Where’s “The” Instead of “A Legend” Hiding in Stanley Tong’s Latest Action-Comedy-Adventure?

When there’s “A Legend” in the making, maybe the word “Chinese” needs to be added, in order to be recognized.

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Chinese filmmaker Stanley Tong may well be running on fumes when it comes to coming up with fresh ideas. While there are minor elements to like in A Legend, which has been out for a while now and is finally available in North America, the people on the Internet have already spoken–this director relied on too much CGI tomfoolery to finish this movie. He really should have done a casting call to find a young-looking person who almost looks like Jackie Chan instead of relying on computers to de-age the actor.

Not only is most of the digital set design apparent in higher resolutions, but also pixels covered most of Jackie Chan’s screen time! As General Zhao Zihan in the flashbacks, he is 30 something years old rather than 70. We see this younger incarnation enjoying a moment in the grassy foothills of Central China, with Huajun (Lay Zhang) before a lady in distress arrives!

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In The Prosecutor, Only Donnie Yen Can Deliver The Final Verdict!

Just what fans can find in The Prosecutor is not your typical courtroom drama. When Donnie Yen is involved, it’s safe to say there’ll be some fists flying too!

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Donnie Yen is The Prosecutor, and also the director of this film he stars in. As a disillusioned cop turned lawyer, he aims to bring Justice to where it is needed, and inject more action into a genre that some fans rarely associate him with.

Courtroom dramas aren’t all that tough to sit through. While they may seem dull due to simply listening to lawyers attempting to convince the jury on why the accused is guilty, there may be more action going on behind the scenes. In entertainment, someone is chasing down someone else who will change the verdict. Or, in this film’s case, to unearth a conspiracy that’s corrupted the system! With this trope, some aspects of the tale are predictable and others not.

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When Ghosts of Red Ridge Love to Linger ‘Round, There’s No Gold To Find In Them Thar Hills

The Ghosts of Red Ridge may not be all that frightful, and just what’s delightful for this holiday release is that it leans on all the motifs that define a Western more than the other.

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VOD Release Date: Dec 3, 2024

Being a Sheriff isn’t easy. And when the ​Ghosts of Red Ridge visit Dunlap (Owen Williams) every night, the big question he has is who are they, what do they want, and why him? This gentle supernatural thriller takes place in the Old West, and although it moves slowly at first, I’m enjoying the character interactions. There’s something wild and woolly which makes this film by Stefan Colson (director) and Brandon Cahela (writer) feel like a spaghetti western.

A few conventions exist, like the stock music and familiarly garbed good guy and bad guy. The only difference here is that ghosts are involved and are tinged in blueish grey. Also, they look like they were from The Ring! In this movie, they behave differently, and are mostly appearing to one individual. Since day one, he’s questioning his sanity since he doesn’t understand what they want, and why him? I couldn’t help but be reminded of Ghost Wars because both towns look like they are trapped in Limbo.

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It’s Often Best Not to Let “The Beast Within” Run Wild

Halloween doesn’t have to be about ghosts and vampires, but also The Beast Within, and what must not be let loose! But the metaphor is clearly there, should viewers want to believe it’s also a story about cursed lineages.

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Kit Harrington is an amazing actor, and while not every film he’s in can spotlight just how beautiful his voice is, that will depend on the director to bring it out. With The Beast Within, a dramatic thriller, whether his character Noah is really a werewolf. The signs are there, and as for this personality, perhaps there’s much to fear. But for 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) the real question is if she knows who her father really is.

That’s where the tension gets tested. I’m never too sure what’s going on in this parent’s mind. His actions spoke louder than words, and while how wife (Ashleigh Cummings) is very protective of their child, the elder member of this family, a grandpa (James Cosmo) is doing his best to keep everyone safe. The selling point of this film is in seeing the lengths the adults are doing to keep the kid safe. However, there’s some pagan world which isn’t as well-defined to explain some past this individual is obviously a ruler of.

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That’s No Kung Fu “Panda Plan” When Jackie Chan is Involved. At Least the Fun is Amped Up!

When Jackie Chan has a Panda Plan, that’s all fans need to know with this movie now playing at select theatres near you.

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Quite often, the roles Jackie Chan plays are not unique. He hasn’t played some notorious gangster or a bad guy yet. As far as I know, he’s been a random thug, but these were uncredited roles. In his latest, Panda Plan (熊猫计划), he’s simply being himself much like in the cartoon, Jackie Chan Adventures. Since it really is this animated series brought to real life, minus the grandfather and kid side-kick. The only difference is that in this toon, he’s an archaeologist with connections with a secret agency and in this film, he’s an actor/stuntman. Although most of the scenes with the cub are CGI, I bought into the illusion since to have a real one on set would bring out the activists.

The humour is classic; the stunts are over the top, and the situations he ends up in are gonzo! Hu Hu is the star of a local zoo and this cutie pie steals the show (even though most of the scenes are digital). His caretaker is Xiao Zhu (Shi Ce) and although she doesn’t quite get the screen time she deserves, thankfully she isn’t forgotten.

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After Fantasia 2024, Here’s Where Baby Assassins 3 Nice Days Will Play Next

Good news, John Wick fans! Baby Assassins 3 will be coming to North American theatres in September! It has just as equally stunning fist-to-fist action as the last film, and there’s gun play too!

Baby Assassins 3 Nice DaysOnce armed with a proper rewatch from first film to the third, I was ready to tackle the aptly named Baby Assassins 3 Nice Days, which made its debut at Fantasia Film Fest. Even after the latest, I had to revisit the prior films to remind myself about what made this slugfest fun. With this latest, the dynamic duo finally get to go on vacation!

This film written and directed by Yugo Sakamoto is an action packed doozy! I’m sure he drew upon some other classic anime girls with guns series when he first fashioned this concept. There’s Dirty Pair and Noir, but I swear, everytime I look at this live-action take, I’m constantly reminded of Laverne & Shirley! The comedy is familiar, even though the world these youths live in are very different.

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