Month: May 2021

Today’s quick review: The Ladykillers. Posing as an amateur string quintet, Professor Marcus (Alec Guinness) and his criminal colleagues (Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, and Danny Green) rent a room from Mrs. Wilberforce (Katie Johnson), a kindly old widow. Using Mrs. Wilberforce’s house as a base of operations, they plan out the perfect crime. But when their hostess becomes a witness, they must get rid of her before she can tell the police.

The Ladykillers is a classic crime comedy about five hardened criminals and one little old lady. What begins as a foolproof plan devolves into chaos as complications arise, personalities clash, and Mrs. Wilberforce continues to be her polite, helpful self. The Ladykillers benefits from convincing acting and a satisfying escalation from setup to payoff. However, its short heist and relatively subdued black humor won’t be for everyone.

The Ladykillers’ appeal comes from dropping its offbeat characters into precarious situations. Professor Marcus and his gang are a mismatched bunch of criminals, each with a distinct personality and his own opinion about how to handle the unfolding crisis. Mrs. Wilberforce makes for an effective foil, an utterly blameless woman who is the one variable they can’t control. The way the characters bounce off one another yields much of the film’s comedy.

Beyond its characters, The Ladykillers is a heist film with modest doses of black humor and slapstick. The story moves briskly from the setup to the heist to its aftermath, with the focus of the story shifting accordingly. The result is a somewhat lopsided watch that’s paced quickly but still takes a long time to get to the main event. Even so, the individual phases of the plot are light and enjoyable, and the finale is suitably wry.

How much you get out of The Ladykillers will depend on your taste in comedy. Fans of the classics will appreciate it the most, chiefly for its clever premise and talented acting. Others may find its humor a little too tame and its plot oddly structured. For a less subtle take on the same premise, try the remake by the Coen Brothers. For a more straightforward classic crime comedy, try The Thin Man.

7.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for solid acting and writing; your score may vary.

Today’s quick review: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. Years after her father (Edmund Chen) was kidnapped, Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) has grown up into a talented martial artist. Following an anonymous lead to Bangkok, Chun-Li meets Gan (Robin Shou), a reclusive martial arts master who trains her further. When she is ready, he reveals the identity of her father’s kidnapper: Bison (Neal McDonough), the head of the criminal organization Shadaloo.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is a martial arts action movie based on the Street Fighter series of video games. The Legend of Chun-Li pits a fledgling martial artist against the crime lord who kidnapped her father. The movie takes a more focused approach than the previous adaptation of Street Fighter, letting Chun-Li take center stage and trimming the cast to a reasonable size. However, it suffers from weak writing and a bland tone.

The Legend of Chun-Li’s chief problem is that it lacks personality. Chun-Li makes for a lukewarm protagonist, talented in a generic way without any character-defining moments. None of the characters adapted from the games leave much of an impression, including Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan), Vega (Taboo), and Charlie Nash (Chris Klein). Even Bison is a missed opportunity, a villain who has neither a master plan nor a flair for the dramatic.

The lack of personality extneds to the story as well. The Legend of Chun-Li follows the same pattern as any number of other martial arts and superhero films. The film does a poor job of motivating the key elements of its plot. Chun-Li’s journey to Bangkok, her training under Gan, Bison’s orign story, his criminal ambitions, and Charlie Nash’s entire subplot are all slotted in out of a sense of obligation, not because they follow from the plot logic.

The Legend of Chun-Li scores its biggest hit with its fight choreography. Competent wire stunts, frequent action scenes, and a touch of fantasy tied to the characters’ in-game powers give the movie all the raw material it needs to be an enjoyable action flick. But even here, The Legend of Chun-Li never rises above the crowd. None of the fights are memorable, several of them are mismanaged, and overall the stunts aren’t sharp enough to carry the film.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is an indifferent watch, with just enough going on to occupy action fans but not enough to please them. Though its story is more focused and realistic than the previous Street Fighter adaptation, it sacrifices nearly all of the franchise’s personality in the process. What’s left over is a paint-by-the-numbers action flick with decent stunt work and a story that’s lacking. Most viewers should steer clear.

For a more colorful adaptation of the same source material, try Street Fighter. For a more successful take on a similar premise, try the Alicia Vikander version of Tomb Raider. For a fantasy action movie that has a similar setup and suffers from similar flaws, try Elektra. For a crime-oriented superhero movie that uses similar plot elements to better effect, try Batman Begins.

3.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.0 for passable action coupled with a generic plot and weak character work.

Today’s quick review: Street Fighter. As General M. Bison (Raul Julia) seizes control of Shadaloo, Colonel Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme) leads Allied Nations troops into the country to stop him. To locate the general, Guile hires Ryu (Byron Mann) and Ken (Damian Chapa), two fortune seekers, to earn the trust of Sagat (Wes Studi), an arms dealer working with Bison. Meanwhile, reporter Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen) seeks revenge on Bison for her own reasons.

Street Fighter is an action adventure movie based on the video game franchise of the same name. Street Fighter follows a multinational group of heroes as they attempt to stop the power-hungry M. Bison from taking over the fictional Southeast Asian country of Shadaloo. Although the movie aims to be a rollicking adventure that combines iconic character designs with live-action thrillers, slipshod execution keeps it from achieving its full potential.

Street Fighter is at its best when it embraces the fun-loving, over-the-top side of its story. The centerpiece of the film is Raul Julia’s passionate performance as M. Bison, a villain as grandiose as any action fan could hope for. The plot isn’t deep, but it does a surprisingly good job of juggling the film’s large cast. Coupled with a few funny moments, this is enough to make Street Fighter a fun watch for those who don’t take it too seriously.

But even if Street Fighter’s heart is in the right place, its execution leaves much to be desired. The transition to live-action is rough on nearly all of its characters. The games’ striking designs are severely watered down, and the characters’ personal details are scrambled to fit the story. Disappointingly, there’s no real emphasis on martial arts. Instead, Street Fighter opts for the same generic style of action as other 90s action flicks.

How much you get out of Street Fighter will depend heavily on what you’re looking for. Street Fighter fails to adapt its source material in a way that preserves its strengths, and its appeal as an action movie is limited by its flaky script, acting, and fight scenes. But in spite of these weaknesses, Street Fighter manages to be a fun time for the right viewer, thanks to its adventurous tone, strong villain, and a handful of jokes that hit just right.

For a fighting game adaptation that strikes a better balance, try Mortal Kombat. For another video game adaptation that goes to even stranger places with its source material, try Super Mario Bros. For a comic book adaptation with similar flaws, try Judge Dredd. For an action movie with some of the same campy appeal, try Big Trouble in Little China. For a violent martial arts movie with the tight combat Street Fighter lacks, try The Raid.

3.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for a fair amount of charm held back by poor fundamentals; your score will vary considerably depending on taste.

Today’s quick review: The Highwaymen. In 1934, the crime spree of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow draws former Texas ranger Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) out of retirement. Given a badge and orders to kill Bonnie and Clyde, Frank sets out to track down the elusive outlaws. To help him, he recruits Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson), a washed-up fellow ranger. Their search takes them across the South, following Bonnie and Clyde’s trail of violence.

The Highwaymen is a historical crime drama based on the hunt for Bonnie and Clyde. Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson star as Frank and Maney, the men tasked with ending Bonnie and Clyde’s two-year crime spree. The Highwaymen features a well-constructed plot, two solid leads, and a decent amount of character drama, as well as a detailed historical setting. However, the movie doesn’t reach the emotional heights of the best films in the genre.

The main draw of The Highwaymen is the cat-and-mouse game between the two lawmen and their targets. Frank and Maney must use their wits to outmaneuver Bonnie and Clyde, relying on old-fashioned detective work to figure out where the roving criminals will turn up next. The leads they follow, the close calls they have, and the persistent risk of danger give the plot plenty to work with. Still, the actual action is limited to a few key moments.

The other side of the story deals with Frank and Maney’s relationship with the law. Frank is a gunfighter willing to do what is necessary to enforce justice. Maney is more ambivalent, troubled by the decisions he’s had to make. Both men must also deal with a changing world where killers like Bonnie and Clyde are seen as heroes. The character drama is handled reasonably well, adding color to the story without drawing focus from the manhunt.

The Highwaymen is worth a watch for fans of the grounded, realistic side of the crime genre. The mechanics of the investigation, the touches of character development, and the historical angle all make The Highwaymen a fine pick. Those hoping for a crime epic, however, may want to try something with a little more weight behind it.

For a Prohibition-era crime drama that follows another notorious criminal, try Public Enemies. For a historical crime drama with a tenser story and a broader scope, try The Untouchables. For a fictional crime drama with an even more elaborate plot, try L.A. Confidential.

6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a good mix of plot and character.

Today’s quick review: Street. Remo Street (Beau “Casper” Smart) earns the respect of Ozzy (Shashawnee Hall), a local MMA coach, when he saves his niece Jasmine (Kate Miner) from a pair of Russian mobsters. Ozzy offers Street a job at his gym and training to become a fighter, and Street throws himself into his new career. But trouble rears its head when Uri (Mark Ryan), the kingpin of the Russian mob, pressures Street to fight for him.

Street is a budget action movie about a young MMA fighter struggling to improve his life. The story follows Remo Street as he supports his family, trains at Ozzy’s gym, and works to get out from under Uri’s thumb. The movie’s solid story structure and decent character arcs give it some potential, but its execution falls flat. Mediocre acting, inexpert writing, and skimpy action scenes all keep Street from matching its bigger-budget counterparts.

Street suffers from many of the same problems as other budget movies. The acting and dialogue are rough in places. The sets are bare-bones, the sound mixing is splotchy, and the fights cut corners, coming across more as highlight reels than full-fledged action scenes. But unlike other budget movies, these flaws don’t get in the way of its core story. Street’s vision comes across clearly, even if the overall execution is lackluster.

Ultimately, Street has a clear goal in mind but lacks the tools needed to achieve it. Those familiar with the budget side of the action genre will find that it has more substance than average, with thought put into its plot and characters. But without the action and cinematic craftsmanship to support its better ideas, there’s nothing to set Street apart from the many other films that try something similar. Most viewers should pass.

For a drama with a similar premise and a bit more heart, try Fighting. For another action movie about underground fighting, try Blood and Bone, Kickboxer, or Lady Bloodfight. For a martial arts movie that goes farther with a similar premise, try Man of Tai Chi.

4.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.0 for a reasonable story without the skill to be what it aspires to be.

Today’s quick review: Road House. Dalton (Patrick Swayze), one of the best bouncers in the business, faces a new challenge when Frank Tilghman (Kevin Tighe) hires him to clean up his bar. Using a calm attitude, his fists, and a little help from an old friend (Sam Elliott), Dalton gets Frank’s rowdy customers under control. But he soon makes an enemy of Brad Wesley (Ben Gazzara), a local tycoon who will stop at nothing to get his way.

Road House is an action movie about a bouncer dragged into an escalating conflict with a corrupt businessman and his thugs. Road House takes a basic premise and develops it into a robust story that delivers action and character development in equal measure. Patrick Swayze stars as Dalton, a laconic drifter who’s slow to anger and hard to beat. Watching him develop a personal grudge against Wesley is one of the highlights of the film.

Road House never does anything too unexpected, but it gets the basics right. Patrick Swayze makes for a convincing Dalton, with a polite demeanor and a strong sense of presence. Kelly Lynch joins him as Elizabeth Clay, a doctor Dalton begins dating. The fights are also entertaining. They lack the flashy, over-the-top stunts of other action movies, but they capture the feel of barroom brawling while working in tighter choreography.

Road House is a solid pick for fans of the action genre. A strong lead, weighty fights, and a story that hits just the beats it needs to make Road House one of the better films of its type. However, the film’s limited scope and lack of real twists mean that it will only resonate with action fans.

For a less robust take on a similar premise, try Walking Tall. For another action movie about a quiet man pushed to violence, try Drive or First Blood. For the Jackie Chan equivalent, try Rumble in the Bronx. For a budget take on a similar premise, try Black Road or Savage Dog.

6.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a solid take on the action genre.

Today’s quick review: Street Kings. LAPD detective Tommy Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) has received fame and accolades for his law enforcement work, but his reputation is built on lies. With the help of his captain (Forest Whitaker), he uses illegal tactics to hunt down criminals and buries the evidence. Their abuse of power comes to a head when Ludlow’s old partner (Terry Crews) informs on him to a hard-nosed captain (Hugh Laurie) in Internal Affairs.

Street Kings is a crime drama about a crooked cop caught between a rock and a hard place. Keanu Reeves stars as Tommy Ludlow, a detective whose hatred for criminals and love for his fellow cops has taken him down a dark path. With Internal Affairs closing in on him and his own conscience acting up, Ludlow must decide where his priorities truly lie. Street Kings is a well-constructed film with a star-studded cast and just the right amount of action.

Street Kings has an interesting setup and plays it out well. The conflict has more depth to it than just a choice between selfishness and honor, and Ludlow’s motives are subtle enough for the film to escalate the conflict by pulling him in different directions. The plot is complex enough to be worth following without coming across as overly cerebral. The film is also peppered with enough action to keep the story moving and the tension high.

Street Kings supports its story with a trio of solid performances from Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, and Hugh Laurie. The supporting cast also includes familiar faces like Terry Crews, Chris Evans, Naomie Harrisi, Cedric the Entertaner, and Common. Neither the script nor the acting is enough to rank Street Kings with the best the genre has to offer, but it is an unusually well-rounded movie for its genre, with a good mix of plot and action.

Fans of the crime genre should give Street Kings a shot. The movie makes good on its premise, tells a fairly compelling story, and backs it up with enough action to please fans of the genre. Those who prefer more cerebral, emotionally deep crime dramas may not find exactly what they’re looking for, but anyone else should give it a try.

For a darker and more engrossing tale of police corruption, try Training Day. For another thriller about a dirty cop wrestling with his conscience, try 16 Blocks. For a less action-oriented drama about a police cover-up, try Pride and Glory, Brooklyn’s Finest, Dark Blue, or Internal Affairs.

6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a good mix of action and drama, as well as a talented cast.

Today’s quick review: Mean Streets. Charlie (Harvey Keitel) spends his time collecting debts for his Uncle Giovanni (Cesare Danova), handing out with his friends at Tony’s (David Proval) bar, and dating Teresa (Amy Robinson). The only person holding him back is his deadbeat friend Johnny Boy (Robert De Niro), who Charlie tries to keep out of trouble. But their friendship is put to the test when Michael (Richard Romanus) calls in Johnny’s debt.

Mean Streets is a crime drama from director Martin Scorsese. Harvey Keitel stars as Charlie, a young man torn between his own prospects and his loyalty to an irresponsible friend. Mean Streets is unusual for the crime genre in that it has very little to do with ambition or a specific crime. Instead, the film focuses on its characters, painting a realistic portrait of Charlie’s life that includes good times as well as conflicts and setbacks.

Mean Streets’ bread and butter are the spirited antics of Charlie and his friends. Their nights are filled with drinking, carousing, and grifting, skirting the boundaries of the law without doing anything too malicious. Charlie makes for a likable character, a loyal friend and a born peacemaker who nevertheless has a few rough edges. And unlike the protagonists in other crime dramas, Charlie remains a grounded, credible character throughout.

Much of the film’s drama comes from Johnny Boy and his refusal to take responsibility for his actions. Robert De Niro plays a frustratingly convincing Johnny, whose cocky attitude and barrage of excuses land him deeper and deeper in trouble, dragging Charlie down with him. Johnny weaves in and out of the story sporadically, sowing tension wherever he appears. The dynamic between him and Charlie is one of Mean Streets’ best features.

But in spite of its strong character work, Mean Streets has comparatively little to offer in the way of plot. The story focuses on Charlie’s life to the exclusion of all else, passing up several promising plot threads in favor of more carousing and the occasional encounter with Johnny. Nor does the film have the same appeal as a biography: the story is narrow in scope and takes place over the course of a few days.

Overall, Mean Streets is a solid entry into the crime genre that will appeal to those who are more interested in the characters and the lifestyle than the schemes and power plays. How much you get out of the film will come down to taste. Those who are interested in characters for their own sake will find Mean Streets to be quite rewarding. Those who prefer tightly scripted stories with clear trajectories may want to look elsewhere.

For a farther-reaching crime drama from the same director, try Goodfellas. For another character-oriented crime drama, try Donnie Brasco. For a movie with a similar blend of hedonism and misfortune, try Saturday Night Fever.

7.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for impressive character work balanced by an unfocused plot.

Today’s quick review: Wizards. Millions of years in the future, nuclear holocaust has ravaged the Earth, mutated the remaining humans, and given rise to a new age of magic in the lands untouched by radiation. When the evil wizard Blackwolf (Steve Gravers) uses ancient technology to wage war against the forces of light, his good brother Avatar (Bob Holt) sets out to stop him with his companions Elinore (Jesse Welles) and Weehawk (Richard Romanus).

Wizards is an animated fantasy adventure from Ralph Bashki. Set in a fantasy world where technology wars against magic, the movie follows a wizard, a fairy, and an elf as they embark on a perilous journey. Wizards has a distinctive animation style that combines cartoonish characters, intricate hand-drawn backgrounds, and a variety of mixed media techniques. The result is a one-of-a-kind film whose story and art style are both hit-or-miss.

Wizards is an unusual blend of childish and mature. The world it takes place in, the rubbery character designs, and the simple setup of good versus evil all indicate a family-friendly fantasy film. But Wizards doesn’t stop there. It also includes graphic depictions of war, an unflinchingly evil villain in Blackwolf, and a modest amount of nudity and swearing. The juxtaposition makes Wizards a difficult film to pin down.

Wizards has the most to offer for those who are interested in animation as a medium. Its art style is bizarre enough to turn off casual viewers, and it lacks the polish that modern audiences will be used to. Meanwhile, its story doesn’t have enough depth to carry the film. But in spite of these weaknesses, Wizards does manage to carve out a niche for itself thanks to its earnestness, one-of-a-kind designs, and creative use of the medium.

For an animated adventure with a serious story and subtler character work, try The Secret of NIMH. For a fantasy epic set in a more fleshed-out world, try The Lord of the Rings. For a fantasy adventure with a similar tone, try Time Bandits.

6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for hit-or-miss art and a thin story.

Today’s quick review: Summer Wars. Kenji (Michael Sinterniklaas) gets more than he bargained for when Natsuki (Brina Palencia) invites him out to the country for a family gathering in honor of her great-grandmother Sakae (Pam Doughtery). Posing as her boyfriend, Kenji is introduced to her massive extended family. But the festivities are interrupted when a cyber attack on Oz, Japan’s virtual reality system, throws the country into chaos.

Summer Wars is a Japanese animated sci-fi adventure. Summer Wars takes place in two places simultaneously: the sprawling country estate of Sakae and her family, and Oz, a colorful virtual world responsible for Japan’s communication, commerce, and infrastructure. The movie follows Kenji as he gets to know Natsuki’s family and helps them deal with the attack on Oz. Bright visuals, vivid characters, and a charming plot make Summer Wars a fun watch.

Summer Wars relies on Oz for its plot and Sakae’s family for its heart, using Kenji, a shy teenager with a kind heart and a sharp mind, to tie the two of them together. The characters are full of life, a sprawling cast with distinct personalities and opinions but clear love for one another. The virtual world of Oz gives the film a unique visual style, as well as a high-stakes threat for the family to confront.

The fusion of the two halves of the movie is not perfect, but it does work well overall. The two halves belong to different genres and come with different logic and expectations, leading to a few rough spots where the worlds collide. But the strength of the characters lets Summer Wars handle the contradiction as gracefully as one could hope for. The result isn’t a masterpiece of either genre, but a surprisingly viable combination of the two.

Watch Summer Wars when you’re in the mood for a creative adventure with an optimistic tone and a good mixture of plot and adventure. Those who are hoping for a full sci-fi epic will find that the plot falls a little short, while those hoping for a more personal story will find the sci-fi part of the story distracting. But those willing to take Summer Wars in stride will find it to be a fun watch with plenty to offer.

For a more action-heavy virtual reality adventure, try Ready Player One. For another fantasy-tinged adventure from Japan, try Mirai, Paprika, or Your Name. For a live-action cyber thriller with a more focused plot, try WarGames.

7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for heart and creativity.