7/09/2010

Fantasy Mission Force (1982)


Fantasy Mission Force (1982)-* * *

AKA: Mini Special Force and Shadowman 2

Directed by: Yen-ping Chu

Starring: Jackie Chan and Brigitte Lin











Possibly the most insane Jackie Chan vehicle, "Fantasy Mission Force" begins with a bearded General with a monocle deciding who is going to be part of a commando group. He shows the people in the room a slide show of James Bond, a man resembling Snake Plissken and Sylvester Stallone as Rocky. After stating that "James Bond is not available, he's in a different country", and "Rocky is not part of a military operation!", he is cut off in mid-sentence by the title, credits and song. It then goes to a bar where people are singing and dancing.



Are you confused? That's okay, it's all part of the nonsensical fun.

Next we have Jackie Chan (in this outing as "Jacky") fighting a sumo wrestler. He did fifteen years in jail "for gambling". It then cuts to a Monty Python-style parade of Chinese Scottish people in kilts and playing bagpipes. The "Fantasy Mission Force" consists of a few people walking around outside. They then find a haunted house with a floating head. Then there are "yellow-hooded Nazis".



This movie is a jumble of crazy ideas, sped-up martial arts, bad dubbing (Jackie Chan sounds like a girl) and jagged editing. It's rare that you see a movie where absolutely nothing makes any sense whatsoever. There are some fight scenes at the end that are somewhat "normal" but "Fantasy Mission Force" is one silly, zany scene after another. If that sounds like your cup of tea, see it if you get the chance!





Comeuppance review by: Ty and Brett

7/08/2010

Undefeatable (1993)


Undefeatable (1993)-* * *

Directed by: Godfrey Ho

Starring: Cynthia Rothrock and John Miller
















Paul, AKA "Stingray" is an abusive husband who also fights in "Death Matches". His wife Anna (he calls her "Hannah" a few times), leaves him and he goes insane. Any woman who wears a flower print dress and has black hair becomes one of his victims. He tortures and kills them, and their boyfriends.



Meanwhile, Kristi Jones (Rothrock) is part of the gang the Red Dragons. She gets paid to fight other gangs. When Paul kills Kristi's sister, Kristi gets mad and is out for revenge.



If you know anything about the great Godfrey Ho, you know this is completely insane. Perhaps not as much as, say, Clash of the Ninjas (1986), but hilariously deranged in its own right.

The character of Paul makes a ridiculous baddie. He closely resembles Joey Buttafuoco, and he saves people's eyeballs in his fish tank. He tortures people and kickboxes at the same time. He screams "I will find you!" and spray paints his hair red to look more devilish. He yells fan favorite yell, "Nooooooo!!!!"



The other villains are incredibly funny. One looks like Eddie Murphy, "Bear" dresses in a football outfit and does somersaults. When Bear (not the same Bear from Maximum Force (1992)) loses his match with Kristi, his girlfriend sighs, "Oh, Bear!"

The last line of the movie is as nonsensical and hilarious as the rest of it. We won't give it away, but suffice it to say, enrollment in college is involved.

Undefeatable is silly fun at its finest. Godfrey Ho can shoot action as well as concoct an absurd storyline. It is filled with so many funny lines, we can't list them all here. This film can be enjoyed by anyone, and if you already like Rothrock it only sweetens the deal.

Comeuppance review by: Ty and Brett