Tag Archives: Action

[VIFF2019] Checkered Pasts are Confronted in Checkered Ninja

27 Sep

nullBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Vancouver International Film Festival
Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 1:00 PM
SFU Goldcorp

*also available on Google Play

Checkered Ninja is not your typical animated movie. It offers more than to teach youths how to stand up to bullies. Two plots drive this film. One is of a stuffed doll, a ninja, coming alive Chucky-style to avenge a huge misdeed by a toy maker visiting his slave labour driven factory and the other of Alex (Alfred Bjerre Larsen), a precocious tween having a rough social life.

The toy (Anders Matthesen, who also directs) takes a Deadpool style approach of trying to get to his goal and the boy serves as a moral compass; There are other solutions to dealing out justice. Vigilantism does not have to involve bloodshed.

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The Future is Frightening in Kung Fu League

17 Sep

Available for purchase on Amazon

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Distributor:
Well GO USA

Release Date:
Sept 17, 2019

Be prepared, humble students of Kung Fu League (功夫联盟)! This film is an enjoyable silly romp where real life and fictional legends Wong Fei-Hung (Vincent Zhao, Once Upon a Time in China), Ip Man (Dennis To, Wu Dang), Chen Zhen (Danny Chan, Kung Fu Hustle) and Huo Yuan Jia (Andy On, Black Mask 2) are plucked out of time to help manhua artist Fei (Ashin, Lead vocalist of the Taiwanese rock band Mayday.) have the courage to ask Bao’er (Madina Memet) out for a date. He’s had a crush on her for the longest time but his insecurities get the better of him.

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On Ne Zha and a Sequel?

5 Sep

nullBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Ne Zha (哪吒之魔童降世) is Dragonball Z on steroids. This title is the name of a movie about a rascally young boy (voiced by Lü Yanting) who does not have the makings of the divinity Chinese people highly respect today. You don’t want to let him in your home just yet. He needs to earn his reputation. When the world is about immortals battling for positions of power–to be one of the 8 Golden Immortals–in Heaven, I question how easy life is in Ancient China when they live amongst humanity and the battles are fought here than in the safety of the Aether.

This animation is laden with a lot of moments worthy of an Avengers: Age of Ultron, Infinity War and Endgame mashup dressed in oriental garb. It offers very little in the charm of extolling Eastern philosophies. Where this story shines is with the premise that destiny can be challenged and reshaped.

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The Science with Spider-Man, Far From Home and My Wishlist with the MCU

7 Jul

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

* Spoiler Alert

Spider-man: Far From Home is an action-packed fun-filled ride that’s less about being an epilogue to Avengers Endgame and more about Peter Parker (Tom Holland) growing up. The explanations of those returning from nothing gets explained very conveniently and felt more like a tacked on response.

At the same time, this movie also very similar to the first one as Petey leaves New York to stay with the decathlon team when trouble keeps on showing up–whether he likes it or not! (and also tries to get used to new Spidey suits)

Just who disappeared in the main and supporting cast of Sony’s Spider-Man universe show no trauma of being displaced. We know from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe films that people were emotionally affected by the sudden disappearances. The discourse in Far From Home went by too fast before jumping into a story about a small group of high school students going on summer vacation.

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