(no subject)
This game is AWESOME.
Weezer Jam Session!
I've also just realized that I failed to give any kind of review of Ong Bak.
Easily the best, most innovative martial-arts movie I've seen since Legend of Drunken Master, and anyone who knows me knows I think the world of that movie.
Tony Jaa creates a soft-spoken, noble hero who in the blink of an eye springs into action, lightly leaping over cars, off walls and into graceful and often savage violence. The style of Muay Thai used in the movie is apparently an ancient form that was used only in wartime, and jesus christ does it show. This is definitely not Jackie Chan's school of Peking Opera, mixed with Buster Keaton physical comedy. Elbows and knees never looked so painful. Not that the movie doesn't have funny moments as well.
The plot is quite basic, and pretty much incidental to the balletic acts of brutality and endurance Jaa dishes out and recieves. In one scene, he fights against several different opponents with equally impressive styles, including an impossibly fast Jeet-Kune Do fighter, a gigantic Australian freestyler and what I can only presume is an Irish-Russian mobster on some serious drugs. You'll see what I mean. I've never considered smashing one's opponent with an entire bar's contents a valid style before, but he makes it look wicked.
Another of my favourite moments occurs when Jaa and his sidekick locate the bad-guy's hideout, examine the entrance from afar (gaurded by four armed men) and then slide back down behind cover. I thought to myself "ok, cool, we're going to see a stealth sequence."
Instead, camera filming from a steadycam position, Jaa just walks right into the middle of them from off-frame, and viciously puts them all down in about six seconds flat.
And the obligatory weapons-fighting sequence? Good lord.
Sadly, the movie wasn't very well lit, so it's often hard to see exactly what's going on, but knowing that there's absolutely no CGI or special effects in use more than makes up for it.
On the other end of the MA Movie effects-scale, the pic was preceeded by a trailer for Stephen "Shaolin Soccer" Chow's new movie, Kung Fu Hustle, wihch also looks amazing. Kenny's going to burn me a copy today, and I can't wait to see it.
Weezer Jam Session!
I've also just realized that I failed to give any kind of review of Ong Bak.
Easily the best, most innovative martial-arts movie I've seen since Legend of Drunken Master, and anyone who knows me knows I think the world of that movie.
Tony Jaa creates a soft-spoken, noble hero who in the blink of an eye springs into action, lightly leaping over cars, off walls and into graceful and often savage violence. The style of Muay Thai used in the movie is apparently an ancient form that was used only in wartime, and jesus christ does it show. This is definitely not Jackie Chan's school of Peking Opera, mixed with Buster Keaton physical comedy. Elbows and knees never looked so painful. Not that the movie doesn't have funny moments as well.
The plot is quite basic, and pretty much incidental to the balletic acts of brutality and endurance Jaa dishes out and recieves. In one scene, he fights against several different opponents with equally impressive styles, including an impossibly fast Jeet-Kune Do fighter, a gigantic Australian freestyler and what I can only presume is an Irish-Russian mobster on some serious drugs. You'll see what I mean. I've never considered smashing one's opponent with an entire bar's contents a valid style before, but he makes it look wicked.
Another of my favourite moments occurs when Jaa and his sidekick locate the bad-guy's hideout, examine the entrance from afar (gaurded by four armed men) and then slide back down behind cover. I thought to myself "ok, cool, we're going to see a stealth sequence."
Instead, camera filming from a steadycam position, Jaa just walks right into the middle of them from off-frame, and viciously puts them all down in about six seconds flat.
And the obligatory weapons-fighting sequence? Good lord.
Sadly, the movie wasn't very well lit, so it's often hard to see exactly what's going on, but knowing that there's absolutely no CGI or special effects in use more than makes up for it.
On the other end of the MA Movie effects-scale, the pic was preceeded by a trailer for Stephen "Shaolin Soccer" Chow's new movie, Kung Fu Hustle, wihch also looks amazing. Kenny's going to burn me a copy today, and I can't wait to see it.