The Perfect Weapon (1991)

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

It’s sad that Jeff Speakman was never able to obtain a full fledged career in Hollywood as an action star, because while his style of martial arts isn’t flashy, it certainly is fantastic to watch. Speakman had real charisma and passable acting chops to put him at the league of Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. It just never panned out. As a debut action film, “Perfect Weapon” is a fun and serviceable action film about redemption and revenge that Speakman carries on his own with flying colors. I wish we’d seen much higher budget fare with his later action vehicles, but at least his breakout is entertaining.

Continue reading →

The Next Karate Kid (1994)

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I guess we all have to have our stumbling blocks to get to the top, and Hilary Swank has what is one of the more tepid reboots ever concocted. I’m not above a reboot of “Karate Kid” with a girl this time. I’d actually prefer a gender swap in the interest of a new character dynamic. It’s just sad that said reboot completely misses the point of the original film. And kind of drags Mr. Miyagi out from the eighties to deal with a frustratingly annoying main heroine this time around.

Continue reading →

The Karate Kid, Part II (1986)

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

There’s something about the follow up to “Karate Kid” that just gets the formula right. It doesn’t feel like a cheap cash grab like “Ghostbusters II,” and acts like an extension of the narrative from the first film like “Aliens.” The original “Karate Kid” was about the underdog Daniel overcoming his bullies through the art and discipline of karate. The writers now turn the coin to Mr. Miyagi to explore his enigmatic origins. It’s a smart move and a very clever turn to add pathos and a really complex sense of humanity to Pat Morita’s iconic character. “The Karate Kid” sequel is Miyagi’s film. We learn a lot about the character in the sequel, prompting sensei and student to feel like two very complete individuals with their own demons to battle.

Continue reading →

The Karate Kid (1984)

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

Even as a kid, I was constantly replaying my parents’ VHS copy of “The Karate Kid” and never quite found it to be a masterpiece. Not that it’s a bad movie, in fact “The Karate Kid” is a very good under dog action drama with director Roger Avildsen taming the tale of “Rocky” for a younger more diverse audience. It’s a film for an audience that can identify with the slim Daniel who has to learn how to defend himself, or suffer endless torment by the violent Cobra Kai dojo and their ring leader Johnny.

Continue reading →

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“The Mighty Ducks” is just one in a long line of “Bad News Bears” wannabes that pits a crotchety man with a bunch of misfit athletes to use sports as a form of self realization. Thankfully “The Mighty Ducks” is one of the best of the bunch, choosing hockey this time to help a group of smart aleck kids come of age. There’s also Emilio Estevez who is a cynical businessman with the heart of a hockey player, who finds that he still loves the game despite his regrets.

Continue reading →

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

It’s surprising that for a movie about anthropomorphic talking turtles that director Steve Barron takes the premise with as much seriousness as possible. Director Barron just seems to get the appeal of the Ninja Turtles, walking the line between the mainstream versions and the original Eastman and Laird R rated comic book. The turtles here have a hard edge, but are entertaining sympathetic heroes, and they’re the center of what is still a damn good action film about family, revenge, unity.

Continue reading →

Transcendence (2014) [Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet)

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

It’s interesting to see that Johnny Depp is at a point in his career where he can just film himself with the cast for twenty minutes worth of a two hour movie, and then just rely on special effects for the rest of the film. I imagine Depp was in a bungalow vacationing, and would interrupt his getaway to film his footage for a few days with green screen. For a film that revolves around demonizing technology to emphasize how it destroys humanity and human contact, it’s inadvertently comical to see most of Depp’s performance rely solely on him having zero contact with anyone in the cast. And even when Depp is on screen, you’d swear he was being played by a robotic double still figuring out that tricky concept called emotions.

Continue reading →