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Lo mau (1992)
If the cat didn't know kung fu, it would have been a 1
Not sure what to say about this one, I'd advise you keep walking if you see it in the $1 bin at Wal-Mart. For those that are fans of Riki-Oh, you won't find the same humor and ultra-violence here. I understand that Wisely is a popular character that has been in other movies, watching this The Cat doesn't inspire confidence. I will say the fight between the cat and the dog was mildly amusing. I can only imagine what it was like on set when they were doing that scene, must have been a load of fun. I am all for B-rated classics but this one was just too slow and incoherent. I think the movie was around an hour and a half and it couldn't end soon enough for me.
The Hunted (1995)
Ancient feuds in a modern world, an underrated ninja vs. samurai yarn
I remembered seeing this movie many years ago, I remembered liking it and I remember trying to remind myself to watch it again. Of course, I forgot. I'll start by saying I loved Highlander and I tend to like a lot of the B-classics that Lambert made back in the day. I am also a sucker for martial arts films, especially ninja movies from the 80s and the classic Shaw brother Kung-Fu movies from the 70s. So, keep that bias in mind as you read this review. I stumbled upon this movie again recently, and I gave it another look. Over the years, my tastes have become somewhat more refined and I've become a huge fan of the samurai genre, classics from such giants as Akira Kurosawa and others: Shogun Assassin, Lone Wolf and Cub, the Seven Samurai...the list goes on and on. I've grown to appreciate their subtle intensity, the clarity of thought and purpose of the Samurai and the artistry that many of the films encompass. With all that being said, The Hunted is not an all-time classic. However, it is something different, and I can see that many of the reviewers have been struggling to classify this movie and to put it in a box. I must say, I love this movie and it has elements of all the favorite martial arts movies I grew up on, but it also has hints of 80s crime dramas and it does a really good job of showing the absurdities that can arise from extreme dogmatism, the invisible battle that these samurai and ninjas wage when the modern world has passed them by. This is also sort of a fish out of water movie, Lambert's character in a foreign land, trying to survive and caught in the wake of a thousand year old feud.
The Hunted is a very underrated ninja versus samurai flick, and it is different than the rest because we see this world through Lambert's eyes, we travel with him and we, the audience, begin to understand, much like his character, the senselessness of the struggle around him.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
The devil is in the details...
I just randomly watched this movie, not knowing anything about it all, just that I like Benedict as an actor. It was slow and sort of unsettling and I had to ponder the movie for a while after it finished. Let me just say this, the devil is in the details with this one. Pay very close attention when watching it, I think it pays off pretty well. I had several 'oh crap' moments after the movie, when I started connecting the dots. To call this a Western is a bit misleading, the setting is in the west (Montana) but that really has nothing to do with the movie at all, nor should it define its genre. I can see how folks might not like this one due to the pacing and some of the subject matter but the acting really is quite good and the movie is well made. Also, let's just say the ending might pass right over some people's head if they hadn't been paying attention or had already made up their mind what the movie was about. I'd really love to say more but spoilers and all. I think this one will start out slow with audiences but will age well over time.
Percy (2020)
The GMO companies must be writing the bad reviews
We continue to see this same theme over and over, corporations, with their legal army, political influence and unlimited resources , continuing to obliterate the working man. Our countries have become oligarchies, our politicians catering to lobbyists and big business. Not only was this an entertaining and well-acted movie, it helps to shed light on the bigger picture. If individuals don't fight back, at some point the option will no longer be available.
The Rainmaker (1997)
Wonderful movie, I appreciate it more each time I see it.
This has to be one of the most underrated movies on IMDb, when I saw its rating I couldn't believe it. all I have to say is, watch it for yourself and don't trust the rating on this one.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars for Millenials
As a Star Wars fan, I really wanted to like this film but there are just too many problems. In the E.U., Luke is the strongest Jedi the universe has ever seen but in TLJ he is depicted as a coward and a quitter. Once he finally does something halfway cool, he dies from exhaustion. The entire plot of the movie makes no sense as all the First Order has to do is send a few ships ahead of the rebellion convoy, via light speed. to cut them off. The entire plot line with Fin and the Asian girl added nothing to the movie and basically could have been left on the editing room floor. We waited two years to find out who Snoke was and they kill him quickly, without any explanation of his backstory. This is the powerful nemesis we've been postulating about? Oh, and Rey is a nobody from nowhere. I get what the director was trying to do, the Force resides in everyone and can be expressed anywhere, not just in the Star War legacy family lines...I just felt there was so much more opportunity here that has now gone wasted. BTW, not one mention of the Knights of Ren? It's as if this director forgot there were a previous move (Force Awakens) that he was supposed to tie into.
There are some cool scenes but the movie jumps from one scene to the other so quickly that the viewer doesn't have time to absorb it fully. It's like this movie was created for an ADD kid, the Millennial generation. Also, there is a lot of misplaced humor, inserted into serious scenes inappropriately, and then just ignored for the remained of the scene. IMHO, this is sign of an inexperienced director that was not ready for such an undertaking. I grew up on the original trilogy and this is no longer the Star Wars that I recognize.