Wolf Warrior (2015)

Director: Wu Jing

Notable Cast: Wu Jing, Scott Adkins, Yu Nan, Kyle Sapiro, Ni Dahong, Kevin Lee

Despite its general luke warm to cold reviews, I was still looking forward to Wolf Warrior. Call me old fashioned, but we just don’t get B-grade action films like we used to. As someone who grew up on the likes of Stallone, Van Damme, and Seagal, I have a well-rounded love for the big budget bad action flick. While Wolf Warrior most certainly falls into the very same categories as some of the Hollywood's best of the worst, it was also a remarkably enjoyable film experience. Don’t expect anything above a low brow explosion riddled, loosely threaded film and you’ll find plenty of cheese and action to go around.

Leng Feng (Wu Jing) just earned himself a one way ticket out of the army for disobeying an order in combat, but he’s also earned his way into one of the most elite training and fighting groups in all of China…THE WOLF WARRIORS! Yet while on a training mission with the army, these elite soldiers find themselves at odds with a vicious and well trained group of international mercenaries lead by a ruthless killer (Scott Adkins). Is there something else more sinister afoot?

Weapons of mass destruction assemble! And get those tanks too!

In a way, Wolf Warrior represents three kinds of Hong Kong action films: the old school action flick, the modern action flick, and Chinese military propaganda film. On top of that, director/actor/co-writer Wu Jing made one hell of a vanity project out of Wolf Warrior too. He essentially plays an unstoppable force of strategic and military might (seriously, he gets shot like five times in this, outruns snipers, and somehow survives stepping on a landmine) that rivals Rambo in many situations…and strangely enough always seems to be remarkably sweaty while doing it…and his wonky survival tactics and unwavering patriotism harkens back to the days of 80s muscle. This is balanced with a sense of grounded Hong Kong action dynamics including plenty of gun fighting and an impressive knife fight with the ever awesome Scott Adkins in the finale. There are even a handful of scenes that seemed inspired by Eastern Condors – just not nearly as good or effective, but present nonetheless. It’s the relentless pacing of the film and obvious old school foundations that make Wolf Warrior so much fun to watch.

Layered on top of that, Wolf Warrior still employs a lot of modern action techniques. The film has some decidedly crisp production values and tends to want to use far too much CGI for its own good – a plague upon the house of Hong Kong for many years that particularly rears its ugly head in a very random sequence where the soldiers have to fight off a pack of actual wolves. I shit you not. The plot is also a blend of the old and new as it takes the idea of a weapons dealer that uses a “revenge tactic” to cover a more diabolic and modern twist…stealing a biological weapon that is genetically designed to only kill Chinese people (?!?!). The narrative here is rather weak and a lot of the character progressions feel forced and unnecessary. A romantic subplot between Wu Jing and Yu Nan seems to be jammed in (despite a fun bad performance from the latter) and even a strange parallel with another solider that’s told in flashback doesn’t work nearly as well as the film thinks it does.  This, along with some editing issues, makes Wolf Warrior rarely the poignant flick it wants to be.

Yet, in what might be one of the strangest moves, Wolf Warrior might as well be one of the most expensive propaganda films I have yet to see. It’s many monologues about the strength and righteousness of China, the “I Fight For China” patches The Wolves wear, and even the strange dialogue between Adkins and Wu Jing in the end about country pride versus money seem to hammer its not-so-subtle subtext home with a cannonball. Even the random biological weapon that ONLY KILLS CHINESE PEOPLE seems to smack of hilariously obvious propaganda. It’s not that it’s wholly different then what many of my favorite action flicks of my youth did (I’ve seen Rocky IV a lot of times), but it was a shock to see the film so blatantly throw it out there in this modern age.

The reason action fans will want to watch this...this fight.

For fans of B-action flicks, Wolf Warrior is packed with outrageously fun action and some of the silliest plot twists you are likely to see this year. The film is not at all effective with its secondary characters (it’s barely effective with its main character) and the plot is about as loosely threaded as they come, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a blast watching it. With a promise of a Wolf Warrior II in the mid credits, it’s hard for me to say that I wouldn’t be excited to see what ridiculous shit they come up with for a second film, but for now I’ll just say that despite its gaping flaws and eye-rolling pieces that I enjoyed the hell out of Wolf Warrior. Warts and all.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Bite (2015)

Director: Chad Archibald
Notable Cast: Elma Begovic, Annette Wozniak, Denise Yuen, Jordan Gray, Lawrene Denkers

Black Fawn Films are in full drive right now after acquiring a new deal and they show no signs of stopping. Based in Guelph and Toronto, Ontario, the company with multiple directors and features under its belt has been representing the Canadian horror scene lately throughout the years at the festival. Bite saw its world premiere at Fantasia this year to a sold out crowd including the film’s cast and crew and hosted by none other than the festival’s director Mitch Davis. The feature is directed by Black Fawn’s Chad Archibald (Neverlost, The Drownsman) who was to present his own film. With barf bags handed out at the screening, I’d say that was a good idea because Bite is a NOT for the faint of heart or squeamish. If you are though then it’s best to keep your barf bag on hand because this movie is ready to take a bite out of you!

Peaceful on the outside...

Bite follows Casey (played by Elma Begovic) who decides to take a vacation to Costa Rica with her two friends Jill and Kirsten (played by Annette Wozniak and Denise Yuen respectively) before her upcoming wedding to her fiancé Jared (played by Jordan Gray).  The vacation ends up being an indulgence in partying and booze, leaving Casey to forget about the stresses of Jared’s religious and controlling mother (played by Lawrene Denkers), the wedding, and Jared’s desire to have children. Upon veering off the path of the beaches of Costa Rica due to a recommendation by a local, the trio find a quite an unusual  site where the water is super clear and the wildlife is strange. Casey gets bitten under the water and simply waves it off until she is back home and the bite starts to get worse...

Much like many of Black Fawn’s features, our cast here are mostly Canadian newcomers and for some this is their first feature film including our lead Elma Begovic whose performance is pretty good for someone who seemed to spend almost half of the film covered in goop! Bite instantly reminded me of recent films such as Contracted and Starry Eyes except this time the victim is turning into something way more cunning and dangerous. I will admit, the amount of sticky, thick, and discolored bodily fluids was enough to make an average movie goer's stomach curl, but if you’re a horror veteran then you probably don’t need your own barf bag. Other than the main attraction, the film focuses on Casey’s own problems with her fiancé and his mother from hell which fuels her decisions, emotions, and instinct as she slowly turns into a monster both physically and mentally. It was actually quite apparent during the Q and A that both the cast and Archibald were very passionate about the film, especially when it came to the effects which are by far the film’s strong point. I hadn’t been so disgusted by a film like this in years. Even two of the film’s attendants had actually rushed to the public washrooms during the screening of Bite which speaks a lot for the film itself. Another thing that wowed me was the set design. It truly looks like they ruined an apartment with the icky stuff that we see throughout the film oozes out of our lead. Other than the special effects, the plot is very standard and the characters are quite unlikable. Our curiosity is more invested in what will become of Casey and what will happen next. 

...gooey on the inside.

Would I herald Bite to be a cinematic masterpiece? Not even close. But as a horror film, it does exactly what it sets out to do; disgust the hell out of the audience and deliver on the special makeup effects. Normally a horror film goes great with popcorn and your choice of your favorite soda but this is one movie that you might prefer to watch on an empty stomach. Bite feeds on our fears of what we might experience after encountering the unknown because nature can be just as frightening as the killers on the street and ghosts that go bump in the night.

Written By Elise Holmes

Elise Holmes is not your average writer. Dedicated to her Evil Dead fan site The Deadite Slayer, she is doing Fantasia Fest coverage this year for Blood Brothers! Check out her site HERE!

Z Storm (2015)

Director: David Lam

Notable Cast: Louis Koo, Gordon Lam, Dada Chan, Michael Wong, Lo Hoi Pang, Liu Kai Chi

A crime thriller starring the fantastic Louis “I’m in everything” Koo about corporate espionage with that stunningly awesome cover artwork from Well Go USA for the US release of the film? On paper, Z Storm seems to be a rip roaring, tense thriller. In reality, the film is a baffling series of massive misfires. There is the core for something intense in the foundations of Z Storm, but lackluster execution of the idea (in a lot of ways) makes it a film that is going to ring out as a massive disappointment long after the actual film has ended. If anything, Z Storm is the perfect storm of to rain disappointment on its unsuspecting audience.

Officer Luk (Louis Koo) has his hands full as a lead ICAC investigator. Accusations against a police superintendent are being handled delicately, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. With each twist, he and his team come closer and closer to uncovering a massive corporate conspiracy that reaches into the government. Can he stop it in time before the perfect storm is created?

What starts off as a corrupt cop flick quickly converts to a full on corporate espionage film that attempts to create a winding road of plot twists and conspiracy theories for its audience. As was mentioned above, on paper the film could have been an effective little thriller – rarely unique, but effective. In fact, there are many moments that feel like they are almost there in the film. It’s just wholly unfortunate that Z Storm feels like an amateur TV movie that doesn’t utilize any of its concept to full potential.

Finger pointing is so INTENSE.

When I say that it feels like a TV movie, I most certainly mean it. The look of the film, in production values and from director David Lam, looks like it was trying to appeal to the Law & Order fan base rather than the thriller fans it should have. The editing is awkward with ridiculous swipes and fuzzy fade ins and outs, the music is eye-rolling cheesy, and outside of some of the stock footage of the city, the visual style of the film lacks an artistic touch. It even goes as far as force feeding random fast forward and slow motion moments to “spice things up” in all of the most irritating ways. Each time the film cut to a fast forward shot of the city, queued terrible music, and told us how many days were left until the deadline of the film’s finale I wanted to throw something at the television. And this was just one of the reoccurring instances of these poorly chosen moments.

To make things even worse, the principal cast desperately act their asses off to try and make this film work. Louis Koo, who is essentially awesome in everything he does, is perhaps the biggest saving grace in Z Storm. Even when a flashback moment about his wife is ruined by terrible CGI and cheesy as hell music, he damn near makes it all work with his acting. This goes for a lot of the main players, particularly the ICAC team that are the core protagonists of the film. They’re cliché and often generic, but the cast works it as best as they can to sell those characters. I also have to give a particular nod to Michael Wong as the villainous counterpart to Louis Koo – whose charm and arrogance is a perfect balance to Koo’s intensity. It’s just too bad that this is the movie that they would play counterparts in and not something more akin to Drug War or Wild City.

Broken. Like my dreams for a good movie.

For those looking for a great crime thriller, be advised that Z Storm is not everything it should have been. It is light on true suspense (even the action sequence at the end seems depressingly ineffective for the one action set piece we get) and the TV movie look of the film undermines any of the great elements of its script that might have worked as a selling point. To put it blunt, Z Storm is boring. Z Storm looks cheap. Z Storm is a disappointment. Unless you’re that die hard Louis Koo fan (or love it for its ridiculously awesome cover artwork) it’s hard for me to recommend this film and I would suggest rewatching Drug War again instead.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Cub (2015)

Director: Jonas Govaerts
Notable Cast: Maurice Luijten, Stef Aerts, Titus De Voogdt, Evelien Bosmans

We have seen our fair share of films with young outcasts many times. Main characters whom are belittled, teased, bullied, and beaten to a pulp for their differences from the average boy. But we have never seen it quite like Cub. Director Jonas Govaerts has created an almost fairy tale like horror film revolving around young 12 year old misfit Sam (played by Maurice Luijten) for his first feature after dabbling with television and shorts. The backwoods horror film gets turned on its head here where instead of a hillbilly killer chasing down a bunch of sex craved teenagers, our protagonists are mostly children and our villains look nothing like insane country bumpkins. Can this story of modern folklore prove true enough to wow audiences or will it fall flat on its face? While not 100% fresh, there is enough substance to say that it is absolutely not the latter. There is a dark presence in the woods and Cub is ready to bear its teeth.

Cub starts us off with Sam rushing to make it in time to a boy scouts trip. The imaginative young boy, always last to line up with his fellow scouts, is the outcast in the group with only one friend who fears the wrath of the other scouts if seen too often with him. We are then treated to the scout leaders (played by Stef Aerts and Titus De Voogdt) telling a mythical tale of Kai, a werewolf boy that prowls the woods in search of victims at night. It is well indicated on the way to the campsite that Sam definitely believes in the tale. On the way, one of the leader’s girlfriends (played by Evelien Bosmans) gets picked up as the group’s cook. Upon arriving at the site, they decide to pitch up tent deeper in the woods thanks to a run in with some French hoodlums. Our characters might find themselves regretting the decision however since there is a lot more truth to the story than fiction...

I found Cub to be quite unique as we are treated to a film with enough violence and the unusual feature of finding the protagonist to be a child. Govaerts does a good job with making us sympathize with Sam while learning with time to spot those that prey on him. It isn’t always the villains in the woods either. As individuals outside of the boy scouts pack get picked off by a mysterious man and his young fairy tale figure, Sam’s curiosity takes the viewer around to some interesting places. While Cub is mostly a serious film, there is still comic relief here and there which isn’t overbearing and is definitely welcome. With time we see Sam evolve from a picked on kid to a survivor willing to fight to help the scouts and his own life. While the feature spots some great violence, a lot of the thrills come from the traps. This is more than just your average bear trap but it’s so complicated that you can expect a whole Rube Goldberg machine laid out in the forest and they’re quite entertaining. Maurice Luijten does a great job and the rest of the cast isn’t too shabby either. You might find yourself pulling your teeth out with some the decisions made by some of our characters as they are not always the brightest. It doesn’t happen frequently so we can easily forgive Govaerts... thankfully.

Overall Cub was not a very memorable film, but the good news is that it was an enjoyable one. We always want to get a good look at the mysterious and animalistic Kai and his owner as they get rid of the intruders in some common or creative ways. Belgium has been continuing to grace us with their fair share of horror after films like The Pack and The Ordeal (Calvaire) and horror fans are ready for a second helping. Cub teaches us that sometimes we can prove to be more than just a victim and to beware because sometimes even the most improbable of fables and urban legends have some truth to them.

Written By Elise Holmes