(2019 dir. Joko Anwar) Date Seen: April 19 2022
It isn't the greatest Indonesian action movie ever or even very original as far as comic book origin stories go, but I’d be lying if I said this didn’t have riveting moments. It’s certainly better than the 1981 adaptation THE SON OF LIGHTNING. There was enough peculiar oddities throughout to make me enjoy it while it lasted; I just wish some of it had actually stayed with me on an emotional level.
238) STORM RIDER:
CLASH OF THE EVILS
(2008 dir. Dante Lam) Date Seen: April 19 2022
Obviously imperfect but it really pops when it winds up into a good action flow. I wouldn't write it off as unwatchable though like I’ve heard many fans label other Wind and Cloud [Fung Wan] 風雲 movie adaptations. A big issue I had with this was the way the animation inconsistently bounced around in quality. Sometimes it’s this overly clean Flash-based dullness then the next minute it’s an eye-popping cacophony of hand drawn punches, 3D environmental elements, & supercharged wuxia. Sometimes these fights can go on excessively long & things start to become a visual blur. Even though those sequences are undeniably impressive, action is a lot like dance & like music in that pacing is a virtue. “Too much of a good thing” just doesn’t register with some filmmakers I guess.
237) FRANKENSTEIN REBORN!
(1998 dir. David DeCoteau) Date Seen: April 19 2022
Whenever I hear temp score & that Full Moon Entertainment logo shows up at the beginning of a movie, I almost have to stop myself from audibly groaning. Based on my own personal experience watching their stuff; 9 times out of 10 the movie is going to be dead on arrival. So I wonder if this cool straight-to-video idea ever even had a chance.
I wish this wasn't the case. There's no reason for it to be the case. But Charles Band has a rigid model for the way things are run there & that's his prerogative. That venture made them a good chunk of change after all, why tamper with the formula.. Once upon a merciful blue moon (Full Moon?) they did sneak out hidden gems like CASTLE FREAK.
236) SPY HARD
(1996 dir. Rick Friedberg) Date Seen: April 19 2022
Even the great Leslie Nielsen can't save this movie from the malignant Seltzer/Friedberg tumor on its spine. The only genuinely funny thing in this is the Kleinman 007-inspired titles that feature a Weird Al theme.
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