The Restless is a fantasy adventure film set in a world of souls that have passed away long before they are reincarnated. This latest Wuxia foray from South Korea combines the elements of love and romance, fantasy and terrific swordplay in an eternal battle between good and evil. This film exhibits top-notch visuals to render their fantasy elements, and the abundant action are orchestrated with wire-fu and large doses of impressive CGI.
After battling a fierce group of demonic forces, Yi-Gwak collapses from the effects of a poisoned wine glass. He wakes up later to find himself in a strange and unusual city, a place that he has never seen before. As he talks with a friendly stranger, he slowly comes to the conclusion that he has awaken in a Buddhist purgatory, where spirits remain for 49 days until they are reincarnated back to Earth. So the story mainly revolves around love, which almost gets a moral coloration in this flick. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or evil, love is shared by anyone and therefore it’s also the ray of hope for mankind. The problem with the screenplay is that when there are no fights, the proceedings are slow-paced that it almost stops to a crawl. Strong characters are definitely needed to form an attachment to its viewers.
The astounding CGI effects and set designs, awesome action, superb martial arts choreography are the elements that carry this Wuxia swordplay fantasy tale. When a movie with high-flying sword duels and extensive CGI takes me three sittings to get through, something is very wrong. If you like fantasy martial arts films and don’t care much about a good script than you should certainly check out The Restless. Otherwise skip this one because you will feel extremely restless, no pun intended.
The Restless may not offer much in originality which would make it stand out, it makes the film a little forgettable. On the action-entertainment side of the coin, the film doesn’t disappoint. Despite being a love story, somehow it lacks emotion or attachment to all the characters. I didn’t feel any lost or sadness as these characters faced hardships and sufferings. Like Casshern, the plot is secondary to the visuals and moments into the film I grew worried, unsure if the film was going to be a comedy or try to play this scenario serious and I wasn’t sure which side I wanted to root for. A mess of a film, but it’s pretty to look at at least.
In the first big martial-arts sequence in Raging Phoenix, it’s the athletic Kazu who fends off a gang of guys on blade-equipped pogo-stilts. Let that last sentence really sink in before you continue on with this review. This movie is very unique and will surprise the hell out of you. Following her debut as a mute kickboxer in 2008 hit ‘Chocolate‘, pint-sized Thai dynamo Yanin Visimitananda proves she can handle dialogue as well as fists and feet. She combines new stunning martial art styles and love story to be the ultimate action-romance film. The unique twist is this film is a hybrid of fighting and hip hop dancing. Of course we all know the formula to movies like this; paper thin plot that leads from elaborate fight scene to elaborate fight scene. And there’s definitely no reason to complain about that.
One day her life changes completely when some gangsters try to kidnap her and she narrowly escapes with the help of Sanim, a sad looking stranger with a painful past. Sanim and his friends, having had loved ones abducted, have joined together to break the gang of kidnappers. She finds a warehouse where a load of abducted girls are being kept, and unleashes the fury of her drunken hip-hop martial arts. Jeeja’s character convincingly embraces the art and gives us something awesome to marvel at in every frame.
The angle for Raging Phoenix is that the director and choreographer have come up with an original form of combat by combining breakdancing with Muay Thai with lots of alcoholic consumption. This decision takes out a lot of energy out of the movie, leaving audiences with a martial arts flick that is enjoyable in patches only. Credit for keeping a pretty silly premise alive goes to the appealing cast, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
In spite of the decent cinematography and plenty breath-taking backdrops, all of the carefully choreographed fight action is bogged down by an uncomfortable packaging that tries to cover romance. Things do pick up in the final 30 minutes, when the good guys finally discover the hidden lair of the baddies. Then before you know it, the film comes to a close and you’re left wanting more. Let’s hope Jeeja Yanin’s next project is much more fluid and will bring her into Hollywood mainstream because this Thai chicks talent is more marketable than Tony Jaa and his Ong Bak series, if you ask me.
For those of you who are not familiar with the movie, it is not a sequel or a prequel. It is more of an alternate telling of the Escaflowne story. Hitomi, a young high school student has lost her interest in life. She fears things will never change, is so depressed that she hopes that somehow she will just fade away. What she doesn’t expect is that her desire to escape would catapult her into the mythic world of Gaea. From a young highschool student, she finds herself thrust into the role of the Wing Goddess, who can call up Escaflowne, a terrible suit of giant armor destined to destroy the world. Can she learn to open her heart to the suffering of others so that she can save the world from total holocaust? Or will her denial result in the destruction of Gaia? If you’re entirely new to the world of Escaflowne, you’re in for a treat. Anime hasn’t seen anything like this before, and probably won’t see it again for years to come.
Although I didn’t really care for the character redesigns, I have to say that visually Escaflowne is a spectacular movie. The movie was faster paced and to the point and the characters were darker and had more flavor to them. For those who like the show dubbed, they’ll enjoy the movie, although I’m guessing most people will stick with the Japanese track outside of a quick look-see.
Escaflowne: the Movie is a good film, it’s easy to see how people could think it’s great. A few character issues, and the generally short run time keep me from thinking it’s great, but it’s a very enjoyable movie that sucks you in very well. The true high point for me about this film was that the score was created by the same team as Cowboy Bebop. Yoko Kanno score permeates through the film and actually keeps your attention a whole lot longer than anything the script has to offer. After watching the series, I found this movie to be an excellent summation of everything in its entirity. However, those who haven’t seen the series may find it a little hard to follow, as some characters have little or no introduction.
I can’t lie because it can get a little boring and dark with too much talking and badly dimmed scenes, even the heart pounding music cant bring you out of a power nap. But, I was very skeptical as to whether or not I’d like this movie, since I didn’t particularly enjoy the time I spent with the TV series. The movie was breathtaking. The animation quality, the art style, character design, everything in the artistic realm of this movie has been improved from its television form. Again, I’m not sure how much it would appeal to fans of the TV series. However, if you’ve never seen Escaflowne, I’d say this is a good place to start. It feeds you the plot with relative consistancy, and it’ll probably get you itching to see the TV series, too. But if you’re like me and you love the show and everything about it, then you may walk away complaining.
Appropriately, The Five Deadly Venoms is an awesome old-school kung fu movie, easily the best such film I’ve reviewed here. Five martial arts masters whose identities are unknown have emerged from the Five Venoms house, each proficient in a particular animal-related fighting style. The centipede, snake, toad, lizard, scorpion. Hence the name “poison clan”. The master is telling this story to his pupil Yan Tieh who actually has a small role in the film even though his role is rather important because it actually sets things in motion. The reason is the master has taught all of the tecniques to Yan but he doesnt know anyone technique very well and therefore he can be easily beaten by anyone of the 5 previous pupils. His mission is to check up on the 5 pupils to see if they are doing good deeds with their skills.
This was one of the first Hong Kong kung fu movies to feature the furious over-the-top fight scenes that we’ve become accustomed to over the years. Creative torture is part of the fun of 70s’ kung fu. At one point one of the suspects is stabbed in the nose with an iron knitting needle. Despite not having as many fights as some of the other Venom classics, the story is so engrossing it doesn’t matter. However, the fights that do occur deliver the goods.
I sometimes wonder if director Chang Cheh’s wicked weapons, traps, and other pain devices also had an influence on torture series like Saw and Hostel. You find yourself really falling into ancient China and feel as if you were there. Yes, todays movies are more elaborate and much faster, but the purity of the Venom movies are timeless, the styles, the combat, and the characters. Anyone who grew up in the late seventies and early eighties probably had the pleasure of seeing this great Kung Fu classic on late night television. That was back in the good old days before the greedy television networks and local cable companys sold very last bit of late night air-time to infomercials. It is a real shame but the good news is you can own this on DVD.
When you hear a Wu-Tang song from their first album you hear the sound clips from Five Deadly Venoms. This film captures the essence of a Classic Kung Fu film. This is a definite cult classic, campy enough in later viewing that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but with enough action to satisfy new viewers too. Admittedly, the film could use a bit more action, but then there wouldn’t have been time to develop the plot, which is thoughtful and conveys a solid and positive moral theme, culminating in a fine final battle. This is top notch stuff here, that has levels of philosophy, training, and meaning. If you’re ever in the mood for some good kung fu action, make this your next selection.
The Children of Huang Shi tells the true story of George Hogg who is a young English reporter in China during the Japanese occupation of 1937. Eventually, he and another journalist manage to infiltrate into an area where they are not welcome disguised as Red Cross workers. Luckily, he is rescued by Chow Yun-Fat’s character who plays a Chinese Communist guerrilla. Eventually these three will shepherd the orphans across the Gobi Desert to safety. Beautifully filmed, the movie portrays mid-twentieth century China against breathtaking vistas and crowded cities amidst ancient buildings and sweeping deserts.
Somewhere between 20 to 30 million Chinese died at the hands of the Japanese invaders between 1937 and 1945, creating a degree of animosity between the two countries that persists to this day. This might be why as a U.S. movie goer, this movie has probably flown above your radar as it is only getting promotion in China. Do see this film, if you are at all interested in Asian history, and children, and the inspiration of a life lived well. During the first 25 minutes or so of the story, it appears that the film will be an action thriller, but the heart of the story reveals the transformative power of self-sacrifice & caring in a hostile political and physical environment. However, The Children of Huang Shi doesn’t stray far from the formula of epic period pieces.
This had potential to be a very good movie. The material was interesting. It just fell short of my expectations. It was downright boring at times. The film may not be engaging or informative enough to be worth recommending, but some fine supporting performances make the movie easy enough to sit through. There are times, when the story feels as if its trying to manipulate you, with one dramatic development here or the death of a major character there. I will say though that it is refrshing to see a movie where the hero can go through the whole movie without killing anyone.
For all that, it is an affecting portrait and a strong story with a compelling backdrop, and Chinese cinematographer Xiaoding Zhao makes the gorgeous locations look magnificent. Yet for a film set in a murderous war, we see far more of the rugged beauty of China than of the savagery of the Japanese invasion. It’s also quite a shame that Chow Yun-Fat’s screen time is rather limited as he disappears for most of the picture following his introduction. All in all, I can give this film a passing grade and a slight recommendation.
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