Consumer Information Movie Reviews

Best parts: Last fight scene was the climax of the film

No surprise about the fight sequences, since the choreographer is Sammo Hung, who's been called "the Orson Welles of action". The various styles of fighting are incorporated seamlessly into the film, and ever-shifting locales keep the fights interesting. Veteran martial-arts actor James Tien steals the entire show as villain Shi Shao-feng, projecting charisma and complexity aplenty, playing a truly formidable opponent. Unfortunately, Tan Dao-liang as the lead character is weak, the character underdeveloped and passive, and Woo himself (under his Chinese name Wu Yu Sheng) doesn't fare well even in a small role as Zhang Yi, the resistance leader who is rescued by the good guys. Good thing, then, that Woo had enlisted Jackie Chan (strangely billed as Chen Yuen-long in the film), who walks off as the strongest protagonist character in the whole film with his athleticism, dogged earnesty, and genuinely charming sense of humour. Hung also has a role as an evil henchman, and his fight scenes are amazing as ever, his unorthodox fighting style always interesting to watch.

Hand of Death is an important and entertaining Woo movie, where he already shows a panache for directing better action scenes than anybody else. Aside from his very '70s, infuriating overuse of the zoom lens, his work on Hand of Death is highly impressive, making this film a good solid entry in his back log.

Cast: Ian Holm: Napoleon
Iben Hjejle: his girl

Napoleon biographies in film have been countless, from Abel Gance's Napoleon (1927) to Marlon Brandon's Desiree (1953), and many others'. Every short man, it seems, has played the great emperor, either as a fool, a hero, a rascal, but never as a good guy. This is what Ian Holm attempts in The Emperor's New Clothes, an English movie that would never have had a chance, even if it had been half way decent, for this one isn't even that. Ian Holm is a fine actor, but the role he plays is thankless. When at St. Helena's, and nearing his death in 1821, a plot brews to bring the fallen emperor back one more time. One of his valets, who has followed him to Egypt (and other places) and who resembles him closely, offers to change identities with him. Disguised, he would stay behind at St. Helena's fooling the British guard that he is the ex-emperor, while the emperor himself, also disguised as deck help aboard a ship, would return to Paris, and start a movement. All goes well (enough), and the diminutive Napoleon arrives in Paris, only to find that his connection has just died. His widow and dead man's doctor welcome him, taking him for an inspired person of sorts'if not a harmless lunatic'and the woman strangely likes him, though he is twice her age (at least). All goes well up to a point. Napoleon settles in, and the doctor moves to another town, since the woman, who seems to have been his intended, has changed her mind. But then Napoleon starts claiming he is Napoleon. The domestic stuff does not satisfy his grand desires, and the woman's love is worthless, compared to great victories. The trouble is, nobody believes him, especially the woman, who now thinks he is a REAL lunatic. When the doctor, sent for help, returns, he takes Napoleon to a tour that he insists will 'cure' him. He takes him'guess where'to a lunatic asylum, where they witness a plethora of Napoleons'all with triangular hat and hand stuck inside the vest'for this figure is the most imitated by illusioned people in human history (since then). Well, that sight surely cures the emperor, who is not as demented as those in the mental hospital. He returns to the girl, preferring her arms to arms (couldn't help the pun). To an aging man, victory in bed may be superior to that in the battlefield.

That, in essence, is this lamentable story. And we are asked to sit through nearly two hours to see it. Well, I did, anyway, looking for surprises that might have been there. What if he really had sparked the girl to follow him to death and to glory? What if the ex-emperor had become a great chemist? What if he had cured the entire lunatic horde that imitated him? What if '. You get the point. The action was so slow (for a modern movie), it was stultifying. Ian Holm is seen bent with age and despair at having to work with such a bad script. The only bright spot in all this was Iben Hjejle, her luminous sensuality (though you see her always clothed, even in bed), and her performance. That actress may be headed for better things'having made something out of nothing. Why would she fall in love with this wasted shell of a man? Well, never mind, for if such a question were answered, then we could possibly have a movie worth the time to watch. Don't blame Ian Holm too much either. Bent as he was to play the bent emperor, he must have gotten a kick for having to play the playmate of a charming lady. Well, in any case, this movie could be a good tonic to geriatrics, better than geritol, or other tonics. By they way, the other guy at St. Helena's'also played by Ian Holm, died of overeating, amid the jeers of the unlucky guards who stayed behind to guard the phony emperor. Here one has to choose which ending is worse. Give us a break!

Ian Holm does a really nice job here portraying both the Emperor and the imposter that takes his place on the island. He has a way of really pulling you toward the character and making you empathize. The costumes and scenery were also very well done. I don't know where they filmed it, but it was beautiful! There is some drama, and some comedy (though not as much as I thought from the previews). The plot is very cohesive. The dialog is great.

Now for the down part and why I only gave the movie 3 stars. The premise was interesting, the acting was fantastic - but the plot moved really slowly! I am a movie lover and yet there were still a few times when I found myself yawning. My poor husband didn't even make it through the movie before he went to bed. (admittedly he is more of a "blow-em-up" movie type)

So if you are the action movie type of person...I wouldn't even try this one. But if you're willing to try out a slower paced, more thoughtful type movie by all means give it a try. I stiffled my yawns, hung in there till the end, and really enjoyed the movie.

I would strongly recommend that you rent this movie first, before you buy. It's not going to be to everyone's taste.

The Emperor's New Clothes is one of those films that is hard to categorize. I would have to say it is a drama with comic overtones. An example of some comedy, when Napoleon, now disguised as Eugene, is deposited at the Battlefield of Waterloo, he visits an inn where he finds a bed with a sign over it reading: "Napoleon Slept Here." In fact, he never had slept in the bed, and promptly falls asleep on it. The frustration Napoleon/Eugene feels when he cannot reveal his true identity is the dramatic side of the story, and really the tenor of the film.

The film is very well acted, especially by Ian Holm playing the dual roles of the Emperor Napoleon and Eugene, a deck hand who resembles him. A marvelous scene is the one where Ian Holm plan an "attack" on the people of Paris in order to supply them with melons. Iben Hjejle is outstanding as the wife of Napoleon's contact in Paris, who turns out to be dead when the emperor arrives at his destination. The locations for the film were in Italy, and they stand in well for the Paris of the pre-Grand Boulevard days. The producers saw to every detail of costume, period transport and furnishings, and these factors make this a visually stunning film. The music score by Rachel Portman (Chocolat) is very beautiful and I am sorry that it was not issued on CD.

I wish we could have had more of Ian Holm in the Eugene/Napoleon character and more interaction with the courtiers who are desperately trying to get him to admit he is not the emperor. Also, even though the ex-soldiers take pride in the glory of being in Napoleon's army, there is little of the misery that happened, but it is touched upon and a point is made. In the end, Napoleon is at peace with the personality and situation he is left with, and that resolution makes for a happy ending of this impressive film.

This Kung Fu fable is a must see and certainly one you should add to your collection. Enjoy.

Tung Wei is credited as co-fight director and also plays a young scholar who goes off, after his father's murder, to learn kung fu from a Buddhist monk. When he finally reappears to join the heroes, his kung fu doesn't help much. Overall, the fight scenes lack the vigor, imagination and relentlessness such scenes require. Wong Tao, normally quite a firebrand in his films, including THE HOT, THE COOL AND THE VICIOUS, in which he played a vaguely similar character, is too restrained here, trapped in a wig and period costume, spending too much time brooding and lamenting a childhood spent working in a brothel (seen in flashbacks). There's far more melodrama than a film like this is generally comfortable with.

All that said, however, the film is beautifully photographed, designed and costumed. It's a consistent visual treat, even when the narrative sags. The Crash Cinema DVD offers a very good letter-boxed transfer of an original print with sharp imagery and striking color. However, the print is extremely scratchy in parts, with occasional speckles and scratch lines streaking vertically through the film. Some parts, however, are not so bad and look almost pristine. The DVD case features a picture of Yasuaki Kurata, a Japanese actor/fighter who often starred in Hong Kong movies (SHAOLIN CHALLENGES NINJA), but doesn't appear in this one.

Tung Wei is credited as co-fight director and also plays a young scholar who goes off, after his father's murder, to learn kung fu from a Buddhist monk. When he finally reappears to join the heroes, his kung fu doesn't help much. Overall, the fight scenes lack the vigor, imagination and relentlessness such scenes require. Wong Tao, normally quite a firebrand in his films, including THE HOT, THE COOL AND THE VICIOUS, in which he played a vaguely similar character, is too restrained here, trapped in a wig and period costume, spending too much time brooding and lamenting a childhood spent working in a brothel (seen in flashbacks). There's far more melodrama than a film like this is generally comfortable with.

All that said, however, the film is beautifully photographed, designed and costumed. It's a consistent visual treat, even when the narrative sags. The Crash Cinema DVD offers a very good letter-boxed transfer of an original print with sharp imagery and striking color. However, the print is extremely scratchy in parts, with occasional speckles and scratch lines streaking vertically through the film. Some parts, however, are not so bad and look almost pristine. The DVD case features a picture of Yasuaki Kurata, a Japanese actor/fighter who often starred in Hong Kong movies (SHAOLIN CHALLENGES NINJA), but doesn't appear in this one.

So I am writing this pre-review to express my Great Expectations and excitement over the upcoming DVD release of the 14 Sherlock Holmes movies made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.
For those of us who have loved and worn out our VHS versions of these films, I am sure that I speak for many of us in expressing incredible anticipation and near shock that someone has finally recognized the need to release a "restored version" of these timeless classics.
We are told that they have been "Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive." This is marvelous and I have already pre-ordered Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 from MPI Home Video.
I so hope that the entire 14 movies, are ultimately released in restored condition. Especially the rarest of them, "The Scarlet Claw" which has rarely been shown on televison and only been available on VHS sporadically.
To me and many others I know, Basil Rathbone is the definative Holmes. Not just because he looks alarmingly similar -as much as is humanly possible- to Sidney Pagets drawings of Holmes from the Strand Magazine illustrations, but mostly we love Rathbone because he portrayed the same Holmes that we as readers get through the buffer of Dr. Watson explaining away not magnifying Holmes' shortcomings.
Jeremy Brett chose to amplify every negative aspect of Holmes' personality that in the written versions Watson explained away. Rathbone's Holmes has been demeaned visciously over the past years and hopefully the respect and dignity that he gave his portrayals will be seen in all their accuracy and glory with these new digitally restored releases. ... these will have to be the best quality versions of these classics ever released...so for all of us who have cursed the incomprehensibly awful releases of these films over the years...our time has almost come. Show your support for this effort by ordering a restored version of American Film Histroy.
Much Thanks to UCLA, MPI, and Whoever was ultimately responsible for the idea of doing this!!!!

Back in the 70's Chiba made two biographical films about the life of the founder's of each of those arts. The film about So Doshin, founder of Shorinji Kempo, was released in the U.S. with the idiotic title "The Killing Machine." A terrible misnomer about the life of a truly great man who was anything but a killer or a machine.

Chiba's film about Sosai Mas Oyama, founder of Kyokushin karate, is equally mistitled here as "Champion of Death." I believe I read somewhere that the film was also released in English under a different, and equally silly, title called "The God Hand."

Of the two films, the one about Master So Doshin is the better of the lot, but fans of Karate generally and of Oyama karate in particular will not want to be without "Champion of Death."
There is actual footage at the beginning of the film of a Japanese Kyokushin training class on a beach, and there is even a 10-15 second close up of Sosai himself executing Seiken tsuki!

Chiba does a reasonably good job with portraying Oyama's life, though I suspect some of this is embellished (the rape scene, I hope!) for cinematic purposes.

My one complaint is that although the DVD is dubbed into English, there are several places where Japanese signs or texts are shown that are crucial to scenes in the film but they are left untranslated and unspoken in English.

The first pleasant surprise was seeing that "Game" was produced by Roger Corman, which is not incidental. In many ways a throwback to Corman's early '60s formula of inexpensive, visually sumptuous literary adaptations, "Game"'s chief virtues are technical and similar to Corman's Poe films. The film is gorgeously lit, the sound is crisp to the point of painful, the costume and production design just rich enough to suggest much more than they show. Corman proves again that you do not have to spend a lot of money to make a decent film.

There is nonetheless a difference between "Game" and Corman's early 60s work. It is part of the charm of those films that you can sense the backlot prop shop beneath the lively surfaces. You don't care much about the rough edges, because you know the films were produced for next to nothing. Here, the uneven performances, the edgy, rushed pace, the repetitive music, in short, all the subtle symptoms of a production that didn't have quite enough time to get things perfect, are out of synch with an environment dressed to the nines.

It is a perverse testament to the film's success in conveying class on the cheap that one is a touch too aware when it doesn't measure up. Jonathan Pryce, for example, is good, but has been better. David Morrissey is all too proficient as a suicidal wimp, but I suspect his irritating self-pity would have been improved if he'd had more time to discover shades of feeling in his predicament. Instead, like the rest of the cast, he hits all the obvious points. No one is particularly bad, but neither are they very engaging.

Still, "The Game of Death" is reasonably entertaining. It's just that where the Poe films are imaginative, "Game" is luxuriously literal-minded.