Tai-Chi Master

I had a blast watching 1993's Tai-Chi Master! 

It's about 2 best friends who travel 2 opposite paths after being forced to leave the Shaolin Temple in disgrace. Obviously, their paths will criss-cross again. 

Originally released as Twin Warriors, this is a throw-back to the old-school kung-fu movies I watched growing up. It's got plenty of wire-work (and you can even see some of the wires, being pre-CGI) and comedy - making it borderline cheesy. But mostly fun. 

The action is really good. There are enough non-flying fights to keep it from getting too cheesy. And even the wire-work fights are done well. 

But I was really blown away by Jet Li. The entire cast is great, including Michelle Yeoh. But Jet shows a subtle, brilliant hint at comedic expression that I've never seen from him before.

Rent Tai-Chi Master if you're in the mood for a good, dumb (and I mean that in the best possible sense - no thinking necessary) action movie. 

Going Postal

This goes straight to the top of my list of suggestions. Not just because it's the newest. I had such a wonderful time watching Going Postal, I have a feeling it will stay at the top for a while.


Being a 2010 British miniseries based on Terry Pratchett's novel, this may be harder to find than most. But it's worth it. (Netflix does have it!)


And being British you can forget any American connotations of the term "going postal" - something I was wary of when I rented it, never hearing of Terry Pratchett before.

But this is pure fantasy. A little more adult than Harry Potter but not too adult to lose its fun and imagination. It's about a suave con-artist whose forced to re-open the post office, long closed because of The Clacks - a mix of Morse code and semaphore that is the email of the time "if you have a whole bunch of string", to quote Pratchett.


The acting, directing, sets and costumes are all great. And it has one of the best opening credits: Mucked About by Terry Pratchett. It may be a little long for some at 3hrs 5min. But it's broken up into two parts. And I was so entertained by its cleverness, wit, visual aesthetics and charm that I had no problem getting through it in one sitting. 


I found this just a plain delight. It's rare that a movie hits me this, this hard - I don't think it's happened since Dr Horrible. And I think my dad would've gotten a big kick out of it.

Act Of Val or merely propaganda

I was going to review something else this week. But this has been bugging me all day.

It's really too bad that the first movie to be filmed using active-duty Navy SEALs as actors, Act of Valor (2012), is so manipulative.

Just after watching it I thought it was OK. I wouldn't call it great by any stretch of the imagination. There were even a couple "WOW!" moments. But the more I think of it, the more it irritates me. Man, was I a sucker!

I do like a good action movie (even some silly action flicks!). And special forces rock. That being said, I'm going to save y'all a rental.

[SPOILER ALERT: if you still want to see this read no further!]

It begins with the bad, I mean BAD, guy - and you can tell because he has the obligatory, gnarly scar by his eye - blowing up an Indonesian schoolyard of children just to kill the US ambassador. And his son? And 50 other children??

Of course the bad guy is Muslim. "Jihad" is mentioned at least once. But in order to keep it from getting cliche-out-of-hand they mercifully did not make him Middle-Eastern. Small favor.

Before the movie ever starts is the MPAA "R" rating for intense violence, some language and torture. But rest assured: the only torture is employed by the bad guys. To a woman. She's CIA and doesn't divulge anything. She's rescued by the SEALs. But then we get our hands on the Russian who is funding the bad guy. We get every bit of information he knows with 1 veiled threat in a very cordial conversation. Complete with handshake introduction!

But probably worst of all, there's a narrative woven throughout the movie. It's a letter speaking of honor, duty and sacrifice, and "I fought with your father". Guess who dies. It couldn't possibly be the commander of the unit who's wife is expecting their first son... right? The SEALs team up with the Mexican army for the finale. Plenty of red-shirts die (Star Trek term indicating the non-essential personnel - Mexicans). But only 1 SEAL ever dies. And he throws himself on a live grenade to save his squad.

Chronicle

The definition of obscure could be an American movie in which I've never heard of ANY of the actors, director or even producers. Chronicle, 2012, actually fits into that category. And if it weren't for the Seattle skyline on the cover I probably would've never seen it. 


Chronicle is about 3 teens who stumble upon mystical telekinetic powers. High school will never be the same!


I spent the first 25-ish minutes irritated by bad cinematography and worse editing. The first-person, hand-held camcorder thing was good once, as far as I'm concerned. Blair Witch Project nailed it. Done. 


...But not so much.


Once Chronicle gets going it is very entertaining! The pace picks up. The shenanigans! The visual effects are amazing! I was engrossed! And they actually get clever with the camerawork and editing. 


It is a a little predictable.  Drama is assured...


Yet, definitely worth renting!

White Irish Drinkers

Here's a really good, powerful drama. 2010's White Irish Drinkers, was written and directed by John Gray.


In 1975, two brothers struggle to get away from their abusive, alcoholic father, well-intentioned mother and blue-collar, Irish neighborhood. Brian, the younger, artistic and sensitive brother, has mixed feelings about Danny's plan to steal their way to freedom.


The acting is fantastic! A couple relative newcomers play the brothers -  Nick Thurston and Geoffrey Wigdor. Stephen Lang (Avatar, Manhunter) and Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark) play the parents. And even the supporting cast is great, most notably Peter Riegert (Animal House).


The writing and direction are almost as great. There's only one scene I found a little fault with. The scene's message still gets through, but it could have - should have - been more compelling. I thought. Otherwise, I think it was very well done. 


I really liked the soundtrack also. (No disco in 1975 working-class Brooklyn!)


All that said, this is not the easiest movie to sit through, A lot of that is purely expectations. But it is gritty and emotional. 


So watch this. Take a couple 5-minute breaks as I did if you need to. But watch it. 


It is well worth it!

The Ledge

Practically everything I've seen since March I've rated Three Stars (Liked it) on Netflix. But that is only because Two Stars would mean I didn't like it and they won't let me rate anything at Two and a Half: Meeehh, it was OK, But here's what I woulda done with it...


FINALLY, here's one I'm actually willing to say that I liked enough to endorse by putting it on my blog.


The Ledge (2011) is about a man (Charlie Hunnam, from Sons of Anarchy) who steps out on a building's ledge and the officer (Terrance Howard) who's intent to stop him from jumping. They get into theological discussions, meaning of life issues...good drama ensues. It's billed as a thriller, but it's more of a good drama. 


The cast is brilliant. Hunnam, Howard, Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson are all fantastic. The script, editing, and directing are all on target. (btw, this was produced by Norman Mailer's son.) 


I found myself much more emotionally invested than I thought I would. (Especially considering Liv Tyler is the female lead! Not a fan, but she's better than OK in this! [Can't believe I printed that!]) This involvement could be the result of my political likeness and similar temperament of the lead character. But I watched it with someone who doesn't necessarily share my theological/philosophical tendencies and we both liked it. 


The best compliment I can give: I'm still thinking about it 24+ hrs after viewing.