Movies
Very much recommended if you've been enjoying the epic productions of the previous decade.
Another milestone for Netflix. This is the first time they're dropping a big budget Chinese epic right onto their platform. Covid-19 is definitely offering them an advantage when directors like Teddy Chan are skipping theatrical releases and going directly to streaming. It's a brave new world indeed. Double World is a pretty standard blockbuster fantasy. That means you should expect a hefty dose of CG, some slightly confusing lore and a plot that is more focused on action set pieces and broad spectacle than on character development and smart plotting. It would be weird to expect anything else. My main gripe is that the creature designs felt a little lazy, a fantasy film like this could've more inspiring creatures rather than giant scorpions and a basic dragon. But the action scenes are solid, and the ending was pretty impressive. Not enough to make this a true classic, but if you want some fun filler then Double Word delivers.Read all
1:99 Shorts
Commissioned anthology that was made to lift the spirit of Hong Kong during the SARS epidemic. The who's who of Hong Kong cinema participated, but the result is a little uneven. Not too surprising considering the exterior motives behind this anthology, and there are a couple of worthwhile entries, but overall it's probably best to lower your expectations when watching this.
A pretty standard Jackie Chan flick, which for some reason has escaped me all these years. I had some expectations going in, since Teddy Chan has proven himself a capable director in the past, but apart from the usual Chan antics there really isn't all that much here. Even a mediocre Chan flicks is still pretty decent though. When Buck stops a robbery on a jeweler, a private detective sees in him the perfect sucker to solve a difficult case. He delves into Buck's past and convinces him he's the long-lost son of a Korean spy. Buck travels to South-Korea to seek out his father, and gets mixed up in a very dangerous international conflict. It's nice to see Eric Tsang and Vivian Hsu next to Chan, but this is really just the big Jackie Chan show. Whatever happens in between the action scenes is quite dull and unexciting, but once Chan start hopping around, doing his typical acrobatics mixed with a little comedy, the film redeems itself. Simple but decent entertainment.Read all