Taken 3 (2015)

Director: Olivier Megaton

Notable Cast: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Dougray Scott, Leland Orser

The Taken franchise is the one that I so desperately want to love, but continually find myself angry towards. The first film was a phenomenal mid-budget action thriller, relying on the foreign setting, the badass charm of Liam Neeson, and the tight modern direction of Pierre Morrell to sell your basic concept. The second one was a rehashed C-grade effort castrated by terrible direction from Olivier Megaton. This third entry, with the stylized title Tak3n on the posters, is once again helmed by Megaton. It might have a slightly more original script to build on than the carbon copy of Taken 2, but the resulting film is still an almost unwatchable slab of editing that it takes away any kind of fun the vulgar auteur fan could have with it.

Bryan Mills (Neeson) has really settled into his life in LA being a dad to his now college aged daughter (Grace). Too bad it’s about to end when he comes home one day to find his ex-wife (Janssen) murdered in his apartment with the cops showing up soon after. Now he’s on the run, desperate to find out who framed him and trying to keep his daughter safe at the same time.

Enjoying another paycheck.

Starting with the better points of Taken 3, I will admit that in the end I felt it was a better film than Taken 2. Mostly because instead of being a knock off of its own franchise, it’s a knock off of The Fugitive. It doesn’t quite replicate the kidnapping theme of the first two (at least not as the big problem to be solved), but instead focuses on the consistently charming and intense Neeson having to survive/solve a mystery before something bad happens. It’s not original, but the film does have a decent B-grade concept that allows for plenty of chase sequences and even throws in a sort of siege finale that plays up Neeson as the continued badass that I hope he is in real life.

The problem? Olivier “The Bastard Child of Michael Bay and Paul Greengrass” Megaton. I’m willing to overlook the predictability of the script, the cheesy one liners, the forced character development that plague the film on its foundations. I like B-grade action flicks. Unfortunately, I am less forgiving when it comes to castrating this film to the point where all of the action scenes and chase sequences are blurs of edits, mega zooms, and nauseating shaky cam. Just like he did with Taken 2, he utterly takes any kind of thoughtful framing, tension, or pacing and pisses it out of the action set pieces. Why does it take fourteen angles to show Liam Neeson drive a car backwards down an elevator shaft? It’s to the point that I’m actually quite unsure of any of the action that I witnessed in the film. Not only that, but the lack of violence in the film (her throat was slit? And then it was already healed in the morgue? The gun in the bullet wound? WHAT BULLET WOUND?!) really makes it lose its tension throughout.

Neeson does a great impression of my face during the action sequences here.

Thus far, the theatrical box office says that the general hatred by critics isn’t going to detract people from enjoying this franchise. With a different director, I can’t say that Taken 3 wouldn’t have been a fun and enjoyable experience. As is though, the terrible editing and shooting of the action sequences sucks any life out of the mediocre script. Even the still screen devouring abilities of Liam Neeson couldn’t save this one. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966)

Director: Tokuzo Tanaka

Notable Cast: Shintaro Katsu, Shigeru Amachi, Jun Hamamura, Gen Kimura, Koichi Mizuhara, Mayumi Ogawa, Kei Sato

“Taichi. When you grow up, don’t make fun of handicapped people. Although these men may look human, they’re less than animals.”

It’s as if this franchise never loses steam at this point. Like the titular blind swordsman protagonist, the series continues on its way, occasionally stumbling but always popping up at the right time to strike when needed before heading off into the sunset. For the thirteenth entry, Zatoichi’s Vengeance, we see a continuation of the executed strength from the previous film, Zatoichi and the Chess Expert. While the formula for the franchise still exists in spades (ultimately, this one is decently predictable), director Tokuzo Tanaka breathes fresh life into it once again, leading the viewer on another riveting and thoughtful adventure with the ever charming Zatoichi.

Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu), like he always does, stumbles into a dispute on the side of the road where a dying man leaves him a bag of money to take to his son in a nearby town. In this town, he finds a group of people being bullied by a new and greedy force and he is once again forced to take up his sword against those who fight for wealth…but will the young boy who has taken him for an idol be able to understand his violent ways?

As deadly as he is relaxing.

There have been a lot of different faces for the character Zatoichi throughout this franchise and while I have spoken to this facet before in previous reviews, Zatoichi’s Vengeance takes on a rather new and intriguing one: Zatoichi the Role Model. With a sort of ‘voice of reason’ provided by a blind monk that Zatoichi meets on the road to the village, his interactions throughout the film are filled with doubt and we see a character who starts to question himself a bit – a move that makes his arc a rather fresh one. It’s a theme fleshed out by a slew of unstable secondary characters – including a very smart subplot featuring a wayward samurai husband and his forlorn wife forced into prostitution – and the continued use of smart thematic writing makes this one of the better entries. Although it probably lacks a bit on the emotional essentials that saw Chess Expert rise to being one of the best, Vengeance is still remarkably effective in its narrative and character beats that really works in a lot of thoughtful pieces that analyze its lead character and his interactions.

Yet, there is one other component that kicks Vengeance to being one of the better entries of this series. It’s the luscious action set pieces. If anything, many of the more powerful entries lacked in this department and Vengeance is one of the best at balancing the two facets of the samurai film. Director Tanaka has a serious knack for great visuals and when it’s paired with stellar cinematography and the impressive choreography, the combination is explosive. An opening fight in tall reeds and the finale, which slowly becomes a silhouetted battle on a bridge, both become some of the best fight pieces of the series. Even the final bout with a sympathetic ronin is one of the best one on one fights the series has seen in many, many entries.

It's damn near iconic.

If the Zatoichi franchise continues to pump out outstanding swordsman films in this manner, I would be tempted to say it’s not only one of the best Japanese series, but any series of all time. Zatoichi’s Vengeance is another impressive entry that provides thoughtful writing, humane insight, and entertaining humor and action that delivers a film that rises above its status as the thirteenth entry of a serial film franchise.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai (2015)

Director: Wong Ching Po

Notable Cast: Phillip Ng, Andy On, Sammo Hung, Michelle Hu, Luxia Jiang, Mao Junjie, Chan Koon-Tai, Yuen Cheung-Yan, Fung Hak-On

One of the interesting aspects of receiving film releases long after they are released in theaters and on home video in another country is that you get to see how a film plays out to a slew of different critics and fans. I had been following Once Upon a Time in Shanghai since it was announced mostly due to its massively strong casting and the fact that it had legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo Ping attached to it. Yet, the reception of the film was rather mundane overall. Enough so that when I finally got my copy, I was utterly shocked at how much fun I had with the film. Once Upon a Time in Shanghai is not a perfect film by any means, but the combination of high energy, charm, and some fun fight sequences makes for a film that hit all of the entertainment buttons on my mental machine.

Ma Yongzhen (Phillip Ng) is new to Shanghai in the 1930s. The city of dreams where any man can find opportunity isn’t quite as glamorous as he had hoped, but a strong community and his immaculate strength have made it bearable. When he learns of a young Shanghai native Long Qi (Andy On) is quickly rising through the ranks in the gangster world through his insatiable appetite and vicious fighting, he finds a way to make his life (and the lives of his friends and adopted family) better.

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai is a modern spin on a lot of old martial arts film tropes thrown in a relatively unique and charming background. At its heart, Once Upon a Time in Shanghai is the 70s Golden Harvest movie that Golden Harvest never made - which is somewhat hilarious as the film is a loose remake of the Shaw Brothers film Boxer from Shantung. This Golden Harvest connection is apparent in a lot of ways. The inclusion of Sammo Hung in a small almost cameo sized secondary role, the streaks of slapstick humor that pop up in the romantic sub plot, and, of course, the general way that the plot progresses towards being a pro-Chinese/anti-Japanese cautionary tale about the historical moments of the time. It also features an utterly charismatic and intense performance from Phillip Ng who, in an astonishing move, channels the very spirit and feel of a young Bruce Lee for the film. This ‘Ng as Lee’ maneuver seems very intentional and for all intensive purposes – works like fuckin’ magic. He utterly owns the screen and devours his ‘good boy in a bad world’ role for all it’s worth. He even upstages the charming Andy On on many occasions (whom also thrives in the role of the ambitious gang leader) and their on screen chemistry – bromance, I suppose – is lightning to watch.

And while the core of Once Upon a Time in Shanghai is most certainly riding on this sort old school feel and the charm it brings with it, director Wong Ching Po does his best to modernize the film at the same time even if its to a hit or miss effect. In another surprising move, Once Upon a Time in Shanghai is damn near shot in black and white. The colors of the film are muted essentially to a point where anything outside of the brightest colors (a jade bracelet, the neon lights of the night club) are leached of any color. It’s a move that works remarkably well and one that comes as a pleasant surprise since many of the stills and promotional material I had seen was in color. The film also has that modern Yuen Woo Ping touch to much of the action. Lots of pacing shifts into slow motion or high speed pop up throughout the fight sequences (of which there are plenty – including a classic kung fu stair step finale of villains) and even though that shoddy CGI makes its appearance too much for my tastes, the actual choreography and impact of the action set pieces are more than enough fun to hit home.

Once Upon a Time in Shanghai is a modern kung fu tale for old school kung fu fans. In a way, it’s this concept that has lead to some of the mediocre reviews and opinions about the film. Old school kung fu fans tend to despite CGI and the modern camera work of newer films. However, if you are one that can set aside those initial sour tastes (like I had to do) you will find that Once Upon a Time in Shanghai is an utterly charming and massively entertaining film built on classic foundations with a modern spin. The characters are engaging, the action is ‘big punch’ entertainment, and the fun that can be had with the film makes for a film that gets a huge recommendation from me – warts and all.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

[Rec]4: Apocalypse (2015)

Director: Jaume Balaguero

Notable Cast: Manuela Velasco, Paco Manzanedo, Hector Colome, Ismael Fritschi, Crispulo Cabezas, Paco Obregon

It might be true that the [Rec] franchise has increasingly lost steam with each entry, but it’s hard not to love the first two films and appreciate what the third one was attempting to do to change up the dynamics of the series. My lukewarm take on the third film didn’t stop me from being stoked for the fourth entry Apocalypse and the return of director Jaume Balaguero had me intrigued for what he had in store for the epic finale. As it turns out, [Rec]4 mostly had disappointment in store for me with its back to basics approach and relatively safe turn for its story. It’s still a decent zombie flick for those looking for it and it comes off as exciting overall – but for this franchise I still expect a bit more than that.

The two lone survivors (Paco Manzanedo, Crispulo Cabezas) of a military team that went in to rescue TV reporter Angela (Manuela Velasco) at the ill fated apartment complex in Barcelona are stuck on a massive ship out at sea. A group of scientists and their armed guards need total isolation to concoct a cure for the monstrous virus. Angela is there as is one of the few survivors of the wedding outbreak earlier and together they will have to team up to survive one final outbreak and find a way off of the ship when shit hits the fan.

Being sick bites...

[Rec]4: Apocalypse is the kind of film that is going to tear fans in two directions. On one hand it adds a few elements that the series was known for as a continuation of the franchise and it moves at a lightning pace, but on the other hand it deviates even further from what made the first two films worth it. As a long time fan, I enjoyed seeing the return of Angela to the fold, particularly after her unknown fate we were witness to in [Rec]2. The appearance of a character from [Rec]3 is a bit shocking and useless though. It’s almost as if she was shoehorned in to just make sure we all didn’t forget that the third entry existed as it comes off as irrelevant for the rest of the film. Apocalypse also has the pacing going for it as it moves at a ridiculously fast pace. Partnered with the claustrophobic and unique setting of a ship at sea, [Rec]4 does succeed as being a rather energetic and fast paced zombie flick complete with plenty of monstrous attacks and a rainy chaotic finale.

Unfortunately, just being a fun and energetic zombie film doesn’t quite cut it for a series known for innovation in the genre. This latest entry (which at this point I sincerely doubt will be the last) does move in full to being a traditionally filmed picture. This, like the last half of the last entry, does seem like a huge cop out of the stylistic choice that this franchise made a legit form of horror entertainment. Director Jaume Balaguero tries to recapture some of the in-the-moment terror by keeping the film frantic with tons of shaky cam, but the magic is sort of lost in this move…not to mention irritating as far as getting an audience sea sick sitting on their own couch. [Rec]4 actually makes its biggest mistake though in pulling away from the quirky religious elements of the last two entries and biting down on being a straight up zombie picture. Blah blah blah doctors, virus, anti-virus, and the origin of the virus all make their appearances and yet not a single piece of the cool religious twists are to be found. It’s a strange shift away from originality that ends up biting the film in the ass.

The storm hits.

As a zombie flick, [Rec]4 earns its thrills and kills with its high energy pacing and plenty of fun violence to be had (including the use of a outboard motor as a weapon) and it works in regards to being a decent action oriented horror flick. However, its movement away from originality, style, and the religious elements makes it a pretty disappointing sequel. Some fans will love it. Others will probably hate it.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Scanners II: The New Order (1991)

SCANNERS II: THE NEW ORDER

Aka "Scanners 2: The New Order"

Ten years after David Cronenberg’s classic “Scanners” exploded onto the screen (and if you have seen the film you know I mean that in the literal sense) Canadian producer Pierre David finally took it upon himself to make a long awaited sequel to a film that had already gone on to create a large cult following. However fans were initially crushed when news hit that writer/director David Cronenberg would not be returning in any shape or form for this follow-up. In his place we have Christian Duguay, a novice director with only a few television episodes to his name. Also, though initially going to be a theatrical release, the film was then to be regulated to direct-to-video hell. These blemishes on the integrity of this sequel would be enough for scare any fan of the original away but alas this sequel ended up far better than it has any right to.

The story doesn’t continue the plot events of Cameron and Kim from the original. Instead we follow their son, a scanner learning to deal with his mental “gift” as he is lured by a powerful law figure who wants to use his powers for personal and political gain. When his adoptive parents and new girlfriend become targets, he teams up with the scanner sister he never knew he had (the late Deborah Raffin) to bring him down but not before having to defeat an evil scanner (predictably) and a hospital full of scanner junkies.

The connection to the original film is flimsy and the film would be no different if our main character was just another scanner as opposed to the son of the original films two protagonists. However David Hewlett holds his own in the lead role (far better than Stephen LACK!) and the screenwriters do add a few new plot elements to offer something at least a little different. Sure it has the troupes of the original film like political/corporate corruption and an evil scanner protagonist, but the addition of scanner junkies addicted to a drug to help drown out the voices was nifty and director Christian Duguay keeps the film moving at a brisk pace with style and increased violence.

This sequel is definitely louder than the original and faster paced but it lacks the cerebral density that David Cronenberg so woefully crafts in his films. Even with the lack of David Cronenberg’s stamp of approval, “Scanners II” emerges as a rather smart direct-to-video sequel whose production values are much higher than would assume and it should satisfy fans of the original wanting to delve into a little more of the Scanner lore. Director Christian Duguay however would falter, majorly, with his next entry “Scanners 3: The Takeover”.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, The (2015)

Director: Tom Harper

Notable Cast: Phoebe Fox, Jeremy Irvine, Helen McCrory, Adrian Rawlins, Oaklee Pendergast

The Woman in Black was the sort of film that grew on me. My initial review after a theatrical showing was rather hum drum, but with second and third viewings I really grew to enjoy it for its deep atmosphere, great setting, and old school approach to storytelling. It’s sequel, The Woman in Black 2 – complete with the terrible subtitle Angel of Death, is a film that desperately attempts to execute all of the elements that made the original one work, but utterly falls flat in actually getting them to work. At its core it’s a perfectly serviceable haunted house/killer ghost flick with plenty of jump scares to frighten the 16-year old couple in front of me at the theater, but for horror fans it’s a film that completely stumbles out of the gate and can never recover.

Eve (Phoebe Fox) is a young schoolteacher in 1941 London. The bombs from a vicious German force rain down regularly and in an attempt to keep children safe; they are placed in a countryside house far away from cities. It also happens to be the Eel Marsh House. A house that also happens to be haunted by a terrible ghost. A ghost that happens to hate children. That happens to make them kill themselves. Oh no!

Popping the collar.

The concept for The Woman in Black 2 is actually a clever one. Having the film take place during the bombings of World War II is a great potential setting for the flick and the continued use of the Eel Marsh House should have generated that same brisk and dense atmosphere that made the first film work so well. Hell, the film even has a decent set of characters going for it with a young schoolteacher with a heavy past, a military pilot with his own issues, and even a hardnosed head teacher. Honestly, on paper, The Woman in Black 2 should have been a shoe in for a great ghost flick and one of the best of 2015 already.

Too bad it’s terrible. I’m not the one to say its one person’s fault for the utter failure of this film, as it seems like there are legitimate attempts to be as good as its potential, but every attempt there are at depth is squandered by generic formulas and awkward writing. Firstly, the film lacks any of the atmosphere of the original film. Part of this is that director Tom Harper lacks in giving the setting the density that it originally had. The house isn’t this massive foreboding presence that it should have been, the dank marsh lacks that suffocating feeling it should have had, and the inclusion of so many characters (and lots of children we have no idea about) takes away the isolation elements. This is just salt in the wound for a film that haphazardly injects enough silly jump scares that the hardened horror fan in me ended up rolling my eyes more than normal at the formulaic set ups.

Yet, I have to say that it’s the writing that might end up being the biggest missed opportunity for The Woman in Black 2. Having a ghost film about children set to the background of a war instantly invokes comparisons to the astounding The Devil’s Backbone. Despite some attempts at getting the ghost story and the war setting to set up parallel elements, The Woman in Black 2 fails to take its setting as a deeper element for the characters. Oh, we have a pilot that’s afraid of water! Great. Another missed opportunity in the writing is a nice parallel they could have developed between the motherly elements of the phantasm and the motherly back story/current job of the main schoolteacher. At the core, there could have been an amazing motherly streak story twist (and perhaps a spin on making the two character arcs start to mimic one another), but The Woman in Black 2 seems to shun almost all of that depth for following a consumable blueprint – and it’s massively disappointing.

Ring around the rosie...they all fall down.

All in all, the 16 year old couple in front of me in the theater seemed to have a great time with The Woman in Black 2 – screaming at all of the forced jump scares and even inquiring to one another at one point why Harry Potter didn’t return, but its their enthusiasm with this generic ‘date’ horror flick that makes it so damn disappointing. It’s a film that does stretch its thoughtfulness, it adheres to the standard ghost elements too religiously, and the creative execution of the original one is all but missing. Honestly, the most horrifying part of this film is watching it stumble and fail at every turn to create something memorable. Perhaps it will be like the first one and grow on me with time, but this time around I highly doubt it. 

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (1965)

Director: Kenji Misumi

Notable Cast: Shintaro Katsu, Mikio Narita, Chizuru Hayashi, Kaneko Iwasaki, Gaku Yamamoto, Tatsuo Endo, Taro Marui, Rokko Toura

“You have to understand, Otane. The man you’re looking at is dirt. And everyone who comes close to him or touches him, in one way or another gets muddied by that dirt. There’s nothing I can do about being dirt myself, but I don’t what you to get mired in my dirt.”

With a title like Zatoichi and the Chess Expert, one would think that there would be something of a chess based running theme throughout this twelfth entry of the blind swordsman franchise. Yet, the film actually plays down the titular character so that he becomes a sort of looming question mark for the film. The rest of this adventure of our cane wielding hero is actually a sort of throwback film to the more emotional beats we saw earlier in the franchise and it plays up a lot of the gray areas for the characters and plot – a move that I am completely behind.

Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) continues to find himself on the road with a variety of different groups after the significant bounty on his head. When a game of dice goes wrong and a young girl is injured in the process, he takes it under his guidance to help out the young woman and the girl to find medicine and get to their destination – and a strange chess obsessed samurai seems intent on tagging along for the right.

Can you play the blues on a three string?

While the Zatoichi franchise as seen its fair share of interpretations of a similar formula in a relatively short time, The Chess Expert seems intent on telling a strong story with deeper characters and interactions then we have seen in the last few entries. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, this round is less straightforward then the title would indicate with its sort of Zatoichi vs The Chess Expert vibes. In fact, the plot (similar to the last entry Doomed Man) seems almost a bit scattered at times as it takes its time to establish all of the pieces in place. Subplots about a torn up clan, the woman and the young girl, the foreboding chess expert, and a brother and sister vengeance plan all encompass the film. It creates this atmosphere of gray area in many of the character choices in the film. Zatoichi is shown as a cheat who plays his disability up to fool those who aim to take advantage of him, the Chess Expert is a man who seemingly does all the right things to help out our hero and his guests but is obviously the sort of character who would cut anyone in his way down, and even most of the secondary cast is shown as two faced individuals who say one thing and exist as another. It’s ultimately more of a satisfying film as it strays away from being a film about Zatoichi the Helpful and Just.

It also hits home this idea that Zatoichi is less of a protagonist for his own existence and one that merely reacts to the terrible situations that arise and when you see some of the more impressive emotional beats of the film (particularly a sequence where the woman he is ushering declares her love for him that the opening quote is pulled from) it hits home a bit harder than what we have seen from the series in a while. The plots do all come together in the last act quite nicely and although I wish the big finale was a little bit bigger, the way that it plays out is impressive.

Traveling friends...or traveling fiends?

Intriguingly enough, the weakest aspect of The Chess Expert is in the action area. Director Kenji Misumi has an able hand at the narrative, the deeper characters, and the complex intertwining themes, but he lacks the pizzazz in the action set pieces. The finale tends to be a little short winded and the mounting tension between Zatoichi and the Chess Expert sort of flash bangs instead of succumbing to the epic final match the audience is teased with throughout. There is one action piece at about the half way point of the film as Zatoichi must ditch assassins on the road while returning some medicine that packs some solid visuals of the setting and even pumps a solid (almost) heartbreaking moment at the end.

I didn’t necessarily have high expectations going into Zatoichi and the Chess Expert with its sort of gimmick inspired title, but the resulting complex story telling and emotional whiplash delivered in the film makes it one of the best of the franchise thus far. The execution is impressive in many aspects and fans are going to really enjoy this for its deeper attempts for the characters and the world of our hero. This one comes highly recommended.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Two Champions of Shaolin (1980)

Director: Chang Cheh

Notable Cast: Lo Mang, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Chin Siu-Hou, Wang Li, Yu Tai-Ping, Sun Chien, Ching Li, Wen Hsueh Erh

Aka: 2 Champions of Shaolin, Two Champions of Death

“Your dagger-throwing wife is dead. Tong Qianjin, you can join her in hell.”

It’s not a huge secret that Shaw Brothers films were built on very basic formulas and repeated elements that worked in their favor. Sometimes to a fault. This is where Two Champions of Shaolin tends to stumble. Even with the talented cast it has and under the watchful direction of Chang Cheh, this Shaolin vs. Wu Tang tale tends to be a little too predictable and a little too safe with a lot of its choices. Without the gimmicks that made a lot of later Chang Cheh flicks so much fun, Two Champions of Shaolin sort of exists as just another kung fu flick albeit with plenty of fun fights.

For Tong Qianjin (Lo Mang,) life is about to get a bit more difficult. The Shaolin school has taught him to fight for the cause and sends him out in the world to uphold the beliefs of his school. He teams up with a fellow Shaolin student (Chiang Sheng) and a brother and sister duo to form a sort of group to battle the villainous Wu Tang clan. When the Wu Tang clan kills his wife on their wedding day though, the war that is igniting may not leave anyone alive.

"Hey, we are Venom Mob. It's kind of like Shaolin."

There is an interesting subtext to Two Champions of Shaolin. Here we have an entire generation that are sent to battle to the death against an opposing force by an older generation and told to just follow orders instead of thinking for themselves. Only one young man (a key player in the plot twists in the third act) starts to think on his own. Unfortunately, this is all subtext and it’s rarely utilized to its maximum – and thoughtful – benefit in the film. In fact, Two Champions seems deliberate to only use it as a plot device to quickly brushes over it for the sake of keeping to the formula, which in the end is a real shame.

From there, Two Champions tends to play it by the book. The first act is generously cheesy with its set up as it speeds through to get us to main story (which is after the wedding party beat down) and then the film…drags. The second act, which is the biggest portion of the film and takes a twist towards an almost espionage tact, seemingly drags the ground by introducing a slew of new characters and focusing on a sort of chess match between the two clans as they plot against one another. While there is enough to keep the audience intrigued, the speed of the opening act certainly set up expectations that Two Champions cannot keep and it really does end up feeling like it’s moving at a glacial pace.

Sticks and stones...

Luckily, this is a Chang Cheh film so the final act almost redeems the rest. The set up takes fucking forever, but the final battle is mostly worth the time spent getting there. It helps that the film picks up to a pace similar to the opening act and starts moving at a lightning speed. The fight sequence is decently epic with multiple battles all happening at once and, in true Chang Cheh fashion, features some shockingly violent moments for a kung fu film. In fact, the final death sequence had my mouth agape for a second. Ah yes, gotta love Chang Cheh even at his most mediocre. 

It’s just too bad that Two Champions of Shaolin tends to be so mediocre overall. The first act moves too fast to set up a second act that moves too slowly. It’s a bit too safe in how it presents its rather intriguing premise and even though the final fight sequence and a previous wedding day brawl are great action set pieces, the resulting mix is just…disappointing. Particularly for a Venom Mob film by Chang Cheh.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Top 20: Horror Films of 2014

With Blood Brothers being dedicated to cult genres and the often overlooked films from all over the world, it was only fitting that here at the end of 2014 we deliver our top 20 horror films. There is a slew of different styles and sub-genres that made the list and quite a few great films that didn't quite make the cut. So feel free, look at the list, click on the links for full reviews if applicable, and leave us some comments on what we missed or what should have been cut.

The Top 20 Horror Films of 2014:

20. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)

            Horror remakes may carry some bad aura with them thanks to the sheer amount of them that pop up each year, but a flawed original and clever spin make this one worth the watch. In a weird way, it’s also a sequel to the 70s mockumentary styled horror flick as the original film plays a huge part in the plotting of the film. It retains some of the elements of the original (it even uses a lot of fun homage moments), but injects a modern twist on the slasher. Director Gomez-Rejon does slather it in a nice stylistic touch too with his consistent pans and clean color schemes, which adds to the fun.

19. The Possession of Michael King

            Possession films might be all the rage in the low budget horror genre and the found footage style is getting repetitive, but The Possession of Michael King gets props for some fun subtle elements (the ants!) and for some wicked strong pacing.

18. Beneath

            There were two films called Beneath released in 2014 and this one is NOT the giant fish flick. This one plays out more as a psychological horror flick as a group of miners get trapped in a mine and some individuals start kicking the bucket one by one. The reason this basic concept works is the sheer tension and connection the audience has with the miners that we care to see just what happens to them. Strong execution is what makes this film work so well.

17. Under the Skin

            While Under the Skin can often be described as a crazy ass arthouse version of Species, that description rarely does the film justice. It’s truly one of those films that must be experienced. It’s a bit of a slow burn and the lacking dialogue with vague plotting can be frustrating for some, but the overall experience of the film makes it a must see for the year.

16. Willow Creek

            Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait goes all sorts of Blair Witch Project for his horror film about Bigfoot and the couple that goes out to find it. While scrutiny surely abounds for the film for it’s slow pacing and rather uneventful plotting, but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t on the edge of my seat for the entire second half – even if we don’t see almost anything. There is a tent sequence that had me holding my breath for ten minutes straight. Talk about doing something with nothing.

15. The Taking of Deborah Logan

            Not only did one found footage possession flick make the list this year…BUT TWO! The Taking of Deborah Logan is, again, a film we have essentially seen before, but the thoughtful approach to storytelling and the pacing are expertly unrolled for us as we see Deborah Logan slowly drift towards a teeth-clenching finale.

14. The Sacrament

            Ti West might be one of those directors who divides fans with his low energy and big atmosphere style, but The Sacrament might be his most consumable film yet. It might not be strictly horror in many senses of the term, but the unnerving way that the story unfurls and the ridiculously strong acting that goes with it makes for a film that feels almost too real for its own good at times.

13. The Babadook

            Australia stakes a big claim to the psychological horror-or-maybe-its-real genre with The Babadook in some very intriguing ways. Buoyed on the stellar performances of the two leads, a mother and son must overcome grief and stress by fighting off a children’s monster known as The Babadook. The film plays out more as a horrific portrayal of mourning in many ways, but the stellar blend of nightmarish imagery and tension makes for an edge of your seat flick.

12. The Battery

            Made for what looks like $100 and a six pack of beer, The Battery succeeds by not relying on special effects and scares like so many zombie films do. In fact, it wholly presents itself as a low-fi character study about two ex-baseball players who must rely on each other to survive the post-zombie apocalypse. It’s less about plot and more about how two people would handle the kind of world ending catastrophe they have had to endure. Not to mention it loves to go into awkward situations with such dark humor that it’s hard not to appreciate its charm.

11. Honeymoon

            Another ‘atmosphere before scares’ flick that came as a huge surprise in 2014, Honeymoon is once again a small film with big execution. A couple heads up to a cabin in the woods to celebrate their honeymoon when weird things start happening to the bride and the husband becomes desperate to uncover the truth of what is happening. It’s simple. It’s built on the strength of the script where every detail comes back (whether it seems trivial or not) and the performances hook the audience. The twist might not be as satisfying to some, but the trip there is legit.

10. Wolf Creek 2

            Like what The Collection did to me last year, Wolf Creek 2 is a horror film that plays itself more like an action flick. While it certainly retains a few of the elements that made the first Wolf Creek such a massive hit and critical success (particularly in the first and third acts) the rest of this sequel is a bit more over the top and ridiculous. A massive chase sequence consumes most of the film and features the snarky villain Mick doing crazy things like running over kangaroos with a semi. It’s a strange film for sure, but it’s just the right amount of terrifying, hilarious, and outrageous.

09. Afflicted

            At this point, I have given up on trying to make ‘found footage’ horror go away and I just hope against all hope that they start making more ‘good ones’ instead. That’s what we get with Afflicted. The premise isn’t wholly out there or even overly clever after the main twist presents itself, but the execution of this minimal budget flick is impressive. The stunts and camera tricks to pull off some of the more outrageous beats make the film come off as far cooler than the script should have any right to be. That being said, it does create a rather intriguing universe for a franchise to be developed in…so here’s hoping for that.

08. The Canal

            Psychological horror is one of those subgenres that can be very tough to pull off. It’s very easy to be mundane. Not for The Canal though. This ripe and atmospheric flick blends the psychological horror of despair and grief with a slick and vicious ghost story that even goes as far as to steal a few elements from J-Horror to accomplish its tasks. The results are impressive to say the least.

07. Big Bad Wolves

            Perhaps not the strictest of horror films as the genre goes, Big Bad Wolves is one of the most devastating films of the year on this list. It plays out like a big dark mystery flick with just enough horrific events and perfectly placed dark humor that it leaves the audience riveted throughout…even if the concept is very, very simple.

06. Dead Snow 2: Red Vs Dead

            Horror comedy can be a subgenre that every one has a big ambitions with, but few people do it like Tommy Wirkola does. His long awaited sequel owes quite a bit to the early works of Peter Jackson in many ways – especially in its blend of outrageous violence, gore, and slapstick humor, but the resulting mix of Zombie Hunters versus an undead Nazi army is easily one of the best concoctions of horror and humor offered up in the last ten years.

05. Oculus

            Evil mirrors are not necessarily the most confidence boosting subjects for horror, but the clever story telling approaches with two parallel tales make Oculus a shockingly effect horror flick. It blurs the lines of reality and nightmare just enough that half the time the audience is unsure of the direction just as the two protagonists are…a move that makes the film work as a multi-watch too.

04. Horns

            Horns is the kind of film to really split fans of the genre in a lot of ways. It’s a film that blends so many genres (love story, horror, dark comedy, murder mystery, fantasy) that if you are not willing to buy into the approach there is almost no way that you will enjoy it. However, if you are willing to go along for the ride then Horns is a blast, crafted on fun performances, a winding tale of awkward and often uncomfortable situations, and some truly awesome visuals from the now legendary director Aja.

03. Rigor Mortis

            Another genre bender, Rigor Mortis is both an homage film to the foreign horror styles of Chinese hopping vampires and J-Horror ghosts and a strange and brutal telling of its own regard. It throws in violent gore, kung fu, comedy, and huge bits of fantasy to tell its story of a depressed man thrown in a battle with the forces of evil in a run down apartment complex. Needless to say, the combination is fucking awesome.

02. Killers

            The Mo Brothers have crafted a unique little niche of Indonesian horror and their film about two serial killers in competition with one another over online videos might be their best yet. The performances and narrative both create an atmosphere of sympathy and utter abhorrence for these two men for their mix of vicious violence and strange connection that will make you wonder…how many of us have a killer inside?

01. Starry Eyes
            Cronenberg and Polanski ought to be proud of their impact on the horror genre because their style and impact creates films like Starry Eyes. Atmospheric and character driven, Starry Eyes is hinged on one very, very impressive performance and a strange ability to blend cult elements with body horror and nightmarish slasher pieces. This was a black swan piece that came out of nowhere to take the reign on this list.