Movie Review: Kangaroo Jack

Kangaroo Jack
Castle Rock Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Warner Bros., USA, Australia, 2003. 

Mob-boss Sal's (Christopher Walken) step-son Charlie (Jerry O'Connell) works as a hairdresser (but he is totally straight, as he desperately tries to prove). His rascally friend Louis (Anthony Anderson) gets him into a trouble with transporting stolen televisions. The gig leads to police raid on Sal's warehouse full of stolen stuff, oops. To pay back the damages to Sal, the duo must travel to Australia to deliver a shady envelope to Mr. Smith (Marton Csokas).

Charlie, Jack an Louis

Crumble (Christopher Baker) and Smith

When they hit a kangaroo with their car, they decide to take some funny photos with a dead kangaroo. But karma repays the body desecration as the kangaroo is alive and escapes wearing Louis' hoodie. Kangaroo Jack becomes the richest kangaroo in Australia as the envelope was in the pocket. Well mates, better to get the envelope back before Unca Sal gets mad. Curvy Wildlife Veterinarian Jessie (Estella Warren) and bushman Blue (Bill Hunter) help, the former being the romantic interest for Charlie (because he is straight, remember? Get stuffed, Louis.) and the later being your standard comical Australian geezer. 

Blue

Jessie

The beginning feels like classic coming-to-age comedies of 1980-90s, but the story soon degenerates to generic buddy comedy. There's nothing wrong with stupid comedies if the jokes are funny, but here they often aren't. Too much tired toilet jokes and fringe worthy ones about CGI kangaroo imitating a hip hopper. Not surprisingly, Jerry O'Connell won Favorite Fart in a Movie Award at Kids' Choice Awards. At its best the flick has slapstick chases à la Roadrunner.

Originally this was planned as mobster comedy, but then toned to family movie. This time producer Jerry Bruckheimer is wide of the mark as the unevenness makes some jokes too crude for kids and others too childish for adults. The animal in the title has surprisingly little screen time. At least in the end it has some sentimental stuff about friendship.

Going native

Rating: Bad

Starring: Jerry O'Connell, Anthony Anderson, Estella Warren, Christopher Walken, Marton Csokas, Dyan Cannon, Michael Shannon, Bill Hunter, David Ngoombujarra, Marco Sellitto, Damien Fotiou, Christopher James Baker, Ryan Gibson, Denise Roberts, Antonio Vitiello, Mario Di Ienno, Tony Nikolakopoulos, Robert Reid, Shawn H. Smith, Brian Casey, Emma Jane Fowler, Helen Thomson, John McNeill, Paul Wilson, David Walsman, Lara Cox, Terrell Dixon, John Gibson, Nick Jasprizza, Luke Bolland, Melissa Cretney, Adam Garcia, Chris Sullivan, David Utsler Director: David McNally

Movie Review: Harvard Man a.k.a Harvard Story

Harvard Man  a.k.a Harvard Story
Bigel / Mailer Films, Kushner-Locke Company, Lions Gate Films, Worldwide Media, USA, 2001.

Harvard-student Alan Jensen (Adrian Grenier) is a rising basketball star and smart student although you wouldn't believe it from his actions. Girlfriend Cindy Bandolini's (Sarah Michelle Gellar) dad (Gianni Russo) is a mafia boss. Tornado destroys Alan's parents' home and causes economical distress so Alan has to find some money fast. 

Alan Jensen

Chesney Cort

Alan has also an affair with philosophy professor Chesney Cort (Joey Lauren Adams). As a hobby Alan tries to expand his consciousness with drugs (you can say goodbye to NBA career, bro). Chesney suggest that Alan should borrow money from Cindy. Andrew Bandolini is into sports betting so he'll give the money if Alan agrees to illegal match fixing. Cindy tries to take advantage of the scheme and bets $250000. So the stakes are high and hitmen will act if Alan goofs up.

The Bandolinis

Marcus

Before the crucial match Alan gets high (seriously what is the obsession of American's with weed? You are raising a nation of Cheech & Chongs). Harvard team loses the match as Alan agreed with Bandolinis. Player friend Marcus (NBA-star Ray Allen) doesn't take the loss lightly but their small quarrel does not really have consequences. Also kinky FBI-agents are investigating match fixing. So when going gets tough Alan gets a high dose of LSD. Chesney warns that he'll lose his mind, but does he listen, oh no. Even chemist Sandy (Chantal Cousineau) who made him the drugs warns about taking too much of it. And so he spends the rest of the story tripping, while others try to figure out how to clean up the mess. 

Sandy

Eric Stoltz as Teddy

Cindy and Kelly negotiating

Frankly I got this movie because there was Sarah Michelle Gellar on the cover but I was surprised that there were also some other familiar faces in the cast: Eric Stoltz as Teddy the Bookie, Rebecca Gayheart as FBI agent Kelly and John Neville as Dr. Reese. Their presence does not help much though as nearly all the characters are unlikable. The story has the characteristics of university themed erotic crime thrillers of 1990s-early 2000s with poor man's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" thrown in the mix. This is the kind of film that makes one appreciate "Wild Things" and "Cruel Intentions." The story tries to be smarter than it is with classical music and philosophy. Jerky cinematography feels disorienting and camera rotates like mad. This one earns an artistic facepalm.

Rating: Bad

Starring: Adrian Grenier, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Joey Lauren Adams, Eric Stoltz, Rebecca Gayheart, Gianni Russo, Ray Allen, Mike Vetere, Scottie, John Neville, Polly Shannon, Phillip Jarrett, Adam Bloch, Lauren Collis, Landy Cannon, Clé Bennett, Chantal Cousineau, Maria Ricossa, Booth Savage, Mung-Ling Tsui, Brendan Ryder, Kelly Ryder, Kristi Angus, Tara Samuel, Ayanna Sealey, Jamie Holmes, Al Franken, Thomasin Franken, Peter Mensah, Joe Pingue, J. Miles Dale, Nick Bacon, Kate Crowley,  Kimberly Pullis, Brian Schulz, Chris Wolfe, Lyssa J. Caster, Rick Ducommun, David Lauren, Nicholas Marino, Manajhjanihe Royalle, Michael Sercerchi, Emily Van Sonnenberg, Kasia Vassos
Director: James Toback

The Darlin' Dallasers Blogathon Special: Oscar (1991)

Oscar (1991)
Joseph S. Vecchio Entertainment, Silver Screen Partners IV, Touchstone Pictures, USA, 1991.

This is my contribution to the 'My Darlin’ Dallasers Blogathon 2016' hosted by Gill Jacob at weegiemidget.wordpress.com . Check her blog on September 21-23 for more movie reviews starring cast members or the original "Dallas." The blogathon event is scheduled to celebrate the birthdays of Linda 'Sue Ellen' Gray (September 12) and Larry 'J.R.' Hagman (would have been on September 21).

In the Great Depression era New York City gangster boss Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone (Sylvester Stallone) promises his dying father (Kirk Douglas) that he will abandon the life of crime. He will try to pursue career as a banker. However his henchmen Aldo (Peter Riegert) and Connie (Chazz Palminteri) find it difficult to get accustomed to their new roles as honourable businessmen. Also Lieutenant Toomey (Kurtwood Smith) thinks that Angelo is plotting something and spies on him to get evidence of possible illegal activities. 

Angelo 'Snaps' Provolone

Angelo's accountant Anthony Rossano (Vincent Spano) is getting married and comes to meet Angelo. The problem is that it is Angelo's daughter whom Anthony wants to marry. Angelo's daughter Lisa (Marisa Tomei) fakes being pregnant because she wants to move to her own house and see the world. Angelo is furious to Lisa and Anthony but the situation is not so simple. A girl named Theresa (Elizabeth Barondes) lied about being Angelo's daughter so that Anthony would be interested in her so it is Theresa whom Anthony wants to marry.

Anthony

Lisa

Theresa

When Angelo hears about that he decides to trick Anthony because Anthony also stole money from him. But who is the "father" of Lisa's baby? The blame's on Oscar (Jim Mulholland), the former chauffeur of Provalones. As Oscar has moved out of the country, Angelo's wife Sofia (Ornella Muti) forces Angelo to find a new husband for Lisa. As if it would not be complicated enough we need some identical looking black bags to muddle the plot further. 

Connie

The Finucci Brothers

Dr. Poole

Amusing scheming and misunderstandings follow.

John Landis directed the remake of the French comedy "Oscar" starring Louis de Funès. The original film itself was based on the play by Claude Magnier. The stage play roots limit the action to Provolone's house and the building across the street. This film and "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" were efforts to steer Stallone's career to more softer and comical direction, but as both of those movies were commercial disasters he soon returned to the action genre. Surely it is different from other Stallone film's of the era (he doesn't shoot here anyone) but Rocky movies and Stallone's buddy cop movies have always had some humour in them so having Stallone star a comedy film was not so far-fetched idea as the three Razzie Awards awarded to this film would make us believe. The movie was very underrated when it was released, but later it has gained many fans . Stallone is funny and manages to make fun of his tough guy image. What is nice is the rhythm and convoluted wittiness of classic screwball-comedies. It is good clean fun and it is kind of sad these kind of comedies are so rare nowadays. 

The film has various familiar faces from gangster films and various TV shows appearing in small roles. Including Stallone there are several amusing characters: flamboyant jazz girl Lisa, tailors the Finucci Brothers (Harry Shearer and Martin Ferrero), English teacher Dr. Poole (Tim Curry) and goofy henchmen (Riegert, Palmintieri, Paul Greco and Richard Foronjy). And a brief visit of Kai Wulff (who has played a fair share of German villains in TV series and movies) as a chauffeur. The Dallaser of the film appears at a crucial point of the story to help solving the mess the main characters have gotten into. So we are introduced to Linda Gray as Roxanne, old flame of Snaps. In "Dallas" she was Sue Ellen Ewing, oil baron J.R. Ewing's wife, so it is only proper that she should appear here as the old love of Mr. Big. As the plot is getting dense at this point she functions as unbeknowing Deus ex machina for the story. Linda Gray's role is quite small but her appearance causes Angelo to have an emotional and nostalgic response and prepares the way for the happy ending. 

Linda Gray as Roxanne

Rating: Very good

Starring: Peter Riegert, Chazz Palminteri, Joey Travolta, Paul Greco, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Foronjy, Yvonne De Carlo, Don Ameche, Richard Romanus, Arleen Sorkin, Eddie Bracken, Tony Munafo, Robert Lesser, Art LaFleur, Kurtwood Smith, Vincent Spano, Joycelyn O'Brien, Marisa Tomei, Martin Ferrero, Harry Shearer, William Atherton, Mark Metcalf, Ken Howard, Sam Chew Jr., Elizabeth Barondes, Ornella Muti, Sal Vecchio, Tim Curry, Danny Goldstine, Kai Wulff, Linda Gray, Marshall Bell, Tom Grant, Louis D'Alto, Rick Avery, Jim Mulholland, Joe Dante, Jim Abrahams, Sam Bauso, Leesa Castaneda, Kirk Douglas, Tino Insana, Polli Magaro, Sal Mazzotta, Ralph Moratz
Director: John Landis

Movie Review: Blood Brothers (Tian tang kou)

Blood Brothers (Tian tang kou) 

CMC Entertainment, Sil-Metropole Organisation, Lion Rock Productions, China Film Co-Production Corporation, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, 2007.

In 1930s China Ah Fung (Daniel Wu) and his friends Kang (Ye Liu) and Kang's little brother Hu (Tony Yo-ning Yang) decide to go to Shanghai after better life. Fung is naive, Kang is tough and overly ambitious and Hu has a soft-heart and wants to go home. 

Ah Fung and Su Zhen

Kang, Hu and Fung

In Shanghai the life is not rosy and they end up in low paid jobs. One night Fung saves the life of hitman Mark (Chen Chang) who tried to assassinate his boss Hong but failed and remained incognito. Fung's romance with village girl Su Zhen (Xiaolu Li) goes to back seat when he meets a nightclub singer Lulu (Qi Shu). Gowever Lulu wants to be a famous actor and there she needs Triad-boss Hong's (Honglei Sun) support. Also Lulu and Mark have a secret affair. The boys get involved in Hong's gun smuggling operation. 

Lulu

Hong

Mark

Mob scheming and betrayals follow. The more the boys sink into the mob world the more strained their brothership becomes. Their loyalties are divided with tragic consequences. Eventually it is a time for vengeance!

Rival mob boss Chen (Jie Gao)

The story is kind of remake of John Woo's "Bullet in the Head" minus the war scenes. It is not bad but pales in comparison to the original brutally emotional story. The costumes and sets look expensive. However the script feels like a collection of weirdly detached scenes as the plot seems to drag while the plot driving scenes seem to jump ahead without much explanation. The boys rise in the mob ranks in no time, things happen making the otherwise simple plot hard difficult to follow. Also the atempt to sentimentality does not work well as the characters are left very shallow. The action scenes are okay for a gangster film but lack the raw energy of Woo's original. Also without the political allegories of the original, it feels disappointingly bland and middle-of-the-road gangster drama. It is a pity as the cast, and production values are great.

Produced by Terence Chang and John Woo.

Rating: Average 

Starring: Daniel Wu, Ye Liu, Qi Shu, Tony Yo-ning Yang, Xiaolu Li (as Lulu Li), Honglei Sun, Chen Chang, Jun Zhao, Dian Lun Zhang, Jie Gao, Yong Xin Gui, Li Qiu Zhang, Ren Yuen Wu, Xiao Hu Ding, Xiang Hu, Zheng Zheng, Yi Heng Shao, Zhen Ying Yao, Young Fu Fan, Zhiyong Zhang, Jing Sun, Jing Ni Luo, Yin Wen Pu, Zhao Li, Wen Jia Ji, Min Gui, Duoduo Qian, Lin Ma, Yi-Ching Lu, Jiaolong Sun, Hai Ruo Wu, Chen Yang, Yu Hua Wang, Jian Hua Song, Renee Yuan (as Xin-yu Yuan)

Director: Alexi Tan

Movie Review: Bullitt

Bullitt
Warner Brothers/Seven Arts, Solar Productions, USA, 1968.

Based on the novel "Mute Witness" by Robert L. Fish.

Let's finish the unofficial car movie marathon with a cop movie classic containing one of the iconic car chases filmed.

Lt. Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is a tough San Francisco cop. Ambitious and crooked politician Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) assigns him to protect witness Johnny Ross (Pat Renella) before a trial against mobsters. Using the  testimony from a vicious gangster would advance Chalmers' career. While Bullitt is off duty spending time with his designer girlfriend Cathy (Jacqueline Bisset) two hitmen wound Ross and Inspector Stanton (Carl Reindel).

Frank Bullitt

Cathy

Walter Chalmers

The assassin (John Aprea) tries to finish the job and Bullitt tries in vain to prevent it. However Bullitt finds out that the case is more complicated than it seems. Despite pressure coming from Chalmers, Chief Bennett (Simon Oakland) allows Bulllitt to continue his investigations. Luckily Bullitt has a fast Ford Mustang that is useful for catching the crooks. However Cathy witnesses a crime scene and is horrified by the ugly things Bullitt sees and violence that he commits in his work. But for Bullitt serving justice without moral integrity is the driving force. As George Orwell put it: "Those who abjure violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf."

Chief Bennett

Don Gordon as Sgt. Delgetti

The famous chase

The film has a cool later 1960s look and also realistic looking hospital scenes. The film has quite little action and it feels more like a modern hard-boiled detective story Chandler style but with less dialogue. It is better to avoid watching it waiting for fast-paced action, this is more a crime mystery film. As for the action scenes, the car chase is the highlight, featuring Russian Hill in San Francisco that is used in later films by everyone and his dog. The laconic style seems to have influenced 1970s cop movies, "French Connection," films of Charles Bronson and Eastwood's "Dirty Harry." There is also a jazzy soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin. Robert Duvall appears as cab driver.

The special edition DVD includes some interesting documentaries "Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool" and "The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing."

Rating: Very good

Starring: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Simon Oakland, Norman Fell, Robert Duvall, Georg Stanford Brown, Justin Tarr, Carl Reindel, Felice Orlandi, Vic Tayback, Robert Lipton, Ed Peck, Pat Renella, Paul Genge, John Aprea, Al Checco, Bill Hickman
Director: Peter Yates

Movie Review: As Tears Go By

As Tears Go By (Wong gok ka moon) a.k.a Carmen of the Streets 

In-Gear Film Production, Hong Kong, 1988. 

Low-level Triad-gangster Ah-Wah (Andy Lau) gets visitor, his cousin Ah-Ngor (Maggie Cheung) who has lung-problems. Wah's "little-brother" Fly (Jacky Cheung) is hot-tempered but lacks authority that is needed in debt-collecting business. Wah does his best to protect him. 

Ah-Wah

Ah-Ngor

Fly

Wah's girlfriend Mabel (Ang Wong) gets an abortion without asking Wah first. In a fit of rage Wah wrecks his apartment being rude to Ngor. Later Wah apologises and there is romantic sparking between the two. Meanwhile Fly and his friend Ah-Site (Ronald Wong) get indebted to billiard parlor thug (Chi Fai Chan) and they get badly beaten up. Wah goes to seek revenge. Ngor returns home but invites Wah to visit sometime.

Billiard parlor thug

Tony

Ah-Site gets married and leaves behind the gangster life. Later gangster named Tony (Alex Man) comes to demand debts from Fly. Wah tries to solve the debt problem by robbing Tony's boss (!). Local godfather Uncle Kwan (Ching Wai) must intervene and order Tony, Wah and Fly to cool-off. Kwan also orders that one of the three must kill snitch Big-Mouth Kay (Tat-Wah Gan) before trial. As Fly is too reckless, he gets a job selling street food but he messes even that up. 

Wah goes to Lantau Island to meet Ngor and almost leaves his gangster life to stay with her. Fly gets into trouble with Tony and Wah's loyalty towards him forces him to return to Hong Kong. Fly wants to do something that would make him respected in the Triad-society although Wah warns that there is no honour in mob life.

Fly wants respect

Wong Kar-wai started his directing career with stylish gangster drama. It is not John Woo- style bullet ballet but more realistic crime film, kind of remake of Scorcese's "Mean Streets." It is a tragic tale of a gangster who wants to leave the crime business but is constantly getting dragged back by his reckless friend. Stylistically it looks more hazy than other HK crime flicks of the era with jerky slow-motion (that he used also in "Ashes of Time") and cold neon lights creating the urban atmosphere. In contrast the scenes in Lantau island use warm natural light. Before this Kar-Wai wrote scripts to mainly forgotten flicks, and his skills as director are not yet fully refined but already show hints of his trademark style especially in the scenes with Lau and Cheung. The crime story itself is quite straightforward and follows the genre traditions of friendship, revenge, duty and honour. The theme of unrequited love is explored further in almost all later Wong Kar-wai films. Soundtrack has good 1980s HK-pop including Cantonese version of "Take My Breath Away" by Sandy Lam Yik Lin.

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#10. The first movie of a celebrated director)

Rating: Good 

Starring: Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Alex Man, Ronald Wong, To-Hoi Kong, Ching Wai, Kau Lam, William Chang, Ang Wong, Pa-Ching Huang, Chi Fai Chan, Man-Ho Chan, Tseng Chang, Wing-Cheung Cheung, Wing-Hon Cheung, Kam Kong Chow, Kwai-Bo Chun, Pak Fei, Tat-Wah Gan, Fan Hui, Chi Kit Lee, Kong Long, Keung-Fai Pong, Tai Wo Tang, Chi Wai Wong, Kim Fung Wong

Director: Wong Kar-wai