Another Shaw Brothers kung-fu extravaganza. This one was quite good with lots of blood, a complicated (in a good way) plot and a touch of nudity! An assassin gets in the middle of two rival clans as he attempts to kill an elder leader. Things aren’t what they seem and there’s intrigue around every paper-walled corner.
Disc two in this Shaw Brothers set is the weakest of the lot. A pair of bandits join with an ambitious warrior to form a group of counter-revolutionary fighters. A girl gets between them and then things begin to go south. This is more of a melodrama than a kung-fu picture, but it has a few good moments. On the whole though, it was not my cup of (green) tea.
I want to eventually read Huckleberry Finn, so I figured I should read this one first. It’s pretty entertaining, but not terribly deep and it takes a while for an overarching plot to develop. The first half of the book feels like a collection of short stories.
This film is really just a showcase for Bill Haley and his Comets. The plot and characters are tacked on just to get us from dance hall to dance hall to see The Comets lip sync, and watch the kids go craaazy with the new modern dance. Despite its schlocky premise, it’s fun to watch for the “performances” and the dancing.
I was a bit hesitant to play this game. I really didn’t like FarCry 2 all that much. It was repetitive, dull and not a worthy successor to the first game. Then, I decided to give the eighties sci-fi themed expansion FarCry 3: Blood Dragon a try. That game was great, so when 3 went on sale I grabbed it hoping for the best, and, oh man, I was immediately blown away.
The first ten minutes of the game are incredible. Mind you, this is your basic tutorial sequence where you learn to crouch, sprint and look around. You are quickly introduced to the main bad guy, the dire stakes are laid out as you watch your comrades get tortured and die, and boom, in an instant you are forced into an absolutely heart-pounding, gunplay-free escape.
From there on out it’s shooting everything that moves, lighting the local fauna (and wildlife) on fire, and blowing stuff up. Yet, despite the seemingly limited variety, this works extremely well. Every outpost battle is tense, every tower climb is harrowing and even the hunting sequences are a blast.
On top of all this, there’s a real story here with interesting characters, narrative story arcs and real tension. Even the side quests are an important part of the game, as they help you gain experience and unlock some of the best weapons in the game. I loved this game and will probably keep it around as I attempt to get all the collectibles and explore every nook of the island.
The most recent book in this series builds up to a grand conclusion, an last-stand battle of epic proportions, and then, once the dust has settled, it leaves you hanging. So, I guess this isn’t a trilogy. That said, the stakes are higher here and, therefore, I enjoyed it a bit more than book two. It did, however, take a while for me to get used to the Ewok characters, or as they are called here, “Woodkin.”
The first film in the Shaw Brothers four-pack DVD I just bought. I loved USA Network’s Kung Fu Theater when I was a kid, but I am hardly a connoisseur when it comes to these classic kung-fu pictures. The Avenging Eagle was pretty good with a nice array of weaponry and a decent story. The fights lack the realism and speed of a 90’s Jackie Chan flick but they are still pretty great. As I make my way through the set I may change my opinion of this one, but I enjoyed this as an entry point.
