BLISS

bliss

BLISS / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: JOE BEGOS / STARRING: DORA MADISON, TRU COLLINS, RHYS WAKEFIELD, JEREMY GARDNER / RELEASE: OUT NOW

Conceptual artist Dezzy Donahue (Madison) is struggling to complete her latest large canvas commission, and finds herself dropped by her irritated agent. Broke and on the verge of being thrown out of her loft apartment by her impatient landlord, Dezzy looks for some respite from the pressures in her life. She parties hard, enjoying an excess of alcohol, drugs, and intense sexual encounters.

But while Bliss begins with a voyeuristic celebration of Bohemian hedonism, it quickly shifts into far darker and more unsettling territory. When Dezzy starts to experiment with the more hardcore merchandise in her dealer’s inventory, and falls in with some of the scene’s more freaky associates, things turn serious. As she suffers blackouts, and what appear to be horrifying hallucinations of vampiric murder, she is gripped by paranoia. Yet with the passing of each debauched evening, new yearning human silhouettes are mysteriously added to her unfinished painting. Adrift from the everyday moorings in her life, Dezzy’s own appetites become ever more extreme.

Bliss sets aside most of the usual narrative conventions of the horror movie, to favour the ‘sensory experience’ of its transgressive setting over the narrow concerns of plot. Writer-director Joe Begos shows no interest in making any of his characters likeable. As there’s no one for the audience to root for, all attention can be focused on the bucketloads of weird unfolding on screen. If the distinctions between fantasy, dreams, and reality are not always evident to the viewer, that is also clearly Begos’ intention. This far-from-derivative endeavour benefits from some assured cinematography, suitably frenetic editing and a carefully crafted and edgy soundscape.

But the entire movie ultimately pivots on what’s a hugely demanding performance by Dora Madison in the role of Dezzy. The young actor endured a pretty tough shoot. She’s frequently seen in various stages of undress, covered from head to foot in gore, and shown in the throes of manic intoxication, or fragile and shattered in its aftermath. As she observes on one of the disc’s three audio commentaries, she’s often depicted “looking like shit” in close-up. Hers is a commendably committed presence, which sees her buy in fully to her director’s aspirations.

The notion of the artist who can only be truly creative under the influence of pharmacology and indulgent excess is not new. Neither is the premise of a dealer with super-powerful new merchandise; nor that of a bloodthirsty cabal of vampires seducing new recruits. So Bliss has to stand or fall on the strength of its realisation of a psychologically-deranged artist battling their (literal and figurative) demons. It’s certainly a pretty intense eighty-minute ride through the darker corners of addiction and compulsion, but it ends up being a film more likely to be experienced than savoured by most viewers.

OVER THE GARDEN WALL

over the garden wall

DVD, BLU-RAY | CERT: PG | STARRING: ELIJAH WOOD, COLLIN DEAN, MELANIE LYNSKEY | RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2ND

Five years since its initial release on the Cartoon Network, Patrick McHale’s Emmy award-winning animated miniseries is finally available on Blu-ray in the UK. The show follows brothers Wirt (Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean) as they wander lost in an autumnal forest wilderness called ‘The Unknown’, regularly encountering talking animals, walking pumpkins, and ferry-boating frogs, all the while being stalked by a mysterious entity known as ‘The Beast’.

The miniseries’ cast features several STARBURST faves, with Christopher Lloyd, John Cleese, and Tim Curry all lending their voices. Cleese particularly excels in his two roles as Adelaide of the Pasture and an eccentric tea company owner, Quincy Endicott, raising both characters through his verbal tics and performance. The older brother Wirt’s worry and anxiousness about trying to find a way home (and just about everything else) is balanced wonderfully with Greg’s carefree childishness where the only thing even approaching a concern for him is trying to think of a name for a pet frog he found. They also find a talking bluebird called Beatrice who acts as a guide to The Unknown for the lost brothers.

McHale took inspiration from the old cartoons from Fleischer, Tex Avery, and similar from the 1920s and ‘30s, particularly the dreamlike eighth episode ‘Babes in the Wood’. The series keeps a slightly dark and wistful quality that separates it from other Cartoon Network series. As it is a modern Cartoon Network series, there are of course songs throughout and Over the Garden Wall has a few folk-style songs that fit the story and universe McHale has created. ‘Potatoes & Molasses’, sang by Dean, is a particularly catchy highlight of the soundtrack.

With only ten, twelve-minute long chapters, the series moves at a good pace and doesn’t outstay its welcome; each episode is fairly self-contained as the boys come across new situations. Over the Garden Wall was made to stand alone by itself as a single miniseries, so there are no loose ends, although there is a comic book miniseries by Boom! Studios that explores The Unknown a little more, and there will sadly be no more further seasons of the cartoon.

While the animation doesn’t reach the quality of its contemporaries like Steven Universe  or Adventure Time, Over the Garden Wall’s fairly unique feel, its vocal performances and its writing more than make up for these small shortcomings.

DANIEL ISN’T REAL

daniel

BLU-RAY, VOD | CERT: 15 | DIRECTOR: ADAM EGYPT MORTIMER | SCREENPLAY: ADAM EGYPT MORTIMER & BRIAN DELEEUW | STARRING: MILES ROBBINS, PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER, SASHA LANE, HANNAH MARKS, MARY STUART MASTERSON | RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 10TH 

After suffering a violent family trauma, college freshman Luke decides to resurrect his imaginary childhood friend to help him cope with his everyday anxiety. Charismatic, peppy, and often manipulative, Daniel helps Luke come out of his shell and gain the life he’s always wanted. Unfortunately, things begin to take a turn for the worse as what started as a promising ‘friendship’ soon descends into a nightmarish fight for his very own sanity. 

Based on the novel In This Way I Was Saved by Brian Deleeuw, Daniel Isn’t Real is a stylish psychological horror that’s bursting with ingenuity from start to finish. Boasting a talented young cast and strong performances throughout, Adam Egypt Mortimer has done an incredible job at the helm to this ‘new-retro’ horror. Instead of feeling like a pastiche of the past, Mortimer has been able to use familiar horror tropes whilst injecting new life to a tried and tested formula. Combining Chris Clark’s atmospheric score with Lyle Vincent’s stunning cinematography, Daniel Isn’t Real succeeds in creating a flashy alternative to a genre that has been plagued by cattleprod cinema. 

When it comes to the performances, Miles Robbins flourishes in the role of Luke, switching from vulnerable loner to suave romancer with ease. His slow descent into madness is never overplayed, and his talents in front of the camera are clear for all to see. Patrick Schwarzenegger portrays the devilish Daniel with much restraint while still being able to brood with authoritative flare at all the right moments. His cool and confident demeanour is the perfect embodiment of a man who’s willing to take risks at whatever the cost. When relations sour, both actors are able to let loose in what’s an entertaining and thoroughly thrilling finale. 

Although some may find issues with its portrayal of mental illness, it’s clear to see that there’s something far more sinister at work. In a society where everything is a hot topic, Daniel Isn’t Real is able to take a well-used horror device and keep it fresh for a whole new audience without ever being disrespectful. Containing a great story with some ambitious, practical effects, Mortimer been able to craft an imaginative film that harks back to ‘80s horror. A refreshing palate cleanser from the generic horror films that have dominated the cinemas in recent years, Daniel Isn’t Real is a breath of fresh air that’ll surely gain a cult following in years to come. Strong performances, a solid script and innovative direction help make this film a must-watch amongst horror enthusiasts. 

SNATCHERS

DIRECTORS: STEPHEN CEDARS, BENJI KLEIMAN / SCREENPLAY: STEPHEN CEDARS, BENJI KLEIMAN, SCOTT YACYSHYN / STARRING: MARY NEPI, GABRIELLE ELYSE, J.J. NOLAN, AUSTIN FRYBERGER, NICK GOMEZ / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (VOD), FEBRUARY 17TH (BLU-RAY)

After her first sexual encounter with her boyfriend, a teenage girl awakens the following morning to discover that she is nine months pregnant with an alien in Stephan Cedar and Benji Kleiman’s hilarious horror sci-fi comedy Snatchers.

The story follows Sara (Nepi) who, after meeting the airheaded hottie Skylar (Fryberger), has fallen in with the popular clique at school which completely separates her from her childhood friend Hayley (Elyse). After a steamy night of love with Skylar, Sara awakens to the nightmare that she is pregnant – however, it’s a little more complicated than that as she’s nine months along. With no-one to turn to, Sara must rekindle her friendship with Hayley as the two are thrust into a new world after Sara gives birth to an ancient Alien that threatens the future of humanity by “snatching” humans and taking control of their bodies.

The easiest way to describe Snatchers is Mean Girls meets Alien – the first act covers your traditional American high-school dramedy with status groups, sex and partying before it quickly spins on its head and turns into a wacky, gory fight for survival against one of the coolest looking creatures in recent sci-fi comedy memory.

Independent budgets usually present a monumental task in making an interesting idea work, but in this case, Directors Stephan and Benji relished this challenging and made one hell of a fun ride. A lot of there peers primarily opt for CGI as a key way of presenting an otherworldly being but in Snatchers about 90% of their aliens are practical effects allowing the cast to project realistic reactions and envoke that classic feeling of movies gone by such as Gremlins or Critters.

Mary Nepi and Gabrielle Elyse as the leading ladies are absolutely electric – their chemistry oozes charm and really helps the comedy pop and explode on the screen, along with a lot of blood! The idea for the film stemmed from a short film back in 2015 and with Mary and Gabrielle being involved in that, it was obvious to keep this strong connection going in the full project.

Snatchers is a brilliant little gem of a horror sci-fi comedy that borrows some of the best bits from independent cult classics that, when presented with great Edgar Wright-esque directing and great central performances, creates a thoroughly entertaining romp through a unique look at teenage life and pregnancy. Barrells of laughs and plenty of gore to boot, Snatchers is a hell of a lot of fun.

Special Features

  • The Birth of SNATCHERS: A Behind-the-Scenes look [14:21]
  • Unexpected: The SNATCHERS Blooper Reel [3:37]
  • Commentary

47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED

47 Meters Down: Uncaged

47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JOHANNES ROBERTS / SCREENPLAY: ERNEST RIERA, JOHANNES ROBERTS / STARRING: SOPHIE NELISSE, CORINNE FOXX, BRIANNE TJU, JOHN CORBETT, SISTENE STALLONE, BREC BASSINGER / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 3RD

Johannes Roberts’ 47 Meters Down impressed many upon its release back in 2017, and now the director is back with follow-up offering 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. Taking the action to an underwater Mayan city, let’s see whether this sequel has any genuine bite or whether it’s simply one of the many toothless offerings to grace the shark movie subgenre.

Mia (Nelisse) and Sasha (Foxx) are stepsisters who are trying to get adjusted to a new school. While Sasha is getting on fine with her new surroundings, Mia is on the receiving end of some bullying – with it clear that these stepsisters aren’t exactly BFFs. When Mia’s father Grant (Corbett) decides that a boat ride to see some great white sharks in all their glory is a good bonding experience for the two girls, the pair instead get convinced to take an underwater dive with two of Sasha’s pals. But while the jaw-dropping beauty of a sunken Mayan city is an offer these young ladies can’t turn down, little do they know that this trip could well be their last.

As somebody with an irrational fear of sharks and who has been known to get a tad claustrophobic at times, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is as uncomfortable a watch as it gets. With stomach knots and tingling spines aplenty, Uncaged is dripping with tension and undeniable angst at every literal turn. Director Johannes Roberts continues to show just how adept he is at serving up genuine dread, and again Roberts makes sure to make the most of the musical numbers dropped in throughout his movies. Yet while the fist-pumping beats of Aztec Camera’s Somewhere in My Heart will bring up your energy levels and brilliantly accompany the optimism of a sunshine-drenched exploration of the wonders of yesteryear, there’s a sinister musical score forever closing in on the audience as our four divers begin to get themselves in quite the pickle.

Performance-wise, everybody here delivers fantastically for what is needed, with the movie’s key players joining the anxiety of the feature as being the standout elements of 47 Meters Down: Uncaged. There’s no denying Roberts crafts the sort of atmosphere to have even the coolest of cool cats getting a tad hot around the collar.

On the other side of the fence, the CGI-created sharks do look a little underwhelming at times. When kept to brief glimpses and quick snapshots, these creatures are great. It’s just that the more prolonged glances at these Carcharodon Carcharias don’t serve the movie all that well, and more concerning is that 47 Meters Down: Uncaged doesn’t seem to realise this – hence plentiful great white close-ups as the film powers towards its conclusion. Likewise, the picture does maybe go a little too The Return of the King in its false finishes for some audiences, although the sense of unrelenting dread is forever constant throughout all of this.

All in all, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged is one of the most terrifying shark movies to come around in decades. For those looking for a white-knuckle shark dive experience, it doesn’t get any more tense than this – even if this standalone sequel does at times jump the proverbial shark with its main attraction.

SSSS.GRIDMAN

REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (ALL EPISODES) / DIRECTOR: AKIRA AMEMIYA / STARRING: YUUYA HIROSE, YUME MIYAMOTO, REINA UEDA, HIKARU MIDORIKAWA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (BLU-RAY – REVIEWED)

After waking up with amnesia in classmate Rikka Takarada’s house, Yūta Hibiki begins to hear the voice of the Hyper Agent Gridman through an old computer in Rikka’s family shop. Soon after, Yūta forms the Gridman Alliance and must merge with Gridman to fight off gargantuan kaiju that threaten his city but another mystery unfolds – after each attack, the city resets with no-one apart from the Gridman Alliance remembers the events of the previous day.

Studio Trigger (Kill La Kill, Promare) are well known for creating truly captivating anime spectacles, so when it was announced that they would be teaming up with Tsuburaya Productions, the company behind the 1993 original TV series Denkou Choujin Gridman; fans were understandably excited.

This anime adaptation shares the concept with its predecessor but isn’t a reboot – just a new story in the same vein. One of the most interesting and pleasing aspects that it shares with the 90s show is that the original voice actor of Gridman, Hikaru Midorikawa, came back to reprise his legendary role.

The story takes place over 12 episodes and the narrative structure of each part is extremely evocative of that of classic Saturday morning cartoons – right down to the “morphing-esque” scenes when Gridman enters the battle. Usually when an anime is presented in this short season length format, it is a fantastic opportunity to binge-watch to get the full impact, however, in the case of Gridman, with its classic cartoon format, a slow methodically viewing of perhaps a couple of episodes at a time is recommended in order to prevent preceedings becoming overly repetitive.

In terms of the animation, Studio Trigger once again prove that they continue to make stunning looking anime with exhilarating action sequences. The Kaiju battles are mind-blowing entertaining and that, along with the excellent music (that even rewards longtime fans) is a winning combination.

With a crazy concept that also feels nostalgic to even new fans of the property, SSSS.GRIDMAN is a highly entertaining anime from start to finish with vibrant characters, wonderfully fleshed out world and badass giant monster fights.

Special Features:

The Blu-Ray only features one extra feature which is unfortunately quite lacklustre as many anime Blu-Rays are accompanied by a least a few short features and usually textless opening and closing songs.

DISC 2

  • SSSS.GRIDMAN: BEHIND THE GRIDMAN ALLIANCE [27:18] – A behind-the-scenes featurette with the ADR Director and the English Voice Cast talking about the show.

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Zombieland double tap

DVD, BLU-RAY (REVIEWED), 4K UHD, VOD | CERT: 15 | DIRECTOR: RUBEN FLEISCHER | SCREENPLAY: RHETT REESE, PAUL WERNICK, DAVE CALLAHAM | STARRING: JESSE EISENBERG, EMMA STONE, WOODY HARRELSON, ABIGAIL BRESLIN | RELEASE DATE: FEB 24TH

“You’ve got to remember guys: it’s zombie-comedy and there’s a lot of people expecting a lot from us”, Bill Murray sarcastically quips at the start of one of the many pieces of behind-the-scenes footage featured on the home-media release of Zombieland: Double Tap. His cavalier attitude unintentionally sums the film up by being relaxed, unpretentious, and utterly charming through a mixture of comedic timing and wit. 

2009’s Zombieland was originally conceived of and written as a pilot for a TV-series. In a world where The Walking Dead was still just a comic book (one that briefly appears in Double Tap, in fact), the idea of zombies on television was still a hard-sell, so the project ended up getting re-tooled and turned into a movie. 

The feature-debut of Ruben Fleischer, then best known for directing the least-popular Electric Six music video, Zombieland was a self-assured bit of action-comedy that landed at the perfect time: just as the boom in zombie-based entertainment was beginning to crescendo, but before the over-saturation of the market had set in. It was also a time when the four lead actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, and Abigail Breslin held only two Oscar nominations between them – a number that has literally quadrupled since.

It’s largely assumed that the cast’s careers skyrocketing was the main reason that Zombieland 2 didn’t immediately roll cameras back in 2010, but there’s clearly a lot of goodwill between everyone involved and, thankfully, they found a gap where their schedules aligned, a decade later. Emma Stone has said that she’d like to make a new Zombieland movie once every ten years for the rest of time and we hope she sticks to her word because, if Zombieland was a cinematic TV-pilot, then Zombieland: Double Tap is very much a cinematic ‘Episode Two’ where you can see the writers and cast settle comfortably into a groove, now that they know exactly what they’re doing.

Double Tap wisely makes the decision to focus less on horror and more on humour. While it may not be quite as fresh as the first film, it’s funnier and the action set-pieces are not only more frequent, but every bit as much of a joy to behold as they were back in 2009. 

The film never feels tired due to its constant barrage of new concepts, ideas and characters – the latter allowing for the very welcome addition of Rosario Dawson, Thomas Middleditch, Luke Wilson, and Zoey Deutch, all turning in fantastic comedic performances as, admittedly, somewhat cartoonish one-note characters, but characters that never stick around long enough for that to be a problem. 

As well as the aforementioned outtakes-reel, the film’s release is presented with a selection of alternate and extended scenes, a number of featurettes and a director’s commentary track, but this one is worth buying for the film alone. Zombieland: Double Tap is a worthy sequel that constitutes everything you could realistically hope for from a big-budget, mainstream zombie comedy. 

MOMMY: 25TH ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE FEATURE (1995-1997)

mommy

MOMMY: 25TH ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE FEATURE (1995-1997) / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: MAX ALLAN COLLINS / STARRING: PATTY MCCORMACK / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (US)

Jessica Ann’s Mommy is determined to see her daughter get the appreciation she deserves, even if it means murdering the school principal when the ‘Student of the Year’ award is given to another pupil. But the fact that Mommy leaves the scene of the crime looking so cool, calm and collected tells you everything you need to know. She’s done this before, she’ll do it again, and when Jessica Ann finds out just how psychotic her Mommy is, she’ll be in line for something much more lethal than a spanking. Still, as the body count rises it doesn’t seem as if anyone – even the hard-boiled cop who’s watching Mommy like a hawk – will be able to stop her. Mommy’s meaner than a junk yard dog, and she’s literally about to prove it.

The second film in this collection, Mommy’s Day, is possibly even more insane. Now Mommy’s back but, thanks to an anti-psychotic arm implant, she’s been considerably declawed. All she wants to do is be reunited with her daughter and lead a normal, law-abiding life. Or that’s what she says, anyway. Meanwhile, the court won’t let Mommy and Jessica Ann have contact, and victims are beginning to stack up with Mommy’s M.O. written all over them. What’s a Mommy to do when she pleads her innocence and no-one believes her? Let’s put it this way – it takes more than a restraining order and anti-psychotic medication to keep a good Mommy down.

If there’s a moral to these movies, it’s possibly this: if you don’t think Mommy knows best, you’d better not tell her.

As individual movies, Mommy and Mommy’s Day are exactly what they were designed to be; two straight-to-video thrillers that are fun to watch but don’t add up to the sum of the talent involved. Of the pair, Mommy’s Day is the most entertaining because its ‘is she/isn’t she’ concept at least tries to keep the audience guessing. The problem with Mommy Pt.1 is that we know Mommy’s a killer from the get-go, so it’s just a matter of how long it takes to bring her to justice. The performances (especially Patty McCormick as Mommy, The Exorcist’s Jason Miller as the cop, and a brief cameo from Star Trek’s Majel Barrett) are stronger than the material they’re given, and occasionally suffer because of it. These aren’t the psycho-thrillers the clunky box art suggests, and viewers who are looking for jump scares and gore should search elsewhere. Mommy and Mommy’s Day are black comedies through-and-through, produced on an extremely low budget that was bolstered by the support of the filmmaker’s local community. Director/writer Max Allan Collins’ ambition should be applauded, and it’s no surprise that his list of writing credits (including Road to Perdition) is so vast because he obviously threw himself into the Mommy series with a passion, as did (if the special features are anything to go by) all his cast and crew. It’s just a shame that VCI didn’t have as much passion when they produced this Region 1 3-disc set, because the transfers are only a few steps above watching the films on their original home video. Still, both films are well worth a spin if you’ve got a hankering for mid-1990’s wing-and-a-prayer filmmaking and want to get to know the contrast and brightness settings on your TV a little better.

TOOTH FAIRY

tooth fairy

TOOTH FAIRY / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: LOUISA WARREN / SCREENPLAY: TOM CRITCH, SHANNON HOLIDAY / STARRING: CLAIRE-MARIA FOX, CLAUDINE-HELENE AUMORD, MANY JAI MONTANA / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

It was only a matter of time before everyone’s favourite childhood fantasy figure, got the horror treatment. Santa Claus has been shown to be evil in 2005’s Santa’s Slay and the twisted Norwegian tale 2010’s Rare Exports, so it is the Tooth Fairy’s turn, well why not – we just need a feral Easter Bunny to complete the destruction of childhood icons. To be fair it is an enticing prospect, a magical entity with a lore everyone knows, wreaking havoc, could be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, director Louisa Warren, who has made three films about evil scarecrows and clearly has a passion for British iconic symbols, can’t quite formulate the film she wanted, due to amateurish acting, lack of budget, and an inconsistent plot.

The Tooth Fairy herself is introduced in a dramatic opening montage, unfortunately in full detail, considering she looks like a ‘90s WWE wrestler, complete with hooded cloak and unconvincing mask, it would have made more sense to tease her gradually. But here she is, terrorising a young family on a farm, the mother sacrificing herself by setting a stable alight, trapping the fairy, while the 3 children pour sugar around the door to keep her in. We cut to 30 years later and the daughter of one of the surviving children Clara (Claire-Maria Fox), is visiting her mother with her nephew in tow. They don’t get on after the death of her sister and the mother to the child. Straight away this is strange as the actor who plays the mother looks the same age as Clara, her acting is also completely off, she is wooden when she needs to be emotional and far too expressive when she is saying simple lines, and it really takes you out of the movie experience. Anyway Joe (Montana) shows up, the father to the boy and old flame of Clara and you’re wondering where the horror is. But luckily a random tramp living on the property, discovers the Tooth Fairy in the same barn she was left in, complete with hanging candy canes. She promises him money for a tooth, he foolishly agrees and proceeds to have his teeth smashed out with a hammer, ok that is pretty horrific!

As the Tooth Fairy goes after the surviving family members, her technique to be fair is varied, she disguises herself as a nun, controls young children and breaks necks. This is the strongest section of the film, yet it is also confusing, as it isn’t clear what her powers or end game are. She could just be any generic monster, killing people – the gimmick of teeth is quickly lost to standard deaths. We are also in danger of entering into community theatre style acting, when a priest comes to their aid, he is clearly played by a man of about 30, but he plays him as ‘old’, complete with groaning voice and sprayed on grey hair, an older actor clearly wasn’t available.

British independent filmmakers should always be supported, but apart from a couple of decent deaths, there is very little to recommend here, now about that Easter Bunny…

IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS

kicks

IRON FISTS AND KUNG FU KICKS / CERT: E / DIRECTOR: SERGE OU / SCREENPLAY: GRADY HENDRIX / STARRING: SCOTT ADKINS, JESSICA HENWICK, JUJU CHAN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The producer of the hugely enjoyable Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films brings us this great documentary about the Kung fu genre; cultivated within Hong Kong cinema, and how it slowly infected popular culture and influences Hollywood to this day. There have been many documentaries about Hong Kong cinema and the key players from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, so it can be hard to say something new, luckily Iron Fists, includes a lot of information about lesser known Kung fu sub-subgenres, complete with great footage and enough interesting talking heads to provide anecdotes.

We start at the spiritual beginning, with Shaw Brothers studios, discussing how they were the powerhouse of the ‘60s and ‘70s with Run Run Shaw knowing what the public craved – historical epics and much blood and guts, apparently. The talking heads are mainly film critics, but they manage to secure Wilson Yip (director of the Ip Man series) and Cheng Pei Pei (female Kung fu royalty). We get an inevitable Bruce Lee section, but more interestingly, the phenomenon of ‘Bruceploitation’, a ridiculous period of time after Bruce’s death, where studios made a series of films with Bruce lookalikes, trying to cash on the star. There’s even an interview with a director who mercilessly spliced together footage of an early black and white Bruce, with a colour Samurai film, which was meant to be his ancient ancestors; you couldn’t make it up. We also get a nice examination of the popularity of Kung fu in black culture and how breakdancing was inspired by Kung Fu moves, culminating in films such as Black Samurai (1976) starring Jim Kelly. We then get the likes of Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Billy Blanks talking about their experiences and differences between making a film in Hollywood and Hong Kong, much more bruises in the latter basically. Finally we come full circle with The Matrix (1999) the first Hollywood production to employ Hong Kong choreographers.

 

The documentary does skip over Jackie Chan and Jet Li’s contribution, with only a passing mention and some footage from their movies, which is a sacrilege for some, but to be fair their stories are well known and it’s clear from the Cannon film documentary that Veronica Fury enjoys the weird and wonderful. It would have been beneficial to have more talking heads from Chinese filmmakers, Yuen Woo Ping and Donnie Yen would have been great, yet the only real missed opportunity is Sammo Hung, they do interview him but he only says a handful of things, a true legend of the genre, surely had more to contribute.

We end with a fun reminder of the reach of Kung fu, with an introduction to the Ugandan action film industry and how an American enthusiast got involved after viewing a film on YouTube. The message is that Kung fu is now truly universal, from Oscar glory with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) to developing countries creating their own films. After watching, if you’re not compelled to throw on a classic, then you’re not the target audience.