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thereal0ggy
Reviews
Sing si lip yan (1993)
Manga in motion
I bought the HKL dvd of this movie without really knowing much about it, being a big fan of Jackies action movies , I have to say that on the first viewing I was dissappointed!. However I have rewatched it and listened to the great commentary from Bey Logan and now I realise exactly what Jackie was trying to do with this one. It really is aimed directly at the Japanese market..apparently Jackie took a pole of his Japanese Fans and they voted for Ryu Saeba as the character that they most wanted to see Jackie Play!. That said the actual film is not great, yes the fight scenes and stunts as always are breathtaking but the actual film is more for the kids.
The use of a limited primary colour pallet is very 'art house' with all the characters in vivid red, black, white (thats Jackie of coarse!) and blue, adding to the comic book feel of the story. If you are going to get this movie I suggest you look out for the Hong Kong Legends DVD version as it has all the extras and explains so much...frankly Im not supprised that Jackie decided against making a City Hunter 2... 4/10
Battle Creek Brawl (1980)
Jackies first slice of American Pie!
Well, I finally got to see it...mmmm I thought, not too bad..seeing as he didnt know much english at the time, and was well restricted by the American Film industry machine!. His Fight scenes were watered down and slow by all normal 'Jackie' standards but that apart,there are some great comic moments and Jackie wins through. He Radiates innocent charm and even manages to Rollerscate with gusto, although Im not too sure about the historical acuracy of some of the costumes..this was supposed to have been 1930s USA and Im sure spandex wasnt invented then!One interresting note for real 'died in the wool' Jackie fans , is the continued theme of the Lazy but tallented boy being trained in wierd and some would say inhumane ways by a 'sifu','master','uncle!'...amazing how this sort of idea managed to cross the pacific with him!.All in all a pleasent movie, although I can understand why Jackie was both Disappointed and Angry at the outcome at least it spurred him on to make greater and greater movies in HK.
Pik lik foh (1995)
Jackie hits the Race track...
This is another atempt at a more serious roll for Jackie. Although I have only seen it in Cantonese with poor subtitleing, I feel it is one of his best movies to dat. Not only is the story well thought out, and the Dialogue cohesive, it is far more believable than many of his 1980s films. The race scenes are great, with some good stunts on four wheels..but deffinately the highlight of the film is the demolition of Jackies Home/Workshop, by the demonic german baddy (boy that guy has the 'mad' look off patt!) this scene has Jackie being flung around his bedroom like a rag doll on speed..his room just happens to be a prefabricated metal building , which the bad guys have hooked onto a giant crane..poor Jackie has to do a spectacularly painfull looking jump from the swinging room onto a balcony...then try to save his poor sisters and father from the nasty guys...but alas his sisters are kidnapped...oh and watch out for the hospital scene immediately after this action set...he faints very convincingly!!...deffinately a winner for Chan Fans and Car lovers alike.