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richgei
Reviews
Wave Babes (2003)
Good, low budget comedy
Sure, this was made on a shoe-string budget, but it has the energy and quirkiness you have to love when you're sick of the formula Hollywood movies and want something different. The kind of story you don't know where it'll take you next. The kind that doesn't feel bound to make money for big investors.
There's no doubt that talented people made it, just not wealthy people. In some ways, the lack of budget helped to make it work because it suspended your disbelief by not being too slick.
If you like a slick big-budget look, then this definitely isn't for you. There weren't as many takes as the director and actors would've like, but it works for what it is, a unique, fun story with interesting characters.
Tian mai zhuan qi (2002)
Doesn't cut it, even with Michelle Yeoh
As a huge fan of Michelle Yeoh, I was waiting with baited breath to see a beautifully photographed movie with her as the star. An English language movie that was supposed to have world-wide appeal, proof to everyone that she had the true star power she already had for me and many others. While the photography was gorgeous and her strength in the lead role was obvious, the story was weak. Worse yet, the action scenes seemed too slow and "choreographed-looking." The attempts at humor were not only poor, but got really annoying. Worst of all, Michelle played the role of a wonderfully dynamic, good-hearted, woman who still loves a heel, a former love and father of their son. Ben Chaplin does a good job of playing the role of a self-centered, unreliable, untrustworthy crook with absolutely no redeeming value. I know in real life lots of women love the worst men, so there's no escapism here. But this movie makes it look like its cool to be a jerk, making it all the harder to watch. I bought the DVD for my Michelle collection. How many times I'll be able to watch it, I don't know.
Whatever It Takes (1998)
Victoria Pratt fans may want this in their collection.
I agree with the reviewers that this movie is not good. I enjoy low budget movies if they have a certain charm that makes them interesting and unique. This is too "formula" to be low-budget and charming and not strong enough to be a main stream "formula" action film. However, I bought this because I'm a big Victoria Pratt fan and wanted all of her movies and TV shows. If you like her too, you may want to pick this up. She's in about 7 scenes, mostly wearing hot workout outfits at the gym and hot "night out" outfits in other scenes. She's even topless in another. She looks buff and wonderful as always! I suggest buying the DVD so that you can select her scenes without having to fast forward through a tape and being forced to watch the movie itself more than once. Used copies are a little cheaper too.
Yun yu di liu gan (1992)
A must for Michiko fans!
This movie is a low-budget attempt at remaking "The Eyes of Laura Mars." It's not great nor is it bad. For Michiko Nishiwaki fans this is a must because she proves she can act and not just fight. She stated her desire to do both in the video "Top Fighter 2, Deadly China Dolls." Her english was okay in the video, but I'm sure her heavy accent is holding her career back a bit. This is a chance to see her display her acting skills without using martial arts, much like "Easy Money" is for Michelle Yeoh. "Passionate" is out of print for the most part, but I found a VCD with English subtitles which was surprisingly good quality. If you like Michiko as much as I do, try to find a copy. It's worth it.
Ba hai hong ying (1993)
This movie has been re-released
A Hong Kong action movie being renamed? This must be a first! If you're interested in getting a copy, I found it as a Black Belt Theatre release on DVD. It's now entitled, "Tomb Raiders." However, there is no tomb and there are no raiders. Who cares! Anytime you put Michiko Nishiwaki, Yukari Oshima, Moon Lee and Cynthia Khan together in the same movie, it's worth seeing. There is a second title on this DVD, "Godfather's Daughter" starring Yukari. The title changed only slightly from the original "Godfather's Daughter, Mafia Blues."
Cleopatra 2525 (2000)
A Comic Book Come to Life
The same producers made Hercules and Xena. They were both action shows, but with strong emphasis on the dramatic battle between good and evil. Cleo, on the other hand, is a comic book come to life. Sure, it doesn't have the deep, brooding style of story-telling its predecessors had, but it's not supposed to. It was designed to be a companion to the hilarious "Jack of all Trades" starring the great Bruce Campbell (known as "Back to Back Action").
The Cleo woman are tough and strong, and yes, scantily-clad, just as comic book characters usually are. Unfortunately, some fans tuned the show out early because they took it too seriously. Understandably, the half-hour shows were dominated by constant laser battles and fist-fights. But the later shows were an hour long, allowing the characters to develop and grow. That helped build the drama and made the action scenes more effective.
Having the "Cleo" character (Jennifer Sky) be an exotic dancer from today added contrast and humor. And I'm not surprised that Gina Torres and Victoria Pratt are on new shows. They are both fine screen presences. So, relax, enjoy the comic book action and don't take it too seriously.