Reviews

Freedom is uncertainty

I think this is a good movie about the problems Chinese women face in traditional Chinese society. The main idea of the movie is to contrast, in an explicit way, the strict and rigid path of Chinese society against a free and uncertain life where one can be happy but where nothing is secure.

The main point is that even if we choose this free life (the lover in Europe) and it ends up surprising us by turning into a bad experience, we should not go back to a place where we don’t fit or that we don’t enjoy (the husband). Freedom means uncertainty, and that means we can either face a good or a bad result, but that is the beauty of freedom: we are not chained to anything, in this case, a traditionally structured society. The end of the movie is evidently not the result she was expecting, but it’s ultimately a liberating outcome for her.

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Did not meet wig-spectations

36 Deadly Styles was two different movies consolidated into one which was odd enough, then the costume department apparently must have run out of money and raided a high school drama department and janitor closet to find enough wigs for everyone.

Wai Chi and his uncle are being chased by a red-nosed bad guy and his henchmen. They escape into a shaolin temple and are aided by Huang who fights off the bad guys. The uncle dies and Wai Chi is allowed to stay as long as he does menial tasks. Wai Chi meets Yu Ti the soy milk provider for the temple. She is also adept at kung fu as she demonstrates by taking him on when he has no money for the milk he ordered. Eventually, Wai’s belligerent attitude gets him kicked out of the temple just as the villainous brothers hunt him and the mysterious Huang down.

Wai Chi and Yu Ti ended up being the two halves of the “8 Gods Fist” style of kung fu. For some reason Hwang Jang Lee had killed Wai’s dad and other relatives years ago and was still after Wai. Another completely unrelated story, but gave the movie its title were two old kung fu masters with a 10 year old grudge. Kwong Wu Chan had possession of the “36 Deadly Styles” manual, something Yuen Ching Tien was willing to kill to have. Given that Hwang Jang Lee only appeared in the last 15 minutes of the film with a stuntman doubling for him in earlier fights they could have combined the two stories.

The fights were standard early 1970s kung fu posing. Mark and Jack’s fight was slower than I would have anticipated from them. I watched this film for Hwang Jang Lee and his Thunderleg but there was precious little of it. Even when he was showing off his kicks, the camera was so close you couldn’t see the full effect. Another problem with the fights were the terrible wigs. Poor Bolo had the worst wig I have ever seen in anything. It looked like someone took a mop and did macramé with it. Lau Kwok Shing was stuck with a burned-out blonde wig not matching his beard and eyebrows. Hwang had a fried gray wig. All three men could be seen adjusting the monstrosities during fight scenes. Nick Cheung Lik seemed to have his own hair but was relegated to a Jackie Chan light role. All the men had great fighting chops but the choreography by Max Lee did not measure up to their skills.

Like many kung fu comedies the body count was quite high. I truly have no idea why director/writer Joseph Kuo shoehorned the secret book and old masters’ story parallel to the revenge tale, especially since he didn’t establish a strong enough reason for the blood feud with Wai and the abominable wig villains. Graded on a curve, and only for Joseph Kuo fans (maybe) or Bolo fans though why see the poor guy with that embarrassing mop hanging off his head.

19 March 2025
Trigger warning: a rather gruesome snake skinning and eating.

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It's a movie

I was today's years old when I found out this movie existed, and I inmediately had to watch it. As a kid growing up with manga and anime, Saint Seiya holds a special place in my heart and, although I am not a die hard fan, I remember the story pretty well.

Let's start with the positive. Director Tomasz Bagiński has some experience with productions based on myths and fantasy (he as executive producer of the Netflix tv show The Witcher), so the development of the CGI was really well done. The costume design decent and chosen locations for the film to be filmed at, as well the sets, really good. The casting was solid, although I admit I have seen the lead actors give better performances before but they did what they could with the script they were given. And that's really the issue with this live action of the japanese classic.

The negative is definitely the script, it's weak and it deviated too much from the original story; never fully embracing the mythos surrounding these characters or giving them proper development. You have a villain that will stop at nothing, only to have a last minute change of heart which it's incoherent considering this character never had any proper development, to the emotional gut punch falls flat. The sacrifices made in the story also hold no emotion, we never get to meet the characters long enough to care.

Mackenyu and Madison Iseman do what they can but the script never gives them enough material to work with because this is an origin story, which means the film is too busy world building and not giving us scenes with them bonding, so when the plot changes to the supposedly poignant resolution, it's awkward as hell.

Overall, I would recommend this film to have something in the background as you clean around the house or something like that.

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A Bittersweet Poignant Vignette of Magical Realism

Consise, nostalgic, and well worked snapshot of a story. The movie the same sort of poignant impressions afterward as the movie Past Lives, although the latter movie didn't have the same temporal 'trick'. Suspect these kind of narratives would have more positive impacts on older viewers than younger ones. As the FL says (paraphrasing), "timing is what matters."

Well written, well acted, well-paced, even with the jumping back and forth between times. And I throught that waiiting to bring Mu-Nee into the story after the early timeline was well positioned, rather than if it had been at the beginning.

One minor complaint - thought there should have been more elaboration on what had happened to Yong between leaving school and the book publishing, especially with the deliberate touch of showing his wedding ring at the signing.

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Faith Turns to Obsession

**UPDATED REVIEW**

Revelations is a gripping thriller that explores faith, guilt, and the consequences of misguided beliefs. The story follows Seong Min-chan, a small-town pastor who becomes convinced that a mysterious new churchgoer, Kwon Yang-rae, is responsible for his son's disappearance. A shocking chain of events unfolds, leading to tragic mistakes and desperate attempts to uncover the truth.

The film expertly builds tension through Min-chan’s escalating obsession. The moment he realizes his mistake—after already pushing Yang-rae down a slope—is particularly harrowing. Yet instead of remorse, another eerie "revelation" drives him forward, solidifying the film’s disturbing take on how people justify their own sins under the guise of righteousness.

Detective Yeon-hui, a woman battling her own demons, is also on Yang-rae’s trail. Haunted by the death of her younger sister, she is relentless in her pursuit of the truth, but her personal grief often clouds her judgment. Her panic attacks and emotional breakdowns add another layer to the film’s psychological intensity, showing that justice, like faith, is often muddied by human frailty. As she pieces together the case, her path inevitably collides with Min-chan’s, leading to a confrontation that forces both of them to confront the true nature of evil.

The film keeps you on edge with its dark atmosphere and intense suspense. As Min-chan struggles with his faith and guilt, the story takes unexpected turns, making you question who the real villain is. The performances are powerful, especially in the emotional and psychological moments. The cinematography also adds to the eerie feeling, using shadows and lightning to create a haunting effect.

But what makes *Revelations* so impactful is its refusal to provide easy answers. By posing the question, "Where does the evil that creates the devil come from?", the film challenges audiences to reflect not only on individual corruption but also on the structural forces that foster it.

The ending is thought-provoking and leaves a strong impact. Revelations is a must-watch for those who enjoy psychological thrillers with deep themes and moral dilemmas. It’s a movie that stays with you long after it ends.

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Whether we like it or not, we can only have one part of our partners

"Why don't you ever kiss me?" Mark asks his boyfriend Li Ting in the short film "Floss," by Chinese filmmaker Fan Popo, known for his documentaries "Mama Rainbow" (2012) and "Papa Rainbow" (2016), which address the experience of parents coming to terms with their children's sexual and gender identities in a society where family and face remain paramount. "I just did it," Li Ting replies without flinching. "No, I mean with tongue kissing".
By then, viewers have already discovered that Li Ting is harboring a strange secret: he's obsessed with teeth, both his own and Mark's, but especially with the delicate floss they use daily to clean them. His obsession even drives him to dive into the piled-up trash to retrieve a floss used by his partner. We soon discover that his paranoia has nothing to do with oral hygiene.
If in 'The Drum Tower', her previous work of fiction, also from 2019, Fan posed a story about the budding connection between an introverted student and a transgender shopkeeper in Beijing, in 'Floss' she explores the abject objects of our desire and the often unacknowledged loneliness of love, seen through the relationship between two young people in the Chinese capital that becomes strained after one of them develops an unusual fetish.
In the short film, the Chinese filmmaker (whose work is compared to that of fellow queer filmmakers He Xiaopei and Cui Zi'en for his "direct queer aesthetic", with a "media-savvy" approach, linked to the global LGBT+ movement and advocating for the acceptance of queer people in a more open and diverse society) introduces us to a pair of lovers: Mark (played by Xiao Ke) and Li Ting (Etsen Chen).
In the eyes of others, the two young professionals live a life no different from any other couple: they go out to dinner at luxurious restaurants, and after returning home from walking the dog, they settle down on the couch to watch movies together. Every night, in the bedroom, they have hot, energetic sex, in large quantities.
But an obsession grows in Li Ting's heart. When Mark, after shopping at the market, shows up at the house with floss sticks instead of the usual dental floss, Li Ting can't hide his Dissatisfaction.
That night, during sex, Li Ting shows no interest in emotional intimacy. Time and again, she offers her boyfriend excuses avoiding much more embarrassing situations. Distressed, Mark tells her at one point, "I don't think you like me at all." And he receives silence in response.
Matthias Delvaux's cinematography soon shows us that the photos of a happy couple decorating the apartment bear little resemblance to the sullen couple who live within its four walls.
From this moment on, things visibly change within the couple. Or have the images shown of the couple at the beginning only exposed a false reality, an illusory world? Have the two protagonists truly been happy? Despite the vigorous sex, is there passion? Don't the two seem to be living in separate, different worlds? Doesn't Li Ting look away from Mark while they have sex? Isn't he later tormented by dreams of being bound by a glowing spider web?
And that's when the viewer begins to understand what Fan is trying to tell us: the line between desire and disgust can be so thin that it can be erased at any moment and by any trigger: for some, it might be sweat, saliva, an unwashed body... For others, it's our partner's semen spilled on our chest during sex, blood, and pieces of chewed food.
The neurotic protagonist of the short film is aware of the abject nature of his own fetish. Expressing his obsession also entails shame and the silence that comes with it. That's why he prefers not to kiss Mark; why he chooses to look away when he meets her gaze; why he chooses to remain silent...
How much of ourselves do we hide from the person closest to us? That's the central question that 'Floss' invites the audience to reflect on, as it uncovers an uncomfortable truth: whether we like it or not, we can only have one side of our partners.
What's interesting about the film is that through the sexual obsession with dental floss, something certainly novel, 'Floss' examines contemporary relationships and the secrets we all have and jealously guard.
The film explores the communication barriers that exist between human beings, no matter how close or intimate we are with the people around us. Li Ting's confusion reflects the loneliness of ordinary people, especially those living in big cities.
Li Ting's obsession invites us to reflect on the intimate and idiosyncratic nature of fantasy and the power it wields, especially when it involves some aspect of reality that is often forgotten or forbidden in everyday life, as the Chinese director so aptly reminds us.
Presented at Palm Springs International Short Fest, Queer Lisboa, and Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival in 2019, and Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival in 2020, in 'Foss' the Chinese director accepts the challenge of tackling themes and approaches little explored by much of current LGBT+ cinema, to focus on the less attractive aspects of love and lust, in this case a fetish, to question the universal model of the monogamous couple.

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One of the better Condor Hero adaptationns.

Overall I really enjoyed this movie. The music, costumes, sets, vfx, and just overall production was top notch. The story was serviceable but was made up by the performance by the cast. The actor/actress for Guo Jing and Huajun stood out to me in particular. The portrayal of Huang Rong was fine to me. She just felt a bit too passive, looking around alot. I also appreciated that they spoke Mongolian whenever it was present. For a big chunk of the movie as well, not just a few phrases.
But.....this is coming from someone who has seen the other adaptations and knows the story. Which leads to some criticisms.

The movie does not cover the entire first part of the trilogy, but rather a section of it. To catch viewers up to speed on what has happened with our main characters, the film had a 10-15 minute compilation/recap of the story along with flashbacks here and there. I personally thought they were well done, for....someone who is already familiar with the story. If you are a new viewer, you might be a bit lost with all the names, lore, and relationship they throw at you. Even within the movie, the characters act as if the viewer already know of them and their relations. The way the recap and flashback scenes presented also felt like it was taken from or was a part of a previous prequel film. Because this definitely felt like the 2nd or 3rd movie of a longer series.

My last comment is more of a personal preference. When watching wuxia , I like the martial arts to be a bit more hand to hand combat with some fantasy/supernatural elements. In this movie, they went all out on the special effects for the fighting. Almost like Air and Firebenders going at it. At one point I laughed thinking wow they did Avatar the last Airbender better than the actual live action.

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"If she was a boy she could help your papa get out of this"

Polly Shang Kuan Ling Feng donned a wig, cross-dressing as a man in order to bring down the people who had her father arrested on trumped up charges. She’ll have her hands full taking on two different salt smuggling gangs with her little brother in tow.

Smuggler Chiang Piao uses his connections with corrupt government officials to have a policeman framed when the officer tries to bring him in for salt smuggling. Lin Kin tells his young son that it’s too bad his daughter wasn’t a boy, because then she could help him get out of the mess he was in. Lin Jo Nan decides to prove her father wrong and dresses as a man to infiltrate one of the salt smuggling gangs so that she can find a way to exonerate him. She has her little brother dress as a girl and with her kung fu skills soon finds a job with a rival gang.

Polly might not have been as fierce as Angela Mao or as competent as Michelle Yeoh, but on the lower rung of female kung fu stars, she held her own. Perennial bad guy, Kurata Yasuaki, is always fun to watch with his fast fists and even faster kicks. The best fight was between Kurata and the powerful Chin Kang. Addy Sung and Cheng Fu Hung were Piao’s minions who knew their way around fight choreography in fire and mud. Jacky Chen played a salt smuggler henchman with shady loyalties but quick moves both with his fists and in the bedroom. Martial arts directors Leung Siu Chung and Gam Ming created fights that suited Polly’s abilities and also showcased the more talented Kurata and Chin. They even helped little eight-year-old Yeh Hsiao Yee have some good moves.

If the movie hadn’t bogged down badly in the middle, I might have rated it slightly higher as the action was decent and the story adequate. Being a low budget film shot in Taiwan, most of the fights took place outdoors or in a warehouse. The only version I could find was dubbed in English. I don’t take off points for it, but I do dislike the dubbing aspect. While the film is fading at least it wasn’t badly cropped with almost imperceptible subtitles. I have no idea where they came up with the title The Rangers given it was a young woman and a little boy taking on salt smugglers to save their dad but looking for logic in these films is often a futile task. As always, graded on a curve for these films and only for fans of the genre.

18 March 2025

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