Born Invincible (1978)

Director: Joseph Kuo Nam Hung

Genre: Martial Arts (Kung Fu)

Country: Taiwan

Summary: When his master is killed, martial artists Ming Tu and Sa Chien must train to become powerful enough to defeat his murderers, Chin Pa and the “Invincible” Tai Chi master, Chief Chin.

Impressions: This movie is hilarious. There are jump cuts everywhere because either the actors messed up their choreography or they wanted the action to look crazier than it was. Often scene changes are abrupt and surprising, and the characters for the protagonist’s side are interchangable, both in personality and design. Still, this is a fun movie, added to by the fact that the original version is lost, leaving only the badly-dubbed English version (which omits key dialogue). The main villain is one of the most unintentionally funny villains I’ve ever watched. Watch this movie if you like bad 80s Kung Fu flicks.

2 out of 5

Revenge of the Ninja (1983)

Director:Sam Firstenburg

Genre: Ninja Action

Summary: After Cho Tanaka’s family is killed in Japan, he takes his surviving mother and son to start his own museum in America. Unfortunately, it turns out his best friend and employer, Braden, is an evil ninja with plans of his own for Cho.

Impressions: If I had to choose between American Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja in terms of comedy, I would choose American Ninja. But, if I had to pick one of them in terms of badass fights, I would choose Revenge. Why is this?

1) Cho fights an army of ninja and catches arrows with his bare hands.

2) Cho’s son beats the shit out of a bunch of older kids. Cho’s son is like 5 years old.

3) Cho’s mother fights an evil ninja using a sickle and hammer.

4) Cho and his friend fight the creators of “YMCA,” the Police.

5) Cho’s son beats up Cho’s girlfriend with a bo staff.

6) Cho fights an Indian armed with throwing tomahawks.

7) Cho and Braden fight on a rooftop while Braden shoots fire from his hands.

In terms of fights, this movie rocks, but in terms of plot and comedy, it is severely lacking. The “OMG” factor isn’t enough to make this movie enjoyable.

2 out of 5

Finishing the Game (2007)

Director: Justin Lin

Genre: Mockumentary

Summary: A director attempts to cast a body-double to use while filming the final scenes of Bruce Lee’s last film, Game of Death. Unfortunately, his casting is beset with problems, including a variety of actors with complicated lives.

Impressions: I really wanted to like this movie but I just couldn’t wrap my head around the minds of the characters. It felt like I was watching a Christopher Guest mockumentary without so much awkwardness, but also with less feeling in its making. The characters never really grab you, although I felt like there was potential. One of the most interesting characters, Raja (pictured above) is forgotten about after half an hour, and the rest have their own personal problems to deal with. Unfortunately, these problems seem far away and unimportant because they are largely dealt with offscreen.

2 out of 5

The Wiz (1978)

Director: Sidney Lumet

Genre: Musical

Summary: A retelling of The Wizard of Oz. This adaption features an all-black cast and several musical numbers, lending a very different feel to the classic film.

Impressions: Every time I watch this film I feel a little guilty, because it seems a lot like blaxploitation. It was definitely made to target the urban black audience, as evidenced by it’s all-black cast (and I mean all black) and it’s heavy reliance on soul and funk music. It’s also weird to see Diana Ross at age 33 playing Dorothy Gale.

There’s a reason I watch this film over and over, though. The set designs are usually really interesting (Munchkinland, for example), although sometimes they skimp on sets (the chase with the Flying AC Monkeys). Also, the Scarecrow is surprisingly fun to watch on screen, and his songs are the only ones that aren’t forgettable. The dance numbers are fluid, even though Joel Schumacher didn’t use any of the original choreography.

I get the feeling that a lot of what made the musical good didn’t translate to film or was destroyed by Schumacher. I wouldn’t recommend this film unless you’re really into either musicals or The Wizard of Oz, but it’s still a fun little film to kill a couple hours with.

2 out of 5

Tinman: “The genius who created me only took care of my dashing good looks, my razor sharp wit and my irresistible attraction to the wrong women.”

Funny People (2009)

Director: Judd Apatow

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Summary: Famous comedian George Simmons discovers he has a deadly disease and will die an unhappy man, despite being surrounded by funny people. He enlists an assistant, aspiring comedian Ira Wright, to turn his life around before he passes on.

Impressions: I loved Adam Sandler’s movies when I was a kid. I used to be able to recite all of Happy Gilmore’s best lines from memory. That was the sort of humor I grew up with, but Adam Sandler has matured, as a comedian, writer and producer. I respect that.

I feel like there’s a very deep lining to this film, about how life isn’t a storybook and how even the best intentions can have devastating consequences. I came into this film knowing it wasn’t really a comedy but a drama about a comedian, yet was surprised at the vast number of bad jokes. How many dick jokes can you fit into a movie?

That’s my biggest complaint, the dick jokes. They keep coming and coming with no point, and the worst thing is 90% suck. Actually, most of the jokes were pretty bad, to the point that every time a character would say “you had some good stuff out there” I would roll my eyes. I don’t know if the atmosphere of a movie dealing in death killed the mood or what, but I only genuinely laughed a handful of times during the seemingly endless 2 and 1/2 hours of the movie.

I really liked the characters. Deeply flawed, both Ira and George mature as characters and have reached new places by the end of the film. Ira’s attempts to help George go awry despite every cheesy movie telling us that it should turn out perfectly. This stark contrast to the typical tropes of feature films was a welcomed treat.

However, the bad jokes, the dick jokes, the length and the atmosphere all contributed to a movie I really can’t see myself watching again. I’d say watch it once and then put it behind you, or tell me what I’m not seeing when I watch it.

2 out of 5