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JOY RIDE is a Cute, Crude, and Chaotic Comedy
Adele Lim’s directorial debut is a raucous slice of representation
After scoring a box office hit, not to mention critical acclaim, you have to say the studio shot themselves in the foot when it came to handling Adele Lim, the co-writer of Crazy Rich Asians. A derisory pay offer for work on a sequel, at least in comparison to that offered to her white, male, co-writer, saw her walk away. bad news for them, great news for us, as knowing her worth, Lim channeled her talents into scripting (along with co-writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao) and making her directorial debut with Joy Ride. A film that takes the road trip comedy, and gives it a cross-cultural infusion that celebrates Asian-American heritage, friendship, and a healthy bit of fornication.
The film revolves around Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola), firm friends since childhood after being brought together as the only Chinese-American kids in a predominantly white Washington suburb. Close, but contrasts, with Audrey becoming a driven and successful lawyer, while Lolo has channeled her creative and anarchic qualities into her sex-positive art. For Audrey, her goal of making partner at her firm seems to rest on a perceived insight that her heritage might help close a deal in China, this is in spite of her adopted upbringing. Heading east, she brings Lolo along as a translator, with her companion also set on using this opportunity to help Audrey connect with her roots, and meet with her birth mother. Accompanied by Lolo’s introverted cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), they head to China, where they recruit to their number Audrey’s best friend from college, and now famous actress, Kat (Stephanie Hsu). The quartet soon find their plans go awry and their bonds of friendship tested as they embark on a road trip fueled by sex, drugs, and K-Pop.
With Joy Ride release sandwiched between the recent Jennifer Lawrence vehicle No Hard Feelings, and the upcoming Bottoms, starring Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), we’re currently in the midst of a spate of female driven, R rated comedies. Lim’s effort delivers everything you’d hope for, with a raunchy tone, filthy humor, and physical comedy that verges on the slapstick.What sets this one apart is its embrace of both the Asian-American experience, and its setting unfolding largely in China. It gives freshness to familiar fare, and opens up the film to explore some resonant and entertaining themes.
Each of the core four have their own quirks, conflicts and baggage. Aubrey’s heritage and upbringing embodies the “fish out of water” theme of the film, “too white to be Asian, too Asian to be white”. Lolo cherishes her Chinese heritage and community, and channels her progressiveness and sexuality into her art, while also fighting the onset of adult-hood. Kat is a actress who has carefully crafted a pure, moral persona, one that has fueled her success, prompted her engagement to devoutly Christian Chinese co-star Clarence (Desmond Chiam), but it’s all at odds with her sexually adventurous past. Deadeye could be taken as just a sardonic element of comedic relief, and Wu’s comedic timing and deadpan delivery is one of the highlights of the film. But with Wu identifying as a non-binary person, it adds a subtle nuance to this character that is basically looking to make a human connection. Through the four women there’s a message that we’re all uniquely challenged and on a spectrum in some way, speaks to finding and forging bonds of sisterhood, and building inclusivity, all while plunging this group into a series of (mis)adventures, including a drug smuggling operation on a train, a sex fueled encounter with a basketball team, an impromptu K-Pop band impersonation skit, and even a foray into rural China.
For those who feel a film like this might overly scrutinize white people, we’re not the sole targets of critique and comedy (even if we do deserve it). The film hilariously dives into the Asian on Asian conflict to great effect. Yes the film showcases some of the racism encountered by these women, both casual and overt, but its focus is on cultural identity. The film is rooted in it, not preaching it, drawing form the Asian-American experience, but opens it up in a way that is potently relatable. In one example, it acknowledges the sexualization Asian women, but instead of reinforcing the issue and making things about men or societal expectations, the film positions these women in the ascendancy to reclaim their right to be sexually adventurous, make mistakes, have fun,and live their lives as they grapple with their way in the world. Joy Ride nails its take on the road trip comedy by staying true to that internal journey of discovery and by embracing representation, and in doing so reminds us how diversity freshens up a formula.
Lim’s direction is at times perfunctory, but often playful and channels the energy of the cast well, something aided by the snappy editing from Nena Erb. The script largely benefits from blending absurdist comedy with smart, insightful writing, but does feel a little tight at times, with some scenes lacking the space needed for a joke to land, or emotional beat to hit. The cast all standout in their roles and add extra dimension to well written characters. Wonderfully realized, warm, empathetic, and sharp comedic turns across the board.
These pandemic-tinged years has seen a shameful backlash against Asian communities in some corners, but in other ways an embrace of their culture and crafty. Beyond the incredible success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, projects such as The Farewell, Minari, Fresh Off the Boat, and Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, have all tapped into the immigrant experience to craft entertainment and elicit emotion. Joy Ride is another film taking a cross-cultural approach, fusing a familiar comedy genre with a raucous slice of representation. A cute, crude, and chaotic comedy that resonates with its themes of friendship and family. Both the one you are born to, and the one you choose.
Joy Ride hits theaters on July 7th
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FANTASIA 2023: Frank & Dan’s Most Anticipated for this Year’s Fest!
North America’s largest genre film festival, Fantasia, is back this year with its 27th iteration of the iconic fest, running from Thursday, July 20th, through Wednesday, August 9th. The Montreal based festival is once again “in person” only, with their selection of can’t miss premieres, classics, panels, and workshops that is sure to please any genre fan. The fest will open this year with Red Rooms from celebrated Quebec Filmmaker Pascal Plante (Fake Tattoos, Nadia, Butterfly) and close with We Are Zombies, based on the comic Les Zombies Qui Ont Mangé Le Monde (The Zombies that Ate the World). Other highlights for this year include the debut production from Vinegar Syndrome, Eight Eyes, and a career achievement award which will be bestowed upon icon Nicolas Cage.
Along with their traditional programming, the festival spotlight this year is South Korean cinema! This spotlight will emphasize current and past works of South Korean filmmakers, who work in genres ranging from horror to arthouse. Some examples from this year’s program are the North American premiere of New Normal by Jung Bum-shik (Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum), the Canadian premieres of An Tae-jin’s The Night Owl, The Roundup: No Way Out by Lee Sang-yong, The President’s Last Bang (2005) by master Im Sang-soo and the 4K restoration of Jeong Jae-un’s coming-of-age Take Care Of My Cat (2001).
The remaining program is still chock full of some great offerings, some titles I can personally vouch for are Talk to Me, Satan Wants You, Birth/Rebirth,Onyx The Fortuitous and The Talisman Of Souls, Sometimes I Think About Dying, In My Mother’s Skin and My Animal.
I queried my fellow writer attending here on Cinapse Frank Calvillo, for the titles he was also excited about checking out and I decided to throw in my most anticipated as well.
You can check out fantasiafestival.com for a full rundown of the program.
In the meantime here’s our picks:
Frank’s Picks:
Mother Land
People don’t talk enough about how the animation side of cinema has evolved to lengths no one imagined with stunning new visual levels and stories that can be high-concept or surprisingly profound. Looking to fit into both categories is Mother Land, a gorgeous-looking tale about a young girl who embarks on a mystical journey in order to save her mother. The fact that the film is made with stop-motion animation alone would make it worth checking out, but Mother Land already holds the noteworthy distinction of being the first South Korean stop-motion feature film in almost half a century.
What You Wish For
What You Wish For is one of the reasons I look forward to Fantasia every year. The film has all the makings of the kind of classic thriller any genre fan could love. There’s the international setting, a big old house, dark humor, and the kind of Hitchcock-inspired twists and turns that can’t equal anything but a riveting time in this story about a chef who assumes his rich friend’s identity with dire consequences. Writer/director Nicholas Tomnay’s previous effort, The Perfect Host, was a dark comedy thrill ride that subverted expectations and proved impossible to predict. If the setup for What You Wish For is only a taste of what’s to come, it might end up being one of Fantasia’s runaway favorites.
Stay Online
Without a doubt, one of the most talked about titles at Fantasia this year will be this Ukrainian-based thriller set against the actual backdrop of last year’s Russian invasion. This tale about a resistance fighter (Liza Zaitsev) who is determined to help a young boy find his missing parents in the midst of the war surrounding them promises a level of emotional storytelling that will be impossible to look away from. The debut of writer/director Eva Strelnikova, Stay Online is sure to be a landmark film that will serve as both a thrilling actioner and a document of this dark time in history.
Late Night with the Devil
With a ringing endorsement from Stephen King under their belts, directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes unleash Late Night with the Devil, a surreal and terrifying tale set in the late 1970s about a television broadcast that has horrifying events for all who are tuning in to watch it. David Dastmalchian leads this feature in what is already being described as a “career-best performance” playing a talk show host whose desperation knows no bounds. Filmed with a real-time sensibility and vintage 70s television touches, Late Night with the Devil is the kind of horror find fests like Fantasia were made for.
Aporia
Good sci-fi cinema has always excelled the most when it’s focused on the human element of the story it’s telling. Writer/director Jared Moshe’s latest effort, Aporia, promises to deliver an experience that’s both exhilarating and emotional with this time-traveling tale about a widow (Judy Greer) who has the opportunity to restore the life she lost and the heavy price she could pay for doing so. Not only does Aporia offer up a new entry in the time machine side of the genre, but it also offers Greer, one of the acting world’s most beloved character actresses, the kind of leading turn she’s deserved for so long.
Dan’s picks:
First off, Fantasia is just killing it this year with their Japanese selections this year, plucking three of my most anticipated titles from their spring blockbuster season, having just left theaters far east.
Those titles are:
Slam Dunk
Slam Dunk, the iconic sports anime/manga that ran for six years (1990-1996), left an indelible mark on the sports manga/anime. Now over three decades later the original creator Takehiko Inoue is back making his directorial debut, writing and directing the first new animated feature length film for the property in over three decades. This latest entry was a box office juggernaut in Japan and I can’t wait to check it out.
The Tokyo Revengers Saga: Part 1 and 2
Tokyo Revengers is a manga/anime I’ve been hearing A LOT about, which just finished its 31 chapter run last year, and just completed two seasons in animated form.
The basic setup follows Takemichi Hanagaki, a miserable 26-year-old who’s just scraping by when he learns about the death of his ex-girlfriend, who died in a dispute involving the Tokyo Manji Gang. The next day, on his way home from a part-time job, Takemichi mysteriously gets pushed off the subway platform, and as he is about to be hit, he jumps back in time twelve years. This just so happens to place him in the same year he was dating his ex and Takemichi quickly dedicates himself to doing everything he can to prevent her death.
Director Tsutomu Hanabusa offers up two riveting new chapters in this beloved saga, in a star studded live-action adaptation.
Shin Kamen Rider
Shin Kamen Rider has anime auteur Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) reimagining yet another iconic Japanese Tokusatsu property, in what’s being dubbed as the Shin Japan Heroes Universe. (Shin in Japanese here means “new”). In this project Anno has updated not only his own property Neon Genesis Evangelion, but also Godzilla and Ultraman, and now he’s tackling a long time personal favorite Kamen Rider. (There’s famously a photo of a young Anno dressed in full Rider attire). In a canon that has over 30 iterations, Anno has chosen to focus on not only the original 1971 TV series, but Shotaro Ishinomori’s companion manga that ran congruent with Kamen Rider’s original airings.
Now for the final two:
River
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes was a festival phenomenon a few years ago, and the fact that director Junta Yamaguchi is back with another time twisting tale, makes this easily one of the can’t miss titles for this year. River focuses on Mikoto (Riko Fujitani) who works as a waitress at the Fujiya Inn, who is stuck in a “tiny loop” repeating the same two minutes at a time! This alone sounds interesting enough, but there appears to be a mystery component here, which has the occupants trying to unravel it at 120 second increments.
Marry My Dead Body
Singularly based on the title above and the below description this film made my top 5:
“Ghost stories, gangsters, and gay pride collide in this three-way of supernatural goosebumps, high-octane thrills and odd-couple comedy. Official selection Taipei Golden Horse 2022. Canadian Premiere.”
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CFF 2023: INVOKING YELL is a Found Footage Banger with a Black Metal Hook
Just when you think it’s all been done in the found footage genre, you happen upon a film like Patricio Valladares’ atmospheric stunner Invoking Yell and realize, yup, there’s still some interesting stories to tell. The late 90’s period document document follows Invoking Yell, an all female Chilean “depressive suicidal black metal” duo compromised of Andrea (María Jesús Marcone) and Tania (Macarena Carrere), who are heading out to the woods with fan and camera woman Ruth (Andrea Ozuljevich), to shoot a music video for their newly finished self titled demo.
The woods in question were instrumental in the band’s demo, since the women who dabble in the black arts also incorporate electronic voice phenomena (EVP) in their music. The setting was rumored to be the site of the deaths of 8 children in a tragic bus accident, and Andrea claims to have captured their anguished cries on tape. Having seen my fill of found footage over the years, the film does something interesting in how it uses its time, hook and technology to tell a story that slowly pulls you in and feels somewhat refreshing in its approach to the genre. The actors here drip authenticity, vamping for the camera, flashing devil horns and falling down narcissistic rabbit holes about their music and inspirations. This builds a solid narrative foundation, that Valladares then uses to begin to craft a story around the characters as the day turns into night.
While the premise here is very effectively executed with its dreary analogue visage, coupled with an equally unsettling soundscape. I have to say, a big component of this film’s effectiveness is thanks to the trio of women who make these characters feel a little too real at times. The dynamic here of the trio’s ebb and flow throughout the 24 hours really helped to highlight the relationships and intent of these characters in the final act. It’s an ingenious way of character development that really didn’t hit me until I started to think about it, because it’s so subtle but definitely there. The way the camera is used as Ruth’s point of view and leers, and the way the other side reacts says volumes about how the women feel about each other and how that’s setup throughout the night.
While the setup here is more than intriguing – a death metal band that uses audio from ghosts in their songs, that go into the woods to shoot a video. I mean what could go wrong? What I found kept me in was not only the film’s characters, but just how real this felt at times, but I guess that’s the point. The film adheres to the “rules” of the genre if you will, good enough to tell this story and it’s one to be honest I wasn’t expecting, which isn’t always the case. Invoking Yell is found footage banger, that is as metal as its premise, without falling for cliches or stereotypes. It’s a film that succeeds purely on character and story and one of my highlights of The Chattanooga Film Festival.
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Screen Comparisons: Arrow’s CELLAR DWELLER (Empire of Screams Box Set) vs 2015 Blu-ray
This article contains several comparisons which contrast the older Shout! Factory Blu-ray transfer with the new Arrow restoration. The frames aren’t necessarily exact matches (though in this case I believe they all are), but should give a solid indication of the visual differences.
Just released and already getting hard due to its limited pressing, Arrow Video’s new box set “Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams” collects several terrific Empire International Pictures titles, most of which have been on Blu-ray before.
We already took a look at The Dungeonmaster, and next up up is Cellar Dweller which was similarly released in 2015 by Shout! Factory as part of a double feature. Arrow’s new edition describes itself as having “additional picture restoration by Arrow Films”.
Here are my observations of the new release:
- A boost in clarity and fineness of grain (very typical for Arrow releases)
- Cleaner images with respect to dust, scratches, and random splotches.
- In terms of framing, Arrow’s disc is just a hair tighter and has some slight letterboxing.
- In other important respects, the transfers are very similar: color quality and brightness appear virtually identical. This is not particularly surprising given the description of “additional restoration”.
The “slider” images below allow for a quick comparison of the stills from both discs by color, cleanliness, framing, but are downscaled and not representative of the full 1080p resolution. These are only illustrative of differences, and not definitive, especially in terms of resolution and clarity.
For a truer direct comparison, it’s recommended to download the image files and view them at full size on a large monitor with 1080p or higher resolution. You can download all images at full resolution in a single file zipfile below:
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
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L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
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L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
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INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY: Once More, With Less Feeling
The decades-old franchise ends not with a bang (bang), but with a mostly agreeable whimper.
Image: © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. Look no further than the James Mangold-directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the decade-in-the-making fifth installment in the venerable Indiana Jones series kickstarted 32 years ago by George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Philip Kaufman, for a stark reminder and/or example that some franchises, uncritically beloved or otherwise, should be left in the rear-view and appreciated for the combination of escapism, craftsmanship, and Nazi punching they once delivered to eager, willing audiences. It’s also proof positive that nostalgia, that sentimental attachment to things and people from our individual and collective pasts, can’t gloss over what was, is, and always will be, an unironic attempt at profit-seeking brand management, IP strip-mining by any other unfortunate name.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens with a reminder, not necessarily of things to come story-wise, but of the past, specifically the title character, Henry “Indiana” Jones (Harrison Ford), part-time archeologist and rehabilitated grave robber, doing what he’s always done best, satisfyingly punching adherents of the Third Reich in a rousing 25-minute prologue ably helmed by Mangold in agreeably Spielberg-lite mode. The back-to-the-past prologue centers on a believably de-aged Ford as Jones and Brit thespian Toby Jones as his comrade-in-archeology, Basil Shaw. Captured attempting to infiltrate a Nazi stronghold where the Nazis, facing the end of their war of conquest and genocide, scramble like rats leaving a sinking submersible, try to steal as many art treasures as they can grab before the Allies inevitably arrive and spoil their party.
Image: © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved For Jones (Indy, not Toby), it’s one last chance at 1940s’s-style derring-do, miraculously escaping the end of a noose one moment, stealing a motorcycle the next, and jumping onto a moving train moments later. Indy manages to save a recently captured/kidnapped Shaw while derailing the plans of an art-thieving Nazi officer, Colonel Weber (Thomas Kretschmann), and Jürgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi scientist obsessed, like Indy, with ancient relics rumored to contain unimaginable powers, including the Antikythera, a gears-and-all mechanical dial created by Archimedes in 214 B.C.E., potentially capable of changing history.
Except, of course, it’s not quite that easy. The Archimedes dial in Voller’s hands is only half the mechanism. The other half remains unfound for most of the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’s overlong, over-indulgent running time that begins in 1944 before jumping forward to 1969, days after the successful Apollo 11 moon landing. An aged, scarred Voller, now a respected professor and NASA scientist, still dreams of bringing fascism back into power by any means necessary. That means involves retrieving the two halves of the Antikythera, slapping them together, and letting the Antikythera work its vaguely science-based magic.
The Indy we meet in 1969, though, doesn’t look or sound like a man ready for one last, glorious adventure. He’s ready to retire from an unrewarding stint as an archaeology professor at Hunter College in New York City, leaving bored, uninterested students behind. Separated and estranged from his son, Mutt Williams (Shia Leboeuf), and the love of his life, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), Indy lives a bleak, lonely existence, a man broken by the vicissitudes of time, questionable life choices, and regret for those choices. It’s as low as audiences have seen the once know-it-all, do-it-all adventurer who helped save the world from Nazi (2x) and Soviet (once) menaces in the past.
Not surprisingly, Indy’s low point means there’s only one direction for him to travel and it’s up: Reconnecting with his long-lost (ret-conned) goddaughter, Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), a budding archeologist and adventurer like her father and Indy. Helena wants to find the second half of the Antikythera, though at least initially, her reasons remain murky. Invigorated by Helena’s presence and the promise of a new/old life, Indy finds himself pulled into the search for the Antikythera. Not surprisingly, Voller hasn’t stopped looking either, setting himself and his fascist-minded minions, against Indy, Helena, and later, Helena’s de facto ward, Teddy Kumar (Ethann Bergua-Isidore), and stops at multiple locales, including Tangier and Greece, to add the globetrotting feel typical of the series.
Image: © Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved Predictably filled with multiple set pieces involving trains, planes, and automobiles (among others), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits and re-hits overly familiar action beats, throwing in all manner of obstacles at Indy, Helena, and Teddy on the ground, in the air, and even underwater. Some play as fan service, as callbacks to earlier moments in the series, meant to initiate a Pavlovian response from nostalgic audiences. Just as predictably, those hits of nostalgic work time and again, though with diminishing returns until a slightly daft third act, bringing together the film’s themes of time, regret, and reconciling ourselves with the past, helps to send off Indy and company on a relatively high note.
As always in the now five-film, decades-spanning series, Ford can be counted on to deliver his level best, adding an overlay of perpetual exhaustion and persuasive grumpiness to his last time out as the archeologist/adventurer who first thrilled audiences 42 years ago with his bravado, resourcefulness, and indomitability. His Indy may be living under the ever-increasing realization of his own mortality, but like the most root-worthy heroes in fiction, he’s not going to go quietly into the good night. That Indy gets to fight — and presumably, beat — the living daylights out of the Nazis one last time certainly helps the fifth, ultimately redundant entry go down a little more smoothly than the 2008 misfire.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens theatrically on Friday, June 30th, via Disney Pictures.
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INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN: Shawscope Vol. 2 – Roundtable Reviews
Cinapse is all about cinematic discovery. This Shawscope Volume 2 column is, therefore, a watch project for our team, and guests, to work through this phenomenal set from Arrow Video. These capsule reviews are designed to give glimpses of our thoughts as we discover these films for ourselves. Some are kung fu cinema experts, some less so; all are excited for the adventure.
The Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studio cranked out a staggering number of feature films over its lifetime. With worldwide influence continuing to this very day, their contributions to cinema are myriad and undeniable. Arrow Video has curated a second volume of titles; an intentional way to wade into the deep waters of the Shaw Brothers. Beyond capsule reviews, our team also offers thoughts on the set curation and bonus features. Watch along with us, join us in the comments, or reach out on social media (linked below) if you’d like to submit your own
Ed Travis
Chang Cheh directs, so… looks like blood and guts are back on the menu, boys! Easily one of the biggest surprises for me on this set, I suspect Invincible Shaolin will become one of my favorite titles on the Shawscope Volume 2 set. Invincible Shaolin features the Venom Mob, palace intrigue, ridiculous and plentiful training techniques, and geysers of heroic bloodshed. When a wicked Manchu Lord pits 3 Northern Shaolin masters against 3 Southern Shaolin masters, the Southern masters lose, but the Lord secretly murders them and blames the Northern masters. After suffering yet another defeat, the Southern shaolin send 3 champions off for extensive training. Years of bitter rivalry pass and ultimately tragedy will result, but not before our newly trained Southern masters return for revenge and before North and South recognize the true Villain and see to his demise. Much like one of my all time favorite Shaw films, The Boxer From Shantung, Invincible Shaolin concludes with our heroes fighting valiantly through hordes of enemies whilst gravely wounded; spears protrude from bellies and finger holes are punctured through organs, but yet still our heroes fight on. Chang Cheh just has a magic to him that outshines many of his other Shaw contemporaries. Invincible Shaolin has a plot mechanic remarkably similar to Five Superfighters, but his film goes down with ease and far more excitement. And it can’t go without mentioning that these training montages feature some of the most clever gadgets and gizmos of all time. Our southern masters learn new techniques thanks to massive rubber bands, progressively smaller boxes they must break out of, and one-finger push-ups with raw eggs placed beneath their hands. It’s all been done before, but Chang Cheh just routinely does it better.
Dan Tabor
Invincible Shaolin was a gory and frustrating exercise in Shaw tropes by Chang Cheh, starring the crew from Venoms. While I get working in ensembles in this kind of context could not have been easy, I think it waters down the vengeance story a bit too much. Also, the “good guys” transition a little too easily to killers, and yet are still supposed to be sympathetic because they are Shaolin Teachers. This all kind of turns into a bloodbath at the end, but it’s nearly nonsensical at times regarding what the real throughline is.
One thing I am, however, very curious about is time lines and Chinese history, when it comes to the events of these films, and how it all sort of falls into place when it comes to who’s the current bad regime. I personally think I would get more out of these films if I was better versed into the socio political landscape when each film is supposed to have transpired. That said I wish Arrow would have a guide or something, because I wasn’t completely invested in the narrative, I was more curious about why these are Shaolin Teachers who aren’t monks.
Justin Harlan
Chang Cheh, all day, everyday. Even as one of his “lesser” entries, this is easily better than just about anything in Volume 2 thus far. Cheh consistently made the best films in the Shaw catalog, as far as I’m concerned. The Venom Mob films have a particularly fond place in my heart, so even the films that aren’t my faves among them are above most of the rest of the Shaw films. So, while I can’t say this is one of Cheh’s best, it was nice after a few weeks of fatigue on what we were being fed by Shawscope Volume 2.
I think Ed and Dan cover the film’s content, ups, and downs very well, so let me highlight a feature of this disc from the set itself. Featured alongside this film and The Kid With the Golden Arm, this disc in the set also includes a phenomenal video essay entitled Poison Clan Rocks the World. This documentary accompaniment adds so much to the disc itself. A succinct but informative look at Cheh’s films from his early days to his Venom Mob work, with a focus on the Venoms era. It’s rare that a special feature is my favorite part of a Blu-ray, but this is one of those cases. Really dug the film, but dug the doc even more.
And We’re Out.
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McBAIN: Regime Change As Action Film [Blu Review]
![McBAIN: Regime Change As Action Film [Blu Review]](https://i0.wp.com/cinapse.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-04-at-9.37.56-AM-1.png?resize=1140%2C545&ssl=1)
Synapse unleashes Christopher Walken on Colombia
Synapse Films “He fought one war. Now, he’s fighting another. This time he won’t lose.”
James Glickenhaus is a pretty special guy.
From The Exterminator to The Soldier, to McBain, and his masterpiece Shakedown, the man wrote and directed some 1980s and 1990s action film staples that have stood the test of time in genre circles. (I’ve still not tracked down his Jackie Chan film The Protector, but I’ll prioritize that stat). Having been a partner at Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment, he was also a creative force in bringing to life such other classics as Basket Case, Maniac Cop, and (another favorite of mine) Red Scorpion. These are cult films that may not have mainstream recognition but which will live on forever as beloved cult titles for fans around the world.
McBain? Well, I had an absolutely great time delving into the film (a first time watch for me) and its commentary track with Glickenhaus being interviewed by Chris Poggiali (who recently co-authored kung fu cinema love letter These Fists Break Bricks)… but the film itself isn’t the most inspired work of Glickenhaus’ catalog.
What is clear is that McBain is a message movie; an action film representing a particular kind of fantasy that I generally very much appreciate: the jaded Vietnam vet, feeling like they lost the war, having a chance to notch a win. I do tend to love action cinema as wish fulfillment, and cinema in general as a ticket to time travel or fantasy. It’s just that some films transport you to another world or another reality and others don’t quite hit that mark. A good comparison point for 1991’s McBain might be 1985’s Rambo: First Blood, Part II, or Chuck Norris’ Missing In Action films. But where Rambo, (“Do we get to win this time?”) captured the pop culture soul of our nation and allowed people to believe a muscle bound hero could wrench back victory from the jaws of defeat, McBain isn’t as heightened or fantastical, and in a weird way feels less successful as a result. It feels like McBain is saying if a few frustrated ex-soldiers would just take up the cause and fight the good fight, they could orchestrate a regime change with just a little grit and shoe polish (and a couple of rocket launchers complete with instruction manuals).
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
We meet McBain (Christopher Walken) at the very end of the Vietnam War. His brave friends are already on a chopper out of the warzone when they spot a P.O.W. camp. They’ve got one last chance to free some fellow soldiers, and they take it. This is a pretty compelling opening and a fairly iconic action set piece where the men spring McBain from certain death and a life-long bond is formed.
Cut to 18 years later. McBain’s friend Santos (Chick Vennera) is now a Colombian revolutionary attempting to bring down a corrupt president who has allowed the drug trade to rule over the people. Santos is murdered graphically on live television and his sister Christina (Maria Conchita Alonso crushing it, as usual) seeks out McBain for help to repay his debt to Santos and to bring freedom to the people of Colombia.
McBain is a union man; a welder. He’s got a pretty nice, albeit blue collar, home in 1991 New York City. It’s frankly fascinating to see. His veteran friends are all experiencing frustration in their post-war lives and we get vignettes of each of them demonstrating that they’re kind of ready to get back in the shit and kick some ass again. A couple of my favorite character actors of the era such as Steve James (American Ninja) and Michael Ironside (Scanners) show up. And so, it’s time for our ragtag group of friends to scrounge up some revolution money by shaking down some drug dealers. After they murder a few of those guys and get a lesson in economics from single scene stealer Luis Guzman, they realize if they want any real cash they’ve got to extort it out of the mafia. Once Ironside’s character finally comes around and joins his old pals and brings some of that sweet, sweet arms dealer money he has accumulated, their revolution is funded and it’s down to Colombia for some Coup action. There’s a bit of an aerial battle, Christina rallies the people, and soon enough our rag tag heroes have viva’d the revolución.
McBain is a bit of a paint by numbers action movie in some regards, but there’s certainly enjoyment to be had. I’m personally a sucker for that era of filmmaking. I adore the cast here, with many of them doing very strong work. And Glickenhaus was able to bring in Christopher Franke for the score (Franke was part of Tangerine Dream and it shows here). There’s practical stunt work galore and McBain also took advantage of the era of genre films shot in the Philippines to get some great production value out of those experienced crews and killer locations.
I just get a little leary of the unique type of American exceptionalism that implies all Colombia needed was a welder from NYC and a few of his pals to bring their rocket launchers down for a weekend to liberate their country. McBain is earnest and tries to accentuate the idea that a person can be brave and step up and really make a difference with their life. And that is commendable enough. I just happen to be an American who has grown up watching our interventions in other countries lead to endless presumption, appropriation, and almost zero victory or progress. So if I step back from the fantasy of the good guys kicking the asses of the corrupt bad guys, I see a troubled premise that I can’t quite get past.
The Package
My understanding is that our friends at Synapse have the distribution rights for many of Glickenhaus’ works, and that just makes me happy. You can purchase many of his other titles from them as well. McBain is a title I’ve known about for ages but had never tracked down, so I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to check this Blu-ray release out. The film looks fantastic and I found the commentary track to be a strong one. Glickenhaus seems to be a pretty fascinating individual who has gone on to amass a fortune in business since leaving Hollywood behind, but has also been able to leave an indelible mark on cinema through his body of work.
So while McBain isn’t his crowning achievement in terms of storytelling, I think action cinema fans will be quite happy with an opportunity to see this unearthed film looking fantastic and complete with a strong commentary track. Come for the cast, stay for the Tangerine Dream score, and leave with a mildly icky regime change taste in your mouth.
And I’m Out.
McBain hits Blu-ray July 11th, 2023 from Synapse Films.
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Screen Comparisons: Arrow’s DUNGEONMASTER (Empire of Screams Box Set) vs 2015 Blu-ray
This article contains several comparisons which contrast the older Shout! Factory Blu-ray transfer with the new Arrow restoration. The frames aren’t necessarily exact matches (though in this case I believe they all are), but should give a solid indication of the visual differences.
New on Blu-ray this week, and already quite difficult to find and purchase due to its popularity and limited release, Arrow Video’s new box set “Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams” collects several terrific Empire International Pictures titles, most (but not all) of which have been on Blu-ray before.
Today we’re looking at The Dungeonmaster, which was previously released in 2015 by Shout! Factory as a double feature. Shout! is no slouch in the PQ department, but Arrow’s new edition boasts a new 2K restoration from the original negative (not to mention three different versions of the film, noted as the US theatrical, pre-release, and international cuts).
The “slider” images below allow for a quick comparison of the stills from both discs by color, cleanliness, framing, but are downscaled and not representative of the full 1080p resolution. These are only illustrative of differences, and not definitive, especially in terms of resolution and clarity.
For a truer direct comparison, it’s recommended to download the image files and view them at full size on a large monitor with 1080p or higher resolution.
In the case of Dungeonmaster, we can see several differences brought about by Arrow’s restoration:
- A massive boost in clarity and fineness of grain (very typical for Arrow releases)
- Much cleaner images with respect to dust, scratches, and random splotches.
- In terms of framing, Arrow’s disc is a little tighter on all 4 sides and has some slight letterboxing.
- generally improved brightness and contrast, though this varies by scene and to some extent a matter of opinion
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
L: Old Shout! Factory // R: New Arrow Video 
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The Hunt for a Worthwhile Sequel is on in INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY
“Those days have come and gone.”
In preparation for going into Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, I couldn’t help but reflect on the harsh reception the last outing to feature the iconic character got. Fifteen years after its release, I freely admit that I still like 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, even though it vastly pales in comparison to the golden trio of movies made by star Harrison Ford and director Steven Spielberg back in the 1980s. What I remember most about the film was just how unprepared I was for the amount of disdain and, for lack of a better word, resentment, that that movie received. From the fridge gag to the casting of Shia LaBeouf to the last set piece, the knives were certainly out for that movie. In the aftermath of Crystal Skull, most fans were even questioning if another sequel was even possible, let alone, desired. Coming out of Dial of Destiny, I’m not sure if the response this time around will be worse than Crystal Skull, or if it might actually cause the detractors to give Indy’s 2008 venture a reappraisal. For my money, Dial of Destiny only made me like the previously much-maligned sequel a little bit more.
The latest Indy tale begins in 1940s Europe at the end of WWII when Indiana Jones (Ford) comes into contact with one-half of the legendary time dial created by Archimedes. Just as he and his fellow adventurer Basil (Toby Jones) are about to escape, they notice Nazi professor Voller (Mads Mikkelsen escaping with the other half. Flash forward 25 years; it’s 1969, Indy is divorced, living alone, and being forced into retirement. When a surprise visit from his goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) leads him to unearth the mysterious dial, it begins an adventure that makes Indy face both his future and his past.
Dial of Destiny is not going to do much to help the long movie argument that’s currently consuming the film world to degrees of sheer ridiculousness. As someone in the pro-two-hour plus camp, even I was finding it hard to see any real justification in the movie’s nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Dial of Destiny is a movie littered with set pieces; each one containing the right kind of rhythm and pace to satisfy the majority of the audience. The problem isn’t that the movie has far too many action-driven sequences for its own good, it’s that a lot of them have no reason to exist. Most of these moments, such as a high-speed chase in a parade, or a gunfight in a bar in Egypt are good in concept and do their best to showcase the kind of Indy audiences have grown up with. But none of them add anything substantial to the story they are supposed to be servicing. This leaves Dial of Destiny stunted, at least where its electric charge is concerned, making it feel like a movie that’s always on the verge of getting started. Even in the brief moments when the movie does start to move forward in the back half, it can’t ever decide where it’s going. It’s not altogether the fault of the action, however. There’s plenty of plot to be found in the movie, including a lengthy prologue and the odd flashback or two. But apart from some small scattered character moments, Dial of Destiny all but strands its beloved character with a narrative that might appear to be convoluted before you discover that it’s actually pretty lifeless.
To be fair, director James Mangold and his team of screenwriters (including the great David Koepp) do try to give their script some storytelling heft. There’s a tense moment between Voller and an African American hotel worker that, although stark, gives the movie some credibility. Those and other similar moments are admirable comments on the movie’s setting and the fact that the villains aren’t there to play around in the traditional Hollywood way. Still, it’s hard to ignore that such touches are squarely at odds with the kind of family-friendly adventure vibes Dial of Destiny (and its predecessor, for that matter) is so clearly embracing now. The movie does somewhat better when it focuses on Indy’s personal conflicts. This may be the first time we see Indy have to face his own mortality in a human way not dependent on any kind of death-defying escapade. This time around, we see Indy get emotional as he questions what his life has been about, and what place he occupies in the world now that he’s getting older. This introspective side to the movie is yet another one which will surely divide audiences, none of whom (I’m guessing) signed on to see Indy tackle such personal issues. It’s a move that deserves some applause, for sure, but even this area of the film should feel more alive than it does.
Ford knows what he’s doing with what is arguably the second most iconic character of his career. The nuances and the internal beats he gives Indy are just as well-crafted as his dry humor or anything having to do with his always-impressive physicality. The actor seems to enjoy playing Indy now more than ever and the way he carries the film with steadiness and a vulnerability makes his performance the film’s highlight without question.
Of course, this means the rest of the cast gets left behind, fighting for meager scraps of screen time. Jones is a welcome presence, as are Antonio Banderas and John Rhys-Davies in glorified cameos. While Mikkelson and Ethann Isidore are on hand for villain and cute kid duties, respectively, Boyd Holbrook’s henchman is so irrelevant, he scarcely has enough dialogue even though he’s in virtually 70% of the movie. It’s Waller-Bridge who is the only one given anything to do besides Ford and does it well. Even if Helena is just a bunch of tired tropes and traits strung together to form the guise of a character, the actress’s natural energy and fire ensure that she’s always interesting to watch. Seeing her and Ford share screen time is a true pleasure. The two have movie chemistry for days, so much so that you almost wish the adventures of Indy and Helena would continue beyond Dial of Destiny.
Admittedly, the film’s final act is an undeniable showstopper featuring spectacular action scenes and moments that do have the ability to push an audience member to the edge of their seat. It’s a game changer that did have me invested but still failed to make up for the lackluster quality of what came before. I don’t know if the previous two hours (as largely laborious as they were) had prepped us enough for what was to come, but someone must have figured it was time for the proverbial “go big or go home” mentality that seems to be more prevalent than ever in today’s blockbusters. I won’t give any specifics about the ending away. I’m sure film social media will be happy to do that for me. However, I will say that the level of preposterousness seen in the overblown finale will be enough to make some long for the flying saucer from Crystal Skull. Suffice it to say it’s not the ending the movie deserved, but then again, this isn’t the movie Indy himself deserved. Ultimately watching Indiana Jones in Dial of Destiny is a bit like reuniting with an old friend you’re glad to see after so long even if the two of you don’t have much to say to each other.
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Living With Miyazaki, Part 10 – PONYO
Continuing Life Lessons From the Animation Maestro
Previous life lessons:
Part 1: LUPIN III — THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO
Part 2: NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND
Part 3: CASTLE IN THE SKY
Part 4: MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
Part 5: KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE
Part 6: PORCO ROSSO
Part 7: PRINCESS MONONOKE
Part 8: SPIRITED AWAY
Part 9: HOWL’S MOVING CASTLEWelcome back to our continuing series on “Living With Miyazaki,” as we examine the lessons one can take from his films through their recurring motifs and varied approaches.
Given that Miyazaki did what you can essentially call “2 fairy tale adaptations” back to back, it’s impressive how different they are – even by the standards of someone so evidently averse to covering well-worn ground as he. Where Howl was narratively-dense and visually-sumptuous with a half-dozen plots, counterplots, and shifting character motivations vying for attention, Ponyo is a movie about a fish who wants to be a real girl. The influences of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid are clear even without the obligatory credit, but what Ponyo brings to the table beyond the simplified watercolor version of Ghibli’s “house style” is a directness and narrative purity that Miyazaki hasn’t employed to this extent since My Neighbor Totoro two decades prior. The result is a film that feels deliberately like a callback to “simpler” earlier films aimed at slightly younger viewers, but with the confident eye of a seasoned master and a playful mania in the film’s occasionally apocalyptic imagery.
The titular sea girl is introduced as a magical fish whose parents are a prickly sorcerer and a giant sea goddess – and honestly, that just sounds like a lot, so I can’t blame her for wanting to get out of the house for a bit. Ponyo happens upon a boy named Sosuke who lives on a cliff by the sea, and after tasting his blood when she licked a cut on his finger, Ponyo begins manifesting new abilities while also incidentally upsetting the balance of nature by unleashing a magical explosion of ocean life that throws the moon out of orbit and brings it so close to the earth that it effects the level of the oceans. The only way to restore balance is for the children to face something called “the test of love” (we are in a Miyazaki film, after all), which is complicated by a miniature typhoon that puts a lot of Sosuke’s island underwater.
But in, like, a chill way somehow?
It doesn’t make a lot of what we call “sense” (especially at first), but as the film progresses it very clearly lays all its cards on the table: this is a film from Sosuke and Ponyo’s perspective. Other characters feature heavily in their story, but the primary POV (especially after the midpoint) practically locks us out of information unless its given to the children or they seek it out. And they’re not often inclined to – there’s an entire magical world full of creatures and life cycles and potions and proper nouns and backstory the film could not give less of a fuck.
What’s almost as enjoyable as Ponyo learning about the wonders of being human (like “ham,” “tea,” and “feet that let you run on top of giant water fish”) rendered with that sumptuous attention to process that we’ve discussed already is how the film bulldozes through Rules and Mythology like a 5-year-old on a sugar high. You can practically see the “Golden Age Pixar” version of this where the act breaks and story reveals would have Swiss watch precision, but instead if telling you everything carefully and precisely, the film just shows you in a way that seems chaotic but is revealed to be the movie’s central thesis.
Ponyo is at the age where seemingly incidental experiences can lead to life-altering personal revelations, and as soon as she’s had a (literal) taste of being human, she knows in her heart of hearts that it’s what she wants. Sosuke sees her and immediately recognizes a kindred spirit in need, and every time the film throws a transformative left turn into their dynamic, he (and Ponyo) accepts it completely at face value. The rest of the film is devoted not to narrative contrivances to keep a plot-negating conversation from taking place or throwing petty personal conflicts in the kids’ way, but to them overcoming the basic physical obstacles that keep them from reaching their goal. Because they’re kids, this can just as easily take the form of a momentary distraction of random kindness as the logistics of “getting across a flooded island on a toy boat,” and as such the children prove their quality before even reaching the Appointed Place and Time.
Ultimately, Ponyo is a film that so fully embraces the visual form of the medium that all the most important information of the story is conveyed without anyone having to speak a word. It’s not that the film is careless with its spoken word, but it’s a movie that – with seeming effortlessness – simply exists as the purest version of itself, as though it were the embodiment of one of the children breathlessly telling us the tale.
(Sidebar: I had an unexpected opportunity to test this out when Ponyo returned to theaters for Ghibli Fest this year. My daughter, Marian, has held this as one of her favorite films essentially since she first saw it some years back, but had never seen it on the big screen. Thinking what a clever and caring father I was, I took her to an evening screening with dinner. . . only to realize I’d inadvertently taken a 6-year-old to the Japanese language version with English subtitles, like an absolute genius. After 100-odd minutes of whispering translated subtitles to her, she happily informed me “I didn’t mind, I could tell what was happening without the words.” I couldn’t be mad about the wasted effort, given that she so perfectly summarized a take I’ve been mulling over for weeks.)
The lesson of Ponyo isn’t only in the construction – though it’s hard to imagine a more potent recent example of a film nearly weaponizing its visuals without invoking Spider-verse and Fury Road. It’s also a sharp corollary to the adage of “if someone tells you who they are, believe them,” because they’ll likely show you far sooner. And while we see competing sets of parents wrestling with the fallout of their progeny’s choices, it’s the seemingly distractable (and occasionally reckless) chaos mom who has the distance to see who her son is becoming, and it’s only after she’s been away that Ponyo’s own parents recognize her for who she is, rather than who they wanted her to be.
Next time, we start our slow descent into a world of biographical aviation with the (supposedly) penultimate film from the maestro, The Wind Rises.
