Everyday Hero (2017) [Film Review]

Everyday Hero (2017); or, Saving the Village
     I never thought I would come to a place like Li Tan Village. But now, when I’m together with the folks, working on these trivial, petty matters, I feel happy. I’m very happy!
Everyday Hero is a 2017 biopic based on the real-life figure of Guo Jian Nan, a local activist who was in charge of the Poverty Alleviation Programme. Director Zheng Hua crafts a calm story about a determined man who wanted to make a difference in a poverty-stricken Chinese countryside.

Release Info

Directed by:  Zheng Hua Starring: Sun Hong Tao, Ru Ping, Ai Liya

Language: Mandarin Runtime: 90 min

Synopsis
Meet Brother Nan (Sun Hong Tao). He is an ordinary engineer who is full of resilience and optimism. He is ordered by his superiors to go to a local village called Li Tan and prepare the construction for the factory. When it turns out that there’s not enough space for the factory, Nan decides to stay in the village and think of other ways to get it out of poverty. However, his duties begin to take a toll on his family life.

Pushing it to the limit
Everyday Hero seems to be just an educational picture showing how poverty alleviation committees work in China, but it is also a charming slice-of-life story. Brother Nan is a kind everyman who wants to do a good deed. The tone of the film and how the simple country life was presented reminded me about Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero (1983).

Evidently, the Chinese government wanted to underline the fact that poverty still exists in the rural parts of PRC and that they are going to fight it. Brother Nan is the symbolic government emissary who does everything in his power to help the villagers, yet most of the action to get things done comes from people he interacts with.

I particularly enjoyed the interactions of Nan with the locals as well as his relationship with a loving wife (Ru Ping) and a daughter. The idealism of Nan is the central focus the story, but some things could have been given greater exposition. At times, it is hard to understand some activities undertaken by Nan which are meant to help the village. More information would definitely benefit the script.

With regard to performances, the performance of the main lead actor, Sun Hong Tao, is solid. In addition, there was also a wonderful supporting part done by an actress Ai Liya who played a deaf-mute woman. She was a true highlight of the film.

Recommendations
All things considered, if you are in the mood for a peaceful biopic with picturesque Chinese landscapes, then Everyday Hero is the movie for you. It is interesting that the Chinese filmmakers devoted a film to a local activist rather than some kind of popular artist or celebrity. It is a thoughtful insight into modern topical problems. My thanks go to TriCoast Studios for sharing the screener. They released the film under their TriCoast Entertainment label. See the trailer below:Overall score: 7/10

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Lady Detective Shadow (2018) [Film Review]

Lady Detective Shadow; or, The Royal Constable
     Wrong! I’m Sima Feiyan. My friends in Jianghu gave me the name Ghost’s Sorrow.
Lady Detective Shadow is a 2018 Chinese production directed by Si Shu-bu and produced by Bey Logan and James Nan. It is a well-made Wushu flick with Shang Rong as the female lead.

Release Info

Directed by: Si Shu-bu Starring: Shang Rong, Zhang Ren-bo

Language: Mandarin Runtime: 90 min

Synopsis

Ancient China is torn between imperial dynasties and rough scoundrels. When a series of gruesome murders takes place in a remote desert area, the courageous Lady Detective Shadow (Shang Rong), who bears the title of the Royal Constable, is called to the scene. With her extraordinary deduction skills and martial arts, she tracks down the murderers. Little does she know, however, that there is a huge hunt going on for a lost treasure…

Shadow of the Night
The movie opens with a beautiful animation which provides the much-needed exposition: these are the times of lawlessness and Lady Detective Shadow is send to clean up the town. The main heroine feels like an amalgam of Sherlock Holmes and Detective Dee due to her outstanding wisdom, memory, and fight skills.

The undeniable advantage of the film is production design and well choreographed action sequences which really give the picture that classic Wushu feels. Even though Lady Detective Shadow was made on a tight budget (evident use of CGI in certain outdoor scenes), it certainly feels like an homage to good old Shaw Brothers productions.

The story itself is a classic morality tale which turns the third act into Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Apart from evident Indiana Jones feels, the narrative is more akin to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with its pacing and subtlety. Of course, Wushu films are not for everyone. If you can’t stand the slow pace, then it is better to give this film a pass.

Speaking about performances, I’m surprised at how much I liked Shang Rong as the main heroine. A sequel has to be made just because of her performance. Ideally, it would have been awesome to see a crossover in which Lady Detective Shadow meets Detective Dee.

Recommendations
If you are into a martial-arts adventure story, then give Lady Detective Shadow a chance. It is an entertaining flick that harkens back to old Chinese period pieces. My thanks go to TriCoast Studios for sharing the screener. They released the film under their DarkCoast label. See the trailer below: Overall score: 7/10

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The Dark Soul (2018) [Film Review]

The Dark Soul (2018); or, In Search of…
     This is not some American town. It’s Asia. An Asian guy looking for another Asian guy in Asian city, that’s one thing. If I walk the streets with some big American, people are going to start talking about me, not to me.
The Dark Soul is one of the latest filmmaking endeavors from director Bey Logan and producer James Nan. A low-key mystery drama with action elements may initially seem to a boring story, but it surprisingly turns out to be a pleasant viewing experience.

Release Info

Directed by: Bey Logan Starring: Kevin Brewerton, Lang-Xing Ye, Connie Song, Bianca Stam

Language: English, Mandarin Runtime: 90 min

Synopsis
An American man called Chandler (Kevin Brewerton) arrives in China in order to find a missing person. A police officials sends him to a local contact, Dickson Lee (Lang-Xing Ye), who is supposedly an expert in such cases. The partners with contrasting dynamics have to find their way through the brutal world of an international crime syndicate. In order to catch the bad guys, they must unravel the mystery connected with independent medical facilities in China.

The Chinese Connection
The Dark Soul plays on the familiar theme of “fish out of water” which was present in The Way of the Dragon as well as A Rumble in the Bronx. However, the situation is reversed this time and we get to see a Westerner trying to get a grip in the Orient.

Intriguing storyline and nicely choreographed fight sequences directly point that this movie may be a decent Jason Statham vehicle; nevertheless, the main leads: Kevin Brewerton and Lang-Xing Ye do a great job.

The story might be confusing at first (a foreigner is looking for a Chinese guy he has never met before), but things become clearer more or less halfway through the picture. I have to admit that the plot twist reminded me a bit about Jun’ya Sato’s classic thriller from 1976 Manhunt. However, I do not intend to share any spoilers.

Apart from great performances of the main leads, I also enjoyed the supporting parts done by Connie Song (as Karen Kan, the flower shop lady) and Bianca Stam who played Mrs. Zhou, the main villainess. She had a great fight scene in the finale and I wish she could have been utilized more in the picture.

Recommendations
All things considered, The Dark Soul is a better effort than Vixen (2018). Indeed, it is engaging and enjoyable for one viewing. In addition, I appreciate the “behind the scenes” montage during the end credits. It clearly shows the passion of the crew and their hard work that went into this big project made on a relatively small budget. My thanks go to TriCoast Studios for sharing the screener. They released the film under their DarkCoast label. See the trailer below:Overall score: 7/10

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The Fatal Contract (2018) [Film Review]

The Fatal  Contract; or, The Mystery of Cursed Paintings
     I saw how hurt he was. I told him to paint a few paintings to burn them to accompany her over the other side, then she will have friends. I never guessed that Bai Wei also had a bad fortune.
The Fatal Contract is a 2018 mystery thriller starring legendary Bai Ling, Tao Hong, and Zhao Yan Guo Zhang in the leading roles. It was directed by Tan Bing who stated the film was inspired by the story of an artist who only painted dead people. Let’s take a closer look at this low-key drama:

Release Info

Directed by: Tan Bing Starring: Bai Ling, Tao Hong, Zhao Yan Guo Zhang

Language: Mandarin Runtime: 90 min

Synopsis
After the suspicious death of an artist, a police detective (Xuan Miao) is looking for a suspect. She turns out to be a woman, Bai Wei (Bai Ling), who supposedly was a model for the artist. However, Bai Wei is nowhere to be found. She actually is with a local painter turned barkeeper, Tu La (Zhao Yan Guo Zhang) whom she marries. In order to avoid being arrested by the police and protect the love of her life, Bai Wei signs a contract with a wealthy art collector Lu Li (Tao Hong). Lu promises that she will help Bai Wei escape. In return, Wei has to ensure that Tu La will paint a specific piece of art for Lu. The couple is unaware that Lu Li collects very special paintings painted by special artists…

All the world’s a stage
I have to admit that The Fatal Contract has strong David Lynch undertones. The movie leaves the viewers in the dark at the very beginning, but it compensates its mysteriousness with a distinct Gothic atmosphere. Especially the lighting and production design enhance this feeling.

The story may be a bit confusing, but it makes the viewers keep guessing what will happen next. Fortunately, the twist in the finale reveals everything. The Fatal Contract interestingly examines the peculiarities of art and its importance in the present day. The relationship between an artist and his creation is the prevalent theme of the film and it should not go unnoticed.

Interestingly, The Fatal Contract marks Bai Ling’s first Chinese production in twenty years. The actress is perhaps best known to Western viewers from such movies as Crank 2 (2009), Taxi 3 (2002), and Red Corner (1997). She still looks amazing at the age of 52 and The Fatal Contract is a true showcase of her acting talent. In addition, another scene-stealer is Tao Hong as a bitter, yet mysterious art collector. It is such a shame that she mostly appears in supporting roles nowadays.

Recommendations
I recommend The Fatal Contract to anyone who is into a slow-paced and thoughtful mystery drama. I strongly hope that Tan Bing’s talent will not be wasted on straight-to-DVD flicks and that he will continue making movies as interesting as The Fatal Contract. My thanks go to TriCoast Studios for sharing the screener. They released the film under their DarkCoast label. See the trailer below:Overall score: 8/10

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Inland Sea (2018) [Documentary Review]

Inland Sea; or, The Inheritance of Loss
     You know I catch fish, so a cat bit my trouser! He probably smelled some fish here. So he bit it.

Release Info

Directed by: Kazuhiro Soda Original Title: 港町

Language: Japanese Runtime: 122 min

Inland Sea (original title: Minatomachi) is a 2018 production which was shot, edited, and directed by Kazuhiro Soda. The movie is not so much a conventional documentary (with narration and statistics) but rather an “observational film” (as stated in the opening credits) which focuses on the town of Ushimado, a place free from metropolitan hustle and bustle, with traditional architecture, rich history, and its friendly inhabitants who share their stories in front of a camera. This is a film about a quiet town that is on the verge of fading away in the era of globalism.

Obviously, I had to check out this documentary when I saw the “Calmy Stunning. Quietly heartbreaking.” recommendation from director Boon Joon-ho. Inland Sea marks my first encounter with Kazuhiro Soda and his style of filmmaking. It is immediately striking that the director does not force anything on the subject matter of his project (he follows his own “ten commandments”). He just walks around Ushimado with a camera and records the everyday activities of the townspeople and their testimonies. In addition, there is something soothing and remarkably poetic in the fact that the film is (almost) entirely black and white. In this way, it resembles a dusty family album.

Inland Sea undeniably provides an intimate look into the unknown side of Japanese society. Topical problems, such as diminishing fishing industry, negative natural increase of the population, and the migration of the youth to cities, are never uttered but they are clearly visible on film. We see them reflected in the hardships of an 86-year-old fisherman Murata Waichiro, daily deliveries of Koso-san (the owner of a fish shop), and candid confessions of a lively obaachan Kumiko Komiyama (featured on the official poster).

Interestingly, Soda manages to seamlessly transfer from one person to another. For instance, we see Wai-chan selling his catch on the market where Koso-san also makes her shopping. From Koso we go to a mother and son who buy ingredients to feed (two!) families of stray cats. Afterwards, Soda follows a passer-by to a cemetery. Eventually, the final (and the longest) section of the film is devoted to Kumiko who becomes a self-proclaimed tour guide, rapidly showing the most interesting places of Ushimado and recounting her life at the same time.

After seeing the documentary, I completely understand Boon Joon-ho’s seal of approval. Inland Sea is a record of a town, a remnant of pre-consumerist Japan, which is slowly dying out. With his natural style of filmmaking, Kazuhiro Soda managed to capture the slice-of-life drama better than Shohei Imamura and Yoji Yamada in their cinematic masterpieces. This observational film grabs you by the heart and does not let go.

Recommendations
I highly recommend Inland Sea to anyone who wants to experience the peaceful microcosm of a Japanese town. You will not be disappointed. My thanks go to TriCoast Studios for sharing the screener. They released the film under their Rock Salt Releasing label. In addition, make sure to check out the film’s official fan page. Also, see the trailer below:

Overall score: 10/10

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Vixen (2018) [Film Review]

Vixen; or, Return to Nakatomi Plaza

     Sir, she's Chinese. She's alone and she's a woman. Seriously, how much trouble do you think she's going to be?

Vixen is a 2018 action film directed by Ross W. Clarkson and written by Bey Logan. Are you in the mood for a kung-fu action flick with a female lead? Let’s take a closer at the film:

Release Info

Directed by: Ross W. Clarkson Starring: Lie-rin Chen, Luc Bendazza, Bryan Larkin

Language: Mandarin, English Original Title: Vixen Runtime: 90 min

 

Synopsis

Sunny Lee (Lie-ri Chen) is a Chinese police officer who attends a top secret, international Weapons Expo conference. When she leaves the panel and goes to the bathroom, a group of terrorists, led by a mysterious man called Benza (Luc Bendazza), take over the building and take all the attendees hostage. Lee manages to contact her ex-boyfriend, an Interpol agent, via cell-phone, but he is unable to get any help. Lee has to act on her own to take down the bad guys.

 

Diamonds Are Forever

From the first scene, this movie clearly follows the footsteps of the classic action movie Die Hard (1988). However, at times Vixen repeats certain plot points of Die Hard too closely, even to such an extent that it acknowledges its source material. In the scene when the ex-boyfriend tries to persuade a cop about the police situation, he responds: “So, you’re calling me from Binhai city, China with some cheap rip-off of Die Hard? Die Hard with a chick? Starring your girlfriend who is the only one free in there?”

 

Nevertheless, unlike Die Hard, Vixen is more focused on stealth. Although her femininity is repeatedly questioned by an American politician taken straight out of the 1980s TV shows, the main protagonist does not want to fight and she does not have a “saving the day” attitude. Most of the time, we see her sneaking around the ventilation shafts. She engages into a fight quite accidentally.

 

The screenplay is definitely not original, but Bey Logan managed to come up with some great one-liners and funny moments. The factor that keeps the story from falling apart is the commanding presence of a stunt woman turned actress Lie-ri Chen. She really has that classic vibe of a Girl with a gun (Am I the only one who remembers In the Line of Duty movies?). Allegedly, actress Veronica Ngo herself was originally scheduled to play the leading role, but she had to be replaced because of an injury. I guess it’s for the best, because Chen could showcase her action skills, whereas Ngo moved on to do the critically acclaimed Furie (2019).

 

While watching the film for the first time, I was under the impression that some of the actors had difficulties speaking English dialogue, but I found out the information that, in fact, the sound was improperly recorded on the set, which resulted in studio redubbing. In addition, director Ross W. Clarkson claims that he was left out of the post-production process. In consequence, shoddy sound editing seems to be the only major flaw of Vixen.

 

Recommendations

I very much recommend Vixen. It is certainly one of the better Die Hard-esque movies (unlike *choking sounds* that The Rock flick from 2018). Vixen is not The Villainess (2017) type of entertainment, but it is still very much enjoyable.  We really need more action movies with Lie-ri Chen. My thanks go to TriCoast Studios for sharing the screener. They released the film under their DarkCoast label. See the trailer below:

Overall score: 7/10

Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids (2020) [Film Review]

Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids (2020)

     There was a huge explosion. Then we saw a huge-ass fireball shoot out of that village. We decided to check it out, then... we found you.

An indie Filipino production that is actually a horror martial arts film? Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I heard about Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids (2020). When I received the screener, I had fears that it may be just another B-movie, generic, vampire-hunt mash-up. Thankfully, the film surpassed my (initially low) expectations.

Release Info

Directed by: Vincent Soberano Starring: Sarah Chang, Monsour Del Rosario, Vincent Soberano

Language: English Original Title: Blood Hunters Runtime: 70 min

 

Synopsis

The Philippines suffered from an invasion of aswang (a special breed of shape-shifting monsters from the Filipino folklore). In the course of fighting with the aswang, special human/aswang hybrids emerged who are now a threat to humanity. Gabriela Chen (Sarah Chang) is an ex-cop hell-bent on hunting down the hybrids in order to avenge the death of her son and husband. She joins the group of the so-called “Slayers”. The group leader, Monte (Monsour Del Rosario), together with fellow hunters, Max (Ian Ignacio) and Kali (Roxanne Barcelo), as well as a rogue hybrid Bolo (Vincent Soberano), prepare to attack the monsters’ hideout. Their aim is to take down three formidable foes: Naga (Temujin Shirzada), Gundra (Mekael Turner), and Queen Maya (Mayling Ng).

 

Folklore Inspirations and Gruesome Monsters

Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids immediately captures the viewer’s attention by the usage of comic-book form of narration. I very much enjoyed the visual transitions between different subplots as if each scene was a separate comic-art panel. This helped move the story, especially in view of the fact the first 15 minutes of the picture contain heavy exposition.

 

Evidently, some of the supporting actors seemed a bit inexperienced in front of a camera, but I did not mind this in view of the ambitious effort taken up by the director/writer/star of the film, Vincent Soberano. Some of the shots during training/fight scenes look absolutely gorgeous, so my praise goes to Takeyuki Onishi for great cinematography. In addition, the fighting sequences (which basically consume the whole second half of the film) clearly indicate the hard work of the stunt team.

 

Production/costume design (helmed by Fritz Silorio and Mona Silorio) does not look cheap or low-budget at all. I especially liked the Slayers’ costumes, but the monsters looked intimidating as well. Speaking about the main characters, I liked their personalities and motivations. The main cast did a very good job. Sarah Chang was definitely the biggest highlight of the film.

 

With regard to disadvantages, I would only say that the film relies a bit too much on comic-book transitions. Additionally, the runtime of just 70 minutes leaves the viewer wanting to see a bit more. The film ends with a lead-in for a sequel, so here’s hoping that we will get to see more of Blood Hunters.

 

Recommendations

If you like horror and martial arts, then Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids is certainly worth your time. I hope that I will see the cast and crew doing greater things in their future projects. For more information about the film, please refer to the official Facebook page. TriCoast Studios graciously provided me with the screener. The company will distribute the film through their DarkCoast label on digital platforms, on the 17th of March, 2020. See the trailer below.

Overall score: 7/10