Category: Reviews (Page 75 of 120)

Finishing the Game

Fans of Bruce Lee might find a movie like “Finishing the Game” a little insulting, but considering the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine the real-life events occurred that much differently. After the shocking death of the martial arts star left his final project (“Game of Death”) unfinished, Hollywood producers set out on a worldwide search to find his replacement. Shot in the style of a mockumentary, “Finishing the Game” tells the behind-the-scenes story of five such candidates: Breeze Loo (Roger Fan), a successful B-movie action star; Cole Kim (Sung Kang), an aspiring actor managed by his girlfriend; Troy Poon (Dustin Nguyen), former star of the hit show “Golden Gate Guns”; Tarrick Tyler (McCaleb Burnett), a half-Caucasian, half-Asian equal rights activist; and Raja (Mousa Kraish), a doctor-turned-stunt double.

Though the laughs don’t come quite as frequent as you’d imagine a concept like this would serve up, “Finishing the Game” is an entertaining addition to director Justin Lin’s eclectic résumé. The reason it works as well as it does is because Lin has compiled a talented cast of Asian-American actors (most of which he’s worked with before) that are all on the same page. Sung Kang, specifically, delivers some of the film’s best moments (despite being given one of the weaker roles), while Dustin Nguyen’s parody of himself is worthy of a few giggles. Cameos by Leonard Nam (as the director’s dream replacement for Lee) and James Franco (as Nguyen’s suicidal co-star) are welcome surprises, while Roger Fan’s performance as the flashy and overconfident Breeze Loo (a melting pot of all those Bruce Lee knockoffs from the late 70s) steals the show.

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Holy Blu-Ray, Batman!

There are some movies that beg to be viewed in glorious high definition, but “Batman: The Movie” isn’t one of them. It isn’t for lack of trying, however. The special edition Blu-ray release of the 1966 cult classic looks amazing when compared to its DVD counterpart, and it even includes an exclusive extra that tracks the film’s location shooting via an onscreen map. As some people may have noticed with Paramount’s recent release of “Face/Off,” however, HD video transfer isn’t always a good thing. Fishing line can be spotted during Batman’s early run-in with the shark, and Cesar Romero’s under-the-makeup mustache is more evident than ever.

Of course, that only makes watching “Batman: The Movie” even more fun, and so in honor of its grand debut on Blu-ray, here’s a look back at some of the film’s more ridiculous moments. And when you’re done, head on over to Bullz-Eye.com for your chance to win your own copy!

Commissioner Gordon: It could be any one of them. But which one? Which ones?
Batman: Pretty fishy what happened to me on that ladder…
Commissioner Gordon: You mean where there’s a fish there could be a Penguin?
Robin: But wait! It happened at sea… Sea. C for Catwoman!
Batman: That exploding shark was pulling my leg…
Commissioner Gordon: The Joker!
Chief O’Hara: All adds up to a sinister riddle… Riddle-r. Riddler!
Commissioner Gordon: A thought strikes me… So dreadful I scarcely dare give it utterance…
Batman: The four of them… Their forces combined…
Robin: Holy nightmare!

Robin: That crazy missile! It wrote two more riddles before it blew up!
Batman: What goes up white and comes down yellow and white?
Robin: An egg!
Batman: How do you divide seventeen apples among sixteen people?”
Robin: Make apple sauce!
Batman: Apples into applesauce… A unification into one smooth mixture. An egg… Nature’s perfect container. The container of all our hopes for the future.
Robin: A unification and a container of hope? United World Organization!
Batman: Precisely, Robin! And there’s a special meeting of the Security Council today. If what I fear is true…
Robin: Wow! Let’s commandeer a taxi!
Batman: No, Robin. Not at this time of day. Luckily, we’re in tip-top condition. It’ll be faster if we run. Let’s go!

Batman: Listen to these riddles. Tell me if you interrupt them as I do. One: What has yellow skin and writes?
Robin: A ballpoint banana!
Batman: Right. Two: What people are always in a hurry?
Robin: Rushing people… Russians!
Batman: Right again. Now what would you say that means?
Robin: Banana… Russian? I’ve got it. Someone Russian is going to slip on a banana and break their neck!
Batman: Precisely, Robin! The only possible meaning.

Batman: Look at this pair of joking riddles.
Chief O’Hara: What does a turkey do when he flies upside down?
Robin: He gobbles up!
Chief O’Hara: Of course.
Batman: And number two…
Commissioner Gordon: What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?
Robin: A sparrow with a machine gun!
Commissioner Gordon: Yes, of course.

And our very special guest star…Fred Willard!

Show: “Stargate SG-1”
Episode: “Family Ties” (Season 10)
Role: Jacek

It has been said…by me, if by no-one else…that when it comes to guys whose mere appearance in a film automatically guarantees that it won’t be a complete waste of time, there’s a tie for the spot at the head of the class between Larry Miller and Fred Willard. I don’t have a bad word to say about either of them, but it must be said that, of the two, Mr. Willard has probably managed to be funny in more different genres.

Yes, even in sci-fi.

Fred Willard

Although Willard earned major geek points by appearing in episodes of “My Secret Identity” and “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (as the President of the United States, no less) and providing voiceover work to “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command,” “Transformed: Animated,” and “The Batman” (he’s also in “WALL*E,” for that matter), the one full-fledged science fiction role on his resume is that of Jacek on “Stargate SG-1.” From the moment the character first appears, two things are clear: 1) Jacek is going to be the episode’s comedy relief, and 2) Willard is going to play this part just like he plays any other part, even if it is on a sci-fi action / drama.

Though the episode technically begins with Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black) and Lt. Col. Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) returning from an off-base shopping trip, the excitement doesn’t start until the gang at SG-1 get an unscheduled video transmission. “Hello? Is this thing working?” shouts Jacek, into the camera lens. He introduces himself, explaining, “I don’t get out to your end of the galaxy very often, but I have a friend who lives in the area, and he speaks very highly of your people.” Jacek claims to possess information which reportedly could impact the very survival of Earth, but the information that proves far more interesting comes when Vala identifies him as her father.

Jacek: Vala, is that you? Sweetheart, how is life treating you?
Vala: Certainly better than you ever did.
Jacek: Ouch! I suppose for the benefit of your friends there you’re going to want to list all the reasons why I was such a bad father.
Vala: Oh, I wish I could, but a wormhole can only be maintained for 38 minutes.
Jacek: Ah, you’ve got your father’s wit…
Vala: It’s hardly enough time to cover your inadequacies as both a parent and as a human being in general.
Jacek: …and your mother’s uncanny ability to hold a grudge.

Jacek asks to be brought through the Stargate in order to reveal his information, but Vala refuses to vouch for him; she changes her tune, however, when he reveals that what he knows has to do with a plot to destroy Earth that Arkad set into motion prior to his death. “Take your time, there’s no pressure,” says Jacek. “Just that your whole planet could very well blow up at any moment.”

Cut to the SG-1 team preparing to retrieve Jacek.

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The Red Violin



Samuel L. Jackson
might be the top-billed actor in this award-winning, Oscar-nominated arthouse flick from 1998, but you’ll be sorely disappointed if you’re expecting him to point an AK at some poor schmo’s head and bellow words to the effect of “All I want from you, motherf**ker, is to give me the motherf**king red violin!” This isn’t that kind of a movie. Crafted with care by the team responsible for the musically inspired 1994 indie hit, “32 Short Films About Glenn Gould,” this Canadian production is filmed in five languages and follows the career of a very special instrument, starting with its creation in 17th century Italy, to Vienna at the height of the classical period, and then to England and the hands of a sex-crazed rock star of a romantic era composer (Jason Flemyng) and his entranced lover (Greta Scacchi). It then moves on to mid-20th century China during the Cultural Revolution, and finally to contemporary Montreal, where a high-end auction house retains an American expert (Jackson, uttering nary a curse word), who finds himself in possession of the perfectly crafted and now legendary instrument.

Each of the tales is visually sumptuous, engagingly melodramatic, extremely well-acted, and not too much more, though a story about a sickly Viennese child prodigy and his conflicted mentor threatens to become poignant. By the time the final tale of possible musical skulduggery is complete, the point is either ridiculously self-evident (“beautiful music and fine workmanship are very powerful and make people do things they otherwise might not”) or something so high-flown I couldn’t quite grasp it. Writer-director Francois Girard and cowriter Don McKeller, who also plays Jackson’s geeky cohort, are a highly talented team, but in this case their work says less about music or the joy and power of craft, than it does about a certain kind of safely entertaining style of tony film-making.

Click to buy “The Red Violin”

Come Drink With Me

The most popular and influential film from the most revered figure in early Hong Kong martial arts cinema, King Hu, there’s no doubting the influence of “Come Drink With Me.” In particular, fans of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” are in for some major déjà vu. This fanciful, occasionally brutal, 1966 Shaw Brothers film stars Chang Pei-Pei (34 years later, the villainous Jade Fox from “Crouching Tiger”) as Golden Swallow, a virtuous super-warrior sent to rescue her brother, who is being held hostage by a vicious gang. Along the way, she meets up with a good-natured drunk (Yueh Hua) who turns out to have several hidden talents.

There is no doubting Hu’s way with imagery and the acting is first rate, but his film nevertheless requires an open mind to appreciate. The relatively crude and choppy fight scenes might disappoint viewers used to the fluid wire-work of later wu xia extravaganzas. Also, some might not appreciate a three-song musical comedy interlude in the middle of the film, though it’s as well pulled off as any scene from a classic Hollywood musical. Finally, the otherwise solid, extras-laden Dragon Dynasty DVD is hobbled by a miserable translation. Unintentional humor caused by poorly written subtitles can be part of the fun of watching old Hong Kong films, but here they make the simple story unnecessarily hard to follow. (An English language soundtrack is less confusing, but, as usual, horribly acted.) “Come Drink with Me” really might be as great a film as its most enthusiastic boosters claim, but until a better translation comes along, it’s kind of hard for a non-Mandarin-speaker to be sure.

Click to buy “Come Drink With Me”

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