Jackie Chan’s First Strike (Police Story 4) – Film Review
I probably could have put this out several days ago but I was still very frustrated that I was not bringing you a review of the definitive version of Jackie Chan’s First Strike or Police Story 4. All because some horrible vendor lied on Amazon. My anger actually increased as I was watching the movie because there were so many frustrating moments in the film where it’s a case of what the heck is going on. Obvious places for extra footage that would certainly enhance the story. Instead we got a very butchered film, and who knows if we will ever see a proper blu-ray/4k of the Japanese cut. It’s been what 20 years roughly since the dvd? I guess I should have spent the ~$35, but it’s frustrating when I “had” it for ~$15. Anyway, without further adieu, the WB Blu-Ray/International Cut film review of Jackie Chan’s First Strike.
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Police Story Reviews – Updates
Update, well the good news is the first three reviews are complete and the Supercop review will be the biggest one of all. So that puts me over the hump. Unfortunately, they are not going as quick as I wanted them to. I was being slow a little bit on purpose because of all of the problems I am having in securing the 2 disc dvd of First Strike which I still do not have. I had ordered it from Midwest Movies and Games off Amazon and it was fine at first. Then they wouldn’t ship and it kept going for almost a couple of weeks. Finally, it got cancelled (whether it was Amazon or Midwest it was impossible to tell) and while I did not get charged, I didn’t get anything out of it either. Fuel to the fire, the listing went back up at nearly $20 more than I previously paid. Yeah, completely fishy.
So now I’m stuck, I will not be going back to that vendor (unless he agrees to ship the item at the price I originally paid for), and the only other listing means I would have to fork out over $30 total. Single Kedrix would be able to do that, but married and caring Kedrix cannot. I guess I am back to the butchered WB version. For a brief update on the versions to be used for the last three, they are as follows:
Police Story 4 aka Jackie Chan’s First Strike – WB (Blu-Ray)
New Police Story – Lionsgate (Blu-Ray)
Police Story: Lockdown – Well Go (Blu-Ray)
My copy of New Police Story did actually come in and ahead of schedule. I’m not sure if the reader is aware, but there is going to be a “seventh” police story hitting the market in late 2023/2024. If I can get some decent information on that by the time I’m done with Lockdown, I surely will pass it along. I’m sure it will get a blu-ray (and maybe an international 4k) release but it would be nice to see it here in Houston on the big screen. Anyway, if anything changes, I’ll let you know. Thank you.
Police Story 3: Supercop 4k (88 Films) – Disc Review
The last couple of reviews I did strict summaries and commentaries. Even though I was viewing the Criterion Collection when it came to these Police Story films, I knew it wasn’t the definitive edition (Eureka 4k Trilogy) so there was literally nothing to be gained by “Disc Reviewing” those versions. Also, almost everyone who has an interest in the Police Story films has at least seen the first couple of films. Police Story III: Supercop is a different bird though. For one, I had the 88 Films 4k copy which came out this year and two, despite it’s popularity, this film is still not known by many people. Unlike the first two, I remember parts and pieces of the film. Furthermore, I’m about 95% certain, I watched only the US version and not the original Hong Kong version. So much like the reading audience, this is probably an almost brand new experience. Let’s dive in and give this one a whirl.
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Police Story 2 – Film Review
One of the wonderful things about doing these particular reviews is all of the versions that these films went under. Take for example today, our subject Police Story 2. Today, we will be looking over the 122 minute Japanese version of this film. But there are certainly other versions including a Hong Kong version (provided as a bonus feature on the Criterion disc) that runs 105 minutes and an even shorter version that was primarily intended for the UK and European territories clocking in at a mere 95 minutes. Usually what is stripped away from these films especially when it comes to action is any exposition or any chance to develop characters whether they be the protagonists or the villains. Basically, a shorter plot. Let’s take a look and see what we can shake out of this one.
Police Story – Film Review
We start our look back at the six Police Stories with the one that started it all, Police Story. This was released in 1985 and did very decent business across Asia and Europe. Eventually, it made its way everywhere else including the American market and really started to define Jackie Chan’s career as a world action movie megastar. Today we will take a look back at that movie and examine key scenes. It’s a fantastic movie and one of Jackie’s best (some would argue the cream of the crop), but there is still some criticism to be had. Let’s dive in.
Police Story Reviews – Introduction
Since I am not reviewing anything over at Upcomingdiscs.com at the moment, I thought I would come up with a theme for reviews on this site for say the next 3-4 weeks. After looking at my collection, I came up with all of the Police Story movies. There are actually six of these with the third one, Supercop getting a gorgeous 4k edition from 88 Films within the last few months. That one I will be reviewing in full.
However, the others it doesn’t make much sense to review the full disc, but instead just an in-depth analysis of the movie itself. Obviously, I would use which editions were handiest. Let’s go over them so you know what to expect.
Police Story – Criterion Collection (Blu-Ray)
Police Story 2 – Criterion Collection (Blu-Ray)
Police Story 3: Supercop – 88 Films (4k)
Police Story 4 aka Jackie Chan’s First Strike – WB (Blu-Ray)
New Police Story – Amazon/Tubi (Free Streaming)
Police Story: Lockdown – Well Go (Blu-Ray)
Two problems that are probably obvious with this list. First, Police Story 4 or First Strike; since there are two cuts of the film, the US cut which runs about 84 minutes (and unfortunately the one I’m probably reviewing) and the 107 minute version which is only available on an Asian DVD. If I can find that DVD for a reasonable price, I will include it in my review. The other problem would be New Police Story which I realized last night I do not actually own. Thankfully, it is available for free (w/ads) streaming in a bunch of places. I might also snag the blu-ray, again if I can find it in a reasonable amount of time. I think a lot of people faced with a similar venture would probably eliminate the last three movies, but they are important to the overall history of the series. Also, I rather like Lowdown and think it’s a very underrated movie.
The good news is that I finished watching the first Police Story last night and will have a review probably by tomorrow night, the 8th. If this slight deviation from the norm proves to be entertaining, I might look into other series and other genres. I’m best when I am reviewing movies (or music), so I need to put that into continuing content. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.
6/7 PM EDIT: Not sure why I’m stressing over New Police Story, it is $5.99 brand new off Amazon. I’ll have this well before I need it.
6/8 AM EDIT: I didn’t read the fine print on New Police Story. I won’t get it until July 17th. I was honestly going to try and be done by early July with all of the movies. So I might be back to streaming on that one. Also great news on the Japan 2-DVD front for Jackie Chan’s First Strike, I found a copy for under $15 including shipping and tax. So, I should get that in time to when I come to it in review. I am also working on the first Police Story review. With any luck it should go up tonight.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Film Review
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse opened on December 12th, 2018. At the time, there were a bunch of popular films that crowded the landscape including The Grinch (Illumination), Ralph Breaks the Internet and Creed II. At that point, I don’t think anyone really expected an off-shoot Spider-Man animated movie to make the buzz that it did. But it succeeded and then some. It went on to make ~$385 million at the global box office and eventually a sequel came out five years later. However, not all sequels impress and this one boasted a near two hours and almost twenty minutes of run time. Is it any good? In short, it’s freaking amazing. Let’s take a look.
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Let Love Rule by Lenny Kravitz with David Ritz (Book) Review
I remember first seeing this book on the shelves over at Target back in the fall of 2020. I kept thinking to myself I should buy that immediately. After all, Lenny is one of my favorite artists and I’ve always been interested in how he creates his music. Days turned into months, and it wasn’t until actually over two years later, I saw the book again. It was a bit lower in price (let’s face it, it’s hard to stomach thirty dollars for a hardcover) and I decided to take a chance to read about the life and times of one Lenny Kravitz. Let’s take a look.
The original copy of this review (minus this introduction) can be found at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5563606238
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The King of Laughter (DVD) Review
I think all of us want to be on stage at least in theory. For me, it started with some plays in high school. But from there, those aspirations were cut short due to my father telling me that I needed a real job (which was his favorite thing to tell me in high school and college). I don’t think the decade I spent in karaoke bars (and actually singing) really counts for anything either. So I’ve always been fascinated with theater, particularly when it comes to comedy. When I saw The King of Laughter as a possible review title, I took a peak at the trailer and decided to give it a shot. After all, what’s not to like about a story featuring the famous actor/playwright Eduardo Scarpetta in a battle with the courts over the concept of parody? Let’s take a look.
The original copy of this review can be found at: https://upcomingdiscs.com/2023/05/24/the-king-of-laughter/
Everything But the Girl – Fuse CD+Blu-Ray Audio Review
Rating – 3 1/2 stars out of 5
Everything But the Girl gained an incredible amount of fame with their song “Missing” in 1994 on their Amplified Heart album. Much like their earlier music, it was an acoustic driven set and not until the Todd Terry club mix changed everything did anyone really take notice of the band except for the diehards. Their last album, Temperamental met with some success in the dance market and was released in 1999. Fast forward 24 years and the band has made a comeback with the 2023 record, Fuse. Let’s take a listen and see what we think.
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