Check out the English-subtitled trailer for Baby Assassins 2, finally coming out here in the United States in a couple of months. Here is the synopsis:
Chisato and Mahiro must pay four years of overdue fees or lose their membership in their assassin guild. They take part-time jobs, but find themselves in the middle of an armed robbery and being hunted by other assassins.
I loved the first Baby Assassins (2021) movie (which I reviewed here), and this looks to be more of the same, but even better! Can't wait to watch this one! Baby Assassins2 comes out on digital & Blu-ray April 2, 2024 in the U.S., and streaming on Hi-YAH! July 5, 2024!
On this Fight Scene Friday™, we have a scene from Tarell "Kota" Bullock and Gaetan Caillot! This was filmed during Covid lockdown, and as you can see, they filmed it from their living room! This shows if you have the creativity, it doesn't matter if you don't quite have everything you want (or need) to make the best possible work of art. This scene is a tribute to classic Hong Kong martial arts cinema, and I think they did an excellent job! It definitely has the spirit! Check it out:
Jim Kelly struts his stuff in The Tattoo Connection.
The Tattoo Connection (also known as Black Belt Jones 2: Tattoo Connection and The Hong Kong Connection) is a martial arts crime movie released in Hong Kong in 1978 and stars Jim Kelly, Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang, Chan Sing, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Lee Hoi-Gei, Bolo Yeung Sze, Chiang Tao, Norman Wingrove, and Lee Hoi-Sang. The movie was directed by Lee Tso-Nam, with martial arts directed by Bruce Leung Siu-Lung.
Jim Kelly as Lucas. He is one cool dude in this. He even dubbed his own voice for this movie.
In The Tattoo Connection, Jim Kelly plays Lucas, an ex-CIA agent hired by an insurance company to retrieve a stolen diamond stolen by a tattooed gang in Hong Kong. Once the gang boss (played by Chan Sing) finds out Lucas is there to take back the diamond, he does everything he can to stop him, including killing people who have info, and putting a bounty on Lucas's head. Lucas plows ahead, destroying everybody that gets in his way. The gang is dangerous, but there is one member, Dong Ho (played by Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang), who is a bit honorable. He wants to leave the gang with his girlfriend (played by Lee Hoi-Gei). Will Lucas get the diamond back, and will Dong Ho be able to leave the gang?
Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang as Dong Ho. An underappreciated martial arts movie star nowadays. This guy could kick!
Like many people who are fans of him, I've liked Jim Kelly ever since I first saw him in Enter The Dragon (1973). I've never seen him in any other movies, though I knew he was in some blaxploitation films. So, I finally found one of Jim Kelly's movies (considered one of his best) on a free streaming site (Tubi). Unfortunately (or fortunately...) it was the edited for television version of the movie. When that showed up in the opening credits, I had to decide if I still wanted to watch it, or wait until I had access to the unedited version. I decided to watch it anyway, and here are my thoughts...
The Tattoo Connection is one weird movie! Though this is billed as a Jim Kelly movie, in reality, it is more of a Jim Kelly/Dorian "Flash Legs" Tan Tao-Liang movie. In fact, I would say Tan gets a bit more screen time in this one! Jim Kelly plays the cool, cocky, expert martial artist while Flash Legs Tan plays the honorable, yet conflicted gang member who can kick like no one else. Both are likeable in their roles, and of course, they both have excellent martial arts skills. It is mainly Jim Kelly who has the cool lines, but Tan has some zingers as well.
The plot is pretty basic, maybe a little too basic. As was the case back then, there is some weird pacing issues and let's say inappropriate humor. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of racism in this as well. From what I've read about this movie, there is apparently a lot of gratuitous nudity throughout The Tattoo Connection. You know it's too much unnecessary nudity when reviews from regular people (not critics) complain about it! The version I saw was edited, so there was absolutely no nudity shown. Of course, the scenes with nudity were edited in such a way that it made it even more weird and creepy! You have to see those edits to believe it! The music in The Tattoo Connection is also very funky, or dare I say, fonky (the pinnacle of funkiness). Really good music throughout.
The Tattoo Connection has some nice fight scenes. Considered to be Jim Kelly's best movie that showcases his martial arts skills.
While the plot of the movie is nothing special, the action is really good! Jim Kelly is one awesomely cool butt kicker in this! He is fast, precise, and hits hard in his fight scenes. Kelly even gets to finally have his one on one fight with Bolo Yeung in this movie (which he was supposed to have in Enter The Dragon). Flash Legs Tan starts off the movie with a fight scene, and there (and throughout) he gets to show off his awesome kicking skills. There are a lot of good fights in this movie, with the final fight being the best, in my opinion. This is classic 70s martial arts choreography, not as intricate as Lau Kar Leung, Sammo Hung, or Yuen Woo-ping's, but still entertaining.
I am not sure if I can recommend The Tattoo Connection. It does have entertaining fight scenes and fonky music, but the plot is basic and there is rampant nudity (in the unedited version). I guess I will recommend the movie for its fight scenes only... and the fact that Jim Kelly is cooler than a cucumber in this. Where else can you find a movie where Bolo Yeung sings his heart out in mockery of his fellow gang member? It happens in this movie, and you will not be prepared.
Also, though my feelings are mixed on this movie, I would love if The TattooConnection got a remastered HD blu-ray release in the future. I think it would look pretty good in high definition.
This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is choreographed, shot, and edited by Aaron Toney. It stars Dominique Smith (in light clothes) and Brandon Shaw (in dark clothes). Though the fight is short, I like the intensity of both fighters throughout. Check it out!
This week's Fight Scene Friday™ scene is from the LBP and Thousand Pounds Action Company crews. Vonzell Carter is the Ranger, Alexander Hashioka Oatfield is the "Brown Coat Outlaw", and Jeffrey Griffith is the "Black Suit Outlaw". Emmanuel Manzanares is the director, fight choreography, camera operator, and editor, so you know it's good! Check it out!
Here is a video from strafefox, who does mini documentaries on video games mainly, but has branched out into other subjects. This video is about emerging art styles/forms in the 1980s. Here is the description:
Designing the 80s, a 6-part mini series exploring design within media and entertainment. Placing iconic productions in film, gaming and music in context to the digital revolution and contemporary visual trends. Each pair of episode will cover a different era of the decade. This first episode will be the introduction of the rising art-forms at the dawn of the 80s: computer graphics expanding into media and entertainment and the phenomenon of the music video which ties into events happening in pop-culture and design.
This is a well-made video that deserves more views. Check out strafefox's YouTube channel right here to see his other videos on the development of 80s and 90s video games!
(I had no involvement in the making of this video)
Here is the trailer for Monkey Man, an action movie written, directed by, and starring Dev Patel. Here is how the YouTube description describes this movie:
Oscar nominee Dev Patel (Lion, Slumdog Millionaire) achieves an astonishing, tour-de-force feature directing debut with an action thriller about one man’s quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash.
After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Not going to lie, I hadn't heard anything about this movie before seeing this trailer on Instagram. I was actually surprised to see Dev Patel being in a movie like this. It will be cool to see Dev Patel using martial arts in a movie since playing Zuko in The LastAirbender (2010) (Patel is a Taekwondo black belt). I am quite excited for this one, that's for sure!
Monkey Man comes out April 5, 2024 in the United States.
