Movie Talk - Jackie Chan

Next up, I’m looking at someone I’ve barely talked about here: Chan Kong-sang. For those who don’t know, his professional name is Jackie Chan. I think it’s safe to say that Chan’s one of the best actors to come from China. The guy’s done a lot in 50 years, so I obviously haven’t seen all of his filmography. The first I ever heard of him was a trailer for Rumble in The Bronx. Since then, I seen a lot more of his American-made and Chinese-made films.

I think one reason I’ve barely talked about him here is because there are so many movies. I’ve only mentioned him in a post and talked about his Bruceploitation movie, New Fist of Fury. So, I might as well continue from there since it did get better… I think. Today, I got five movies. I was planning on doing a movie from each decade, but it looks like I’m only making it to the 90’s today. Someone had gotten my dad a DVD set with some of Chan’s movies there. I also own The Legend of Drunken Master, so I tried to watch some over the last few days.

Movie Talk - Bruceploitation Part 5 - Are We There Yet?

Hmm... so this is either Praying Mantis style, "Flipping the Bird" style, or "I'm Trying Not To Step On These  Full Rat-traps" style. 

Well, it’s time to get back into the weird subgenre known as Bruceploitation. It’s been a thing for years during this month. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Wikipedia has a good description. If you don’t like clicking on links, here’s a quick summary. Brucesploitation was a phenomenon that occurred in the 1970’s after Bruce Lee’s sudden death. Filmmakers were trying to milk Lee’s death by putting out movies with look-alikes. Even Jackie Chan, who I’ll get to later, was a “clone.” Even if the movie had nothing to do with Bruce Lee, they’d title it with some related to the dude.

When you get to the movies themselves, they tend to vary in quality. You’d get some that are pretty entertaining movies in their own right. While they’re not awesome movies, they are at least decent. Then, you would also get some that are dull, some that  are dreadful, and some that have pretty ridiculous. If you read previous posts, you’ll know which ones I’m talking about. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything like The Dragon Lives Again, but there is one that is somewhat close. Anyway, here are five movies from that weird genre.

Movie Throwdown! - The Raid: Redemption vs. Dredd Part 2

Well, here is the rest of my match-up between The Raid: Redemption and Dredd.

SETTING

Next up is a small one: the setting. The Raid takes in present-day Jakarta. We’re pretty much stuck in a 15-story building. We don’t see much of the outside world other than a couple of stuff at the beginning. After Rama’s intro, we’re thrown right into the mission. We also find out that Jakarta has a pretty bad problem with corruption. As for Dredd, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States. It’s a wasteland (insert random Trump joke here) and all that’s left is Mega-City One on the Eastern Coast. Since it’s crap, the Judges are there to do what they can. We also got mutants and sometimes they don’t come out pretty like Judge Anderson.

The setting that appealed to me the most was Dredd’s. Even though we don’t get much, a lot of the city is detailed through dialogue. The city itself looks interesting since you got all of these large towers standing everywhere. Even Peach Trees had some interesting stuff in it. The Raid doesn’t get this since the mission is pretty much the thing in the movie. So, this point is going to Dredd.

The Raid – 1

Dredd – 2

Movie Throwdown! - The Raid: Redemption vs. Dredd Part 1

Today’s two post are about something I’ve had my mind on for a while now. In 2011, The Raid: Redemption was released. It’s about an Indonesian SWAT team that’s trapped in a building run by a dangerous gangster. Butts are kicked, shots are fired aplenty, and a lotta folk die. In 2012, Dredd, based off of 2000AD's Judge Dredd, was released in theatres. The movie is about how two law officers (Judges) get trapped in a district (Mega-Block) ran by a dangerous gangster. Shots are fired aplenty and a lotta folk die.

If these two movies sound familiar, then you’re not the only one who thinks that. It’s kind of unclear if the creators got ideas from each other or if it’s just a coincidence. It’s not like the plots for these movies are original, so it doesn’t really matter in the end. Just know that they are both good films in their respective rights. They’re up there with some of the best in their genres. Still, which one is better? I know there are some folk out there that have done this, but I think it’s time to add my voice to “The Raid vs. Dredd” debate.

Before I get to the match-ups, here is a general overview of both movies:

• The Raid: Redemption – The Raid takes place in Jakarta, Indonesia. It follows a Special Forces unit as they are tasked with conducting a raid on an apartment block. Their goal is to take out Tama, the head gangster over the block. Of course, things go bad when Tama finds out they’re coming and unleashes the whole block which is full of a lot of criminals. Rama, a rookie cop, and the rest of the team do their best to survive in the block and meet their objective. Rama also has a personal reason for being there since his brother is in Tama’s gang.
• Dredd – Dredd takes place in a dystopic, futuristic metropolis called Mega City-One. The Judges are the law of the town and enact swift justice on criminals. We end up following Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) and a rookie named Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirbly). They’re tasked to find out about a new drug that’s hit the street. When they make it to Peach Trees, a 30-story tower, they run into trouble. Gangster Madeline Mardgril, aka Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), finds out about them, locks down the tower, and sends the lowlifes after them. Dredd and Anderson must use their weapons and abilities (Anderson’s a mutant) in order to survive and enact justice on Ma-Ma.

Trade Tales! - Tekken: Blood Feud

Next up for the month is a return to the comic book world. This time, it’s a look at another Tekken comic book. Tekken has always had trouble with being adapted to other media and comics are no exception. There were comics released in the 90’s and judging by this article, they weren’t good. I didn’t even have a good time with Tekken Forever. Heck, that issue was so bad it pretty much killed the mini-series it was setting up. Anyway, it looks like Namco wanted to try this again, so they gave their license to Titans Comics.

Tekken: Blood Feud was released last year over four issues. I actually found out about the series during Free Comic Book Day.  The first issue of the series was on the stands at that time. I tried to keep up with it but ultimately just got the trade which was recently released. It’s supposed to take place between Tekken 6 and the recently released Tekken 7. It was written by Cavan Scott. The artwork was handled by Andie Tong and the colors were done by Mauricio Wallace. So, what did happen to Jin between games?

Tekken: Blood Feud

Writer: Cavan Scott

Art: Andie Tong

Colors: Mauricio Wallace

Letters: Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt

Design: Russ Seal

Editor: Tom Williams

TV Talk - Into The Badlands Season 1

Next up for the month is something that’s been in my Netflix Watch List for some time. In 2015, AMC aired Into The Badlands, a show that feels like a mix of Django Unchained, Mad Max, Game of Thrones, and The 36^th Chamber of Shaolin. The show was a bit of a hit and got a longer second season in 2017. It’s slated to release a third season this year. I had heard of the show but I never really got around to watching it until now. I wasn’t even sure if it was still airing on AMC. I was grateful to find the first season on Netflix.

The show was created by a couple of familiar guys: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the guys behind Smallville. Headlining (and serving as executive producer) the show is Daniel Wu, an actor I haven’t heard of until now. From what I’ve looked at online, he’s been pretty busy in a variety of movies. I didn’t recognize any of the other main cast, though. There were some guest stars I recognized. They were Stephen Lang, Lance Henrickson, Edi Gathegi, and Cung Le.

Into The Badlands takes place in a post-apocalyptic future. Over time, a feudalistic society rose up in this area known as the Badlands. Electricity and cars are still around but guns have been done away with. Barons control land and use manual labor to produce resources for the whole territory. They use soldiers called “Clippers” to carry out their orders. You’d also have wars, skirmishes, and all that sort between the barons. This ain’t even including the other bits of randomness in the Badlands.

Our main character is Sunny (Daniel Wu), the lead Clipper of Baron Quinn. We catch up with him as he finds M.K., a young man who has some weird abilities. Sunny, who is getting tired of the Clipper life, does what he can for the kid when he finds out that he’s not from the Badlands. Meanwhile, others are looking for M.K. especially a baroness called the Widow. While all of this is going on, we get a weird family drama with Baron Quinn and his family. Also, wushu theatrics get sprinkled in and it is awesome.

TV Talk - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) Season 1

Next up for the month is a return to the sewers. It’s been a while since I’ve talked about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so it’s time get back on that mutated horse. Today, it’s Season 1 of the Nickelodeon series.

I actually wasn’t interested in this series when it came out. Since I barely watch regular TV, it just slipped by. I did look at some reviews of it on YouTube. Andre the Black Nerd would put reviews out on it. It wasn’t until just recently that I decided to watch it. All five seasons were on Hulu and I needed some TMNT love for this month. While I am still a self-professed TMNT fan, I didn’t know what to expect with it. Would be campy like the 80’s one or darker like the 2000’s one?

Season 1 started in Fall of 2012 and lasted 26 episodes. It’s pretty much the beginning point for the TMNT. Splinter (who was a man turned into a rat here) trained the Turtles for 15 years and decided it was time for them to see the surface world. When they make it there, they get right into trouble. They get two villain groups on their trail. We got the Kraang, aliens from another dimension who want to rule Earth. We also have the Foot Clan led by Ouruko Saki, the Shredder. The Shredder has a vendetta against Splinter, so you know stuff’s going to go down. It’s a staple of the franchise. Luckily, the Turtles have some help in the form of April O’Neil, a brave 16 year-old girl… yeah, they did that. Luckily, it works for this show.

Tales From the 50 Cent Bin! - Suicide Squad #38

So, it’s snowing in Tennessee and I’m stuck in Nashville. While being off from work is fine, I wish I got to enjoy the snow in the country. Oh well… on with the show.

Next up for the month is a return to the DC Universe. While most of them are lesser known, there are other fighters in the universe other than the Batman family. One that gets little mention is Ben Turner, aka “The Bronze Tiger,” a man who was brainwashed by the League of Assassins He was introduced along with Richard Dragon in Dragon’s Fists, a novel written by Denny O’Neil in 1975. He then appeared with Richard Dragon in the comic series Richard Dragon: Kung Fu Fighter. He then appeared here and there throughout the DC Universe. He fought Batman a couple of times… and won. Take that, uber-Batfans!!!

Ben then was made a regular member of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad, which is the subject for today. He even had Rick Flag’s job in leading the team for quite a while. Tonight’s issue is Suicide Squad #38. Even though I haven’t made it here in my read-through (I stopped at "The Janus Directive"), I thought I’d touch on this issue. John Ostrander handles the plot while Robert Greenberger does the script. Luke McDonnell did the layouts while Geof Isherwood is over finishes. So, what happens when Ben is questioned by his superiors?

Suicide Squad #38

Plot: John Ostrander

Script: Robert GreenBerger

Layouts: Luke McDonnell

Finishes: Geof Isherwood

Colors: Todd Klein

Letters: Carl Gafford

Editor:  Dan Raspler

Tales From the $3.99 Bin! - Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises #1

Next up for the month is a pretty modern comic. Back in 2016, an independent publisher called Darby Pop released a mini-series called Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises. It’s a book for all ages. I don’t remember when I first heard about it, but I was kind of interested in it. It lasted four issues and I own the first two. It’s been released in the trades since then. Today, I’ll just be talking about the first issue to the miniseries.

One of the biggest things about it is that Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee’s daughter, is actually involved in it. She and Jeff Kline wrote the story. Kline was a producer and writer on some of the recent Transformer shows and Jackie Chan Adventures. Finding that out helps me get this comic. The artwork is handled by Brandon McKinney, the colors are done by Zac Atkinson, and Troy Peteri does the letters. Reginald Hudlin is on here as a consulting producer which sounds weird. I guess that means he’s the editor? Oh well, on to the synopsis!

Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises #1

Writers: Shannon Lee and Jeff Kline

Art: Brandon McKinney

Colors: Zac Atkinson

Letters: Troy Peteri

Design: Steve Blackwell

Consulting Producer: Reginald Hudlin

Tales From the Magazine Bin! - The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #15

A few years ago, I looked at something different for the blog: a magazine. It wasn’t any ordinary magazine, though. The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu was a black-and-white comic magazine that Marvel published for 33 issues. The Kung Fu craze was at full force in the 70’s, so Marvel not only created characters like Shang-Chi and Iron Fist, they also had this magazine. The magazine contained reprints of comics, “how-to” articles, and reviews on stuff. After I looked at the one from a few years ago, I thought I'd watch out for these.

Today’s issue is #15 and it’s the magazine’s annual. It was released during the Summer of 1974. We actually get three regular-paged reprints in here this time. An artist named Nick Cardy handled the pretty cool cover of Shang-Chi and Iron Fist kicking butt. If only they had actually teamed up in the magazine.  "Midnight Brings Dark Death” was first printed in Special Marvel Edition #16."Heart of the Dragon" first came out in Marvel Premiere #16. Finally, "Retreat" originally came out in Master of Kung Fu #19.

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 18: Ultimate Knights

Well, a new year has dawned on us and I’m starting it off by looking at media featuring martial arts. That’s what January has been about for the last few years and I still want to keep it up. Sorry for starting a little late. So, what can I say that isn’t related to me making fun of the fact that Spider-Man: Homecoming pushed Black Panther back a few months? I might as well let go now. I don’t need to mention it anymore especially since I watched Homecoming with a pretty cool lady. Wait, what else has happened that involves a certain creator of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe?

For those who don’t know, Brian Michael Bendis, the writer of this series and many other series, has left Marvel for DC Comics. It was something that literally got me out of bed when I saw it on my phone. I didn’t believe and I’m still pretty shocked. One may wonder what caused him to leave but I wanna know what he’s going to do at DC. Maybe he could do justice with the Outsiders or B’Wanna Beast. Just keep him away from Superman because I can see that going either way.

Anyway, the next volume for this series is "Ultimate Knights" and it contains Ultimate Spider-Man #106-111. The creative team is pretty much the same. Bendis is writing, Andrew Hennessy is inking, and Justin Ponsor handles the colors. Mark Bagley is still on pencils but it has to be said that this is his last arc with this series. He and Bendis stuck with this series for over 110 single issues. Not many teams have done that. At the end of this arc, he passes the torch-shaped pencil to Stuart Immonen who does a few pages here. So, let’s see what happens when Spidey teams up with some martial artists, a crazy guy, a sorcerer, and a blind lawyer.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 18: Ultimate Knights

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen

Inks: Andrew Hennessy

Colors: Justin Ponsor

Letters: Corey Petit