- Jul 23, 2014
- 11,793
- 26,697
Film Reviews - what have you seen lately, what did you think?
- Thread starter TLB
- Start date
- Aug 28, 2014
- 16,541
- 26,096
Wouldn't that be called a Queen?
- Jul 23, 2014
- 11,793
- 26,697
Yeah, now that you mention it.
Kinda like Queen Charles now.
They actually were a group of women put together by the king as a protective force - or an all-female unit known as the Agojie, who protected the west African kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s.
- Aug 28, 2014
- 16,541
- 26,096
They were ****in' slave traders! Holyweird.
"Historically, Dahomey was a kingdom that conquered other African states and enslaved their citizens to sell in the Atlantic slave trade, and most of the kingdom's wealth was derived from slavery. The Agojie had a history of participating in slave raiding, and that slavery in Dahomey persisted after the British Empire stopped Dahomey from continuing in the Atlantic slave trade.[44]"
- Jul 23, 2014
- 11,793
- 26,697
Watched 'Belfast' the other night...
Kenneth Branagh film - autobiographical about his upbringing in Northern Ireland during the late 60's, during 'The Troubles'.
It's niche, but it is a very good movie if you find the history of that part of the world interesting.
The acting is top notch... and if you're a fan of Van Morrison (and who isn't), the soundtrack is great too.
8/10
Kenneth Branagh film - autobiographical about his upbringing in Northern Ireland during the late 60's, during 'The Troubles'.
It's niche, but it is a very good movie if you find the history of that part of the world interesting.
The acting is top notch... and if you're a fan of Van Morrison (and who isn't), the soundtrack is great too.
8/10
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,094
- 26,329
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (2010) <Netflix>
From IMDB:
From TLB:
Donnie Yen is phenomenal. If you've seen him in the Ip Man series of films, he's still tremendous in the fight scenes. As to the movie...ehh... There's a good bit of history guiding the storyline which I was unaware of = WW1 the Chinese sent laborers to Europe to aid the allies (carry ammo, etc) and they were basically viewed/used like oxen. Those who survived returned to China to face British/Japanese occupation and 'allies' who didn't care. So, if you like the era this can provide some eye candy (I can't state how accurate any of it is). Donnie is the Chinese hero from before the war having fought Japanese occupation earlier, but uses the death of a friend in the European theater to assume that friend's identity and let 'Chen Zhen' be dead. He returns to work with the the resistance, which involves a few solid fight scenes, and several periods of 'spy' work (on his network against the Japanese, and of the Japanese into the Chinese society). Overall, I'd give the fights a B+, the imagery perhaps a B-, and the rest could easily be random scenes from various stories just pasted together on film - I mean, they flow and connect, but they don't do a whole lot and can be viewed as chunked together. The concept of 'The Mask' (unknown hero) is minimal in the film. Final verdict: 5.5/10. There are better Donnie Yen movies to see.
From IMDB:
From TLB:
Donnie Yen is phenomenal. If you've seen him in the Ip Man series of films, he's still tremendous in the fight scenes. As to the movie...ehh... There's a good bit of history guiding the storyline which I was unaware of = WW1 the Chinese sent laborers to Europe to aid the allies (carry ammo, etc) and they were basically viewed/used like oxen. Those who survived returned to China to face British/Japanese occupation and 'allies' who didn't care. So, if you like the era this can provide some eye candy (I can't state how accurate any of it is). Donnie is the Chinese hero from before the war having fought Japanese occupation earlier, but uses the death of a friend in the European theater to assume that friend's identity and let 'Chen Zhen' be dead. He returns to work with the the resistance, which involves a few solid fight scenes, and several periods of 'spy' work (on his network against the Japanese, and of the Japanese into the Chinese society). Overall, I'd give the fights a B+, the imagery perhaps a B-, and the rest could easily be random scenes from various stories just pasted together on film - I mean, they flow and connect, but they don't do a whole lot and can be viewed as chunked together. The concept of 'The Mask' (unknown hero) is minimal in the film. Final verdict: 5.5/10. There are better Donnie Yen movies to see.
- Jul 15, 2014
- 28,450
- 47,254
- Jul 24, 2020
- 15,966
- 44,288
Both are worth watching if you are out of other options. I would give Dog a 6. We watched it with Lil Seedy last night.
Thirteen Lives was a little slow at first with the subtitles but then switched to English once the Australian guy came in. Good true story.
- Aug 28, 2014
- 16,541
- 26,096
Blonde - 2022 - Netflix Ana deArmis in an "imagined" biography of Marilyn Monroe. It's weird. Don't go into it thinking you'll be entertained. Though you will get to know Ana's ta-ta's intimately. Soooo. Did I mention it's weird? First, it would be easy for Ana to mimic MM and it not seem natural. But she pulls it off with her dialogue sounding natural as well as with an intelligence. Hard to describe. Also she plays it as Norma Jean who has to conjure up the character Marilyn Monroe. That inner battle between NJ and MM is a theme. And of course she's manipulated and abused by various men. And, and JFK was an *******. Joe-Bob says check it out, or not, your call.
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,094
- 26,329
Birth of the Dragon (2016) <Netflix>
They tell you during intro credits the whole thing is centered around a private fight between Bruce Lee and shaolin master Wong Jack-Man that influenced Bruce's career/life. The film unfolds largely around Bruce being an arrogant *******, and concern that Wong came to America to confront him because Kung Fu is by Chinese, for Chinese, not the white man (to whom Bruce was teaching). We have a third central character, Steve 'Mac' Mackey, a (white) student of Bruce's who learns from both masters and plays go-between for communicating and setting up the fight. We also roll in a decently attractive Chinese chick for Steve to get the hots for, and provide us a 'come together' moment at the end of the film. Really felt like the token white guy and love story angle trying to be scotch taped into a historical film.
Everything is set in the early 60's, and while we don't have the grainy film of that era everything else seems aesthetically on the mark. The actors...well, I'll come back to the good looking Chinese chick where we get a fully clothed few shots of her with a good chest, and in generally she pulls off the role of a slave girl smuggled in and working off her debt with the 'dont talk to whiteys' and how she's trying to get to medical school in the US (a bit of a reach). Moving back up the ladder of central characters, Mac is a B-rated white guy and plays like it. The guy doing Bruce is a little off in his facial appearance, but otherwise acceptable to do the role in a not-A-list film. He's got a good body, and carries out the role well in terms of the ambitions for being a star, the arrogance after being cast out of Chinese Kung Fu, and his drive to teach others and share Kung Fu to all. But the best, IMO, was the guy who played Wong the monk. Fewer fight scenes, but executed better, and ALWAYS with that monk approach of teaching, humility, balance, etc.
As noted, cinematography was good. Fight scenes weak with Bruce early and better with the two principles later. Music....uh, nobody thought to get period appropriate music, so it's current, modern, and jarring to the scenes where it is played. Acting was meh, dialogue decent. Perhaps the best part is the insight into this true point in history - the fight. Limited audience, differing reports of who 'won', but the film addresses that quite well for it's purposes. It was interesting seeing Bruce portrayed as an ******* up front, but rewarding seeing the main fight and it's influence on those involved. There is also the 'come together' fight against Chinese mafia at the end, but it's kinda like the rest of the white guy storyline, hanging on by paperclips and scotch tape, and not real useful in general other than to show the respect and cooperation between Bruce and Wong after their fight.
General review 7/10.
They tell you during intro credits the whole thing is centered around a private fight between Bruce Lee and shaolin master Wong Jack-Man that influenced Bruce's career/life. The film unfolds largely around Bruce being an arrogant *******, and concern that Wong came to America to confront him because Kung Fu is by Chinese, for Chinese, not the white man (to whom Bruce was teaching). We have a third central character, Steve 'Mac' Mackey, a (white) student of Bruce's who learns from both masters and plays go-between for communicating and setting up the fight. We also roll in a decently attractive Chinese chick for Steve to get the hots for, and provide us a 'come together' moment at the end of the film. Really felt like the token white guy and love story angle trying to be scotch taped into a historical film.
Everything is set in the early 60's, and while we don't have the grainy film of that era everything else seems aesthetically on the mark. The actors...well, I'll come back to the good looking Chinese chick where we get a fully clothed few shots of her with a good chest, and in generally she pulls off the role of a slave girl smuggled in and working off her debt with the 'dont talk to whiteys' and how she's trying to get to medical school in the US (a bit of a reach). Moving back up the ladder of central characters, Mac is a B-rated white guy and plays like it. The guy doing Bruce is a little off in his facial appearance, but otherwise acceptable to do the role in a not-A-list film. He's got a good body, and carries out the role well in terms of the ambitions for being a star, the arrogance after being cast out of Chinese Kung Fu, and his drive to teach others and share Kung Fu to all. But the best, IMO, was the guy who played Wong the monk. Fewer fight scenes, but executed better, and ALWAYS with that monk approach of teaching, humility, balance, etc.
As noted, cinematography was good. Fight scenes weak with Bruce early and better with the two principles later. Music....uh, nobody thought to get period appropriate music, so it's current, modern, and jarring to the scenes where it is played. Acting was meh, dialogue decent. Perhaps the best part is the insight into this true point in history - the fight. Limited audience, differing reports of who 'won', but the film addresses that quite well for it's purposes. It was interesting seeing Bruce portrayed as an ******* up front, but rewarding seeing the main fight and it's influence on those involved. There is also the 'come together' fight against Chinese mafia at the end, but it's kinda like the rest of the white guy storyline, hanging on by paperclips and scotch tape, and not real useful in general other than to show the respect and cooperation between Bruce and Wong after their fight.
General review 7/10.
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,094
- 26,329
Elysium (2013) <Netflix>
Matt Damon, futuristic dystopia. World is falling apart, elites escaped to 'Elysium' built in orbit above the Earth. We start with Damon as 'Max' with another orphan kid 'Frey' who become friends but Frey moves on pretty quickly. Skip ahead a few decades and Damon is a tattooed felon trying to get by with a factory job. Things go wrong and he has to get to Elysium in order to get healed, which in turn leads to a decent paced action film of him getting back in with the criminal element, doing a job for them to get sent to Elysium, job goes wrong, Frey returns with a dying kid (also needs to get to Elysium to be healed), add in Jody Foster as a pretty good villain running Elysium and enlisting a psychopath on Earth to stop Damon and his criminal mission, and it's a good ride.
Special effects are on the mark, nothing seems cheaped out there. Dialogue is ok, nothing clunky though there's a lot of Spanish sprinkled into the 'on earth' conversations which I didn't have any close captioning for, so it was lost on me. Plot seems familiar with the 'one way out, gotta do a job for the bad guys, things go wrong', but it was done with interesting characters and a reasonable flow. There may be knocks on this as being 'woke' and speaking to immigration, or elites v poor, and while it exists it didn't feel like I was being beat in the face with it, more that it was a necessary part of the story. Predictable ending, but still worth the ride. General thoughts 7.5/10
Matt Damon, futuristic dystopia. World is falling apart, elites escaped to 'Elysium' built in orbit above the Earth. We start with Damon as 'Max' with another orphan kid 'Frey' who become friends but Frey moves on pretty quickly. Skip ahead a few decades and Damon is a tattooed felon trying to get by with a factory job. Things go wrong and he has to get to Elysium in order to get healed, which in turn leads to a decent paced action film of him getting back in with the criminal element, doing a job for them to get sent to Elysium, job goes wrong, Frey returns with a dying kid (also needs to get to Elysium to be healed), add in Jody Foster as a pretty good villain running Elysium and enlisting a psychopath on Earth to stop Damon and his criminal mission, and it's a good ride.
Special effects are on the mark, nothing seems cheaped out there. Dialogue is ok, nothing clunky though there's a lot of Spanish sprinkled into the 'on earth' conversations which I didn't have any close captioning for, so it was lost on me. Plot seems familiar with the 'one way out, gotta do a job for the bad guys, things go wrong', but it was done with interesting characters and a reasonable flow. There may be knocks on this as being 'woke' and speaking to immigration, or elites v poor, and while it exists it didn't feel like I was being beat in the face with it, more that it was a necessary part of the story. Predictable ending, but still worth the ride. General thoughts 7.5/10
- Sep 20, 2014
- 3,925
- 4,676
The most recent I've seen.
The Contractor - Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Keifer Sutherland stars. Pine is a soldier that is discharged for taking steroids to stay active. He connects with a buddy who sets him up with private contract work. Everything seems easy and fine, until the mission goes wrong and he is double crossed. What you have is the same movie you have seen a thousand times where the good guy escapes an army of people after him and seeks revenge on those that double crossed him. 5/10.
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Lots of Asian people you know and the return of Shortround/Data from the 80's. This is a multi-verse movie. An woman is out of touch and unhappy in life. When she is being audited her husband, from another universe, contacts her and takes here on mind bending trips through different universes as they try to stop an evil that is wiping her out across them, tapping into her other selves along the way and seeing how her life would have turned out based on decisions made. I don't know how else to explain it, but this movie is fantastic. Not only does it play very quickly despite the run time, but has everything in it. There are a few scenes that I found absolutely hilarious, some tapping into my 5th grade humor, but they fit. To try to explain this movie would give to much away, but you will not be disappointing. Everyone played their parts fantastic, the kid actor that came out of retirement was fantastic and some of the one liners just hit perfect. I watched this on a plane with my son and nephew sitting next to me. They just happened to look over during one scene and they laughed about it the rest of the trip. 8/10
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Apple +) - Zack Ephron and Bill Murray are the big names. Basically most of his friends from the neighborhood are drafted into Vietnam. He is big time patriotic and decides to hop on a boat and take his friends beer. He tries to find them one by one and befriends a war corespondent (Russell Crowe). When he returns home he now has his eyes open by things good and bad he learned along the way. Descent movie 6/10. Marketed as a comedy, but anything but.
Vengeance (Peacock) - People you know, but don't know their name. A New York writer is invited to speak at a girls funeral that he only hooked up with once years ago. Her family believes that he was an instrumental part of his life, but feeling down about his career he goes. He meets her family who believe she was murdered and in hopes of launching a new career path he sticks around a while. At first it plays as your typical lets make fun of small town people and their "conspiracy theorys", but the longer he stays and digs he realizes that there may be more truth to them than he thought and his entire view of life might be shattered.
This one was better than I thought. What started out as the typical bashing of small town American, quickly turned into they might just be right and the struggles of someone from the city dealing with what they thought was truth not being the case. Of course they can't help themselves on some of the digs, even when they try to apologize for them. 6/10. Could have been higher if they had just left a few things alone rather than trying to beat a dead horse to prove their superiority, even when proven wrong. Sound familiar.
Minions: The Rise of Gru (Peacock) - Kids loved this one. If you have seen the others you know how this plays out with new villains to face. My kids would rate this a 7/10.
Father Stu (Netflix) - Marky Mark plays a middle aged boxer forced to retire. He had a horrible childhood and absent father as his family spiraled out of control when his brother died. After retiring he moves to LA to try to be a movie star, but slowly finds religion in his pursuit of a girl. After an accident he decides he wants to become a priest and gives everything up in that pursuit. From there it shows his struggles, personal challengers with his health, the reconnection with his family etc. Based on a true story and not that bad. Mel Gibson plays his atheist father and does a great job as well. 6.5/10.
Moonfall (HBO Max) - B movie with better effects. Stars a bunch of people who aren't really stars anymore. Basically aliens are attacking the moon and retired astronaut sets out of find out why and to stop them. To say this is a good movie would be lying, but if bored its just dumb enough to keep you entertained. 4.5/10
Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney +) - its been covered. It had some descent parts and some dumb parts. The truth is that Thor has been one of the most misused characters in the MCU. He started out as the boring one, then in Ragnarok through Infinity War they made him a badd*ss only to immediately ruin all of that good will in Endgame. This is them trying to get him back on track, but they try with humor more than action to do so. The wokeness was flowing through this, even if subtle in some parts. Don't even get me started on the anticlimactic story line and villain. there were lots of pieces there to make this a really good movie, but they tried to hard to she horn in the woke and missed the mark. 5/10
The Contractor - Chris Pine, Ben Foster and Keifer Sutherland stars. Pine is a soldier that is discharged for taking steroids to stay active. He connects with a buddy who sets him up with private contract work. Everything seems easy and fine, until the mission goes wrong and he is double crossed. What you have is the same movie you have seen a thousand times where the good guy escapes an army of people after him and seeks revenge on those that double crossed him. 5/10.
Everything Everywhere All at Once - Lots of Asian people you know and the return of Shortround/Data from the 80's. This is a multi-verse movie. An woman is out of touch and unhappy in life. When she is being audited her husband, from another universe, contacts her and takes here on mind bending trips through different universes as they try to stop an evil that is wiping her out across them, tapping into her other selves along the way and seeing how her life would have turned out based on decisions made. I don't know how else to explain it, but this movie is fantastic. Not only does it play very quickly despite the run time, but has everything in it. There are a few scenes that I found absolutely hilarious, some tapping into my 5th grade humor, but they fit. To try to explain this movie would give to much away, but you will not be disappointing. Everyone played their parts fantastic, the kid actor that came out of retirement was fantastic and some of the one liners just hit perfect. I watched this on a plane with my son and nephew sitting next to me. They just happened to look over during one scene and they laughed about it the rest of the trip. 8/10
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Apple +) - Zack Ephron and Bill Murray are the big names. Basically most of his friends from the neighborhood are drafted into Vietnam. He is big time patriotic and decides to hop on a boat and take his friends beer. He tries to find them one by one and befriends a war corespondent (Russell Crowe). When he returns home he now has his eyes open by things good and bad he learned along the way. Descent movie 6/10. Marketed as a comedy, but anything but.
Vengeance (Peacock) - People you know, but don't know their name. A New York writer is invited to speak at a girls funeral that he only hooked up with once years ago. Her family believes that he was an instrumental part of his life, but feeling down about his career he goes. He meets her family who believe she was murdered and in hopes of launching a new career path he sticks around a while. At first it plays as your typical lets make fun of small town people and their "conspiracy theorys", but the longer he stays and digs he realizes that there may be more truth to them than he thought and his entire view of life might be shattered.
This one was better than I thought. What started out as the typical bashing of small town American, quickly turned into they might just be right and the struggles of someone from the city dealing with what they thought was truth not being the case. Of course they can't help themselves on some of the digs, even when they try to apologize for them. 6/10. Could have been higher if they had just left a few things alone rather than trying to beat a dead horse to prove their superiority, even when proven wrong. Sound familiar.
Minions: The Rise of Gru (Peacock) - Kids loved this one. If you have seen the others you know how this plays out with new villains to face. My kids would rate this a 7/10.
Father Stu (Netflix) - Marky Mark plays a middle aged boxer forced to retire. He had a horrible childhood and absent father as his family spiraled out of control when his brother died. After retiring he moves to LA to try to be a movie star, but slowly finds religion in his pursuit of a girl. After an accident he decides he wants to become a priest and gives everything up in that pursuit. From there it shows his struggles, personal challengers with his health, the reconnection with his family etc. Based on a true story and not that bad. Mel Gibson plays his atheist father and does a great job as well. 6.5/10.
Moonfall (HBO Max) - B movie with better effects. Stars a bunch of people who aren't really stars anymore. Basically aliens are attacking the moon and retired astronaut sets out of find out why and to stop them. To say this is a good movie would be lying, but if bored its just dumb enough to keep you entertained. 4.5/10
Thor: Love and Thunder (Disney +) - its been covered. It had some descent parts and some dumb parts. The truth is that Thor has been one of the most misused characters in the MCU. He started out as the boring one, then in Ragnarok through Infinity War they made him a badd*ss only to immediately ruin all of that good will in Endgame. This is them trying to get him back on track, but they try with humor more than action to do so. The wokeness was flowing through this, even if subtle in some parts. Don't even get me started on the anticlimactic story line and villain. there were lots of pieces there to make this a really good movie, but they tried to hard to she horn in the woke and missed the mark. 5/10
- Sep 20, 2014
- 3,925
- 4,676
Halloween Ends (Peacock) - Don't even know how to explain my disappointment in this one. You never go into slasher flicks expecting award winners, but you also expect to be entertained. Everything that made the previous two movies, and even the originals connected to it, good has been washed away and you are left with a mess of a movie and a shell of a monster. They toed the line of some black thorn crap from number 6 and moved way to slow and moody. If not for Rob Zombie and Buster Rhymes this would easily be the worst in the franchise.
Basically it is 4 years after the events of the last movie and Michael Meyers has disappeared. The main focus on this one is some moody college kid who had unfortunate circumstances happen to him the Halloween following the events of the last movie. It makes this movie a train wreck because you don't go a Halloween movie for a moody millennial. From there you would just need to see the train wreck unfold.
There are few movies where I feel that everyone involved should be forced to go back and make it all over again on their own dime. There are plenty of stinkers where they truly think they are making something that people/fans will enjoy and it just doesn't work out. Then you have this where they had to have known that what they were doing was going to piss of every fan of this series. I had read that the test screenings told them as much, but they were to far along and to fix it would basically require them to make the movie again from scratch. They chose to just put the crap out regardless. 3/10.
Basically it is 4 years after the events of the last movie and Michael Meyers has disappeared. The main focus on this one is some moody college kid who had unfortunate circumstances happen to him the Halloween following the events of the last movie. It makes this movie a train wreck because you don't go a Halloween movie for a moody millennial. From there you would just need to see the train wreck unfold.
There are few movies where I feel that everyone involved should be forced to go back and make it all over again on their own dime. There are plenty of stinkers where they truly think they are making something that people/fans will enjoy and it just doesn't work out. Then you have this where they had to have known that what they were doing was going to piss of every fan of this series. I had read that the test screenings told them as much, but they were to far along and to fix it would basically require them to make the movie again from scratch. They chose to just put the crap out regardless. 3/10.
- Jul 15, 2014
- 28,450
- 47,254
Agreed on Shot Caller... I watched it again about a week ago and thought about the people that said they like Jon Bernthal, where he racks up yet his 1,043rd excellent performance as a guy you hate.
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,094
- 26,329
I'll start with this one, because it was the one I tried months ago....
Carter (2022) <Netflix>
I have prided myself on always finishing any movie I start, no matter how absurd or bad it might get. Part of it is a sadistic sense that I deserve such punishment, part of it is trying to see how bad it can really get. Okay, now that that is out of the way.
We have a Korean made film which opens with our central character waking up, not knowing who is is or where he is, but there is a voice in his ear/mind that says trouble is coming and to do what it says. Baddies bust in, he fights a few then jumps out a window to some sort of bath house across the alleyway/street (no nudity, just people in baths...think Turkish or Russian steam room). Baddies bust in start shooting everyone, he fights some and escapes to fight more outside. Got the gist yet?
Description is a guy thrown into a dangerous mission with no memory, escaping death at every turn, while he tries to figure out who he is and where he is. Yup, that's accurate. Now, to actually watching this film...I'm 45min in and it has been non-stop action sequences, some pretty damn good filming and camera shots with intermittent 5-10seconds of ear-voice and our protagonist wondering wtf while we try to figure out wtf. After 45min I shut it off and haven't been back. This was months ago. Why, you may ask? Outside shots of baddies arriving is in Korea - signs in Korean, buildings look Korean, etc, etc. Inside shots are in English - Exit signs, warning signs, etc, etc. Fight sequences have good action between mostly Korean actors and stunt doubles; a few scenes of baddies discussing things were Amerian 'actors'. I put actors in quotes, because if this were a B movie with B actors they'd know it and deliver a B performance. These are Americans who didn't make the cut for the High School play but still believe they are destined for 15min of fame. They aren't. More like 15min of shame, scattered about between long nonsense action sequences. We got a little bit of plot and storyline from ear-voice that conveys our protagonist is South Korean, working with North Korea on some save-the-world medical thing, maybe they (who is they?) took his daughter, idunno and can't recall, but only HE can do this double agent espionage, somehow this doctor/scientist is a high level CIA asset with ninja fighting reflexes. 45min in and I have no idea why any of us are here - me, the protagonist, the Koreo-american baddies, any of this. I thought I'd only watched 20min or so, but no, I wasted 45min of my life I'll never get back. The SECOND film in my life I can say I didn't finish, and never will.
If you saw Hardcore Henry (2015) where it is nearly all first person and full of action, some of the action sequence cinematography is like that and noteworthy, but otherwise this is a blender full of nonsense. Skip it, avoid it, run like it's your psychotic ex wanting to get back together. Deny any knowledge and run. 2/10.
Carter (2022) <Netflix>
I have prided myself on always finishing any movie I start, no matter how absurd or bad it might get. Part of it is a sadistic sense that I deserve such punishment, part of it is trying to see how bad it can really get. Okay, now that that is out of the way.
We have a Korean made film which opens with our central character waking up, not knowing who is is or where he is, but there is a voice in his ear/mind that says trouble is coming and to do what it says. Baddies bust in, he fights a few then jumps out a window to some sort of bath house across the alleyway/street (no nudity, just people in baths...think Turkish or Russian steam room). Baddies bust in start shooting everyone, he fights some and escapes to fight more outside. Got the gist yet?
Description is a guy thrown into a dangerous mission with no memory, escaping death at every turn, while he tries to figure out who he is and where he is. Yup, that's accurate. Now, to actually watching this film...I'm 45min in and it has been non-stop action sequences, some pretty damn good filming and camera shots with intermittent 5-10seconds of ear-voice and our protagonist wondering wtf while we try to figure out wtf. After 45min I shut it off and haven't been back. This was months ago. Why, you may ask? Outside shots of baddies arriving is in Korea - signs in Korean, buildings look Korean, etc, etc. Inside shots are in English - Exit signs, warning signs, etc, etc. Fight sequences have good action between mostly Korean actors and stunt doubles; a few scenes of baddies discussing things were Amerian 'actors'. I put actors in quotes, because if this were a B movie with B actors they'd know it and deliver a B performance. These are Americans who didn't make the cut for the High School play but still believe they are destined for 15min of fame. They aren't. More like 15min of shame, scattered about between long nonsense action sequences. We got a little bit of plot and storyline from ear-voice that conveys our protagonist is South Korean, working with North Korea on some save-the-world medical thing, maybe they (who is they?) took his daughter, idunno and can't recall, but only HE can do this double agent espionage, somehow this doctor/scientist is a high level CIA asset with ninja fighting reflexes. 45min in and I have no idea why any of us are here - me, the protagonist, the Koreo-american baddies, any of this. I thought I'd only watched 20min or so, but no, I wasted 45min of my life I'll never get back. The SECOND film in my life I can say I didn't finish, and never will.
If you saw Hardcore Henry (2015) where it is nearly all first person and full of action, some of the action sequence cinematography is like that and noteworthy, but otherwise this is a blender full of nonsense. Skip it, avoid it, run like it's your psychotic ex wanting to get back together. Deny any knowledge and run. 2/10.
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,094
- 26,329
Still wanting some action, seeing the familiar face of Iko Uwais, I tried:
The Night Comes for Us (2018) <Netflix>
I've seen Iko over the years, beginning with Merantau (2009), where he came onto the Indonesian film scene as an action star of sorts (you can see the potential is there at the young age of 26). Now at 35 with a total of 8 films, he's kinda 'the guy' for Indonesian action films. I'll start by pointing out this is an Indonesian Action Film, in case you didn't pick up on that, which means the budget isn't grand, and most special effects are spent on blood spurts (though I think I detected a few CGI objects flying at the camera). Also, fight sequences are generally strung together so that everything goes down in essentially 24-48h, still bleeding from the last fight and on to the next, and the next, etc = superman effect.
The film focuses on Ito (Joe Taslim) as we open with him leading a group of gunmen slaughtering some village. We come to find out he is one of the 'six seas', unnamed members of the Asian Triad with authority to use any extreme measures to enforce the triad's drug smuggling and general crime syndicate. Jump ahead and he shows up at an old friend's house with a young girl, the last survivor from the slaughter he was leading. Friend calls in a few of his old buddies Fatih and 'White Boy' Bobby (Zack Lee, no whiter or less Indonesian than anyone else). It turns out these are a few of his 'old gang' before he got in with the triad, there's a little bad blood in that they feel he left them but he explains he had no choice and was trying to protect them.
Switch to Arian (Iko), an up and comer in the triad being managed by some Chinese guy Chien Wu (Sunny Pang) who aims him at Ito. Apparently, Ito killed his gun crew at the Island, betraying the triad and causing them problems in saving face. Arain takes on the job and starts hunting Ito and the old crew....and dontchya know Arian used to be the second in command to Ito in the old crew. Note, it's nice to watch the one familiar face NOT be the lead, but the antagonist, and we watch as Ito tries to make up for his triad years and we wonder if Arian will rejoin his friends or betray them for the triad and his own success.
There, plot is covered, and while the young girl is a plot prop the decent storyline is the relationships as Arian fights his way through all kinds of people, meanwhile Ito is also fighting triad people left and right. Action is good, story is decent. I will also note they keep a sense of humor at times - such as a big sign on the wall about 'Safety is our priority and it starts with you' as a guy beats the **** out of a gang. I watched with Indonesian audio and English subs, it works. If you want relatively brainless action, decent spend of time. If you want much substance, ehh..... Final verdict 7/10
PS - they throw in some hit-woman 'The Operator' (Julie Estelle) sent to kill the six seas. She has a chance to take out Ito, but chooses to help him, then drops out of the film. Could have been a link to set up sequels chasing the six seas, but most of our actors in this film died and I doubt Indonesia has enough other action stars to make a sequel...so...why was this put in?
The Night Comes for Us (2018) <Netflix>
I've seen Iko over the years, beginning with Merantau (2009), where he came onto the Indonesian film scene as an action star of sorts (you can see the potential is there at the young age of 26). Now at 35 with a total of 8 films, he's kinda 'the guy' for Indonesian action films. I'll start by pointing out this is an Indonesian Action Film, in case you didn't pick up on that, which means the budget isn't grand, and most special effects are spent on blood spurts (though I think I detected a few CGI objects flying at the camera). Also, fight sequences are generally strung together so that everything goes down in essentially 24-48h, still bleeding from the last fight and on to the next, and the next, etc = superman effect.
The film focuses on Ito (Joe Taslim) as we open with him leading a group of gunmen slaughtering some village. We come to find out he is one of the 'six seas', unnamed members of the Asian Triad with authority to use any extreme measures to enforce the triad's drug smuggling and general crime syndicate. Jump ahead and he shows up at an old friend's house with a young girl, the last survivor from the slaughter he was leading. Friend calls in a few of his old buddies Fatih and 'White Boy' Bobby (Zack Lee, no whiter or less Indonesian than anyone else). It turns out these are a few of his 'old gang' before he got in with the triad, there's a little bad blood in that they feel he left them but he explains he had no choice and was trying to protect them.
Switch to Arian (Iko), an up and comer in the triad being managed by some Chinese guy Chien Wu (Sunny Pang) who aims him at Ito. Apparently, Ito killed his gun crew at the Island, betraying the triad and causing them problems in saving face. Arain takes on the job and starts hunting Ito and the old crew....and dontchya know Arian used to be the second in command to Ito in the old crew. Note, it's nice to watch the one familiar face NOT be the lead, but the antagonist, and we watch as Ito tries to make up for his triad years and we wonder if Arian will rejoin his friends or betray them for the triad and his own success.
There, plot is covered, and while the young girl is a plot prop the decent storyline is the relationships as Arian fights his way through all kinds of people, meanwhile Ito is also fighting triad people left and right. Action is good, story is decent. I will also note they keep a sense of humor at times - such as a big sign on the wall about 'Safety is our priority and it starts with you' as a guy beats the **** out of a gang. I watched with Indonesian audio and English subs, it works. If you want relatively brainless action, decent spend of time. If you want much substance, ehh..... Final verdict 7/10
PS - they throw in some hit-woman 'The Operator' (Julie Estelle) sent to kill the six seas. She has a chance to take out Ito, but chooses to help him, then drops out of the film. Could have been a link to set up sequels chasing the six seas, but most of our actors in this film died and I doubt Indonesia has enough other action stars to make a sequel...so...why was this put in?
Last edited:
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,094
- 26,329
Still having a thing for Iko Uwais, we followed up a few days later with:
Headshot (2016) <Netflix>
Completely unrelated to the previous film, I just note it was created 2y earlier under the same Indonesian system (low budget except for blood, not too deep story, lots of superman action sequences).
We open with some Hannibal Lecter type making a bloody prison escape. Once that's done, we switch to a washed up body found at the beach (Iko). He's taken to hospital and is watched over by a semi-hot doctor until he regains consciousness. He has no memory of who he is, but adopts the name 'Ishmael' as that's what the doc wrote on his bedside chart (we see she is reading Moby Dick). He wakes, they make minimal effort/success in figuring out who he is or where he's from, but she does find he has bullet fragments in his skull. He gets brief flashbacks of being shot.
Switch back to our prison escapee, 'Lee' (Sunny Pang...hey, I saw him before!) running a criminal organization that basically wipes out anyone who crosses him. His right hand is a hot killer chic 'Rika' (Julie Estelle...hmmm, familiar). The other two main thugs in the gang are Tejo and Tano (Zack Lee....wait a minute!!!). Pause - I think why Julie Estelle was in the last film is some sort of contract obligation or relationship to producers, and I was *RIGHT* about there not being more action movie actors in Indonesia!
Storyline big picture is Lee would take kids and raise them to be his gang. It seems Ishmael/Idbi (Iko) was his prize member but crossed him and he had the gang take him out - specifically Riza shot him in the head and he fell over the rail into the ocean leading us to where we are now. Quick run thru the movie is that the gang finds out Ishmael/Idbi is alive and take doc hostage in order to draw him in and kill him. Again. Lost of fight sequences, on par with the other film - no re-using moves or shots necessarily, so it's fresh in that respect. I'll also give a bit of a nod in two aspects of the fight sequences. First, there is a bus massacre and Ishmael/Idbi arrive after the slaying. As he explores the bus, lower gang members show up to torch it and get into a fight with him. There are a few good gags laid into this scene as he gets doused with gas and fights a guy with a lighter (to include blowing it out as he lights it) and when he finally puts that guy down, a new one steps onto the bus with a light tiki torch. Second is the big fight scene with Lee, as it harkens back to the old Kung Fu theater on the USA network when I was young = bad dubbing but always a fight with called out stances of eagle claw, tiger paw, dragon tail, etc. Lee uses an Eagle Claw repeatedly (no literal shout outs, but we can recognize it).
Significant knocks on the film would be Lee's underground hideout seemingly on some remote beach but has electricity and was built with cinderblocks? Like the other film, there is some English dialogue (mostly by Sunny Pang) he jumps right back into Indonesian to match everyone else. Stick with the sub titles.
So, TLB;DR version - same as the last time but with slightly better humor. 7.5/10
Headshot (2016) <Netflix>
Completely unrelated to the previous film, I just note it was created 2y earlier under the same Indonesian system (low budget except for blood, not too deep story, lots of superman action sequences).
We open with some Hannibal Lecter type making a bloody prison escape. Once that's done, we switch to a washed up body found at the beach (Iko). He's taken to hospital and is watched over by a semi-hot doctor until he regains consciousness. He has no memory of who he is, but adopts the name 'Ishmael' as that's what the doc wrote on his bedside chart (we see she is reading Moby Dick). He wakes, they make minimal effort/success in figuring out who he is or where he's from, but she does find he has bullet fragments in his skull. He gets brief flashbacks of being shot.
Switch back to our prison escapee, 'Lee' (Sunny Pang...hey, I saw him before!) running a criminal organization that basically wipes out anyone who crosses him. His right hand is a hot killer chic 'Rika' (Julie Estelle...hmmm, familiar). The other two main thugs in the gang are Tejo and Tano (Zack Lee....wait a minute!!!). Pause - I think why Julie Estelle was in the last film is some sort of contract obligation or relationship to producers, and I was *RIGHT* about there not being more action movie actors in Indonesia!
Storyline big picture is Lee would take kids and raise them to be his gang. It seems Ishmael/Idbi (Iko) was his prize member but crossed him and he had the gang take him out - specifically Riza shot him in the head and he fell over the rail into the ocean leading us to where we are now. Quick run thru the movie is that the gang finds out Ishmael/Idbi is alive and take doc hostage in order to draw him in and kill him. Again. Lost of fight sequences, on par with the other film - no re-using moves or shots necessarily, so it's fresh in that respect. I'll also give a bit of a nod in two aspects of the fight sequences. First, there is a bus massacre and Ishmael/Idbi arrive after the slaying. As he explores the bus, lower gang members show up to torch it and get into a fight with him. There are a few good gags laid into this scene as he gets doused with gas and fights a guy with a lighter (to include blowing it out as he lights it) and when he finally puts that guy down, a new one steps onto the bus with a light tiki torch. Second is the big fight scene with Lee, as it harkens back to the old Kung Fu theater on the USA network when I was young = bad dubbing but always a fight with called out stances of eagle claw, tiger paw, dragon tail, etc. Lee uses an Eagle Claw repeatedly (no literal shout outs, but we can recognize it).
Significant knocks on the film would be Lee's underground hideout seemingly on some remote beach but has electricity and was built with cinderblocks? Like the other film, there is some English dialogue (mostly by Sunny Pang) he jumps right back into Indonesian to match everyone else. Stick with the sub titles.
So, TLB;DR version - same as the last time but with slightly better humor. 7.5/10
Last edited:
- Sep 20, 2014
- 3,925
- 4,676
Jexi (Netflix) - Has a bunch of people you know. Basically a guy in his 30's has no social life and spends his days on his phone. He gets a new phone that has the newest AI in it "Jexi". However the AI is malfunctioning and begins to run hovok on his life. They at first make friends, but she becomes jealous of him spending less time with her as she helps him have a social life and then tries to destroy it. This one is short and has some pretty funny moment. The overall movie is just meh, but its a funny concept. 5/10
Bullet Train - Brad Pitt stars. I think this has already been reviewed, but an unlucky hit man has been assigned what is supposed to be an easy job recovering a briefcase on a train in Tokyo. However it turns out the train is filled with other assassins that were all brought there mysteriously by a Russian born Yakuza leader "The White Death". They all then have to fight each other and learn to trust each other to try and survive. This one was a fun movie and worth using my free rental on. Has some good action along with well placed humor. The movie paces itself well and isn't to confusing, despite the flashbacks into each characters story. Would definitely recommend this one and has a few well placed cameos as well. 7/10
The Curse of Bridge Hollow (Netflix) - One of the Wayons brothers movies with his family to a small town that is big on Halloween. His daughter unknowingly lets loose a spirit that begins to bring all of the towns decorations to life and they have to fight through them to stop it. Watched with my kid who enjoyed it more than me. Some funny moments with fighting decorations. 5/10
Beast (Peacock) - Idris Elba stars as a widower he takes his daughters on a trip to South Africa where their mother was from. They go on a safari with a family friend show is part of the conservation movement. They first come across a pride of lions that accept the friend as he raised them as cubs. They then move onto the next village where things start to go bad. Turns out poachers took out all but one lion of another pride and it has now gone rouge killing every human it can find. They basically spend the next hour in a car trying to survive the lion after they brake down. This one once it picks up is really fun. Nothing special, but Elba pulls this one along. Affects were done well. 6/10
Bullet Train - Brad Pitt stars. I think this has already been reviewed, but an unlucky hit man has been assigned what is supposed to be an easy job recovering a briefcase on a train in Tokyo. However it turns out the train is filled with other assassins that were all brought there mysteriously by a Russian born Yakuza leader "The White Death". They all then have to fight each other and learn to trust each other to try and survive. This one was a fun movie and worth using my free rental on. Has some good action along with well placed humor. The movie paces itself well and isn't to confusing, despite the flashbacks into each characters story. Would definitely recommend this one and has a few well placed cameos as well. 7/10
The Curse of Bridge Hollow (Netflix) - One of the Wayons brothers movies with his family to a small town that is big on Halloween. His daughter unknowingly lets loose a spirit that begins to bring all of the towns decorations to life and they have to fight through them to stop it. Watched with my kid who enjoyed it more than me. Some funny moments with fighting decorations. 5/10
Beast (Peacock) - Idris Elba stars as a widower he takes his daughters on a trip to South Africa where their mother was from. They go on a safari with a family friend show is part of the conservation movement. They first come across a pride of lions that accept the friend as he raised them as cubs. They then move onto the next village where things start to go bad. Turns out poachers took out all but one lion of another pride and it has now gone rouge killing every human it can find. They basically spend the next hour in a car trying to survive the lion after they brake down. This one once it picks up is really fun. Nothing special, but Elba pulls this one along. Affects were done well. 6/10
- Jan 6, 2015
- 14,094
- 26,329
The Beast "La Belva" (2020) <Netflix>
Not sure how I got this one started, but believe I was looking for a non-Liam Neeson kick ass individual. I did not realize this was an Italian made movie until I got it going, kept the Italian audio and utilized the subs.
Storyline is Leonida 'Riva' is estranged from his family, dealing with some PTSD. He shows up to see his 10yo daughter playing a soccer match, discovers his son 17yo son is coaching, they express some friction over the space between them indicating dad has been out of the house for quite awhile. Skip ahead a little and the daughter gets kidnapped by two low level drug dealers who hope to sell her to a kingpin of a human traffic/brothel network. Dad sets out to get her, first talking with police but realizing they are useless he goes off on his own.
Film follows mostly dad 'the beast' and alternates with the lead detective who mostly believes Riva either kidnapped the child himself or had it arranged, he isn't buying the story. Cops stay two steps behind Riva who is tracking the druggie kidnappers to the kingpin, leaving a bit of death and destruction in his wake (which only feeds the inspector's suspicions somehow?).
I had to pause midway for about a week, just finished the rest now. At this point Riva gets to the kingpin's estate, gets into the house, sees his daughter and then has fist fights with a few guys until he's knocked out. Here's where we flew off the rails. We get flashbacks to his time in the war(s) being tortured, he wakes up in a hospital beat to hell and handcuffed to the bed. WHY the bad guys didn't kill him, when they just killed a woman, and were talking of killing the girl when he showed up, idunno. Actually, I'm going to stop here, and give the key points.
For action, not so much - some fist fights, a car chase, meh. For drama or suspense, no points awarded. Only credit I can give is the main actor fits the role well, even if the movie isn't up to the hype/description. The credit is then lost by the use of really crappy songs (in English) for the soundtrack, up to the last two used in the film - hits you'll recognize, but NONE of the music really helped the film. If you want a man-goes-beast movie, avoid this one. :sigh: 4/10
Not sure how I got this one started, but believe I was looking for a non-Liam Neeson kick ass individual. I did not realize this was an Italian made movie until I got it going, kept the Italian audio and utilized the subs.
Storyline is Leonida 'Riva' is estranged from his family, dealing with some PTSD. He shows up to see his 10yo daughter playing a soccer match, discovers his son 17yo son is coaching, they express some friction over the space between them indicating dad has been out of the house for quite awhile. Skip ahead a little and the daughter gets kidnapped by two low level drug dealers who hope to sell her to a kingpin of a human traffic/brothel network. Dad sets out to get her, first talking with police but realizing they are useless he goes off on his own.
Film follows mostly dad 'the beast' and alternates with the lead detective who mostly believes Riva either kidnapped the child himself or had it arranged, he isn't buying the story. Cops stay two steps behind Riva who is tracking the druggie kidnappers to the kingpin, leaving a bit of death and destruction in his wake (which only feeds the inspector's suspicions somehow?).
I had to pause midway for about a week, just finished the rest now. At this point Riva gets to the kingpin's estate, gets into the house, sees his daughter and then has fist fights with a few guys until he's knocked out. Here's where we flew off the rails. We get flashbacks to his time in the war(s) being tortured, he wakes up in a hospital beat to hell and handcuffed to the bed. WHY the bad guys didn't kill him, when they just killed a woman, and were talking of killing the girl when he showed up, idunno. Actually, I'm going to stop here, and give the key points.
For action, not so much - some fist fights, a car chase, meh. For drama or suspense, no points awarded. Only credit I can give is the main actor fits the role well, even if the movie isn't up to the hype/description. The credit is then lost by the use of really crappy songs (in English) for the soundtrack, up to the last two used in the film - hits you'll recognize, but NONE of the music really helped the film. If you want a man-goes-beast movie, avoid this one. :sigh: 4/10
