Hey folks, Harry here with a great set of reviews that set to remind of the 3 coolest titles coming out of Asia (not counting Korea). Of the 3, the only one that I've seen is TOM YUM GOONG - which I absolutely loved many times more than RyougaSaotome. But then, I haven't seen NEGADON and SHA PO LANG yet. And I've heard nothing but phenomenal word of mouth on those two. Here ya go...
Hey there guys, RyougaSaotome here with a set of very
different film reviews. First up is the short film by
Jun Awazu, Negadon.
In the past few years, the kaiju fandom has really
taken a hit. Yearly entries of Godzilla have hurt the
screen giants reputation, and as much as I loved
Godzilla Final Wars, that too also damaged the likely
hood of Toho taking anymore chances with that
franchise in the near future. Gamera is making a come
back with The Littlest Hero's due in only a few
months. Otherwise however, Kaiju-eiga is a genre that
is severely lacking in creativity right now. Leave it
then, to a relative unknown director to come forth,
and bring back hope to the old style of film making.
Created entirely from Computer Animation, Negadon is a
throwback film to the golden age of scifi in Japan,
back in the sixties and late fifties. The story
chronicles a scientist, Dr. Narasaki, and his attempts
to find redemption after the accidental death of his
daughter, during a test of his robot named Miroku.
Since then, he's been unable to confront himself, or
his giant robot, out of guilt over what happened that
fateful day. Meanwhile, a freighter from Mars (Mars is
made habitable through a long arduous process) crash
lands in Tokyo, releasing a deadly monster named
Negadon. The military attacks the massive beast, but
to no avail. Finally, Dr. Narasaki sees that he's the
only one who can stop the kaiju, and he returns to the
docking bay where Miroku resides. He pilots the robot
for the first, and last time, in a heated duel with
space monster Negadon, resulting in a flashy,
emotional ending.
Though the film is only 25 minutes long, Jun Awazu
demonstrates that length doesn't matter when the
story-telling is so good. I was solely expecting 25
minutes of pretty explosions, and some goofy human
drama, but Awazu raises Negadon beyond that, by making
Dr. Narasaki a sympathetic character, and giving him a
back story that is extremely tragic. Thus, when he
pilots his robot, it actually means something. The
voice acting is satisfactory in all respects, and
manages to never become too melodramatic.
If anything however, Negadon reveals that there are
some absolutely amazing CG artists in Japan. Negadon
is a visual feast for the eyes in every respect. Every
scene, every little detail, and every texture is so
fine tuned, there were points where I almost believed
that I was watching a live action film. You can film
the love and care that went into Negadon's production
every minute in the movie. Even the music is crafted
in a way that, while not orchestral, very much brings
back memories of sitting on Saturday mornings and
watching the latest Toho scifi film. In fact, if I had
one complaint, it's that Negadon should have been an
hour longer. I would have loved to see more of this
universe, and more of the characters within it. While
it's perfect as a short film, I could see it working
as a full length one as well.
If one thing is for certain, it's that director Jun
Awazu has definitely carved his own niche in the
kaiju/tokusatsu genre. And thanks to Central Park
Media, more people will be able to enjoy this gorgeous
and emotional in their homes.
TOM YUM GOONG
For the sake of not ending this train of reviews on a
sour note, I'll review Tom Yum Goong next.
I loved Ong Bak. I thought it was a macho as hell
movie that didn't make any qualms about beating the
shit out of it's hapless stunt men, or the star, Tony
Ja. It was certainly a showcase for Tony ja's amazing
fighting skills, and while the story was corny, and
the acting as well, it sufficed because it never tried
to be any better than the sum of it's parts. The stunt
teams next entry into film, Born to Fight, was a below
average film, that was entertaining because of it's
wildly spectacular stunts, and hard
hitting...well...uh...hits. Tony Ja is certainly an up
and coming action star, as his Muay Thai boxing is
extremely crisp, even if his acting isn't. He just
needs the right forum with which to display his skills
in a relevant way. Tom Yum Goong is not that way.
The story goes something like this: a boy growing up
in Thailand lives in a village where the elephant is
sacred. One day two elephants that he grew up with are
kidnapped and taken away, to Australia. In a heat of
passion, he quickly pursues the kidnappers, in an
attempt to retake his dear friends. What follows after
this is a healthy sum of action, and some very drawn
out scenes of poorly spoken dialog, English and Thai.
There are many bad martial arts films in on shelves
these days. Fortunately for all of us, 90% of the
movies are still enjoyable because they never take
themselves too seriously. This is where Tom Yum Goong
makes a fatal mistake. The movie tries to make the
viewer care about the two elephants, but we never
spend enough time with them to care. They have no
character to them. They're as lifeless as the Ong Bak
head in Ong Bak, if not more because these two animals
are actually supposed to get some sort of reaction out
of us. They just stand around for a while, disappear
for about fifty minutes, reappear at the end, and
that's it (Excluding the hilarious moment when the
huge white guy throws the baby elephant through a
window, and it survives). Tony Ja's character probably
has about ten lines, mostly consisting of "WHERE IS MY
ELEPHANT!", and "WHERE THE HELL IS MY ELEPHANT!".
There is a decent amount of fighting in the movie, but
it's a mixed bag. Some scenes have some excellent
choreography, while others are just completely boring
and dull. An example of this is the beautifully shot
fight scene in the spiral stairs building. The camera
doesn't cut away for about seven minutes as Tony Ja
climbs up the building, and while the shooting is
terrific, the action is poorly organized and you can
tell the long shot is taking it's toll on Ja. I still
give them kudo's though for even trying such a
ridiculous shot in the first place, but it doesn't
work and it eventually gets boring.
There are a couple of stand out fight scenes in Tom
Yum Goong however, and the first comes from a 20 on 1
assault in a Warehouse with motor bikes, and roller
blades. it's interesting, and while not the best ever
put to film, it certainly kept my attention. The other
fight that deserves notice, is the one that occurs
between Lateef (Of Zero Gravity
fame. ZGStunts.Com), and Tony Ja. Lateef's
refined Capoeira style is a great match for Ja's Muay
Thai, and it's a very fast paced and breathtaking
fight that should have went on longer in my opinion.
It easily stole the show, and I'm hoping to see this
duel happen again in the future.
Overall, I wasn't really disappointed with Tom Yum
Goong, because after reading all the press before
hand, it sounded like it was a step back from Ong Bak.
The filmmakers tried to take to the Ong Bak formula,
and add more to it, but ultimately that's the reason
the film suffers. They try to make you care, but it's
not the type of movie where that's what you should be
thinking about. It takes itself too seriously, and
fails for it. Tony Ja is still an amazing fighter, but
he needs a movie that's going to really showcase his
abilities, as opposed to being merely a demo reel for
him.
SHA PO LANG
My Final review, is for a movie that sort of snuck up
on me, and slapped me on the back of the head. it's
another martial arts film... but it's in another
league all it's own.
Hong Kong film has been taking a nose dive as of late,
and it's really unfortunate consider it's the same
industry that brought about such classics as Internal
Affairs et all. Yet every now and then, there's a
flash of brilliance amidst all the garbage. Sha Po
Lang is not just a flash of brilliance, it's a beacon
of hope for Hong Kong style film making, and the
return of martial arts extraordinaire, Donnie Yen.
Sha, Po, and Lang are all different Chinese
constellations, that supposedly represent destruction,
conflict, and greed respectively. This is the theme of
the film in that each of the three main actors
characterizes one of these constellations. And when
all three come together, the results are violent, and
explosive. Wang Po (Played by Sammo Hung) is an
underground crime boss, who is quickly taking over the
city, piece by piece. In the Police Department, there
is a task force that is dedicated to bringing this man
down. Led by Inspector Chan (Simon Yam), the task
force makes it their goal to bring Wang Po's crimes to
light, of which there are many. Inspector Chan's is
the Godfather of a child who lost her parents when
Wang Po silenced two witnesses of a crime. Since then,
Chan and Wang Po have been at war, but Chan has never
succeeded in bringing the man to justice.
Unfortunately for him, he's running out of time, as he
is diagnosed with having a brain tumor that is
impossible to remove. His replacement, Inspector Ma
(Played by Donnie Yen) is introduced as an incredible
fighter. However, things complicate when Ma discovers
that Chan will go to any lengths to bring Wang Po in,
even if it means using illegal methods. Ma doesn't
agree with this, even though Inspector Chan and his
squad are doing it for the greater good. Hence the
conflict between the three constellations begins. All
of this takes place on Father's day.
Sha Po Lang's story, while common to Cop drama's these
days, is elevated because of the keen writing, and
shooting that is achieved. the dialog is right on the
mark 99% of the time, and each actor plays their roles
seriously, and without slip. This is not a humorous
film at all. I've personally never seen Donnie Yen and
Sammo Hung play such straight roles. Yet they do an
amazing job with it, as does the rest of the cast.
Everyone chews up the scenery, and it reflects
onscreen. The colors are vibrant, and the
cinematography is beautiful. Wilson Yip has done a
great job framing each shot, making it eye candy.
Donnie Yen has been out of the acting loop for some
time now. He's said in several interviews that he
loves to direct, and he also loves to choreograph.
Thankfully here, Donnie makes a return to film in
grand style. Not only did he choreograph all the fight
scenes of the movie, but he's also one of the three
stars (Hah! Pun). Ma really comes off as a dedicated
cop, yet one who is also troubled by the system which
prohibits them from bringing in the guilty, even when
the evidence is satisfactory. By the end of Sha Po
Lang, he is a changed man, and his final acts enforce
this.
Sammo Hung doesn't get as much credit as he deserves
in America. He's an outstanding martial artist, and
the fact that his size doesn't restrict him, is a
testament to his abilities and natural talent. He's
also one hell of an actor, as demonstrated here. He
plays Wang Po, the gangster boss, but it is not as
easily spelled out as that. He has a child, and wife,
both of whom he cares deeply about. The film has
several scenes where he's seen calling his wife to ask
about the new baby they just had together, and it's
hard to ever truly hate him because although he's
vicious as a crime boss, he's a loving father and
husband. when he's a bad ass however, he's truly a bad
ass, and Hung does an admirable job showing this in
his facial expressions, and in general the way he
handles himself.
The third star Inspector Chan, is probably the most
complicated of the three. He's spent his entire career
trying to take down Wang Po, but every time he's had
him within his grasp, Po would use his lawyers to bail
him out. Chan wants to be able to take care of his
god-daughter, but even he knows he won't live long
enough to raise her. His squad is devastated by the
news of his tumor, but they try to keep that away from
him, remaining strong till the bitter end. Simon Yam
proves that he's one of the leading actors in Hong
Kong. He holds himself with an air of uncertainty
through the film, and when his team starts to be
killed off one by one, the viewer can see the anguish
and guilt on his face as he receives the phone calls.
Yet at the core of all this depth, Sha Po Lang is
still an action film. But does it deliver? Indeed it
does. The fight scenes don't start to kick in until
about half way into the movie, but when they do, the
movie never turns back. In the first half, there are
some small teasers at what's to come (Such as when
Inspector Ma punches a man so hard, he becomes
mentally disabled), but once Jet (Played by Jing Wu)
enters the forray, things get bloody messy. Jing Wu
has certainly going to be a martial artist to watch in
the future. His fight with Donnie Yen is probably one
of the most breathtaking ever put to screen. They
really go at it for five minutes, and each hit can be
felt. It's been said that Yen and Wu's fight was
largely improvised, and they were merely instructed to
just go at each other. I've read elsewhere that
they're thinking of making an SPL prequel, just so
that Jing Wu can get more screen time as Jet. I'm
certainly hoping and looking forward to that.
The other notable fight, is Donnie Yen vs Sammo Hung.
For a martial arts fan, this fight is just as big as
seeing Jackie Chan vs Jet Li. Or Jet Li vs Donnie Yen.
These are two big martial artists, going at each
other, and the screen blazes with their presence. It's
not as simple as them merely punching and kicking each
other. Rather, there's some wrestling thrown in the
mix, some kungfu, and some street fighting. Donnie Yen
has done the best choreography of his career with this
fight, and that of Jet vs Ma, and it's going to be
hard for him to top it in the future. Certainly the
lack of wires helped to keep the realistic/ gritty
image of the film. This is no Hero. This is a hard
hitting story where action merely serves to progress
the story, not the other way around.
Sha Po Lang is certainly a film that needs to be seen
by as many people as possible. It's a thought out,
excellently cut film that never lingers for a moment
to long, and never loses the hold it has on it's
viewers. Simon Yam has set the bar for future Hong
Kong filmmakers. Now it's up to them to try and top
it.
Alright, hope you enjoyed!
-RyougaSaotome
TokyoMonsters.Com
GojiStomp.Org
