John Wick: Chapter 4

I really hate to say this but I don't feel this will be a competent review.

I was an absolute fool, and you can quote me on that, not taking the opportunity to do an In Retrospect of John Wick 3 because I am always on the level here and I speak plainly. I did not remember jack shit about the last 3 movies, I mean nothing. Nada. Zip. And...it's kinda friggin' pertinent information to have so it almost legitimately was like I walked into this movie without watching previous installments. Hell I re-read my old reviews to try to jog my memory and it didn't ring a bell, ding a bell, or ting a bell in my head. So I apologize profusely in advance, if I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about...yeah. So we pick up some time after Parabellum, John is still excommunicated, Winston and Charon are in hot water with the higher ups, and some bitch boy lieutenant apparently thinks he has John Wick's number. I don't remember if that guy was in the last movie, I think he was, but fuck that guy in this movie! He just irked me the right way that few villains can do, so props for that completely! Seeing Ian and Lance again in these roles was simultaneously joyous and bittersweet, I mean nobody could have foresaw Lance Reddick's unfortunate and very sudden passing and it just sucked man. Cause I greatly enjoyed his bits in these movies and now that's it. And of course Keanu back in the suit again (and I will talk about that suit I assure you), it's another fine outing for him and once more he relies on almost silent acting with few lines and lets his body language do the talking. And I gotta say, for an almost 3 hour film which didn't feel it's length, I greatly appreciate the not necessarily lack of action scenes but more the balance between action and quiet moments, I think I counted 5 action sequences total. Granted they are very lavishly choreographed, wonderfully even ingeniously shot at long stretches of time but never feeling dull. Yet the shining pieces of the movie are the beautiful, and I do truly mean beautiful, quiet, peaceful interludes that just worked wonders for me. Pay attention to that shit! But I also give my thanks for them just going all out and giving us an eastern sword duel with Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada and a western gun duel with Keanu, briefly settling into the rhythm and filmmaking of those genres as nothing but loving homage. However! Yell at me if you wish but was the bulletproof clothing in the last movie? I don't mean the fully decked out head to toe, nary an opening, straight up special forces armor. Oh no, I mean the fucking jump the shark, tailored, nice ass suits which are bulletproof. What. The fuck? I think I would recall something like that previously and shout bullshit! It makes zero goddamn sense both in universe and from a filmmaking perspective other than they needed an excuse to make the fight scenes longer. Well shit, how do we do that? What if we made our characters impervious like the last son of Krypton? My God, Johnson's done it again! And motherfuck, I said what I meant and I meant what I said, you do not fall 3 storeys onto a van and just walk that shit off. Bulletproof suit or not. It really kept taking me out of it. Now one scene that did not and if anything got my nerves skyrocketing is the staircase segment, where it's like the fucking Exorcist Steps × 100, just because of a ticking clock implemented. Well done on that! And even that ain't got shit on the Zelda shootout, you'll understand that reference when you see it classic gamers out there. I mean sweet Jesus that was a feat! I did actually expect the movie to end on an ambiguous note because I heard something about the director wanting to take a break before the next John Wick movie but it ends on a solid definitive note which thank you for that as well. So I don't know man, I'm stumped. Did I like it? A good deal yeah! But booooy howdy do I need to have me a little movie marathon once this hits video and re-evaluate my stance. But all in all I give it 3.5 stars, 8/10! And tomorrow is nothing but the beginning of the end or perhaps the end of the beginning.

Ip Man 4

Truly a finale, and certainly not a bad one at that.

Yes the culmination of this series and it really was the boost I needed this week. I heard originally that this was going to get a release in the States, but for the life of me I didn't see it anywhere even at the theaters who show foreign films, so I had to wait for it to hit video. And I must say this is the most Ip Man movie of them all, basically combining all the elements of the previous three movies into one which kinda makes sense seeing as how each subsequent movie took elements from the last and continued building upon them in original ways. So this film starts in the early 60s with Ip Man living with his teenage son and travelling to America to seek better tuition for him, as he meets various masters of different schools and gets entangled in the events with their students and rival martial artists from a marines base. That's the basic gist, and follows true to the feel of the Ip Man series with good character progression, excellent choreography, and a basic but still engrossing story. I must give major commendations to the writers, they really got every main and side character and had all of them tie together through the story in some fashion or another, they all have their place and all help progress the events of the film. That's impressive, and the cast is once again really good with particular love going to Yue Wu and Vanda Margraf, one of the masters of a school and his teenage daughter respectively. They had damn good chemistry and their story runs parallel in some ways more than others to Master Ip, they were the standouts besides of course Donnie Yen. Yeah, it breaks my heart this is the last film but I can't imagine what it's like for Donnie to have the great privilege to bring this man's work and story to life and to see it to the very end. I know the movies have been decent hits here in America but I seriously hope it garners more attention and love, but then again for a movie series that has spanned for over a decade and has sent waves through western civilization is still pretty incredible regardless of the size of that wave. I was completely happy with the ending of the series, most people would argue it's just martial arts fluff but that is so not the case for this series, it's as much about the characters as the fighting, I mean it's personified in the fact that while Ip Man is a martial artist he does not go looking for a fight but fights to help others. I really enjoyed seeing the follow up to essentially the first film as we see Bruce Lee has introduced chinese martial arts to the masses and Ip Man sees that as a good thing while the other masters don't. You really see a mix of both China and America in this film from both sides, some people are against such things but it works out in the end. I read reviews of this film and the sheer balls some people had to practically shriek this is chinese propaganda made me want to consecutively strike their kidneys 50 times, I mean are you f***ing kidding me? I cannot begin to tell you how fundamentaly wrong that statement is, that's being as closed minded as the marine instructor and karate team in this movie who think chinese martial arts is bullshit but karate is superior. Okay yes, China is not the founder of the martial arts we know today, they learned it from Okinawa in the 17th century and mastered it for 300 years before even introducing it to Japan but for the love of all that is good, karate ain't american or superior so what in the hell are you on? It's practically a chinese fighting style! How is one okay but the other laughable? Not all fighting styles are equal no matter what the region is, but there's also not such a thing as a perfect fighting style. Wing Chun is not superior or equal to karate or boxing, just like something such as UFC fighting is not the same or superior to boxing. And the moral stance on villifying americans or more specifically white people is absurd, because clearly only white people have picked fights in this series. For God's sake. I just...I can't, why must I share a planet with this much stupid? Ugh, bloody hell. Bottom line, I very much liked this movie, it was a good ending to a movie series that didn't get to be a total disgrace of an overstretched franchise. If I had to rank the films based on pure memory alone, because I actually did not marathon all the movies I would say, second movie is the best, then the third, then the first, then the fourth. It doesn't make this a bad movie by any stretch, because it all comes down to opinions and that's my two cents on the matter. 4 stars, 8/10, this is a very rare circumstance but this is a very strong tetrology.

Ip Man 3

I think with this movie it all depends on perspective whether it is better than the last or not.

I personally think it does, it adds more risk which thusly leads to more intense and kinda stressful fight scenes cause you're not sure what will happen, very important character developments, and has one of the oddest pairings of fighters in history. So we fast forward quite a few years, Ip Man's son is all grown up, his father is still teaching in Hong Kong, but trouble starts brewing when a gang of thugs led by, I swear I am not lying, Mike Tyson start harassing people for their property including Ip Man's younger son's school which turns serious after his young son is kidnapped. Meanwhile, it is soon discovered Ip Man's wife actually has cervical cancer, leading to a pretty rough viewing especially if you have known people close to you who have had cancer. This is the aspect that makes the film better than the last in my opinion. Because we've always had the same actress Lynn Hung as his wife, they don't pull a Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor and have a different actress each movie, and whether or not they planned all 3 movies out in advance or not it works. Because the family element of his life has always been there, his wife tries to keep him home so they can live their life together though he always gets spirited away in events, he tries to balance work and home but fails, especially in this movie it seems their marriage is pushed to the breaking point until she grows more and more sick leading him to spend more and more time with her which is very sweet and a nice change of pace. You know he loves her and wants to be there, but the world has different plans and he is an upstanding guy so he tries to help when he can. There's one scene, I believe not long after he finds out she has cancer and he's sitting out in public, and you can tell this man is contemplating the future of his life without her in it. It's such a very brief scene but it does so much. I know some people have this issue with foreign films of, well I don't know their acting styles so I can't tell if the performance is good. That does not apply here. It's crushing to see this couple go through the worst situation possible, and to see them so emotionally revealed. I think they chose wisely focusing on the family side of Ip Man's life so prominently, though of course there is still many confrontations. Which just throws me off even more cause there is such a powerful story being told just between a man and his wife, and then here comes Mike Tyson herding these hoodlums and challenging Ip Man to a fight. And while it is interesting to see a no bars fight between one hell of a boxer, and a grandmaster of martial arts without all the regulations of a legit boxing match seen in the last movie, it just feels odd. It doesn't hurt the film, but you do ask questions as to why. But ours is not to reason why, ours is but to watch and buy. And all these movies are worth buying if this is your style of movie. I figured it fit the action standard of a summer movie, while discussing a genre of film that I greatly enjoy and admire though I have seen in reality very little. I know there are countless kung fu and mixed martial arts movies out there, some definitely worth seeing, so I wanted to share a more less known movie series that could be interesting and entertaining to watch for even a casual movie lover.

Next week, is sort of a mixed bag. It's either gonna be 1 or 2 In Retrospect reviews with 2 movie reviews including one coming out in theaters next Friday. May have some controversial opinions about the new movie for some, but hopefully you will not hold that against me.

Ip Man 2

I think I would say this film is better than the first.

So the story picks up not long after the first with Ip Man living in British occupied Hong Kong where he begins a new school and starts taking pupils. He encounters various other Masters, and through altercations with one's students they form a rivalry which soon turns to respect and understanding. And a boxing event is announced which leads to the clashing of two styles, western boxing and eastern martial arts with Ip Man fighting not for superiority but for respect. And you may notice a....shall we say a specific pattern with this movie. Now granted, film is a langauge that surpasses all barriers, and no idea is truly original. And while the factual events happened decades before, this film combines plot from Rocky 1 through 4! Two fighters form a rivalry, they rematch while hero's wife is preggers, rivals become friends and find mutual respect for one another, one friend dies in a fight and the other must avenge him. They even do a slow-mo run for crying out loud. But does that hinder my enjoyment of the movie? Actually no, you feel this palpable passion to see Ip Man win this fight. And the fights really up the ante this time around, being much more elaborate in the use of objects and even camera placement. There is one scene I especially admire where Ip Man explains to one of his pupils the importance and values of Wing Chun, cementing even more his calm, nonviolent, and all around kind demeanor. Which is why in my opinion, they casted Donnie Yen perfectly, he really is one of the nicest people you will meet like, ever. Plus they throw in a few familiar faces from the first movie, which is always appreciated. It's just a really good movie, a little more or less action depending on your point of view, but worth your time nevertheless. But we got one more, so let's see if the 3rd ends on a high note.

Ip Man

Well I figured we needed at least one action movie series before July ended.

Now I must admit, though my love and appreciation for martial arts film is high I surprisingly have not seen a lot of it. I want to, I know there have been tons of well done, well told, very good films with martial arts fighting in it that is unbelievable but I am glad I have seen this one. Not only does Ip Man have very impressive and incredible fighting scenes, but the story delves deep into the history of one of the most well known teachers of Wing Chun. So the story takes place in 1937, Ip Man has been living a quiet life teaching at his school until the Japanese invade China and occupy his city, where the general of the Japanese army challenges every master of every school to a duel to prove Japan is superior in every way. But Ip Man is surprisingly not a competitive and eager to fight kind of person, they do justice to the man and show him as kind, understanding, and respectful but has his limits like any person and will fight because it is the right thing to do and defeat the general. Now of course this is a trope in film, but all tropes have some basis in reality. He of course sees Wing Chun as something more than pure physical strength and power, and never oversteps his boundaries. His fighting style shows prowess and reservation, more about draining his opponent and finding openings to attack than a pure outpour of energy and strength, you can tell an awful lot about a person from how they fight. Almost as if their fighting styles and techniques are just further extensions of their character. To pit against a western point of view, Rocky Balboa is a southpaw, unorthodox, can take hits and dish them out twice as hard, unbelievable will and determination to win. You can tell a lot about Rocky from his fights, the same with Ip Man. And the fights are outstanding, with such speed and quick editing but never so fast you have no idea what is going on. The shots are well placed enough to encapsulate the entire fight, and the editing adds power and style to make every fight exhilirating and have a purpose. Now obviously martial arts is the name of the game, you go see a movie like this to view such well executed fight scenes, fights can occur from something like the dropping of a hat, but this movie's fights progress the story and be highly entertaining. That is in my opinion, the true virtue that makes a great martial arts movie. And I do highly suggest you watch the subtitled version, granted there is nothing wrong with the dub, but to appreciate the acting and story better that's the one to go for. If these movies are a guilty pleasure or something you greatly enjoy, if you haven't seen it you probably should. And we got 2 more before the week is out so stick around.

In Retrospect: Rogue One

You may fire when ready.

I forgot how amazing Peter Cushing was in this! I don't care if it's cgi, it's Peter Cushing back to do another movie. Automatic 12 stars out of 10, when you add Carrie Fisher in this as well. I love Star Wars, the original 1977 Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw if you have somehow forgotten that, I already talk about it enough. But it was the first time I saw these actors in my life, and then through the years I saw them in more things. And they are gone now, so it was both triumphant and crushing to see them in this movie again. So Rogue One is still a great Star Wars movie, now that I have watched Rebels, I noticed several more easter eggs that flew by me the first viewing in theaters. It was a lot of fun, the characters in my opinion got better with repeated viewings. Now that I have the ability to rewind and pause, I could gather much more evidence of good performances in this movie. Jyn Erso still feels like an outsider to it all but becomes a true Rebel as the film progresses, Cassian Andor is this hard edged, no nonsense captain willing to do shall we say...morally ambiguous things. In fact, the Rebel Alliance isn't all comradery and heroes and doing the right thing no matter what. They do bad things in this movie, which is very much more like a real war, not everybody believes in their side and does things they may not be proud of. That is a great aspect. Krennic is a backstabbing son of a mother, has no respect or anything for other people, so he gets under your skin quickly. All the side characters like Baze or Ip Man (Yeah I know his name is Chirrut, but it's Donnie Yen so he's Ip Man!) got a lot better as well. Everyone says the Battle of Scarif is the best space battle in Star Wars, I would still say either of the Death Star assaults but it is pretty spectacular. I still am not a fan of Vader's castle on Mustafar though, now people would argue "Well it's on Mustafar because that's where he lost everything. Being there taps into his anger, and pain, therefore making him more powerful in the dark side." and I don't like it. I loved the idea he had this castle on a remote, desolate ice planet, more desolate than Hoth that he could retreat to away from the Emperor. The imagery alone in my mind makes it so badass but whatever, I didn't make the movie. The ending scene was still unbelievable, and it does indeed just keep getting more awesome every time. So worth buying it, so awesome still, Rogue One makes a fine addition to my collection. Will it be part of yours too?

Rogue One

I'm not disappointed.

New Star Wars movie!!! How was it? They did a very good job with it, it was a well made, well put together movie that encapsulates what happened before A New Hope. I enjoyed it, the story I totally rolled with, it was very believable that this is how the Rebels got the Death Star plans. The cast was great, even though I'm not the biggest Felicity Jones fan but Mads Mikkelsen and Donnie Yen and James Earl Jones were fantastic, and I have to say we see some unexpected faces in this movie. I was stunned to see so many familiar faces from the series. Senator Bail Organa from Episode 3 made an appearance, Darth Vader obviously, those two hecklers in the cantina from Episode 4, mentions of Obi-Wan, but most shocking of all was Peter Cushing. I was wondering if they were going to put Tarkin in the movie but...there he was! Peter Cushing as I live and breathe! It looked just like him, it sounded like him, I was freaking out in my seat whenever I saw him! That was positively shocking, the effects in this movie were so outstanding that they brought an old friend back from years gone by. Speaking of which, the film looks amazing with plenty of space battles, and blaster fights throughout. I was wondering if they were almost going to do a straight up war movie, and while it did have it's moments it still felt like Star Wars. They didn't screw around with the continuity, in fact they got it down impeccably with the attention to detail in all you see and remember from the original Star Wars. I'd like to see someone whine about that exhaust port on the Death Star now. What was surprising most is, most of the footage in the trailers is NOT in the movie. A good 80% of all the trailers look drastically different from the finished film. Now other films were like this, like Suicide Squad, the movie looked ever so slightly different from the film (Don't worry I still need to look back at Suicide Squad, I haven't forgotten.) but with this movie you might as well have not seen the trailers. Great movie, definitely go see it, I know I probably will again! Thanks for reading, enjoy the movie, and I shall see you guys next week.