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08-11-2019, 04:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-11-2019, 04:53 PM by Drunk Monk.)
Seen
The finale fizzles a bit - gets a little too mystical and the finale everybody was Kung fu fightin fight was good but contrived. It loses speed in the last eps, as if they weren’t quit confident about where the story was going. The logic sort of breaks down, too many loose ends. And the S2 set up seemed just tossed in there.
Nevertheless enjoyable overall. Fingers crossed for s2.
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So, no. I had to struggle to get through this. It's cliche piled on cliche. Chosen one? Seriously. The Triads running Chinatown? I don't need anybody's help. My brother the junkie. So, many cliches.
The story is all over the place. In the first sequence (post fight) Iko works in a kitchen but dreams of owning his own food truck. Then we see him in a food truck with no real explanation. You can glean it's not his. But they don't explain why he works in the food truck. Maybe I nodded off during the explanation.
And talk about explanation. All they do is explain. You've been given the power of 10000 monks. I run chinatown. I own this restaurant. Someone is moving in on my territory.
I didn't get the feeling this was shot in San Francisco. Yes, there are a bunch of B-roll beauty shots and we do see Iko on a cable car but they never have any action in iconic spots. Until told otherwise, I'm guessing this is either Seattle or Vancouvers Chinatown. Look how wide the streets are in those neighborhood. I also got the impression that Iko doesn't speak English and was delivering all his lines phonetically without understanding what he was saying. I kept getting the feeling he wasn't involved with those acting around him.
Boy, does Iko like to fight in confined spaces. In the food truck. In the tiny room. In the narrow hallway. And the whole switching back and forth between monk and Iko was distracting. It didn't really give credence to Iko's fight skills. And that Dascacos as the Monk right? That seems to be off from what they say in the bio.
I did like Uncle Six. I did like the neighbor and his ancient Chinese Tony Robbins wisdom.
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aw bummer
The production was shot in Canada but they did a week or so's worth of shots in SF. I found out Lewis was in town when they were filming and tried to get together with him but he couldn't swing it. That being said, it's got some gorgeous SF shots. You saw Always Be My Maybe - http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=4995 - their take on SF Chinatown doesn't even compare
Iko does speak English but not as good as Jackie or Jet. I interviewed him in English.
It poaches so heavily from Avatar: the Last Airbender. But still, hoping for a Season 2.
This is what Iron Fist should've been.
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LCF and I have one episode to go. Yeah, most of what Greg said. And DM.
I think Iko's English is solid, and his acting, too, for the most part. He's relaxed in most of his scenes -- better than early JCVD. But when he has to show emotions outside his normal range, his English falters, goes muddled. Not surprisingly. Since I have subtitles on all the time, it didn't bother me much.
The early going had a lot of Iko and his fighting, but then it's like the producers didn't have confidence in him carrying the series, so we're getting a tour of effin' Scotland and listening to a guy with an off-again/on-again accent, and a whole host of other characters, and the main ones are going to be killed only somehow they're not, they're just slapped around and told they're going to be killed, and the coup de grace is never delivered when the opportunity is there, and weapons never confiscated, doors never locked, and, yeah, it becomes a chore to stay engaged.
I kept thinking, Ah, a slow episode, just saving up for the next explosive one -- only it's slow episode after slow episode towards the end, with a lot of incredibly static exposition (they don't have to be sitting at a dinner table, or riding in a car, or just standing in a room, for these talk-fests; they could at least have packaged it into more action scenes or with eye candy).
Oh, during the penultimate episode, LCF asked me in the middle of a fight scene, Why is the camerawork so bad? Yeah. I had the feeling Iko and company were delivering high quality sequences, but the tight camera kept missing portions of them.
I'm rooting for Iko and the series, and for DM's cover, but why am I starting to squirm in my seat?
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Will lightning strike twice? Have I scooped DM for a second time with Wu Assassins
Quote:[b]Fistful of Vengeance[/b]
Netflix has ordered [i]Fistful of Vengeance[/i], a 90-minute standalone [i]Wu Assassins[/i]film starring original cast members Iko Uwais, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao and JuJu Chan Szeto. Written by Cameron Litvack, Jessica Chou, and Yalun Tu and directed by Roel Reiné, the film will reunite the Wu Assassin team in Bangkok “to avenge the death of one of their own, only to find that their new enemy is an ancient threat armed with otherworldly powers.” [Deadline]
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Well maybe here but I posted this on KFM already. I kinda bailed on this show. It might work better as a movie but it gassed out as a series.
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I just accepted a job tasked to me on this for Den.
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We all make mistakes.
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It's how I make my living now
making mistakes...
Actually, if it comes through, I'll be happy to catch up with ShatterStar again.
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Wouldn't you rather talk to Iko?
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Iko is in the queue too. I interviewed him for KFTC - only time he's been on a US newsstand mag. He's not a great interview because his English isn't great.
Maybe Juju too. She and I were on a panel together for Immortal but I don't really know her. We've crossed paths obliquely many times but never met face-to-face. Thought about requesting Jason Tobin but my plate is already full with the two leads.
We'll see how it all plays out.
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Trying to remember if I bumped into Iko for the Raid or was it only the director....
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Rewatched ep 1 and was struck by how derivative CW Kung Fu is, right down to Tzi Ma. It got off to a decent start but I remember that it falls apart quickly. I just want to remember who is who. Prolly gonna jump to the ending soon skipping about a bit.
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