Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Donnie Yen is the new chinese action kung fu star. fact.

he is great in this new adaptation of the Chen Zhen story. The character of Chen Zhen is a famous one in china and has been played by Bruce Lee and Jet Li in the past. taking over the mantle is a new action star Donnie Yen, and i'm sure Hollywood will come calling sooner or later.

as for the film, its a good story set in 1925 shnghai where there is all sorts of political unrest between Japan and China. i have to admit my knowledge of history around that time is not the best and so i did struggle with the story at times, but there are helpful subtitles and headings, especially at the beginning which help you along.

To add to the confusion most of the cast spend their time double crossing each other and pretending to be someone else which doesnt help the confusion - especially when Chen Zhen has the worst disguise since Clark Kents glasses. he literally has a stick thin pencil moustache as his disguise, and that's it. the film i dont think needed as many double crossings and characters and would have benefited from a simpler story.

a quick word about the actress Qi Shu who plays Kiki a singer in a caberat club called casablance. the first time we see her she is beautiful and elegant and i was fully expecting her to become the femme fatale of the film, powerful controlling and manipulative towards men especially our protagonist. what follows though is a detailed charcter exploration of a sad lonely alcoholic woman. {SPOILER ALERT} when we see who she is at the end there is an argument that it was all a show, but i disagree and prefer to believe that is who she truly is {SPOILER END}.

the action sequences are brilliant, and they manage to remain real and authentic, than many other kung fu films. wire work, if it was used, is kept to a minimum and not overused creating a sense of truthfulness and appreciation in the fight sequences. Why though, they make the lead character dress up in a mask to fight certain bad guys at night is beyond me. he is an exact replica to Kato from the Green Hornet and the comparison must be intentional, for which i can see no relevance. baffling.

overall a good fun, if convoluted story, and a great chance to see Donnie Yen before he hits the ultra big time.

3 stars

Unstoppable

This is a fast fun thrill seeking ride, but nothing much more than that.

the story is simple, there is an unmanned train carrying toxic waste heading for a populated area and a big bend which will cause it to crash. and its down to our two leads to stop it. this is basically it, there are some very weak sub plots, not even that, more back stories in an attempt to flesh out the characters. but that is it.

but who am i kidding this film isn't here for plot or characters. its is here to look good, the photography and flashy visuals, the editing and camera work make it a visual feast experience. Tony Scott proves once again he is the king of this. somehow he manages to create genuine feeling and emotion for his charcters dilemmas despite us not really caring for them. a special talent indeed.

Unfortunately flashy visuals is all this is and is immediately forgettable after an enjoyable 90 mins in the cinema.

2.5 stars

Due Date

So i'm a little late with this review, and i'd heard quite a few negative hings about this film. but i enjoyed it with some genuinely laugh out loud moments.

its no classic like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. it doesnt feel as slapstick as that. it is a more conservative film and moment you have heard about or seen in the trailer, like hitting children and running into car doors, i dont think sum up the movie.

it is a buddy buddy road movie, but they are real characters with all their vicious floors laid bare on the journey. Ok, Zach Galifianakis character is a slight comic creation, but i don't agree its a slapstick one, a sad lonely character who we laugh at yes.

Downey Jr puts in another great performance as a tight business man with a cruel streak but with glimpses of humanity and by the end you feel there is a genuine bond between the two of them.

two great cameos from Juliette Lewis & Jamie Foxx.

3 stars

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Well this one well and truly blows every other film of the series out of the water.

finally the films have grown up and caught up with the characters from the book, it is a stylish foreboding film that is mature and with feelings and tones that perfectly fit with the books story.

the performances from the actors are more matured and subtle - thankfully, as if they had continued in the way they had done in previous films this film would have been a hard watch.

Me being the cynical guy i am, i figured they had just split the final book into two as a huge money making exercise as Warner Brothers will effectively make double the money on this final book. However having only half a book to convert into a 146 minute film give director David Yates time to slowly build his characters and the setting, not rushing through plot points as has happened in every film in the series so far, and rather than slowing things down it helps move the story along slickly and stylishly.

the whole film looks wonderful, and deeply dark and mysterious look to a deeply dark and mysterious film.

Lets not get carried away though. this is by far the best film in the series, but it is not by any mean a great film. it does suffer from the fact that it is a set up to part 2, where all the big stuff is going to happen. and strangely the main problem is with the story, in that for vast parts of the film the 3 leads are wandering around a forest with nothing to do. It is not even fully clear why they are there at all, the Horcrux maguffin doesnt appear to be used as effectively as it should. there are also some plot points and developements that seem to come out of nowhere, why does the sword just suddenly appear in a lake they happen to be camping by, and why did the deer lead Harry to it, didn't really make sense in this movie, but i guess will all become clear in part 2.

These are minor points though, and it does not take away from a very good film. and boy can i not wait till part 2...


Emma Watson is gorgeous to watch also.

4 stars

Skyline

well i was astonishingly disappointed with this film.

the basic premise is aliens invade LA. that's it.

what follows is a convoluted plot, involving the characters going round in circles repeating decisions and actions over and over again. talking of characters - they are stuck thin pathetic wastes of time. The leads have nothing to do except be angry and sad over and over again, with the random and absurd introduction of a porter who appears out of nowhere and sets up shop as a lead character immediately.

i can only think that the script had been subject to so many re-writes and cuts as the only possible explanation to the mess.

the special effects of the aliens is relatively good, but that nowadays is the minimum requirement for a sci fi film.

not good enough.

1 star

Paranormal Activity 2

Surprisingly, this is a great film and a superior sequel to the original.

it follows a family in a large house who after a number of break ins have installed security cameras around the house - cue a nice easy way for us to experience all the weird spooky goings on.

the film developes and has more of a narrative than the original. tension builds and the spookiness is cranked up and result in some genuinely scary moments. What really struck me as great in this sequel was the use of sound, the use of silence, slow grumblings of noise and sudden bursts of sound make it an exceptional use of music in a horror film.

unusually also, is the way that is linked into the original film. rather than the standard horror sequel of picking up from the original, the filmmakers seem to have put in some genuine effort and thought into how to make a worthwhile sequel.

a superior sequel.

4 stars

jackass 3D

Essentially this is more of the same from the same old team. and boy did i love it.

Obviously only go and see this if you like jackass, and if you do then this is brilliant. They take some stunts to the absolute extreme, whilst harking back to some similar stunts that are easy on the eye and what you are used to. At the very least one of the stunts is guaranteed to make you gag, a few will make you squirm and one, for me at least, will actually make you feel sorry for one of them. I wont mention any of the gags or stunts so as not to ruin it for anyone, but there are some absolute gems in this one.

It is a joy to watch Knoxville and his crew in action, and they prove they are the original and the best. There have been a number of imitations since, mot notably Dirty Sanchez. Although Sanchez did a good job, when watching it you cant help see that they are al doing ti for their own enjoyment and too involved in themselves and doing these stunts for their own benefit. when watching the jackass team it is easy to watch as they are doing their stupid stunts for OUR enjoyment. Which is why it is an easier/better watch.

A tough one to rate with stars. if you like jackass you'll love this. if you don't like it, you'll hate. from the number of stars i give it i think you'll see what category i fall into to.

4 stars

Let Me In

To draw comparisons with the Swedish original is unavoidable. Put simply it's not as good as the original.

That said they have a damn good crack at it. it is erry, cold and chilling. It just feels like its trying too hard to be those things. In the Tomas Alfredson original everything appears organic and developes effortlessly. at certain times in this Hollywood remake, it all seems a little laboured, and thigs are spelt out that little bit too much.

As a stand alone film though it is very good, and kdi Smit McPhees performance is incredible. most of the film rests on his shoulders and he carries it well. Chloe Moretz is also very good.

it will never escape the shadow of the original though. Making it so soon after and including many shot for shot scenes and parts of the script it is asking to be compared to it, and it comes up short.

An OK re-make.

3 stars