Ken Jeong

Over my time seeing movies you get to see the same actors over and over, sometimes an actor stands out but never gets a starring role when they should. Sometimes an actor like Bruce Campbell gets a few early starring roles and never gets that big role again. Characters actors often make a film much more enjoyable and many actors can make a nice career out of being in bit parts and then rise to film later on.

I recently saw The Hangover, which is just a good movie if you want to check your brain at the door and laugh your ass off. So getting to the title of this blog, I have noticed in the last few movies I have seen him in that Ken Jeong is a scene stealer. He also has notable roles in Knocked Up as a pissed off doctor who delivers the baby at the end of the movie. He has a smaller role, but if you get the chance to see or buy the movie I strongly recommend you get the two disc version. In the extras you see Jeong and Seth Rogen improv a lot more scenes that are worth watching.

Jeong also stole most scenes from the much underrated comedy Role Models. Jeong plays King Argotron and is again fucking hilarious. He obviously is well regarded by Judd Apatow since Knocked Up was directed by Apatow. Also look for Jeong in a small role in Pineapple Express, he has a limited role yet is great as an assassin. So getting back to the Hangover, Jeong has a role as a gang leader known as Mr. Chow. Once again Jeong just makes the movie even better and steals all the scenes he is in. SMALL SPOILER.....which includes him jumping naked out of a trunk of a car and kicking three guys asses with just a crowbar.




Jeong is also slated to have roles in many upcoming movies, seems Hollywood is onto this hilarious actor. He is set to have a role in the next Judd Apatow movie Funny People as well as roles in the following movies: All About Steve, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, and Couples Retreat to name a few. Its good to see great character actors get a break. Who knows maybe one day Jeong will star in his own film.

GEGEGE NO KITARO 2: KITARO AND THE MILLENNIUM CURSE (2008) - live-action sequel

GEGEGE NO KITARO 2:
KITARO AND THE MILLENNIUM CURSE
(2008, Japan, GeGeGe no Kitaro 2: Sennen Noroi Uta)

The first live-action spin-off from the long-running anime series did so well that this sequel immediately followed. But while I love the characters and the stories, the live-action films are disappointing. Even though my expectations were pretty low for this sequel, as an adult, I was barely entertained. My main consolation is that least these films are raising awareness about Gegege No Kitaro, and the character has finally made a debut on English subtitled DVDs.

I can't get enough of Kitaro's many anime series. They first appeared on Japanese TV in 1968. But to do Shigeru Mizuki's stories justice in a live-action movie requires a considerable budget, which this sequel lacks. I got the same vibe off Saiyuki: Monkey Magic, made in Japan the same year. It's good fun for kids, but lacking the intrigue and sophisticated special effects to please adult audiences.

The Millennium Curse begins with a typical scare as young women are menaced by ancient spirits. During the title sequence we get a flashback of Kitaro's origin (also seen in the impressive anime OVA Hakaba Kitaro) as baby Kitaro crawls out of his mother's grave, guided by all that's left of his dad (the walking eyeball). Kitaro, Rat Man, Cat Girl and the gang now have to unravel the mystery of a series of disappearances, all linked to an ancient curse lingering after a great injustice, many centuries ago.

While the plot is solid, it generates little intrigue or excitement, even in fight scenes. Kitaro's primary weapons are his flying wooden sandals and needle hair - these are made to look dynamic and interesting in the anime but fall flat when rendered realistically.


On the upside there's the late Ken Ogata (The Hidden Blade, Mishima), in his final film role as Kitaro's nemesis Nurarihyon. But this arch-villain doesn't fully emerge until the climax. The finale is especially impressive for a well-animated giant skeleton piling on the jeopardy.

But mostly the yokai monster make-ups of supporting characters are either obviously CGI or use completely static masks. Two busy monster scenes in the yokai library and the forest simply look like a bunch of dancers in masks. I'd rather yokai monsters be done properly or not at all. The effects in these scenes reminded me of similar techniques used in the 1960s yokai film trilogy. For instance, there's nothing on the scale of the flying demon attack on Kitaro's house in the first film.


The main cast are good, all returning from the first film. Once again Yo Oizumi makes the most of the treacherous, hypocritical, smelly Rat Man. The baddies include Yasha, who's a terrifying yokai in the anime who hypnotises victims with his music and steals their souls. But here the character looks like a failed rock star who only uses his guitar like a machine-gun rather than for anything supernatural.

I might have enjoyed the story less because of the poor English subtitles on this Malay DVD, available here from HKFlix. But really, the 2007 anime series would provide more action and scares than this - that's what I'd prefer to see on DVD.

My review of the first Gegege No Kitaro film is here.

My guide to the Gegege No Kitaro anime series is here.

Here's a Japanese-only trailer for Kitaro and the Millennium Curse on YouTube...

... and there's an English subtitled trailer on this page in the AsianMediaWiki.

Much more background info, pictures and a plot summary on SciFi Japan, and Sarudama.

YAJI & KITA: THE MIDNIGHT PILGRIMS (2005) - a surreal road trip

YAJI & KITA: THE MIDNIGHT PILGRIMS
(2005, Japan, Mayonaka no Yaji-san Kita-san)

Not a gay comedy. It's much, much more.

Some Japanese comedies like Swing Girls and Waterboys aim at international audiences with accessible 'universal' humour. The more offbeat comedies are primarily for a Japanese audience, full of cultural references, cameos and in-jokes. I assumed that Yaji & Kita was the latter, and was surprised that it was released on DVD in the US, especially with an upfront gay storyline. But this is a unique movie, that defies simple assumptions or categorisations.

It begins as a freewheeling comedy, with singing transvestites, a comedy baddie (Riki Takeuchi of Battle Royale II), and a gang of housewives who think they're watching a TV show. But then it turns darker and beautifully philosopical for a dramatic and very rewarding second half.


It begins with two samurai back in the Edo period (though they don't have swords). A surreal video-game dream and a ride on a motorbike soon shatter the period feel. Kita is a drug-addict with a loose grip on reality, so these anachronisms could all be in his head. But anything goes, as they embark on a journey across Japan to reach a temple where Kita hopes to kick his habit. Along the way, the more people they meet, the harder their quest gets, especially when both Yaji and Kita are holding back huge secrets from each other...

Early on, it's very episodic as they meet bizarre new characters in each town. I settled into just letting it all wash over me and assumed I was missing out on the in-jokes. But I did recognise Kazuo Umezu and Sadao Abe (Uzumaki, The Great Yokai War) acting more bizarrely than usual. But then the seemingly random events started to make more sense and a solid storyline started to emerge. It's ambitious and complex, and I appreciated one of the characters saying "I'm lost" during the climax.

The gay couple are central to the plot, but it's not at all intended for a gay audience. It's more like a running gag, aimed at a straight male audience, like the gay-themed plots and characters of South Park. Yaji & Kita are gay because it's a subversion of old Yaji & Kita films and stories. The script is an adaption of a cult manga, which in turn is based on an 18th century comic novel, previously adapted as a comedy in the 1920's and 30's.

The lead actors look a little uncomforatable with their intimate moments, a couple of scenes of mouth-on-mouth kissing (shown in the behind-the-scenes extras). But for the rest of the film it could just as easily be a buddy movie. While the gay relationship is initially played for laughs, it's never offensive, and the plot matures as it progresses. It's rebelling against the norm, along with plenty of irreverent nudity, swearing and even some punky rock. There's an early homage to Easy Rider as they jump on a familiar-looking motorbike.

It's misleading that Kita (Shichinosuke Nakamura, also seen in The Last Samurai) has been made to look so weird in the poster. I was almost put off, thinking he was going to be a stereotypical gay comedy character. He's sleightly built but not effeminate. His character is primarily a junkie. Effortlessly handsome Tomoya Nagase (TOKIO band member, also seen in Ring: The Final Chapter) expertly plays the good-humoured Yaji. Japanese pop stars-turned-actors seem to be far better at acting than the ones in the west.

I was surprised at how well the central characters are handled. But this is due to a hugely imaginative film-maker, Kankuro Kudo, a first-time director whose talents mature even during the film (which was shot in sequence). He's also a successful scriptwriter, responsible for the wondeful Zebraman and Maiko Haaaan! (also starring Sadao Abe).

Another surprise were the special effects, many of which are wild and eye-poppingly good, when they're detectable. According to the extras, post-production was done over two years, plenty of time to perfect them. Many scenes don't depend on effects but on inventive sets (like the seemingly endless house of shuttered doors) and expert lighting so carefully controlled that two people on the same set appear to be in different time zones.

Hard to categorise or define, I'm very glad that I've seen this, and look forward to more from the director.

Here's the Japanese trailer...

Media Blasters rightfully thought they had a cult classic on their hands and gave this a deluxe two-disc treatment. The US DVD is anamorphic widescreen, the English subtitles are carefully and humorously translated, and the extras disc includes an astonishingly honest 'Making Of' documentary, very different from the Hollywood style. It's are to see a director looking tired and distraught while watching a scene being filmed.

There are also enthusiastic reviews on FilmBrain and Twitch.

Flea Market Report

It has been a while since I last went to the flea, so glad I was able to go yesterday with my friend Dennis. Tons of NES games all over the place! I made out very well, here is the break down. First I saw a small box of games, the golden cartage of Zelda was visible. I looked in the box and this lady had like 10 or so games most of them looked in pretty good shape, as most have the black covers. The lady said 2 bucks a piece so I grabbed Legend of Zelda (the first one) and Tetris which I always wanted to own on NES. Dennis recommended I ask for 3 games for $5, I did and lady easily complied. I ended up grabbing James Bond Jr. as my last game of the three. Dennis said he played it once and it was pretty good.

Shortly after that I stumbbled upon some old Gensis games, I really buy more nintendo old games but I recenlty hooked up the good old gensis and was interested in getting some old games on it. I was looking down and I saw the Terminator for gensis. It has the box and booklet as well as the game, the guy said a buck and I thought, why the hell not. So I got The Terminator for the Gensis, I have played it and its okay so far. Not bad for a buck.

Like I said there was tons of games out yesterday and most were pretty cheap. I was looking through some old games, usually you see tons of the same games over and over. Yesterday I saw Back to the Future for the NES like at least 5 times. So I was looking and this one game just stuck out, the cartridge itself is very bland but the game is called A Boy and His Blob, so I got it for a buck. I played it and this game is really unique. Not sure if it is rare but the premise is fun and somewhat tricky. You are the main guy and all you can do is whistle for your blob OR feed your blob jelly beans, thats right jelly beans. BUT each jelly bean that the blob eats will give him the power to different things that help you get to new levels. At first I had no idea what to do in the game, but I was sort of dumbfounded when I learned that this is the whole purpose of the game. I will give this game props for originality. I guess the game has a follwing, they have since done a few more game sequels for other systems. What a find! Check out the cool box cover, wish I had it too.


I was commenting to Dennis on how you never see the classic games at the flea market anymore. I have been looking for this one game called Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers for a while, and I was just saying that you never see games like Mike Tysons Punch Out at because no one will sell the good games. We found this massive seller he has tons of bins to go through. I saw a lot of NES games, then I look down and saw Ninja Gaiden. I was really happy, it looked like I could get a classic game for cheap! Then I look under it and to my surprise sitting there is Mike Tysons Punch Out, since I already had the game I let dennis buy it. We got both the games for $1. I think dennis got a deal, if you see it on ebay its buy it now for 15-20 bucks. So that was my haul from yesterday, as well as a new pair of dickie shorts I made out like a bandit. Until next time.

4bia (2008) - patchy Thai horror anthology

4bia
(2008, Thailand, See Prang)

I'm quite reluctant to write this review. I want to encourage Thai movies internationally, especially since the country is so keen on the supernatural genre. But I'm duty bound to write an honest review, to compensate for the growing hype, from both the east and the west. 4bia may have been successful in Thailand, with a sequel in the works already, but most of the good reviews seem to be saying 'this is very good... for a Thai movie'. Yes, 4bia has elements that are rare in Thai cinema - car stunts and CGI characters, for instance. While this might be impressive in Thailand, I don't honestly think it'll be at all satisfying for regular horror fans. 4bia only has one story out of four that I can recommend.

It's made up of four short horror stories, all by different Thai directors. While the title is a twist on phobia, the common thread is ghosts, as is usual with Thai horror.


The first segment is called Loneliness (though the onscreen title on the Malay DVD was Happiness). I was disappointed that the story centred on a mobile phone, now a ragged Asian horror cliche. The pace also started quite slowly, as a young woman with her leg in a cast starts getting text messages from a mysterious admirer. Just as I was getting restless, the tale started to get successfully creepy. This was interesting considering the director's previous films included The Iron Ladies films, basically feelgood comedies. But the carefully built atmosphere was shattered by a clumsy shock moment from a shoddy video effect and a confusing sting in the tale.


Second up was Tit For Tat, an example of the more gruesome wave of Thai horror that aspires to ladle out bloody shock effects. A schoolboy is victimised by a nasty gang of bullies and takes revenge using black magic. But this is presented with fast-cutting, shaky camerawork, pumped-up colours and a barrage of computer-generated effects, some successful (a whirlwind of paper) and some definitely not (CGI characters). The uneven special effects distracted me from the already flimsy story.

Best of the lot is the third story, In The Middle. Directed with a sure hand, from a director of Alone and the superb Shutter, Banjong Pisanthanakun. This is well-paced, well-acted and largely original. Four boys are on a camping trip in the forest, scaring each other with ghost stories in the tent at night and teasing each other about which horror films they've seen, (cue some smart in-jokes). But next day they have a Deliverance-style accident and the trip turns into a nightmare. This was easily the best - well made, scary and didn't insult horror fans.


Lastly is Last Fright where a stewardess attends to royalty on a specially chartered flight. But the princess starts ill-treating the attendant and everything escalates rather alarmingly. In the story's mission to scare, logic goes completely out the window in order to create any scares. Like part two, the director cheats the viewer every whichway, in order to get the shocks. The premise of royalty of any country (in this case a fictitious one) hiring a huge passenger jet all for one person is far-fetched to begin with. An appalling CGI plane sabotaged the segment, while the interior set was just about convincing.

So, a mixed bag, above average horror for Thailand, just about good enough as a TV film, OK for DVD. It's an accurate overview of Thai approaches to horror, with some over-familiar subjects. I'd like to see the directors of Dorm and Victim invited to the next batch.

The Malay DVD from Golden Satellite (pictured at top) is non-anamorphic widescreen. The English subtitles were well-translated but non-removable. Any curse words were censored with a silly black blob over the offending words. This could indicate that the gore had also been cut down for Malaysia. Maybe the promised UK DVD release later this year will have more gore (in the second story?).

As I'm still feeling guilty, in the name of balance here's the gushy review that inspired me to write this, and a far more balanced and informative review from Wise Kwai.

REIGO: DEEP SEA MONSTER VS BATTLESHIP YAMATO

REIGO: THE DEEP SEA MONSTER VS THE BATTLESHIP YAMATO
(2008, Japan, IMDB: Shinkaiju Reigo)

After years of tantalising photos, various reports of screenings and half a dozen title changes, Reigo has finally surfaced on DVD in Hong Kong, released by Panorama (cover art above). Despite the lack of English subtitles, I could wait no longer.

Starved of new Japanese giant monster movies and with the current hibernation of Godzilla, I was looking forward to this, my expectations fuelled by various news sites. Reigo was made by Godzilla/Gamera fan Shinpei Hayashiya. His previous film was Gamera 4: Truth, a short unofficial sequel to the awesome 1990s trilogy. As a fan production, this is extremely impressive. But as a monster movie, it wasn't very satisfying.

The setting is World War II. Japan launches the Yamato, the largest battleship in the world, to lead the Japanese fleet. The mission gets complicated when the Yamato mistakes a huge undersea monster for an enemy destroyer and accidentally kills its offspring. The monster, Reigo, wants revenge and starts attacking the fleet. But if anything can stop it, the Yamato can...

The WW2 setting is deadly serious and quite daring for a giant monster movie, a genre usually reserved for escapism. What lets the film down are the obviously limited budget (small sets and few actors) and the variable special effects. For what should be a visual effects movie, there are very few scenes that work convincingly.

There are obviously some intricate creature costumes and models, but these are only shown in very short cuts. A potentially startling scene, when some man-sized 'bone-fish' leap up onto the deck and attack the crew, was kept very short. Perhaps because the bloody nature of the scene had to be toned down. There's hardly a good look at the bone-fish at all, which looked as interesting a creature design as the main monster.

The wider shots of the creature are mainly done CGI, a very difficult technique when depicting the ocean. The best of the effects shots are very impressive, some saved for the film's climax. The Battleship Yamato is also largely CGI, and rarely looks at all convincing.

I don't want to list all my disappointments in the film. After all it's an ambitious and original project from a fan of the genre. But I strongly advise everyone to treat this as a spectacular fan-made film that actually has a decent cast, rather than expecting a monster movie with a big enough budget.

There are some familiar faces in the cast, Susumu Kurobe (the original Ultraman himself) and Taiyo Sugiara (Ultraman Cosmos himself). Plus the always-welcome Yukijiro Hotaru from the Gamera trilogy, Giant Robo Mikazuki and many other cult movies.

Sci-Fi Japan have a very extensive look at the making of the film, the production history and many publicity shots.

The official Reigo vs Yamato website is in English is here.

There's also the trailer on YouTube here.

Dread Central has recently broken the news (and a trailer) for a modern-day Reigo sequel from the same director, with the monster walking around on land. It'll be ready by the end of the year, confusingly called Deep Sea Monster Raiga. Again this looks perfect for it's intended audience at giant monster movie festivals, especially since it appears to be aiming for homage/comedy.

The Expendables

I just got wind of this great, fantastic, awesome cast for The Expendables and I thought now that sounds like an action flick I would sit back and make up as a kid. I cant say I know much about the movie besides this small paragraph I found on imdb. It says:

"After years of coruption , murder of american hostages and betrayal of foreign policies, The US with the help of other Nations secretly put together a squad of its most trained millitary personal to finaly over throw the dictator who has caused devastation in South America for over 20 years. The team sets out on its mission to complete the assasination but with little help from the nations as they try to keep the mission secret. After they realize that there will be no outside help they rely on their own sources to fight not only the dictator's army but also the Governments that set them up."

That is all good and all but the best part has to the be cast. 

- First off the movie not only stars but is directed by Sylvester Stallone. Stallone was once again in top form in Rambo which he also directed. If this movie is anything like that one the action will be mind blowingly gory. 

- Arnold Schwarzenegger has some sort of role in the movie, I don't know about you but I have been wanting to see an Arnold and Stallone team up since I was a kid. Not sure if it happens in this movie but its cool they are both even in the same movie. It is said Arnolds role is more of a cameo which could lead to bigger roles in sequels.

- Mickey Rourke is also in the movie fresh off his oscar nominated role in The Wrestler. If he can bring anything from that movie and his role as Marv in Sin City we are in for a treat, just imagine him kicking ass next to these guys.

- Jason Statham, fuck man this list gets crazier! We now have the Transporter himself in this movie! He is like the go to bad ass guy of the 2000's it will be cool to see him kicking ass with the old school guys.

- Dolph Lundgren, speaking of old school. You even get some Dolph! The classic Russian badass is teaming up with Stallone since they made Rocky IV. 

- Jet Li also has a role in the movie and adds some martial arts to all the muscle.

- The movie also is said to have Terry Crews, Danny Trejo, and Eric Roberts in various roles.

This movie sounds like it could be the best shit ever for action fans. The funny thing is the cast who turned down roles or couldn't be in the movie, I found this list of actors who were offered roles but couldnt be in the movie for one reason or another. 

Jean Claude Van Damme

Wesley Snipes

Kurt Russell 

Ben Kingsley

Forest Whitaker 

50 Cent

Denis Leary

I would have loved to see JCVD in the movie, teamming back up with Dolph again in some form would be cool. Anyway I am really stoked for this movie and all that it hopefully can be.