Archive for November, 2010

Legend Of The Fist: The Return Of Chen Zhen

  • Written by Jason
  • Posted November 30, 2010 at 9:00 am

A Review by Sam LeGassick

This review is written by guest reviewer, Sam LeGassick. The review below was taken with permission from Sam and placed on BoxOfficeBoredom.com. Sam is an avid Movie, Television and Video Game geek, and posts various reviews on his website, The Wild Bore. To visit Sam’s site, click here.

Hong Kong legend Donnie Yen hits UK screens in the latest Kung-Fu action film to grace our shores, but is it really a Legend or should Chen Zhen just … not return?

There is a very confusing background to this film. Firstly, this is a sequel to a TV series called Fist of Fury in Hong Kong, that series was a remake from the original Bruce Lee film. Now, Donnie Yen has been made to basically be Bruce Lee including Bruce Lee sounds, fashion and even a Green Hornet hero disguise. It’s also directed by Andrew Lau who made Infernal Affairs, but isn’t the Andy Lau who was in Infernal Affairs, that’s someone else entirely. Understand? Good.

So what’s it actually about then? Well, it’s based on an ancient legend but yet this film is set before the second Sino-Japanese war in a Shanghai settlement where the British and the Japanese are battling it out with China in the middle. Chen Zhen has come back from fighting the Germans in France and taken the identity of one of his fallen comrades, why he needs to do this is never clear. The whole thing is then set in a club called Casablanca (yawn) which looks like a shoddy Boardwalk Empire (which if you still haven’t tried to get hold of then you’re an idiot, sorry) and it’s all about people double crossing each other, about politics, revolution and stuff I have absolutely no idea about. I’m just not that clued up on Modern Chinese History I’m afraid, and this film didn’t help either.

For those who know their Hong Kong cinema, there will be some friendly faces and the fact Andrew Lau is behind this will be enough to put some bums on seats but if you’re looking for an action film, it might be best to look elsewhere. There aren’t many fight scenes but when they do come up, they are quite good, but nothing remarkable. Yen’s fighting is fast and seeing as he must be about 50 now I’m surprised he looks as incredible as he does. Yet his fighting looks comical and it seems as if they have sacrificed power for speed to make it look more impressive but instead it looks like about ten happy slaps a second, not enough to knock out these bad guys, and a lot of ’signature’ moves are repeated. The final fight scene was also not that impressive and if you look at what Hong Kong was making 40 years back, it isn’t even close to that type of skill.

So perhaps the story is enough to keep you hooked? Well, not really. It’s so melodramatic and unsubtle that you can’t help but laugh through half of it and the negative display of foreigners has apparently got a lot of Japanese upset, but you don’t see the Germans complaining when Hollywood does a war film do you? Also, haven’t the Chinese and Japanese always hated each other? I think it’s time to move on guys. The British don’t get a good rep either, but then the British guy is clearly not British so I don’t mind too much.

Overall, I left the cinema without really knowing what was supposed to be going on but keeping with it enough to know who was supposed to be good and bad. The directing was OK and the scale was somewhat small as it felt like it had been made in a studio rather than drawing you into the scene. I can’t say I was ever really bored but I was never entertained, it’s a poor introduction for those who haven’t seen the rich content that Hong Kong cinema provides and I do hope this film brings in more money into their industry but for smaller, more cutting-edge films rather than Hollywood-wannabe cheese-fests like this one.

Maybe see it on DVD if you’re really that bothered but with an April cinema release date, don’t expect it until Christmas 2011. Ambitious, but ultimately dull.

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Filed under: Action, Movies

Wrongfully Accused (A Leslie Nielsen Tribute)

  • Written by Jason
  • Posted November 29, 2010 at 12:12 pm

There have been many actors who have said that comedy just might be the hardest thing for an actor or actress to do.  In order to be in a great comedy you have to have perfect timing, other wise the jokes fall flat and you’ll soon have an audience chucking tomatoes at the screen.  Over the years the silver screen has been blessed with many comedic icons, but few are better known by all as Leslie Nielsen.  Last night we learned that Leslie Nielsen had passed away and while blogs are going crazy writing about how much they loved his works like Airplane! and The Naked Gun, I thought I would go a different direction and pay tribute by watching another one of his films, Wrongfully Accused.

Now days when you hear the phrase, “it’s a spoof movie” you cringe thanks to the people who have brought you a long list of titles such as: Date Movie, Meet The Spartans, Vampires Suck, and Epic Movie.  That of course is not an exhaustive list, but the point is the spoof genre of films has really hit the doldrums in recent years.  In fact, some may even say that we haven’t seen a great mainstream spoof movie in the last 10 years. Wrongfully Accused, while certainly not one of Nielsen’s finest films is one of the last great spoof films before the genre went down like a sinking ship.

In Wrongfully Accused, Nielsen plays Ryan Harrison, a violinist who is accused of murder despite being framed by a one armed, one legged, one eyed man.  Heavily borrowing from The Fugitive, this film plugs away for a short 80 minutes as Harrison tries to clear his name.  With movie references from a plethora of Hollywood films from Star Wars, to North By Northwest, Casablanca and The Usual Suspects, Wrongfully Accused shows that no film is safe from being mocked.

The film is riddled with jokes and references that are just plain dumb.  There is really no way around it when making a film of this type.  A spoof film is about the slapstick humor that many times puts quantity first instead of quality.  What resonates with some audiences fizzles with others.  The key to this is simply great timing.  If you let a joke carry on too long it just doesn’t work (and you end up with modern spoof flicks).  This is where the genius of Nielsen and the people he surrounded himself with come in to play.  They seem to have found the perfect balance and know when to cut a scene.  Films like Wrongfully Accused move from plot point to point and scene to scene quickly not dwelling on dragging out every scene until every ounce of laughter has been sucked out of a sequence.

Looking back on Wrongfully Accused, which I hadn’t seen in years, I realized that it maybe wasn’t Leslie Nielsen’s shining moment in cinema.    When you think about it, Nielsen has appeared in over 239 titles over his career.  That’s a huge amount of screen time even if a large amount of them are bit parts and cameos.  The great thing about the silver haired comedy legend is that he can find ways of taking a movie that should be completely terrible by all other standards and have you rolling with laughter in the theater aisles.  But then again, Nielsen’s worst day in comedy still tops many other’s best days.  It’s truly a sad day to see the end of a legendary career in film.  Nielsen kept audiences in stitches of laughter for years and will live on in the films and hearts of comedy fans world wide.  Whether you want to grab some popcorn and enjoy Wrongfully Accused, The Naked Gun: Files from the Police Squad, or Airplane! take a few moments and laugh at a Leslie Nielsen film.   I’m sure that’s what he’d want us to be doing right now.

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Filed under: Comedy, Movies

Faster

  • Written by Jason
  • Posted November 27, 2010 at 1:17 pm

Starring: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Billy Bob Thorton, Oliver Jackson- Cohen
Directed by: George Tillman Jr.
Rated: R for strong violence, some drug use and language
Movie Released: 2010

IMDB Link

After a WWE career that catapulted him to the spotlight, few people have been able to replicate the success of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  The Rock had the charisma and the acting ability to break out of his meathead roles and become an entertaining actor, despite a less than stellar start in the film, The Scorpion King.  However, after the rocky start subsided, The Rock found a way to distance himself from the wrestling persona he had created and moved toward acting in family films and being quite sucessful at it.   For many it was a disappointment, especially those who thought he would pick up the reigns of the struggling action hero franchise films but The Rock moved forward, eventually ditching “The Rock” and became known as Dwayne Johnson, the actor.  Perhaps that’s why I was more than happy to see Johnson make his return back to the action franchise with the film Faster.

Faster follows a on on parole prisoner (Johnson) as he tries to track down all the men responsible for his brother’sbrutal murder that happened after a bank job went wrong.  Hell bent on only one thing, revenge, he moves forward fearlessly bullying his way into the lives of those who crossed him and executing them one by one.  However, all really isn’t that easy.  A skilled hit man has been contracted by one of Johnson’s victims to kill Johnson before he gets to them, and a drug addict cop with nothing to lose is also hot on his trail.

This film has all the makings of what could be a great film, and in many regards is a throwback to 70’s films, a genre that I will be the first to say I am not well versed in.  This gritty, grindhouse wannabe flick stomps its way through a 2 hour runtime the entire time thinking it is something far more clever than it really truly is.  My biggest issue with this movie was simply how serious it took itself.  I felt as though director George Tillman Jr. thought he was making an epic film, and a perfect homage to his 70’s favorites.  Perhaps because directors like Tarrantino has crafted cinematic perfections that have done it better, Tillman’s attempts fall flat.  Oddly enough, Faster was a movie that should have simply relied on the theory of less is more.    Many scenes were ruined just by having actors spit out dumb one liners, and pointless plot advancement sequences rather focusing on the simple revenge flick that it was.   At no point did I go into Faster wanting an advanced plot.  I wanted to see “The Rock” be a tough guy who kicked butt and took names.  Faster tried to provide me that with a generic “plot twist” and a film with the subtlety of tack hammer to the head.

After The Rundown, I couldn’t wait to see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson suit up again to be an action hero.  He had the look and the charisma that made people like Stallone and Schwartzenegger super stars.  On top of all of that, you could see that he also had the ability to act that came almost second nature to him.  However his return to action with Faster couldn’t be less well received.  Johnson has about the charisma of  for lack of a better metaphor, a rock (pun intended).  He comes across as a bulky meathead that is given little to go on other than being big and menacing.   I’d expect something like this from WWE films, but this seemed like 2 steps backward for Johnson.   Don’t get me wrong, despite a character that couldn’t be less interesting, Johnson gives it his all and it is hard not to cheer for him in this film.  In all actuality, Johnson makes this film worth viewing.

Alongside Johnson is Billy Bob Thorton, who tries to play an aged, drug addict cop.  Thorton’s attempt fizzles horribly on screen.  Thorton hams up the camera with a performance that only his mother could be proud of.  Also chewing up screen time is actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen, a relative new comer who has the look of a person you get when you want Jake Gyllenhal but can’t afford the price tag.  This low rent Jake plays the killer hired to stop Johnson in his tracks, and plays an over the top, obsessive compulsive hit man who had a childhood not much unlike Forrest Gump.  These over the top supporting characters would have worked if the movie had embraced the cheese, but instead the film tried to take itself seriously.

If you’ve noticed, I’ve only referred to actors by their real names.  At no point have I given out a character name. That’s because, I don’t think anyone took the time to name them.  Johnson’s character is known simply as “Driver” because he was a driver in a back heist.  Thorton’s character is “Cop” because he is the cop tracking him, and Jackson-Cohen is simply labeled “killer.”  In order to play up their laziness, they simply stamp these titles up on the screen as you first are introduced to them, satirically trying to point out their stupidity.

When it really gets down to it, I want to tell you that Faster is a good movie.  I can’t do that.  I want to tell you at the same time Faster was a terrible movie.  I can’t do that either.  This film is just simply a mildly entertaining mess of a film that has its moments of both entertainment and painful stupidity.  It lacks all the elements of a quality film, yet somehow manages to be watchable.  Go in with your expectations low and Faster won’t disappoint.   If you’re looking for 80’s action movie glory be prepped to be underwhelmed.

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Filed under: Action, Movies

A Few Flicks I’m Thankful For

  • Written by Jason
  • Posted November 25, 2010 at 7:36 pm

It’s that time of year when people gather round the table and say what they are thankful for.   Of course everyone is thankful for family, friends, health and happiness but I wanted to take a few minutes and write about a few movie related things things that I am thankful for this holiday. So before the turkey makes you comatose for the next few hours, here are a few flicks that I am thankful for this year.

godfatherThe first of course is The Godfather. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love the film. Scene for scene director Francis Ford Coppola crafted a near perfect film that is often imitated but never replicated. Sure, it’s a gangster film, but deep within lies a film about family, morality and so much more. I could of course go on for an entire article just about The Godfather, but I promised myself that I would keep this short and sweet. And besides, I’ve already written about my love for the film, and if you really want more of my Godfather ramblings, click here.


Secondly, I am thankful for the many works of director Tony Scott. Despite
myself having a a rather hard go with Tony’s flicks as of late, I can usually count on sitting down and enjoying one of his flicks on a cold day, or one of the days I am trying to skip out on work. Whether it be the wonders of Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Days of Thunder, or even the Costner flick, Revenge, I can always find some enjoyment in Scott’s catalog. And of course there is always The Fan, the Deniro, Del Toro and Wesley Snipes baseball flick that always entertains me for it’s 2 hour run time. I love watching a great director develop a style over the years, and while I haven’t been too fond of Scott’s latest attempts to hone his craft (or really much of anything since Man On Fire) I’m always excited for what he is serving up next on his plate.

The last film I am thankful for is a film that has earned it’s very own genre here on BoxOfficeBoredom.com. The film isTorque. That’s right folks, I show no shame in announcing that I am thankful for Torque. This is a film that is truly terrible in every sense of the word, however a film like Torque knows it. Torque doesn’t represent quality cinema to me, but instead a film that reminds me of great times with great friends like “The Mike” and others as we watch and mock the sheer idiocy of this film. Whether it is counting the overuse of reflections in the film, mocking the fact that every bike has a unique chain wear pattern, or even the epic bike battle of Pepsi and Mountain Dew, Torque has been and always will be a film that is a flick that I will be thankful for.

So there you have it folks, a few of many film related things that I am thankful for. As you are taking the time today to count your blessings, think about a few films you are thankful for and share them with your friends and share away in the comments below.  Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for reading!

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Filed under: Articles

Sharktopus

  • Written by Jason
  • Posted November 18, 2010 at 1:35 pm

Starring: Eric Roberts and random people they found on the beach and declared actors?

Directed by: Steven R. Monroe
Rated: well it’s ok for TV….PG-13?
Movie Released: 2010

IMDB Link

Why I place myself in these ridiculous scenarios I shall never know, however, I found myself parked in front of the TV with good friend and movie affectionado The Mike watching Sharktopus last night.  Of course, besides the obvious question of “why would you watch that?” the question many people will be quick to ask is “What is a Sharktopus?” Simply put, a sharkopus is a genetic experiment that crossed a shark with an octopus.  I know you will then ask why anyone would create such a thing and I am sad to report that it is chalked up to the bad idea of a government super weapon.

Now if you haven’t stopped reading this review already, let me enlighten you very quickly with this horrendous plot.  A sharktopus is created and is going to be used as the ultimate weapon in stopping drug traffickers and terrorists.  Apparently a sharktopus is stealthy and can get where the police can not.  The sharktopus is controlled by a radio wave mind control device that is apparently secured to it with a metal strap that is slightly stronger than a bungee cord or your average leather belt.  Once the strap falls off , the sharktopus is no longer under any one’s control and begins to bring havoc upon sunny Mexican beaches as the government tries to regain control of the their super shark/octopus weapon.

Starring Eric Roberts who you may recognize as an actor and a cast of actors and actresses that I am not sure can be classified as such, Sharktopus is about as terrible as a film can get.  Mind you, this is coming from the guy who watched Mongolian Death Worm with The Mike and Nate Grenbeck and found some resemblance of enjoyment out of it.  I can respect a good cheesy SyFy Original movie when they come around.  There is something fun about strange super creatures, whether it be a Giant Shark Vs. Mega Octopus, a Mongolian Death Worm, a crazed Yeti, or in this case a a half shark, half octopus.  On simple cheese of splicing together a shark and octopus, this film succeeds, however on every other level it falls flat on it’s face.

At no point do I expect an in depth plot for a film aptly titled Sharktopus, but one would think it would have something to keep it going for it’s 1 hour and 30 minute run time.  Instead Sharktopus strings together scenes of bad actors and actresses enjoying the summer sun.  It then of course has some bikini clad girl (with an acting prowess that makes Paris Hilton look like and academy award winner) being chomped on by a sharktopus.  As soon as we end that scene we jump to the next which follows a formula of 1.) Bikini glad girl eaten by sharktopus, or 2.) Shot of Sharktopus scientists trying to unsuccessfully capture said sharktopus before it devours another bikini clad girl.  And so, like a broken record this film continues to loop again and again and again.

The only wonderful thing about Sharktopus is that they actually created a sharktopus.  If you’ve ever wondered what that would look like, SyFy has shown you.  Oddly enough we learned that the size of a sharktopus is negotiable.  At moments notice a sharktopus could be as big as a house and the next minute small enough to swim through shallow waters without even being seen.  In the end all Sharktopus led to was The Mike and I coming up with other SyFy gene splice ideas such as “MonkeyLions, Octophants (a massive Octopus with tusks, a trunk and elephant ears), and Owlcats (flying nocturnal cats who live in trees and feed on human flesh).  As you can see it was a productive night.    Sorry Sharktopus, you were a failure.  I wanted to like you but alas I could not.  Although if anyone from SyFy reads this and wants to make MonkeyLions, Octophants or Owlcats, call The Mike and I up.  We’ve got some great plot ideas.

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Filed under: Horror, Movies
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