097.- RIGHTING WRONGS: HONG KONG CUT (1986, VINEGAR SYNDROME 3-DISC BLU-RAY SET)
After the murder of his mentor overseas and the wiping out of the entire family of a key witness in the case he was prosecuting (by a hitman that returns later to show off his fighting skills), idealist Hong Kong lawman Jason Ha Ling-Ching (Yuen Biao) decides to become a vigilante and punish the guilty that the inadequate penal system can't touch. He succeeds the first time, which pushes police Superintendent Wong Ching-Wai (Melvin Wong) to bring in Senior Inspector Cindy Si (Cynthia Rothrock) to track down and apprehend the vigilante. With loser cop 'Bad Egg' (director Corey Yuen, source of way too many silly/bad jokes about his bad eating habits and inexperience) tagging along, Si comes close to nabbing Jason. But external forces conspire to eventually force the cop and the vigilante to work together to fight an even bigger bad. Now, if any of these badasses could target the movie's music composer for unleashing such a weird, nonsensical and often silly score (harmonica and xylophone?) upon humanity. Yikes! ๐จ๐ฑ
Jokes and 'bad engrish' dub aside ('Burgary'), "Righting Wrongs" is a Hong Kong action beast. There are lengthy lulls between the fights and explosions, but they're worth the wait. Insane displays of fight choreography/stunt work (cars flipping, garage crashes, bungee jumping, penthouse smashing, airplane hangar demolishing, etc.) by both action leads and their stunt teams. Yes, the men doubling for Cynthia are too obvious and sometimes aren't even wearing color-appropriate wigs. ๐ฅต After you see the one-on-one fight between Cynthia and assassin Karen Sheperd (so good they replay it during the closing credits) you won't care. The last 15 minutes go to crazy places many fans will not like (I was pissed!), but for my money "Righting Wrongs" earns the right to end any way it pleases. 4.75 BULLET-RIDDLED BOOKS (out of five).
BONUS: 098 and 099.- RIGHTING WRONGS: INTERNATIONAL MANDARIN CUT (100 min.) & U.S. 'ABOVE THE LAW' CUT (92 min., 1986, VINEGAR SYNDROME 3-DISC BLU-RAY SET)
I'm combining both cuts into one review because they suffer from the same almost-fatal flaw: a new 'upbeat' ending that undoes the 'hit you like a ton of bricks' downbeat ending on the HK Cut. Besides that noticeable downgrade (YMMV), both alternate cuts (housed on the same separate Blu-ray disc) have pacing problems of their own. The Chinese cut indulges a bit more in the comedy nonsense like the police squad all eating like pigs (except the one female officer besides Ins. Si) and cultural stuff that went over my head. The 92 min. Weinstein Corp. "Above The Law" U.S. version gets rid of many of the dumb scenes, but not all of them. Music is also the same hatchet job of alternate tracks Weinstein did with the reissued-in-English Jackie Chan films that came out in the late 90's/early aughts. These alternate versions are there if you want them (plus this disc has its share of VS bonus features) and look/sound as good as the OG. I know I'll be sticking with the HK cut when I want me some "Righting Wrong" stunt mayhem. 3.95 HEAD-SNAPPING ANGRY CYNTHIAS SHOOTING TIRE OF ANNOYING CIVILIAN'S CAR (out of five) FOR BOTH CUTS.
BONUS: 100.- THE BEST OF MARTIAL ARTS FILMS (1990, RIGHTING WRONGS VINEGAR SYNDROME 3-DISC BLU-RAY SET)
Included in a third Blu-ray of the "Righting Wrongs" VS 3-disc BD set is this 1990 documentary by Sandra Weintraub about the state of martial arts action movies up until around 1989. John Saxon ("Enter the Dragon") hosts, and gets to talk about his experiences with Bruce Lee (shown via archival interviews you've seen in other home video releases) and other work he did. Some archival interviews (Shรด Kosugi, Angela Mao, the three principals in "Righting Wrongs") are more interesting than others (Richard Norton, Robert Clouse, etc.), and some talking heads (Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung) are better served by clips of their movie work. It's dated, but a neat time capsule of where martial arts action was 37 years ago. Christ, I'm old. ๐ฐ๐ 3.20 'WHO IS SIBELLE HU?' SNIDE REMARKS (out of five).
101.- THE KING OF ROBBERY, aka HONG KONG THUG LIFE (1996, AMAZON PRIME). Also streaming on TUBI, FAWESOME.
Made the mistake of watching this one after my "Righting Wrongs" marathon. Not that watching it first would have helped, as it becomes clear early on it's a low-budget ripoff of Michael Mann's "Heat" with the balance tilted toward the criminal side. After escaping from prison with the help of his loyal crew, Boss Chan Sing (Simon Yam) plans and executes a series of jewelry store heists that bring in police attention and reward money temptation. It also turns on the waitress of the fish restaurant next door (Anita Lee), who becomes Sing's girlfriend and annoys the rest of his men. As long as the money from the stolen jewels keeps flowing everything's cool, but eventually paranoia and the 'heat' from police raids test the group's loyalties. Very little action besides shootouts and car explosions, all done handheld and often with artsy visual touches (screen freezing and turning sepia-tone). With no Vincent Hanna equivalent on the police side to Simon Yan's McCauley, "The King of Robbery" goes through its predictable downward spiral motions until its inevitable conclusion. Yawn. 2.15 REFERENCES TO VEGETARIANISM BEING PROOF OF HOMOSEXUALITY (out of five).
BONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 17! 102.- MISTERJAW: FLYING FOOL (1976, YOUTUBE)
Of course DePatie-Freleng would jump on the "Jaws" ripoff bandwagon (just like Hanna-Barbera did with "Jabberjaw"). Made for the animated "Pink Panther" Saturday morning cartoon show on NBC, the first "Misterjaw" episode premiered in 1976 (without individual creator credits, a first for the company). After the titular character (voiced by Arte Johnson) is talked into learning how to fly his sidekick Catfish (voiced by "Top Cat's" Arnold Stang) and a willing-to-teach seagull, Misterjaw goes through the usual tropes (balloon, catapult, feathers) until he actually learns how to fly. Suck on that, Pixar's "Hoppers," Misterjaw beat you to the whole 'flying shark' thing by 50 years! ๐๐ค Of course the army doesn't take it lightly when a flying shark is spotted by its missile command. This is the only other series of non-'PP' shorts besides 'The Inspector' that got 34 episodes. ¯\_(ใ)_/¯ 3.5 ELECTRIC EELS TO THE RESCUE OF DEFENSELESS FISH (out of five).
103.- THE PINK PANTHER: THERAPEUTIC PINK (4/1/1977, DVD). Streaming on YOUTUBE.
The end of an era (ERA!) as the final 'Pink Panther' cartoon for theatrical distribution (one that'd been sitting on the shelf since 1975, per copyright date) is released. Future 'PP' cartoons would feature new music and premiere first on U.S. television, then move on to theatrical repeats. A starving-for-food Panther gets bitten by a tiny dog that won't let go of his tail, forcing a hospital visit with The Little Man doctor and his hulking nurses. Nothing stands out about this being good or bad, although the 'TV set inside the X-ray machine' gag had me laughing. ๐ฅฒ An unremarkable finale to a consistently entertaining, often LOL-worthy series of theatrical shorts. 3.35 'EAT MORE BEEF' OUTDOOR BILLBOARDS (out of five).
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097.- RIGHTING WRONGS: HONG KONG CUT (1986, VINEGAR SYNDROME 3-DISC BLU-RAY SET)
ReplyDeleteAfter the murder of his mentor overseas and the wiping out of the entire family of a key witness in the case he was prosecuting (by a hitman that returns later to show off his fighting skills), idealist Hong Kong lawman Jason Ha Ling-Ching (Yuen Biao) decides to become a vigilante and punish the guilty that the inadequate penal system can't touch. He succeeds the first time, which pushes police Superintendent Wong Ching-Wai (Melvin Wong) to bring in Senior Inspector Cindy Si (Cynthia Rothrock) to track down and apprehend the vigilante. With loser cop 'Bad Egg' (director Corey Yuen, source of way too many silly/bad jokes about his bad eating habits and inexperience) tagging along, Si comes close to nabbing Jason. But external forces conspire to eventually force the cop and the vigilante to work together to fight an even bigger bad. Now, if any of these badasses could target the movie's music composer for unleashing such a weird, nonsensical and often silly score (harmonica and xylophone?) upon humanity. Yikes! ๐จ๐ฑ
Jokes and 'bad engrish' dub aside ('Burgary'), "Righting Wrongs" is a Hong Kong action beast. There are lengthy lulls between the fights and explosions, but they're worth the wait. Insane displays of fight choreography/stunt work (cars flipping, garage crashes, bungee jumping, penthouse smashing, airplane hangar demolishing, etc.) by both action leads and their stunt teams. Yes, the men doubling for Cynthia are too obvious and sometimes aren't even wearing color-appropriate wigs. ๐ฅต After you see the one-on-one fight between Cynthia and assassin Karen Sheperd (so good they replay it during the closing credits) you won't care. The last 15 minutes go to crazy places many fans will not like (I was pissed!), but for my money "Righting Wrongs" earns the right to end any way it pleases. 4.75 BULLET-RIDDLED BOOKS (out of five).
BONUS: 098 and 099.- RIGHTING WRONGS: INTERNATIONAL MANDARIN CUT (100 min.) & U.S. 'ABOVE THE LAW' CUT (92 min., 1986, VINEGAR SYNDROME 3-DISC BLU-RAY SET)
DeleteI'm combining both cuts into one review because they suffer from the same almost-fatal flaw: a new 'upbeat' ending that undoes the 'hit you like a ton of bricks' downbeat ending on the HK Cut. Besides that noticeable downgrade (YMMV), both alternate cuts (housed on the same separate Blu-ray disc) have pacing problems of their own. The Chinese cut indulges a bit more in the comedy nonsense like the police squad all eating like pigs (except the one female officer besides Ins. Si) and cultural stuff that went over my head. The 92 min. Weinstein Corp. "Above The Law" U.S. version gets rid of many of the dumb scenes, but not all of them. Music is also the same hatchet job of alternate tracks Weinstein did with the reissued-in-English Jackie Chan films that came out in the late 90's/early aughts. These alternate versions are there if you want them (plus this disc has its share of VS bonus features) and look/sound as good as the OG. I know I'll be sticking with the HK cut when I want me some "Righting Wrong" stunt mayhem. 3.95 HEAD-SNAPPING ANGRY CYNTHIAS SHOOTING TIRE OF ANNOYING CIVILIAN'S CAR (out of five) FOR BOTH CUTS.
BONUS: 100.- THE BEST OF MARTIAL ARTS FILMS (1990, RIGHTING WRONGS VINEGAR SYNDROME 3-DISC BLU-RAY SET)
DeleteIncluded in a third Blu-ray of the "Righting Wrongs" VS 3-disc BD set is this 1990 documentary by Sandra Weintraub about the state of martial arts action movies up until around 1989. John Saxon ("Enter the Dragon") hosts, and gets to talk about his experiences with Bruce Lee (shown via archival interviews you've seen in other home video releases) and other work he did. Some archival interviews (Shรด Kosugi, Angela Mao, the three principals in "Righting Wrongs") are more interesting than others (Richard Norton, Robert Clouse, etc.), and some talking heads (Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung) are better served by clips of their movie work. It's dated, but a neat time capsule of where martial arts action was 37 years ago. Christ, I'm old. ๐ฐ๐ 3.20 'WHO IS SIBELLE HU?' SNIDE REMARKS (out of five).
101.- THE KING OF ROBBERY, aka HONG KONG THUG LIFE (1996, AMAZON PRIME). Also streaming on TUBI, FAWESOME.
ReplyDeleteMade the mistake of watching this one after my "Righting Wrongs" marathon. Not that watching it first would have helped, as it becomes clear early on it's a low-budget ripoff of Michael Mann's "Heat" with the balance tilted toward the criminal side. After escaping from prison with the help of his loyal crew, Boss Chan Sing (Simon Yam) plans and executes a series of jewelry store heists that bring in police attention and reward money temptation. It also turns on the waitress of the fish restaurant next door (Anita Lee), who becomes Sing's girlfriend and annoys the rest of his men. As long as the money from the stolen jewels keeps flowing everything's cool, but eventually paranoia and the 'heat' from police raids test the group's loyalties. Very little action besides shootouts and car explosions, all done handheld and often with artsy visual touches (screen freezing and turning sepia-tone). With no Vincent Hanna equivalent on the police side to Simon Yan's McCauley, "The King of Robbery" goes through its predictable downward spiral motions until its inevitable conclusion. Yawn. 2.15 REFERENCES TO VEGETARIANISM BEING PROOF OF HOMOSEXUALITY (out of five).
BONUS: 30 DAYS OF PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS, DAY 17!
ReplyDelete102.- MISTERJAW: FLYING FOOL (1976, YOUTUBE)
Of course DePatie-Freleng would jump on the "Jaws" ripoff bandwagon (just like Hanna-Barbera did with "Jabberjaw"). Made for the animated "Pink Panther" Saturday morning cartoon show on NBC, the first "Misterjaw" episode premiered in 1976 (without individual creator credits, a first for the company). After the titular character (voiced by Arte Johnson) is talked into learning how to fly his sidekick Catfish (voiced by "Top Cat's" Arnold Stang) and a willing-to-teach seagull, Misterjaw goes through the usual tropes (balloon, catapult, feathers) until he actually learns how to fly. Suck on that, Pixar's "Hoppers," Misterjaw beat you to the whole 'flying shark' thing by 50 years! ๐๐ค Of course the army doesn't take it lightly when a flying shark is spotted by its missile command. This is the only other series of non-'PP' shorts besides 'The Inspector' that got 34 episodes. ¯\_(ใ)_/¯ 3.5 ELECTRIC EELS TO THE RESCUE OF DEFENSELESS FISH (out of five).
103.- THE PINK PANTHER: THERAPEUTIC PINK (4/1/1977, DVD). Streaming on YOUTUBE.
DeleteThe end of an era (ERA!) as the final 'Pink Panther' cartoon for theatrical distribution (one that'd been sitting on the shelf since 1975, per copyright date) is released. Future 'PP' cartoons would feature new music and premiere first on U.S. television, then move on to theatrical repeats. A starving-for-food Panther gets bitten by a tiny dog that won't let go of his tail, forcing a hospital visit with The Little Man doctor and his hulking nurses. Nothing stands out about this being good or bad, although the 'TV set inside the X-ray machine' gag had me laughing. ๐ฅฒ An unremarkable finale to a consistently entertaining, often LOL-worthy series of theatrical shorts. 3.35 'EAT MORE BEEF' OUTDOOR BILLBOARDS (out of five).