'A TALE OF TWO CHUCKS' DOUBLE BILL! 075.- ASSASSINATION (1987, AMAZON PRIME). Also streaming on ROKU CHANNEL.
The same year "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown" was released (arguably the better movie of the two), Charles Bronson co-starred with his wife Jill Ireland for the 16th and final time in the only 'PG-13' movie of Bronson's entire career. Directed by Peter Hunt ("On Her Majesty's Secret Service"), "Assassination" has Charles playing Jay Killian ('Killy'), a presidential bodyguard re-assigned to protect the new, openly-defiant-of-protocol First Lady Lara Royce Craig (Ireland) from a series of attempts on her life. This being Cannon, the threats come from one-dimensional bad guys whose target may or may not be Killian himself. Jan Gan Boyd stands out from the supporting cast as Charlotte Chang, a fellow secret service bodyguard who is sleeping with Killian and is jealous of all the time 'One Momma' gets to spend with her 'future husband.' 🥲😁It's not as bloody or violent as the typical Cannon 80's movie, but it's still plenty goofy (the rocket-firing motorcycle from "Delta Force" makes a cameo battling an RPG-firing terrorist) and watchable. Only Cannon would have the first lady and her bodyguard driving cross-country on motorcycles, dodging rockets and running straight into an incoming train. A box office dud that found its audience on home video and cable TV, "Assassination" is worth 88 minutes of your time. 3.25 RECYCLED MUSIC CUES FROM "INVASION USA" (out of five).
Rest in Peace, Chuck Norris.🥺😭 Even as it was imploding its way into insolvency in the early 90's, Cannon kept riding the Norris action train 'till the bitter end. Directed by his brother Aaron ("Sidekicks"), "The Hitman" is a darker, more violent, borderline-noir action flick than we're used to seeing Chuck in. It was originally intended as a Charles Bronson vehicle, which may explain the tonal whiplash (and absence of any martial arts fighting). After surviving an attempt on his life by backstabbing partner Ronny Delaney (Michael Parks, making a meal out of some great lines of dialogue), detective Cliff Garrett (Norris sporting an epic mullet) re-surfaces years later as a hitman in the Seattle underground. Different crime syndicates want to hire Cliff, but he's now a deep undercover agent trying to bring them all down while tracking down Delaney's whereabouts. Like clockwork, every 10 minutes or so (a) somebody gets shot/killed (usually a bullet to the head) and (b) characters do massive exposition dumps just so the audience has an idea what's happening in the convoluted plot.
For a low-budget, early 90's picture "The Hitman" looks great (courtesy of "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter's" cinematographer João Fernandes) and packs a lot in 95 minutes. It's fun to see Chuck manhandle Iranians ('You really eat this shit?'), Canadians and all types of mobster ethnicities. It wouldn't be a Norris flick if he didn't befriend a bullied teen he can teach how to defend himself from racist bullies. And of course said teen's life has to be threatened for our hero to have an even more fiery final showdown with the remaining bad guys that haven't yet murdered one another. Come for the expected Chuck Norris badassery, stay to hear Michael Parks recite lines of dialogue like 'I'm so goddamn horny I could f**k mud! or 'It's so goddamn cold, my dick's like a short stack of buttons. 😳😂🤣 3.5 AQUARIUM DOLPHINS BATHED IN BLUE LIGHTING (out of five).
CANNON'S 'NINJA' TRILOGY IN 4K! 077.- ENTER THE NINJA (1981, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Available to stream on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO TV, FAWESOME, MGM+.
While it deserves recognition for being one of the earliest action movies to bring the concept of ninjas to mainstream audiences (and a rare instance of director Menahem Golan creating a trend rather than chasing after one), "Enter the Ninja" is one of the few Cannon flicks that diminishes every time I rewatch it. Maybe I'm so used to seeing Shô Kosugi as the good guy in his latter movies it's hard for me to buy him here as Hasegawa, evil ninja for hire working for 'Human Cigarrette' Christopher George. Maybe Franco Nero is too macho to help himself with the willing wife (Susan George) of bestie Alex (Alex Courtney), or the final duel between top-tier ninja masters takes forever and feels like a weak climax. It doesn't help that "Enter the Ninja" looks identical in 4K and Blu-ray, making me regret the purchase of the UHD box set. Should have bought the last two separately in 4K and kept the old BD of the first. Oh well, live and learn. 2.85 UPPER-LEVEL SWIMMING POOLS IN AN OFFICE COMPLEX (out of five).
078.- REVENGE OF THE NINJA (1983, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Available to stream on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO TV, MGM+.
The king arrives! 😅 Simply put, "Revenge of the Ninja" is the greatest ninja movie ever made. It sets a tone early when the family of Japanese ninja Cho Osaki (Shô Kosugi, looking/fighting like a total badass) is slaughtered by ninja assassins... in plain daylight (a Sam Firstenberg special). Convinced by American friend/business partner Dave Hatcher (Keith Vitali) to come to the United States to raise his one surviving son (Kane Kosugi), Osaki relocates to California (aka Salt Lake City). Eventually Cho realizes Hatcher is using his doll business to smuggle drugs and was responsible for his family's massacre. Early mini-rampages (against Village People-lookalike henchmen and warehouse robbers) lead to the death of Osaki's mother (stunt granny!) and abduction of his son. The final act of "Revenge" is the type of ninja action spectacle fans dream of. A charismatic lead wronged by a-hole bad guys that deserve their bloody comeuppance? Stunts where low-budget practical ingenuity outweighs lack of resources? A duel between equals atop a rooftop full of traps/hiding places? All that, plus Professor Toru Tanaka chasing after lil' Kane Kosugi to even the odds... for the former! 😁Not a giant leap from 1080p to 4K, but anything extra is just gravy. 5 MOUTHFULS OF DEADLY JACKS' SHARP METAL STARS (out of five).
079.- NINJA III: THE DOMINATION (1984, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Available to stream on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO TV, MGM+.
While "Revenge" is the best overall ninja movie ever made, "Ninja III: The Domination" is the most Cannon-esque ninja flick the studio ever conceived. Only Cannon would front-load an action flick with the best action set-piece, a ninja assassin (David Chung's Black Ninja) set loose on a golf course (in bright daylight!) killing/avoiding other golfers, helicopters, policemen, etc. It's glorious mayhem, and while no other action set-piece later tops it that doesn't mean the action slows down. Shô Kosugi's returns as the lead, but his Yamada character takes a backseat for most of the narrative to Christie ("Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo's" Lucinda Dickey), a telephone worker/aerobics instructor who happens to be the vessel to which 'Black Ninja' attached his dying spirit when his body gave way after all the ammo fired at the end of "The Wild Bunch" penetrated him.😉😁 Too many highlights to mention (V8 juice spilled on chest, demonic exorcism straight jacket swinging, floating ninja sword with light show, etc.), all leading to a final showdown between Yamada and 'Black Ninja' (no girls allowed, sorry Lucinda 😠) that sent Kosugi to heaven, aka more 80's ninja movies released by a different studio. 4K upgrade is the best of the three. 4.5 NINJA WEAPON HIDEOUTS WITH BUILT-IN LIGHT DISPLAYS... IN A CAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT (out of five).
BONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 14! 080.- THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (1975, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Also streaming on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO, ROKU TV, YOUTUBE.
11 years after "A Shot In The Dark" and financed by independent producers because United Artists wouldn't bet on Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers after each had major career slumps in the early 70's (hence this being the only entry in the series controlled by Universal and not MGM until recently), "Revenge of the Pink Panther" ushers in the era (ERA!) most viewers/casual fans of these movies are familiar with. The Pink Panther diamond is stolen again, and all evidence points to The Phantom as the likely thief... except the retired Charles Litton (Christopher Plummer, taking over the role after David Niven turned it down) didn't do it, but is forced to find out who did to clear his name. Demoted to patrolman by Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) but re-instated to inspector rank by the president of France to aid in the search of the stolen diamond, Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers firing on all cylinders) is led around the nose by Litton's wife, Claudine (Catherine Schell), to let Charles go underground to find out who is setting him up. It's two movies in one, a fairly straight crime caper with Sir Litton (couple of goofy scenes with Graham Stark's Pepi getting his fingers mangled) and a 'walking disaster area' slapstick comedy (at times bordering on farce) whenever Clouseau is set loose in a hotel room or his own apartment (where Burt Kwouk's manservant Cato is ready to attack at any moment). 😅🥰
If you grew up watching free movies on commercial TV from the late 70's to the early 90's you've probably seen "Revenge" a bunch of times (Saturday afternoon, late night, etc.). It's quintessential 70's action comedy, safe enough to earn a 'G' rating but slick enough to sneak in a few sexual innuendos lost in Clouseau's thick accent (thank God for closed captioning). Broad comedic set-pieces (Clouseau versus a vacuum cleaner, tailing Lady Litton through Gstaad in Switzerland, etc.) co-exist with small ones (Catherine Schell unable to keep a straight face during Sellers' dialogue 😍), building on both the unfulfilled potential of the three previous live-action entries and the popularity of the animated series that kept the franchise alive in the minds of movie fans for two decades. A must-see entry in the series.
ANIMATED INTRO OPENING: 5 DISAPPEARING 'GEOFFREY UNSWORTH' STAIR-STEPPING NAMES (out of five). Simply put, the best animated opening to a live-action comedy ever made. Richard Williams and Ken Harris lead a team of animators that pay homage to classic Hollywood (Frankenstein's monster, Groucho Mark, Mickey Mouse skirting copyright, etc.) while indulging in the glamour of mid-70's jetset excess. The closing credits sequence with the Panther breaking into Dreyfus' padded cell is nice, but the opening steals the show.
MOVIE RATING: 4.45 TRUCKS WITHOUT BRAKES CRASHING INTO THE SAME POOL (out of five).
There is so much to choose from when it comes to Cannon movies. 52 Pick-Up got the nod today because it has been on my watchlist for a long time, and it has a very intriguing cast. Plus, veteran director John Frankenheimer is at the helm. Despite the sordid story the film tells, the talent behind it gives 52 Pick-Up a class that most Cannon projects could only dream of.
Roy Scheider is a businessman being blackmailed for an affair with a nude model (Kelly Preston). Unfortunately for his wife (Ann-Margaret), she gets drawn in to the scheme when Roy decides not to play nice with the blackmailers. Things get nasty and sleazy very quickly. Adding to the fun is a supporting cast (Vanity, Clarence Williams III) with interesting characters to play. The action of the film takes you on a tour around mid-1980s L.A.
Although the film is a tad overlong, there was enough happening to keep me engaged. I was entertained by the increasingly ridiculous twists as the conclusion neared. A worthy Junesploitation watch.
A period film about an aristocratic lady from the director who brought the Death Wish franchise into existence? I have been curious about this one for a while. Faye Dunaway is the wicked lady, scheming her way into a marriage with an aristrocrat. Bored by her married life, she takes up the hobby of robbing carriages on the local roads. The life of a highwayman has its complications, though.
The Wicked Lady has all of the trappings of a period drama, full of beautiful costumes and old locations. The drama, however, can switch to comedy quite quickly, and scenes of gratuitous n-u-d-i-t-y pop up once in while to offer a some out-of-the-blue titillation. These tonal switches do not help the narrative. The cinematography is from the revered Jack Cardiff, whose talent for creating striking images is seen throughout the film.
Is The Wicked Lady worth a look? Maybe it is as a Cannon deep cut or an odd-ball project in Michael Winner's career. For most general movie fans or people seeking a "Cannon" experience, the film will probably not be a satisfying watch.
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987, dir. Sam Firstenberg)
Inject this pure Cannon goodness into my veins! More silly and overtly comical than the first movie. It's basically a live-action version of an arcade beat-em-up. Seriously, our heroes fight the same crew of tuffs three times within the first 45 minutes in different settings. The premise is so ludicrous, even for a Cannon movie. A scientist is working on curing cancer and accidentally creates super-ninjas. HUH?! And during the villainous presentation where the head baddie shows off his super-ninja army to his evil cadre, the head evil henchmen comes out and kills like 35 of them easily. What is the purpose of this demonstration? To show how crappy his product is? God I love the combo of Michael Dudikoff and Steve James. James in particular appears to be having the time of his LIFE in this movie. I loved it!
'A TALE OF TWO CHUCKS' DOUBLE BILL!
ReplyDelete075.- ASSASSINATION (1987, AMAZON PRIME). Also streaming on ROKU CHANNEL.
The same year "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown" was released (arguably the better movie of the two), Charles Bronson co-starred with his wife Jill Ireland for the 16th and final time in the only 'PG-13' movie of Bronson's entire career. Directed by Peter Hunt ("On Her Majesty's Secret Service"), "Assassination" has Charles playing Jay Killian ('Killy'), a presidential bodyguard re-assigned to protect the new, openly-defiant-of-protocol First Lady Lara Royce Craig (Ireland) from a series of attempts on her life. This being Cannon, the threats come from one-dimensional bad guys whose target may or may not be Killian himself. Jan Gan Boyd stands out from the supporting cast as Charlotte Chang, a fellow secret service bodyguard who is sleeping with Killian and is jealous of all the time 'One Momma' gets to spend with her 'future husband.' 🥲😁It's not as bloody or violent as the typical Cannon 80's movie, but it's still plenty goofy (the rocket-firing motorcycle from "Delta Force" makes a cameo battling an RPG-firing terrorist) and watchable. Only Cannon would have the first lady and her bodyguard driving cross-country on motorcycles, dodging rockets and running straight into an incoming train. A box office dud that found its audience on home video and cable TV, "Assassination" is worth 88 minutes of your time. 3.25 RECYCLED MUSIC CUES FROM "INVASION USA" (out of five).
076.- THE HITMAN (1991, YOUTUBE)
ReplyDeleteRest in Peace, Chuck Norris.🥺😭 Even as it was imploding its way into insolvency in the early 90's, Cannon kept riding the Norris action train 'till the bitter end. Directed by his brother Aaron ("Sidekicks"), "The Hitman" is a darker, more violent, borderline-noir action flick than we're used to seeing Chuck in. It was originally intended as a Charles Bronson vehicle, which may explain the tonal whiplash (and absence of any martial arts fighting). After surviving an attempt on his life by backstabbing partner Ronny Delaney (Michael Parks, making a meal out of some great lines of dialogue), detective Cliff Garrett (Norris sporting an epic mullet) re-surfaces years later as a hitman in the Seattle underground. Different crime syndicates want to hire Cliff, but he's now a deep undercover agent trying to bring them all down while tracking down Delaney's whereabouts. Like clockwork, every 10 minutes or so (a) somebody gets shot/killed (usually a bullet to the head) and (b) characters do massive exposition dumps just so the audience has an idea what's happening in the convoluted plot.
For a low-budget, early 90's picture "The Hitman" looks great (courtesy of "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter's" cinematographer João Fernandes) and packs a lot in 95 minutes. It's fun to see Chuck manhandle Iranians ('You really eat this shit?'), Canadians and all types of mobster ethnicities. It wouldn't be a Norris flick if he didn't befriend a bullied teen he can teach how to defend himself from racist bullies. And of course said teen's life has to be threatened for our hero to have an even more fiery final showdown with the remaining bad guys that haven't yet murdered one another. Come for the expected Chuck Norris badassery, stay to hear Michael Parks recite lines of dialogue like 'I'm so goddamn horny I could f**k mud! or 'It's so goddamn cold, my dick's like a short stack of buttons. 😳😂🤣 3.5 AQUARIUM DOLPHINS BATHED IN BLUE LIGHTING (out of five).
CANNON'S 'NINJA' TRILOGY IN 4K!
ReplyDelete077.- ENTER THE NINJA (1981, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Available to stream on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO TV, FAWESOME, MGM+.
While it deserves recognition for being one of the earliest action movies to bring the concept of ninjas to mainstream audiences (and a rare instance of director Menahem Golan creating a trend rather than chasing after one), "Enter the Ninja" is one of the few Cannon flicks that diminishes every time I rewatch it. Maybe I'm so used to seeing Shô Kosugi as the good guy in his latter movies it's hard for me to buy him here as Hasegawa, evil ninja for hire working for 'Human Cigarrette' Christopher George. Maybe Franco Nero is too macho to help himself with the willing wife (Susan George) of bestie Alex (Alex Courtney), or the final duel between top-tier ninja masters takes forever and feels like a weak climax. It doesn't help that "Enter the Ninja" looks identical in 4K and Blu-ray, making me regret the purchase of the UHD box set. Should have bought the last two separately in 4K and kept the old BD of the first. Oh well, live and learn. 2.85 UPPER-LEVEL SWIMMING POOLS IN AN OFFICE COMPLEX (out of five).
078.- REVENGE OF THE NINJA (1983, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Available to stream on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO TV, MGM+.
ReplyDeleteThe king arrives! 😅 Simply put, "Revenge of the Ninja" is the greatest ninja movie ever made. It sets a tone early when the family of Japanese ninja Cho Osaki (Shô Kosugi, looking/fighting like a total badass) is slaughtered by ninja assassins... in plain daylight (a Sam Firstenberg special). Convinced by American friend/business partner Dave Hatcher (Keith Vitali) to come to the United States to raise his one surviving son (Kane Kosugi), Osaki relocates to California (aka Salt Lake City). Eventually Cho realizes Hatcher is using his doll business to smuggle drugs and was responsible for his family's massacre. Early mini-rampages (against Village People-lookalike henchmen and warehouse robbers) lead to the death of Osaki's mother (stunt granny!) and abduction of his son. The final act of "Revenge" is the type of ninja action spectacle fans dream of. A charismatic lead wronged by a-hole bad guys that deserve their bloody comeuppance? Stunts where low-budget practical ingenuity outweighs lack of resources? A duel between equals atop a rooftop full of traps/hiding places? All that, plus Professor Toru Tanaka chasing after lil' Kane Kosugi to even the odds... for the former! 😁Not a giant leap from 1080p to 4K, but anything extra is just gravy. 5 MOUTHFULS OF DEADLY JACKS' SHARP METAL STARS (out of five).
079.- NINJA III: THE DOMINATION (1984, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Available to stream on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO TV, MGM+.
ReplyDeleteWhile "Revenge" is the best overall ninja movie ever made, "Ninja III: The Domination" is the most Cannon-esque ninja flick the studio ever conceived. Only Cannon would front-load an action flick with the best action set-piece, a ninja assassin (David Chung's Black Ninja) set loose on a golf course (in bright daylight!) killing/avoiding other golfers, helicopters, policemen, etc. It's glorious mayhem, and while no other action set-piece later tops it that doesn't mean the action slows down. Shô Kosugi's returns as the lead, but his Yamada character takes a backseat for most of the narrative to Christie ("Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo's" Lucinda Dickey), a telephone worker/aerobics instructor who happens to be the vessel to which 'Black Ninja' attached his dying spirit when his body gave way after all the ammo fired at the end of "The Wild Bunch" penetrated him.😉😁 Too many highlights to mention (V8 juice spilled on chest, demonic exorcism straight jacket swinging, floating ninja sword with light show, etc.), all leading to a final showdown between Yamada and 'Black Ninja' (no girls allowed, sorry Lucinda 😠) that sent Kosugi to heaven, aka more 80's ninja movies released by a different studio. 4K upgrade is the best of the three. 4.5 NINJA WEAPON HIDEOUTS WITH BUILT-IN LIGHT DISPLAYS... IN A CAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT (out of five).
BONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 14!
ReplyDelete080.- THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (1975, KINO LORBER 4K UHD). Also streaming on AMAZON PRIME, TUBI, PLUTO, ROKU TV, YOUTUBE.
11 years after "A Shot In The Dark" and financed by independent producers because United Artists wouldn't bet on Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers after each had major career slumps in the early 70's (hence this being the only entry in the series controlled by Universal and not MGM until recently), "Revenge of the Pink Panther" ushers in the era (ERA!) most viewers/casual fans of these movies are familiar with. The Pink Panther diamond is stolen again, and all evidence points to The Phantom as the likely thief... except the retired Charles Litton (Christopher Plummer, taking over the role after David Niven turned it down) didn't do it, but is forced to find out who did to clear his name. Demoted to patrolman by Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Herbert Lom) but re-instated to inspector rank by the president of France to aid in the search of the stolen diamond, Jacques Clouseau (Peter Sellers firing on all cylinders) is led around the nose by Litton's wife, Claudine (Catherine Schell), to let Charles go underground to find out who is setting him up. It's two movies in one, a fairly straight crime caper with Sir Litton (couple of goofy scenes with Graham Stark's Pepi getting his fingers mangled) and a 'walking disaster area' slapstick comedy (at times bordering on farce) whenever Clouseau is set loose in a hotel room or his own apartment (where Burt Kwouk's manservant Cato is ready to attack at any moment). 😅🥰
If you grew up watching free movies on commercial TV from the late 70's to the early 90's you've probably seen "Revenge" a bunch of times (Saturday afternoon, late night, etc.). It's quintessential 70's action comedy, safe enough to earn a 'G' rating but slick enough to sneak in a few sexual innuendos lost in Clouseau's thick accent (thank God for closed captioning). Broad comedic set-pieces (Clouseau versus a vacuum cleaner, tailing Lady Litton through Gstaad in Switzerland, etc.) co-exist with small ones (Catherine Schell unable to keep a straight face during Sellers' dialogue 😍), building on both the unfulfilled potential of the three previous live-action entries and the popularity of the animated series that kept the franchise alive in the minds of movie fans for two decades. A must-see entry in the series.
ANIMATED INTRO OPENING: 5 DISAPPEARING 'GEOFFREY UNSWORTH' STAIR-STEPPING NAMES (out of five). Simply put, the best animated opening to a live-action comedy ever made. Richard Williams and Ken Harris lead a team of animators that pay homage to classic Hollywood (Frankenstein's monster, Groucho Mark, Mickey Mouse skirting copyright, etc.) while indulging in the glamour of mid-70's jetset excess. The closing credits sequence with the Panther breaking into Dreyfus' padded cell is nice, but the opening steals the show.
MOVIE RATING: 4.45 TRUCKS WITHOUT BRAKES CRASHING INTO THE SAME POOL (out of five).
52 PICK-UP (1986, dir. John Frankenheimer)
ReplyDeleteThere is so much to choose from when it comes to Cannon movies. 52 Pick-Up got the nod today because it has been on my watchlist for a long time, and it has a very intriguing cast. Plus, veteran director John Frankenheimer is at the helm. Despite the sordid story the film tells, the talent behind it gives 52 Pick-Up a class that most Cannon projects could only dream of.
Roy Scheider is a businessman being blackmailed for an affair with a nude model (Kelly Preston). Unfortunately for his wife (Ann-Margaret), she gets drawn in to the scheme when Roy decides not to play nice with the blackmailers. Things get nasty and sleazy very quickly. Adding to the fun is a supporting cast (Vanity, Clarence Williams III) with interesting characters to play. The action of the film takes you on a tour around mid-1980s L.A.
Although the film is a tad overlong, there was enough happening to keep me engaged. I was entertained by the increasingly ridiculous twists as the conclusion neared. A worthy Junesploitation watch.
THE WICKED LADY (1983, dir. Michael Winner)
ReplyDeleteA period film about an aristocratic lady from the director who brought the Death Wish franchise into existence? I have been curious about this one for a while. Faye Dunaway is the wicked lady, scheming her way into a marriage with an aristrocrat. Bored by her married life, she takes up the hobby of robbing carriages on the local roads. The life of a highwayman has its complications, though.
The Wicked Lady has all of the trappings of a period drama, full of beautiful costumes and old locations. The drama, however, can switch to comedy quite quickly, and scenes of gratuitous n-u-d-i-t-y pop up once in while to offer a some out-of-the-blue titillation. These tonal switches do not help the narrative. The cinematography is from the revered Jack Cardiff, whose talent for creating striking images is seen throughout the film.
Is The Wicked Lady worth a look? Maybe it is as a Cannon deep cut or an odd-ball project in Michael Winner's career. For most general movie fans or people seeking a "Cannon" experience, the film will probably not be a satisfying watch.
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987, dir. Sam Firstenberg)
ReplyDeleteInject this pure Cannon goodness into my veins! More silly and overtly comical than the first movie. It's basically a live-action version of an arcade beat-em-up. Seriously, our heroes fight the same crew of tuffs three times within the first 45 minutes in different settings. The premise is so ludicrous, even for a Cannon movie. A scientist is working on curing cancer and accidentally creates super-ninjas. HUH?! And during the villainous presentation where the head baddie shows off his super-ninja army to his evil cadre, the head evil henchmen comes out and kills like 35 of them easily. What is the purpose of this demonstration? To show how crappy his product is? God I love the combo of Michael Dudikoff and Steve James. James in particular appears to be having the time of his LIFE in this movie. I loved it!
The more "American Ninja" you watch the more you realize Steve James is the real star of the series, not Dudikoff. 😎
DeleteLIFEFORCE (Intl Version) (1985, Tobe Hooper)
ReplyDeleteIn the annals of cinema, there is no line of dialogue more deflating than “Now she has clothes.”