The Prodigal Son

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 29 January 2022 Blu-ray

I’d certainly say this is a good time to be a fan of martial arts / Hong Kong cinema, with countless movies dating back to the seventies getting deluxe releases. This 1981 action-comedy stars Yeun Biao as Leung Chang, a guy who believes he’s an expert street fighter. However after getting defeated by a highly skilled local opera school actor, he learns that his rich father has been paying his opponents off for years. Therefore, Leung decides to learn the skills of the actor to finally become a true master.

I recall loving this when first watching it during my Hong Kong movie obsession in the nineties. A fun twist on the usual kung fu movie storyline; under the direction of veteran Sammo Hung, this is a well shot, impressively choreographed movie with several memorable encounters and set-pieces. On this viewing I did find the focus on comedy got in the way of the action, and when the storyline turned more serious is when the movie really shined, like a night set attack on an opera school and the full-on final showdown. The plot at times was also is a bit convoluted, with an over-abundance of twists.

Support however from veteran kung fu stars like the late Lam Ching-ying (Mr Vampire) as well as Frankie Chan and a sequence involving Sammo Hung himself, and this movie still delivered a solid cast, some decent action and plenty of personality. I was however just left feeling the movie wasn’t quite the sum of its parts. I still enjoyed this and if you’re a fan of martial arts cinema – this is worth a watch. I’ve just seen better examples of the genre.

This release from Eureka Classics is fairly robust. The movie itself is in very good shape, with a lot of detail making this the best it’s ever looked. Soundtrack in original mono is still punchy with all those fighting sound effects packing a… er… punch. Extras we get both Cantonese and English dubbed soundtracks, as well as archival interviews with principle cast members, and a featurette about the martial arts style Wing Chun. There is also two commentaries, one from Frank Djeng & Bobby Samuels, and another from Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, which really make this release worth picking up. We also get a detailed booklet and a poster featuring newly commissioned art work. Not too shabby. This release is also a double feature with Sammo Hung vehicle ‘Warriors Two’, which I may also check out at some stage.

Verdict:

(the movie) Good

(the Blu-ray) Recommended

Don’t Look Up

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 19 January 2022 Netflix

You got to give it to streaming giant Netflix… they certainly can get the big names to star in their movies. So naturally it was only a matter of time before Leonardo DiCaprio appeared. This end of the world satire has the acclaimed actor alongside such stars as Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchet and Jonah Hill.

When two scientists (DiCaprio & Lawrence) discover a huge comet heading straight for earth – they race to warn the powers that be (including Meryl Streep’s President). However in a world obsessed with public image, social media etc they are met with a resounding lack of interest. This movie asks the question: what if an apocalyptic threat to the world happened today in our disassociated, materialistic culture? Granted some of the ways the people in charge treat the threat is exaggerated, but when you consider the likes of Donald Trump can be a world leader and an oddball like Mark Zuckerberg can become one of the wealthiest people on the planet – much of the satire here is at times unnervingly believable.

DiCaprio is decent once again even if that freaking out act is becoming a bit too much his ‘thing’. Lawrence is also very good. The movie does get a little side tracked in a subplot involving DiCaprio & Blanchett, and it feels a bit long at 2hrs 11 minutes. Overall though, this was well done, entertained and made me think about just what sort of world we’re living in.

Verdict: Good

Encanto

Posted on December 26, 2021 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 25 December 2021 Disney+

A family living in the Colombian mountains have been blessed with the magic of the Encanto, all except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the family’s last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.

An interesting premise drew me in and although it kind of falls into typical Disney tropes after a while, I was totally absorbed by the setting and the wealth of ideas and visual spender. Just to look at, this is nothing short of stunning, full of colour and imagination. The character designs, showcasing the multi-cultural people of Columbia is top notch (aided by some great song & dance numbers). Main character Mirabel will also likely become a personal favourite – and I loved the family members and their various magical abilities.

It’s a shame then that it’s in its story where this stumbles. As a Disney movie with no actual villain, the stakes never really seem high, and the reasoning surrounding why Mirabel didn’t receive her magic ability, I was left scratching my head about. However the ending was really feel good and I still managed to have a good time with this.

Verdict: Good

The Suicide Squad

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 11 December 2021 online rental

Unlike some, I didn’t hate the previous Suicide Squad movie, so another attempt under the direction of Guardians of the Galaxy ‘s James Gunn – was more than appealing. This entry has a group of misfit incarcerated villains forced into a mission with the promise of a reduction to their sentence. However mess up, try and make a run for it, and a press of a button could mean their deaths.

Like the last movie, the show stealer here is once again Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn… and even in her third movie appearance is just as much fun as ever. Along for the ride is Idris Elba, (a dead pan) John Cena and even Sylvester Stallone voicing a half-man-half-shark character.

The story’s nothing special – basically a mission to destroy a secret experiment before it falls into the wrong hands – but what brings this to life is a combination of the often very funny banter between the characters, and bombastic action that’s very violent and suitably over the top. James Gunn just really went for it here, delivering a gory, energetic action flick that’s purely focused on being entertaining. It doesn’t worry about having a message, or like many movies these days force ‘woke culture’ into its narrative, and is all the better for it.

Verdict: Recommended

Love Hard

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 03 December Netflix

It’s time for a Christmas themed movie… and I’d heard this one, a Netflix original was good so I thought I’d give it a go. A romantic comedy following unlucky-in-love journalist, Natalie who falls for a guy on a dating app. However when choosing to visit the guy’s home to surprise him for the holidays – she has a surprise in store.

A relatively interesting take on the rom-con may not exactly do anything that original, this still managed to hold my interest, mostly due to the very likeable performance from Nina Dobrev – who bares more than a passing resemblance to a friends-era Courtney Cox as well as Elizabeth Olsen. The cast in general are all decent.

With some funny situations along the way, a worthwhile message about having ‘confidence to be yourself’ and an utterly charming ending – I enjoyed this quite a bit, even if it has little in it to stand out in a crowded Christmas movie genre. If you’ve seen most of the classics, certainly give this a watch. Oh and Die Hard is a Christmas movie!

Verdict: Good