(DEEP) DEEP COVER
- BLU-RAY -
Surprised to see this has a middling sort of reputation amongst Shaw and Chor Yuen’s work, I thought it was possibly the best film of his later period wuxia extravaganzas that I’ve seen. It’s got the juiciest plot, the usual gorgeous Yuen production design, but it gradually becomes incredibly rueful, despairing for the feuds and backstabbings that are part and parcel of a life in martial arts. Ti Lung shoulders all this in his…
WALKING IN THE SNOW
- BLU-RAY -
Terrific, feels like a culmination of Chor Yuen’s skills and strengths, but with added depth. The snow-bound locations and sets add to the melancholy, and Ti Lung’s lead performance is suitably moving and subdued. I’ve previously pointed at Gordon Liu as Shaw’s best leading man, but I think Lung is overtaking him for me. The rest of the film has some of the convolution of other Yuen films of the period, but it…
ARROW ACADEMY BLU-RAY
Very clearly one of the undisputed, top tier masterpieces of American cinema. Intoxicatingly rotten, taking place in a mid-century New York that practically reeks through the screen, but looks sensational.
I had remembered this as suffocatingly dank, but the innocent, almost naive characterisation of the two young lovers does bring fascinating balance to the film’s portraits.
AND THE CROWD GOES WILD
- STREAM -
Tom Holland has long been one of Marvel’s secret weapons, and he can sell emotional beats for all they’re worth. Molina and Dafoe have fun and are worth every penny as actors. But really this is expensive fan fiction; an extravagant very special crossover episode. It’s mostly a self satisfied fantasy project with unsurprisingly not a single memorable set piece or exciting visual, and little to no idea what to do with…
