cityonfire.com | Movie News & Developments |
- Rise of the Legend (2014) Review
- Retaliation | Blu-ray (Arrow Video)
- It’s a deadly game of ‘Poker Night’ for Beau Mirchoff, Ron Pearlman and Carlos Esposito
| Rise of the Legend (2014) Review Posted: 21 Feb 2015 05:03 PM PST  "Rise of the Legend" Chinese Theatrical Poster Director: Roy Chow By oneleaf 19th Century China was a time of turmoil. The majority of the populace suffered from extreme poverty and Western imperialist pressure was slowly rearing its ugly head in major cities all over the country. Local feudal-like gangs engaging in turf wars have become a commonplace along with the proliferation of opium dens. An undercurrent of discontent from the masses was about to boil over… This is the backdrop of Rise of the Legend in the port city of Guangzhou, China revolving around its main wharf controlled by two factions, the Black Tiger Clan and the Northern Sea Clan. Rise of the Legend stars Eddie Peng (Unbeatable) as Wong Fei Hung and Sammo Hung (Once Upon a Time in Shanghai) as Lei Gong of the Black Tiger Clan. The film is a re-imagining of the life and times of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung. Martial arts movie fans will no doubt remember the character made famous by Jet Li (Flying Swords of Dragon Gate) and Tsui Hark in the Once upon a Time in China film series. This new glossy interpretation chronicles Wong’s meteoric rise from street urchin to folk hero. Rise of the Legend opens with a drenched Wong – obviously in distress – running amidst a heavy downpour, fighting for his life as axe and sword wielding goons rush at him from every direction. The Corey Yuen-choreographed clash is beautiful to look at. The slow motion pan and scan, the CGI and even some ‘wire-fu’ makes Peng (a non-martial artist in real life) look believable with his “shadowless kick” Wong is famous for. The almost-endless rhythmic ballet of punches and kicks – packed with a cacophony of sound – left me affixed to the screen. Heightening the life-and-death action in progress is the outstanding score by Shigeru Umebayashi (The Grandmaster). Yuen finally redeems himself from the debacle that was Badges of Fury. Rise of the Legend is vintage Yuen. He’s truly in fine form here with his visual flair for summersaults, aerial wireworks and a variety of connecting kicks and punches. One particular inventive sequence made me want more: During a sword battle between Wong and his opponent, Wong’s sword flies out of his hand and impales onto a pillar on the opposite side of the room. After leaping atop his enemy – landing a near-fatal, closed fist knuckle blow to the head – Wong continues to strike him repeatedly. Stumbling backwards from the attack, his opponent basically decapitates himself, falling back onto the aforementioned sword. This clever scene has to be seen to be believed. Peng's casting as Wong was a good choice. His charismatic presence is well-balanced by his nonchalant, under-the-surface seething. Hung is excellent as s Boss Lei Gong, the cruel, tyrannical leader of the Black Tiger Clan. He’s ruthless, yet in his own way, benevolent to those he deemed loyal and worthy. Peng reportedly buffed up and trained for almost an entire year in Nanquan (Southern fist) to prepare for the role. His dedication paid off: His moves are no mere mimicry; they appear powerful, effective and real (take this from someone who actually practices martial arts). He’s also quite adept at using the broadsword, which is no small feat for someone with a year’s training. Rebooting the much beloved folk tale of Wong into Rise of the Legend was a gamble. Some detractors would label the film sacrilegious, compared to the Once Upon a Time in China series. However, even the Once Upon a Time in China series is a fictionalized rendition; not a biopic. The gamble, in my opinion, did pay off and this new tale of Wong stands on its own. Rise of the Legend is not without drawbacks. Clocking in at over 2 hours long, the script borders on information overload: too many thematic elements are explored, but none are fully developed. As a result, Roy Chow’s (Nightfall) directing and pacing isn’t as smooth as it should be. It constantly transitions from one theme to the next with flashbacks. These transitions left very little room for character development for two main characters in the film. Nevertheless, the film’s excellent choreography, overall storytelling and inevitable duel between Wong and Lei Gong make up for its shortcomings. What a finale. Rise of the Legend is definitely recommended. oneleaf’s rating: 7/10 |
| Retaliation | Blu-ray (Arrow Video) Posted: 21 Feb 2015 12:02 AM PST  Retaliation | Blu-ray (Arrow Video) RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2015 Arrow Video presents the Blu-ray for 1968′s Retaliation, a Nikkatsu gangster flick directed by Yasuharu Hasebe (Assault! Jack the Ripper). A yakuza lieutenant (Akira Kobayashi) emerges from jail to find his gang dispersed and his aging boss in his sickbed. Meanwhile, a rival gangster (Joe Shishido from A Colt is My Passport) is waiting to kill him and a young woman (Meiko Kaji from Lady Snowblood) is caught in the crossfire. Watch the trailer. Pre-order Retaliation from Amazon.com today! |
| It’s a deadly game of ‘Poker Night’ for Beau Mirchoff, Ron Pearlman and Carlos Esposito Posted: 21 Feb 2015 12:00 AM PST  "Poker Night" Theatrical Poster Wingman Productions brings the 2014 film Poker Night to Blu-ray and DVD this month. This riveting crime thriller revolves around a poker game between a bunch of cops who aim to help a rookie law enforcer named Jeter (Beau Mirchoff) out of a very sticky situation. Don't be fooled by the film’s title – although it centers around a poker game, it doesn't get into the nitty gritty of poker, nor does it throw endless terminology at the audience. For the most part, the poker skits are used to educate Jeter about the morals of being a good police officer. The educators come in the form of a slew of famous actors such as Sons of Anarchy duo Ron Pearlman and Titus Welliver, as well as Breaking Bad star Carlos Esposito – all playing veteran cops. Things become interesting when Jeter is faced with his kidnapper and crazed psychopath, and as the plot thickens, writer and director Greg Francis throws endless twists into the proceedings to help keep the audience on their toes throughout. Ultimately, it's a quite bold indie film that has been released in an effort to stimulate fans of a myriad of different genres. Partly because in the last two years, Hollywood has seen a raft of casino-related films flop including the latest Paramount Pictures film starring Mark Wahlberg, The Gambler. But Francis knew this, and has created an interesting spin on the world's favorite casino game, that saw its popularity reach unprecedented levels in the late 90s when online gaming saw its inception via the Malatese-based InterCasino. After that, many icons of the sport became household names like Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth resulting in filmmakers everywhere, tapping into the popularity of casino gaming. But as the genre has slowly died out, Francis has enthused the film with elements that will excite horror fanatics the world over. Although it's fair to say that we have seen the last of big budget poker films, Poker Night's refreshing take on the game may encourage indie filmmakers to jump on the bandwagon and start exploring their options once more. Be sure to catch the film’s trailer! |
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