Let's open this by saying there's absolutely zero continuity between this film and the last. I about expected as much, but it still feels a little hollow that we never find out what happened to Nancy (the first film was Riley Bowman's lone credit, so they might not even have been able to get her back), what Jake's business partner Hal has been up to (probably still bumming around the Philippines to dodge the IRS), Jake apparently has both kidneys again (though it's never commented on either way), and the villain of both pictures is played by the exact same actor (Joe Mari Avellana) with zero reference to him visibly being the same guy. No "I was the third brother!", no "I'm still alive muwhahahahahah!", no "I'm a slightly more well fed clone!" He's just there and we move forward. If I had to guess, I'd bet this was a separate kickboxing script they had laying around which was retooled for the franchise when they needed a quick sequel. To this day, it's a pretty standard Hollywood tactic, though most will do a hair more work than simply "search and replace" the lead's name.
December 18, 2013
Don "The Dragon" Wilson... Bloodfist 2 (1990)
Let's open this by saying there's absolutely zero continuity between this film and the last. I about expected as much, but it still feels a little hollow that we never find out what happened to Nancy (the first film was Riley Bowman's lone credit, so they might not even have been able to get her back), what Jake's business partner Hal has been up to (probably still bumming around the Philippines to dodge the IRS), Jake apparently has both kidneys again (though it's never commented on either way), and the villain of both pictures is played by the exact same actor (Joe Mari Avellana) with zero reference to him visibly being the same guy. No "I was the third brother!", no "I'm still alive muwhahahahahah!", no "I'm a slightly more well fed clone!" He's just there and we move forward. If I had to guess, I'd bet this was a separate kickboxing script they had laying around which was retooled for the franchise when they needed a quick sequel. To this day, it's a pretty standard Hollywood tactic, though most will do a hair more work than simply "search and replace" the lead's name.
December 4, 2013
Don "The Dragon" Wilson... Bloodfist (1989)
Before last night, I had never before seen a film starring Don "The Dragon" Wilson. I know, it's a total failing on my part as a dude who grew up in the late 80s/early 90s, and who was into martial arts movies and whatever cheese was playing on Cinemax (on a related note, remind me to write about Angelfist one of these days). On first impression, I can see why Don "The Dragon" did fine in his niche. He's a good looking guy, with his angular features and massive ears making him look like the studly love experiment of Jason Scott Lee and Clark Gable. As a martial artist, he doesn't over do it with a lot of flash, moving well and cutting a nice presence. As an actor... he's one hell of a martial artist. Sorry, to his credit, Don "The Dragon" isn't quite as stiff as a stump, as I've seen many other martial artist-turned-actors be, but that's not saying a whole lot. The film doesn't require him to emote very much, and he pulls off not emoting much with great aplomb. And while his heavy voice with a distinct drawl doesn't always allow for the cleanest of line deliveries, it does give him an approachable charm. He's about as good on screen as Howie Long, is what I'm saying, and as the sole member of Firestorm Fans United, that's perfectly fine by me.
December 3, 2013
December 1, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)