I sat down on Saturday to write a review of the film "To All a Goodnight." It's a Christmas horror movie directed by "Last House on the Left" actor David Hess. Yet, after attempting to write about it twice, I just felt like I had nothing to say about the film. It's a $70,000 slasher film from the early 80's, and you can probably find ten different reviews that would share my thoughts. It's a fairly rough film and I will leave it at that.
I want to take this blog post to write something other than a film review. Earlier today I read this blog post by Roger Ebert, which then brought me to this blog post by David Bordwell. Both posts deal with where people sit in a movie theater. It may sound like a boring topic to some, but really think about it. Everyone has their seats or place they like to sit in a theater. I'm fascinated by the different rituals that people have when going to the movies, and hearing from these two inspired me to write about my own theater habits. I do not have the writing prowess that they do, nor will this post have the eloquence that the ones above have, but I must share.
Growing up, I often went to the theater with my mom and two brothers. This wasn't an issue, but there was a bit of an awkward ritual as far as seating was concerned. We would always sit towards the back, on the right side (as the Waterville theater had two sides and an aisle in between), and sometimes a chair between certain individuals. I don't know when this started or why we sat in this particular spot, but I'm sure it had something to do with my mom and eyesight. I feel like I remember her complaining about that at some point in my life.
After striking out with just my brothers, we continued this ritual of sitting far back. It just seemed natural and something we never questioned. Yet, when the Bangor theater got stadium seating, I noticed that more and more people were sitting towards the back. I, personally, do not like to be around other people when seeing a movie. When the lights go down, a personal experience should occur. As a viewer, I put away all thoughts and focus entirely on the film, and when someone talks or distracts from that experience, I find that I lose my focus and the viewing is tainted, even if just slightly.
With all these people beginning to surround my seat of choice, I began to re-think my placement in the theater. I noticed that more and more people began huddling in the back, whereas nobody was going towards the front. This also included the Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville. It was the summer of 2005 that I began experimenting with choosing a new seat. I tried as far back as I could go, but found it was just like watching my television at home. It wasn't a true experience. I tried sitting more towards the middle, and while this was better, there were again the crowds of people that would surround me. It didn't happen for every movie, but if it was a popular film then I knew I'd be surrounded. Finally, I just went for it and did the (at the time) unthinkable: I sat dead center in the first three rows. It was either the third, second, or first row that I would sit in, and while it did take the trailers to adjust to my position, it created an experience.
This is ultimately what the cinema is all about and what has become lost on moviegoers. We have Netflix at home. We have Blu-ray and DVD copies of movies readily available to watch on our laptops. Digital copies for our iPads. In no way can I knock these, because they are excellent ways to see films that I would not otherwise be able to. Yet, the experience of a large screen like you find at movie theaters cannot be recreated, and sitting towards the front enhances our ability to take in the piece and become totally immersed. No longer was I the victim of a distractingly tall 60 year old who thinks "The Queen" is the funniest movie she has seen all year and who wants everyone around her to know that. No longer did I have to see a person get their cellphone out to check if anyone called. I was free from all of that, and whenever I'm alone in a theater, I go straight towards the first three rows.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Let the Bullets Fly
The "Eastern Western" (a term which I just thought of and am not sure if others have ever used) has existed for a long time, though it's popularity is only now starting to be seen in the US. The times that I have written or created a blog post dealing with this fascinating subgenre could probably be counted on two hands, but that is far more than most people have written about it. Eastern filmmakers are tackling the traditional American/Italian western and making it their own. These filmmakers are creating powerful works that, in many ways, rise above their counterparts from other countries. Certain films like "The Good, the Bad, the Weird," "Shanghai Express," "Tears of the Black Tiger," and most famously, "Sukiyaki Western Django," have all addressed the classic cliches that belong to the western genre and have retooled them to have new purpose and meaning to their respective countries.
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Asian countries are taking on these classic ideas, as it wasn't long ago that westerns were borrowing from the likes of Akira Kurosawa himself. What surprises me though, is the freshness that these filmmakers are bringing to what has been a dead genre and the messages, mainly social and political, that are being addressed with these movies.
"Let the Bullets Fly" is not necessarily a film that I would immediately categorize as an Asian western. The film takes place in the 1920's, and deals with a group of bandits who are out to swindle a criminal in a place called Goose Town. The bandits, led by notorious ruffian Pocky Zhang (played by director, actor, and writer Jiang Wen), claim that Zhang is the new governor of Goose Town. The goal of the bandits is initially to cheat the townspeople out of all their money, yet when Zhang realizes that the people have no money and are being used by local criminal Huang (played by Chow Yun-Fat), he chooses to instead go after Huang and bring him down.
As I stated before, I would not entirely consider "Let the Bullets Fly" as a western, mainly because it strikes me more as an action/comedy that has many western elements. Similar to a western, Zhang takes on the role of a sheriff and promises that justice will be served in Goose Town. There are the usual attempted train robberies, shoot outs between criminals and bandits, and a discussion of the importance of a good hat. The more I type, the more the western elements stand out, but ultimately they feel more like an afterthought.
Just because the western elements are secondary in the film does not mean that it detracts from the film at all. It is, in fact, an incredibly entertaining film. The humor that is present may be lost on some viewers in the US, and I wouldn't even admit to understanding it all, but the action sequences alone make this film memorable. Not to mention the rivalry that is built up between Zhang and Huang. Chow Yun-Fat does a great job making Huang the epitome of despicable, being rich, heartless, and a coward. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the coin, Wen Jiang plays the charismatic, yet cold, bandit perfectly. Though he might show a bit more loyalty than what actually exists between thieves, it makes for a likable character.
In the grand scheme of things, "Let the Bullets Fly" will most likely not be remembered as one of the best Asian westerns and it would be tough to top the likes of Takashi Miike and Kim Ji-woon anyway. "Let the Bullets Fly" does something completely different, taking elements of many different genres and blending them to fit with one another almost perfectly. Granted, there may be aspects to this film that I missed, not being anywhere near an expert on China or Chinese culture, but it certainly is an entertaining ride for the two hours and change that it runs for.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Workprint Cuts
First, as a side note that I feel like getting out of the way, I saw "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" the other night. Bill Condon is far better than this material. It is clear from the first twenty minutes that he understands and has a love for the horror genre, creating some fine visuals beyond what has been done in the series thus far. Obviously, this isn't a horror film, but the vampire aspect does lend itself to some of the elements of the genre. It quickly turns sour, however, when you realize that nobody can make this material entertaining or interesting. Nobody. I was completely bored. Not that I'm a fan of the series, but I was hoping for more.
Now, to the topic at hand...workprint cuts. A workprint cut refers to a rough version of the film used by directors and editors during the editing process. It's usually missing music, sound effects, and sometimes dialogue. Certain collectors and completists enjoy watching these cuts as it gives you the full, unedited film, even if it is in a raw form. Workprint cuts are not meant for general audiences, but they usually find their to the public through the internet or other ways.
Synapse Films recently released a limited edition version of the 1989 film "Intruder" on Blu-ray and included in that package a DVD-R featuring a workprint cut of the film. The Blu-ray/DVD/DVD-R combo was only available through their website for those that pre-ordered, and was also only available to the first 500 people who pre-ordered. Obviously, I pre-ordered it or else I would not be writing this. Ever since I got my copy a couple of weeks back I have been dying to watch it, but I struggled with which disc to put in first. My immediate reaction was obviously the workprint cut. Though it was an incomplete version of "Intruder," it was the major reason why I bought this Blu-ray disc from their site. Yet, the quality on the Blu-ray would obviously be far superior. It was a hard decision to make.
In the end I finally just watched the workprint cut, and I certainly do not regret it. Obviously, the viewing suffered somewhat from watching this version as it was far from perfect and sourced from an old VHS copy. With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is something about watching a rough copy of a film that's not really meant for the general public, and being able to see how the final version differs from the workprint. I appreciate the fact that Synapse Films recognized that some (not all) fans would enjoy this experience and hope they do more like this in the future.
As for "Intruder," director Scott Spiegel ("From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money" and co-writer of "Evil Dead 2") has crafted a fun slasher film that takes place within...a grocery store. It's not the most likely place to set a slasher film, but there are a lot of surprisingly gruesome things that can happen in a grocery store. Most of the murders happen in the butchering area, but it does go beyond that point. Featuring performances from genre favorites Renee Estevez ("Sleepaway Camp II") and Sam Raimi (director of "The Evil Dead"), this movie is an underrated gem that fans of the horror genre should see. There is no better way to see "Intruder" than to get the Blu-ray which will be in stores December 13, but might ship early if you order directly from Synapse Films.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods
The Background:
Two weeks ago I wrote about my love of Donnie Yen films. This week I'm going to cover an actor who is more well known to western audiences: Jackie Chan. I first became aware of Jackie Chan's existence when "Rumble in the Bronx" was released in the United States by New Line Cinema in 1996. Apparently, Jackie Chan did receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1995 MTV Movie Awards, but I can honestly say that I do not remember that moment. Keep in mind, I was only ten.
Since then, I've been in and out keeping up with Jackie Chan. Initially when his movies were being released in the states, I saw every single one ("Supercop," "Operation Condor," "First Strike," "Mr. Nice Guy," etc. etc). After Chan began making movies like "Shanghai Noon" and "Around the World in 80 Days," I stopped keeping up with him.
From 1996 - 2000 (and probably slightly beyond that), Dimension Films released a lot of Chan's older films with newly dubbed soundtracks (most of which consisted of Chan himself doing the dubbing for his character) and edited from their original versions. To the point, Echo Bridge Entertainment has released a number of these films in those Dimension cut and dubbed forms on Blu-ray, and despite the fact that I hate films that are cut and dubbed, I had to buy the four pack featuring "Operation Condor," "Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods," "Project A," and "Project A II." After all, these were the editions I was originally exposed to and it would be a nice blast from the past.
The Review:
The film released in the United States as "Operation Condor" is in fact a sequel to this film, "Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods." They were released in reverse order in the United States, and I suspect that's because "Operation Condor" is a more entertaining film. In "Operation Condor 2," Jackie Chan's ex-girlfriend is kidnapped and held hostage by a cult and will only be set free if Jackie can deliver the five ancient artifacts known as the Armour of God. It's a traditional plot with Jackie Chan playing, essentially, himself. In most US dubs, even if the character has a different name, the people in charge of the dub just decide to call him Jackie.
With any Jackie Chan film, the first and most important thing are the stunts. For my tastes, they are too far between and, until the finale, too tame. The intensity that Chan brings to action sequences is not felt until the final fight, when there are hundreds of villains in an underground cave attacking him. These last twenty minutes are incredibly entertaining, but up until that point we only get a handful of minor fight sequences and a car chase that just does very little. A side note: Chan nearly died during the filming of one of the stunts from the opening sequence. The error is shown during the end credits of this film, as all mistakes are in Jackie Chan movies.
Armed with a sidekick who isn't quite goofy enough, there is humor to be had in "Operation Condor 2." Similar to the action sequences, it never comes near the best of Chan's films and this is disappointing. "The Legend of Drunken Master" is a hysterical film, as are "First Strike" and "Operation Condor." This film doesn't quite have enough slapstick humor or Jackie Chan's traditional self effacing style to make it work as well as his other films.
Despite all of this, "Operation Condor 2" really does pick up in the final twenty minutes. Is it enough to save the film? I think that for fans of the actor, it certainly is. Not by much, but if you enjoy Jackie Chan and have not seen this film, I recommend that you do. Don't rush out and see it immediately, but if you have the opportunity, I would say it is worth it.
Grade: ***
Blu-ray Comments:
Echo Bridge Entertainment, known for releasing terrible quality DVD's and Blu-rays, have actually done well with what they have been given. The films are the cut and dubbed Dimension versions, and the aspect ratios are off for three out of the four films, but the quality of the transfers are nice. They are presented with a 1080p transfer and strong soundtracks for all four. Solid presentations from a distributor that is generally lacking.
Two weeks ago I wrote about my love of Donnie Yen films. This week I'm going to cover an actor who is more well known to western audiences: Jackie Chan. I first became aware of Jackie Chan's existence when "Rumble in the Bronx" was released in the United States by New Line Cinema in 1996. Apparently, Jackie Chan did receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1995 MTV Movie Awards, but I can honestly say that I do not remember that moment. Keep in mind, I was only ten.
Since then, I've been in and out keeping up with Jackie Chan. Initially when his movies were being released in the states, I saw every single one ("Supercop," "Operation Condor," "First Strike," "Mr. Nice Guy," etc. etc). After Chan began making movies like "Shanghai Noon" and "Around the World in 80 Days," I stopped keeping up with him.
From 1996 - 2000 (and probably slightly beyond that), Dimension Films released a lot of Chan's older films with newly dubbed soundtracks (most of which consisted of Chan himself doing the dubbing for his character) and edited from their original versions. To the point, Echo Bridge Entertainment has released a number of these films in those Dimension cut and dubbed forms on Blu-ray, and despite the fact that I hate films that are cut and dubbed, I had to buy the four pack featuring "Operation Condor," "Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods," "Project A," and "Project A II." After all, these were the editions I was originally exposed to and it would be a nice blast from the past.
The Review:
The film released in the United States as "Operation Condor" is in fact a sequel to this film, "Operation Condor 2: The Armour of the Gods." They were released in reverse order in the United States, and I suspect that's because "Operation Condor" is a more entertaining film. In "Operation Condor 2," Jackie Chan's ex-girlfriend is kidnapped and held hostage by a cult and will only be set free if Jackie can deliver the five ancient artifacts known as the Armour of God. It's a traditional plot with Jackie Chan playing, essentially, himself. In most US dubs, even if the character has a different name, the people in charge of the dub just decide to call him Jackie.
With any Jackie Chan film, the first and most important thing are the stunts. For my tastes, they are too far between and, until the finale, too tame. The intensity that Chan brings to action sequences is not felt until the final fight, when there are hundreds of villains in an underground cave attacking him. These last twenty minutes are incredibly entertaining, but up until that point we only get a handful of minor fight sequences and a car chase that just does very little. A side note: Chan nearly died during the filming of one of the stunts from the opening sequence. The error is shown during the end credits of this film, as all mistakes are in Jackie Chan movies.
Armed with a sidekick who isn't quite goofy enough, there is humor to be had in "Operation Condor 2." Similar to the action sequences, it never comes near the best of Chan's films and this is disappointing. "The Legend of Drunken Master" is a hysterical film, as are "First Strike" and "Operation Condor." This film doesn't quite have enough slapstick humor or Jackie Chan's traditional self effacing style to make it work as well as his other films.
Despite all of this, "Operation Condor 2" really does pick up in the final twenty minutes. Is it enough to save the film? I think that for fans of the actor, it certainly is. Not by much, but if you enjoy Jackie Chan and have not seen this film, I recommend that you do. Don't rush out and see it immediately, but if you have the opportunity, I would say it is worth it.
Grade: ***
Blu-ray Comments:
Echo Bridge Entertainment, known for releasing terrible quality DVD's and Blu-rays, have actually done well with what they have been given. The films are the cut and dubbed Dimension versions, and the aspect ratios are off for three out of the four films, but the quality of the transfers are nice. They are presented with a 1080p transfer and strong soundtracks for all four. Solid presentations from a distributor that is generally lacking.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Weekend Viewings
I saw three films this weekend, two of which I am far from prepared to write reviews for at this point and one that I did a podcast about. You, however, will most likely NEVER hear that podcast for reasons I will detail below. So, the following blog post will strictly focus on my experience watching each film and a star rating. Since I'm not elaborating on any title, you should take my star rating with a grain of salt.
J. Edgar - A Friday off and what better to do than see the new Eastwood film? I have to admit that I have been a terrible Eastwood fan. I still have not seen "Invictus" or "Hereafter" (though I do have both on hand) and overall have felt a distance from his work because of this. I went to the Bangor Mall Cinemas 10 (or whatever they call themselves these days) and it was a surprisingly crowded theater. So much so, that a family felt the need to sit right next to me. This generally doesn't bother me, except I don't think that when they picked those seats they realized I was even there. This made it so that the guy who was sitting right next to me kept looking over, as though I came from nowhere and made him uncomfortable. Awkward at first, but I think we both got used to it.
Rating: ***
Take Shelter - For some unknown reason, Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville chose to take two showings away from this brand new, well reviewed film to show an HD broadcast of an opera. I found this somewhat upsetting as my usual matinee showing was taken away, but it worked out for the better.
They also chose to put this on their smallest, tiniest theater, so it was again more crowded than expected. A group of elderly people walked in during the trailers (a common theme this weekend I guess) and caused a raucous trying to find six open seats next to each other during the "Melancholia" trailer. They also laughed during inappropriate parts during the film, which is pretty much void of humor.
Afterwards my wife (who was thoroughly freaked out by the movie) and I went to the Grand Central Cafe and had a pizza called the Solaris. We debated what to get, but ultimately, she gave me final choice. I don't think that she understands that I chose this pizza because of the name. Overall though, an incredible evening.
Rating: ***
The Sorcerer and the White Snake - I watched this while dogsitting on my laptop. Not ideal for viewing, as if it's a bad film I could easily be distracted by the dog and the laptop is far from my favorite way of watching a film. These, however, did not prove to be a problem and I watched the film with little interruption. I then created a podcast about the film, but honestly, I'm not sure if I pronounced some of the names correctly. To save myself from embarrassment, there are only a handful of people I will ever share it with. "The Sorcerer and the White Snake" is a terrible film though.
Rating: * and 1/2
Those are my weekend viewings in a nutshell.
J. Edgar - A Friday off and what better to do than see the new Eastwood film? I have to admit that I have been a terrible Eastwood fan. I still have not seen "Invictus" or "Hereafter" (though I do have both on hand) and overall have felt a distance from his work because of this. I went to the Bangor Mall Cinemas 10 (or whatever they call themselves these days) and it was a surprisingly crowded theater. So much so, that a family felt the need to sit right next to me. This generally doesn't bother me, except I don't think that when they picked those seats they realized I was even there. This made it so that the guy who was sitting right next to me kept looking over, as though I came from nowhere and made him uncomfortable. Awkward at first, but I think we both got used to it.
Rating: ***
Take Shelter - For some unknown reason, Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville chose to take two showings away from this brand new, well reviewed film to show an HD broadcast of an opera. I found this somewhat upsetting as my usual matinee showing was taken away, but it worked out for the better.
They also chose to put this on their smallest, tiniest theater, so it was again more crowded than expected. A group of elderly people walked in during the trailers (a common theme this weekend I guess) and caused a raucous trying to find six open seats next to each other during the "Melancholia" trailer. They also laughed during inappropriate parts during the film, which is pretty much void of humor.
Afterwards my wife (who was thoroughly freaked out by the movie) and I went to the Grand Central Cafe and had a pizza called the Solaris. We debated what to get, but ultimately, she gave me final choice. I don't think that she understands that I chose this pizza because of the name. Overall though, an incredible evening.
Rating: ***
The Sorcerer and the White Snake - I watched this while dogsitting on my laptop. Not ideal for viewing, as if it's a bad film I could easily be distracted by the dog and the laptop is far from my favorite way of watching a film. These, however, did not prove to be a problem and I watched the film with little interruption. I then created a podcast about the film, but honestly, I'm not sure if I pronounced some of the names correctly. To save myself from embarrassment, there are only a handful of people I will ever share it with. "The Sorcerer and the White Snake" is a terrible film though.
Rating: * and 1/2
Those are my weekend viewings in a nutshell.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Orono Book Sale
I enjoy used books and used book sales. Whenever there is a used book sale going on in the Bangor area, I usually attend it. Yesterday there was a fantastic book sale put on by the Friends of the Orono Public Library and it's held every year around this time. While there wasn't quite as much in the science fiction section as there normally is, I still managed to walk away with a few things worth noting.
1. "Neuromancer" by William Gibson - I own a copy of this book already, but I loaned it to my brother and he has yet to get it back to me. For fifty cents, I figured, why not? For those that have not read it, "Neuromancer" is a fantastic cyberpunk novel that, in my opinion, cannot be equaled by anything else in the genre. A favorite book of mine and one that I recommend to most anyone.
2. "The Empire Strikes Back" by Donald F. Glut - After picking up "Neuromancer" and seeing how few science fiction novels there were this year, I was desperate to find something else. Anything else. Then, I found that something. While I may never get around to reading this book, a novelization of "The Empire Strikes Back" struck me as something I had to have. Or...I had to have it for fifty cents...I should say.
3. "Spirited Killer" on DVD - Touted as being Tony Jaa's first film, I have seen this on the shelves of many stores over and over again. Yet every time I see it, I pass by it because I know that no matter how cheap it is, it's supposed to be a fairly poor film. Yes, they have used pictures of Tony Jaa from "The Protector" and "Ong-Bak" to attempt to sell US audiences on it, but I have never been fooled. That is, until it was only a dollar at a local book sale. I was sold.
4. "Time for Revenge" on VHS - Part of the "Cinematheque Collection" from the 1980's, this VHS jumped out at me. Knowing the collection and how few films from that line made it to DVD, I absolutely had to pick this film up as it might be my only opportunity to see it. Doing a bit of research when I got back home, I found that it indeed has not been released on DVD, though the VHS can be had for fairly cheap online. Still, "Time for Revenge" will fit right in my VHS collection next to the "Cinematheque Collection" edition of "The Lift."
5. "Cure" on VHS - Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, it took me the longest time to understand this movie. I saw it when I was in high school, and it certainly is not a traditional "J-Horror" film. However, once I read up on it...I loved it. It's available on DVD and recommend those who enjoy Japanese cinema to check it out. This happens to be a VHS version, which I was unaware existed, and also appears to be a studio screener copy? Maybe? I'll report back later if anyone cares.
6 and 7. "Roger Ebert's Book of Film" and "BFI Modern Classics: The Terminator" - Both of these books were last minute pickups. They were the only books not in the fiction section of interest to me, and I'm actually quite pleased with both of them. I like Roger Ebert and I like "The Terminator." Nothing more to say about these two, really.
While not the best book sale ever, I found some truly neat stuff and am glad that I attended. Plus, they had cookies that were shaped like turkeys. That was just gravy added on to the already solid finds.
1. "Neuromancer" by William Gibson - I own a copy of this book already, but I loaned it to my brother and he has yet to get it back to me. For fifty cents, I figured, why not? For those that have not read it, "Neuromancer" is a fantastic cyberpunk novel that, in my opinion, cannot be equaled by anything else in the genre. A favorite book of mine and one that I recommend to most anyone.
2. "The Empire Strikes Back" by Donald F. Glut - After picking up "Neuromancer" and seeing how few science fiction novels there were this year, I was desperate to find something else. Anything else. Then, I found that something. While I may never get around to reading this book, a novelization of "The Empire Strikes Back" struck me as something I had to have. Or...I had to have it for fifty cents...I should say.
3. "Spirited Killer" on DVD - Touted as being Tony Jaa's first film, I have seen this on the shelves of many stores over and over again. Yet every time I see it, I pass by it because I know that no matter how cheap it is, it's supposed to be a fairly poor film. Yes, they have used pictures of Tony Jaa from "The Protector" and "Ong-Bak" to attempt to sell US audiences on it, but I have never been fooled. That is, until it was only a dollar at a local book sale. I was sold.
4. "Time for Revenge" on VHS - Part of the "Cinematheque Collection" from the 1980's, this VHS jumped out at me. Knowing the collection and how few films from that line made it to DVD, I absolutely had to pick this film up as it might be my only opportunity to see it. Doing a bit of research when I got back home, I found that it indeed has not been released on DVD, though the VHS can be had for fairly cheap online. Still, "Time for Revenge" will fit right in my VHS collection next to the "Cinematheque Collection" edition of "The Lift."
5. "Cure" on VHS - Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, it took me the longest time to understand this movie. I saw it when I was in high school, and it certainly is not a traditional "J-Horror" film. However, once I read up on it...I loved it. It's available on DVD and recommend those who enjoy Japanese cinema to check it out. This happens to be a VHS version, which I was unaware existed, and also appears to be a studio screener copy? Maybe? I'll report back later if anyone cares.
6 and 7. "Roger Ebert's Book of Film" and "BFI Modern Classics: The Terminator" - Both of these books were last minute pickups. They were the only books not in the fiction section of interest to me, and I'm actually quite pleased with both of them. I like Roger Ebert and I like "The Terminator." Nothing more to say about these two, really.
While not the best book sale ever, I found some truly neat stuff and am glad that I attended. Plus, they had cookies that were shaped like turkeys. That was just gravy added on to the already solid finds.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Donnie Yen
I have to admit that I have been away from my blog for awhile. The main reason is because for the last two weeks in October I wrote pieces for my brother's website focusing on the top horror film for the Halloween season. They turned into okay pieces, but it left little time for my personal blog. For those interested, they can be found at www.joeltalksmovies.com.
Moving on with this blog, today's update is going to focus on Donnie Yen. More specifically, my experiences with Donnie Yen films and what I thought of his latest film, "Wu Xia."
I began watching Donnie Yen films unknowingly around 2001. "Highlander: Endgame" was premiering on Showtime and since I had seen and loved the first film, I decided to give this one a chance. It was a mistake, as "Endgame" proved to be another film in the franchise that failed to deliver. Within the film, apparently for a brief time because I certainly can't remember seeing him, was Hong Kong action great Donnie Yen. At that point in my life, I couldn't tell you who he was. I hadn't watched too many films from Hong Kong, and I certainly had not begun memorizing the actors except for major American players (Jet Li, Jackie Chan...etc. etc).
About a year later I was reading an article in Fangoria about "Blade II." Donnie Yen's name came up in the article and I made note of it for some reason. This article is where I learned that he was actually in "Highlander: Endgame," that he was in the upcoming "Blade" sequel, and that Miramax/Dimension had purchased the rights to a number of his earlier films (though, I only recall them releasing one). Here is the next Jet Li or Jackie Chan I thought to myself. Now was the time to get on board with Donnie Yen.
I ended up seeing "Blade II" the next year as well as "Iron Monkey," which was the only film I recall Dimension Films releasing from his catalog. After that, I began viewing whatever films he was in that I could get my hands on. This included "Hero," "Seven Swords," "Flash Point," "Kill Zone (AKA SPL)," and a majority of his older films that were surprisingly difficult to access. These were all in my high school and college days.
Lately, Donnie Yen's output has been fairly disappointing to me. I haven't been crazy about the "Ip Man" movies, "The Lost Bladesman" left a lot to be desired, and "14 Blades" and "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen" were entertaining at best. They all just began to feel uninspired. Which is why, as with most of these films, I was excited and hesitant to watch "Wu Xia."
"Wu Xia" is directed by Peter Chan and, along with Yen, stars Takeshi Kaneshiro. While I've never seen a film directed by Peter Chan, I am a huge fan of Takeshi Kaneshiro. He's a fantastic actor who western audiences would probably recognize, but not quite remember where from. The film begins in 1917 with Liu Jin-Xi (Yen) living his everyday life. He makes paper for a living, has a wife and two kids, and there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about him. That is, until two ruffians attempt to rob the local shop that Jin-Xi happens to be in. Jin-Xi struggles to fight the two away and ends up killing them in the process, which leads to a police investigation by Xu Bai-Jiu (Kaneshiro). As Bai-Jiu investigates, he begins to get a better idea of who Jin-Xi actually is.
As you can already tell, this is not a traditional Donnie Yen film by any means. Rather than focusing entirely on spectacular fight sequences, this film asks a lot of questions about the human condition. How are ideals formed? Is there any way that ideals can form, or is everything just instinctual? Can formed ideals be bent or transformed in any way? Are humans capable of change? It's almost too much to take in, but it's balanced well with a healthy dose of fighting.
While it may not be my absolute favorite Donnie Yen film, it certainly ranks up there and comes highly recommended.
Moving on with this blog, today's update is going to focus on Donnie Yen. More specifically, my experiences with Donnie Yen films and what I thought of his latest film, "Wu Xia."
I began watching Donnie Yen films unknowingly around 2001. "Highlander: Endgame" was premiering on Showtime and since I had seen and loved the first film, I decided to give this one a chance. It was a mistake, as "Endgame" proved to be another film in the franchise that failed to deliver. Within the film, apparently for a brief time because I certainly can't remember seeing him, was Hong Kong action great Donnie Yen. At that point in my life, I couldn't tell you who he was. I hadn't watched too many films from Hong Kong, and I certainly had not begun memorizing the actors except for major American players (Jet Li, Jackie Chan...etc. etc).
About a year later I was reading an article in Fangoria about "Blade II." Donnie Yen's name came up in the article and I made note of it for some reason. This article is where I learned that he was actually in "Highlander: Endgame," that he was in the upcoming "Blade" sequel, and that Miramax/Dimension had purchased the rights to a number of his earlier films (though, I only recall them releasing one). Here is the next Jet Li or Jackie Chan I thought to myself. Now was the time to get on board with Donnie Yen.
I ended up seeing "Blade II" the next year as well as "Iron Monkey," which was the only film I recall Dimension Films releasing from his catalog. After that, I began viewing whatever films he was in that I could get my hands on. This included "Hero," "Seven Swords," "Flash Point," "Kill Zone (AKA SPL)," and a majority of his older films that were surprisingly difficult to access. These were all in my high school and college days.
Lately, Donnie Yen's output has been fairly disappointing to me. I haven't been crazy about the "Ip Man" movies, "The Lost Bladesman" left a lot to be desired, and "14 Blades" and "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen" were entertaining at best. They all just began to feel uninspired. Which is why, as with most of these films, I was excited and hesitant to watch "Wu Xia."
"Wu Xia" is directed by Peter Chan and, along with Yen, stars Takeshi Kaneshiro. While I've never seen a film directed by Peter Chan, I am a huge fan of Takeshi Kaneshiro. He's a fantastic actor who western audiences would probably recognize, but not quite remember where from. The film begins in 1917 with Liu Jin-Xi (Yen) living his everyday life. He makes paper for a living, has a wife and two kids, and there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about him. That is, until two ruffians attempt to rob the local shop that Jin-Xi happens to be in. Jin-Xi struggles to fight the two away and ends up killing them in the process, which leads to a police investigation by Xu Bai-Jiu (Kaneshiro). As Bai-Jiu investigates, he begins to get a better idea of who Jin-Xi actually is.
As you can already tell, this is not a traditional Donnie Yen film by any means. Rather than focusing entirely on spectacular fight sequences, this film asks a lot of questions about the human condition. How are ideals formed? Is there any way that ideals can form, or is everything just instinctual? Can formed ideals be bent or transformed in any way? Are humans capable of change? It's almost too much to take in, but it's balanced well with a healthy dose of fighting.
While it may not be my absolute favorite Donnie Yen film, it certainly ranks up there and comes highly recommended.
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