American Kickboxer 2 - 2/5

It took two years after the first film for this sequel to emerge and that seems like a rather long time considering the title of the first film is "American Kickboxer 1". If there is a "1" in the title I would assume part "2" would already be in the bag and ready to release the same year. What's strange is that this sequel has NOTHING to do with the original film with a completely different production company, plot, cast and crew. What's even stranger is Cannon Films, distributors of the first film, released their own sequel the same year as this 'sequel' called "To the Death" with original star John Barrett returning. Okay, wait a minute, what the fuck happened here? Cannon released a sequel to their film "American Kickboxer 1" but didn't include the words "American Kickboxer" in the title and a completely different production company released an unrelated sequel with the title "American Kickboxer 2." It's enough to crash one's mind! Since Cannon didn't title their sequel with the "American Kickboxer" phrase, this other production company must have taken it upon themselves to title their unrelated film as a 'sequel' as they thought the fabric of space and time would implode if a film titled "American Kickboxer 1" didn't have a sequel with a proper "2" in the title. Remember balance is everything and a "1" without a "2" would just be fucking wrong.

Unlike the first film which was a tournament style kickboxing movie, here we get a full fledged action film complete with gun fights, kidnappings and a love triangle. No doubt your asking is there any kickboxing. Well, not in the tournament sense, but the film does star kickboxing champion Dale "Apollo" Cook as one of our leads so yes he does use some of his trademark kickboxing moves to kick the shit of some baddies. What we get is a wealthy family whose daughter gets humorously kidnapped by a guy repelling into a swimming pool from a helicopter. Being threatened that the girl will be killed if the police are involved, the mother turns to her hot-head cop ex-husband and long-haired playboy karate instructor lover (whom she cheated with while married to her ex). The kicker is she doesn't know which one is the father of her daughter so both agree to rescue her just in case she belongs to either one of them. The result is quite hilarious as they bicker and fight the entire time while trying to put their differences aside to rescue their daughter. Yes it's "My Two Dads" action movie style!

The acting is bad, real bad but it actually enhances the enjoyment of the film. Dale Cook constantly has his jaw clenched on a tooth pick as he spouts out awful dialogue like "the only peace your are worried about is the one dangling between your legs. " Evan Lurie is equally bad but both bad actors seem to cancel each other out making the film quite enjoyable in the "so bad it's good" vibe. The action sequences are good especially for a low budget action flick shot in the Philippines and our two leads know their kickboxing and martial arts as they beat the living shit out of about everyone.

The actors and director/writer Jenö Hodi know their making a B-grade direct-to-video sequel to a hunk of shit so they run with it, having their tongues planted in their cheeks as they spout hilariously bad dialogue. To be honest I had a blast with "American Kickboxer 2" and it has become one of my all time favorite unintentional comedies. I mean how can a film with a line like "your ass is grass and we're the lawnmowers" not be somewhat entertaining? I say skip the hunk of shit known as "American Kickboxer 1" and go directly to this 'sequel'. Sure it's bad.... but in a good way.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Mutants (2009) - 3/5

We've gotten some pretty stellar stuff from France when it comes to horror here in the US. The mind boggling "Martyrs". The atmospheric "Inside". The brutal "Frontier(s)". What we haven't really had was a zombie flick from this country of new found Horror awesomeness. Now we do. "Mutants" is the French version of "28 Days Later" done in the modern aspect of the genre with its sleek visuals and reluctance to say the word 'zombie'. Granted, its prospect seems to be more than the film can handle at times, but "Mutants" does get the job done.

Sonia (Fougerolles) and her big man Marco (Renaud) are on the run to escape the escalating 'mutant' population that wants them for supper. Using a (stolen, perhaps?) ambulance, the couple find themselves stranded in a large building in the middle of a snow riddled forest. A supposed haven for survivors seems to be their only salvation as the 'mutants' close in and other survivors fight to continue living. Only to make matters more complicated, Marco is starting to show signs of an imminent change...one for the worse.

As was mentioned, "Mutants" heavily pulls from Boyle's modern zombie opus "28 Days Later". I'm sorry, I mean INFECTED opus. With sleek modern style visual work and an uncanny use of silence to counteract its more heinous and viscous attacks, this film really pushes its visual style up to the forefront. If you aren't a fan of that modern shaky camera style and quick editing though this might be a chore to watch at times.

Also it's cool abandoned building setting in the wintry woods is a great setting, but I constantly felt like they didn't use it properly. Why aren't the characters colder? Shouldn't the elements be just as deadly as the creatures and other people? It's as if the filmmakers used it for its awesome look rather than a great plot point that it could have been.

The film is hit or miss on most of the other aspects too. The acting is good at times but occasionally falls into cliche too much (Renaud as Marco is the highlight) and its plot, watching a loved one fall prey to the infection, takes forever to really get going. It's a plot point that is common in zombie, err...INFECTED movies and although it made for a nice character build for our main heroine, it never takes it quite as far as it needed.

Visually, "Mutants" is a pretty slick film. It looks snazzy and its interesting to see a modern zombie film from France with its brutality and great special effects, but it rarely seems to go where it needed to for its plot to be as effective as it wanted. It looks good and for what it is, "Mutants" is a fun watch. Take it as that though as its not as deep as it could have been.

BONUS PRAISE: The opening sequence is purely French horror at its finest. I won't give it away, but its one of those nice builds to a surprisingly brutal scene that this modern French horror scene is known for. A great start to a film that seemingly falls from there. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Black Swan (2010) - 4/5

With such stunners as "The Fountain" and "The Wrestler" under Aronofsky's belt, its hard not to say that I REALLY was excited for "Black Swan". A psychological thriller with Portman set to a NY ballet version of "Swan Lake"? Sounds ballsy! And it pains me to say that even though the film was executed in almost perfect fashion, I was disappointed. My wife said it best when she said that, unlike most of his other films, "Black Swan" seemingly doesn't leave the emotional impression it should have. Which, ironically, places it well below the director's catalog.

Nina is up for the best gig in her life. Her NY ballet company is doing a version of "Swan Lake" (doesn't everyone?) and she is up for the role of the Swan Queen. Too bad her competition for the role, Lily (Kunis) seems to be a better fit to play the Black Swan to Nina's perfect fit for the White Swan. Now Nina has to dig deep and pull out her inner Black Swan, whose seduction and violent tendencies might just be a little too much for such a fragile girl like Nina.

When one strips down "Black Swan" from all its fluff and feathers (oh, that one was a little easy) its basically a coming of age tale. Although the circumstances seem to be a little more intense, subtle, and more odd than what we've seen before, this film is about a girl coming into her own against a world that has seemingly put her in a box. This is part of the reason that "Black Swan" doesn't quite have the impact that say "The Wrestler" did when both films are very similar in style and foundation. We've seen it before. I've seen it on ABC Family. And that foundation, although classic, somewhat undermines the emotional impact that "Black Swan" desperately pushed for.

Granted, when one looks at the execution of the film, its damn near perfect. Portman deserves an Oscar for her role as Nina, Cassel is once again a perfect casting (which is completely opposite of his imbred role I just watched in "Sheitan"), and Kunis doesn't fuck it up. That's all I ask of her really. It also benefits from Aronofsky's practically patented style of slow burning and low, but very intense energy that cooks the plot and characters like a crock pot. His use of mirrors, frantic moving cameras, and a documentary style bouncy walking shots make for a rather opposite take for the rather clean cut style of ballet and it works in loads here. Pretty much everything works here, execution wise, and its worth watching the film just for that.

Really the only thing that I didn't come out of "Black Swan" with, was that sort of lasting impression of a life lesson that the director's other films seem to leave. Although it was a riveting story to watch with a very artistic style to admire, it missed the one two blast it could have had. Which makes it somewhat of a disappointment. Aronofsky has set his own bar very high for his films and "Black Swan" misses the mark a little. Great, but not perfect. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Police Story (1985)

 Director: Jackie Chan
Notable Cast: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Bill Tung, Chor Yuen

Although Jackie Chan has always been a man able to create some of the greatest stunt fights alive (with himself), going back to his earlier films is somewhat of an awe inspiring experience. Back before he was just the comedian first and the watered down goof he is in his American films, he had a more than stellar filmography. Which of course is highlighted by the original "Police Story". With a well crafted and simple police drama as its foundation, Chan's ability to charm as a lead, and some of the best action sequences ever to grace film, "Police Story" is easily one of the highlights of his career.

Ka Kui (Chan) is a top notch officer on the rise. His ability to improvise on the job has garnered him a lot of attention from his higher ups. When he is able to catch a crime lord after an operation is botched, he is on top of the world. Assigned to protect the witness against this crime lord, he suddenly finds himself the target of betrayal and focus of a frame up. Using his unique physical prowess and determination, Ka Kui must take back a life that is quickly slipping away.

Although the film is not perfect in many ways (Chan's directing can be a little too over the top to really embrace the plot as it could have), "Police Story" is an engaging and thrilling watch. Proving that he does indeed have some acting talent, Chan is on top of his game in the film. We empathize for his character as his world crumbles and we root for him the entire time whether its through the intense action pieces or the comedic bits where he scrambles to not screw up too much. He is obviously the highlight of the film in all his charismatic ways and makes "Police Story" work the way it should.

Although Chan's style has always been a mixture of seriousness and comedy, the balance seems to be at some of its best here. The comedic bits, particularly with his girlfriend May (Cheung), are well paced in the overall plot and make for some pretty fun sequences. Watching him juggle through various phone conversations all at once can only bring a smile to the audience's face. Of course, this is balanced out with his more serious plot that always leads to a wild action sequence. Although the action sequences here are still fairly over the top, "Police Story" makes them all seem (at the time) very realistic as Chan battles off hordes of men in some great settings. The highlight of course being the final show down in a mall where he is only given plenty of opportunities to throw baddies (and be thrown by baddies) through glass and various items.

If you are looking to expand your Chan collection past the "Rush Hour" films, then a great starting point is "Police Story". It's a great balance of his serious work and his all too common action/comedy pieces that made him a world wide star. It's not a perfect film, but its still one of the ones that I find myself watching the most from his catalog.

BONUS RANT: I do hate how randomly this film ends. Blurred shot in the middle of set piece. What?! No aftermath? Granted, Asian cinema (particularly of the Hong Kong variety) has had films end this way for decades, but this film seemingly rises above that sort of deal. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

American Kickboxer 1 - 1/5

The biggest joke that comes out and slaps right in the face is the title of this damn movie. Really what filmmaker ends their title with the number "1". First I thought it was just the box title as the distribution company, like my friends at Full Moon Entertainment, might have re-released the film on the home video market and decided to reinforce to audiences that this was the FIRST entry of a series of films by adding a "1" to the box title. No, it's not just the box title as the title card on the damn film itself reads "American Kickboxer 1". Seriously what the fuck?! Did they really think people were that idiotic to perhaps think this was another sequel to the Jean Claude Van Damme vehicle "Kickboxer?" It's safe to assume that if there isn't a number after the title or a subtitle that this isn't a sequel. So they added it to help the inept brainless movie going public know this wasn't a sequel or it was an arrogant assumption that it would be a big enough it to warrant a sequel... god help us.

What we get here is a film about kickboxing... that's a stretch. And am American Kickboxer no less... as if you couldn't guess. Our American kickboxer is portrayed by John Barrett, a real-life middle weight kickboxing champion and ex-fighting partner of Chuck Norris and of course his character is a middle weight kickboxing champion. When a young arrogant rising athlete threatens his girlfriend at a corporate party, he decides to defend her honor and begins a fight with the brute. In the process he hits an innocent bystander who tried to break up the fight, accidentally killing him. He heads to prison for a year, gets released and being banned from championship fighting he decides to be a trainer. In the midst of having a midlife crisis he decides to take a challenge by the young arrogant ass who took over his title while he was behind bars.

When I go into a Kickboxing film, I expect low rent trashy entertainment and despite the promising title, "American Kickboxer 1" falls harder than being round house kicked in the jaw. The problem is that it focuses on plot and not on action. Focus on plot... wouldn't that be an ingredient for a better film? It would if it weren't so ineptly made. Instead of providing an entertaining B-action film, the filmmakers opt to make a more drama oriented borefest with bad acting, a sluggish pace, and every sports cliché in the book. Will Barrett's life fall apart? CHECK. Will his relationship with his woman become rocky? CHECK. Will he gain self confidence by training? CHECK. Will we suffer through lame montages? DOUBLE CHECK (accompanied with mega lame pop ballads). Will he eventually triumph over his advisory? I don't want to give anything away but you've seen enough "Rocky" films and Kickboxing films by this time to figure it out.

What we got here is an ultra lame kickboxing film that tries to mimic "Rocky" elements and in the long run lacks kickboxing action. Fans looking for a trashy B-Action fest will be sorely disappointed by this tedious effort. These fans are better off skipping this and going to the obligatory "American Kickboxer 2." Like you didn't know a sequel was going to follow! Actually two separate sequels would follow, the other being "To the Death." More on that conundrum in later reviews...

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Kill Zone [S.P.L.]

Take the classic martial arts sensibility of Sammo Hung, the modern intensity of Donnie Yen, and the dramatic swagger of Simon Yam, throw it all together in a crime drama with some pretty intense action pieces and you have a recipe for complete awesomeness. That's how "Kill Zone" works out in the end. Featuring a cast of all stars from all forms of great Chinese cinema and a solid (if not somewhat basic) story then "Kill Zone" becomes an effective piece of cop action/drama. One that is most definitely worth checking out for fans of the Asian persuasion.

Det. Chung (Yam) and his team of police officers have been after a notorious crime lord, Wong Po (Hung), for years. With only days to retire, Chung brings on board a replacement inspector to take over Wong Po's case, a highly admired man named Kwun (Yen). When an opportunity to finally nail Wong Po comes up with only a few details to be changed, Chung takes full advantage and tries to frame Wong Po. Unfortunately, Po and his cohorts (including a knife wielding assassin (Jing)) aren't pleased and take matters into their own hands. Now Chung, Kwun, and their men must decide whether or not vengeance is worth undermining justice for the greater good.

Although "Kill Zone" can be a little melodramatic at times, director Yip has a solid grip on how to balance the action sequences with the more heavy morally dramatic moments. Although the final act has some more than impressive fight sequences choreographed by Yen which highlight the film, its the build up to these moments that really make it pay off as well as it does. Despite the 'bad cop' motif of Yam's team, the actors and their characters strike enough empathy for the audience to really care and struggle with their troubles as they try to do good even if the actions can be seen as not. It's this dramatic side that makes the eventual collision between cop and villain (who is wonderfully played by Hung) worth following to the final moments.

Of course, with its outstanding cast, "Kill Zone" really embraces their talents to the fullest. Yip has a great knack for visual quirkiness that brings out their best. His pacing is something that could have been tightened a bit and occasionally he does some odd things (like what the hell is with the four way face shots of the cops when they are driving?), but he does an admirable job making what could have been a very boring first half move pretty quickly.

As I mentioned prior, the fight sequences are something to be admired too. The final act contains some seriously awesome modern martial arts displays that cap off a nice tense build. Seeing Donnie Yen take on a legend like Sammo Hung is a kung-fu dream come true that is only prefaced by a very cool bonus fight between Yen and Jing. These are worth the watch alone.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Crippled Avengers [The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms] (1978)

Director: Chang Cheh
Notable Cast: Chen Kuan-Tai, Philip Kwok, Lo Meng, Sun Chien, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Johnny Wang

Released as The Return Of The 5 Deadly Venoms in the United States, this film has actually NO CONNECTION to the original The 5 Deadly Venoms. This makes sense when you realize that it's actually the film Crippled Avengers in gimmicky disguise. Luckily, if you are willing to overlook this little eye-rolling cash in, Crippled Avengers is a fun Shaw Brothers flick quite worthy of the buy even if it isn't the sequel it claims to be.

Four men find themselves the cruel joke of a superior martial artist's hatred in a small village. When his wife is killed and son crippled (they cut off his arms) his soul becomes twisted. He crafts iron arms for his son and trains him in a very deadly form of martial arts. He then terrorizes the people in the village by crippling them like he son was. When four men team together after being crippled (one is blind, one is deaf and dumb, one is legless, and one is brain damaged) they seek vengeance for his cruelty. They learn kung-fu from another teacher to overcome their handicaps to take on this horrid man. Now its a fight to the death over lost limbs.

Turns out it's not only the title that's a gimmick in Crippled Avengers. Like many Shaw Brother's films from this era, this one takes a fairly basic revenge tale, twists it a bit, and then lets it run and sees where it goes. Despite it's rather ludicrous concept and even more outrageous dialogue, Crippled Avengers comes out on top with thick charm and even more impressive choreographed lengthy fight sequences. Yeah, the plot is pretty basic and its random plot points (the man who loses his legs gets it because he accidentally bumps into the villain's iron armed son, no kidding) tend to bring out the quizzical eye brow a bit too much, but I'll be damned if this film isn't a shit load of fun.

With some pretty (unintentional) comedic moments concerning their hurdles in the narrative, at times the film wants to move in some different directions. The mentally ill character is supposed to bring a comedy element more often than not which never really work, at least not in this day and age, and the film tends to lack logic in its pacing as it movies briskly through the second act to get our heroes to the finale.

To counter balance some of its underdeveloped plots and off road tangents, Crippled Avengers does know that in the end people are there to watch its gimmicky kung fu action sequences. And it does just that. In mass. Three quarters of the film is dedicated to the choreography that ranges from weapon battles (staffs, swords, balls on swinging chains), to impressive acrobatics (ring leaping, duel person tag team), to non stop punch and parry kung fu in all of its flexing intensity. This is what truly makes Crippled Avengers a must see for kung fu fans because they sequences are insanely long. I was tired just watching the damn things, that's how long and intense they were. In all honesty, that's fucking awesome and it maximizes the Venom Mob choreography.

Crippled Avengers may not have been the sequel I wanted to my favorite kung-fu flick of all time, but it was an energetically effective and cheesy watch that sufficed all my martial arts needs. The story was often silly, but it justified the impressive and gimmicky choreography. Is there any more that one can ask for? It's easy to see why this is a fan favorite for those reasons. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Altitude - 3.5/5

Curiosity definitely pulled me into "Altitude". A Lovecraftian low budget horror film set on small airplane? Sounds ballsy. Count me in. Don't get me wrong, my standards were not set high for this film, but it was intriguing. Thusly, be the time the credits rolled I found myself somewhat in a state of shock. For all of the very many things that could have gone horribly wrong in "Altitude", in essence, it was pretty damn good. Much to my surprise.

Sara (Lowndes) is taking her friends on a trip to see an awesome concert. Her cousin, best friend, best friend's boyfriend, and her sweet heart are going to take a small plane there. With Sara flying. Unfortunately, this flight takes a turn for the worse when they get stuck gaining altitude. Not only does that really suck, but they seem to be flying into a storm that might just be more than a storm. It just might be an evil greater than the imagination.

The initial idea that this film wants to portray is that its a monster film. It really isn't. The majority of the film is spent in tension between these young people as they struggle to comprehend the gravity (no pun intended) of their situation and how they start to crumble under the pressure. That's reason number one that this film is much better than expected. It's about the characters! Low budget horror about the characters? No way! In fact, the acting is pretty solid to help give the film the needed depth and tension that the script focuses on. It's not great all the way around, the characters tend to fall into being cliche's occasionally and the acting follows, but its more than enough all around.

The monster aspect of the film, which is more or less a catalyst for the plot rather than the plot itself, is handled in a very mature and visual way. The CGI for the film is hit or miss (mostly towards the miss with the creature) but the film tends to not focus on that part. Instead using sound and flashes of it create a greater sense of the horror of this thing in the sky. Partnered with the tensity of the situation, its a match made in...hell.

"Altitude" scores some serious surprise points in the good categories, with its focus on tension and characters which overcomes most of its faults, some of its monotony and poor CGI. The twist ending does lack a bit too much in the logic area although it likes to throw an extra curve in there, but overall this Canadian attempt at a smart monster flick succeeds. It keeps to its Lovecraftian roots (truth may lead us to insanity?) and its execution is top notch for its budget. Definitely worth checking out for those looking for a lazy afternoon flick. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Sheitan - 2.5/5

After being recommended "Sheitan" from a couple of different (and very reliable) sources, this little French modern Horror flick finally found its way into my movie player. Now after watching it, I'm still not sure how I truly feel about it. I want to like it very much, but find myself troubled with too much of it to say its as good as many claim it to be. When its good, its VERY good, but overall it just lacks the cohesion (perhaps logic is the better term here) and depth needed to really pull it off.

A group of young French hooligans meet up with a mysterious club on Christmas Eve. Following her out to her 'house in the country', aka inbred-ville, they discover that despite the joyous occasion the local folk are less than fun. Under the wing of the girl's often too extreme handyman Joseph (Cassel) they attempt to have a good time only to find that there may be more sinister intentions by these folk then inviting them to hang out.

Seemingly unclassifiable, "Sheitan" has some very awesome moments. Cassel as our villain Joseph is easily the highlight of the film. His bug-eyed shit eating grin laden face can both promote a goofy comedic side of the film along with give it the most intense creepy affect all at the same time. His performance is something to be admired (considering how different it is from some of his other roles like his drunken cowardice in "Eastern Promises") and definitely the best part of this film.

The director's vision also keeps this film moving in positive directions. Chapiron really utilizes nice elements like camera shots and movement to really keep the story interesting despite its rather slow moving first 3/4 of run time. If it wasn't for this visual creativity, than "Sheitan" might have been a snore-fest for a good portion.

Unfortunately, its cool visual look and single performance aren't enough to carry it through. "Sheitan" slowly poors itself to build on a rather thin and basic plotline which takes far too long in far too thin detail before it reaches its final half hour where it twists into a nightmarish landscape of blurred dreamlike quality and impressive intensity. Takes too long for not enough payoff.

The film also massively suffers from a lack of logic for its rather unlikable main cast. Why the hell do they follow this random girl to the middle of nowhere? Even taking that for granted, why the hell stay as things get really fucked particularly after the warm springs debacle? I mean, none of the characters are all that likable and the audience sure as hell could care less if they get knocked off, but still I care about logic. And many sequences don't quite hold enough to make it flow and work like it should.

"Sheitan" has a lot of potential in its dirty, slightly comedic sleeves, but it rarely pulls it off. Luckily, with a nice visual flair and a solid villain performance, it was still worth the one watch. Not quite what I wanted from this French film.

BONUS RANT: What the hell is with the random dog fight in this movie? I kept expecting the dog that came with the young folk to be a larger plot point, but it ends up being sort of this forgotten element that randomly perks up for one seen of intensity towards the end and then...disappears again. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Young Bruce Lee, The - 1/5

Another year, another poorly made Bruceploitation biopic. How many of these biopics did they make for Christ sake? As you can tell from my rating this is another dud but thankfully the spirit of Bruce Lee blessed us with a slightly less crappy biopic than the last turd I had to suffer through that went under the name "Bruce Lee: A Dragon Story."

Unlike the other biopics I have seen this one begins with Bruce Lee (again portrayed by Bruce Li) as a small child and how he gets his ass kicked while trying to stick up for a girl so he becomes interested in martial arts. He grows into a martial arts master and the rest of the film meanders around with him getting into fights every so often to protect the woman he loves and while at the same time giving helpful advice to bring up the spirits of his best friend.

This film is completely inaccurate but then again we should not expect this to be true to history. If you want accuracy then go watch the big budget Hollywood film "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". If you want the Bruceploitation trash version of his life then you are at the right place.

The filmmaking is again very poor with sloppy zooms, bad acting, and a lumbering pace with emphasis on boring training sequences. I will admit I did lose interest a couple of times but like a true cult film fan I powered though it till the end, an ending that hastily ties up the events by showing actual footage of Bruce Lee's funeral in bad taste

Unless you live and breathe these Bruceploitation biopics then I say skip it. There are much more fun and interesting films this subgenre has to offer but sadly these cruddy biopics seem to be the most common and easy to find on DVD. Thankfully this is the last biopic I own so I can march on to review the last 5 Bruceploitation films in my collection that are thankfully original stories and not this biopic crap! At least the Full Screen transfer on my DVD was properly framed, which is a plus compared to a number of shoddy DVD releases in the genre I've seen thus far. Oh and the DVD cover again portrays a still image of the actual Bruce Lee from "Enter the Dragon" and not an image of actor Bruce Li, so don't get fooled into this actually being a true Bruce Lee film.

Written By Eric Reifschneider