Yeoh’s complicated Triad boss showed that the Chinese can clean up their own messes when she disarmed her drug dealing brother. But it would take a team effort to defeat the foreigners. The dialogue could be heavy handed and some of the supporting characters weren’t very strong actors but fortunately, Zhang Jin was captivating to watch even if his character was thinly drawn. Michelle Yeoh added some movie star cred to the cast and gravitas to her elegantly lethal character.

Since this was an Ip Man spinoff I expected good fights. Some of them were. Zhang Jin actually practices martial arts so that’s usually a good start. Yuen Woo Ping had to dip back into his Shaw Brothers days and bring out the wires. I don’t mind a little wire-fu, but it has to flow naturally. In a street fight as Cheung and the bad guys flew up and down the buildings awkwardly, all I could think about was the epic building fight from Chocolate (2008) with Jeeja Yanin sans wires. Much of the wire work in Z was not orchestrated well. To quote another superhero, “Jarvis, just skip the spinning rims.” Dave Bautista beating a good guy like he was using a paddle ball was another over the top stunt but showed the big man was a super bad guy. Zhang Jin was fun to watch and his moves were smooth, confident, and fast. And I will never tire of Michelle Yeoh being a badass whether hand-to-hand or with a sword. I wish Tony Jaa had been able to cut loose, but this wasn’t his movie. Kung fu movie alum Yuen Wah made a welcome guest appearance. They had plenty of veterans on screen and the excellent Yuen Shun Yi choreographing the fights. Most were well done except when they completely defied gravity in less than fluid manners.

Master Z was entertaining even when it lacked nuance. Cheung Tin Chi and his new Bar Street family made a competent addition to the Ip Man series. The grand fight between good and evil when Cheung finally regained his mojo was what kung fu and superhero movies are made for, especially when the people bond together around the hero to take back their town.

7 March 2024

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A wonderful movie

This movie is, in my personal opinion, extremely good. Although I have to admit that the switching from present to past and back again can be confusing if you aren't concentrating on the movie. Like all Jacky Chan movies, they all have their individual delights and highlight. This one is not any different. I find the storyline of this movie quite good and the actors + actresses all did a very good job bringing this movie to life.

I would say watch it, if you find the synopsis and trailer intriguing / interesting. Rewatch also depends on your individual opinion of the movie after you are done. For me, I have watched it twice so far. I especially love the duet theme song. Beautifully sung!

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Work better and Smarter, not harder

I watched the trailer, I loved the trailer, so I decided to watch this as well, buttt It appeared that the trailer and this movie were both two separate movies lol, I was wondering why the trailer was different from the description provided here.
ANYWAY I don't regret watching, i really loved it, too bad they haven't credited the whole cast + the director, I even searcged for them on MDL but couldn't find them! they're probably not actors anymore:((

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Where your favorite games and movies comes from

you may not know, but this movie is where a lot of your favorite games come from like Fortnite call of duty, Apex legends, etc. along with your favorite movies and books like hunger games squid games are very heavily influenced from this movie, so even if it may not have been the best acting or whatever it’s I’d say it’s quite original because it’s is where all the other stuff comes from basically.

i’d say it would be naïve to not call this a masterpiece this is definitely a masterpiece in the sense that we wouldn’t have a lot of shows and games like we do now if it wasn’t for this movie so insanely good and influential movie it’s worth the watch just to you know watch it it’s good very good acting probably wasn’t the best but they were also all like 15 so it makes sense and they did pretty good for their age

There’s a lot of violence, so just keep that in mind if you’re gonna watch this but that’s about it it’s pretty good it’s good heavily recommend

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