Abduction of Eden

Typically, when I do a film review, it's just generally about the film, and not much else, a trailer here, a plot synopsis there; that's pretty much it. Very rarely, do I come across a movie that is not only realistic, but also deals with fairly brutal industries. And I try not to do a Public Service Announcement. But this is a special case. I've seen many movies that deal with human trafficking, some are action films, like Taken. Others are horror movies or thrillers. Some of them are so over the top, that they can't be taken seriously. Some are gritty, but are not realistic. But the one thing they have in common, is that they try to shine a light on a very real and very serious crime. Abduction of Eden is based on a true story of a woman who was abducted in the mid-90s, and forced into prostitution, along with many other young girls.

Abduction of Eden opens as two underage girls enter a bar to get drinks, one of the girls, Hyun Jae(Jamie Chung)is hit on by a good-looking "fireman." Hyun Jae takes a ride with this guy and ends up getting abducted by a mysterious person. She wakes up in the back of a truck along with another girl. She's knocked out and wakes up in a warehouse wearing an ankle bracelet. She's informed by the head honcho, Bob Gault(Beau Bridges), who also happens to be a U.S. Marshall, telling her what's going on. One of his henchman, Vaughan(Matt O'Leary)takes a bit of a liking to her. In order to survive, she has to be willing to give up the one thing that's been taken from her, freedom, and become a part of the sex slave industry. The story is very compelling and heartbreaking, and told tastefully. This story is based on a real-life account of Chong Kim, who was abducted and forced into slavery from 1995 to 1997, when she escaped. Eden is different from other movies that deal with sex slavery, in that it takes a very personal and up-close approach to what happens behind the scenes. Now, you don't actually see anything going on, it's not that kind of movie, but you definitely know what's going, and it's all the more disturbing because of that. And it's not overly violent, so gore-hounds, turn away. What he have here is a very human story of a victim who has been forced to take drastic measures in order to survive, and to do that she had to actively take part in an industry where millions are victimized every day.

The performances in this film are extraordinary, but it's Jamie Chung who steals the show. She doesn't go overboard with crying like a baby, but she internalizes and you see that she's been defeated, so she is forced to accept her reality, and it's heart-breaking. Beau Bridges is fantastic as the person who runs the show. He doesn't come across as overtly sinister, as he's somewhat likable, despite that what he's doing is evil, and the fact that he's in a position of real authority is all the more disturbing. The other guy who is really spectacular is Matt O'Leary as Vaughan. This is a guy who is a junkie, and is nearly unhinged, but O'Leary, brings it down a couple of notches to make him more realistic. Vaughan is a scumbag, no doubt about it, but through O'Leary's performance, you begin to see that Vaughan is having issues with his....position and what he's doing, but you get the sense that he's just as trapped as Hyun Jae.

Overall, this is a very good movie, that's intense, dramatic and heartbreaking, and yet there's a great deal of humanity here, even on the part of the villains; they're not cookie-cutter. If there's a downside to this movie, it's that the last 15 minutes of the film are just basic thriller material, nothing particular great, but that doesn't diminish the power that this film has. This is a movie that should serve not just as entertainment, but as a wake-up call. I give Abduction of Eden a solid 9/10.

Now that the review is done, I'm going to do something a little different here. So please, bear with me. Slavery has been around for as long as mankind has walked the earth, this is nothing new. Every great civilization that has come before us, is guilty of it. Even the United States is guilty of it. It's what sparked the Civil War. But what most people don't realize, is that legally speaking, while slavery has been abolished in the United States and in most civilized countries around the world, it's still going on. It just went underground, and it's taken different forms: Sex slavery, illegal immigration, organ harvesting, and forced labor. While slavery is a horrendous crime, sex slavery is the worst of it, with millions of women and children being sold like pieces of meat around the world, even here in the United States. Recent estimates place the number at 30 million currently enslaved or born into it. The question: "What can we do about it?" Knowledge is power. The more people know about this insidious practice, the better the odds of finding and helping the victims will be. There are groups out there that are dedicated to fighting this practice and helping the victims of human trafficking. For more information, please see the following websites:

http://www.freetheslaves.net/
http://www.walkfree.org/
http://www.stopinternational.org/
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Even if you can't donate any money, spread the word. You can make a difference.

Man of Steel

In 1978, a movie was released that would make you believe that a man could fly. Superman, released in the summer of 1978 would go on to become one of the most iconic movies of the 20th century. Equally iconic was the performance of the late Christopher Reeve in the title role. A sequel arrived later in Superman II which introduced film audiences to one of the most notorious villains that Superman has ever faced, General Zod: the former head of the Kryptonian military before the planet was destroyed. Superman II was lauded as one of the best movie sequels ever and I agree. Again with an iconic villain, Superman II proved that a good sequel was possible for a superhero movie. Superman III and IV? I think we can all agree that those two movies were horrendous and were responsible for the man of steel not returning to the silver screen until 2006, when X-Men director Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns starring newcomer Brandon Routh. The film was released to mixed reviews. The film was also released after the deaths of Christopher Reeve and his wife. The film was dedicated to them. Unfortunately, the film was basically a rehash of the original film. It was a decent effort, and I enjoyed the movie, but Superman never threw a single punch in that movie. Years later, it was revealed that a reboot of the Superman film franchise was in the works, headed by Watchmen and 300 director Zack Snyder. When I heard that Snyder was going to direct the movie, my expectations just dropped, because his filming style usually involves a lot of stylized violence and slow-motion. I don't think I've ever been so wrong.

Man of Steel opens on the planet Krypton when scientist Jor-El(Russell Crowe)is in front of the Kryptonian council telling them that they have to prepare for the end of their world, because they over-mined the core of Krypton and it's increasingly unstable. Enter General Zod(Michael Shannon)who comes to eliminate the council because he feels that they've led their people to destruction. Jor-El escapes to his laboratory where he's preparing to launch his new-born son into space to save him from the planet's destruction. On Earth, Kal-El a.k.a Clark Kent(Henry Cavill)is helping on a fishing boat when they get a distress signal from a nearby oil rig which is on fire. Before anyone knows it, Kent is helping trapped oil workers escape. Then he disappears, until he hitches a ride to Antarctica where the US military has discovered a mysterious object beneath the ice. And this is where Clark Kent finally learns who he really is and where he comes from. If any of this sounds familiar, it's because Man of Steele is an origin story. But what a story it is.

I'll just come out and say it: Man of Steel is awesome. In every which way. I never thought in a million years that Zack Snyder would've pulled it off. After having seen the film, I'm not sure that anyone else could have pulled it off. The casting is almost perfect. Russell Crowe shines as Jor-El. Michael Shannon simply tears it up as Zod, and yet he makes the character his own and makes him almost sympathetic. Kevin Costner was great as Jonathan Kent, he brings humility and a reality to the role that I don't anyone else could. Cast in the title role of Superman is British actor Henry Cavill. We have our new Superman. He's absolutely fantastic in the role, even before he puts on the red cape. He's very grounded, and unsure of his place in the world and whether or not he should help mankind. I don't think that he'll ever top Christopher Reeve, but that's not what's happening here. This is Superman for a new generation, and everything about the character in this film reflects that.

This being a reboot, they've gone ahead and made some changes. For one, Krypton is no longer a ball of ice and crystals and the denizens are no longer clad in shiny white clothes. No, this is an organic world, with wildlife and oceans. And the buildings look like real alien structures and not giant crystals. The characters of Jor-El and General Zod have actual battle armor. And speaking of which, Jor-El gets to fight. And he kicks some major tail. And people have been wondering about Superman's iconic outfit. Again, it has also been changed to feel a little bit more organic as a reminder of where Superman comes from. There are no red trunks as was worn in previous Super-Man outings. No, the whole suit is blue with the exception of the belt which is yellow and the boots and cape which are red. The cape is also missing the signature S symbol. Also missing is the signature musical theme from previous entries. John William's iconic theme is nowhere to be found here, and that's a good thing. It helps distance the film from it's predecessors. Instead, Hans Zimmer has been brought in to compose the film and it's epic, thrilling and gets the blood pumping. It's amazing stuff.

In the last Superman film, there really wasn't a whole lot in the way of action. Superman didn't even throw a punch. What good is a superhero if he doesn't have someone to beat the crap out of periodically? In Man of Steel, he's putting the bad guys through walls, and just beating the living daylights of his enemies, and the same happens to him. The action in Man of Steele is completely off the hook. It is without a doubt one of the most action-packed movies of the past five years. The Krypton sequence at the beginning of the film is stunning, and that's just for starters. When Kent finally puts on the suit, he faces off against General Zod and his henchmen in some of the most spectacular sequences you will ever see. I would daresay that the action in this movie puts The Avengers to shame, which is no small feat. And the pacing is crazy fast. Still, the film has it's flaws, as minor as they are. For one, Lois Lane was miscast, as was Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and Zod's henchmen? Whatever. Overall, it doesn't really detract from the experience. And an experience it was, as soon as the film ended, the audience erupted into applause, which I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing for a long, long time. To say that I was blown away by Man of Steele is an understatement. The last time I experienced a movie like this, was The Avengers. But honestly, I would have to say between the two movies, Man of Steel comes out on top. It is a true Superman film in every way. The performances were fantastic, the special effects were incredible, the music was wonderful, and the overall experience was mind-blowing. This is an event movie, and event movies have to be seen in theaters. For superhero movies, Man of Steel is easily in my top 5, with the original Superman coming out on top, followed by The Dark Knight and The Avengers. It's that good. I think Zack Snyder was born to make a movie like this. And if no one knew who Henry Cavill was, they do now. Man of Steel gets 9.5/10 from me. This is a must-see movie.

Willow

The 1980s were a fantastic time for movies. There were movies across every genre. From action and adventure, to comedy, horror, and science fiction and fantasy, there was generally a movie for everyone. I was born in the early 80s, so I grew up with movies like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Aliens, The Princess Bride, and The Terminator. There was one movie that really stuck with me: Willow.

Willow starts off with the evil queen Bavmorda(Jean Marsh)capturing all the pregnant women in the land in search of a child that, according to a prophecy, would cause her eventual destruction. A nursemaid hides the child and leaves Bavmorda's fortress. Eventually, the evil queen's dogs find her, but not before she sends the child down the river. The child is eventually found by a Nelwyn(little person)named Willow Ufgood(Warwick Davis). Soon, Willow realizes that the child won't be safe in his village, so he takes the child to find someone to care for it. Along the way, Willow runs across a rogue swordsman named Madmartigan(Val Kilmer), and the two try to take the child to safety with the help of some pint-sized beings known as brownies(Kevin Pollak as Rool and Rick Overton as Franjean, respectively). But they are also relentlessly hunted by Bavmorda's daughter, Count Sorsha(Joanne Whalley).

Willow sticks out for me among the other movies I mentioned, mainly because the main hero is actually 3 feet tall, not someone you would expect to save the day, but Warwick Davis really does a fantastic job and when Willow and Madmartigan finally meet up, it gets even better. Those two have a somewhat antagonistic relationship with each other which is rather hilarious, but well done, and neither one are seen as as a sidekick. Madmartigan, as far as I'm concerned is one of Val Kilmer's most memorable roles, along with Tombstone's Doc Holliday. He initially comes across as an arrogant, crass and generally not a nice guy. But when given a sword, he becomes something else entirely: a hero. Along for the ride are Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton as the brownies. Let me tell ya, if it isn't Val Kilmer stealing the scene, it's these two. At about an inch and a half tall, these characters, with French accents, are the comedy relief of the film and boy are they funny. I've always enjoyed Kevin Pollak, and this was a fantastic role for him. When it comes to the villains, though, they aren't nearly as memorable. Bavmorda is played by Jean Marsh who chews the scenery almost to the point of parody. Doesn't mean she isn't fun to watch, but it's really an over-the-top performance. Pat Roach plays General Kale, the queen's trusted right arm and he doesn't really have much to do other than look mean and growl, which he does very well, but the villains don't really have much to offer, except for Joanne Whalley's Count Sorsha.

One of the many things that Willow brought to the table were the visual effects. There were plenty of stop-motion animated creatures like the two-headed dragon. There was a lot of combination of miniatures combined with on-set action. It was almost seamless. But this was 1988, this was the beginning of the use of digital effects. The morphing sequence in the camp in the final act of the film is really what sets this movie apart from the others, it was perfect. Looking at the movie now, some of the visuals really stand out, and not necessarily in a good way, but back in 1988, it was state-of-the-art. Visual effects would take a whole new direction when James Cameron directed The Abyss in 1989, and Terminator 2 in 1991.

The action sequences of the film are fantastic. You had a wild wagon chase in which Madmartigan and Willow battled the queen's soldiers in a wagon. It was intense and very fast paced. The next one would take place in soldier's camp, when Willow and Madmartigan escape with the baby and use a sled to escape. That one was spectacular, and the final battle in Bavmorda's fortress was spectacular, I think the most iconic sequence was the battle in Tir Asleen, with the two-headed dragon. It was not only a fantastic use of miniatures and stop-motion animation, but it also led to Count Sorsha falling in love with Madmartigan. The music by James Horner is varied, in a good way, mind you. During the slower scenes, it's more subtle and calm, but during the battle sequences, it really gets epic.

The direction by Ron Howard is simply amazing. He gives the film a unique feeling and sense of wonder. The characters are, for the most part, memorable and believable. The combination of special effects along with the on-set action sequences make Willow one of the most unique and memorable films of the 80s. It was rumored that Willow was to actually be a trilogy, but it didn't do well enough in theaters to warrant such a treatment, which is a damn shame, it deserves one. There were books written, but I haven't read them and from all accounts aren't all that good either, so I won't bother. But what we have here is a film that stands the test of time and is fun for anyone who wants to have a good time. Fans of Val Kilmer will definitely have a blast. There's a sense of humor that permeates the whole film and it doesn't really get dark until the final act of the film. Overall, this an awesome movie that doesn't outstay it's welcome. If there's one complaint I have about this movie, it's that the villains really aren't as fleshed out as they could be, with the exception of Sorsha. Other than that, this movie is amazing. Sure, the effects may look dated by today's standards, but I think that's part of it's charm. This one gets a 9.5/10.

Dredd

In 1995, a movie based on 2000 AD's British comic book character, Judge Dredd was released to theaters. It starred Sylvester Stallone in the title role. While the film was pretty fun in a really dumb way, it totally missed the essence of the character of Dredd. It made the mistake of removing his helmet. Judge Dredd did not and does not need to have his helmet removed. I assume they did that to try and bring some kind of depth to the character, but the truth is, Dredd as a comic book character didn't need to be more than being the ultimate lawman. While I don't think that Stallone did a horrible job, it wasn't a good movie. They tried to psycho-analyze the character, which was a huge mistake. In 2012 they tried another movie based on Judge Dredd.

The film opens up in a post-apocalyptic America in which America was ravaged by nuclear war. Now, 800 million American citizens live in a enormous city known as Mega City 01. Due to the apparent ineffectiveness of today's law enforcement and court system, a single person has been given the authority to dispense justice as Jury, Executioner, Judge. After taking out a group of criminals, Judge Dredd(Karl Urban) is tasked by the Chief Judge to assess a potential Judge, by the name of Anderson(Olivia Thirlby), who just so happens to be an extremely powerful psychic. The two Judges then go to a mega building named Peach Trees to investigate a triple-homicide. Little do they know that Peach Trees is ruled by a powerful criminal known as Ma-Ma(Lena Heady) When she discovers that one of her subordinates is arrested she locks down the entire building in an effort to find and kill the Judges, to keep her drug operations going.

First, let me say the differences between this movie and Stallone's film are night and day. They are not even the same beast, they just happen to feature the same character. While the Stallone film tried to get inside Dredd's cranium to find out what makes him tick, this new movie has no such pretenses, it's as pure an action film as you can get. Right from the get-go we get a feeling for how Dredd deals with situations. While he has some one-liners, he doesn't come across as a smart-ass. He doesn't joke around. While I think that Stallone was alright as Judge Dredd, Karl Urban really shines here. Dredd comes across as fairly one-dimensional, but for a movie like this, he doesn't need to be anything more. He needs to be shown that he won't be fucked with and will do whatever it takes to uphold the law. Olivia Thirlby's Anderson starts out as a timid rookie, but by the time the film ends, she's a hard-ass, and her psychic abilities allow her to mess with people's minds any way she wants. Olivia does a fantastic job showing that transformation. For the villain, Lena Heady's Ma-Ma is ruthless, willing to kill anyone who stands in her way. Lena Heady brings a real quiet menace to the character that will put you on edge. Everybody else is essentially cannon fodder.

This is a violent movie as you would expect a Judge Dredd movie should be. But unlike the previous movie, this one gets pretty gory, and some of that has to do with the visual effects. If you've ever seen some of those slow-motion videos like when a water balloon is exploding at 3,000 frames per second, making it extremely slow, they employ that in this movie, especially when Dredd and Anderson breach a drug den. It's beautifully violent. It's actually hard to tell what's really CG and what's real, in terms of how the effects are shown, and that's a testament to how good the visual effects artists are.

Dredd is an improvement in so many ways over the last movie, it's not even funny. For example, the only time you actually see Dredd without his helmet is at the start of the movie and you can't even see his face. So, he has the helmet on the entire movie, basically, and allows Karl Urban to portray Dredd as the bad-ass that he is. The story? Not so original and in fact, another movie with a similar premise exists already: The Raid-Redemption. Both are similar in terms of setup, but different in execution(see what I did there?) The Raid utilized hand-to-hand combat, and Dredd is all about the gun-play. Dredd flopped big time in the box-office, mostly because people were afraid it was going to be like Sylvester Stallone's movie. I can honestly tell you, Karl Urban's movie is a whole different animal. It's gritty, it's brutal and it's a hell of a lot of fun. It's a shame that it didn't get the box-office numbers it deserved, because critically speaking, it did very well. I'm hoping that if enough people buy Dredd on DVD/Blu-ray, we'll see a sequel. I loved what I saw, and I can't wait to see more in this style. Dredd gets 9/10.

The Amazing Spider-Man

*Spoiler Alert, maybe.*
Spider-Man has been one of Marvel's most famous superheroes for decades. In terms of movies, Spider-Man found success in Sam Raimi's successful first film released in 2002. The villain of the film was Norman Osborne, a.k.a The Green Goblin, played by Willem Defoe. A sequel came in 2004 which saw the web-slinger lose his powers and the villain was Dr. Octopus, played by Alfred Molina. In 2007, the thematically weakest of the bunch was released. It saw, not one, not two, but THREE super-villains. Sandman, played by Thomas Haden Church, Harry Osborne, played by James Franco and Venom, played by Topher Grace. While it was spectacular in the visual effects department, Spider-Man 3 suffered from having too many villains in one film and having Peter Parker become emo. I guess they wanted to show Peter Parker having a dark-side, but all we got was a bad hair day and cartoonish musical numbers. The only villain in the film that really had any substance was Sandman, who was a bank robber, but he needed the money for his sick daughter. He was fairly compelling, and Thomas Haden Church did a fantastic job with the character. Eddie Brock, a.k.a Venom was a complete joke, with Venom only being part of the film, because the studio wanted him to be. Venom deserves a movie of his own, I think. Overall Spider-Man 3 was a wreck of a film, and as a result, Sony Entertainment who owns the rights to Spider-Man put the series on the back-burner. While there was talk of a fourth film with Tobey Maguire, and having The Lizard as the villain, but Sony decided a sequel wasn't really the best option, so they opted to re-boot the series. It's unusual because Sam Raimi's trilogy isn't even a decade old yet. But it may have paid off in the end.

The film opens as Peter Parker(Andrew Garfield)is going to high school with Gwen Stacy(Emma Stone), a girl he's become infatuated with. When he gets home, his uncle Ben(Martin Sheen)has him help clean out the basement when Peter discovers a briefcase belonging to his actual father. Turns out his father worked with a fellow scientist Curt Conners(Rhys Ifans) to develop a syrum that could help people regenerate lost limbs. But Parker's father disappeared before that could happen. So, Parker pays a visit to Oscorp and ends up getting bitten by one of the genetically engineered spiders. Parker soon discovers that his strength has been enhanced, he's faster, can climb up walls and has a unique "spider-sense." Afterwards, Conners gets the formula for the syrum and injects himself with it, unintentionally becoming a ruthless reptilian monster. Meanwhile, Gwen's father, Captain Stacy(Denis Leary)is on Spider-Man's trail.

Sam Raimi's first film of Spider-Man was an origin story, that turned out to be fantastic and a whole lot of fun. The Amazing Spider-Man is also an orgin story, and it covers some of the same ground as Raimi's film, but it tweaks some of it to make it fresh and exciting. For example, in the re-boot, Parker's love interest is Gwen Stacy, who is not a damsel in distress in this, but also as smart as Peter. No Mary Jane Watson in this one, folks. Emma Stone does a fantastic job. Rhys Ifans, who plays Dr. Connors, is simply amazing as a doctor who's frustrated at having only one arm and trying develop a cure of sorts, that will give him his arm back. Connors is very compelling villain, in that he doesn't come off as a villain, but as someone who's desperate to fix his own situation. Martin Sheen is fantastic as Ben Parker. When Parker lost his parents, Ben comes in to take over and brings a very fatherly stature to the character. He's great. Denis Leary surprised me as Captain Stacy. Usually, Denis Leary is a very sarcastic and snarky stand-up comedian, but he brings an authority to the character, that I've seldom seen from Leary, as the movie progresses, his opinion of Spider-Man changes. But the real revelation here is Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker. Unlike Tobey Maguire's turn as the social outcast, Garfield's character is an outcast by choice, preferring to keep to himself. And, unlike, Maguire's version, Garfield's Parker isn't a master of his abilities almost overnight. In fact, he makes quite a few mistakes and gets really bruised and beaten up. His motivations for using his powers are also selfish and fall a little on the dark side, when his uncle is killed by a robber. He eventually does end up becoming a hero, but it takes a while for him to get there, and I think that makes for a far more compelling Spider-Man than what Sam Raimi did.

The visual effects are fantastic, as you see Spider-Man swing around the city, but in many of the shots that are closer to the ground, it's actual stuntmen that are flying around. On wires, to be sure, but still, it's good to see actual people doing this stuff on screen rather than a CGI character. When the Lizard enters the fray, he HAS to be CG, otherwise it come off as ludicrously horrendous. The action set pieces are amazing, especially towards the end of the film. Also, it should be mentioned, that when Parker uses his web, he uses web shooters that he designed himself, like in the comics.

At the end of the day, however, it's the characters that help drive the story, and the characters are driven by some really great performances from the cast. It's usually well over a decade before you see a re-boot of a popular film series, but in Spider-Man's case, it was less than a decade. And I have to say it was the right decision to make. I don't think I could've stomached another Spider-Man film by Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire in the lead. I was never a big fan of Tobey in that role. Also, having only one super-villain in the film helps keep it grounded. So, with fantastic performances from Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen and Rhys Ifans, The Amazing Spider-Man works a lot better than it should as a re-boot. I had a lot of fun with this one, and found it far more compelling than any of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films. This one gets a 9.5/10.

Ip Man

Donnie Yen: One of the greatest martial arts actors to ever grace the screen. He's had an amazing career spanning over 50 movies including films like Iron Monkey, Once Upon A Time in China 2, Legend of the Wolf, Hero, Seven Swords, Kill Zone-S.P.L., Flash Point, and two movies that he starred in here in America: Highlander: Endgame and Blade II. The first film that most people remember him was in Once Upon A Time in China 2 when he starred opposite Jet Li. He played a villain in one of the most amazing fight scenes ever. An expert in Chinese Wushu, Donnie Yen not only starred in movies, but he also choreographed many of his own movies including Flash Point and Kill Zone, both in which he employs mixed martial arts, like the stuff you see in Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is also the 4th actor to portray the character Chen Zhen, who was originally played by Bruce Lee in Fists of Fury, which was known as the Chinese Connection here in the States. The second was Bruce Lee imitation number 1, Bruce Li in Fists of Fury parts 2 and 3. The third was Jet Li in the renowned Fist of Legend, which was a re-make of Bruce Lee's film. Donnie Yen would portray the character in a Fists of Fury television series in Hong Kong and returned to play the character in Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen. But perhaps the most compelling character he has played was the real life martial arts master, Ip Man, grandmaster of Wing Chun kung-fu.

The film opens in Fo Shan, China in 1938 on a demonstration of various styles of kung-fu in the streets of Fo Shan. Ip Man lives comfortably with his family in a mansion outside of town when some northerners come to Fo Shan to challenge the various masters of kung fu. Then they challenge Ip Man and are beaten by Ip Man in a very one-sided confrontation. A couple of months later, the Japanese invade China. The general stationed in Fo Shan, is curious about Chinese kung-fu so he stages a tournament in which kung-fu masters fight for a bag of rice. Now, anybody who knows anything about Bruce Lee and the real-life Ip Man, will automatically know the outcome of the film. The film also tends to take liberties with certain aspects of Ip Man's life, mostly to dramatic effect. It's to be expected, although I don't seem to recall in the history of Ip Man, of him actually facing off against a Japanese general.

The acting is fantastic, Donnie Yen shines as Ip Man. He's humble, brings respectability and humility to the character, but is also fantastic in the film's fight scenes which are choreographed by legendary Sammo Hung. Donnie Yen spent nine months straight studying Wing Chun so he could get the moves right. Wing Chun is very different from other styles of kung-fu. It's more direct, and emphasizes speed and economy over strength, and by economy I mean not over-extending the strikes or using your muscles to the point where you're going to be exhausted. Instead, Wing Chun teaches you to use your opponents energy against him, by blocking his attacks and striking at the same time. It's definitely not as fancy as the other forms of kung-fu because it's a very close-range style of combat. It certainly has it's own grace, but it's very direct and very brutal in the hands of a master. The other actors are fantastic as well, particularly Simon Yam, who plays Ip Man's best friend and the guy who plays the Japanese General. The general doesn't strike me as your typical mustache-twirling villain, because he's a soldier and as a result has a particular sense of honor when it comes to fighting. The guy who plays him, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, is fantastic.

Now, as great as this movie is, there are certain issues that I do have with it. First, the use of wires. I can understand using wires in movies like The Matrix as it fits the context. But in a movie where the fighting is supposed to be grounded in reality, the use of wires, and they are obvious, take you of the film. Thankfully, Donnie Yen doesn't really use them because Wing Chun doesn't employ fancy kicks or moves. The second real issue is the complete shift of tone half-way through the movie. The first half is pretty colorful, seems like your typical kung-fu movie, but when the Japanese invade, not only does the story take a darker turn, but visually, all the color becomes subdued. It's very jarring. It's like you're watching two different movies. But those are my main issues. Overall the film is fantastic, with awesome performances and great fight sequences. I definitely appreciate Wing Chun as a style, because I've been actually studying Wing Chun for about a month and a half. There's a lot about it in the movie that would actually make sense in a real fight. Ip Man is a great movie, albeit a little historically inaccurate, but it's definitely one of the better martial arts films of the past decade. If you're a fan of kung-fu movies, it's one worth watching. If you're a Wing Chun practitioner, like me, you can appreciate the film because of it's accurate use of the style, for the most part. Aside from some suspect wire-work and sudden shift in tone, I give a Ip Man a solid 9/10.

The Cabin in the Woods.

Joss Whedon: One of the most underrated writers/directors. This man was responsible for Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly(both series and the movie), Angel, and the recent comic book movie blockbuster, The Avengers. His writing credits include, Toy Story, Alien Resurrection, and the Avengers among others. With The Avengers, Joss Whedon proved he could handle huge movies almost better than anyone else. There was a little film that was supposed to be released last year, but was shuffled around by movie studios until LionsGate picked it up: The Cabin in The Woods. Co-written and directed by Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods is one of the most unique horror films to date.

The Cabin in the Woods opens on a group of teenagers as they hop in an RV and head off to the mountains for the weekend. As soon as they hit the mountains, they encounter a strange and bitter old man at a run-down gas station. Then they find a lone cabin in the middle of the forest. As soon as they settle in, strange things begin to happen and they find themselves under attack by zombies. I won't say anymore about the plot, because it would give away too much. Let's just say, that the film really takes a left turn to "WTF"-ville. Most movies that try a bizarre twist, end up failing because they either don't go far enough, or they don't know where to take it, but in the hands of Whedon and Goddard, Cabin in the Woods takes your average horror movie cliches and turns them on their head. For example: the group of teenagers includes, The Jock(Chris Hemsworth), The Whore(Anna Hutchinson, The Fool/Pothead(Fran Kranz), The Geek(Jesse Williams) and The Virgin(Kristen Connelly). Pretty average group of people for a horror movie right? In fact, the first half of the film plays out exactly like your average horror movie, but it's done will with an interesting twist. Where it gets really interesting is the second half of the film. I won't say anymore, but suffice it to say, you don't see it coming.

The effects in this film are really fantastic. There's a great deal of practical effects, but when the film really veers off into left field, CGI definitely comes into play, but unlike most horror movies that employ CGI, Cabin in the Woods, combines both practical effects and CGI. And this movie gets really bloody and gory, so it will satisfy gore-hounds. But this being a Joss Whedon film, it doesn't really take itself seriously. In fact, the film is pretty damned funny at times. Sure, it's gory and intense, but there is a twisted sense of humor throughout the whole film, that makes it better. The performances are solid across the board, but the one that really stands out is Fran Kranz as The Fool, Marty. He gets some of the best lines in the movie and he delivers it in such a way that it's hilarious. The story is actually quite unique and interesting.

The Cabin in the Woods was intended to be released last year, but due to movie studios shifting things around, this one got lost in the shuffle, which was a shame, because it deserved more pomp-and-circumstance than it got. LionsGate Studios eventually picked it up and the film finally saw release this year. The Cabin in the Woods is one of the smartest and most unique horror movies I've experienced in the past decade. It's twisted, it's funny and it's a hell of a lot of fun. But it's also a movie that likes to keep things interesting. So overall, I'm giving The Cabin in the Woods a perfect 10/10.