Buddy Film Archives | Otaku No Culture

In Zach Green’s Foil, Where’s The Little Green Men?

Finding success isn’t easy, but when you’re Zach Green, perhaps making a film aptly named Foil is like therapy to show he’s got what it takes to be a success.

Available on Amazon Prime

Zach Green could’ve easily made a film about two hasbeens getting abducted by aliens and through that experience, maybe get a second chance at life. Instead, what’s presented in Foil deals with how these two realise that they don’t have to live up to what others expect of them. When they go looking for the meaning of life in the middle of the desert, what they discover is a bit like Monty Python.

Usually, movie titles offer a hint at what to expect, and this work is a strange beast because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Here, most of the story is fixated on Rex (Devin O’Rourke) and Dexter (Green) as they hope to experience some 70s magic; that is, they hope to get some “Kum ba yah” going in the most hilarious way possible. When the former is a UFO nut who wants to be taken away and the latter, a failed filmmaker with no Hollywood cred to his name, both are ready to leave it all behind so they can start anew.

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Where’s The New Attitude with Beverly Hills Cop Axel F?

Beverly Hills Cop Axel F isn’t always focussed on the nostalgia, and that’s a good thing since the story takes place nearly 30 years later.

Beverly Hills Cop Axel F Movie Poster Available to Stream on Netflix
Spoiler Alert

One of the most beloved franchises from the 80s is Beverly Hills Cop. I believe that’s because of the music. To bring it back decades later had me asking why. While part of the reason is attributed to Eddie Murphy enjoying a comeback after the success of Dolemite Is My Name, there may be another reason. Last year’s Candy Cane Lane is forgettable, I’ll still think of him as the irrepressible Donkey from the Shrek films more than anything else. As for the character that made him the superstar, to title the continuation Beverly Hills Cop Axel F says it all.

Although I was half expecting to hear new music, the new song remixes works just as well. Sadly, this fourth instalment forgets Patti Labelle’s “Stir It Up.” I can listen to that song all day. But as for this film, it doesn’t really focus on the beloved element that made the early two films (the third wasn’t that good) memorable. It’s the camaraderie the trio–Foley (Murphy), Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggert (John Ashton)–had together that made this franchise special.

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Simply Irrestiable! City Hunter on Netflix

Here, we look at what made the City Hunter franchise change over time, and look at the latest entry which is surprisingly faithful to what makes it great.

Streaming on Netflix
Release Date: April 25, 2024 (USA & Canada)

Part of City Hunter’s appeal lies in the fact it’s a very hilarious buddy film about Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki), a merc who really loves his women while taking out crime in Shinjuku, Japan. Sometimes his behaviour gets in the way of getting the job done, and this is something Hideyuki Makimura (Masanobu Andô) dislikes. And despite warning him to not put his moves on his sister, that’s because he’s knows what his partner can do, and is overprotective. And when he dies in the line of duty, he hopes this sweeper will do the right thing and be more like a brother to her.

The anime was really popular in the 90s, and many of the episodes were based on the manga published the decade prior. In today’s woke culture, his actions would not be tolerated and despite this character’s low-brow behaviour, the love for this franchise over the years remained strong. As a result, a fair number of reboots and reinterpretations look at other aspects of Ryo’s career.

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