It’s impossible to watch Orca without thinking of Jaws. Hell, director Michael Anderson (Logan’s Run) won’t let you! Ennio Morricone’s score borrows a cue or two from John Williams, shots of the fin are like a constant visual reminder, and — let’s be honest — producer Dino De Laurentiis never would’ve made this project had … Continue reading Orca (1977)
So Close is the movie that McG’s Charlie’s Angels should have been. It’s slick, it’s cool, it’s three girls kicking ass who — and this is the big difference — are not braying-donkey annoying. Shu Qi (The Transporter) and Zhao Wei (Shaolin Soccer) are two siblings who have been working as an assassin-for-hire team ever … Continue reading So Close (2002)
Hollywood has little clue what to do with Jackie Chan. Their ideas boil down to: a) pair him with a wacky black guy, and b) surround him with special effects. The first one works; the second one never will. There’s no point in hiring the world’s most renowned kung-fu acrobatic clown and dressing him up … Continue reading The Medallion (2003)
PTU stands for “Police Tactical Unit,” and I’m booking this Hong Kong copper crime drama in the C+ column. It exudes potential from the outset, but tosses much of it out for a clichéd, slo-mo final shootout. Chronicling one crazy night for the PTU, Election director Johnnie To’s film starts off just fine — even … Continue reading PTU (2003)
I’ve never been able to stomach more than a minute of ei Independent Cinema’s softcore efforts, like Spider-Babe, The Lord of the G-Strings, Kinky Kong and Play-Mate of the Apes. Not being 13 years old, I don’t see the appeal. Surprise then, to see one that’s actually kinda clever, at least by their low standards: … Continue reading Shock-O-Rama (2005)