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Living With Miyazaki, Part 9: HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE
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 AWAYWelcome 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.
Now, Miyazaki sure as hell didn’t have what you “difficult 2nd album,” but his return to feature animation direction after his (initial? second?) retirement following the masterful Spirited Away is certainly an interesting case, and a usual choice for “least good Miyazaki movie*” among fans of his work. Based on Diana Wynne Jones’ novel of the same name, Howl’s Moving Castle wasn’t originally intended to be a Miyazaki joint at all. Initially, Mamoru Hosada (yes, that one) was tapped to direct, but ended up departing the project over creative differences regarding the adaptation. The resulting film is, to put it mildly, both very different from the original story as well as from the last time Miyazaki adapted a book about magic users. It’s also a film that possibly proves how good Miyazaki is when he’s not having to chase Plot, given how hard this film can run away from it.
(*which would still be a career highlight for most directors)
Set in a “gas lamp fantasy” version of WWI-era Europe, the heroine of our story encounters the titular Howl while being harassed by some soldiers on her way home from her late father’s hat shop. Getting unwittingly embroiled in a feud between the purportedly nefarious wizard Howl and the equally infamous Witch of the Wastes, Sophie receives a witch’s curse that turns her into an old woman and forbids her from speaking of the spell. She sets out into the wastes to find Howl’s legendary moving castle, and inserts herself into the wizard’s messy life as the new cleaning lady through a bargain with the fire demon Calcifer, who powers the castle.
I’m going to be unusually upfront about the lesson of this film, which is “don’t let yourself get pulled in too many directions at once.” Not only was this project not Miyazaki’s first choice for a “comeback” project, but he steadfastly avoids major plot points of the book and doggedly refuses to spell out explicit “rules” for the world or characters (like how Sophie actually is a witch, who’s special ability is specifically “speaking life into things” and shaping the world with her words). But whether by chance or choice, this conflict cascades through the characters of the film as well. Sophie is torn between her desire to work in the hat shop out of obligation to her father and the yearning to do literally anything else anywhere else. Howl is a selfish coward who’s terrible at commitment, but who also can’t help acting against his own best interests when he sees people in need. Calcifer wants to be free of Howl but loves his castle, and Markl is a child who literally masquerades as an old man to cover for his boss who’s supposed to be his teacher.
The film folds this neatly into want vs. need arcs, but is also constantly detouring so hard into Miyazaki’s penchant for luxuriating in process and detail (God-tier Ghibli food here) and in characters’ stolen moments of stillness that it relegates central plot points to a literal handful of lines of hand-wavy dialogue. While this gives the impression of being locked into Sophie’s point-of-view as an interestingly limited lens, the resulting messiness is far less artfully deliberate than the usual “stumbling into story by accident” meandering-but-still-pacy films Miyazaki’s more known for. However, it does coalesce into genuine banger of a finale that underlines the followup to the earlier-stated lesson.
If you do let yourself get pulled in too many directions, it’s never too late to find your true north.
The reveal that Sophie’s curse is subject to her unconscious whim, and the way the film spools out exactly how it gets broken, really massages this point nicely. Sophie talks like an “old maid” almost on introduction, having resigned herself to being spinster-bound and even remarking that her newly-aged body finally matched her clothes. But the more she acts out of empathy than obligation, the more fragile age’s hold on her becomes until it’s hold is only as deep as the color of her hair, and it pairs nicely with the punctuation that the supposedly literally heartless Howl is the absolute biggest softie. Swerving hard from the original ending of the book (which features a diversion into modern-day Whales – no really, read it, it rules), Miyazaki steers hard into his “fuck war, love wins, fairy tale rules for everyone, flying forever bitches” lane. And it’s kinda like watching Speed reboot the Mach 5 in the final lap of the Grand Prix, because we get to see the characters find their truth even as the movie itself finds the best version of itself.
Howl’s Moving Castle is a movie where the sheer stubbornness of being kind (which the film firmly differentiates from “being nice” in how willing Sophie is to verbally kick Howl’s ass) can literally overpower curses and end wars. It’s a film about people who have screwed up being the versions of themselves they thought they were, and need the right mirror to see who they could choose to be. It’s a movie that insists we’re only the sum of our faults when we stop learning from them. It’s also a piece of technical craftsmanship that is still astounding even nearly two decades later, with some of the most sumptuos 2D animation this side of a latter-day Makoto Shinkai joint and some of the best musical work that the now-familiar Joe Hisaishi has ever done (which is saying a lot).
It’s not perfect, but that’s part of its beauty as well.
Next time, we travel under the sea to the re-imaging of the famous mermaid-starring fairy tale with Ponyo.
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Family Clashes with Mythology in Superpowered Sequel SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS
2019’s Shazam! was a fun surprise, injecting the somewhat grim DC movie universe with a big shot of delightful energy that served as a nice contrast to the more serious tone that had been previously established. The character Shazam (or Captain Marvel, if you’re old school like me) isn’t nearly as popular in the modern mainstream as other heroes like Batman or Superman, but that may have been a freeing element, giving the film’s creators a little freedom to have fun with the concept. The film balanced different themes and tones, having a goofy and fun spirit and familial love, but also incorporating elements of horror and themes of abandonment and isolation.
Director David F. Sandberg and his cast of misfits-turned-family, led by Zachary Levi, returned for Shazam! Fury of the Gods, a bigger and wilder story that picks up with the “Shazamily” of Billy Batson and his adoptive siblings who share superpowers culled from legends of myth and magic, transforming from normal kids into studly super-adults. Picking up some time later, the siblings now function as as superteam, albeit an immature one (their exploits are dogged by the media, who have dubbed them the “Philly Fiascos”). The focus shifts a bit to be less about Billy exclusively, and incorporating bigger subplots for the other kids, especially sidekick/best pal/adoptive brother Freddy Freeman who gets a really great character arc. Even Djimon Hounsou’s Wizard character returns for an expanded role, and gets the film’s most hilarious (and surreal) sight gag.
It feels really cool and special to have Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu on board as the film’s antagonists, the Daughters of Atlas, and their grievance – that a precocious and irresponsible boy now possesses their father’s powers – is understandable. And they’ve found a way to steal their powers back. The third and youngest of the sisters is played by Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), who approaches humanity with a little more empathy than her ruthless sisters.
The Daughters of Atlas reign destruction on Philadelphia, letting loose a horde of monsters from the pages of classic mythology – harpies, minotaurs, manticores, cyclopses. This is a movie where Lucy Liu rides around on a menacing dragon, Khaleesi-style. It’s great stuff, owing in no small part to feeling very much like a throwback to the designs of Ray Harryhausen.
This is an ideal sequel. It seems to understand what made the first movie enjoyable and continues all those threads, mishmashing superhero storytelling with elements of mythology and comedy, but still having an edge with some gnarly kills. The story of Shazam continues to be the most casually enjoyable and family-oriented pocket of the DC movie universe.
The Package
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now available on home video and digitally. The 4K version which I’m reviewing includes a 4K disc, Blu-ray disc, and digital copy. My copy includes a slipcover, which has a metallic foil print. The slipcover features Warner Bros’ current “WB 100” header design celebrating the studio’s 100th Anniversary.
Special Features and Extras
Fury of the Gods comes loaded with a ton of special features, especially considering its COVID-era creation. It’s a solid set, and it’s appreciable that everyone is having a blast making this and enjoying each other’s company.
Commentary by director David F. Sandberg
Let’s Make a Sequel (24:49)
Making of documentary packed with interview clips and behind the scenes footage. My favorite part is the callout to the cameo appearance of Michael Gray, who played Billy Batson in the 70s Shazam TV series.
The Rock of Eternity Decked Out (5:42)
Members of the production design and set decoration teams join with the cast talk about the new, more personalized look for the Shazamily’s home base and exploring its hidden depths (the Library of Eternity, the Room of Doors).
The Zac Effect (4:20)
A profile of star Zachary Levi, who brings a sense of boyish charm with him to the set.
Sisterhood of Villains (7:54)
A really neat aspect of this is Rachel Zegler discussing how the veteran actresses (who have had their own hardships as women navigating the industry) helped advise her.
Scene Deconstruction (10:06)
Director David F. Sandberg walks viewers through some key effects shots and how they were accomplished.
Mythology of Shazam! Fury of the Gods (4:59)
On bringing the mythical pantheon and creatures to the screen. Sandberg specifically mentions the influence of Harryhausen in the designs, something I had picked up on and was pleased to hear confirmed.
Shazamily Reunion (5:01)
Family is a huge component of this the Shazam narrative, and there’s two sets of it between the kids and their adult counterparts. It’s clear from the interviews that there was a great true family dynamic on the sets as well.
Deleted Scenes (31:06)
Deleted and alternate scenes with unused gags and different takes, notably a couple of additional kills that were left on the cutting room floor. Many of these have unfinished and pre-viz effects, giving a little additional insight on the development.
A/V Out.
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All 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the Blu-ray disc (not the 4K UHD) with no alteration or editing applied, but may have compression or resizing inherent to file formats and online imaging.
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INFLUENCER Deals Out an Intoxicating Gen-X Hitchcockian Thriller
Influencer is a masterclass in subversion, which hit Shudder Thursday, May 25th. The latest by producer/director Kurtis David Harder is as expected the story of an influencer, but not in the way you’d probably expect. By chance, the bright eyed, blond influencer Madison (Emily Tennant) ends up on vacation alone in the Instagram hotspot Thailand at a luxury resort after her boyfriend can’t make it. While there she meets another young woman, CW (Cassandra Naud), also alone, who offers to show Madison around since she has been in Thailand for sometime now. Unbeknownst to Madison, CW’s MO is to hunt female influencers via social media and strand them on a remote island while she bleeds their bank accounts and clout dry for her own amusement. In a rather bleak observation on influencer culture, CW confesses to Madison, before leaving her, that she has gotten away with this so far because these influencers are disposable.
For those worried about spoilers, this all happens pre-title card and is the setup for the film we are about to see.
The minute we see CW, she has villain written all over her character. The camera-shy woman with dark hair and a prominent facial birthmark is the polar opposite to those she’s stalking and has plenty to gain, but this is where the film gets interesting. Most films would have left us on that island with Madison, witnessing her noble struggle to not only survive but make her way back to the mainland in some miraculous way. Instead, we are paired with CW as she lines up her next target; she ruminates on her latest victim while she pilfers Madison’s bank accounts, reading her social media and diary, consuming Madison’s life as she would a novel. It’s through this CW begins to discover Madison, unlike the others, wasn’t actually a bad person. And you can see some pings of guilt/regret as CW begins the cycle all over again with Jessica (Sara Canning) — that is, until Madison’s boyfriend shows up at the plush oceanfront condo CW is renting in her name with her money.From here Influencer delivers a rock solid Hitchcockian thriller against the picturesque backdrop of Thailand that toys with expectations up until its final moments. Like Psycho, it’s hard to know what’s coming after the film’s opening credits. Kurtis David Harder surprisingly manages to do this all while also commenting on social media and influencer culture without coming off as too preachy or heavy-handed with a perfectly embedded subtext. This is thanks to a committed cast with Cassandra Naud as the clear MVP. While we don’t get an exposition dump on the why and how she started targeting female influencers, it’s there in the nuances of her performance. She manages to be equally sympathetic and sociopathic sometimes in the same scene. Influencer is an intoxicating journey into one woman’s jealousy, and the lengths some would go for clout.
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Criterion Review: PETITE MAMAN
Petite Maman topped my best films list for 2021, and I wasn’t alone; several critics groups placed it high on their lists for that year. Now Céline Sciamma’s quiet follow-up to her award-winning Portrait of a Lady on Fire is being released from Criterion in an amazing package. It’s a must have for any fan of the French filmmaker or anyone who adored the film.
Set in an unknown time within the past 35 years – there are modern looking vehicles, but no smartphones to be seen – a small family grieves the recent death of a grandmother. Eight-year-old Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) bids farewell to her grandmother’s neighbors in the nursing home as her mother (Nina Meurisse, Camille) removes personal items from a room. We see Nelly caring for her grieving mom, feeding her chips from the back seat of a car, softly hugging her neck from behind.
Once they come to her mom’s childhood home, the loss becomes too overwhelming and Nelly and her dad (Stéphane Varupenne, Godard Mon Amour) are left behind to pack up. Nelly wonders if her mother’s departure is temporary or permanent but finds ways to play on her own in the woods behind the house. And there is where she meets young Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), building a tree fort exactly where Nelly’s mom told her she once had.
Sciamma incorporates time travel in the gentlest of ways; there’s no discussion of future repercussions or foreboding feelings. The woods behind grandmother’s house become a portal, with no special effects involved besides seamless editing work by Julien Lacheray (Girlhood, Portrait of a Lady on Fire). Nelly comes to know her mom as a girl and can say a true farewell to her grandmother. The girls construct a fort, make crepes together, play board games, and act out stories together. Imagination and wonder are as central to this family drama as grief and memory.
Petite Maman is a tender, contemplative film. The casting of twins adds to the magic of the storytelling. On the surface the story may seem simple, but the work delves into complex emotions. It’s a film that allows one to appreciate or notice something new with each viewing.
The new director-approved Criterion BluRay includes:
- trailers for the film
- My Life as a Zucchini, the 2016 animated feature that Céline Sciamma co-wrote
- a frank, moving conversation between Sciamma and director Joachim Trier. They discuss the creation of mythology within Petite Maman. Sciamma talks about the 25-day shoot and filming in her hometown. Sciamma comments on working with joy, “I don’t think cinema should be a sacrifice.” After the success of Portrait, she tells Trier, “I don’t want to live that experience again…I’ve done this thing and now I can do differently.” They also touch on COVID’s impact on when Petite Maman was made and the director’s collaboration with composer Para One on the choral piece within the film. This is probably one of the most insightful filmmaker conversations I’ve seen in a Criterion package.
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KANDAHAR: Gerard Butler & Ric Roman Waugh Remain A Formidable Star/Director Duo
A gritty, Middle Eastern Sicario riff
Open Road Ric Roman Waugh is a serious American filmmaker whose work has commanded my attention since his remarkable prison thriller Shot Caller back in 2017. He’s since upped his profile with such Hollywood hits as Angel Has Fallen and Greenland with star Gerard Butler (not to mention the criminally under seen and under appreciated National Champions). With Kandahar marking his third high profile collaboration with Butler, they’ve become fast collaborators and, in Waugh’s own words, “brothers”.
I became a fan of Waugh’s work long before learning that he is a resident of Austin, TX, where I’ve also made my home these last 13 years. And thus it was possible for the Austin Film Festival to host an advanced screening of Kandahar with Waugh in attendance for a Q&A. I went into the film knowing almost nothing about it beyond star and director, which was all I needed to know. Butler’s projects can range wildly in quality and tone, but when these two collaborate, audiences are generally in for a more somber and chillingly effective tone. Probably the most grounded of their collaborations, Kandahar is a white knuckle action vehicle exploring the complex and politically grey areas in the Middle East that most ignorant Westerners (myself included) really know little about. Writer Mitchell LaFortune was the initiator of this project, himself a veteran of America’s wars in the Middle East. He brings to this project a crackling sense of political, cultural, and religious complexity that reminded Waugh of Sicario. Somewhat less black-heartedly cynical than Sicario (which is a full on masterpiece), there is none the less a kinship between these projects.
Kandahar tells the stories of Butler’s experienced CIA operative Tom Harris and co-lead Navid Negahbahn’s Mo. The two are brought together after things go south and they need to get to a plane to escape Afghanistan after Harris’ black op is leaked by the media. Mo is an Afghani family man and translator whose family has settled safely in Baltimore after the war. He’s really only back in his home town because his sister in law has vanished under the new Taliban rule. Travis Fimmel’s fixer-style character Roman (himself a CIA agent who has adopted Islam as his personal faith) smashes these disparate men together and does his best to help them escape from a situation that is essentially unsurvivable. It isn’t the 400 miles they’ll need to travel that’s going to kill them, it’s the seemingly dozens of factions operating in the post-war region of Iran/Afghanistan/Pakistan. Maybe the first major fictional story I’ve seen depicted on film after America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, Kandahar is fascinating enough simply for telling a gripping story in that setting. There’s also a bit of fictional (?) flourish as Waugh does see himself as an entertainer first and foremost. Kandahar openly depicts a CIA black op in which the USA covertly destroys an Iranian nuclear facility. That inciting incident has a heightened and massive scale, but the complexity of the fallout from that opener is where the movie really thrives. Warring factions of Taliban are only one of the challenges Harris and Mo will face. The most formidable (and straight up fuckin’ badass) threat they’ll face is Pakistani operative Kahil (Ali Fazel in a superstar performance). Kahil is a classic spy movie character in the sense that he drives around the dessert on a black motorcycle that deploys out of the back of a truck like Spy Hunter or something. It honestly rules and Kahil feels like a Pakistani “asset” straight out of a Bourne movie. But he’s ruthlessly effective precisely because he knows the region and knows the power dynamics and works deals with different warlords to suit his agendas. Harris and Mo also have their own relationships and enemies that will make their journey a figurative minefield as well as a literal one.
Primarily a tense action-thriller, Kandahar has multiple action set pieces that had me riveted. There’s a nighttime battle between Gerard Butler and a helicopter that must be seen to be believed, and the finale is an absolute nail-biter as well. But on top of the kick-ass action there is a component of regional reality at play that forces an American audience to see the chaos that our own country has wreaked on that region. Mo and Harris have conflicts and conversations along the way that bring a humanity to the senseless war we fought on that soil. The movie isn’t perfect and perhaps does ultimately revel in the superpowers of the American machine as much as it criticizes it. Thus is ever the tension in war films: Are they anti-war screeds or do they praise the war machine? Ultimately Kandahar goes the human route, making us just want to see Harris and Mo get home to their families, but dragging us through the ethically murky reality of the situation we have partially wrought in the process. Waugh delivers a thrilling action film and an adventure filled with heroes and villains we’re compelled by. You can’t ask for much more than that.
And I’m Out.
Kandahar hits theaters in the USA May 26th, 2023 from Open Road Pictures
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FAST X: Let the Naysayers Have Their Opinions, We Still Have “Family”
Big and bombastic, Fast X is an over-the-top extravaganza of callbacks, absurd situations, and family… but what’s so wrong with that?
The latest installment of the Fast and Furious series has its detractors, even among our own Cinapse staff and long time Fast supporters, but this particular moviegoer and film writer remains a staunch and supportive member of the “Family”. In fact, it’s hard to believe that people taking issue with the film’s “vibe” or incongruences in tone were ever truly fans to begin with – unless they bailed somewhere around 4 or 5, where the series went from good (semi-serious action films) to great (over-the-top insanity). Fast X takes the madness we’ve come to expect and keeps it going, replacing going to space with Jason Momoa in eyeliner and outfits from the closet of Seth Rollins.
In what feels like a truly successful audition for a future role as The Joker, Jason Momoa as Dante is the most gleefully evil villain the series. It’s fair to say that his performance feels different than anything the series has done before, but it’s a logical progression within the framework of Fast world. In the framework presented in the latter entries of this franchise, a Joker-sequence sociopath is the much needed next step in the progression of enemies that face the Family and the Agency. In fact, a more standard villain with less on-screen charisma and a less over-the-top maniacal demeanor would have likely been a step backwards in a lot of ways. For the series to continue on its path, it has to keep getting bigger and more eccentric. Once a series “jumps the shark”, it has to continue to jump bigger and most ferocious sharks or it must be shut down. Momoa’s Dante is that bigger, more ferocious shark.
Beyond the fantastic villainous performance from Momoa, we’re treated to appearances from virtually every major character in the series. Callbacks to plot points of previous entries are also relatively abundant. Yes, it’s crowd service, for sure – but, in a film like this, it’s welcome. If you haven’t come to expect characters to be resurrected and references to other installments in the franchise by now, I’m not sure what you’ve been watching. The blend of these familiar elements with the new villain and a couple of fun twists creates a film that feels much more breezy and easy than it should as nearly two and a half hours.
One other fantastic highlight is the chemistry between Don and Letty’s son Brian (Leo Abelo Perry) and his uncle Jakob (John Cena). Leaning into his comedic timing and action chops, Cena’s Jakob is on point and highly entertaining from the moment he hits the screen. His chemistry in the scenes where he is partnered up with Brian, or Little B, is exceptional. Additional exploration of this relationship would have been welcome – but, as it stands, the buddy relationship of the two was captivating whenever the two were on screen.
If there’s one wet blanket in the film, it’s Vin Diesel. While he’s long become the least interesting character on screen – at least for the past few installments – he seems disinterested in a few scenes. Hints of later era Bruce Willis levels of investment in the performance feel like the most apt comparison. While Dom is the glue of the film series, he’s become one of the least exciting or memorable characters, yet this is the first time where it seemed like Diesel himself has realized this fact and doesn’t quite seem to be giving the performances his all.
Yet, even with Vin’s weak performance, the film works so well because Dom remains separate from the bulk of the cast (based on stories from the set, it seems that may be because few people actually enjoy working with him) and his scenes rarely overstay their welcome.
Everyone else truly plays their part and does so well. The team of Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), and Han (Sung Kang) are given a good amount of screen time and they work so well together. Encountering old and new faces, the group is focused on a central goal while on the run together. Their bickering and working together alike all makes for truly entertaining scenes. Along with them, we have other story threads involving Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Mr. Nobody’s daughter Tess (Brie Larson), Cipher (Charlize Theron), new Agency leader Aimes (Alan Ritchson), and a few others. And, much like in previous films, the concurrent threads all find a way to come together in the end.
If you’re one of the detractors and you’re not on board… that’s okay. But as for me, I’m still Family and I can’t wait for the next (and final?) installment of the Fast series.
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THE LITTLE MERMAID: A More Nuanced Romance and a Breakout Performance by Halle Bailey
Disney The management regrets to inform you that Disney’s The Little Mermaid remake is actually pretty good.
Well, that’s a bit tongue in cheek, in truth I’m actually surprised and elated that the 1989 classic which kickstarted the “Disney Renaissance” has been given a respectful and delightful reimagining. Unfortunately this success continues to guarantee that we can settle in for more of Disney’s systematic cannibalization of their animated library.
Disney’s revisiting their animated classics as inspiration for live action films isn’t a new concept. In the 90s, enjoyable new takes on The Jungle Book and 101 Dalmatians were helmed by Stephen Sommers and Stephen Herek, respectively.
But starting with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010, Disney fired up the remake machinery and started churning them out at an alarming pace with the bad ones outpacing the good, even with talented filmmakers like Guy Ritchie, Rob Zemeckis, and Jon Favreau attached. The threat of additional remakes looms heavily over classics and even recent films including Snow White, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, Bambi, Robin Hood, and Moana. There’s a sense of naked greed and consumerism to it all.
In all this, The Little Mermaid feels like an outlier. It’s among the best films to come out of this particular cycle, which is to say that it is pretty great and actually brings a lot to the table, marrying the classic film with some new ideas.
Disney As before, the story, loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale, concerns a mermaid (Halle Bailey) who falls in love with a human prince named Eric (Jonah Hauer-King), and pursues her heart’s desire against the counsel of her father (Javier Bardem). She’s aided by her friends Sebastian (Daveed Diggs), a crab, Scuttle (Awkwafina), a seagull, and Flounder (Jacob Tremblay), a fish of indeterminate species who is decidedly not a flounder. She strikes up a bargain with Ursula, the Sea Witch (Melissa McCarthy), to make her human for three days with which to try to win the Prince’s love. But she must do so without the ability to speak or sing; the cost is her voice.
The biggest win here – and it’s a huge one – is the casting of the lead. Halle Bailey is an absolute revelation and demonstrates huge talent as both an actress and singer. Her Ariel is imbued with girlish charm, elegant beauty, and an incredible voice. Ariel is an inherently difficult character to portray, not only because of the physicality of the film’s “underwater” settings, but because it’s a duality of extremes: from being powerfully vocal to rendered mute. In a neat twist, Ariel’s given an additional narrative capability here, as we can sometimes hear the song in her heart – even though she can’t express it out loud.
Similarly, Melissa McCarthy is – unsurprisingly – delightfully devilish as Ursula, the villainous Sea Witch.
The films excels particularly in fleshing out the relationship between Ariel and Eric. Rather than just being based on a simple mutual attraction, these are actually two people who find they have a lot in common and discover in each other a kindred spirit; someone who shares interests, aspirations, and even frustrations. Grimsby, Eric’s advisor, has a slightly expanded role as a more wise and sympathetic friend who now serves as more of a direct parallel to Ariel’s Sebastian. The film’s distinctly Caribbean locale also gives the tale a more specific flavor than the original’s undefined setting.
Disney The film is directed by Rob Marshall, who has already had a bit of a dry run on the concept. Marshall directed Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), which has a major subplot about a human missionary and a captured mermaid falling in love. It’s the best aspect of that underrated sequel, and you can kind of see how he’s had these ideas swimming around in his head for the last decade and applied a thoughtful and engaging romance in his approach.
As the film feels stronger when it’s doing its own thing, so too is it weaker when it’s adhering closely to the original. Whenever the dialogue is recycled – which is frequently – it feels lacking and “wrong”. Perhaps this is to some extent familiarity bias, but you can’t just hand Buddy Hackett’s lines over to Awkwafina and expect the result to stack up. Similarly, Sebastian has a lot of recycled dialogue but spoken with a different cadence and inflection, which makes it feel out of place if you know the original film. That’s not to slight the actors in these examples, rather I think it would’ve been better to change up the dialogue to avoid the distraction of direct comparison.
Disney Generally speaking, this does also line up another point, which is that the animal sidekicks are a drag. As with The Lion King, the aesthetic for somewhat natural looking “live action” style animals really undercuts a lot of their character and warmth, opting instead for uncanny-valley designs that look kind of creepy rather than cuddly. Scuttle even sings (or raps) a terrible and out-of-place new song that should’ve been left on the cutting room floor.
But overall, I enjoyed the film. It feels like a more mature and nuanced version of the story, which makes it fitting for (now much older) fans of the original while also being a beacon for new ones.
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FAST X Finds the Fast Franchise Spinning Its Wheels
Images Provided by Universal The opening of Fast X follows a proud tradition in the Fast and Furious franchise: recontextualizing a previous scene with previously unknown information. This time, we return to the final moments of series highlight Fast Five, with it’s chilling bank vault heist through the streets of Rio. But now we see that film’s villain, cold and calculated Hernan Reyes, has a hitherto unknown son Dante (Jason Mamoa), one who he is attempting to pass along his criminal empire to. This transition is interrupted by the exhilarating final act, where Hernan is defeated and killed, and Dante is nearly killed.
That “nearly” does a lot of work there, as now ten years later, Dante arises from the ashes, looking like he hasn’t aged a day and ready to reap revenge on Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his vehicularly obsessed family of thieves-turned-crimefighters. Of course, that turnover all happened after Fast Five, which for all of its perfectly executed action is mostly a heist movie, where the good thieves take from the bad mob. Since then, Dom and his crew have become superspies, with an ever increasing cast of characters and gosh-wow supertech at their disposal. And they’ve even already battled another family member looking to avenge their family for perceived injustices.
If this seems like a lot to unpack, welcome to the current state of being Fast and/or Furious fan. Plenty have pointed out how the series, which started as “Point Break but with cars” and spun into…well, something else. Namely, it is Universal’s primary action franchise, an increasingly unhinged series of impossible car chases, impossible coincidences, and ever increasing set pieces. With promises that the series is racing towards it grand finale, the promise going into Fast X is that it will drift towards the end of the road, providing a satisfying and explosive finale.
In reality, the newest entry is the first time that the series has felt lost, running on fumes of past glories and never really having an identity to call its own. Even lesser entries before have had a sense of identity to them, and didn’t feel like either rehashes or, worse yet, chasing trends rather than establishing its own obtuse identity. For a series that has always taken unpredictable twists in terms of world building, Fast X is the first outing where they are retreading old ground, and openly showing an eye towards “franchise” work. The runaway freight train has become self aware, and there’s no turning back now.
It hasn’t been easy to get to this point however. Long time series director Justin Lin was originally assigned to helm this outing, but after citing creative difficulties stepping into producing and writing credit. He was replaced by Louis Leterrier, a director who is mostly noteworthy for flexibility to meet the demands of a project rather than a distinct style his own. The effect is a film that feels somewhat anonymous, save for some disorienting quick-cut action that hearkens back to Leterrier’s Eurocore action background. The most frustrating part is that Leterrier hired the same drone cinematography crew that helped created the breathtaking kinetic sweeps of Michael Bay’s latest, Ambulance, but cuts away from these drone footage too quickly to ever fully appreciate how groundbreaking their work is.
Perhaps the biggest departure for the film is Momoa, who is clearly going for a bigger and more boisterous villain than the film has ever had before. The Fast series has never really had a villain that matched the charisma of its heroes, mostly coming across as fairly anonymous in the face of the circumstances, essentially establishing obstacles and allowing the stars to smash through them. Momoa breaks that trajectory by going in the exact opposite direction, providing a performance overloaded with gestures and histrionics. In theory, this should be an exciting development, as the last attempt to create an overarching mega-villain for the franchise, Charlize Theron’s ill-defined cyber-terrorist Cypher, has been something of a wet blanket on the series since she first appeared two installments ago.
The end result however throws the whole film off balance. Momoa is clearly having fun being the preening, prancing bad guy, feeling like he stepped out of one of the Schumacher Batman films. But his energy is never matched by anyone else involved; the juxtaposition between his manic, campy preening and the stern silliness the rest of the franchise is defined by creates a constant tonal whiplash the film never quite gets a handle on.
Which is a shame, because there is plenty to like in the film. The action set pieces are just as kinetic and creative as usual, though they often feel like rehashes of previous installments. The film is centered around re-evaluating the events of Fast Five, which has the knock-on effect of reminding you of a better version of this formula, but also activating a certain dopamine recognition of how this machine hums. Most of the returning cast is game for what’s ask of them, especially Michelle Rodriguez and the comedy-relief team of Chris Bridges and Tyrese Gibson. At this point, their fast personas feel like reflexes, and they can slip into them just like a favorite beaten-in pair of sneakers. And Nathalie Emanuel and especially Sung Kang bring their brand of laid back, casual cool. Even Charlize Theron’s Cypher, who shows up as a reluctant partner to the Family when Dante dismantles her terrorist network, seems more in alignment with the series vibe finally.
The newcomers to the outing fair more unevenly. Perhaps the best of the lot is Alan Ritchson as Aimes, the bulking new head of the secretive “Agency”, the ill-defined spy organization the Family has worked for since Fast and Furious Six. Unlike his predecessor Mr. Nobody, Aimes doesn’t see the Family as an asset so much as a liability, and attempts to use the muscle of the Agency to bring them in. This casts him in the Luke Hobbs role to follow the Fast Five parallel, and while it’s not quite the star-making performance Dwayne Johnson found in that role, he is an able foil that utilizes his massive size effectively. Likewise Daniela Melchior fits into the familiar position of new potential Family member, as a Brazilian street racer with a connection to the events of Five herself. She is fine, if uninspiring.
And then there is Brie Larson, the daughter of Mr. Nobody who is internally trying to undermine Aimes’ authority. Larson is clearly game for this kind of thing, having done the huge ensemble action business over in the MCU. Here, Larson struggles to find her footing, and not just because of her character’s trademark studded shoes. Rather, she spits off dialogue with a stiltedness that suggests she was being rewritten on the fly. Which, given the behind the scene drama this series seems to generate, is likely true.
The end result is something that the Fast franchise has always avoided before: it comes across as both safe and familiar. For a series built on escalation and growth, built on the back of unexpected diversions, this is the first time that the series has felt like a retread, both metaphorically and literally returning to previous stomping grounds to craft a story that establishes the stakes for the final leg of the race by returning to some greatest hits. Without getting into spoilers, the film ends on an equally shocking and unconvincing cliffhanger, clearly an incomplete promise of more high octane action to come. But to get to the finish line, at least in a way that will honor all the oddity and heartfelt passionate that has gotten the series to this point, there is going to need be some refueling.
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88 Films: In The Line of Duty I-IV is a Fully Loaded Girls and Guns Extravaganza! [Unboxing Video + Review]
![88 Films: In The Line of Duty I-IV is a Fully Loaded Girls and Guns Extravaganza! [Unboxing Video + Review]](https://i0.wp.com/cinapse.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/in-the-line-of-duty.jpg?resize=1140%2C888&ssl=1)
The In the Line of Duty series which just hit blu-ray thanks to 88 Films, is a prime example of how films were framed back in the day as part of a series to take advantage of an IPs name recognition to sell it to the public. This was a pretty standard practice in Italian genre cinema, but how it’s done in this series is particularly baffling. See, the first two films, Royal Warriors and Yes Madam! Which star Michelle Yeoh weren’t sequels or had any connective tissue in actuality, and while the first film birthed the very popular “Girls with Guns” genre, the second was produced in a rapid succession to then take advantage of the copycats that were already starting to crop up. This was a genre that combined an empowered and usually kung-fu proficient female lead with lots of frantic and very dangerous fights and gun play. Like Jean-Luc Godard once said: “All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun” and given this rather inexpensive formula, and the fact that Yes Madam! was the 21st-highest-grossing film of the year meant there was money and sequels to be made.
Corey Yuen’s 1985 Yes Madam! or literally translated “Royal Elder Sister”, feels like the most formulaic and fun of the four presented in the set. The film has Yeoh in her first starring vehicle playing Inspector Ng from Hong Kong, who is paired with Scottish investigator Carrie Morris (Cynthia Rothrock). The women are charged to find a microfilm that’s happened into the hands of some petty thieves, one of which is director Tsui Hark in a more comedic light than you’d probably expect. As you’d expect from the genre, the two women from separate worlds have to find a common ground and work together to track down the MacGuffin that continues to allude them. It’s that rapport between Yeoh and Rothrock and their take downs of the men that attempt to hinder their investigation that really makes this film shine however. While it doesn’t have much new to offer narrative-wise, the fights are simply jaw dropping and the film has a fantastic sense of humor.
One thing to keep in mind with said fights is this was a much different time. Safety was not quite as key or paramount as it is today on film sets, and especially in Hong Kong. The young Yeoh was just starting out. She had originally started out as a ballet dancer, and after getting hurt was discovered and studied martial arts and stunts under Jackie Chan – so she was more than happy to do her own. It’s something that’s highlighted by the clarity of the disc here, how often Michelle, or one of her costars really took a hit, both intentionally or accidentally in a stunt that would never happen today. It’s equally thrilling and terrifying to watch and also makes Yeoh’s triumphant awards season for Everything Everywhere All at Once feel even more earned, I mean when has Jessica Chastain ever had a kung-fu fight on a moving bulldozer or been strapped to the front of a moving car?
This danger doesn’t simply pertain to the fights either, as every stunt is clear as day, thanks to the immaculate transfers presented and all the more dangerous because you can see all the sharp edges.
Next up was David Chung’s 1986 Royal Warriors, which is clearly the MVP of the set. It’s a film that bleeds neon as it essentially takes the action from the first film, and continuously tries and succeeds at upping the ante. The 80s action fever dream has Yeoh now a completely unrelated character to the first film – but yet another kung-fu expert/cop who after foiling a hijacking and killing the terrorist responsible in the film’s opening, is then tasked with taking out the rest of the gang of terrorists who are also out for revenge for their fallen comrade. Here Michelle is paired with two male cops, one from Hong Kong and one from Japan, and after the Japanese cop’s family is taken out by the terrorists it’s an all out fight to the finish that involves everything from chainsaws to tanks. It somehow fuses the DNA of The Deer Hunter with Supercop in a film that is easily the peak of the series.
If you want to really scratch your head, in some line-ups this film is actually the first film and Yes Madam! is the follow up, one step farther is that these films were also known as the Police Assassins series in a completely different order in some countries. That said, Yeoh here is simply sublime in Royal Warriors. She’s obviously more confident in the action, and this is accompanied by an equally remarkable performance. While this entry does have some of the comedy of the first film, it primarily consists of Yeoh rebuking advances. The narrative here is really more fueled action and melodrama to keep the gnarly action set pieces coming. These set pieces are gorgeously captured by Ma Chun Wah and Derek Wan who nail that 80s aesthetic that is perfectly preserved here in HD.
Shortly after completing the film Yeoh would go on to marry Dickson Poon who founded D&B Films with Sammo Hung, the company which produced all the entries in this series. She would then “retire” from acting for a few years and that is when the series would change leads and also retroactively add the two films before it as the first and second entry.
Next up, we finally get the “In the Line of Duty” moniker with In the Line of Duty 3, as well as new lead in Cynthia Khan. She was another newcomer and her stage name was a combination of the series former stars Cynthia Rothrock and Michelle Khan (aka Yeoh). Cynthia was also another former dancer who was injured like Yeoh before pursuing acting. This entry focuses on a Japanese terrorist couple, who share a toxic dymanic most akin to Harley Quinn and the Joker. After robbing a jewelry fashion show (are these even a thing?), the pair flee to Hong Kong to trade their spoils for weapons for their cause. Double crosses are abound as kung fu expert and Detective Rachel Yeung (Khan) tries to track down the couple as the bodies begin to pile up around them. It’s a solid actioner, and Cynthia Khan is a promising addition to the series.
While this entry isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, its definitely the weakest link as Khan struggles to get her footing and keep the audience engaged.
Finally we have In the Line of Duty IV (1989) closing out the set. This brings back Khan in another disconnected two fisted fighter this time paired with with a very young Donnie Yen as her hot-headed partner, in a film directed by action maestro Yuen Woo-ping. Needless to say this film has some of the most frantic fight sequences in the set as Yen and Khan this time take on the CIA, when a Chinese harbor worker witnesses a murder by a high ranking US official. Yen just bleeds charisma onscreen, opposite a lead who is still struggling to find her way. It’s sad but easy to see why she basically faded into obscurity, while both Yen and Yeoh became international superstars. But the US angle is a weird one as our Hong Kong crimefighters head to the US in the search for justice and offer up a bit of an east versus west subtext. While the story is a bit convoluted for an action flick and takes a hot minute to get up to speed, once it gets going it mostly works and the fight sequences more than keep you engaged.
If I had to rank them it would be:
1. Yes Madam!
2. Royal Warriors
3. In the Line of Duty 4
4. And In the Line of Duty 3, respectfully.
The films are presented in on the set in HD, with each film getting its own Blu-ray disc paired with both Cantonese and English audio mixes of various channel configurations. The transfers presented are bright, with a good contrast and have appear to have had some DNR applied. Given these were likely little to no budget, the films look probably as good as they are probably going to on Blu-ray. As far as extras the set comes with a perfect bound book filled with essays and interviews, posters, double sided covers, and each film is paired with an exhaustive commentary by Hong Kong Film Expert Frank Djeng. The commentaries while super informative do some times repeat information from film to film. So if you mainline all 4 like I did, you’re likely to get the same info dump for the actor whenever he surfaces. I get that could be because each film can then stand on its own, but his approach sometimes feels a bit too rehearsed compared to the more reactionary and conversational commentaries where someone is reacting to the action on screen.
So is this set worth your money? The easy answer is yes. Not only are the films all pretty solid here, they hold up rather well on repeated viewings. That being the case, I really had a lot of fun not only watching these films for this review, but also re-watching for the commentaries! They were like their own little deep dive on each entry that left me with both a historical and a canonical context. The first two are classics and the second two, while not in the same league, are still a two-fisted HD blast. While the only thing missing is more from the female leads of both pairs of films, 88 Films does its best through the commentaries and included archival interview with Yeoh to attempt to shed some light wherever possible for fans. While I think alone these films are worth a purchase, the presentation here really sends it over the top with the extras, and the rather extravagant packaging.
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Yuen Woo Ping’s TIGER CAGE Trilogy on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory
For many in the west, Yuen Woo-ping gained sudden mainstream prominence with his action choreography work on The Matrix and its sequels, as well as a slew of high-profile early 2000s films like Kill Bill, Kung Fu Hustle, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon which capitalized on his new fame.
But the legendary filmmaker had been honing his craft as a director, action and stunt choreographer, fight advisor, and actor for decades, and his Matrix-sparked renaissance wasn’t even his first comeback.
In the late 70s he directed a slew of beloved martial arts classics, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, Drunken Master, and Magnificent Butcher. He continued making films in the early 80s, notably introducing the world to Donnie Yen, but these proved less impactful.
But with the Hong Kong action scene upended by John Woo’s heroic bloodshed films, which proved that modern urban action could be just as impactful and profitable as traditional kung fu fare, a reinvigorated Yuen Woo-ping slammed out a trio of action-packed police dramas for Dickson Poon and Sammo Hung’s production company, D&B Films.
Notably, though the three Tiger Cage films are thematically grouped as a trilogy, there’s no narrative connection or continuity between them, other than the thread of being stories about Hong Kong police. They can be watched independently or in any order. As with Leone’s Man with No Name or Rodriguez’s Mariachi trilogy, some actors even reappear as different characters (most notably Donnie Yen).
And yet, the three films are stylistically quite different from each other.
Tiger Cage (1988)
Things seem to be going pretty well for a successful anti-drug police unit, but in the aftermath of a high profile bust, they are threatened by retaliatory attacks, and a wary Police Inspector (Jacky Cheung) becomes suspicious of corruption and betrayal within their ranks. But when he voices his concerns, he’s framed as the next target.
The film’s tight, mean, and dramatic; it feels like anyone is expendable in service to the story. There’s lots of twists, dummies thrown off buildings (that might sound like a dig but I love it), and a surprisingly potent thread of reignited loyalty from the ashes of betrayal.
This is an absolutely star-studded affair with a huge cast of familiar actors. The primary cast also features Carol Cheng, Simon Yam, and Ng Mn-Tat (even if you you have a hard time placing that name, you probably know him as a recurring Stephen Chow sidekick). The support is also full of notables in both larger and smaller roles, including Donnie Yen, Wang Lung-Wei, and Fung Hak-On.
Tiger Cage 2 (1990)
While Tiger Cage feels pretty hardcore and serious, its followup is a lighter, if bullet riddled, romantic action-comedy.
Off-duty cop Dragon Yau (Donnie Yen) has nothing but spite for his (soon to be ex) wife’s divorce lawyer Mandy (Rosamund Kwan), who feels much the same way about him. But the two are paired up by wrong place/wrong time circumstances, first getting caught in the crossfire of a drug-money gun battle, and then placed at the scene of a murder, becoming the primary suspects.
No sooner are they arrested and handcuffed together than yet another attack ensues, forcing them to flee the crime scene and kicking off a brief Defiant Ones riff, not only fugitives from the law, but also hounded by the actual perpetrator, a vengeful crime boss who thinks they have his money-filled briefcase (Robin Shou).
Eventually joined by a third partner involved in the chase (David Wu), the pair become not only a trio but a love triangle as the two men both fall for Mandy and also try to plan for an ultimate confrontation against their pursuers, featuring some incredible fighting and most iconically a climactic sword battle. It’s the most fun and memorable of the three films, owing not only to the great action but the chemistry and likeability of its stars.
Tiger Cage 3 (1991)
The third film in the cycle is the most melodramatic and tragic, and of the three it’s the one that seems to be most impacted by the style and storytelling of the heroic bloodshed subgenre, with classical narrative elements that recall The Phantom of the Opera and The Count of Monte Cristo.
James, a jealous police detective (Kwok Leung Cheung), reluctantly allows his girlfriend Suki (Sharla Cheung), who is employed by a suspected criminal, to act as a spy for the department. With her intelligence and eye-catching beauty, Suki makes a great informant, easily distracting and manipulating men. Michael Wong also stars as James’ friend and coworker.
But things get too hot, Suki is kidnapped by one of her criminal suitors (Kam-kong Wong), and James is apparently killed in his rescue attempt. Devastated, Suki gives in to her captor.
Burned but alive, a rehabilitated James eventually resurfaces and takes up pursuit, wearing a mask to hide his mutilated face. But Suki now seems comfortably integrated with the criminal enterprise; is she in too deep and taken in by the wealth and power of being the boss’s girl, or still maintaining her cover?
It’s the most classically tragic and melodramatic of the three films, with many characters caught in the crossfire and meeting untimely demises, and no guarantee of a happy ending. There’s definitely a lot of action, including a rooftop brawl of a finale, but in this tale it does seem to take a back seat to the story.
It’s worth noting that the burn makeup effects are a little shoddy and obvious, frequently detaching from James’ face in a way that’s distracting, but this is a pretty small complaint in a largely emotive and engaging film.
The Package
Shout Factory’s Blu-ray edition of The Tiger Cage Collection packages all three films in a shared Blu-ray case housed in a slipbox. Each movie and its respective extras is housed on one of three discs.
Special Features and Extras – Tiger Cage
- Cantonese and English cuts of the film
- Audio commentary by critic & author David West
- “A Tiger’s Tale – Frank Djeng Discusses a Classic Action Trilogy”
- “An Apex Predator – Actor Vincent Lyn Remembers Tiger Cage”
- Theatrical Trailer (3:23)
- English Trailer (4:46)
Special Features and Extras – Tiger Cage 2
- Hong Kong and Malaysian cuts of the film
- Audio commentary by critic & author David West
- “Clawing a Living: Action Choreographer Bill Lui Reflects in Tiger Cage II” (30:06)
- “Hunting High and Low: Victor Fan on the Golden Age of Hong Kong Action” (18:31)
- Theatrical Trailer (4:00)
Special Features and Extras – Tiger Cage 3
- Audio commentary by critic & author David West
- “A New Wave of Violence: James Mudge on the Hong Kong Heroic Bloodshed Boom” (19:57)
- “Inventing an Icon – Critic Ricky Baker Discusses the Emergene of the Heroic Bloodshed Term (8:12)
- Theatrical Trailer (3:48)
- English Trailer (4:01)
A/V Out.
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Except where noted, all 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have compression or resizing inherent to file formats and online image rendering. All package photography was taken by the reviewer.
