Blu-ray Review: Bleeding Steel (2017)

Now Available 

I’m glad I don’t write techno Sci-fi novels. I mean, you never know when a hacker in drag will make their way into your apartment under kinky pretenses before a woman who looks like the evil sister of Trinity from The Matrix breaks in and attacks you, all because the out-of-this-world premise of your new book involving bio-enhanced villains hit a little too close to home.

It's moments like this and in the laughably insane opening sequence of Bleeding Steel where Agent Lin (Jackie Chan) receives two life or death phone calls in the span of five minutes that sum up the problem with Leo Zhang's film.

A virtual choose your own genre moment where each of those calls could've spun off into two completely different movies, Zhang and his co-writers Erica Xia-Hou and Cui Siwei initially decide to lead us in the direction of an action thriller before dropping in a villain that feels like he'd wandered to set after learning his scenes were cut from Marvel's newest Guardians of the Galaxy sequel.

Unsure exactly what it wants to say (or do), Steel's scripters throw every idea they have at the screen at once, resulting in a campy Sci-Fi action thriller comedic drama with a side of slapstick.

Of course, any Jackie Chan fan knows that the uniquely gifted movie star has excelled in every one of those genres in the past (as well as some selection combinations of a few).

Unfortunately, no matter how many times Bleeding Steel literally name drops the actor in his own movie, all the king's horses and all the Jackie Chans can't suddenly force the film about a cop whose daughter is surgically implanted with “a geneticist's lost biochemical invention” to make sense.

Injected with an abundantly high dose of camp, one can't help but think it might've worked infinitely better if they'd given into the action choreographer's penchant for pratfall induced slapstick and played the damn thing for laughs.

Instead, trying to meld this approach with a script built from the plot-points of multiple Philip K. Dick adaptations as well as The Matrix, Star Wars, and Marvel universe doesn't get them, Chan, or the audience very far.

Though it features first rate costume and set design in the hopes of filling your eyes with color to trick your mind into thinking you're having a good time, Steel makes another mistake by relegating Jackie Chan's character to a supporting storyline.

Opening in a car in the middle of traffic before two calls force Chan to put the pedal to the medal, the best thing that can be said for Steel – as it jumps continents from Asia to Australia and gets crazier with every scene – is that at least it moves quickly.

All the same, instead of veering in and out of genres and plotlines, much like those sharing the road with Chan from the start, by Steel's end, we wind up wishing he (or rather the film) would've just picked a damn lane.

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Blu-ray Review: The Legend of Drunken Master (1994) -- Ultimate Force of Four Box Set Collection

Part of the New Blu-ray Set

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AKA Drunken Master 2

Similar to the way that Supercop is technically Police Story 3, The Legend of Drunken Master is also known as Drunken Master 2 but as fans of Jackie Chan understand very well, the plots and sequels are interchangeable and inconsequential since all we really want to see is the highly choreographed action sequences completed by the brave, talented man who does all of his own stunts.

As he's often pointed out in interviews and/or is often referenced critically-- the films of Jackie Chan and his very persona seem to be indicative of an unlikely lineage of physical comedy, slapstick, and dancer like precision that you can trace back regardless of the genre or country to the boom of silent film stars Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Those individuals are two of Jackie Chan's idols and indeed Chaplin is even referenced in Shanghai Knights (itself a sequel of Shanghai Noon) in one of his lackluster but successful comedy hybrids that pairs Chan up with highly verbal American costars like Shanghai's Owen Wilson and Rush Hour's Chris Tucker to be the yin to his yang.

Yet, in a Jackie Chan movie, everything including the props are merely a sidekick since you never know when he'll swing a costar or a lamp, run up a wall or jump on a helicopter risking life and limb to entertain us with his own unique Jackie Chan character. The bottom line is, after breakneck schedules and dozens upon dozens of movies, Chan has become one of those immediately identifiable and lovable character types in the tradition of not just Chaplin and Keaton but The Marx Brothers (Harpo especially), Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Lucille Ball, Jacques Tati, Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen whom you're instantly familiar with as soon as he hits the screen.

And although that may have limited him in terms of expanding past his niche, he seems quite content to stay precisely in it by resisting offers to take on films that he's described as in the Dragon Dynasty Supercop interview aren't quintessentially “Jackie Chan movies,” like Zhang Yimou's Hero (one of the other titles in this Ultimate Force of Four Blu-ray set). Yet despite the disappointing quality of a majority of his American titles after he crossed over with Rumble in the Bronx, there's absolutely nobody who can touch him in his given realm.

Widely considered one of his top five movies, although due to the fact that he was forty and far too old to reprise the role made some purists prefer the original, 1994's The Legend of Drunken Master took six years to make its way officially across the pond. Of course, due to the overwhelming amount of Jackie Chan and martial arts movie bootlegs, most of us had already seen the film and have lamented that its unparalleled humor and innovative action sequences have started to become watered down over the years in lukewarm films so bad that I've actually fallen asleep in more than a few.

While overall I still think Supercop is his more successful work from a storytelling point of view since this one basically consists of a thrown together plot a bunch of people may have shouted out in a game of charades involving greedy British government workers who stole artifacts, this is still hands down, the best cinematic proof of Chan's incredible skill as a performer and innovative fighter. Although, much like the plot, the humor is laid on way too thick as the concept involves the folkloric fighting style belief that Chan's character becomes more powerful when he drinks liquor by the case which-- aside from some amazing sight gags as Chan swings to and fro like a tree in the wind without falling over-- grows fairly old.

Possibly best presented as a silent movie or with the original language track intact and subtitles, the film unfortunately borders on the obnoxious due to the nails-on-a-blackboard English language dub that takes away from the movie's sheer power to astound with sequences that have yet to be matched and amazingly didn't involve phony tactics, doubles, or computer effects. Despite a few unpleasant sight gags involving the bodily after-effects of drunkenness, the best source of consistent humor in the film is via its biggest scene-stealer in the form of the late great Anita Mui often called the "Madonna of Asia." In the film, Mui portrays Chan's stepmother to whom he's fiercely devoted, making the comedy much more effective due to its unique twist to give a woman in the male-dominated martial arts picture such a memorable role.

Still, admittedly I'm one of the select few who never quite got as an immense kick out of the odd but legendary hybrid of drunken boxing as others including Chan whose argument that it was comedy gold with the director resulted in the helmer walking out. And while I still don't love the drunken boxing set-up, in the end Chan manages to go beyond-- as he notes-- a far more difficult challenge than other roles since he had to move wildly yet still hit marks and by taking the reigns for a showstopping final fight he leads you gasping for air as though you dove drunkenly into hot coals along with him.

Filled with intense hand-to-hand combat and constant slapstick fights, the film speeds mightily along and is at its smoothest when the plot is cast aside and we can just watch Chan take on enough foes to fill his whole village while chugging three wine bottles at once.

Featuring a retro interview with Chan as he discusses the complexity of making the movie and how he felt it was a greater physical challenge to play drunk action than sober action, while the Blu-ray sharpens the DVD release to great effect, I still wish that someday we'll be able to see it without the horribly distracting English dubbing and in the format it was initially released back in Hong Kong.

Text ©2009, Film Intuition, LLC; All Rights Reserved. http://www.filmintuition.com
Unauthorized Reproduction or Publication Elsewhere is Strictly Prohibited.

New on DVD & Blu-ray for the Week of 1/11/09

Jen's Pick of the Week:

Appaloosa

All Roads Lead Home

Appaloosa

August Evening

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Brideshead Revisited

Death at a Funeral (Blu-ray)

Funny Face

Nature Tech

Supercop

Swing Vote

Without a Paddle: Nature's Calling

Browse These and Other Releases at Amazon

DVD Review: Supercop (1992) -- Dragon Dynasty Two-Disc Ultimate Edition

From Undercover to Your DVD Library:
Jackie Chan & Michelle Yeoh
Are On the Case in This Legendary
Hong Kong Classic Available on 1/13/09

Alternate Title: Police Story 3

Given the popular answers of wanting to promote world peace and help the children, it seems pretty unlikely to think that near the end of a beauty pageant, when the host asks a contestant about the woman's goals that she would suggest a future of racing motorbikes onto speeding trains, hanging off the side of a van or diving onto a moving convertible. But then again, Michelle Yeoh has never been one to do what's expected.



A former Miss Malaysia, the elegant beauty who had been trained in classical ballet since she was four years old rebounded from a back injury to pursue a baccalaureate degree in England that offered a fall-back plan of drama. And despite her doctor's advice that she should give up ballet and not doing anything extraordinarily physical, Yeoh proved everyone — including Mr. Jackie Chan — that she could lay the smack down with the best of them.

In a twenty-three minute interview called "Dancing With Death," that appears on the second disc of Dragon Dynasty's stunning release of Supercop, Yeoh reveals that Chan — the first man she ever worked with in Hong Kong who also introduced her to her husband — had always stated that "women should never do action, period." However, as an afterthought, soon he rephrased his belief with the addition of, "except for Michelle."



Despite a lack of rigorous martial arts background, Yeoh made up for what she lacked in experience with athletic dedication, working day in and day out with the stunt team, the director Stanley Tong (a former stunt choreographer and stuntman himself) so that she could become "one of the boys."



One of Chan's most enduring and popular films that predicted his eventual super-stardom in America when his crossover hit Rumble in the Bronx (also directed by Tong) was released here in the states, Supercop a.k.a. Police Story 3 finds Chan reprising his role as a quick thinking and daring Hong Kong police officer who goes undercover with Yeoh's more "by the book" federal agent to bring down an organized crime syndicate specializing in the illegal drug trade.



And indeed, the film is extremely indicative of what the actor refers to as the "Chan style," that blends the humorous improvisation and physicality of Chan's silent film idols like Keaton, Lloyd, and Chaplin with a voracious appetite to top each and every stunt recently completed. In doing so, Supercop makes for both extraordinary and highly nerve-wracking viewing as we cringe realizing that every time they hit the ground, set themselves on fire, dive, or jump on the rung of a soft ladder attached to a helicopter, we're shocked that we're actually seeing Chan and Yeoh in action for real.



Lamenting the lack of technology available at the time in the Hong Kong filmmaking industry in a candid twenty minute interview called "Flying High," Jackie Chan discusses the challenges of shooting on location, conquering his fear, and the way that things have changed in his homeland for movie productions in the last few decades.

Although they made excellent use of wires, part of the sheer majestic beauty (not to mention the creative insanity) of Hong Kong cinema is that there were no blue screens, green screens, CGI effects, or stunt doubles for the leads which makes their audacious films tremendously inspiring and visceral illustrations of just what the human body is capable of doing.



However, despite this — brain still triumphs over brawn as both actors separately admit that while they're proud they did what they did in the film, they're not sure they'd do it again because if they think too much, the adrenaline leaves, reason takes over and there's no way they'd take part in some of the film's most memorable sequences including that legendary breakneck chase through the streets involving cars, trains, and one extraordinary helicopter.



Featuring some of the most breathtaking action sequences that still hold up impressively to this day putting our now modern overly CGI American movies to shame seventeen years after its release (both in Hong Kong and a much lampooned American edit that Chan shares his intense distaste for in the interview). And while some of the film stock still appears a bit grainy, the picture quality is far superior than it was previously, filling 16x9 televisions with eye-popping clarity and sound.

The thirty-third release from Dragon Dynasty that's a must for fans of the charismatic, comedic and confident Chan who offers a solid understanding and opinion of knowing what a "Jackie Chan movie is" and what audiences dislike that also boasts interviews with Tong, a feature commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan and Chan's bodyguard, training partner, and co-star Ken Lo.



Yet, more than anything, as a woman and one who was completely mesmerized by Yeoh's humility and candor, this time around I found myself equally if not more dazzled by the first lady of Hong Kong action — Ms. Michelle Yeoh — as she flies through the air, high kicks into action, and manages to meet Chan's energy fist for fist, kick for kick, and dive for dive.

DVD Review: Kung Fu Panda & Secrets of the Furious Five-- Pandamonium Double Pack

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Own it On DVD

In honor of today's DVD & Blu-ray release of the incredible animated film, Kung Fu Panda along with its straight-to-DVD companion Secrets of the Furious Five, I'm offering you an insider's view of the DVD that DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment were kind enough to send my way. However, before I go into the DVD features and review Panda's Furious Five sequel, first I'll serve up an excerpt of my original theatrical review of Panda, originally published on June 16.

Kung Fu Panda

Directors:
Mark Osborne & John Stevenson

"...We begin with Po the overweight panda-- a typical underdog, kung fu worshipping or Daniel Laruso like Karate Kid (voiced by Jack Black), who, although tirelessly devoted to his hardworking father who runs a family noodle shop, dreams of someday joining the famous “Furious Five” warriors he fantasizes about in his room, which are comprised of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Knocked Up’s Seth Rogen), Viper (Kill Bill’s Lucy Liu), and Crane (Arrested Development’s David Cross). As Po sees it in his mind, he’s the missing Bruce Lee like link to rounding out the six with witty lines he creates such as dreaming he's telling those he’s saved that “There is no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness.” While his dad relates to having a goal, having aspired to run away from his responsibilities for the dangerous lure of making tofu, he tells his son Po the adage he’s resigned himself to which is that they’re noodle folk with broth running through their veins...

..."With a brisk running time of roughly ninety minutes, admirably not overstaying its welcome in a way that has become Pixar’s Achilles Heel in their last few offerings including the dully paced Cars, Panda offers a terrific action story in the mold of some of our best loved kung fu classics complete with several obstacles, a training montage, and seeking wisdom from eccentric elders, and seems to be the perfect introduction to children for the genre and one that, not only am I considerably glad one of my best friends told me to see but also one that I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase for my nearly five year old Star Wars obsessed nephew as soon as it’s released..."

Click Here to Read the Complete Review of Kung Fu Panda


Panda the DVD's Bonus Features

As witnessed with their recent release of Shrek the Halls, one of the things that DreamWorks excels at is filling their child-friendly DVDs with enough video game styled activities and easy to use special features and menus to make their DVDs tremendously appealing. While Shrek the Halls and Panda's counterpart, Furious Five are mostly tailored directly for youngsters, the crystal clear transfer of Kung Fu Panda from theatre to DVD is augmented by extras for all ages.

Providing a feature-length running commentary by the film's two directors as well as some excellent behind-the-scenes making-of-featurettes that will delight film lovers as we realize we can't even begin to fathom how much work it was to creat a humorous animated hybrid of a kung fu comedy to appeal to children and adults, we're given the DVD equivalent of a DreamWorks Animation Studio pass.

Meeting the chief technology officer who picked up the gauntlet thrown down by the directors to make Panda a no-holds-barred, exciting action movie to appeal to kung fu fans, we also encounter other members of the large creative teams from the effects and rigging areas, computer graphics specialists, a kung fu choreographer who works alongside other supervising animators to those whose role it was to focus purely on the character surfacing and effects to figure out just how to make an animated character jump twenty feet in the air and do a roundhouse kick.

Ultimately approaching the animation style of the characters themselves as though they were plush toys or as one team member jokes teddy bears who get into fights, there's also an amazing feature on the film's sound design headed up by an industry veteran who collaborated on King Kong, Transformers and Lord of the Rings. Watching the team try everything in an attempt to think outside the box from using a plunger on one man's forehead to mimic a possible sound that Po the Panda would make when he sloshes around, it's especially cool when the effects and behind-the-scenes work are shown side by side with the finished product as the group uses real world objects "to create a sonic tapestry."

And of course, since it is animation where every sound must be created, there's also a great featurette which gives us access to some footage of the cast recording sessions as the all-star talent discusses the challenges and joys of playing their characters from Jolie's desire that she was dying to be the tiger and feared Chan would get that part to some genuinely hysterical off-the-cuff remarks from Seth Rogen who Jack Black reveals was the ultimate improvisational artist of the group. And whether it's Dustin Hoffman joking that he refuses to be in a movie unless he gets to play a character who's endangered as he remarks he gets the "shifu kicked out of" him to David Cross admitting he would hang out with his alter-ego Crane in real life, it's especially revealing when Lucy Liu shares that the actions, movements, and facial expressions of each actors' performance in the studio were ultimately used in shaping each individual character onscreen.

Also featuring some great high-brow extra features wherein TV's Iron Chef host Alton Brown visits Mr. Chow's restaurant to discuss noodle making, along with Conservation International's call to Help Save Wild Pandas, or a tutorial on How to Use Chopsticks, there's added fun for kids involving DVD-Rom features, printables and web-links, trailers, the DreamWorks Animation Video Jukebox I described in my Shrek the Halls review, plus a fun Cee-Lo "Kung Fu Fighting" music video, and an interactive feature to learn some basic kung fu in Master Shifu's Dragon Warrior Training Academy.

Secrets of the Furious Five DVD

Director:
Raman Hui

While it's easy to be skeptical when a twenty-four minute short film hits DVD as a tie-in to a blockbuster hit, especially when one realizes that we have a different director and few of the original voice actors involved, after only a few minutes of Furious Five, it's easy to cast those fears aside. High-quality and fun, Secrets of the Furious Five is structurally shaped like an excuse at a positive after-school special as Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) surprises Po (Jack Black) with the prospect of teaching an introduction to kung fu class filled with boisterous adorable bunnies. However, it becomes quickly engrossing as Po must reign in the eager youngsters by telling them that kung fu is not all about fighting.

By sharing the stories of his former idols and now allies, the legendary furious five from the main film, Po happily imparts lessons of patience, courage, confidence, discipline, and compassion with each flashback-driven, action-packed tale. Yet, still maintaining the fast pace and engrossing storytelling set forth with stunning animation, it provides a nice companion piece to the film as we realize that, as much as Po was an outsider when he was chosen to join Shifu, the furious five were also equally out of their depth as well.

While the DVD for the feature film is more focused on the technical aspects of the cinematic process, Furious Five is completely dedicated to entertaining its youngest fans. With some great interactive features including a Pandamonium Activity Kit (to coincide with the 2-DVD Package Set) that works in your DVD-Rom to games and a great artistic lesson that teaches kids to draw their favorite characters from the film, it's also filled with extra educational opportunities as you move into the "Land of the Panda" menu to discover more about the Chinese Zodiac, the animals from the film, and another kung fu lesson that parents will certainly want to supervise.

Also released in widescreen, along with the feature film to capture the theatrical aspect ratio, it's a great bonus for children and worth the investment for those of you interested enough in buying the original film to just bring home the two-pack to avoid an extra cost or second purchase down the road and by focusing on the positive, intellectual aspects of self-discipline and wisdom that coincide with kung fu, it makes a worthwhile double feature for children who may feel-- much like Po's unruly bunnies-- overly anxious to start trying to kick everything in sight.

New on DVD for the Week of 9/7/08

This week, we have an art-house filmmaking on a grand scale with Tarsem's sweeping experimental epic, The Fall starring Pushing Daisies cutie Lee Pace; Tina Fey and Amy Poehler delivering laughs as a female version of a fertility obsessed Odd Couple in Baby Mama; and Jet Li and Jackie Chan's hotly-anticipated martial arts effort, The Forbidden Kingdom.

You can click on the links in the above paragraph and browse the trailers below. Also, be sure to browse the DVD New Releases Page to get other ideas for rentals you may have missed such as Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park, Chris Eigeman's Turn the River, Willard Carroll's Marigold, Sandra Goldbacher's Ballet Shoes, Mike Binder's The Search for John Gissing, Norm Hunter's Her Best Move and others.

The Fall





Baby Mama





The Forbidden Kingdom

Kung Fu Panda

Read the DVD Review

Directors:
Mark Osborne
&
John Stevenson

Over the past few months and only slightly less annoying than “movie tunes” or the loud, obnoxious commercials audiences are bombarded with at a typical multiplex, we’ve been inundated by animated public service announcements (thankfully prompting many to switch off their irritating cell phones) with Jack Black’s Kung Fu Panda starring as the most frequent celebrity spokesperson. Typically, I’m resistant to major studios with limitless bags of gold purchasing air time and sponsorship of any and every available commodity (a major reason I grew to loathe the incessant Bee Movie months before it even opened) and although Panda wasn’t shoved down out throats the same way that Dreamworks’ Bee Movie had been, needless to say I was far more excited to scour the art-houses looking for underappreciated fare before venturing towards the latest orgy of box office greed opening in wide release. Less a snobbish protest than a genuine concern that our children’s taste is being purchased rather than earned, I knew I’d see it eventually but that’s when the e-mails began rolling in as it opened and critics I admired began not only recommending Panda but raving about it. Still apprehensive that perhaps like The Incredibles which I not only disliked but wherein I felt that watching paint dry may have been much more engrossing, I held off until Paul, one of my oldest friends who’s known me for sixteen years and hopefully by now would be able to gauge my taste sent me an e-mail telling me that I simply must go. So I went and after only a few minutes, realized in the same way that I fell instantly for Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who and Surf’s Up that there’s still amazing hope for children’s entertainment, even when it’s not released from those wizards at Pixar.

Having attended a highly ethnically diverse and largely Asian high school, I found myself fascinated by kung fu and Hong Kong action films at a young age, cherishing Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat similar to the way that some girls my age mooned over Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. If I didn’t have a date on Valentine’s Day—and frankly as a woman, it was never my favorite day to go out since nobody acted like themselves—I stayed in and watched a Hong Kong double feature, thinking that there was nothing more romantic than Fat making amends for blinding the beautiful woman who charmingly shared my name in The Killer or watching Zhang Ziyi take on everyone while sharing my name in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. As a lover of great action movies that I feel are as vital as excellent choreography in musicals or as Chan has said, a blend between silent comedy stars like Keaton and Chaplin with the precision of a Kelly or Astaire, I was worried about a children’s kung fu picture but when the credits began to roll after Kung Fu Panda, my first thought which I eagerly shared to my movie buddy was that the film kept the spirit, the hero’s journey paradigm and heart of a true martial arts adventure but just sweetened it up with humor.

We begin with Po the overweight panda-- a typical underdog, kung fu worshipping or Daniel Laruso like Karate Kid (voiced by Jack Black), who, although tirelessly devoted to his hardworking father who runs a family noodle shop, dreams of someday joining the famous “Furious Five” warriors he fantasizes about in his room, which are comprised of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Knocked Up’s Seth Rogen), Viper (Kill Bill’s Lucy Liu), and Crane (Arrested Development’s David Cross). As Po sees it in his mind, he’s the missing Bruce Lee like link to rounding out the six with witty lines he creates such as dreaming he's telling those he’s saved that “There is no charge for awesomeness or attractiveness.” While his dad relates to having a goal, having aspired to run away from his responsibilities for the dangerous lure of making tofu, he tells his son Po the adage he’s resigned himself to which is that they’re noodle folk with broth running through their veins.

After Po grudgingly wheels the noodle cart to the Chinese Jade Palace to try and catch a glimpse of which member of the five will be dubbed the Dragon Warrior and thus the one who will bring peace to the land, Po’s attempts to get inside backfire and he’s flung via firework right into the ceremony itself, shockingly being given the coveted honor himself. With a dubious Master Shifu (an adorably drawn and earnestly voiced Dustin Hoffman) following orders from his own higher up turtle Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), Po must contend with the new challenges of trying to master the highest level of kung fu while in the presence of his five far worthier heroes as well as an extremely dissatisfied Shifu. Prone to nervous eating and pratfalls, Po the panda’s journey grows far deadlier when the feared master enemy, the snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane) escapes his maximum security prison and returns to the village, obsessed with getting revenge against his former associates at the Jade Palace.

With a brisk running time of roughly ninety minutes, admirably not overstaying its welcome in a way that has become Pixar’s Achilles Heel in their last few offerings including the dully paced Cars, Panda offers a terrific action story in the mold of some of our best loved kung fu classics complete with several obstacles, a training montage, and seeking wisdom from eccentric elders, and seems to be the perfect introduction to children for the genre and one that, not only am I considerably glad one of my best friends told me to see but also one that I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase for my nearly five year old Star Wars obsessed nephew as soon as it’s released. And of course, the added bonus to that is thanks to the Panda’s promo public service ads, he’ll learn that valuable lesson early that there’s nothing more inconsiderate than people using their cell phones at the theatre.