Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Short but sweet.

Didn't really have too many expectations walking into this movie but from the trailers I saw, I liked the animation style and was pretty game for it. It doesn't do too much or get wild despite the title, it's a basic story of the turtles still in the shadows but wanting to be accepted in the human world while battling creations of Baxter Stockman. So yeah we get dang near every side Ninja Turtles character that hasn't appeared in live action yet with notable examples like Leatherhead, Mondo Gecko, even Bebop & Rocksteady make a return to animation. I do really enjoy the turtle's personalities, and don't honestly mind the many modern references cause it was always a component of the DNA and it makes sense, it's a modern retelling of the story and the humor worked. Surprisingly not as much action as you might suspect, it deals more with the drama and emotions of our very much teenage protagonists and not done bad either! Sure they know some rad moves and are pretty cool, but good God they are a buncha' dorks as teens should be. I like how April is a teen in highschool and wants to be a journalist, Splinter is very much an overprotective dad, and while Superfly isn't a great villian though he gets a truly lovecraftian upgrade near the end which is pretty amazing, you can tell it's all being a modest beginning...even though they sequel bait pretty hard. The animation style seriously was what grabbed my attention, kinda like a mix of Coraline, Kubo And The Two Strings with the Miles Morales Spider-Man movies, it's actually really cool! The music is good, decent selection of songs but I must admit I would have loved for the songs to go on longer. Voice cast brought a lot of energy and humor across the board and I'm super down to see them again in a continuation. It's worth seeing, it's a cute and simple fun movie. Now am I still kinda waiting for the day we get a movie just as good as the 1990 movie? Sure, but a good movie is a good movie and they did the Ninja Turtles with love and wanting to tell something different and I feel they succeeded. I give it 2.5 stars, 7/10! Next week, a movie I had slight interest to see but now I'm pretty stoked and I'll let you know why so stay tuned.

Gorgeous

I feel this is the perfect evolution of films for this week.

After the success of Rush Hour in 1998, Jackie Chan returned to Hong Kong with a very different kind of movie idea, wanting to branch out into full romance comedy but as the script was fleshed out bits of action were thrown in and what we get is a silly, endearing, very good film that I was extremely happy to see. The story in this movie is a bit bonkers, fancy free entertainment that definitely won't work for everybody but if you can roll with it I think you'll have a good time. A young girl named Bu finds a message in a bottle floating near her home and decides to track down the individual in hopes of finding true love, but she finds it not in the man who wrote it but in a one Mr. C.N. Chan, and a quite cute and sweet relationship blossoms between the two. But all is not well when Chan's (that's a bit confusing but I mean the character) childhood rival gets a wee bit jelly and sends a skilled fighter to beat and humiliate him so he can have Bu all to himself. It's an almost childlike plot in a way, logic doesn't have much of a foothold here like most romances truth be told, it's about the emotion that carries the film. I personally very much enjoyed the romance factor here, Jackie and Shu Qi genuinely have heartwarming chemistry together and it's even better after seeing the previous films I've reviewed. Going from a hopeless romance situation, to Jackie chasing girls left and right, to a proper good relationship. Not too little, not too much, perfectly balanced as all things should be. The action is sparse, but the dynamic between Jackie and Bradley James Allan who sadly passed away just this month, is nothing short of amazing and unique. Cause they really have no animosity towards each other, no negative feelings, they treat each other with equal amounts of respect and consideration making the fights more a friendly sparring session than antagonistic brawling. I can't really say I've seen that much in cinema, you just get so much character and personality from these people in their matches. It's really amazing stuff, and the choreography brings ample amounts of lighting quick strikes and nothing short of 110% effort but it also has such a lightness to it, with creative and funny moments that make it markedly different from other fights in Jackie's career. It's simply a film that does not take itself too seriously and embraces the fun of the story and characters, which I have infinite respect for. It's such a different beast, but well worth your attention if you need some fluffy light fun times. 4 stars, 8/10, new movie coming tomorrow and one I didn't even really plan on watching but the trailer firmly had my attention so see you next time.

Dragons Forever

I definitely got a more solid sense of Sammo Hung's directing here.

Wheels On Meals was a good introductory film for his directing, and I get a sense he likes telling a myriad of different genres in a story. It's similar yet different to the first film this week, with more an emphasis this time on the romance with ranges of good to spectacular bits of action sprinkled in. The story follows three men who by some means or another is employed by a shady corrupt business to gain land for their factory, each member has their own plans and forge brief alliances but none of them is telling the whole story leading to periodic clashes before the pin is dropped and they all go after the business. Again it sort of focuses more on the lives of these characters than the action itself, and I really really like that. That's the reason why I hold the Ip Man series so highly, it gives you character and the big fights which I feel works very well here as well. It's so interesting seeing Jackie play a lawyer and be more of a romancing kind of guy, instead of his down to earth everyman persona in most of his films. But that sure as hell doesn't mean he can't still fight. Once again all these guys are on even better form than Wheels On Meals in my opinion, bringing so much speed and precision to their strikes and getting a bit more acrobatic in their movements. The final fight is short but unbelievably outstanding, with so much going on and some hits that straight up made me cringe. I mean f***ing hell man, I need an ice pack just watching it I can't even fathom the actors going through it. It does not shy away from the falls and the impacts, it's really one of the most impressive fight scenes in cinema for me. We even get another standoff with Benny The Jet, didn't entirely plan that but he brings his further improved skill to the forefront. I mean you could break down those two fight scenes alone and really notice how much their styles, technique, and skill has grown. But like I said the film is more of a romance, with Jackie and Sammo having some one on one time with their lady friends which I actually did like. It never felt like it dragged or was pointless so I must commend the film for that. Solid 8/10, 4 stars check it out, and we jump straight to 1999 for the final Jackie Chan film of the week before the next theater going experience.

Wheels On Meals

Yeah Vanguard really stuck with me so I figured why not see some more.

Believe it or not this movie has been on the review calendar several times but always got pushed back, but I finally saw it and while it was admittedly different from the few Jackie Chan movies I've seen I still really enjoyed it. It's much more a comedy film first with action peppered here and there, and if that turns you off it I still very much urge you to see it for yourself. The plot follows two friends who run a food truck in Spain who get swept up in this kidnapping plot by a bit bumbling detective, as they meet a woman with a penchant for pickpocketing among other characters. Now I will fully say the comedy even for me took me about 20 minutes into the film to really grasp, obviously I haven't seen many comedy movies in the 1980s from China but once I got it, the movie made me laugh a fair bit but even when I wasn't laughing I still had a smile on my face. I was pretty shocked to see the story unfold in Spain, Barcelona to be exact so it really just goes to show Vanguard wasn't the one and only to do such a thing. But the locations look nice and the production while obviously not top tier in terms of budget still gets a lot done and in no small feat for the choreography. It's good old classic martial arts fighting, with guys flying across the room from a hit, that instantly recognizable steak punching sound effect, and some neat-o camera work just for the fun of it. Again, it really isn't wall to wall action but at the same time I didn't have any issue with that because the fights were still engaging and entertaining. Hell I would almost go on record and say for a fact that the fighting was kept to a minimum so you really get your full money's worth with the fight between Jackie and Benny The Jet. Holy hot damn it has been a minute since I've seen a fight that good, no it's not even a fight. It's a duel. It's a duel of high skill and raw power that will probably be replaying in my head for the rest of the day. I wouldn't even be surprised if they said they didn't do much choreography for it and just filmed it like if it was a tournament match, it feels that organic and unscripted. If you had reservations watching this movie, chances are those dissipated while that fight was going on. I'm quite certain this is the first Sammo Hung directed movie I've seen, though I've seen him as one of the martial arts masters in Ip Man 2, and while it is an unashamedly 80s piece of foreign actiony cinema I really liked how he did it all. The slow motion, the unique camera placement for certain shots, the editing, it worked very well for me. Also have to give a nod to the music, it got funky and even had a montage song like any true 80s classic. It's a fun movie with a caper plot, and it's cool to see Jackie in one of his older roles. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, good times be found here. Tomorrow we jump closer to the 90s with another Sammo Hung directed film.

Vanguard

Who destroys the god? Luthor destroys the god.

But enough about the game, let's talk film. I think this will be a reoccuring thing for this show, like anytime there is a direct to video Jackie Chan film I'm going to rent it and review it. And this is a bit similar to Bleeding Steel which was one of the most outrageous yet easily one of the most entertaining films I have ever seen in all my days. The plot sounds basic with this super security company tasked with protecting a high priority accountant who is targeted by a mercenary group, who also goes after his daughter leading Jackie and his team of asskickers to keep them safe. And then you see the movie. Oh boy. Wow. It still has the basic yet still highly admirable hand to hand fighting, with good choreography and humor to it but you would be surprised how much gunplay is in this and blood for that matter. Easily the most shooty shoots and blood I've ever seen in a Jackie Chan movie, but then you get stuff like car chases with I kid you not gold plated cars, a wild lion chasing down baddies, and legit hoverboard action that puts Back To The Future to shame for eternity. It's mental, and I loved it but I can easily see this being a turn off for most viewers. It is that kinda cheesy, outlandish, ridiculous action movie that could be scoffed and brushed off by the viewing public at large. You have to like absurd action movies to really enjoy this. But I also have to commend that not only does the film actually take place in several real world places, they actually shoot in London, on these choppy water rapids, in these middle eastern cities, and cap it off in Dubai with the Burj Khalifa which is really awesome that they had the capability and budget to do all this for real, and only used CG when necessary, but what really stunned me is about 85% maybe more of the dialogue is in mandarin. It's unashamedly a piece of chinese cinema that has been brought to the states with nothing tampered with, and again it kinda breaks my heart that just that one aspect can turn a lot of people off this movie. I don't think a proper foreign film starring Jackie Chan will ever release in the cinemas in my lifetime, it's such a niche market and man that sucks. They put effort into it, they show the behind the scenes, they show the location shooting, they show the effort the actors put into the fighting, and I can't ignore that. Yes. It's silly. But you can have a grand time with it. Jackie is class as always, I like the characters, you get a healthy dose of action throughout, the scenery is great at times, there is good stuff to appreciate. If I was giving an unbiased, objective opinion it would be about a 6.5 maybe a 7/10 but because of the entertainment factor and how much I just appreciate the effort of the crew and this genre, I give it a solid 3.5 stars, 8/10! Suicide Squad next week so let's dip back into some DC goodies, see you then.

Rush Hour 3

Okay. You got me movie.

Rush Hour 3, honestly not that bad. Decent story that actually ties back to the first, with now ambassador Han having almost been assassinated brings Lee and Carter back together again this time hunting Triads in Paris, which honestly makes sense as the middle ground between America and China, it was gonna be in Europe no question. The action I feel was more involved and inventive than the second one, hell probably even outdoes the first. Cast once again does very fine work, and I must give the movie props for bringing back Tzi Ma as Han and while little Soo Yung is all grown up and is not the original actress, I'm not going to say a dang bad thing about Jingchu Zang, add Max Von Sydow to the equation and you got yourself a solid cast. The comedy wasn't as strong as the first but not as weak as the second, and really anytime an Abbot and Costello routine is performed I crack up so easily. So it's kind of a shock to go back to the most forgettable entry in this series, and find something really entertaining and worthwhile. That's never a bad thing in my book! I had a good time with this movie, true the first is still the best but it's a fairly solid trilogy when you get right down to it. I feel that while the brother subplot with Lee in this movie is interesting and really could bring some major good dialogue and moments it sadly was kinda just there and didn't do much, and I will admit the finale is slightly thrown off by CGI shots and kinda dodgy rear projections, so it's by no means perfect but they did put effort into it. This was by no means a cash grab of a series that again, hasn't been around for 6 years at that point, they had a fun story with interesting locations and setups and just went with it. Even I can agree that the filmmakers were looking to make another Rush Hour movie and not the absolute best Rush Hour movie, yet I still say it ended this series on a decent note and hasn't garnered a worse reputation in my eyes. So I dub this a win! 3 stars, 7/10, this is by no means some of the best martial arts movies I have seen but truthfully it's a pretty good starting place for future fans.

Rush Hour 2

Okay I gotta level with you on this, I did not see the first Rush Hour until way after this, we're talking 2005 or maybe 2006. I got this movie on DVD in 2002, first time I ever met these characters, first time I ever saw Jackie Chan, this was the one that introduced me to martial arts films. If it wasn't Star Wars or Lord Of The Rings, I did not watch movies in order back then.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's get on to it. Unfortunately Rush Hour 2 did not surpass or meet the standards of the first, yet I still did enjoy it. So we pick up literally about 3 days since the end of the last movie with Lee and Carter going to Hong Kong for a vacation but very quickly accept the case of a counterfeit money ring run by the partner of Lee's dad, as they work with a Secret Service operative to figure out how they are smuggling the money and shutting the operation down. Pretty much by the end of the movie I realized how strikingly similar it was to Diamonds Are Forever. We start off in an asian country but quickly shift gears to Las Vegas, the villain supppsedly dies only to pop up again, the henchman or in this case henchwoman is one of the most memorable parts of the movie and even has a final go at our heroes before their demise at the end, and it has a bit of smut to it. I was kinda shocked and yet not surprisingly shocked at the fanservice with this, any opportunity to show half-nekkid ladies this film delivers to the point where I was like, okay damn put some clothes on before you catch a cold, and if you did your math I was about 7 years old when I saw this movie. And I watched it a lot, may have even fueled a particular taste in women....I've said too much right now so let's not dwell on that. To the technicals! I will say this movie upped the first with how many more stunts and hand to hand fights there were, with plenty of variety in location and inventive use of the environment. On the flip side, I didn't laugh as much but what it lacks in comedy it makes up for in action, so it's a fair trade off between the two. For an hour and a half movie it flies at almost lightning speed, I barely felt like I sat down when the third act rolled in which isn't a bad thing but it is something I noticed, and the first movie is like not even 10 minutes longer than this so it keeps you going quite quick. The cast again was quite good, with Jackie and Chris still having good chemistry and it's an appropriate shift to see Carter now in Lee's territory. John Lone plays a very cool headed and very smooth villain which he does quite well at, but Zhang Ziyi steals the show with a psychotic urge to kill and a striking look so she was easily the best new addition to the cast which speaks a lot about her acting talent as she didn't understand english and yet delivered a very good performance. Roselyn Sanchez I simultaneously liked her in the movie yet didn't, I liked her because she does kinda keep you guessing on who she's working for and even isn't half bad in an action sequence, but I just hated how the camera was leering at her with a few instances of let's just say undress, but she did fine work in the role. It's kinda weird how I remember liking this movie so much more than the first when I was younger, and was even expecting a little bit for it to still be my favorite and yet now I very much agree the first is still the best. I couldn't tell you how much I wanted to watch Rush Hour 3 after it was jokingly teased, and had to wait 6 years for it. Needless to say I do not remember much about it and I honestly don't think I cared for it much even back then. Only one way tonfind out where it stands. In the meantime, 3 stars, I give it 6.5/10, still worth a watch even if only once, and I'll see you next time.

Rush Hour

I got to thinking about what movies specifically got me into loving films like Ip Man and Enter The Dragon, and believe it or not it all started with Rush Hour.

It ain't a bad introduction to international fighting movies, very much a product of the 90s but still greatly enjoyable nevertheless. Maybe I'm in a very small minority here nowadays, but I really liked this movie. This was pretty much Jackie Chan's introduction to american cinema, though his popularity here in the states dates back about a decade before this movie in 1998, and I have to once again commend the movie for showing me more of this absolute legend of an actor, stuntman, and brilliant choreographer. So the story picks up right after the very big event of Britain releasing control of Hong Kong back to China after 150 years, and the consulate travels to America but his young daughter gets kidnapped leading the FBI to step in. We quickly meet Detective James Carter of the LAPD, and Detective Lee who has a strong tie to the young girl and aides in the investigation and rescue. That's pretty much it, this is a film told in black and white, you got your good guys, you got your bad guys, it's pretty standard fare. But what keeps the film so enjoyable and entertaining after 20 years, is the chemistry between Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, they are friggin' great! There's no other way to say it, they're hilarious, they work wonderfully as a duo with each bringing their own personality and attitude, it's just a blast to see them work together. I honestly don't have a problem with Chris Tucker in this movie, I thought he was a riot he had me laughing frequently and loudly, now we'll just have to see how that holds up over the course of this trilogy. Do I even need to talk about Jackie Chan? He's one of the most upbeat, incredibly charming, and even more so physically outstanding actors working in film to this very day. In fact, all the cast is pretty damn good! Ken Leung is a good villain, plays the part well and looks awesome while doing it. Julia Hsu stole my heart in a grand total of 2 seconds, I'd die for this kid and have zero regrets about it, she's just that dang precious and even gives the villain his scar, come on now! She's amazing. So it already has an entertaining plot, really good comedy, great actors, and now we get to talk about the action bits. Very well choreographed, nothing too fancy but very visually stimulating. One thing I did notice is you see dust swirl in the air after a hit to simulate real impact which I thought was an interesting choice cause obviously you can't high kick Chris Tucker in the face so it makes the hit a bit believable, I can't recall many movies doing this but I feel it works here. Plus you get your explosions and shootouts, so you got all your bases covered. Now is the movie dated? Yeah, a little bit. Do I really care? Nope. I kinda love how 90s it is. From the blocky wireless home phones, to the fashion, to the musical references, it's really no secret when this was made. But again, it still works. I think it's a really good and highly entertaining movie, well worth a watch and I honestly cannot wait to do the sequel. 3.5 stars, 7.5/10! And we will see you tomorrow in Homg Kong.

Bleeding Steel

I can't even say the title with a straight face.

Oh. My. God. This film....oh boy this film. I got nothing. This one of the most outrageous movies I have ever seen, and I loved it. Imagine if you will a really cheesy, batshit insane, full on future cop action movie that though it was made in 2017 would feel right at home in the 80s just with a budget and today's effects. I'm not even sure I can realy the plot but I will try. So Jackie Chan plays a future cop in the futuristic year of 2020, where technology has advanced to the point where a doctor has created practically a Iron Man heart, literally a robo-heart valves and all and Jackie is tasked to protect him from this Darth Malak looking dude and fails quite badly due to his cyber warriors. Oh God I can't breathe! So he has like this militia of guys in these suits that look like if you mixed real state of the art combat gear with the main character in Tron Evolution, and this lady who I swear is a mix of Eva Green and Cate Blanchette in Thor Ragnarok and is literally credited only as The Woman In Black because she wears this leather S&M-esque like clothes with a cape and it is glorious. But you know stuff goes down, 13 years pass, and Jackie has been watching over a girl that has the interest of literally every person on the street including our villains, like I swear this poor girl cannot catch a break, she is harassed by every dick on the street and then gets chased by said Woman In Black, and she meets this....guy, just this guy who is trying so hard to be a badass cool guy, and it, it doesn't work. At all. But he's really damn funny. And they fight robo-dudes and shit, and fight to save the day. I just, guys, this movie is bonkers. I mean it is really out there and it is quite possibly the most entertaining movie I will watch this year. I have never had so much unadultered pure fun like this movie. I'm not even sure it's to that so bad it's good point, it's just in it's own league. Oh sweet merciful Christ you need to watch this movie. Like you need to get a group of friends, order some pizza, have some drinks, and watch this movie. You will have the time of your life. I was expecting a fun popcorn flick and I got something infinitely better. I rented this from Redbox and it gave me the option to buy it and....I kinda want to. I would give this movie on a pure subjective view a 7 or maybe even 8/10, this movie is genius. Objectively, it's like a 6 or a 5 but honestly who even cares. Do you go into a movie called BLEEDING STEEL if you want a truly good worthwhile movie to add to the list of some of the best films you've seen? Of course not, why would you even do that? That would just be silly. If I saw this back then I would have unironicaly put it on my top 10 list, I have completely lost my damn mind. Fantastic movie, do not think about it and just watch it, see this is why Jackie is still my man! Nothing is topping this ever, I love you, goodnight!!