Tag Archives: review

The Hong Kong Film Corner – JACKIE CHAN’S FIRST STRIKE (1996)!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

In JACKIE CHAN’S FIRST STRIKE (1996), aka POLICE STORY 4: FIRST STRIKE, Jackie Chan plays Inspector Chan Ka-Kui (called “Jackie” in the dubbed version), a Hong Kong police officer tasked with helping CIA and Russian authorities track a missing nuclear warhead. His investigation leads him to Ukraine and Australia, where he discovers a conspiracy involving a rogue CIA agent named Jackson Tsui (Jackson Lui) and a criminal organization. Chan teams up with Annie (Annie Wu), a marine biologist and Tsui’s sister, to try to stop the rogue agent from selling the warhead to global terrorists. 

As you might imagine, JACKIE CHAN’S FIRST STRIKE has incredible stunt work. Chan was 42 years old when he made this movie, but he still has “it!” His amazing acrobatic ability is on full display as he engages in snowy mountain top chases, ladder fights, shark tank shenanigans, all leading to a final showdown in an aquarium! Every set piece highlights Chan’s special blend of martial arts, comedy, and scary stunts. Aside from the incredible stunts, Chan brings so much charm and humor to the table. He’s so likable that you can’t help but smile as he goes from one crazy situation to the next. This is why I watch Jackie Chan movies, and this one has a lot of good stuff!

As far as the supporting performances, Bill Tung, who plays his boss “Uncle Bill Wong,” is the only real connection to the earlier “POLICE STORY” movies. He pops up at the very beginning and a couple of times during the movie, but that’s about it. Having enjoyed all the prior films in the series, it is fun seeing him here, but there is certainly no need to watch the others to be able to enjoy this one. Annie Wu was only 18 years old when she made this movie, which is her first credit, and she’s as cute as it gets! There’s nothing that special about the villains. They’re mostly here to be used as punching bags for Chan to work off of during his unique action sequences. 

Overall, I really enjoy JACKIE CHAN’S FIRST STRIKE because I’m a big fan of the unique blend of action and comedy that Chan brings to his movies. It may not be his very best, but it’s a pleasant reminder of what Hong Kong cinema was like in the 90’s before the 1997 handover. I miss those days of Hong Kong cinema. There was nothing like it in the world. 

Retro Television Review: Miami Vice 4.6 “God’s Work”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Mondays, I will be reviewing Miami Vice, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.  The entire show can be purchased on Prime!

After a two-week hiatus, the retro television reviews are back!  Let’s start with Miami Vice.

Episode 4.6 “God’s Work”

(Dir by Jan Eliasberg, originally aired on November 6th, 1987)

Father Ernesto Lupe (Daniel Lugo), an old friend of Castillo’s, runs an AIDS hospice in Miami.  When Father Ernesto is shot and murdered, Castillo takes a particular interest in the case.

Was Father Ernesto shot by one of the neighborhood homophobes, the same punks who spend their free time spray-painting obscene graffiti on the front doors of the hospice?

Was Father Ernesto’s death connected to his brother-in-law, notorious drug lord Jorge Cruz (Alfonso Arau)?  The Vice Squad has been investigating the Cruz family.  Francesco (Franceso Quinn) is the brutish son, the one who enjoys throwing his weight around and who goes out of his way to bully everyone that he meets.  Felipe (Esai Morales) is the young son, who has just returned from Miami after making a fortune as a stockbroker in New York.  Is Felipe looking to take over the family business?

Actually, Felipe wants nothing to do with the family business.  He’s returned to Miami because an ex-boyfriend is a patient at the AIDS hospice and Felipe wanted to spend time with him before he died.  And Father Ernesto’s death had nothing to do with drugs.  Instead, Jorge shot him because Jorge blamed Ernesto’s sermons, which stressed God’s love above all else, for being responsible for Felipe “becoming” gay.  Even after Felipe explains that the sermons had nothing to do with it and that he’s always been gay, Jorge still thinks that he can “cure” his son by making him a part of the family business.

Yikes!

There was a lot going on in this episode.  In fact, there was almost too much going on.  Between Castillo investigating Ernesto’s death and Tubbs (working undercover) trying to arrest Franceso, this episode sometimes felt a bit overstuffed.  It was still an effective episode, though, featuring good performances from Arau, Quinn, Morales, and Edward James Olmos.  Castillo actually got to laugh at one point in this episode.  I don’t think that’s ever happened before.

This episode did remind me — as I think almost every episode does — that Crockett and Tubbs undercover work has never made much sense.  Tubbs spends the majority of the first half of the episode pretending to be a criminal looking to make a deal with Francisco.  That’s fine.  It even allows Tubbs to use his fake Caribbean accent.  It’s been a while since we’ve heard that.  But then, after Father Ernesto is shot, Tubbs shows up at the crime scene with his badge.  Now, seriously, Father Ernesto is Francesco’s uncle.  Francesco is a suspect in the murder.  Why would Tubbs run the risk of blowing his cover like that?  For that matter, why was Vice investigating a homicide?

Even when Vice is good, it often doesn’t make sense.

#SundayShorts with THE FRIGHTENERS (1996)!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

In the 1980’s I was a huge fan of Michael J. Fox. Alex P. Keaton was my hero, and BACK TO THE FUTURE and TEEN WOLF are two of my favorite 80’s movies. In the early 2000’s I became a huge fan of Director Peter Jackson due to his LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. Made in 1996, THE FRIGHTENERS is the only Peter Jackson film I had seen prior to the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. I saw THE FRIGHTENERS at the movie theater in 1996, and I loved it. It was different than I was expecting going in, but it has one hell of cast. I had not seen any of Jeffrey Combs’ work prior to this movie, and he totally cracked me up. Throw in a ghostly Chi McBride whose character even references Charles Bronson* at one point, and I’m hooked. Peter Jackson directing Michael J. Fox. Now that’s a match made in heaven!

*BONUS – Chi McBride as Cyrus
:

“All right, man, this is it. We gotta be hard. No mercy. We’re going in like professionals, like Charles Bronson. We don’t stop till the screaming starts, you dig?”

Lisa Marie’s Week In Television: 6/1/25 — 6/7/25

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hi, television.  It’s been a while since I’ve really had time to watch you!

Here’s what I watched this week:

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders (Netflix)

This is the latest in the true crime docuseries that Joe Berlinger has been doing for Netflix.  Over three episodes, this series told the story of a series of Tylenol poisonings that occurred in the early 80s.  The show featured the last record interview with James Lewis, the number one suspect.  Personally, I thought Lewis came across like he was guilty as Hell.  If you’re like me and you suffer from frequent headaches, exercise some caution before watching this one.

Good American Family (Hulu)

I finally watched this true crime miniseries this week.  Good American Family centers around the story of Natalia Grace, a seven year-old with dwarfism who was abandoned by her adoptive parents.  Her adoptive mother (played by Ellen Pompeo) claimed that Natalia (played by Imogen Faith Reid) was actually a 22 year-old con artist.

It’s an interesting story and the miniseries featured good performances from Pompeo and Mark Duplass, cast as her husband.  But, at 8 episodes, the whole thing felt a bit overextended and the show itself was pretty inconsistent.  As so often happens with these Hulu true crime docuseries, the attempts to use the story to critique and satirize middle America fell flat.

 

Brad reviews THE GREY (2011), starring Liam Neeson!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Liam Neeson is John Ottway, a sharpshooter who works for an oil company in Alaska. His job is to protect the company’s employees from dangerous wildlife in the area. He’s flying with a group of his co-workers from a remote drilling site when the plane crashes out in the middle of nowhere. There’s a small group of survivors who must now face harsh weather conditions with very little supplies. If that isn’t bad enough, a pack of hungry wolves are after them. Ottway takes charge of the group and tries to lead them out of the remote, frozen wilderness to safety. As impossible as it all seems, it turns out to be even worse, and all of those lucky enough to survive the plane crash must try to come to terms with the difficult moments that lie ahead.

I’ll go ahead and say that THE GREY is my favorite film starring Liam Neeson. When I first saw the movie in the theater back in 2012, I was expecting more of a typical “man versus nature” survival thriller. I wasn’t expecting director Joe Carnahan to deliver a powerful story that would transcend its basic premise and force me to assess the meaning of my life! When I watch THE GREY, I think about the things that make my life meaningful, and if I truly appreciate those things. I think about my own mortality, and if I am living a life that makes a real difference to anyone. I think about the need to take advantage of every moment in my life, and I’m doing this while I’m watching a movie where men are desperately trying not to be eaten by big wolves. Carnahan pulls off this feat brilliantly! With that said, if you’re looking for mindless wall-to-wall action, THE GREY is probably not the movie for you. This is a thinking person’s film, and even though I wasn’t expecting that element when I first watched it, I love it! 

Liam Neeson gives an incredible performance as a man who goes from being so emotionally damaged at the beginning of the film that he considers killing himself, to a man who’s willing to go one on one with a giant black alpha male wolf for one more chance at life! For a man who played Oskar Schindler, I don’t think Neeson has ever been better than he is in THE GREY. If you don’t get misty-eyed in the scene where he holds a man’s hand as he’s dying and talks him through his fear, then you must have a heart of stone. It’s a beautifully acted scene by Neeson and actor James Badge Dale. There are other good performances in the film, mainly from Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, and Dallas Roberts as the plane crash survivors that make it deep into the story with Neeson. Each of these actors have strong moments at different times. But make no mistake, Neeson’s performance is the backbone of the story and elevates THE GREY to something special. 

Throughout the story, Neeson’s character recites a poem that was written by his father:

Once more into the fray, into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day, live and die on this day.

In THE GREY, we see various characters live their lives and face their deaths in different ways. While none of them wants to die, some fight harder for life than others. At the end of the day, we have to honestly ask ourselves… are our own lives really worth fighting for?

COMBAT (TV Series) – starring Rick Jason and Vic Morrow – S3, E30: “Heritage” (Guest star – Charles Bronson)!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Just after surviving a difficult mission, Lt. Hanley (Rick Jason) and Kirby (Jack Hogan) are given orders to guide an artistic demolitions expert named Cpl. Velasquez (Charles Bronson) to a German observation post that sits on top of a rocky mountain. Their objective is to blow up the enemy post so a group of ten thousand Allied soldiers can cross the valley below on the very next day. Complicating the journey to the targeted destination is Velasquez’s slow pace and fascination with the local geology. This lack of focus causes plenty of problems with Hanley who just wants to get to the location and blow it to smithereens. Once they finally make it to the observation post, Velasquez spots a vault dug into the side of mountain and determines it’s the perfect spot to set his charges. However, when he goes into the vault, he sees that it is full of priceless sculptures and works of art, and he can’t bring himself to blow them up. But if they don’t complete their mission, 10,000 Allied soldiers will soon be sitting ducks. Will Velasquez come to his senses in time to save the men?!!

Today, I watched my old VHS tape of this season 3 episode of COMBAT, called “Heritage,” which premiered in April of 1965. When I was in junior high, I was at Wal-Mart and they had a big bin of VHS tapes, and in those bins, they had tapes that would contain one episode of the series. I don’t remember now who the guest stars were on the other tapes, but I certainly got excited when I saw an episode with Charles Bronson for sale. Since this was in the late 80’s, my tape is over 35 years old, and it’s still holding up well. “Heritage” is the only episode of COMBAT that I’ve ever seen. The series stars Rick Jason as Lt. Hanley and Vic Morrow as Sgt. Saunders. Morrow just makes a very short appearance here at the very beginning, with the episode focusing on the characters played by Jason and Bronson. The other primary character in this episode, who goes by the name of Kirby, is played by Jack Hogan who appeared in 111 episodes of the series. He’s more in the background of the episode as Bronson and Jason take center stage. 

Charles Bronson plays a much different type of character than he would go on to play in most of movies from the 70’s and 80’s. His Cpl. Velasquez can be described as more of a lover and not a fighter. Rather than focus on getting to his target, he’d rather take his time and soak in the interesting and varied rock formations along the way. Rather than easily taking out the enemy and saving his fellow soldiers, he can’t bring himself to destroy priceless works of art, pieces he calls our “God-given…immortal heritage!” It takes a little getting used to, but Bronson turns in a strong performance as a man who has something much more beautiful on his mind than just following orders and killing. This character and performance contrasts greatly with Rick Jason’s character who just wants to complete his mission and get back to base. It’s a shame that war puts people into these kinds of positions where you have to destroy some amazing things in order to save others, but that’s just how it is. I thank God that there have been so many brave men and women who have done what it takes to give us the freedom that we enjoy every day. Even though it was gonna hurt, Cpl. Velasquez, as played by Charles Bronson, is the kind of man who does what it takes. 

Overall, “Heritage” is a good episode that’s elevated by Bronson’s excellent performance. It’s a prime example of just what a great character actor Bronson was before hitting the big time as an international superstar a few short years later. I may have to check out a few more episodes of the COMBAT series after this!