Tag Archives: Maggie Cheung

Podcast

MOV120: “Suck It, Douchebag!”

In this episode of COL Movies it’s a veritable world tour as the boys head around the globe. First, it’s off to Hong Kong where the boys head back in time to check out the 1993 martial arts super-heroine film, “The Heroic Trio”. From there we’re back in the USA where we head to NYC to see how the bike messengers operate in “Premium Rush”. Finally we’re off to jolly old England to review the trailer for the much anticipated Bond film, “Skyfall” (not to be confused with that piece of junk, “Skyline”). All this and news about the upcoming film adaptation of the “Metal Gear Solid” game, more “Robocop” stuff, and how you might be able to catch “The Avengers” on the big screen again if you missed it the first time around. All this and more on this 120th reel of COL Movies – “Suck it, Douchebag!”

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News:

The Past: The Heroic Trio (1992)
Rotten Tomatoes 88% Fresh; 61% Audience

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Director: Johnnie To

Staring: Michelle Yeoh, Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung

Trivia:

  • The film has a huge cult following
  • Maggie Cheung was a recent Miss Hong Kong when she filmed the movie.
  • Anita Mui died in 2003 from cervical cancer after a long movie and singing career, through which she earned the moniker “The Madonna of Asia” for being very controversial with her content.
  • Lots of comparisons are made to this and the McG movie, “Charlie’s Angels”

Talking Points:

  • What the hell did I just watch?
  • Did they just blow up a sewer full of babies?

What We Learned:

  • Chinese superhero movies can be really wacky!

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: *blink, blink, blink* What did I just watch? Wait, there’s a sequel? Why did Michelle Yoeh do this movie? /cry. Plus side, Retrograde is still worse.
Ray: I love me some old Kung Fu / martial arts movies..many of hours of my childhood were wasted watching Samurai Sunday! Something about this just didn’t hold up… Maybe back in 1993 this would have been more entertaining to me, but something about the production comes off like a bad 80’s kung fu soft core porno, I can see why people seem to like this though.There are plenty of unintentionally funny moments. So maybe
Steve: I always remembered seeing this movie and wondered what other people would think. It’s fantastical, of course – but an interesting play on female superheros. It’s a movie where you have to just let go and enjoy the ride.

The Present: Premium Rush
Rotten Tomatoes 74% Fresh; 70% Audience

Director: David Koepp

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez

Trivia:

  • While filming, Joseph Gordon-Levitt rode his bike into a cab and smashed into the rear windshield, shattering it. He managed to block his face with his arms and needed 31 stitches on the right. Despite the large amount of blood streaming down his arm, he thought it was “f**king cool.” He took responsibility saying, “No, but it was my fault, I was going too fast.” Footage after the accident is shown in the end credits before the cast is listed.
  • Premium Rush was shot simultaneously as “Triple Rush” the TV docu-reality series about bike messengers in NY was wrapping up. And many of the stunt doubles and characters from the underground TV series appear in the movie
  • Bobby Monday’s use of the alias Forrest J Ackerman is a tribute to the real Forey Ackerman, noted (literary) science fiction and horror movie fan and memorabilia collector (and coiner of the term “sci fi” (1959)). He appeared in 48 movies in either bit parts or cameos, represented Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and even Hugo Gernsbeck (the “Hugo” after which the award is named) as their literary agent, and was widely regarded as a first-person source of historical veritas within Hollywood (due to his personal relationships with the the likes of Vincent Price, Karloff, and George Pal), and the Science Fiction community (see above).
  • Although some of the scenes are filmed at Columbia Law School, as stated in the movie, most of the interior and exterior scenes supposedly there are actually filmed in Lerner Hall (the student center).

Talking Points:

  • Does the film send a mixed message about illegal human trafficking?
  • “Sherlock Holmes” moments
  • 90% riding, about 10% dialogue
  • The Asian Bodyguards – woofy!

Critic Notes

  • Positives: The pace doesn’t give you much time to think about plausibility; The riding is thrilling through realistic NYC traffic; Not that it’s exactly Shakespeare, but it is entertaining; Michael Shannon is definitely a memorable bad guy; an adrenaline rush
  • Negatives: (not many negatives) Writers should have “put on the brakes”; Too cartoonish and unbelievable; Just never comes together because of a lack of consistent tone; While interesting, it just gets repetitive

What We Learned:

  • You can’t be zen if you’re wearing a gold chain.
  • Snorting Ritalin makes taking the Bar Exam a cakewalk
  • Brakes are death
  • The Hawala settles it’s own problems
  • The city is not your village.
  • The Bike wants to go fast.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I was never sure exactly what to expect in this movie but did seem like it would at least be somewhat fun. Wow, it was better then I thought it would be. The bike riding gave me a similar feeling to Run Lola Run. It was exciting at times but the bad guy was just annoying. But that could have also been the point. See it as a Matinee or wait for DVD.
Ray: Went in with really low expectations, but ended up really enjoying it. Is it as smart as everyone has been saying? Production wise for sure.. not so sure that the story is all that smart, but it’s not bad for a turn your brain off and enjoy the ride kinda flick. Great for a $5 Matinee
Steve: I didn’t think I would like this, but I have to admit that I wound up really enjoying it. I liked seeing it in the theater for the feeling as though I was watching it in one of those video rollercoaster rides. I don’t know how much I cared for the whole “cops are stupid or murderers” vibe, but I got how it was part of the plot.

The Future: Skyfall

Release: November 9, 2012

Director: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench

Summary:

Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost

Talking Points:

  • How big of a bond fan are you?
  • Does it feel like a blend of Bond and Bourne?

Trailer:

Excitement:
Jeff: It’s Bond. There’s no reason why I wouldn’t see this. I’m excited for the new Q.
Ray: Sort of torn.. I like Daniel Craig, and i loved Casino Royale.. but Quantum was a big stinker for me… I’m hoping for good things though. I’ve seen almost every Bond flick multiple times.. even if this wasn’t already on the list I know I would see it eventually.
Steve: Comes off a bit of Bond and Bourne mixed. I’ve never been a super Bond fan, but this one does seem like I’d be more interested because it’s not the standard “Bond’s on a case” type film.

The Past: Noises Off!

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The Present: Lawless

The Future: Wreck-It Ralph

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