Ping Pong Playa (2007) - A Review

 

Ping Pong Playa is quite the hilarious movie!

Ping Pong Playa is a sports comedy movie released in the United States in 2007 and stars Jimmy Tsai, Khary Payton, Andrew Vo, Jim Lau, Elizabeth Sung, Roger Fan, Kevin Chung, Javin Reid, Smith Cho, Peter Paige, Scott Lowell, and Stephnie Weir. The movie was co-written by Jessica Yu with Jimmy Tsai, and directed by Jessica Yu.

Jimmy Tsai plays C-Dub (Chris Wang). Dude can talk some trash!

In Ping Pong Playa, Jimmy Tsai plays Christopher Wang (though he prefers to go by C-Dub), a young man in his twenties who still lives at home with his parents. His dream is to become a big time NBA (basketball) player. He thinks very highly of his skills and routinely beats little kids in basketball games at the park. His friend, JP Money (played by Khary Payton) has more ambitious goals and is working toward them (he is even studying how to speak Chinese). JP likes and believes in Chris, but he feels Chris needs to realize where his basketball skills are actually at.

When Chris's brother, Michael (played by Roger Fan)  and mom (played by Elizabeth Sung) get injured in a minor car accident, he has to take over teaching his mom's ping pong class. Being a slacker, Chris does not take this very seriously, but the young students Felix (played by Andrew Vo), William (played by Kevin Chung), and Prabaka (played by Javin Reid) really look up to him. It turns out that the annual ping pong tournament is coming up, and Chris's parents want him to enter it. The tournament is how Chris's parents make their money: Michael enters and wins the tournament, which makes people want to learn how to play ping pong from the tournament winner's mother and buy sports goods at the tournament winner's father's store. Chris is really not into this, until some racist ping pong players (played by Peter Paige and Scott Lowell) entered in the tournament start trying to steal the ping pong students from his mom's class. Chris begins to take things seriously and trains with his father (played by Jim Lau) and his ping pong students to get ready. Can Chris get serious enough about his future and win the tournament?

C-Dub is a hero to his ping pong class.

Ping Pong Playa is a really funny sports movie! Though this is basically a family comedy, there is a bit of an edge to it (profanity is censored using funny sound effects, though). Chris is a guy that talks like a gangsta and doesn't really take anything seriously. He has no pressing motivation, though he wants to become a famous NBA player, and wants to get with Felix's older sister, Jennifer (played by the incredible Smith Cho). Even though he is kind of a jerk, he is still very likeable. Jimmy Tsai kills it in this role. When Chris realizes the stakes at hand and starts taking things seriously, you root him on. He comes to find out that being in this tournament is all about him and how he handles things, not about winning. There is a lot of funny shenanigans in this, and the little kids in this movie are great. In fact, all the actors in this movie are great. Though the story might be a little cliched, it is still really fun and entertaining to go through.

C-Dub is quite good at ping pong!

I highly recommend watching Ping Pong Playa. It is a slice of life sports comedy showing the life of an Asian-American man in his 20s living in southern California in the late 2000s. The movie is very funny without being offensive or corny. This is a pretty good movie for the whole family, but there are some edgy jokes in here. The actors are great, the story is interesting, it's actually funny, and the whole movie is entertaining. What more could you want? Check Ping Pong Playa out, it's really underrated and it's really good!

Reviewed by David Williams

The Outlaw Johnny Black (2023) - Official Teaser Trailer

 The official teaser trailer for The Outlaw Johnny Black dropped today! Michael Jai White wrote and stars in this action comedy, brought to us by the people behind Black Dynamite (2009)! Here is the synopsis:

Hell-bent on avenging the death of his father, Johnny Black vows to gun down Brett Clayton and becomes a wanted man in the process. He goes into hiding, posing as a preacher in a small mining town that's been taken over by a notorious Land Baron.

I first heard of this movie seemingly years ago on Michael Jai White's Instagram. I remember him saying it was going to be more of a family film, at the time. I'm cool with that, as long as we see Michael kicking butt, as only he can, in it! The Outlaw Johnny Black comes out, only in theaters, on September 15, 2023. Can't wait to see this one!

 

The Paper Tigers (2020) - A Review

 

Trust me when I say, this movie is great!

The Paper Tigers is a martial arts comedy movie released in the United States in 2020 and stars Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Yoshi Sudarso, Peter Adrian Sudarso, Gui DaSilva-Greene, Matthew Page, Jae Suh Park, Joziah Lagonoy, Andy Le, Brian Le, Ken Quitugua, Roger Yuan, and Yuji Okumoto. It was written and directed by Tran Quoc Bao, with action directed by Ken Quitugua.

From left: Hing, Danny, and Jim; the Three Tigers.

In Paper Tigers, Alain Uy plays Danny, a middle aged father dealing with a high-pressure job, his young son Ed (played by Joziah Lagonoy), and his ex wife Caryn (played by Jae Suh Park). On the day he has custody of his son, he finds out his former kung fu master (played by Roger Yuan) has died. Danny meets up with an old friend he hasn't seen in years, Hing (played by Ron Yuan), who has gained weight and has a bum knee. When Danny, Hing and their friend Jim (played by Mykel Shannon Jenkins) were younger, they were the best of friends, and they all studied kung fu together under Sifu Cheung, their master. They were the best fighters in the city, beating other martial arts challengers with ease. Danny was the best of the three fighters, and their sifu chose him to carry on the legacy of his style. One cocky challenger, Carter (played by Matthew Page) kept being defeated and made a fool of by Danny. Thirty years later, Danny, Hing, and Jim are older and haven't kept up practicing kung fu (Jim is now a mixed martial arts coach and is the only one still in fighting shape).

Danny and Hing find out from Carter that their sifu was murdered. Carter gives them some leads on finding people who may know who killed their sifu. They get Jim involved, even though Danny had a falling out with him years back. The three friends have a reputation, and they have to live up to it against some younger martial artists. We then find out why the friends became distant from each other and from their sifu. Danny has to deal with his ex-wife and being a good father and role model for his son. We also learn that the person who killed their sifu has a reputation of his own, and Danny has to be the one that faces him to avenge their master's death...

The Three Tigers face off against Martial Club?!?

I first heard about The Paper Tigers from a Martial Club post on social media saying they had roles in the movie. From then on, it has been on my radar. I did see it being sold in stores, but I was (and still am) broke, so I couldn't buy it and watch it. I randomly found it on Tubi, and I finally watched it. Did it live up to my expectations? It more than lived up to my expectations! I love this movie, as a matter of fact!

The Paper Tigers is a drama with a lot of comedy in it. The movie mainly focuses on Danny and how he deals with his daily obligations as a middle-aged man, and how he left martial arts behind. Danny, along with Hing and Jim, not only left kung fu behind, but they dishonored their master as well. This dishonor is basically what causes everything that happens in this movie. The character of Carter does bring a lot of the comedy, along with Hing, and it is very funny and not mean-spirited. There is a lot of heart in the story and in the characters; you root for the three tigers to overcome their obstacles and honor their master. The performances of the actors are excellent and very natural and believable. This is just a very well-made, enjoyable, and fun to watch movie.

The action in The Paper Tigers is excellent!

Though The Paper Tigers is a modern day kung fu movie, there are more styles displayed in the fight scenes. Andy Le and Brian Le (of the Martial Club stunt crew and Everything Everywhere All At Once stars) use more of a high-flying, acrobatic, yet powerful fighting style. It's always great to see them unleash in a movie! Since Jim (played by  Mykel Shannon Jenkins) is an MMA coach (and practitioner, I would guess) he uses more wrestling and Brazilian jiu jitsu type of moves. Hing is out of shape with an injured knee, so he can't fight to his greatest ability (but he is still pretty good). Danny, the best of the three tigers, is just out of fighting shape and has seemingly lost his fighting spirit. Trust me, though, he still has the skills deep within him. Carter (played by Matthew Page) is their childhood rival and is still in fighting shape. He is really good! If you ever wanted to see Master Ken (yes, that Master Ken) in a Hong Kong style fight, here is your chance! The final boss, played by Ken Quitugua (and the fight choreographer of the movie), is a martial arts killer and seemingly unstoppable. The fight scenes are very Hong Kong style, exciting, with a little comedy in them. The action is great in this one!

As you can imagine, I highly recommend The Paper Tigers! It has drama, it has comedy, it has awesome action, and it has heart. What more could you want in a movie? I loved every minute of it, and I hope you will, too. The film makers and actors in this movie should be really proud of the work they created. It is really good. I hope these guys all team up again one day, I need more of their movie magic in my life!

Reviewed by David Williams

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1993/1995) - A Review

 

This movie rocks!

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is a family martial arts comedy movie released in 1995 (but filmed in 1992) starring Michael Treanor, Max Elliott Slade, Chad Power, Victor Wong, Crystle Lightning, Patrick Kilpatrick, Donal Logue, Charles Napier, Don Shanks, and Don Stark. The movie was directed by Shin Sang-ok (known as Simon Sheen in the credits for this movie), with fight scenes choreographed by Wan-Chang Lin and Han-Ching Liu. 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is the direct sequel to the first 3 Ninjas movie, though it was released after the third movie (3 Ninjas Kick Back).

From left: Max Elliott Slade as Colt, Chad Power as Tum Tum, Chrystle Lightning as Jo, and Michael Treanor as Rocky.

In 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up, Rocky (played by Michael Treanor), Colt (played by Max Elliott Slade), and Tum Tum (played by Chad Power) are spending summer vacation with their grandpa (played by Victor Wong) again when one day they help Jo (played by Crystle Lightning) deal with grown men picking on her (she is about 12 years old, and these guys are grown men pushing her around) at a pizza parlor. After the fight, the crowd praises the 3 Ninjas, and the 3 Ninjas seem a little too proud of their accomplishment. Grandpa feels they are getting too cocky, so he punishes them. He also asks them a very philosophical question relating a flower to their situation. The 3 Ninjas are stumped by this question...

A bit later, the 3 Ninjas find out from Jo that her father is missing, and the men messing with her at the pizza parlor are most likely involved. Those men work for a business man whose company has been dumping toxic waste illegally on the Native American reserve where she lives. Her father went to get some information to prove the illegal activity was happening, but never came back. The 3 Ninjas decide to help Jo find her dad.

From there, the 3 Ninjas actually act like real ninjas and track their enemies' movements, they make their weapons by hand, and go on their mission in the cover of night. They find Jo's father, who has to present evidence in a court case to stop the illegal dumping. Of course, Jo gets kidnapped, and the 3 Ninjas have to rescue her before her father has to make his case in court.

Probably the funniest scene in the movie. Tum Tum kills it in this scene!

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is a very different movie from the first 3 Ninjas movie. There is a lot more action in this one! There isn't that much comedy, but it is still a very funny movie. It has a different feel and look to it. The movie almost seems like a low budget film even though there are a lot more locations and stunts in this one. Still, I think this movie rocks! I didn't hear about this movie until my dad gave me and my brother a copy of the movie he recorded off of HBO or Showtime. There were no commercials on TV for this movie at all. We did see 3 Ninjas Kick Back at the movie theater, so this movie just came out of nowhere for us. It was weird to see the original actors back in their roles after some of them were recast in 3 Ninjas Kick Back. I prefer the originals, not going to lie.

I like how the 3 Ninjas grow as people and as heroes in this movie. At the start of the movie, the 3 Ninjas help people because they have the skills to do it and they genuinely want to help, but they also like the attention they get from it. As the movie goes on, they help people because it is the right thing to do, period. I also like how Native Americans are treated respectfully by the 3 Ninjas (of course, the bad guys are jerks to them). It is a pretty positive portrayal, but then there is the whole 'white savior' aspect to the movie that may not play well today. It does make me wonder, are there any mainstream movies where there is a Native American protagonist who stands up to oppressors and helps others regardless of ethnicity? If not, why isn't there one? 

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up has some great fight scenes!

The fight scenes in 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up blew me away when I first watched it back then! The action was very Hong Kong-inspired. I was not expecting that! The 3 Ninjas kick major butt in this one! A great scene happens at a junkyard. There is a lot of acrobatic moves and using the environment in the fight. Very similar to a Jackie Chan fight scene! The final fight scene takes place at an abandoned (seemingly) little town where the 3 Ninjas fight off cowboys and bikers. It's like a fight in a saloon in a western movie! During this scene, Rocky and Tum Tum get their dance on while fighting off the bad guys. It's cute. How that segment of the scene starts off reminds me of the start of the bar fight in Project A. The kids do most of their own stunts, but stunt doubles are used for some of the more spectacular and dangerous moves/stunts. Colt does some wild stuff in this one! The action is very good in 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up!

In conclusion, 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is another underrated martial arts movie that should be seen by more people. I will say, this sequel is more about the action than the comedy, but the comedy that is there is enjoyable. It's a nice family movie with some fun fight scenes. Check it out! It is really unfortunate that these kids never got to go on and become action stars. They were really talented. At least we have 3 Ninjas and 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up to remember them at their best.

Reviewed by David Williams

GREEN GHOST AND THE MASTERS OF THE STONE (2022) Trailer

 Here is the trailer for a superhero/martial arts comedy movie called, Green Ghost And The Masters Of The Stone, starring Danny Trejo, Marko Zaror, and Charlie Clark! This movie/trailer is shocking to me because Charlie Clark is a car dealer in my city! I see his billboard and TV ads all the time where I live, and now I find out he's in a movie? What the heck?!?

Here is the synopsis: In a Texas border town, car salesman Charlie moonlights as masked Lucha libre wrestler "Green Ghost." When assailants arrive seeking an otherworldly emerald, Charlie discovers that he has super powers that he must harness to save humanity.

And here is the synopsis from Charlie Clark himself: 

This is the untold story of the true Mayan Apocalypse that has been misinterpreted by scholars and was to have taken place on 12/21/12 - that was obviously wrong. A secret group of Mexican superheroes, known as El Trio de la Luz, are forced by destiny to include their adopted gringo into their group to join the fight to save humanity. Will the car salesman and local TV personality carry his weight and transform from the GRINGO into the GREEN GHOST? We shall see.. —Charlie Clark

 

I...I...need to to see this!

 

Black Dynamite (2009) - A Review

 

This movie is ridiculous, in a good way!

Black Dynamite is an American action comedy movie released in 2009. It is a parody of the blaxploitation films of the 1970's. Black Dynamite stars Michael Jai White, Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield, Tommy Davidson, Kym Whitley, and Kevin Chapman among many other amazing African American actors. Scott Sanders wrote (along with Michael Jai White and Byron Minns) and directed the movie, while Ron Yuan is the action director. 

Michael Jai White plays Black Dynamite, a strong, proud black man who is a former CIA agent and a Vietnam War veteran. Dynamite's younger brother gets killed by a mysterious organization at the start of the movie. Black Dynamite finds out and vows to avenge his death. Black Dynamite's former CIA partner, O'Leary (played by Chapman) reinstates Dynamite into the CIA to avoid him leaving the streets soaked in blood. As Dynamite investigates his brother's murder, he teams up with his friends and militant Black power activists to clean up the streets, as heroin has become a problem in the city. This all leads to Black Dynamite and crew figuring out what the real plan of this evil organization is, and just who is in charge of it all (and it is a doozy of a reveal)!

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

Black Dynamite is one funny movie! It parodies those classic blaxploitation flicks perfectly. You see continuity errors, flubbed lines, boom mics in the shot, accidental full contact hits during fight scenes, and more. The plot is humorous as well! The sinister plot that Black Dynamite uncovers is just so ridiculous (in a good way). The characters are very funny, and it is so cool to see all these cameos.

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

The man.

Michael Jai White is amazing as Black Dynamite! He gets to be a powerful, strong, hero who has great fashion sense, martial arts skills, and a way with the ladies. One of the best scenes is when he is flirting with Gloria Gray (played by Richardson-Whitfield). One of the best lines I've ever heard in a movie! We see that Black Dynamite cares about his community, and cares about orphans. His treatment of women, though... is not so good. He has female allies, but he is actually kind of domineering towards them. I guess that's how it was back then... We see his treatment of women change throughout the movie, though. Progress!

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

It was great to see Tommy Davidson in this, as well as the other cameos!

 As this movie takes place in the 70s, there is a lot of potentially offensive material in it. There are a lot of racial stereotypes and racial jokes in it. The n-word is used in this movie as well. There is a lot of unnecessary gratuitous nudity (female and male). There is a rather graphically animated sex scene. Still, the racial stuff isn't done in a hateful way, it is done in a way to make fun of it. It also makes you realize how far we've come when dealing with race relations, and how far we still need to go.

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

The fight scenes in Black Dynamite are actually very good! I would say they are better than the fight scenes in the blaxploitation movies back then! Michael Jai White gets to show off his skills in this one. The choreography is really good! My favorite fight scenes are spoilers, but just know that these surprise fights rock! Who knew a certain political figure had such high level martial art skills?

DYNOMITE! DYNOMITE!

Should you watch Black Dynamite? I would say yes! It has a ton of laughs, great action, and style for days. I really hope there is a sequel, Black Dynamite is a character that needs to be in more movies!

Reviewed by David Williams

UHF - My Thoughts

 

After close to ten years, I was finally able to watch UHF again! I used to watch it when I was a kid when it came on cable (either HBO or Showtime, I can't remember; never came on basic cable or OTA TV). Let me tell you, I LOVED this movie! It also helps that I am a big Weird Al fan! I also always wanted to run a TV channel. I used to pretend I had a TV channel back then, and whatever I watched or played (either action figures or video games) was what was airing on my channel. I was able to watch it on YouTube, free with ads!

In UHF, George Newman (played by Weird Al) is put in charge of a bankrupt UHF TV station. George is an imaginative person and has many ideas, but he tries to 'play by the book' at first in trying to make the TV station successful. When that doesn't work (and after he finds out the station is days away from being flat broke), he gives his janitor Stanley Spadowski (played by Michael Richards) a shot at hosting his live kids show. The show becomes a hit! This inspires George to put on more weird TV shows, all of which become hits! A rival network TV station boss, R.J. Fletcher (played by Kevin McCarthy) decides to buy his competition after the UHF station becomes number one in the ratings. From there, George has to come up with $75,000 in two days to keep the station on the air!

This movie is full of parodies and wacky humor. The film starts with an Indiana Jones parody! The part I loved the most was the Rambo scene. I always laughed maniacally at that. Of course, I loved the Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies* music video. I always hoped to catch that video on MTV, but I was not disappointed when the original Money For Nothing video aired. Both videos rocked!

The TV shows were a wild mix! Conan The Librarian was a favorite of mine. Ghandi II is just crazy! The animal show with the enthusiastic Latino host is great! Never noticed until this past viewing how crazy that guy is! Fran Drescher plays the station newscaster. Perhaps this is where my crush on her began...

Michael Richards (known to Seinfeld fans as Kramer) plays Stanley Spadowski in such an energetic, pure-hearted manner. You can't help but love the guy. It is great how such a good, pure person becomes beloved in their city. How lucky is he to have such a hit show immediately, without even trying! 

This movie is pretty safe for the whole family... to a certain extent. There is no sexual humor, but there is some cartoonish, yet extremely violent scenes. The extremely violent scenes are played for laughs, so hopefully kids will not be scarred for life by watching them! (Do not get me started on Robocop!)

So yeah, I love this movie. Humor is subjective, so I know not everyone will like it or even get it. Also, this movie was made in the late 1980s, so some of the references are dated. I think you should at least give it a chance. If you know what Weird Al is about, then you'll get an idea for what you're in for. If not, I hope you enjoy it just the same!

Reviewed by David Williams