Wolf Pack (狼群, 2022)

Wolf Pack (狼群, 2022)

Director (and writer): Michael Chiang

Cast: Max Zhang, Aarif Lee, Luxia Jiang, Ye Liu, Yi Zhang, Gianluca Zoppa

While seeking answers about his father’s suspicious death, a tactically trained physician infiltrates a mercenary group and soon uncovers a dangerous international conspiracy that could threaten the lives of millions of civilians. – Well Go USA

Wolf Pack is the directorial debut of Singaporean screenwriter-playwright Michael Chiang while also penning the script of this action thriller which follows a young physician that gets caught up in a mercenary group as he tries to learn about his father’s death which gets thrown into an international conspiracy.

When we look at the script of Wolf Pack, its not necessarily the most original idea about mercenaries and international conspiracies, not even how the whole issue pans out. However, what does stand out is the little moments that add together to create a lot of variety and maybe a little unintended comedy to lighten up the mood in an increasingly tense plot. Despite that, the film does keep a steady tone and keeps things focused on a different view of mercenaries and focuses a lot on having good and bad guys in any spectrum whether its political or solely in the mercenary world.

As we follow the main character Ke Tong (Aarif Rahman) and learns more about this mercenary group which he basically got kidnapped into by one of the members called Monster (Luxia Jiang), he realizes that there’s a strong sense of belonging, loyalty and righteousness in this group that extends further than simply making money under the leadership of Lao Diao (Max Zhang). Loyalty and righteousness, good and evil are usually common themes in Chinese films which root from classic Chinese stories and the fact that its implemented here fairly subtly does work well. What doesn’t work as well is the melodramatic bits which is a normal staple in Chinese cinema but loses a little bit of its momentum when not executed well.

Wolf Pack does hit a lot of good elements where it counts. The casting here is pretty solid. Max Zhang has been in the business for a long time starting out as a stunt actor and eventually getting his own films. He has been part of some Hollywood films in minor roles like Pacific Rim Uprising. His wushu training from when he was an athlete lends well to his action sequences. While this film leans heavily on the firearms elements, there were a few close combat moments which was able to show off some of his skills.

The same applies for Luxia Jiang who is also trained in martial arts and wushu. However, her role of Monster has a lot more room to play around as the character brings in a little charisma to the group of men in this mercenary crew. Both Max Zhang and Luxia Jiang deliver pretty decent roles here. The mercenary crew as a whole work well while the other members have less screen time outside of the action scenes, they each do represent their role in the crew well. The cast on the whole is pretty decent especially since this involves an international plot and the English dialogue all lands pretty well.

For fans of mercenary films with lots of shootouts and infiltration, Wolf Pack is a fun choice. Of course, for those less familiar with Chinese films, perhaps there might be a little bit of dramatic moments that might feel more than what the film needs. However, Wolf Pack is a surprisingly satisfying and entertaining action film. While its a little thin on the hand to hand combat which is what Max Zhang and Luxia Jiang is trained in, there’s still enough action to keep this a thrilling film experience.

*Wolf Pack is currently available digitally on Well Go USA*

I Did It My Way (潜行, 2023)

I Did It My Way (潜行 ,2023)

Director: Jason Kwan

Cast: Andy Lau, Gordon Lam, Eddie Peng, Yase Liu, Simon Yam, Suet Lam, Kent Cheng, Philip Keung, Hedwig Tam, Kevin Chu, Terrance Lau

As the secretive, complex world of online drug trafficking increasingly targets Hong Kong, the police launch a risky, top-secret sting operation to bring down one of the most notorious drug lords in Asia. – Well Go USA

Hong Kong crime films have been a huge staple of the last two decades of its cinema from drugs to human trafficking to terrorists and more. Infernal Affairs kicked off the undercover phase and really pushed the recognition of these types of crime films into a whole new world. I Did It My Way enters another realm as its police force dives into the dark web and online drug trafficking. The concept is more modern and has more technological elements involved in their operations on a wider globalized scale. With many regular faces taking on the leading roles like Andy Lau, Gordon Lam and Simon Yam in a Jason Kwan film, the film in concept has no issues but in execution, there are some issues

There has been a lot of crime films in Hong Kong from incredibly successful ones in the early 2000s like Infernal Affairs to Cold War in 2012. In recent years, its been a lot more rehashing of familiar ideas and many sequels for Z Storm running through a few more letters. In concept, many of these films work very well especially since the casting is solid even if the characters and plot are familiar. I Did It My Way sets up its stage well in the first stage but quickly loses its pacing in the second act and spirals off into explosions and montage killing by the third act to end in a fairly odd way. In some ways, the film script does give a nod at the use of its older casting by using classy cars and classic Cantonese music as its soundtrack. However, for a few moments, I felt like I was watching Michael Bay film with the generous explosions happening on screen throughout the film. Its not exactly a bad thing except it feels like it was going very far for its purpose (but then maybe it was also to shape the character). While explosions are still acceptable, perhaps the biggest criticism of this film does go to the subplot of the pregnant wife and the death of a baby, granted its computer-animated, that truly felt like it was there to create an unnecessary motivator but wanted to be more of an emotional manipulator.

Looking at this script with the globalized drug trafficking, it is a decent idea which works to a certain extent. There is a little stretch of imagination here needed especially since it uses the dark web as a means of distribution. While there is no way to do this in a non-sped up version for film pacing purposes, it did grasp the global feeling and the threat that it created. Jason Kwan implements a lot of montages to help speed up the film a little from kill montages to drug effect ones. For a crime film, this one does use a decent amount of action and for the actual fighting bits, credit does need to be given to Ka Lok Chin as Action Director that choreographs some pretty neat action moments that adds a lot of tension overall.

While there’s been a general criticism of the use of older actors and actresses in Hong Kong cinema, I’m in the group that believes any actor or actress can act as long as they are capable of doing so and still offer great material. If not, how would there be Time, a spectacular offering by an even older cast than this one. In that sense, everyone in this casting are well able to do that even if the leads are in their fifties and sixties with a few younger cast like Kevin Chu and Terrence Lau. This roster is what made this genre great in the first place so for them, this is definitely familiar territory and well above their capabilities. As these films start to form, we’re really starting to actually see the fantastic work that Gordon Lam and Philip Keung is capable of, two actors that started out in supporting and smaller roles respectively but in the past decade finding themselves picking up more prominent roles and in I Did It My Way, these two characters stood out the most, much like Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng who carried most of the action scenes incredibly well especially one in a wine cellar/store. Having watched Kevin Chu recently in TV series Dead Ringer, this actor does feel like he would have potential for bigger things in time, much like Terrence Lau who was in the Anita Mui biopic as Leslie Cheung and in this one, captures a more mischievous hacker persona.

Overall, I Did It My Way tries to craft an action crime film to the globalized illegal business. While in concept, a lot of these ideas do work, there are some issues throughout from pacing which possibly showed its cards a little too soon but also adding unnecessary plot. However, its strength is in its casting choices and its action. There are some truly strong moments in this film that build up tension very well but its mixed in with some dragging and predictable ones as well.

I Did It My Way opened in theatres January 12th.

**Screener provided by Well Go USA**

The Flying Swordsman (雪山飞狐之塞北宝藏, 2022)

The Flying Swordsman (雪山飞狐之塞北宝藏, 2022)

Director (and co-writer): Qiao Lei

Cast: Huawei Zhao, Ray Lui, Yusi Chen, Shanshan Chunyu, Zihan Chen

After a wicked plot to steal a hidden fortune results in the death of two renowned warriors, the map leading to the treasure’s rumored location inexplicably disappears. But when the map is finally located a decade later, the eight assassins from the original plot re-emerge only to be challenged by a mysterious swordsman. – Well Go USA

Adapted from Jin Yong’s 1959 wuxia novel Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain, The Flying Swordsman uses the general story and novel framework to craft this retelling with a lot of changes from its source material, changing what was an intricate story spanning over decades and romance, revenge, loyalty and politics to a more common vengeance scheme that feels a bit like Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, a coincidence considering this also features eight assassins and a little bit of the generous blood spill in certain kills. Being someone who recently finished reading the source material and truly enjoyed its original framework which would actually work really well in an adaptation that stayed true to its intentions, I’m not opposed to changes made for the big screen normally however, in this case, the screenplay takes away a lot of the themes and originality of the story and turns into a straightforward revenge tale that shows its cards way too early especially if you have a general knowledge of the source material and its main characters. I can understand that this does reduce the possibility of having too many elements in a film that could create a convoluted storyline.

Nothing can always be viewed in one way. In many ways, with all the changes, I’d actually prefer to look at this strictly from the point of view of the tale that its telling. Aside from the straightforward storyline, the film does craft its characters to each have their own essence which links to a part of the surprise element of what their special power is which is revealed when the wuxia elements come in. The cast itself is pretty impressive with special appearances as the cause of the whole vengeance setting the stage at the beginning with the battle between Yidao Hu and Renfeng Miao played respectively by Ben Ng and Mark Cheng, which are familiar names in the Hong Kong film and TV. The Hong Kong casting does end there as Ray Lui plays a bigger role as Baisui Tao, one of the assassins who are looking for the treasure who plays opposite to Baoshu (Shanshan Chunyu).

From the angle of the characters, the costume design and aesthetics as well as their different personalities do give each of the eight assassins their own distinctive style to tell them apart even if the film doesn’t have the time to dive deeper into these characters, making them fairly shallow. The main character Gui Yu (Huawei Zhao) is a well-constructed character which has a little bit of backstory in flashbacks and gets caught between the two main leaders of the assassins as his role plays off both sides.

The visuals of the film overall have some decent set pieces. The film has a few settings but mostly focuses on the treasure hunt element that is set on the “snowy” mountain which also has a few traps. These traps break up the assassins so that the main vengeance plot can unravel. As with most China sets, these are done fairly well. If there was any criticism on the visuals, it would be the unpolished CGI effects which does fall apart especially with its group of hyenas that is more comedic to watch than threatening. However, there is some impressive sound design in the film which helps build up the atmosphere especially when its in deep conversation, for example, pulling out actual soundtrack and trading in isolated wind and natural surrounding sounds which help amplify the sense of isolation for this location.

The Flying Swordsman is a very loose adaptation of the source material and could actually be its own wuxia story. If we look at this as what’s offered, overall there are some good choices from character design and costumes, sound and the setting itself. The framework of using flashbacks to help restore some of the past story to add context is commendable as it does give a nod to its source material in structure. The action sequences focus heavily on the effects and some slow motion emphasis rather than fluid choreography. Its not to say that some of these sequences aren’t done well. There are some fun elements with the special powers when its revealed for each of the characters involved. Overall, some good and average elements for the most part make up The Flying Swordsman.

**Screener provided by Well Go USA**

Marry My Dead Body (關於我和鬼變成家人的那件事, 2023)

Marry My Dead Body (關於我和鬼變成家人的那件事, 2023)

Director (and co-writer): Wei-Hao Cheng

Cast: Greg Hsu, Austin Lin, Gingle Wang, Chen-Nan Tsai, Man-Chiao Wang, Tsung-Hua Tou, Nien-Hsien Ma, Tsai-Hsing Chang

One day a police officer finds a red wedding envelope, only to find out that the owner is in fact a ghost asking for the officer’s hand in marriage before reincarnation. What will happen when a human and a ghost form a special bond? – IMDB

Marrying a ghost is not exactly a novel concept but its a type of tradition more related to the olden days in Asia to make sure that a ghost would have somewhere to belong in ancient times. Its not the first time Netflix has picked up something relating to this style since the first time was 2020’s historical drama The Ghost Bride. Marry My Dead Body takes an action mystery comedy angle with a buddy cop film style similar to that of Look Out Officer where the attachment of a ghost to your life is fate and you must help fulfill their unfinished business before they can move on to reincarnation except this adds in the LGBT angle where the homophobic police officer Ming-Han that accidentally finds the envelope ends up having to marry a deceased gay man Mao Mao and after learning more, tries to uncover the truth behind the hit and run that caused his death which his department had formerly closed the case due to lack of evidence. The story runs on a parallel between the special bond between Mao Mao and Ming-Han and Ming-Han and the case that the police department is investigating to capture a big criminal.

The cast for Marry My Dead Body is top of the line with a lot of familiar faces especially if you have been following some of the Taiwanese Netflix offerings. Greg Hsu is a big name when he broke out in 2019’s drama Someday or One Day (which isn’t streaming on Netflix but seems to be part of the Disney+ catalogue) and also the first time, I’ve seen him in a big role since he was part of the Light the Night cast as a supporting character, much like Austin Lin who also had a supporting role in Light the Night but had a main role in Mom, Don’t Do That. The two male leads of Marry My Dead Body carries the film for the most part since it mostly surrounds their interaction and eventual bond. They both capture their roles dynamically.

While Ming-Han’s character has a much bigger development arc, Austin Lin’s Mao Mao stands out a little more simply because his ghost character has a lot more to do and him as an actor has really proved that he is able to capture a lot of different roles whether its a person with OCD in iWeirDo or a lazy cheating boyfriend in Mom Don’t Do That and now, this spans again into another direction as he takes on being a dead gay man who fights for his romance while being incredibly kind-hearted and eventually having a positive influence on Ming-Han by the end. Mao Mao is a character whose back story is what sheds light on the LGBT social issues within the general and Taiwanese society. Its not to say that Greg Hsu isn’t very good also because they bounce off of each other very well and that probably has to do with a great script as well as direction to help them rebound each other’s lines very smoothly and also have the special bond believable by the end.

Other than the main leads, the film’s supporting cast is also pretty decent. The main familiar face on Netflix would be the female “lead” Gingle Wang who was previously in TV series Detention. In this one, she plays a similar sort of role contextually where her character is rather multi-faceted and has a couple of layers to uncover as the film progresses and becomes both a possible love interest for Ming-Han but also a worthy opponent and superior in the police department. The actual police team leader actually brings in a few of the comedic moments as well both in his appearance and his dialogue. A lot of characters, despite the more serious situations whether on a personal or police investigation side, has its share of silliness and it sets the right mood from the start when Ming-Han gets chosen to be the person that his grandmother insists on having this ghost marriage.

Comedies are truly different for everyone. Marry My Dead Body actually feels fairly in line with the tone of what to expect from a Taiwanese comedy. There’s a few themes here but for the most part, the fun elements is to give a more relaxed angle on a more serious issue of the LGBT society in Taiwan (especially in a more traditional family unit). For a supernatural film, this one has one or two “horror” elements but for the most part, its meant to be a good time and it definitely is, even if there are a few tropey and predictable elements.

Sakra (天龍八部之喬峯傳， 2023）

Sakra (2023)

Directors: Donnie Yen & Ka-Wai Kam

Cast: Donnie Yen, Yuqi Chen, Cya Liu, Yase Liu, Yue Wu, Kara Wai, Eddie Cheung, Yuming Du, Ray Lui, Cheung-Yan Yuen

When a respected martial artist is accused of killing, he goes around in search of answers about his own mysterious origin story and the unknown enemies working to destroy him. – IMDB

Co-directed with Big Brother (review) director Ka-Wai Kam and starring Donnie Yen, Sakra is adapted from the wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils written by Jin Yong, a reknowned Chinese wuxia novelist who has penned a lot of the adapted wuxia TV series and films. Sakra focuses on the story of Qiao Feng who is one of the three main characters of the book series set in 11th century China when Khitan-born baby is left for a Song empire couple to raise without knowing their consequences and eventually becomes the chief of the Beggars’ Sect because of his loyalty and exceptional martial arts skills. However, when the secret of his Khitan background is revealed timed with the accusation for the murder of a few substantial characters in the wulin (aka martial arts community), he renounces his chief title and sets out to find the answers to his origin story and ends up meeting A-Zhu, a girl with exceptional imposter capabilities and ends up saving her life.

To put an entire segment of a character’s life into a 2 hour movie is a tall order, mostly because Jin Yong’s stories are exceptional because of all the details which is very obvious if not originally familiar with the origin story itself. Despite the 2 hour length, the adapted screenplay delivered a mostly disjointed story. Its not hard to follow if the characters knowledge is well-comprehended especially in the ending when Donnie Yen plays both himself and an older character who is is father for example. On a good note, the wuxia novel themes are portrayed very well from its brotherhood code to its resistance to bullies and helping the unfortunate and ruthless governments, it all comes into play in this story.

With Donnie Yen films, its hard to not discuss the action element. Unlike most Donnie Yen films, this one has a lot more apparent computer effects to create some bigger moments and grander scenes. Its not a particularly bad thing but with the addition of effects also brings in more camera cuts and makes it feel less naturally flowing. The action scenes despite its greatness sometimes feel lengthy perhaps because the scene does warrant it because of the immense amount of people involved like one of the bigger scenes in the middle when he breaks the brotherhood with everyone and they all become his enemy but also right from the start when it was just a few against him that crafted his character from the get-go on where his values lie.

As with any period piece, Chinese films with wuxia and/or historical elements excel in two elements and this film is no exception. The first is great sets, whether its computer animated or actual scenery, its able to deliver some visually appealing environments. Paired with this are some beautiful costumes that match the empires they are portraying and in this case, both the Khitan and Song Empire clothing of the time matching to their sects. The colors are mostly subtle because of the general serious tone of revenge and betrayal but at the same time, Azhu has some of the brighter color clothing especially when her danger has subsided and the little moments of subtle romance happens.

Overall, Sakra is an average film in the Donnie Yen filmography. However, its not to say that the film itself is completely a bust. In reality, there are a lot of elements that work here on a visual level and even a nice introduction for those who aren’t familiar with the fictional martial arts community from the wuxia novels. Semi-Gods and Demi-Devils is a great starting point and probably one that Donnie Yen connects with a lot for him to choose to get back into the director’s chair. With how this film ends, it does feel like there is a good possibility of a sequel especially since they ended with a cameo of Ray Lui.

Sakra is currently available on digital, DVD and Blu-ray via Well Go USA.

**Screener provided by Well Go USA**

Ride On (龙马精神, 2023）

Ride On (龙马精神, 2023)

Director (and writer): Larry Yang

Cast: Jackie Chan, Haocun Liu, Kevin Guo, Yueting Lang, Andy On, Jing Wu, Shenyang Xiao, Joey Yung, Rongguang Yu

A washed-up stuntman and his stunt horse become an overnight social media sensation when their real-life fight with debt collectors goes viral. – IMDB

For most Jackie Chan fans, Ride On is a film made by a director who is a big fan of his as well as he gets to work with someone that he praises but also creates an alternate storyline of a character that has the life of Jackie Chan but is called Luo who is a stuntman who knows gains a second fame with his stunt horse, Red Hare. There’s no doubt that this film almost feels like a farewell film from Jackie Chan as it feels a lot like a tribute as Luo’s character rewatches the Jackie Chan blooper reel of all the accidents he has had at one point. At the same time, the film does highlight Jackie Chan (and his fellow stunt peers) who has lived their lives at the heyday of Hong Kong action films and their dangerous stunts that they had no choice but to do for their living but has now moved forward to try to provide a much safe environment, praising both the hard work and the fight from the past stunt actors (and actresses) but also the respect and pride of the career being more than the authenticity of doing the stunts but also accepting that there is a better way in today’s technology because its important to protect the lives of those involved even if its just a horse in this case.

Ride On is more than just about the stuntman life although everything else around it does feel like the result and sacrifices of choosing this life. The film runs at around 2 hours with Jackie Chan’s Luo portraying an older man who has gone through his career hardships to finally be a washed-up stuntman living at the Hengdian World Studios with his horse Red Hare. When the man who sold him Red Hare gets taken over, the company tries to get back their property, Red Hare, sinking him into a seek for legal help which leads to him trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Xiaobao (Haocun Liu) who is a law student dating a young lawyer Mickey (Kevin Guo). Despite the rocky start, he soon bonds with his daughter through this case but also a constant breaking point when his new fame takes him and Red Hare to more and more dangerous stunts which Xiaobao doesn’t agree with and constantly tries to convince him to stop before they both get hurt. While this is categorized as an action comedy, its hard to deny that when a father and daughter relationship and a man and his horse ‘s relationship is put to the test, there’s a fair amount of drama that will inevitably be involved.

With that said, Ride On has a lot of tangents and side plots and side characters which aren’t completely all necessary to make this story’s point but some of it is added for the comedic moments, some is there to give more classic Jackie Chan comedic stunt action with a new twist and some of it is to give it the stronger backup cast it needs to give this film more credit with small roles like successful action stars like Jing Wu and Joey Yung playing as Luo’s disciple and Andy On as the debt collector. The story does have some lull moments but Larry Yang crafts a story that truly gives such a shining light primarily to the relationship between Luo and Red Hare right from the first scene that makes all they go through in these two hours all the more connected to them by the end when their final fate lies in the final verdict. Boy, were my heartstrings pulled. I never thought I’d feel so much for a horse.

Now’s a great time to talk about the cast though. This film is a tribute to Jackie Chan’s career so casting him in his role and having him rewatch those reels is a strong moment. Growing up on Jackie Chan films, its been crazy to watch his career get to where it is now and at his age (almost 70) still being able to carry out these stunts. The man truly respects this life a lot and its what aligns with this character of Luo. The daughter Xiaobao is played by Haocun Liu which is a decent job. Her role does feel like it lacks the depth and feels a little more by the books since her relationship with her father does play a big role but its never quite as strong as his with Red Hare. Mickey, also called Naihua is played by cross-talk actor (Traditional Chinese style stand-up comedy) who is the main comedy outlet here as his interaction with Jackie Chan is one of a future father-in-law trying to craft his future son-in-law to be strong enough to protect his daughter while creating some reluctant interaction with Red Hare. The fear of both Luo and Red Hare from Mickey makes it all the more humorous, which is great when it cuts into some of the more tense moments between their relationship and gives the film a good balance. The English subs are truly fantastic giving him the name Mickey and when they meet his parents, their names are Donald and Daisy. Its not really a big part of the film and not a spoiler by any means but just a good example of the fun moments.

The star of Ride On has to be Red Hare. While this film shows Red Hare as a stunt horse, in reality, he is a retired professional race horse which is also carefully chosen so that his champion race horse stubbornness would play well into Red Hare’s personality here and gives him a certain playfulness. Red Hare is probably one of the most endearing animal characters which didn’t need to talk but the directing and cinematography and I guess choreography managed to give a great performance and truly make the audience care about him from worrying about the possibility of him getting hurt in the dangerous stunts and being scared for him when he was scared or even feeling bad for him when Luo was giving him a hard time for not completing his tasks on par.

Ride On isn’t probably what anyone expects when they first turn on this film. Its not as plentiful in the stunt department although there is one big scene. There are little moments in the film that you can recognize as variations of Jackie Chan’s past stunts. There’s a playback of his reels where he got hurt through his film career. The tribute is done in a really great way. If this is Jackie Chan’s final film (but nowhere has announced it to be), it would be a fitting one. Since it isn’t, its a fun and touching one and especially memorable and well-appreciated for Jackie Chan fans.

*Screener provided by Well Go USA*

Double Feature: The Witch Part 1 The Subversion (2018) & Part 2 The Other One (2022)

The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion (2018)

Director (and writer): Hoon-jung Park

Cast: Da-mi Kim, Min-soo Jo, Woo-sik Choi, Min-Si Go, Hee-soon Park, Byeong-Ok Kim, Jung-woo Choi, Da-eun Jung, Ha-Na Kim

A high school student with amnesia tries to uncover what has happened to her. All leading her into deeper troubles ultimately revealing a darkness she could not have imagined. – IMDB

The first part of The Witch trilogy sets off the story as a girl ends up in a small town home and grows up for many years there. As she enters her teen years, odd people start showing up insinuating that there’s more to her and trying to snap her out of her amnesia. When we look at typical Asian storylines, traumatic amnesia is probably one of the most frequently used plot point. What Hoon-jung Park does with the script sets the story apart as he takes this plot into a deeper horror thriller with a young protagonist with super powers and intelligence full of twists and turns that take the audience by surprise as it steps into a new sudden change in narrative when it seems to be going steady down one path. What starts off as a more teen drama takes a sudden turn into psychological thriller that turns into an action-packed horror.

There’s a lot to love about Part 1 The Subversion. First parts always does the job to set the foundation for the story at hand from the setting to the characters. Its does a great job at doing this especially when the story revolves around an evil corporation of sorts and super humans. The first part ends with a lot of set-up, a cliffhanger of sorts and a few unanswered questions that leaves intrigue. As much as I have a massive pet peeve for films that aren’t standalone enough, this one closes enough doors to feel like it has somewhat drawn a decent story plus it does sell as multipart so its a lot more acceptable.

With that said, the cast in Part One is pretty good. Da-Mi Kim carries this super human role perfectly grasping the innocence at the start when amnesiac but also finding a wild side when things start going crazy. Playing as somewhat of an enemy but also her memory stimulator is a group of young English-speaking witches lead by Woo-sik Choi’s character. The other character that deserves mention is the older cast member who is the head showrunner of the corporation and this experiment Dr. Baek played by Min-Soo Jo which embodies a lot of a manipulative authority figure.

The Witch Part 1 The Subversion is a great film. Its a two hour wild ride that has a bunch of twists and turns. There’s blood and action, strong narrative plot and a great foundation for its next part.

The Witch: Part 2 The Other One (2022)

Director (and writer): Hoon-jung Park

Cast: Cynthia, Min-Soo Jo, Da-Mi Kim, Eun-bin Park, Jin Goo, Jong-suk Lee, Yoo-Bin Sung, Justin John Harvey, Ji-min Kim

A girl wakes up in a secret laboratory and meets Kyung-hee, who is trying to protect her from a gang. When the gang finally finds the girl, they are overwhelmed by an unexpected power. – IMDB

The Witch Part 2 The Other One tells of another one of the super power kids which we soon know is a “twin” of Ja-yoon in the first part. With this, the story of what hides further in these experiments start becoming much more apparent. Part 2 is a different type of story. What this girl goes through, albeit also rather small-town, is full of much more threat and cluelessness, making her character a little more dangerous and unpredictable.

There’s a lot more dark humor injected into Part 2 mostly with the going on and the interactions, making this feel a little bit more of a fish out of water story but at the same time also had a few side plots going on from a military duo trying to track her down to Dr. Baek and her sister’s confrontation from another leader of the organization also trying to track her down and a look at the past with a pregnant teen girl who falls into a elaborate plan just to get her baby. In some ways, it makes the story a little more convoluted and while there is a decent bit of action, the film takes a turn for an over the top style with a lot of computer graphics.

The acting for the most part is on point. The characters, while more to follow this time around, do still have its own distinctive personality that contributes to their purpose. The only characters that seem to not have truly exposed their purpose is the military duo who also has special abilities and adds to the internationalism of the organization but seems to perhaps have gone rogue (or not). The conversation between these two revolve around a lot of nagging and bickering in English which at times angles on annoying but has its comedic purposes. There are more characters or maybe because its more in-your-face since the audience already knows the basics of the story, its trying to set up for the next part while tying up some loose ends from the first part.

The best part of the film is definitely not the length since you do feel the drag especially in the middle part. Overall, the film feels less of a wow factor since the big reveal was already revealed in the first part but what they find digging deeper and whether this girl is as powerful as the other. The best parts of the film is where the Girl will have her unpredictable moments from her reactions which still has a mild psychological horror effect.

Overall, The Witch Part 2 is a more straightforward action horror film with some comedic moments as relief. The film is a little longer and the story feels like its partially meant to set up the stage for Part 3, which I’ve read is the last part (you can correct me if I’m wrong). However, it loses the unpredictable level but maintains some bloody over the top action sequences (even if its computer graphics heavy). Its still a fun watch even if its a little convoluted since it sets up enough to anticipate for the next part.

Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

Director (and co-writer): Harry Bradbeer

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry  Cavill, David Thewlis, Louis Partridge, Susan Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Helena Bonham Carter, Himesh Patel, Hannah Dodd

Now a detective-for-hire, Enola Holmes takes on her first official case to find a missing girl as the sparks of a dangerous conspiracy ignite a mystery that requires the help of friends – and Sherlock himself – to unravel – IMDB

Enola Holmes is probably one of the better Netflix offerings of the last few months. The first film (review) gave us the introduction to Sherlock’s baby sister and her capabilities, drawing out a picture of the people that is a part of her life and using breaking the 4th wall in a very natural way. The sequel has much more depth this time as there is no more foundation building and can jump start into investigating. This keeps the film at a good pacing however, the use of the 4th wall is not quite as natural and clever as it was in the first film, with only a few instances that work well for the scenario. Being a sequel, it still manages to be relatively standalone while giving small nods to the first film here and there.

Enola Holmes 2 is a charming and fun film with very much the same witty vibes as the first film. This time, the case is much bigger and gives a more prominent role to her own family with her mother played by Helena Bonham Carter and her brother Sherlock Holmes, played by Henry Cavill being a more important part to this mystery adventure. Sherlock becomes key as they start off separate and Enola trying to prove herself independently but soon realizes that their cases may be connected and that her brother is the one to protect her when the time comes. At the same time also being able to exchange with each other a fresh pair of eyes to their respective cases. The film length does also give space for her little crush with Lord Tewkesbury for some growth and include him in a part of her adventures in time for the big finale.

Enola Holmes 2 is a pretty decent sequel. Sure, one focal element isn’t done as well as the first but Millie Bobby Brown makes Enola Holmes so fun to watch as she moves through the cases. Its a vivid character that is growing as a detective but still has the mistakes in judgment every once in a while that makes for some well-timed comedy. At the same time, this film did give Henry Cavill a bigger role and with that, Sherlock Holmes also has more depth and starts to open up a little more to Enola and value company. Much like their mother that has a bombastic entrance literally and Helena Bonham Carter somehow fits that role incredibly well and adds a nice dimension to the film with the one segment that she’s part of.

Enola Holmes leans into the 2 hour length but manages to keep it well-paced. This time the villain is multifold and from different angles with a menacing crooked character but also a more subtle villain and a familiar face in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. While I haven’t checked out the source material yet for Enola Holmes and my knowledge for Sherlock Holmes is more the many film and TV adaptations than the classic novels, its a lot of fun to see the two siblings’ world be pulled together to cross paths. This one ends with a nice little end credit scene hinting at a new character entering his series that makes it all more fun.

As an ending note, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of these Enola Holmes films. Its a ton of fun and tends to be one of the better Netflix offerings so far. Hopefully we will see another sequel eventually.

TV Binge: Lockwood and Co. (Season 1, 2023)

Lockwood & Co. (Season 1, 2023)

Creator: Joe Cornish

Cast: Ruby Stokes, Cameron Chapman, Ali Hadji-Heshmati, Jack Bandeira, Ivanno Jeremiah, Louise Brealey, Hayley Konadu, Luke Treadaway

A tiny startup, run by two teenage boys and a newly arrived, supremely psychically gifted girl, a renegade trio destined to unravel a mystery that will change the course of history – IMDB

Based on the novels by Jonathan Stroud, Lockwood And Co. is a Netflix series set in an alternate London which has been infected with The Problem which has birthed a world of kids born with different talents for ghost hunting. Surrounding this is Lucy who runs away from her training and ends up working for a young agency run by Anthony Lockwood and other associate George Karim. Together they face different cases together. While I haven’t read the novels, the first season is based on two of the books The Screaming Staircase and The Whispering Skull. The show follows itself in the recent successes of kids/teens in peril as the main cast like Stranger Things and Locke and Key.

There’s a lot to love about Lockwood and co. One of such is its setting. There’s nothing like and alternate reality to make it feel like a whole new world. In this case, its the ghost-infested UK which doesn’t really spend a lot of time laying down what happened for it turn this way but uses multiple articles in its intro to lay down the basics. Its a pretty clever way to let the audience learn more about this world as the show progresses. The quiet curfew streets of London and the haunted ghosts flying about and grave diggers in cemetary being seemingly normal while the policeman are now ghost hunters mostly comprised of kids who have discovered their talent whether to sense or see ghosts to some extent but as we know by the end, will also gradually lose the talent as they get older. Its a grim and exciting world especially in the starting sequence when the first conversation shows a woman who hired Lockwood and Co. and tells them about how its sad that they never go to experience a normal childhood (compared to her).

Lockwood and Co, the agency is the focus of the show with its three members being the main cast and focus and their professional relationship and personal connection growing as a “family”. Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman) is the owner of this private paranormal investigative agency and he is both talented and reckless and willing to do anything to prove him and the agency’s value. For a debut role, Cameron Chapman does a decent job. There are certain moments especially in earlier episodes that does feel like he is not quite at ease and a little less emotive however, it does slowly find a better momentum. Usually YA series tend to have that issue for the most part so its rather expected but his character is pretty well-written that it does help.

Lucy (Ruby Stokes) is a runaway from the government funded Fittes Agency (Lockwood and co’s main competition) when a case goes wrong and she loses her entire team resulting in her best friend being ghost locked due to a bad judgment call from their supervisor Jacobs who denies the situation and shifts the blame to her instead. Refusing to apologize and leaving her unloving mother behind, she seeks refuge in this job and soon realizes that she has outstandingly superior abilities in paranormal connections as she can build a psychic connection with them and speak to some stronger ghost forms. Ruby Stokes does a great job with this character even if its hard to not think of her as a younger version of a combination of Brie Larson and Jennifer Lawrence in various angles (in my opinion). Lucy is one of the better developed and executed characters in season 1 and is a great strong female lead.

The third member who feels more neglected o the sidelines is their researcher George Karim (Ali Hadji-Heshmati) who has some rather odd habits but despite feeling insignificant to the group does end up being quite a strong asset. While George does feel much more toned down in his role compared to Lucy and Lockwood’s, he does get a lot more spotlight by the end of the season and he is the balance that his two associates need to make this agency work.

There’s a lot of elements to the story that makes for a well-paced series and making it have the action and adventure to keep things moving. While there are some moments of hints of romantic vibes between Lucy and Lockwood, for the most part, it never dwells on it for too long. The ghosts and the mysteries that they end up trying to solve are pretty fun and while its not considered very scary, it still have some pretty good ghost moments.

Overall, Lockwood and Co. is a fun series. Perhaps not quite as polished as say Stranger Things or Locke and Key but there’s a good pace and a well-structured set of characters. Add in the intriguing alternate reality setting of a grim and dark UK with a rather uninventive problem that has turned its world upside down called The Problem, this world feels like there’s a whole lot more to discover than simply what the first season has dolled out. There’s a lot more to look at from its haunted relics to what’s behind the door in Lockwood’s house, the mystery behind what goes on behind the Fittes Agency and who is this mystery man they called Golden Blade played by Luke Treadaway. Season one ended on a lot of loose ends and even a cliffhanger, which is something of a pet peeve of mine, since there’s no confirmation whether it would get a second season. If there was one criticism, that’s it right there but seriously TV producers need to stop doing season finale cliffhangers if the next season isn’t greenlit yet. Despite that being the case, its safe to say I’m hoping a Season 2 will happen.

The Wandering Earth 2 (2023)

The Wandering Earth 2 (2023)

Director (and co-writer): Frant Gwo

Cast: Andy Lau, Jing Wu, Zhi Wang, Yanmanzi Zhu, Xuejian Li, Ning Li, Sha Yi, Zhang Yi

Humans built huge engines on the surface of the earth to find a new home. But the road to the universe is perilous. In order to save earth, young people once again have to step forward to start a race against time for life and death. – IMDB

Following 2019’s The Wandering Earth based on novel of the same name by Cixin Li who is also involved as co-writer on the screenplay, The Wandering Earth 2 is a sequel but a prequel story as the story dials back to how the Earth started wandering and all its hoops that it had to go through giving purpose to the father character in the original film and what happened to create the separation. Dedicated to Man-Tat Ng who has unfortunately left this world (but was added in two scenes with what I expect is some computer magic) but was a huge part of The Wandering Earth, this sequel involves many layers which builds a foundation of both the history but on the many angles of science, astronomy and engineering, the world and the politics. On many levels, the concept and premise is a good angle. It definitely feels like a trend to build a story and to create a sequel that acts as a prequel. While the detail and the depth of every element of The Wandering Earth 2 is very much appreciated, the 3 hour runtime does feel like it ends up losing its footing somewhere in the middle for a little bit before going into its big finale and could have benefited from a tighter edited film.

Looking at the story as a whole, there are many elements because of its phase by phase approach in its history and recount of events that make it very memorable especially since it follows Jing Wu’s character Liu Pei Qiang from both his work and how he meets his family and how the main character of its first film comes to be. The other side is Andy Lau’s character Tu Heng Yu who is a supporter of the other project Digital Life Project because of the loss of his daughter and the desire to be able to give her a complete life but is restrained to follow with the new orders. On the other side is the political showrunner as the representative of China who is an elderly gentlemen Zhou played by Xuejian Li and his assistant Xiao Xi played by Yanmanzi Zhu who backs strongly the Moving Mountains Project despite its strong disapproval from the public including some extreme efforts to destroy what is already built in one part which is one of the best scenes as it allows Jing Wu to show off some of his martial arts. The different characters reveal a different angle of the situation and they all come together in the end in probably one of the most touching scenes when the older crew takes on the dangerous mission to defend the younger generation. The idea of the premise is definitely commendable and honestly, it does stand well and I wouldn’t even know what to edit out but perhaps some of the little moments here and there could be more condensed.

Despite the pacing suffering because of the long runtime (which in my opinion happens a lot with lengthier films), there are still a lot of well-executed elements. Much like the icy landscape in the first one which builds up its world, this future of Earth is still a rather grim place but the big operations and leaps in engineering development is another level of creativity especially with its incredibly visually stunning scenes with the space elevators. The imagination and perspective of the world building is truly astounding and its what made its first film so good since the suspension of belief and using our minds to imagine this future is really amazing even if its also conflicting. It is also supported by an engaging score and the cast is pretty decent as well.

As listed above, the cast is a group of veteran actors from Hong Kong actor Andy Lau who has done an extensive list of films of all genres. This role actually feels very good for him and fits his older and more mature self and almost in some parts becomes a rather selfish person even if he redeems himself in the end in a rather bittersweet ending. Jing Wu is best known for his role in SPL and Wandering Earth 1 and 2 has truly shed a new light of a more emotional character. However because this is a prequel, his character loses the overall surprise element as we all know he makes it out in the end or else he wouldn’t be in the first film. This is also a key issue with making prequels after their original films. While I haven’t seen Xuejian Li in anything else as Mainland China cinema is still rather new to myself, the actor is incredible as the firm political leader who has full faith in his decisions. His assistant however is an underrated actress from her previous roles in the main female lead in Unrequited Love (currently available on Netflix Canada), and the much more conflicting role in River Flows To You and here even as the assistant, she shines as her character goes through character development where as her boss gets older, her confidence also builds by the end where she can handle the political scene on her own. The character designs are all really good including Sha Yi who previously I’ve only seen in Chinese variety shows but delivers a very nice side of his story both as the mentor of Jing Wu’s character but delivers that breath of fresh air needed between the increasingly tense and dangerous situation.

Overall, The Wandering Earth 2 is pretty decent. It keeps a lot of the strengths of its first one from world building, visuals and its imagination for the future of Earth. Its a grand idea to move Earth around in the solar system and to make the elements work, its pretty thought out (at least for myself whose forte is not in engineering). The characters are pretty well-strctured and has a lot of room for development which is a benefit of the long runtime. Its only fault is the almost 3 hour runtime which makes the whole affair feels dragged out in the middle especially when things slow down to the more melodramatic moments which could have been more condensed. If you enjoyed The Wandering Earth, this one should still be a fun time.

*The Wandering Earth 2 is exclusively in theatres and IMAX since January 22nd*

*Screener provided by Well Go USA*