Jet Li's Unleashed

Hey everybody! Hope you all had a great Memorial Day! Sorry, I think I slacked off a bit, but have no fear, I am reviewing a movie! Today I'm reviewing Unleashed. This movie came out in 2005 and it stars: Jet Li, Bob Hoskins, and Morgan Freeman. Let's get to the movie!

Plot Synopsis: Danny is a human guard dog in this 2005 action movie. His "owner" Bart (Bob Hoskins) is a cruel loan shark who intimidates his payees by sicking Danny on them. Danny wears a collar that keeps him under control, but once the collar is off, there is no holding him back. After collecting money, Danny is kept in a cage unloved and alone. One day, Danny and Bart attempt to collect a loan, but the man, a jewelry store owne,r being threatened deduces that if Danny remains collared he will not be attacked. This turns out to be true, so Bart and his cronies are attacked while Danny does nothing until Bart frees himself and uncollars Danny. Angry that Danny did nothing to help him, Bart continues with his loan hunting at an antique store. Bart assigns Danny to a task: Watch the red light, go in and attack. However, Danny gets distracted by some pianos. Enter Sam. A blind piano tuner, asks Danny to help him. Danny does so and misses the light going off to help Bart out. Bart is extremely angry, but forgives Danny. After some more stuff, Danny survives a car wreck caused by the man earlier at the jewelry store. Danny runs into Sam at the antique store and Sam takes him in. After meeting Sam's step daughter, Victoria, the two musicians attempt to make Danny into a normal human being. Once things are starting to look upwards for Danny, he's kidnapped again by one of Bart's gophers. Bart tries to get Danny back into his old habits, but Danny has changed into a better person thanks to Sam and Victoria. There's also a sub plot about finding out who Danny's mom was too. Everything's solved and Danny lives a normal life.

The Good: Pretty much the majority of it. It asks the question, "Can someone turn someone else into an animal?" And goes with it. The acting's pretty decent, as are the action sequences. It's a fun flick to watch and most of the fights keep you on edge. Jet Li plays a completely different role than he usually does and he does well at it. Morgan Freeman....well, personally you can't go wrong with Morgan Freeman. Oh, and there's a pretty funny line too. "Corn is safe!" You have to watch the movie for that line.

The Bad: There's this kinda creepy-ish subplot where you think Victoria is falling for Danny, but thankfully it never happens, seeing she's 18 and he's in his 30s? I have no idea. Then there's the music obsessed musicians. Almost every conversation between Danny and Sam or Victoria has something to with music. Yes, Victoria and Sam are musicians, but not everything needs to be related to music. The mother of Danny subplot seems a bit forced at times, and while it's a neat idea, it could have been thought out better.

Don't worry, I'm not done yet. Above is a fight scene between Danny and the Man in white. Now, the man in white just shows up about 20 minutes before the movie is over. What's the deal with unnamed martial arts experts showing up randomly? Is that a thing that I don't know about? I mean the fight's cool, but there's no sense of tension if we don't know who this guy is. We know Danny's going to win, so why bother?

Overall: Unleashed is a good movie. It truly is. Jet Li is a great performer and he does well by playing Danny. Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman also do stellar performances. This is a fun movie and you should totally watch it.

This movie gets 4 hook kicks to the face out of 5.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Only the avatar can bend the four elements and bring harmony to the chaos. Now, before everyone starts freaking out, I'm not reviewing M. Night's "masterpiece" aka pile of crap, but instead I'll be reviewing each season. Avatar was a cartoon on Nickelodeon and it was pretty well received. The animation style is impressive and the story was well above par. Nobles sang, monks smiled and people were happy. Sadly, I was not one of those people. I was in highschool when this cartoon came out and deemed it too "childish" for me. Ironically, I was watching what the kids call anime then so joke's on me. As the years went by and I studied martial arts (hence the name of my blog) I grew to appreciate this kid's show. Recently, I purchased the first "book" and gave it a watch. Now the plot's this: Every blah blah year an avatar is born and masters the four elements; earth, water, air and fire. This avatar apparently brings peace by doing this and then the next avatar is chosen. Aang, an airbending monk is the avatar and must learn the elements before the Fire Nation does...more evil things? I'm not sure.

 

Can't say no to that face though.

Now, I'm going to review the episodes I deemed the best of the season and rate them. Don't get me wrong this is a decent show, but I can't review the whole thing in one go. Let me get you with a synopsis of the story: As said before, Aang, is the avatar. Katara and her brother Sokka find him and they learn that Aang must learn how to bend water. So, they set off to the North Pole to find a master. Hijinks ensue. Now, to the episodes I liked!!


Imprisoned: So, Aang and the gang (yeah, took me like five seconds to come up with that) see a boy practicing Earthbending. They scare him off, but they learn he lives in a village where those pesky Fire dudes are shaking down the villagers for petty cash. The boy, Haru, says that the Fire Nation forbids Earthbending and will arrest anyone who does it. However, an old man get trapped and Haru must use his bending to save him. The Fire army hears of this and arrests him. Katara feels responsible and "earth bends" to get arrested. She finds Haru and other benders on a metal rig in the ocean, and attempts to rally them. They are too discouraged, but eventually they learn they can beat the Fire army. It's a neat episode, once they learn that there is something to bend their hopes are raised and the beat the bully. Oh and George Takei makes an appearance, so this episode's awesome. Oh my... <George Takei voice>

I will be your host. And you will be my guests.

The Storm: A man notices Aang is the avatar and accuses him for not being there when it mattered. Aang runs off and we learn what really happened 100 years ago. Also, we learn why Prince Zuko (the main antagonist) is why the way he is. It's a cool origin story and we see different sides of each character. Aang normally fun and outgoing becomes closed and indifferent. Zuko, cruel and ruthless, starts out as an ambitious young man, only to speak out against his father and end up fighting him. The way this story is told is neat. It gives more humanity to the characters making them easier to relate to.

The King of Omashu: Yeah, it's somewhat out of order, but still. Aang and his friends stop by Omashu, an earthbending city to have fun. Their fun comes to an end when they cause massive damage to some cabbages, but the king decides to do something else. Aang is put through some challenges and ends up dueling the king himself, not knowing that the king is actually a powerful earth bender. In the end, the king actually knows Aang and gives him some helpful advice before he takes on the Fire Lord.

The Siege of the North 1 and 2: The avatar gang finally make it to the North pole. However, it's not what they expected. Katara, a water bender herself, cannot learn alongside with Aang because women are good for healing that's what. The Fire Navy decides to launch an attack on the Northern Water Tribe in hopes of capturing Aang. Aang must stop the Fire dudes, but he hasn't mastered water bending. Oh, Sokka falls in love with the princess of the tribe, but she can't love him back. Then she turns into the moon. Seriously. Aang defeats the Fire Navy and everyone is well.

Flying is the best.

The good:
The majority of it to be honest with you. The art is stunning. The action scenes look good. Some of the fights remind me of a Jackie Chan film, because Aang does some stuff similar to Chan's style. The characters are well written and you feel like you're alongside them and living their adventures. The stories are well thought out and aren't run of the mill. I even like the uses of Chinese martial arts. Yes, each style of bending is based off a style of kung fu. I can even name the styles. Ready? Fire: Shaolin Kung fu (crap, that must mean I'm a fire bender) Water: Tai Chi. Earth: Hung Gar. Air: Bagwa. See? Nailed it. There's even Chinese symbolism and art styles used through out the season. It's a well done series.

The bad:
Unfortunately, kung fu can't make me ignore some flaws. First off, Aang. I get that he's 12 years old and has a lot to learn, but didn't the monks he learned with leave any lessons? Aang likes to have fun, I get it. I'm cool with it. But when he's learning something new, he's too impatient or too busy goofing off. For example, when he's learning water bending at the North Pole, instead of taking it seriously, he uses his newfound powers to turn him self into a snowman. Kid, fun is good for you, but turning yourself into a snow man ain't going to save the world. Other than that, Aang is awesome. Zuko, oh Zuko. Listen to your uncle. After losing so many times, you could learn a thing or two from your uncle, who happens to be a general. Oh, and that means he has more field experience than you. Now for the princess thing. When the water princess is introduced, her father says: "She's 16 and that means she can be engaged." Did that mean like one second later, someone asked to marry her? Poor Sokka goes through hoops but she's all "Boo hoo, I can't like you because I'm marrying random citizen No. 32." Random citizen is introduced and he....I don't know what happens to him. He just kinda stopped showing up. But, don't tell me princess here can be engaged, but whoa! She's totally marrying someone now. That was dumb. Then she turns into the moon. I can't say that enough.

Overall:
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a solid cartoon. Even after all these years, I consider it a titan compared to some other cartoons that have just come out. It's original, funny and serious rolled into one. Personally, I can't wait until I watch season two. I give this cartoon (at least this season)

4.5 staff glider thingys out of 5. 

Did you like this review? Want me to review Book 2: Earth? Let me know! Other than that, I'll keep reviewing movies.   

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones. Professor and archeologist. He's the guy who most archeologists dream of being. I mean, who wouldn't want to fight off bad guys and save the world from destruction? Excitement at every turn, this movie brings back the classic adventure genre. Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, this movie entertains and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I'm talking about Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Plot:
The story opens somewhere in South America, where Jones is searching for some relic. He manages to find the location of it and outwits the booby traps in order to get it. However, once he gets the relic, the place comes crashing down on him and he barely escapes. He's then captured by his rival, Belloq, who's convinced the local natives to join forces with him. Jones makes a run for it and flies off to safety. Later, while teaching archeology and basically lying to his class about how archeology is mostly book work and not expect any excitement whatsoever. His friend, Marcus Brody, a museum owner, mentions to Jones that two army specialists wish to speak with him about something. The army specialists and Jones meet, where then the specialists mention that they received a transmission from the Nazis about the Staff of Ra, an artifact that can pinpoint the location of The Ark of the Covenant. Jones agrees to help and sets off to Nepal, where he meets Marion Ravenwood, a former lover, and the owner of the headpiece of the staff. Marion tells Jones to come back, but Nazi forces arrive to get the headpiece themselves. After a gunfight, Marion joins Indiana with the headpiece. They head to Egypt, where the excavation of the Ark is located. Another friend of Indiana, Sallah (jeez, for a guy who says archeology is bookwork, not field work he sure knows a lot of people) mentions that the Nazis are digging in all the wrong places. However, Belloq is leading the dig and is closing in on the Ark's location. Jones and Sallah get the headpiece translated and use the instructions to find the location of the Ark. Indiana digs up the ark, but the Nazis and Belloq find him. They trap him and Marion (who was captured by the Nazis) in the site, but they escape. Jones chases after the Nazis who are transporting it to Germany, and he commandeers the truck and plans to send it back to the U.S. Yet again, the Nazis get the ark back, and yet again, Indiana manages to sneak aboard and try to reclaim it. The Nazis and Belloq attempt to test the Ark on an island before sending it to Germany, but the wrath of God wipes out the Nazis, because you know, Nazis are evil. Jones and Marion survive because the plot demands it. They send the Ark back, but those wiley military guys claim to be "studying" the Ark. The Ark is put in a warehouse, while Indiana and Marion get a drink.

Whew. What a plot.

The Good:
A whole lot actually. The story's pretty well done and the pacing is just right making everything work well together. The action sequences are arguably better than most action flicks made today. There's no cheesy CGI, and I like that. Harrison Ford does a wonderful job playing Indiana, he says some pretty good one liners that are memorable. For example, Jone has a phobia of snakes. When they open the entrance to the Ark's location, the floor is crawling with snakes. Jones says, "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" Funny stuff. You're rooting for Indiana as he tries to get the Ark out of the wrong hands. And the other characters are well done too. Marion, is a tough yet lovable girl with an attitude. She's not a damsel in distress, she's the damsel helping Indiana when needed. Sallah's hilarious. I'd love to be friends with that guy.

The Bad:
I honestly can't think of much. There's a stupid sub plot where someone attempts to kill Indiana, but naturally, the main character can't die. It's pretty pointless to be honest.

Bonus Round:
Again? Fine, fine. For those who don't know this, C3-PO and R2-D2 make an appearance in this movie. Not in person, because that would make no sense. They're actually in the room where the Ark is.

Oh dear, it seems we're doomed R2.

 Cameos are fun.

Score:
4 rolling boulders out of 5.