Never thought I'd see a movie where Dominiquie Vandenberg beats up Mark Dacascos! It's sad to see a martial artist as good as Mark surrounded by mediocres, but at least he is the leading man. He's the hero here yo. And the movie - though clearly a budget one - ain't bad.

I like the premise. Aliens in human bodies taking over the world - a bit like The Faculty or We Live, with a little Prometheus or War of The Worlds mixed in... though in a different way. And the special effects are so much worse.

Unfortunately I cannot call this a truly good movie. But it did leave me entertained, and I like the style. Even though so much of it is mediocre. They have real explosions and such - always a strong point when you compare to the crappy special effects you get with most action movies these days - even blockbusters. Good villains too. No excessive dialog. A romantic plot. It's got some strong points.

It's got some big names too! Apart form Mark there's also Billy Zane and Kim Coates. Also props Amelia Cooke and Emma Lahana - think I might've seen them in some movie before too.

So it's not all bad. I love the explosions. I love the directing.

The fight choreography and special effects though are not as lovable. If all areas were as good as the good ones it'd be a grand one fo shizzle.

But this? No... it's a hit or miss missile.

 rated 3/5: not bad

...and I'm sitting at the office.

Who would've thought huh? Work-shy as I may be when it comes to any kind of work where any and all monetary reward seems to incrementally benefit corporate giants and/or government beyond myself more so than myself, and thus for which all partial work-related gains make me feel like but a cog in the machine; like a slave to the man; like I'm making an effort just so somebody else can make an effort not to; thus am not generally a fan of occupations that require more effort than is necessary to but survive in this crazy time... I'm sitting at the office today!

On a weekend. With snow in droves outside.

But I am working with something I enjoy working with, around people I enjoy being around, and they have a killer coffee machine here that gives you cappuccino with real milk - and fresh-ground beans - so despite all tax and spend-related second-hand income charity this project may garner and thereby benefit the hateful entities out there that sway our ways somewhat already and probably aim to control the world entirely and ultimately enslave and/or kill us all (which seems to me in many ways synonymous) - all a part of that pickle of profiteering hierarchies I'd rather not support... I feel pretty good.

And what kind of work doesn't have such side-effects anyway? Unless you manage to live off the land entirely and avoid partaking in all this bureaucratic, technocratic; very non-democratic corporate nonsense: you'd best just choose a job you like, and play this game as best you can play it, until you play the players themselves, and become a player yourself - that which you used to loathe and anger at, cause such is the way of the world in this world we currently live in.

So anyway it's been a pretty hectic but fun twelve days here thus far.

We've worked both Saturday(s) and Sundays. Twelve-hour days initially. Things are calming down a bit now... I'll be on a train back to Bro tomorrow, there in time for a Father's Day afternoon and a work day and then back to this business once more!!! Till it's all done and over and the goal is closure.

Just typing this up to let y'all know life is pretty good these days. :)

Hella busy though all may be.

And profitable...? I don't know. Probably not if this level of work effort's lasting! I'm not getting paid hourly for this. It's a flat fee gig.

Maybe all is well after all.

Kadeem Hardison is Malik. Mark Dacascos is Toby. James Shigeta is the bad boss - you might recognize him from the original Die Hard!

The sidekick villains are prolific ones too - I recognize Hedgehog at least...

Brittany Murphy was the girl (RIP 2019! Just 32 y/o). She's been on some diverse works, from 8 Mile to Sin City. I like her.

And this movie's just full of pleasant surprises! Like The Samu Hung reference. And the shoe fight. And the unexpectedly brutal chainsaw swing with the self-remedying hand. And the crazy but lovable young lady. And for a brief moment I'm also reminded of how unfortunately underrated Mark Dacascos really is, in both action AND acting. For a moment.

Okay never mind the acting. Not as much the acting. But definitely the action. He's underrated as F on that (like on a test).

The choreography's both ferocious and witty, complete with traditional HK action stunts, fireworks, bullet marks, breaking glass and one fieeeery explosion - but also American bits, like the motel, and the car, and the ever so ominous quarry.

It feels like they tried to abridge Asian and Western a bit with both the choreography and theme. And with an Asian and Black duo instead of the typical Black and White one.

Was this before Jackie Chan started blowing up for real - or around the same time? They have stunts that remind of both Jackie's old and concurrent movies, like the creative City Hunter, or earlier Police Story with the netted crate. Or zipline. Or glass. A lot of elements really.

HK choreographer?

It's strange how this movie feels both ahead of it's time and behind it.

Ahead in the US maybe, but behind as far as HK action goes. And thus maybe it's become the forgotten gem it is, with a simplicity and style I look back on as... comforting somehow. And yet it's new to me! It was new back then too.

I definitely hadn't seen this one before, and though certain stunts and themes feel familiar it's not like they don't require skill to execute again. The actors and stuntmen make them stand out, and some of the co-ordination really is next level. Between Maiek and the other guy too.

All this just moments before Rush Hour. One year. They just changed the formula a little with that one, and voila, it's a hit.

I get Chow Yun Fat and Black Mask feels with the flying scenes too. With the mist. With the atmospheric blue light. With the bar. With the bridge. With the machines. And with the corporation and the perfect assassin...

It's almost like RoboCop 3 meets Speed. Or older. Go back. To the days of Bullit and other classic automobile chase counterparts.

How many movies fetched inspiration from this? Or vice versa? There's so much. Though there's unfortunately also a level of comedy that sometimes doesn't feel as suitable, and Mark is kinda distant as main man too. Maybe he's all the more used to being a villain; he does THAT so well.

JJ Perry's apparantely on stunts here too! The same guy who made Day Shift now. I recognize the crash test dummy work. It explains in part why the choreography was so good here - and ahead of it's time, but beyond the directing the actors definitely do their thing too!

Also: Too many loose ends. It ends too fast after the blast.

I'm somewhat comforted by the simplicity though... not that simplicity is synonymous with loose ends.

I wonder if the simplicity is more so in the style or the characters. The pace. How they interact.

There's something very human about this movie too. You'd think crazy stunts might take that away but no... very wholesome.

This film really was a gem. And special. Even with contemporaries and other action classics it stands out, yet also stands in, it feels like there are bits and pieces of this in everything. Before and after. Lore and rafter.

Great watch.

 rated 4.5/5: almost awesome

Marylin Monroe. The movie. And it's so friggin' sad!!! I need to watch something cheerful after this. Stepped into Blonde right after Remember, and though I do love a beautiful movie the both of these is a bit much.

She was born into trauma. Had a mother who didn't want her. Who tried to drown her in a bathtub. Was taken in by neighbors who sent her to an orphanage. Made her way to Hollywood and was raped. Married and was betrayed. Tripped and lost a baby. Got involved with the president and had a forced abortion. And yet she was just a sweet, innocent child, thrown to the wolves, to fame and celebrity, searching for a dad she never found.

They portray her as a bit dumb, the stereotype blonde, but also genuine and kind. Always willing. Always seeing the best in people. Quick to tears, emotional and probably a little crazy, but who am I to make a psychologic evaluation based off of the impression I'm given? A supposedly fictional one at that. The footnote is if you need help: Call a hotline. There are people who care, and though Hollywood was passionate, and pompous, it wasn't all glitter and glamour and good vibes. There's a darkness there.

I need to watch a happier movie ASAP. But Ana de Armas killed it as Norma. And she's not even Blonde! I never would've seen this resemblance. She's perfect.

The movie feels true to the time too, and you do get a feel for how big a deal she really was, and why. Fictional or no she was wonderful.

I don't see why the critics bash this. The tabloids are a part of her story too. You wonder... who would she have been without them? Would she have found peace in another life? Would she have found a husband who truly stuck with her through thick and thin? Would be nice with a fictional recount with an alternative, more optimistic angle too.

With a Marylin who's loved, and appreciated, and needs not say adieu.

This was a friggin' great movie though. It may deserve a full five, but I just may be a bit too stricken by sadness to fully compute.

It's such a sad tale especially since Marylin didn't seem to have an ounce of illwill within her, she was just too pure for the world she was cast into...

 rated 4.5/5: almost awesome

Kinda took female empowerment a step too far with this one didn't you?

I do like the style. I do like the brooding, and the talks, and the scarred one, and at the initial shootout when the girl is pushed into the car it does feel pretty real - her expression's telling, but for the most part the gunners are just all over the place and nothing feels legit. A bit too flashy and a bit too close-up and a bit too psychotic.

The plot's a mess too, and it never gets anywhere. Feels like it was scripted by kids. Or they wanted something like both Memento and the Matrix and ended up mixing them carelessly. The balance is off.

It does have a few good names though, like Antonio Banderas, Jaime King and Catherine Davis.

And the filming's good. The gunfights do reel you in. Some bits are merciless. But some ends are just too loose, and the characters don't feel affectionate for five cents. Especially not the daughter.

 rated 3.5/5: not bad at all

This here's the story of Pil-Joo, an Alzheimer's patient in his 80s, who lost his family during the Japanese colonial era, and decides to devote the rest of his life to revenge before his memories disappear, with at first the involuntary help of an unknowing young man.

It's a bit like Memento ain't it? Or like the Korean version of Oldboy. A forgetful old soldier seeks vengeance, with the names of his aggressors tattooed onto his fingers.

It's an emotional story, starring mainly Lee Sung-min and Nam Joo-hyuk (that's the young man), with plenty of plot twists along the way.

Critics were cold on this one. Is there maybe a certain bias towards the Japanese - were the war crimes they did not perceived as terrible as they really were? Listen to some Jocko podcasts if you doubt. The Japanese were RUTHLESS. This doesn't even begin to do it justice, yet I'm positively surprised they attempted to bring parts of their past to life, even if I'm a huge fan of Japanese content and culture now.

Even if vengeance also feeds vengeance, and you wonder if it really was worth it after all. And if this movie itself may bring about some unnecessary generational guilt or violence outside the film.

It's a good film though. And dementia really is a scary thing...
makes this all the better.

 rated 4.5/5: almost awesome