A Legacy of Rage: The Films of Brandon Lee

[part of a greater seres, "The Unexpendables: The Last Action Heroes and their Legacies."]

Following in the footsteps of his father is the only way this discussion could begin. It’s the only way any discussion could, as Lee, son of celebrated martial artist Bruce Lee, was funneled—locked to the legacy of his father. The world’s greatest, after all, forever enshrined by his mysterious, premature death in 1973, there would be no end to the expectations, the comparisons, and the air of nostalgia linked between the two. Even in death—Brandon passed away on March 31st, 1993 under similarly-enigmatic circumstances—the legacy held true. Like his father, the seemingly amiable Lee came to Hollywood with a chip on his shoulder, with something to prove… And he left with a cinematic legacy that transcended life itself.

Like his father, Brandon's ticket into Hollywood turned out to be television. While Bruce travailed alongside The Green Hornet, Brandon landed a role in the TV-movie adaptation of Kung Fu, the popular, '70s serial headlined by David Carradine. Both famous and infamous for its explicit cornball spirit, Brandon brought (finally) some martial arts credibility to the series, even if limited, and gave the otherwise listless vehicle a visceral spark. He was essentially playing a villain, a sidekick (like his father) to the evil Manchu (Mako), but as with Bruce, Brandon overshadowed and ultimately commandeered the spotlight... You could already see the seeds; that fire that Brandon brought to the screen. Kung Fu: The Movie may have been a dud, but Brandon wasn't. He was just getting started.

But Carradine was only the first vet to train him in (Carradine also paired with Sly Stallone and Chuck Norris). Bolo Yeung (who would go on to induct Van Damme two years later) had a hand in Brandon's first theatrical release, Legacy of Rage, a '80s Hong Kong actioner directed by Ronny Yu and co-starring Michael Wong. Competing with the up-and-coming John Woo's, Tsui Hark's, and Ringo Lam's, not to mention Jackie Chan's kinetic Police Story series, Legacy of Rage felt more like standard fare, but was a solid effort nonetheless. Brandon Ma (Lee), a simple waiter, is framed for murder by none other than his best friend (Wong), severing the relationship with his fiancé and ultimately sending him to prison for eight full years. Revenge is in order, of course, cumulating in an epic, shoot 'em up finale on the baddie's estate. But it is earlier when the most interesting scenes take place. Brandon is slapped and mocked by a smalltime gangster (Yeung) at the restaurant where he works. After a drink is thrown in his face, he unexpectedly strikes back—a daring move on many levels. They take it outside, and Bolo, posturing, threatens to knock him out in three seconds (which, given Bolo, is quite believable). A SMACK, WHACK, and a WHAM later, and Brandon snap-points to the next oncoming thug, "How many seconds do you want?" To put it simply, it's an introduction worthy of his father, setting a tone few action heroes can. While the persona echoed Bruce's, it was markedly different; there was a younger intensity to him—still restrained—more harnessed anger than martial arts wisdom. The film, 30% martial arts, 70% gunplay, maybe wasn't the best showcase for the son of Bruce Lee, but it was a start. And, as we will see, the balance may have hindered him in his venture to the Hollywood action scene.

Brandon's next film, Laser Mission, was a lowly, very-B espionage-actioner featuring Ernest Borgnine in a small role. More than a joke, Mission is the stuff of K-Mart bargain bins and action four-packs, and is only made available due to the legacy of Lee himself. That said, it's worth a laugh. "Ha-ha, they're going to cut off your head, mañana," has made the rounds amongst lovers of bad movies everywhere, as has the nonsensical action and a slow car chase, and hopefully, it will continue to. Snowballing, badness led to more badness but on a bigger scale, with Mark L. Lester's Showdown in Little Tokyo (not to be confused with Big Trouble in Little China). Continuing in the collaborative spirit, Dolph Lundgren took Lee under his arm for the buddy-cop vehicle set in Los Angeles, involving a local wave of incoming Yakuza. Both young in their careers, Lundgren and Lee's chemistry wasn't always on, but the martial arts combo more than made up for it: the brute force of Lundgren teamed with the scrappy Lee made for some genuinely inventive sequences, especially in an early scene where they take on some henchmen at a club. Clocking in at 77 minutes, it's actually a lot of fun, rounded out with a great action cast in Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tia Carrere, and Philip Tan. But the son of Bruce Lee would only be a sidekick so long. With Rapid Fire, Brandon got his first legitimate release (and first true lead since Legacy of Rage), as well as the martial arts showcase we'd all been waiting for.

In Rapid Fire, Brandon plays Jake Lo (Bruce played "Billy Lo" in Game of Death), the son of a famous Chinese activist (go figure) studying abroad in Los Angeles. With his reputation, political groups on campus pressure him to join the cause, but as with Rage, he's just a normal kid and wants nothing of his father's legacy. Tricked into appearing at a fundraiser, the mix-up soon leads to a more perilous one: gangsters on the scene, talking drugs in a dark office with a shotgun. Jake witnesses a murder—the gangsters witnessing him—spiraling in a brutal cat-and-mouse chase jet-setting to Chicago. Truthfully, it all gets a bit silly, but with action sequence after action sequence after action sequence, Rapid Fire lives up to its otherwise senseless name. Director Dwight H. Little (Mark L. Lester's eternal rival) proves competent in giving Lee a proper vehicle... the weak film is bolstered by the strength of its action and martial arts. Lee plows through baddies with unremitting endurance; primal and boyish, he keeps Legacy's mean streak alive and doesn't let up. And, working with a recognizable cast, Lee holds his own with fine-tuned charisma—a characteristic that would be maximized in The Crow. Mr. "Unarmed and Extremely Dangerous" had finally made a name for himself... a name that would become iconic all too soon.

With an obscure comic-book source at their disposal, a first-time Hollywood director, two lowly screenwriters, and the son of Bruce Lee came together for a movie, and the result was, of course, The Crow. Hitting the zeitgeist of the early '90s, the dark, comic-book blockbuster—the first real successor to Tim Burton's Batman—came into being with an aura of death; Brandon Lee was killed in an on-set accident involving a weapon malfunction, for lack of a better phrase. Premature and every way unfortunate, all eyes turned to The Crow. With blessings from Lee's family, the already troubled production forged ahead, and it was released wide on May 11th, 1994. This was the stage that Lee had yearned for, that he had earned—not just for martial arts, but one for legitimate performance. And a performance he gave. From the pre-transformation rock star, to the gnarly manifestation itself, Lee was on fire—that electric allure young stars possess at that one special point in their career—the material matching his energy. A story of vengeance, we follow Eric Draven (Lee) as he loses his love and his life and then resurrects, hunting down each and every one involved and without mercy. More avenger than superhero, Draven prowls the night streets, without the public trust of a Batman, or the noble cause of Blade. A fitting icon for Detroit Rock City, he is the darkest of dark knights, but perhaps with more humanity. Death is everywhere in The Crow: Poe, German expressionism , those soulless, wisecracking, fashionable villains straight outta the '90s, thugs quoting Milton for Christ sake... you could almost say the film is a brief resurrection of Lee himself, a last-gasp look into a wealth of artistic talent. But there is also plenty of life in Draven's relationships with a young goth teenager (Rochelle Davis), a common patrolman (Ernie Hudson), and, of course, his love and partner, Shelly (Sofia Shinas). Most of all, it's Lee himself, simply—a shining star in the dark night. Brandon Lee's swan song both helped him break away from the legacy of his father, and join the ranks. His father would've been proud.

In the end, Brandon Lee's is a legacy cut short. Like his father, the potential was heaped high—more than any given action or kung-fu star of the time. More importantly, at age 27, he was a young man coming into himself, his marriage, his ideology, his career... Whenever I think of either father or son, I then think of their wife and mother, Linda Lee, who, quite sincerely, must be the saddest women in the world. Not to mention Brandon's to-be wife, Eliza Hutton...I simply can't imagine. To close, I leave you with a quote from Paul Bowles's The Sheltering Sky, which Lee had planned to include in his wedding invitations and ultimately became his epitaph:

"Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless..."

~ Patrick D. Fryberger

Van Damaged: The Films of Jean-Claude Van Damme

[part of a greater series, "The Unexpendables: The Last Action Heroes and their Legacies"]

Jean-Claude Van Damme, the aptly-nicknamed “muscles from Brussels” started out as anything but. A scrawny kid with something to prove, Jean-Claude took that mentality with him throughout his career, giving way to what has been termed his “vulnerability” as an action star. This all accumulated in 2008 with the release of J.C.V.D., a soulful, bare-all look into the actor-martial artist’s troubled life. The film not only marked a keystone in Van Damme’s career, but in the action world as a whole; for once, an ‘action hero’ was shown the capacity of respect…and a stage on which to earn it. But the seeds went back much further than that. The damaged and sometimes damaging legacy of Jean-Claude Van Damme will be discussed at length here, as will his influence on the genre.

Van Damme's early roles are about as eclectic as it gets. He had a bit part in a breakdancing movie. He worked as Chuck Norris's stunt double. He was billed, quite literally, as "Gay Karate Man" in Monaco Forever...not to mention as an extra in an ultraviolent French film. There was squaring off against Shô Kosugi, headlining an Albert Pyun film (originally conceived as a black and white, silent opera, mind you), and, of course, his infamous falling out on the set of Predator. Throw in a book-end part as a Russian villain (a rite of passage for any Euro action star), and Jean-Claude had seen his share. Like they say, it's a long way to the top if you want to kick ass. But kick ass he did with the arrival of Bloodsport, Newt Arnold's martial arts throwback based on the supposed misadventures of real-life martial artist Frank Dux. Combining the simple, Enter the Dragon tournament format with a great heavy (both literally and figuratively) in Bolo Yeung, the film soon became a hit and introduced a fresh-faced Van Damme to the world. Its formulaic elements were overshadowed by the strong martial arts showcase from Van Damme, Bolo, and co., and looking back, the smalltime '80s actioner could even be seen as respectable. It was a great start, and with the '90s, newly-enshrined "international" action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme hit the road running.

As he progressed, there were the projects that Jean-Claude put his heart in (Kickboxer, Lionheart, Double Impact), and the ones where it was noticeably absent (Death Warrant, Universal Soldier, Nowhere to Run). That said, it was the peak of his career, and quality entertainment was abound. Whether in the raw emotion of the again-formulaic but fun Kickboxer, or the balls to the wall Death Warrant with its iconic, boiler room end showdown, this was Van Damage at its best. Perhaps, his finest hour was in Lionheart, which preserved the Van Damme formula (most notably: black sidekick/big heavy/beaten to a pulp only to persevere) but brought a wholehearted, genuine set of emotions and with it an authenticity to the stakes making an action movie so much more. A deserter, pimped out, turned away by his very family, literally fights his way out of the hole he's in, ending up with nothing more than the love of his family and friends. Knowing or not, obviously, there was some representation going on here, as well as acute foreshadowing of a certain role that would come some twenty years later.

But who was going to Van Damme movies for emotions? There was Universal Soldier—essentially a poor man's Terminator 2—which featured the now-LEGENDARY pairing of Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren (more on that later). There was Nowhere to Run, the best cast Van Damme film, and probably the best shot as well although with the first of Van Damme's sleepwalk performances. And, at the very peak, there was the Peter Hyams double bill of Timecop and Sudden Death: one, the most critically reputable of Van Damme's career, the other, one of the most laughable. Another Die Hard ripoff (Die Hard at the Stanley Cup Finals), we move from a fight with a mascot to hotwiring a stadium to the man playing goalie himself... All played straight. It's a hoot and a half.

But nothing was as significant as Van Damme's 'Chinese connection'. Somewhere between Quentin Tarantino, The Killer, and Van Damme himself, people began to take notice of Hong Kong director John Woo. This all came to a boil when Van Damme beckoned him to Hollywood—a since-controversial move that, in my eyes, both supercharged the director's talent, and subsequently quashed it for the next fifteen or so years. The brief firework was, of course, Hard Target, a modern refashioning of The Most Dangerous Game and, simply put, one of the greatest action movies of our time. The film featured a new, mullet-and-stubble version of Van Damme, playing "born on the bayou" homeless veteran Chance Boudreaux in down and out New Orleans. Meaner, macho, more zero than hero, Van Damme was on an uneasy autopilot with Woo unleashing him like a trained wolverine. The fusion of Woo's gunplay and Van Damme's raw power was like nothing seen before; two arsenals coming together in a slow-mo, rollicking cataclysm—the mid-movie chase through the city remains one of the best. And with a cast rounded out by Lance Henriksen, Arnold Vosloo, Wilford Brimley, and a young Yancy Butler, Hard Target remains the action highlight of Van Damme's career. Since then, Van Damme's 'marrying in' of Asian directors such as Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam has become somewhat of a punchline, and it is on that note that we will segue into the dark ages—the dreaded descent into direct-to-DVD—of J.C.V.D.'s career.

With the advent of video-game adaptations, Van Damme was being courted for two, high-profile arcade classics. Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat continued their rivalry on the big screen, and, as a result, left a trail of tears in their wake. For whatever reason, Street Fighter got the brunter end of the stick, and Van Damme with it. The film's reputation has snowballed in recent years; it's actually not that bad, and goes more or less toe for toe with Kombat. The finale is particularly enjoyable—a 45 minute action sequence of melodramatic showdowns and cornball speeches ("I'm gonna get on my boat"). Either way, the stage was set, and the lights were dim. Like Seagal, Van Damme put the nail in the coffin with his transition to directing. The Quest—a second and final collaboration with Frank Dux—was a listless Bloodsport retread that even made Sir Roger Moore uninteresting. Jean-Claude's rampant alcoholism and revolving door of marriages weren't helping, either. Trying to rebound, Van Damme imported the talented Ringo Lam from Hong Kong, with whom he made three films. The first, Maximum Risk, was a solid, watchable thriller—but not much else—co-starring Natasha Henstridge. Next up, Tsui Hark, and the frenetic, bubble-gum action of Double Team and Knock Off, matched only in their flamboyance by the Charlie's Angels movies. When an admirable, more personal project (Legionnaire) with big producers involved never made it to theaters, the darkest hours set in. The belated Universal Soldier sequel and a blasphemous Yojimbo remake damned Jean-Claude to the DTD realm, going right along with his third-gen contemporaries Steven Seagal, Wesley Snipes, and Dolph Lundgren. Personal problems continued to spiral and by the time of the new millennium, Jean-Claude had hit an all-time low.

Yet, in 2001, it was Ringo to the rescue, reteaming with Van Damme for Replicant and In Hell, two of his best performances and all-around films. In the former, Jean-Claude played his third (of four) double-role—a serial killer and a clone designed to think like him... Spotty sci-fi, yes, but spotty sci-fi done well, proving that Lam would not suffer the fate of Woo and Hark and that Van Damme was more than just a beefcake. In fact, it was the first real performance that Van Damme had given; there's a tragic essence to the brothers... the aforementioned "vulnerability" of Van Damme as a hero. He's not a hero here; in both cases, he's a child never given the chance. It's a legitimate film, overlooked primarily for its derivative title, the Van Damme brand, and DTD status. Such is the case also with In Hell, the prison movie/fighting tourney mix popularized by the Undisputed series. Far grittier than anything in the genre, In Hell lives up to its name, feeling like the end-all for prison movies everywhere. A French-American working in Russia (how's that for cross-cultural? Van Damme's ethnicity has always led to interesting setups) avenges his wife's death and is sent to a most brutal prison, where, again, Van Damme is forced to fight. But these are not the back alleys, parking garages, and upper-end estates of Lionheart. This is prison, and prison in Russia at that. Through fighting, torture, and isolation, Kyle (Van Damme) is transformed into a near-animal, a monster, ravaging others past the point of survival—consumed entirely by fear. The vulnerability-raw power dichotomy is on full display here, as Kyle then fights to rebirth his humanity under the worst of worst circumstances. It's not exactly Death Warrant, and it features a surprisingly-strong supporting turn from former NFL-star Lawrence Taylor. If anything, what I hope J.C.V.D. and Universal Soldier: Regeneration can do is shine a light on these great collaborations between Van Damme and Lam, and even more so, inspire the two to work together again.

The Order was light fun—Jean-Claude actually seemed to be having a good time—with an expected cameo from the legendary Charlton Heston. Derailed, well, was exactly as it sounds—an Under Siege ripoff of a Die Hard ripoff edited with utter disregard and incompetence... Without Lam, it seemed Van Damme was meandering, and with Lam's abrupt backing out of Wake of Death, things were set back even further. Second in Command and The Hard Corps brought more sleepwalking, listless action (save a great moment where Jean-Claude readily admits, "That fuckin' hurt."). The Hard to Kill-Bad Lieutenant hybrid Until Death gave Van Damme another chance to flex his acting chops, but in another lowly vehicle. The Shepherd: Border Patrol finally introduced legitimate hope with its great showdown between Van Damme and the up-and-coming Scott Adkins—a fan of the man himself growing up. But it was not until J.C.V.D., self-titled, if you will, that true respect was warranted. The film marked Van Damme's return to the theatrical realm, even if limited, and provided him an out from the suffocating grind of DTD.

From the opening, virtuoso-action sequence, to the fanciful monologue, to its bittersweet conclusion...even from the opening Gaumont logo, you knew this was going to be something special. Jean-Claude Van Damme (playing himself) returns to his Belgian stomping grounds with his career in the tank and his family disintegrating. But instead of finding solace, he's dropped smack in the middle of a bank heist, where he's soon exploited and announced as the poster child. From there, the effective, Dog Day Afternoon-Being John Malkovich mix begins to take form with plenty of unexpected surprises along the way. The biggest one, of course, being Jean-Claude himself. The film admittedly misses some of its marks: Mabrouk El Mechri's direction falls a bit flat (he's not exactly Sidney Lumet), and the color palette stands out like a sore thumb. The pretentious title cards, a flimsy narrative, and the cast and humor surrounding Van Damme doesn't exactly ignite, either. But it's Van Damme that triumphs, going through the motions, an eroded soul, ultimately letting the real heroes do their job. The film's theme, Baby Huey's "Hard Times," feels like an anthem not only for Van Damme but for action heroes everywhere. And J.C.V.D., its flaws aside, has set the bar for this 'revival of the fittest' in the action genre. And for that, we can credit Van Damme, the "muscles from Brussels" gone full circle.

In the end, Jean-Claude Van Damme may've found solace in his career. For many, the slow, DTD death is insurmountable, but as always, Jean-Claude stuck it out, he took it like a man...striking back with one helluva kick. His recent decision to turn down Sly Stallone's The Expendables may come as a shock to some, but not to me. With Universal Soldier: Regeneration, both Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren have made another hallmark genre piece that, its DTD status withstanding, will surely garner respect in coming years—the implications of which will be discussed at another time. In other words, Van Damme's on a roll. He's doing his own thing and doing it well. It's a shame he won't be there for the party, but then again, he's the one who made it possible in the first place.

~ Patrick D. Fryberger

The Action Reaction is like a Nuclear Reactor, only not

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY NOTICED, things have been slowing down here at The Action Reaction here, oh, for about a year now. I've converted to Tumblrism and now run a blog (or two) over there, letting this little thing wither away.

That said, I'm still going to try to go out with a bang, albeit a very slow, longwinded one. Earlier this year, in anticipation for The Expendables, I had started writing a series on who I consider to be the twelve biggest action heroes of the modern era. Though I've only officially completed two essays (which includes watching all one of one's filmography, mind you), I still plan to finish them all someday, and post them here. I'll be sharing the first of the pieces--on Jean-Claude Van Damme--pretty shortly here followed up with one on Brandon Lee. From there, I guess I'll be posting 'em when I got 'em, hopefully to your reading pleasure.

Though this blog may be on its way out, my love for the genre and the people who make it happen is most certainly not, and I will continue to support them in any way I can. I feel the best way I can accomplish such is to celebrate them on a stage usually reserved for the most prestigious... honest-to-God film criticism and anaylsis. My essays will offer genuine insights in the actors' careers--past, present, and future--and hopefully shine some respect on the men and women and the genre as a whole.

So, I guess that's it. Quit my putsyin' around. Without further adieu, may I present to you, THE UNEXPENDABLES: The Last Action Heroes and their Legacies:

Thank you and goodnight.

~ Patrick D. Fryberger

Quickie Review: Machete

Sloppy taco goodness (and yummy M-Rod goodness)

In a year dominated mostly by trash, it's fitting that a low-aiming, Grindhouse fake-trailer-spinoff movie may very well be the best. Wildly inconsistent but never too ambitious Robert Rodriguez provides us an ultraviolent, politically charged, actor-revival extravaganza, which carries a little weight, a little grit, and even gives Steven Seagal his transcendental, J.C.V.D. moment. As the man says, "Back the fuck up and watch." You might just enjoy yourself.

***1/2 out of ****


~ Patrick Fryberger

Quickie review: The Expendables

Looks like Van Damme got the last laugh...

Writer-director-star Stallone not only should've handed over the camera, but he should've let somebody have a go at the script, and even more important, he should've secured the rest of the gang (Van Damme, Seagal, Snipes), even if it took waiting a year or begging them on his hands and knees. The Expendables is a messy, watchable movie that could have been so much more. Cheap production value doesn't help either. You don't just throw something like this together on a whim.


** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Quickie Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Broad and self-evident video-game referencing surprisingly doesn't spoil the show

Self-assured, confident direction saves what could've been a hollow or uneven exercise. Edgar Wright's frenetic-kinetic dazzlement sparks up early and often; it's innovative and not afraid to make mistakes, making such all but disappear. Cera doesn't fall into parody, and Wright proves he can do more than just make them. Above all, is the supporting cast: Kieran Culkin, Alison Pill, and Jason Schwartzman steal the show, among others.


***1/2 out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

I'd play it

Gets it right

Great reactions:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Great yarn

The theater experience: memorable movie nights from a dozen or so critics. A great, worthwhile read. Check it out.

"Back the fuck up and watch"

A literally 'red' band trailer for Machete. No Lohan billing OR Don Johnson? LAME.



Still going to be there opening night.

More on Inception

Inception is showing the critics’ true colors. It’s a smart film for smart people, not a genius for geniuses, but smart nonetheless. Like a good ol’ healthy math equation, bringing our eloquent, cinematic authority back down to Earth. If you scan Rotten Tomatoes or even Metacritic, the lack of a coherent assessment is alarming, yay or nay. Judgment day, folks, judgment day.

But then again, maybe it’s not their fault. Maybe Inception’s one of those films that transcend the medium itself. More puzzle then cinema.

Either way, I’m impressed, Christopher Nolan. Bravo.

Quickie Review: Inception

It's all on a plane...of reality

A sense of inherent dorkiness runs through Inception, but frankly, it doesn’t give a damn. For once, the spectacle is in the smarts, and the at times underwhelming, other times ludicrous action pieces somehow gel within the mesh of it all. It’s intellectualism paced to perfection. Simply put, Christopher Nolan is keeping mainstream, Hollywood cinema alive. A joy to behold.

**** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Expendablettes?

This really got me thinking. I agree with a lot of the list, actually, but I haven't had the time to fully construct my own. Very cool stuff.

Check it out here.

Source: Bidonica

New Machete trailer

Saw this at the theater last night... pretty slick trailer, better than the first, and better than what I was seeing/Rodriguez's other summer effort, Predators.

"Introducing Don Johnson" never fails to make me laugh... I love how Seagal gets second-billing--let's hope the part lives up to that. No Lohan with the big controversy, a shame. I love the flashes of villiany around the :40 mark. De Niro, Johnson, Seagal, and don't forget Jeff Fahey. Some of the best villains come in ensembles... RoboCop, Kill Bill, even The Dark Knight, and this looks to be one helluva example. And M-Rod is so ridiculously hot I don't even know what to say. Should be fun.

Who received the best Machete exclusives?

UPDATE: WE HAVE A NEW WINNER.

SUPER CLOSE, but I had to choose one. The answer.

And the runner-up.

Operation: Endgame

I remember hearing about this way back, putting it on some list of action titles to look forward to or whatever. Well, fortunately, I can still say I'm looking forward to it, though not by any leaps and bounds. It's teetering between 'it could be better than it looks' and buriable-DTD status. Check it out:



Source: /Film

Quickie Review: The Human Centipede

...had me laughing out of fear in the best way possible

An almost classy, end-all sendoff to the torture porn genre, Human Centipede has that great, B-horror quality (stupid characters/dialogue) mixed with some semi-heady ideas and a concept that is pure gold. It's a wonderfully visceral time at the movies... audience members clawing and clasping for the person next to them. If you can't at least recognize it for it's worth, then you don't love movies. That said, I can't say I'll be seeing it again. 


*** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Quickie Review: Knight and Day

Risky business: Summer escapist fun... can it still be done?

I was reminded of Roman Holiday while watching Knight and Day. Light, breezy, summer escapist fun with a bit of classic Bond thrown in for good measure. Two Hollywood stars, all but discarded in this day and age, prove that they can still get the job done. I even enjoyed the stock European score, I'll be honest. A lightweight that knew its place.


*** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

The Highlander rides again

Great article on Christopher Lambert from the Guardian... Found on IMDb... gotta love the guy.

Check it out here.

Bring it

Source: /Film

Agree completely

From IFC:

"I was reminded of all this while watching the fine Steven Seagal film "Marked For Death," currently available on Netflix Instant. This is the 1990 follow-up to "Hard To Kill," which briefly took time out for Kelly LeBrock to put on her most low-cut dress and sleep with our ponytailed hero. The poster, attendantly, has her to Seagal's left, clutching his arm and looking all "THIS IS MY MAN."

The poster for "Marked For Death," in contrast, gives us two Seagals -- one in silhouette with a gun, and a full face glowering humorlessly, an accurate summary of what happens in the movie. Seagal shares all of three scenes with Joanna Pacula, who attempts to seduce him (flattering him by telling him it's rare to meet a man like him who isn't married, gay or "trying to find himself"), but he simply gets the information he needs and is on his way. Pacula is never seen again; after the final shooting, the movie's simply over.

This is not, perhaps, the most socially responsible attitude to take, but it is, nonetheless, preferable to the deep-breathing and worrying of, say, Jessica Biel. The sogginess of most action romances, in fact, is nothing more than a way to pad the running time without actually providing real chemistry or banter. Here's wishing they would either make those roles less token and cynical and more fleshed-out (unlikely), or drop them entirely."


Would you really want to see a female action hero with a man holding her down? No. The same applies for men. Unless it is vitally integral to the story, axe 'em. The best action movies are lean & mean; not an ounce of fat.

And I don't want to see no more goddamn bitches rescued. I'd much rather see her carry her weight if not the save the day all together.

Source: IMDb

Whoa surprise

Fun?

Harry Potter and the Western Front

 Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Variety is reporting that Daniel Radcliffe will star in a remake of All Quiet on the Western Front... While I'm certainly not a fan of remakes, I am a fan of Radcliffe, and I hope this is the out Danny boy has been waiting for.

In other words, a dark future lies ahead. Just look at Mark Hamill (whom I love), or even Elijah Wood. If this doesn't work for him, he should start prepping for a career of Euro-villain roles in action movies... I think he'd be great in a Mission: Impossible or Bond film. Either way, best of luck to him.

Source: Mugglenet

WHERE IN THE FUCKING HELL DID THIS COME FROM?

I'M IN:



Source: Movieline

Predators poster

Nice:

Writing on the wall

All the Hopper pieces and dedications were posted weeks ago... Still, it feels strange. What a legacy:

"I'd call that a tie."

WHY is Lundgren billed after Couture? I have nothing against Randy, but that's a disgrace:



Source: Hollywood Elsewhere

Kung Fu Pandas

Just a quickie:

Jean-Claude Van Damme AND Michelle Yeoh have been cast in the Kung Fu Panda sequel, the Kaboom of Doom. That means Jackie Chan, J.C.V.D., and Michelle Yeoh will ALL be in a movie together.

PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE, BABY.

Source: /Film

Wonderchild

Source: /Film

Respectable

Shia on Indiana Jones:

"I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished...If I was going to do it twice [Wall Street], my career was over. So this was fight-or-flight for me."

"You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg, who directed]. But the actor's job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn't do it. So that's my fault. Simple."

"I think the audience is pretty intelligent. I think they know when you've made ... . And I think if you don't acknowledge it, then why do they trust you the next time you're promoting a movie...We [Harrison Ford and LaBeouf] had major discussions. He wasn't happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn't universally accepted."

"We need to be able to satiate the appetite...I think we just misinterpreted what we were trying to satiate."

"I'll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven. I have a relationship with Steven that supersedes our business work. And believe me, I talk to him often enough to know that I'm not out of line. And I would never disrespect the man. I think he's a genius, and he's given me my whole life. He's done so much great work that there's no need for him to feel vulnerable about one film. But when you drop the ball you drop the ball."


Via: LA Times, /Film

"I think I've found a way home"

UPDATED: With better quality.

Christopher Nolan has, at least. Check it:



It's all coming down to this, man. Biggest film of the year. Must not disappoint.

Got my attention

While I've been interested all along, this is the first poster that's got my attention:

Very nice.

Missy Pariah

So, apparently, I found out today Sean Young has a YouTube Channel. There’s only a few videos so far—some great, behind the scenes looks (Dune, Blue Ice, Ace Ventura), and some splices of her personal life. It’s really well put together, and while I’m sure she has help, she’s actually communicating with fans openly—very down to earth but well spoken just the same. I for one am definitely going to follow her progress. I’ve always been a fan…she always had that face of a star, maybe not the greatest actress, but underappreciated nonetheless. And yeah, FUCK SCHNABEL. What a tremendously overrated artsy-fartsy cunt weasel.



Check it out.

"Introducing..."

Two words: DON JOHNSON.



Two more words: STEVEN SEAGAL.

And a special message: "TO ARIZONA."

De Niro looks like a hoot, Lindsay Lohan was BORN to wear that outfit/gun, I LOVE how he heavily incorporated the original fake trailer--the stock music is a great touch too. And I almost made a mess of myself when M-Rod straddled the man himself. HOT DAMN! 2010 is the year of the Rodriguez!

Source: Hollywood Elsewhere

Paul W.S. "Cameron"... all he ever needed was some good C.G.I.

Skipped posting the new pics out of laziness, but I simply cannot pass this up:



Isn't saying much, but this could be the best of the series! GOD-DAMN!

Source: Quiet Earth

Brace yourself

The masochistic side of me wants to watch this.



Source: Quiet Earth

"He loves playing in the jungle."

I'm too tired right now to actually digest the insta-controversy over the blatantly-spoiled cameos, but hey, I thought it was awesome. The thing that bugged me the most: not enough Dolph. I'll be there either way, obviously.

Young Scarface

The sister is my favorite:


Scarface School Play - Watch more Funny Videos

So much fun! Where/how/who put this together?

Knight and Day trailer 2

Still interested:

"Next time, we don't date the girl with..."

Still not 100% on this one... a full trailer might clear that up, but I'm still excited. If you want to make a movie like a video game, don't actually make it like a video game, but just make it awesome, a la Kill Bill, Vol. 1. That's really my main concern at this point. We'll see how it progresses.

Oh, and the boyfriend-villains better be fucking awesome. If they are all half-assed, I will officially be disappointed.

Killer

EMBED-Rolled-Up Magazine Self Defense - Watch more free videos
Source: Dangerous Minds

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-CHERRYBOMB!

Just a quick note: The Runaways is easily the best release of 2010 so far. It's an old school, wholesome, professional, well-done, 100% throwback of a rock 'n roll biopic. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Seriously, they don't.

Dakota actually carries the film, K-Stew nails Jett, Michael Shannon is pitch-perfect and a hoot to boot...man, everybody just did what they were supposed to do and in the end, came out with one helluva product.

If you scan the negative reviews, you can see the passive-aggressiveness seeping through: Conventional? Of course. Cliched? It's rock 'n roll. Predictable? DURRRRRRRRRRR... And anyone who says the story isn't worth telling should go find a new career. Fuck's sake.

I hate to rely on Rotten Tomatoes, but let's face it, these days, they're just that rotten! I'll take conventionality any day over remakes, reboots, sequels, adaptations, reboot sequels, reboot reboots, reboot sequel spin-offs...what have you.

My favorite blurb, from Andrew O'Hehir: "Sometimes mind-blowing power isn't available, and a rollercoaster ride of stardom and depravity will just have to do."

Rock 'n roll.


*** out of ****

Review: Shinjuku Incident

 

Pan-Asian? How 'bout Chan-Asian: bringing 'em all together...to fight.

Shinjuku Incident could go down as something of an incident itself. The pan-Asian ensemble crime thriller, headed by international superstar Jackie Chan, is the actor's first real dive into 'gritty' material (New Police Story withstanding). It's also something of a paradox, as Chan (at this point in his career) seemingly has no place in such a film but even then—as it is—Shinjuku Incident would not work any other way.

Chan plays Steelhead (could there ever be a better name?), an everyman Chinese farmer washed ashore in Japan during the wave of illegal immigration in the '90s. Searching for a former fling, he holes up with old friends and neighbors and fellow aliens in Tokyo's Shinjuku district (hence the title). Going from shit-job to shit-job, to run-ins with the police and Yakuza, Steelhead finally gives into a life of crime... In other words, Chan's persona finally gives into the darker side of things. He quickly becomes an effectual leader, his no-bull approach bringing steady, modest prosperity. This further complicates things, however, as he is deeper-ensnared within the Yakuza: nasty scraps with the Taiwanese and even a fellow Chinese. Between the Yakuza, his girlfriend(s), and the causalities of gang war, the only thing that keeps him sane is an ongoing relationship with a detective (Naoto Takenaka), a man of stand-up, old-school honor.

And old-school really is the name of the game with Shinjuku, as writer-director Derek Yee and co. make genre mistakes that are near-inexcusable by today's standards. Crime naiveté, if you will. That said, these missteps are more of the 'unintentional laugh' variety than a frustrating one and ultimately don't detract from the material. Why? Because, after all, it is a Jackie Chan movie, and our humble, oftentimes naive hero makes these bumps in the road seem natural. Maybe an unfair gimme, but a gimme nonetheless. Plus, all the familiar faces are there, giving it that homey, pre-USA Jackie-Chan-movie feel. They may be a little past their prime (Police Story was twenty-five years ago...twenty-five! No more raw intensity, no more wonderfully-choreographed action sequences, etc.), but they still know how to get the job done. Entertainment-wise, at least.

Dramatic acting is not necessarily Jackie's strong suit...he looks confused half the time, more so that he's in the movie to begin with. The long, convoluted story loses weight (and a little blood) with each new twist, and kind of falls flat at some indeterminable time. The filmmaking doesn't help, either; whip-pans are fun, but it's not enough to be called engaging, sorry. The score's inconsistent, if not all out random. And speaking of randomness—random acts of violence—I don't know what's more distressing, the brutality or the sporadicness of it. Seeing Jackie Chan shoot someone in the face was enough for me.

The lost-in-translation ending shows what Shinjuku Incident is all about: the cinematic gathering, albeit a clunky one, of the Asian continent. Showing that Chan, his Americanization and political associations aside, can still bring it all home. Pan-Asian? Nah, this is Chan-Asian.


*** out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

Quantum of Date

Choose your weapon

Can somebody say "DAMN!"

Source: Hollywood Elsewhere

Predators trailer

The full trailer is a little stagey/trying too hard, but that doesn't mean I'm not excited. Alice Braga is on her way to one-upping Michelle Rodriguez. Okay, maybe not one-upping, but at least achieving her rank. In other words, Alice Braga = HOT.

Predators Movie Trailer - Trailer

Everybody looks cool! I can't deny it. Yes, even Topher!

Source: IGN

"Vengeance, is the mission."

Trailer for The Mechanic remake. Well cast (Statham, Foster, and Sutherland), looks somewhat gritty, pretty good, might see it.



Source: Quiet Earth

Finally

Something from the Rodriguez summer double-bill of Predators and Machete... This looks like a lot of fun. Now he should do one for Machete.



Source: Hollywood Elsewhere

Morning After

Still Up in the Air...the Academy proves once again to be completely out of touch.

I'll get it right to it: my biggest reaction, without question, was the undeserved spanking of Jason Reitman's Up in the Air. I've never really liked the guy, either, but you can't take away the fact that he made what I would say was the second best film of the year. We all knew District 9 was going to get skunked, but Up in the Air? Jesus. Jason Reitman, you got fucking gipped... I feel for you and your team.

Jeff Wells sums up the situation--blogosphere reactions and all--pretty nicely here. Check it out.

My second most prominent reaction? Simple: the show was terrible. Unfunny, disjointed/clunky, with a mediocrity of nominees stinking to high heaven... Just ugly all around. How could you go wrong with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin? You can't, you just can't, but after last night, apparently anything is possible. I walked out around the dance routine.. in fact, I walked out a few times earlier than that. Whatever pressure I felt to watch the show was quickly dissolved.

Other, dime-a-dozen reactions:

--TEH SANDRA! Totally was shamelessly on the Bullocks bandwagon. Okay, maybe there was tinsy-weensy bit of shame, but that's it.
--Harry Potter should've won cinematography, seriously... Bruno Delbonnel raised the series to new heights, seriously.

--Speeches were pretty good/I was impressed, but of course, balance was restored to the force when the already infamous Kanyegate Pt. 2 happened, God, what a mess.

--The 'actors' generally had nice things to say about the 'actresses,' though Whitaker seemed a little out of place.
--The mashups, the dedications, even the little video blurbs... DID SOMEONE NOT HIRE A FUCKING EDITOR? This was embarrassingly bad, I'm sorry. No excuses--with all the YouTube-grade talent out there, they could've found somebody who knew what the bloody hell they were doing. Just embarrassing.
--Ben Stiller = hilarious.

--The Hurt Locker, original writing? WHAT ABOUT THE WHOLE, YOU KNOW, CONTROVERSY GOING ON? Please...at least they could've given it to A Serious Man... In general, it seems that the Academy was over-generous before it truly goes down in history as a BOMB. What a joke.

--Doesn't that really say it all? What a joke? Don't we say that every year?



Get a writer, get a whiff of culture, go back to the editing room.

What a joke.

Review: Brooklyn's Finest

Say whaa? Wesley Snipes is back?

If this is Brooklyn's Finest, then the rest of the burroughs are in trouble. Overlong, intense, and woozy, its watchability is earned on pure potential, with a letdown that's constantly in the works/woodwork. In sum, forgivable badness shall not be forgiven. I.A. should've been all over this shit.

THREE TALES, loosely interwoven if not connected by default: Suicidal, whiskey-in-the-morning, prostitute-lovin' beat cop (Richard Gere), meets can't-pay-the-bills, sporadically murderous, poor-excuse-for-an-Italian cop (Hawke), meets undercover-too-long, wants to get out, conflicted by multiple loyalities to-be detective who happens to live in a Manhattan penthouse (Cheadle). If you're clichéd out by this point, then you should just get out. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. When the going gets rough, well... Admittedly, it's kind of neat how we 'ooze' between the trio, but "oozing" could just as well be interpreted as "clunky" with a complete lack of narrative transition on all levels. Flat-tire, ca-lump, ca-lump, ca-lump, but driving really fast. You can practically hear it in that relentlessly-stock score.

A tale of casting: Ethan Hawke, miscast, Richard Gere, miscast, Don Cheadle, typecast, Wesley Snipes, finally cast, director Antoine Fuqua, under-cast, writer Michael C. Martin, not cast. Elsewhere, Ellen Barkin chews up scenery like she'd been starved of it (more or less true). In fact, she may have gone ahead and eaten Lili Taylor's seeing that her fellow veteran actress gets just about none. Vincent D'Onofrio's opening cameo wouldn't have been spoiled if he didn't get shot in the face...whoops, spoiler. And that homeless guy from The Road just can't escape being that homeless guy from The Road. I'm sorry, Michael K. Williams, I really am.

If there's one thing to take away from Brooklyn, it's got to be the valiant return of Wesley Snipes. The part is wonderfully tailor-made: after an eight-year prison sentence, humbled and everyman drug-dealer "Caz" (full name Cassanova, no joke) wants to get out altogether—still street-smart through—giving a great little speech about ethnicity-specific modes of torture. He's just great. So cool.

Somewhere, at some point, there's some mentioning of the word "Tact." The irony of this goes without saying... tactful, perhaps? Great moments are tied down by the block of melodrama that is Martin's amateur-hour script... Literally, imagine for a moment Brooklyn's Finest as a piece of spandex, and then drop a concrete block in the middle of it... naturally, being spandex, it's not going to break, but it's going to bend, alright, ooh, it's gonna get real bent out of shape. I don't care who you cast, or who you have shoot it...Brooklyn's Finest already shot themselves, and it's a damn shame they did.

*1/2 out of ****

~ Patrick Fryberger

How could I not post this?

Jeez:



Source: Just about everywhere

Just in case you got lost on Pandora

"Let's put a smile on that face." ...my obligatory, every-few-months TDK post:



Still the greatest example of super-spectacle-filmmaking ever. Can somebody say EPIC ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE?

Just saw her

YANCY BUTLER. If you're unfamiliar with that name then you should get off my blog right now. Get. Get out.

I walked right by/made eye contact with/heard that deep, raspy, sexy voice of... She even held the door open for me. All I could manage was a firm, confident, "Thanks..." Otherwise, terms such as "manage" and "confidence" were nowhere to be found in my supposedly rich vocabulary (though 'firm' was certainly in the mix). I practically stopped mid-doorway as she stood there saying thanks to the clerks and holding the goddamn-motherfrickin' door for me...she was with some girlfriends, at that... Ah! Too much to take on a simple trip to La Salsa. God I would marry that woman goddess.

This goddess:








Yeah, you're jealous. I know.