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Reviews
Anak ni Zuma (1987)
Great Sequel to Zuma....
Great sequel to the Philippines comic book adaptation, the low budget fx only adds to the charm....Great fun! Also worth noting that the film steals some music like some 80's Hong kong flicks did from NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST..
Thunder Run (1985)
Ultimate 80's b-movie
This film is like a cross between wages of fear, mad max with some lasers thrown in for no reason, just because its the 80's and er...LASERS....The objective given to our main protagonist doesn't make sense in some ways BUT THAT DOES NOT MATTER IN ANY WAY as this is 90 mins of sheer enjoyment...Throw in some more 80's staples like the computer whizz kid and you have pure GOLD....
Bait (2012)
A great underrated flick...
For a modern b-movie, Bait is amazing!....Although shark films have been tarred with the Sharknado series of films which are not all that fun and just made for the sake of it( that seemingly being that particular franchise's main joke), most probably due to this Bait has been overlooked.The underwater shots and camera-work are amazing and atmospheric and need more praise lavished on it. Some of the CGI is obviously made for 3D, and alas I have not seen the 3D version! But despite a few things looking slightly cartoonish it works fine and I had no problems with it whatsoever...There's some great imaginative scenes in the film that utilise its unique setting to it's full extent and the couple in the underwater car's conversations are hilarious! Bait is not to be taken seriously and is obviously made for pure entertainment - and it delivers to the max on that level.....
Empire State (1987)
Forgotten Gem
Watched this for the first time last night and was blown away....
Before directors like Tarantino did the whole convoluted stories of multiple characters that all join up trick that became popular in the 90's and still remains a staple of some crime films now, there was this offering from director Ron Peck.
The film is a brilliant snapshot of late 80's London and the stylish portrayal of the club in it really captures the feel of an 80's club.
Now, I'm going to rewatch but first time round the first half didn't do much for me, but when all the characters arrive at the club the film is named after it's just brilliant. The speech the arrogant young gangster who has been taken in by the allure of yuppie culture gives to his old school east end boss in the office is just brilliant and original. In fact there are no cliche's in what transpires at the club and it's sightly art-house cinematography makes it all the more compelling...
I'm curious now as to what other films pre Empire State used the wraparound narrative first, and in this film it's used to great effect.
Better Watch Out (2016)
Good, but more like a TV episode
Dark humoured and a lot better than a lot of modern horror, BWO is entertaining and having not read too much about it, I didn't know where the film was initially going which was a bonus...Having said that though, its like a modern version of an episode of an 80's horror TV series but stretched out to movie length....Still I commend it as the acting, camera-work, technical aspect are top notch and has more depth and cohesion than some of the utter garbage being made nowadays!
Da Niu Yue hua bu feng yun (1985)
Aka Yellow Skin
Solid lesser seen film from prolific Taiwanese director Kuan-Hsiung Wang focusing on Triad gangs in New York. The films protagonist Nin Kwok has left his connections years ago and now lives a normal family life in New Jersey. When his Foster father is murdered he returns to New York to help get revenge and is drawn into a web of deceit and double cross with indications his foster brother may not as loyal as he makes out to be...
Well paced with some great shots of pre gentrified New York . good action scenes and a good cast overall (Kung fu movie legend Kuan- Hsiung Wang plays the main role as Kwok ) . Recommended for all fans of classic era Asian cinema.